Pandora's Box | kim mingyu & jeon wonwoo

04

He cleared his throat, and then said, "I feel like-" he cut himself off and sighed. He started again, "I'm feeling a way I don't think I've ever felt before."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, my head snapped in his direction. I scanned his face for any signs of a joke, but no matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find any. I knew then, that I had to take him at face value. And for some reason, this realization caused my heart to drop. I swallowed and wracked my brain for something proper to say.

Eventually, I replied with, "What do you mean?" I deeply inhaled and hoped he hadn't noticed, and then I continued, "Do you like someone?"

His cheeks and ears burned bright pink at my words. At the sight of it, I was conflicted: a part of me felt warm and fuzzy, and another part of me, was nauseous. I mustered up my courage and said, "I'll take that as a yes." I adorned my words with a smile and a teasing tone, and at that, Wonwoo turned his head to face me head-on and stuck his tongue out.

"Stop teasing me!" He complained, and even the way he did that was nothing short of adorable.

"About Lim Nayoung?" I continued, despite his protests.

"I don't know why I'm telling you to begin with! You're so annoying," he continued, but of course, what I heard was what he hadn't said.

"So you don't deny it then? Do you like her? Is that how you feel?"

He nodded, and this time there was nothing humorous about him. "She's really pretty," he said. He sounded out of breath, despite the fact that we were just sitting on a bench. From that alone, I could tell that very thought of her made him breathless.

I had to suppress my urge to flinch.

"I really want to get to know her," he said desperately. And I didn't know what to say to that, so I didn't say anything at all.

For a reason I couldn't place, it really bothered me when I realized Wonwoo had feelings for Nayoung. Regardless, I knew it would be better if I didn't involve myself. Yet I just could not help myself.

Girls never understand Wonwoo's greatness. The fact that I was popular among girls, and he was not, was proof enough.

I didn't think Nayoung would be the exception. This, of course, frustrated me. She, like any other girl, would never appreciate and understand him the way I did. It pained me that while I raised a truthful point, none of it mattered. That's what I was supposed to do: to understand him and to appreciate him was exactly what any friend did.

"So what's the plan?" I said, almost abruptly. To mask the unexpected bitterness in my tone, I went for another bite of my ice cream. Thankfully, Wonwoo didn't seem to pick up on this, and instead, he simply threw his head back and sighed.

"I don't know," he admitted, in his usual quiet voice. "Talk to her, I guess. See where it goes. Maybe this will die out in a week," he said. His voice was laced with humor, but I knew it was just his lame attempt at covering up his embarrassment. Wonwoo never took himself seriously, and that always ticked me off.

"And if it doesn't?" I asked, surprising both myself and him. I was quick to close my mouth shut, of course, but the damage had been done. And before I knew it, Wonwoo was already sitting up straight, positioning himself in a way where I knew he planned to question me further. I obliged before he even asked, "If it doesn't die out in a week? If it lasts a long time?" I elaborated, trying to keep my tone at bay. I didn't want to sound judgemental or overbearing, but I had to know. I watched him intently as he came up with his answer, but even when it came, I was still surprised.