To Byul (Omegaverse)-Chapter 38: Kang-woo cares for Hwa a lot

Throughout the movie, Chin-Hwa stole glances at Kang-woo, wondering if he was okay, and his mind would sometimes wander back to how he could get so angry over small things like that.

Though it wasn't exactly small, given the older man did bruise him but... Knowing Kang-woo would just into anything just to protect him still made him feel warm at heart and uneasy as well.

Just what was going on in his mind?

He decided to steal another glance, but this time, he met Kang-woo's eyes and inevitably looked away.

"How are you?" He heard Kang-woo whisper and looked up. What was it this time?

He glanced over at Yun-tae and found him deeply engrossed in the movie with sparkling eyes.

Then, he glanced back at Kang-woo, asking with a low tone,

"Why aren't you watching the movie?" He asked.

"Because I'm worried." Kang-woo answered.

"What are you worried about?" Chin-hwa asked. "I told you I'm fine and... It's just a bruise. Stop making a big deal out of it."

"Still," Kang-woo took his hand and then pressed it over his cheek. "Something worries me. I don't know what it is but even when sitting next to you like this, listening to your voice and staring into your eyes, I still..." He lowered his eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't say stuff like this."

"Wait, what were you about to say? Finish it." Chin-hwa demanded. "You can't just stop halfway when you're talking."

"No, I can." Kang-woo said, letting go of his hand. "And it's because I have no right to use those words."

Chin-hwa's heart thumped. Was he seriously saying something like that after getting him all worked up?

Was he playing mind games with him?

"You..."

"Shhh!" The person next to Chin-hwa hushed them since they were getting too loud, and Chin-hwa bit his lip, turning his head away from Kang-woo.

"You're insufferable." He said.

Kang-woo watched him and though he was relieved Chin-hwa could not press the matter further, he had this sad smile.

His words were going to end with, 'I still miss you.' Even though he could see Chin-hwa, speak to him and smile at him, the longing in his heart was still there. He still... Missed Chin-hwa.

To get rid of that longing, he felt he needed to do more with him. Hold his hands more often, hold him in his arms in a tight hug, brush his hair with his fingers, and caress his cheeks in the pretense of getting rid of something on his face.

He wanted to do all that, but Chin-hwa had put up a wall; he could feel it. Even though he said they should forget that whole separation and act like they were always together, he knew Chin-hwa had grown distant even while he smiled.

Why wouldn't he? He was hurt and betrayed at heart and no one would tell him why.

Kang-woo bent his head. He was the one to blame for all that pain. Only him.

So, what right did he have to tell Hwa that he still missed him even though he was sitting right next to him?

"Hwa," he muttered silently and softly.

Yun-Tae, who had been so engrossed in the movie, felt his heart flutter at the actor's performance. He turned to Kang-woo and Chin-hwa, hoping to share his excitement but the air around them did not let him speak.

It was dark in the theater and the only light there was came directly from the screen, but despite that, he could see clearly that they both had expressions of sadness on their faces.

'Their friendship...' he thought. 'It's heartbreakingly sad. I hope they can get along again.' His eyes fell on Chin-hwa. 'Hwa acts like it's okay but I'm not that dense to see it. Nothing is okay. They're both still hurting.'

And how would he recognize a hurting person? It was simple. For someone who only felt hurt growing up, it wouldn't be hard to spot that feeling when looking into the eyes of a victim.

'Kang-woo cares for Hwa a lot, so he must be hurting the most. I don't know what happened between them but it would be great if they all got along.' He turned his gaze to the screen. 'And then, when I start dating Kang-woo, we can all her along and they can stay friends forever.'

Yun-tae had innocent thoughts, at this point, but he had no idea that those innocent thoughts were quite lethal at heart to the two who he was thinking for.

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The title, 'friend' as nice as it sounded and as often as it was used, was something Chin-hwa and Kang-woo hoped to get rid of.

Not for anything but for the sake of taking things a bit further. But the misunderstanding that was keeping them apart would never let them take a step forward and that was what kept the two in place till date.

"That was amazing." Yun-tae exclaimed in excitement. "Did you see the end? Did you? I was so touched by the confessions and, and..." He turned back to find them simply smiling at him, while entertaining his excitement.

He got embarrassed knowing he was the only excited one and he quickly apologized.

"Oh no, I'm sorry. I was just ranting on. Was it awkward?" He asked but Chin-hwa shook his head.

"Don't worry. Your ranting can't be compared to how many times my dad emphasized his confession." Chin-hwa said, laughing lightly. "Go ahead. It's fun to watch."

"I don't think I can," Yun-tae said as he blushed. He covered his face and turned around. "I'm too embarrassed now."

"Did you like it that much?" Kang-woo asked.

Kang-woo was also one of the people who fell victim to Woo-bin's eccentric elaborations when telling the story of his sweet romance. Ahem, scratch that. He was eccentric and insufferable when he and Baek-Hyun's sweet romance with Hae-won.

"Very." He pressed the tips of his fingers together and then slowly joined both hands together in front of his face, saying, "It was magical." He gushed, his face glowing in sweetness as he thought deeply about it.

It struck Chin-hwa as a surprise. He was very cute. But at this point... He turned to Kang-woo who just stood there with no words and a simple smile.

At this point, someone had to pat the head of that cute little face and make the moment feel even more special. But Kang-woo didn't look like he was going to do it. Maybe he wasn't moved enough?

But Yun-tae was really cute though. He was even comparable to him, Chin-hwa, not that anyone would want to accept that fact.

In any case, he couldn't figure it out. Why did Kang-woo not have the urge to pat his head?

"There's a claw machine by the corner," Chin-hwa suddenly said, after not being able to wrap his head around the reason.

He turned to Yun-tae and asked with a smile, "Why don't you try your hands at it?"