To Byul (Omegaverse)-Chapter 47: Okay, enough chitchat

Chin-hwa cut the call right after he asked that. Maybe that would leave Dong-cha with the answer to most of her questions.

If she knew about the meals in Cal'Air then she probably knew how much they cost.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

He never wanted to disclose that he came from a rich family and he put a lot of effort into it too. He wore regular clothing, even if they were of the highest quality since his siblings always managed to exchange his newly purchased low-quality clothes so he would feel the most comfort.

He spent just the same amount a regular college student would spend daily. Well, he'd like to say that, but his love for sweets had him ordering sweet palates every now and then.

He hoped to graduate with his family riches buried in his secret box but...

But after spending such a short time with Yun-tae, acting unlike himself, he felt he should open up, even if it was just a little bit, to his friends who cared about him.

Doing that wouldn't break the wall he had built and they wouldn't cross the line either. So, there was no harm done.

"You talked a lot with Dong-cha," Yun-tae said. "Was she being stubborn again?"

"Well, more or less. She wants to have four rounds of soju and then go an extra round to get rid of her headache but we both know that's not going to solve anything." He sighed. "In any case, she wants to have fun on a Sunday evening."

"That's so like her." Yun-tae giggled. "But she can hold her liquor, so that's a good thing."

"Yeah, if not I wonder how many times she would've been found sleeping on the streets." He said with a straight face but suddenly burst into laughter. "I can't even imagine it."

Yun-tae laughed along with him.

"Me neither."

Kang-woo was the only silent one. He could not relate to what they were saying and once again, he realized that Chin-hwa had a life without him while he was gone.

He had other friends who knew things about him that he did not know about. Even if he was confident that he understood Chin-hwa the most and knew almost everything about him, the lacking sides that he did not know of put him at a disadvantage, because the Chin-hwa he knew very well was the Chin-hwa of the past and the one in front of him was a completely different Chinese who had... Grown.

"Okay, enough chitchat. Let's eat." Chin-hwa said and Yun-tae finally brought his attention to the food.

His eyes sparkled at the full table. How did he ignore it till now?

"Wow, it looks so good and," he darted his eyes towards Chin-hwa. "... expensive."

Chin-hwa, in turn, darted his eyes away, avoiding eye contact that would give his thoughtfulness away. He cleared his throat and turned to Kang-woo who was suddenly staring at his phone.

"Is something wrong?" He asked but Kang-woo shook his head, putting his phone down.

"No, nothing major." He answered as he started picking up his cutlery and adjusting the tablecloth. "But something seemed to have gone wrong with the courses I registered, so I'll have to replace them with new ones."

"Oh, well, course registration hasn't expired yet so I think you can still switch them out." Chin-hwa said. "You should be able to do that when you get back to school tomorrow. What do you major in?"

Kang-woo went silent.

"Yeah, I was also meaning to ask but I didn't want to sound rude." Yun-tae added. "What course do you major in? Chin-hwa and I major in interior designing by the way."

Chin-hwa cleared his throat after Yun-tae's words. Kang-woo also lowered his head.

That was the course they both wanted to do together and while he went abroad to study, Chin-hwa went ahead to study it on his own.

It was over five years ago when they both decided that they would study interior designing.

It was for no grand reason other than the desire to want to design their homes by themselves. And it was a home that they both wished to stay together.

Such unsaid vows gave Chin-hwa hope that Kang-woo would one day change his mind and when they designed their own home, they would stay in it forever.

But things did not go according to plan.

"I also," Kang-woo began, his voice solemn yet brisk. "Major in interior designing."

Chin-hwa's eyes widened and he looked up at Kang-woo in shock.

"And since I was going to my third year in the States when I transferred, I became one of your colleagues."

"Does that mean we'll see you in our classes from now on?" Yun-tae asked and Kang-woo nodded.

"Yes."

But though he was trying to smile and not show that anything was wrong, his smile was a bit sad, like he had done something wrong.

"Wow, that's awesome. That means we can start having classes together." Yun-tae said with a look of excitement. "Did you hear that, Hwa? Kang-woo is going to..."

"I heard him." Chin-hwa said, his grip on his fork tightening. He had a dark look on his face that made him difficult to approach. "Kang-woo, why are you just saying that now?"

"It's because..." He bit his lips but then smiled, pushing his guilt aside for a moment. "You never asked."

Chin-hwa paused for a moment, his heartbeat accelerating at an aching pace.

Ah, that was right. He never asked because he never cared. He didn't want to care what Kang-woo was going to be up to after coming back, so he did not bother to ask.

And Kang-woo must've felt it was a waste of time to just bring it up so he never said anything about it.

They would eventually bump into each other in one of their classes and then he would be the fool who never expected such a thing to happen.

The tip of his tongue tasted bitter.

"Yeah, you're right. I never asked." Chin-hwa said and released his grip on the fork. "Well, that's that, I suppose. Let's eat before the food gets cold."