"Sorry... I can't see well in the dark."
That had just been a test.
Seeing Yoon Taehee acting cold, as if they were complete strangers, while flirting with someone else, the first thought that popped into jaegyeom's head was, 'Is he possessed or something?'
A perfectly natural thought for a gwijae.
He'd said he was on vacation, so Jaegyeom figured he couldn't be on an undercover mission or working.
Even if, for some unavoidable reason, he had to pretend they didn't know each other, he could have excused himself to the bathroom or something and followed Jaegyeom out to explain. But Yoon Taehee didn't.
Seeing him act so differently, Jaegyeom thought he needed to check if it was really Yoon Taehee. So he deliberately threw the dart at him. And the person in front of him really was Yoon Taehee.
This confirmed it for Jaegyeom. Yoon Taehee was deliberately pretending not to know him, ignoring him.
Any lingering doubts solidified into certainty.
Yoon Taehee must have decided to stop liking me.
That's why he was acting like they'd just met, blatantly ignoring him and shamelessly flirting with someone else. Jaegyeom felt like he'd been thrown into a ditch.
He was getting increasingly angry.
When did I ever tell you to like me?'
Yoon Taehee's feelings were apparently fickle enough to change on a dime, just like that. Jaegyeom felt pathetic for being so swayed by such shallow feelings, for agonizing over them for days.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?"
Just then, Shin Jihye, the woman with Yoon Taehee, cupped his face with a worried expression, examining it closely. Yoon Taehee leaned into her touch, letting her fuss over him.
The sight sent Jaegyeom's mood plummeting.
What do you know? Do you think I threw that to hurt him? I threw it knowing Yoon Taehee could easily dodge it. I even put a little spiritual energy into it so he'd notice it quickly. How well do you even know him to be so worried?
You know nothing about Yoon Taehee...
"Hey, I doubt he did it on purpose. Lighten up."
As the atmosphere grew heavy, the woman with the bob cut intervened.
"He got nervous and made a mistake after we were all praising him."
She clapped her hands, trying to lighten the mood.
Fortunately, Yoon Taehee was completely fine, not even a scratch. "Sorry, I was surprised," Shin Jihye said, her expression relaxing slightly.
"Come on, what's with the gloomy atmosphere? Let's have a toast!"
The woman with the bob cut offered Jaegyeom a glass.
"Kid, you must have been startled too. It's okay, don't worry too much."
She kindly reassured Jaegyeom as she poured him a drink. Jaegyeom stared down at the glass, lips pressed together, then downed it in a fit of pique. He immediately grimaced. It tasted like rotten wood.
Jaegyeom scrunched up his face and made a spitting sound, making the woman next to him and the others around them laugh.
"Want to try something else if you don't like that?"
She poured him a different drink. This one was much more palatable. After a toast, the atmosphere returned to normal. With over fifteen people gathered, and everyone already drinking, the air quickly filled with excitement and the surroundings became noisy.
Jaegyeom sat at the edge of the sofa, sipping his drink and glaring at Yoon Taehee.
Yoon Taehee and Shin Jihye were nestled together on the sofa, talking. She grabbed her long hair, frowning.
"My hair is damaged. Look at the split ends." Yoon Taehee chuckled, touched her hair, and whispered something in her ear.
"Haha, what? That's funny."
Just go on and make a fool of yourself. Fuck.
It was a sickening sight. Yoon Taehee, who claimed to enjoy being with Jaegyeom, seemed perfectly content with someone else. The problem was, they looked good together. Since the dart incident, he hadn't spared Jaegyeom a single glance.
Jaegyeom was in a foul mood.
While everyone else was having fun, he wanted to expose everything. You guys have no idea, do you? That bastard is actually a sodomite. He is so depraved, he fantasizes about sleeping with men. And he's forced himself on me several times, and said he's happy being with me.
And..
Fuming, Jaegyeom gulped down his drink. But the truth was, it shouldn't matter who Yoon Taehee was with. Jaegyeom had been trying to distance himself too.
Yet, seeing Yoon Taehee pretend not to know him, ignore his calls, and flirt with someone else made his stomach churn. He couldn't understand why he was so upset.
Whatever his intentions, Jaegyeom couldn't just let it end here.
Even if he ignored, he could just trash this party, grab him by the collar, and drag him out.
Jaegyeom, with a serious expression, contemplated causing a scene, unconsciously downing one strong drink after another. He guzzled the unidentified high-proof liquor like water, quickly becoming hot and dizzy. Yoon Taehee's gaze swept past him. Of course, Jaegyeom didn't notice.
"Oh, you seem to hold your liquor well."
A man came and sat next to jaegyeom.
"Want another drink?"
Jaegyeom, holding his glass, looked up. His eyelids kept drooping, so he forced them open to look at the man. He had a two-block haircut and held a bottle in his hand.
"..."
He silently accepted the drink with a sullen expression.
"I'm Park Sangjun."
Jaegyeom didn't respond. The man, who had introduced himself as Park Sangjun, cleared his throat and tried again. Amidst the surrounding noise, a conversation began that only the two of them could hear.
"Where do you live?"
"Gugi-dong."
"Gugi-dong? I live in Itaewon."
"So? I didn't ask."
Park Sangjun chuckled, turning his head to the side.
"You seem pretty drunk. Want to go out for some fresh air?"
"No need. I'm just going to finish this and... no, I'm going home."
"Why are you speaking informally to me?"
Drunk, Jaegyeom flicked his ear irritably.
"If you don't like it, you can speak informally too."
Park Sangjun looked at him with amusement.
"Should I?"
Jaegyeom sighed and picked up his glass again. Park Sangjun obligingly offered the bottle. "You're drinking too fast. Slow down." Jaegyeom ignored his concern and emptied his glass.
"How long have those two known each other?"
Jaegyeom gestured towards Shin Jihye and Yoon Taehee. Park Sangjun glanced in their direction. "I don't know. Not long." He looked intently at jaegyeom and asked slyly,
"Why? Are you jealous?"
Jaegyeom's hand, holding the glass, paused briefly. "I knew it, you have a thing for Jihye." Park Sangjun nodded knowingly and whispered in Jaegyeom's ear.
"You're better off giving up."
"Why?"
"Jihye has a type. You're not it."
"What's her type?"
"Well, let's just say you're far from her taste."
Park Sangjun lowered his voice.
"Besides, Jihye is fickle, so you'll only get hurt if you get attached. She plays with whoever she's with for exactly a week and then dumps them. Today's the third day they've been together, so they don't have much time left."
According to Sangjun, Shin Jihye went to clubs every weekend and picked a guy she liked, played with him for exactly a week, and then ruthlessly blocked his number.
"Jihye likes men, but she also hates them. So she never gets serious. He probably doesn't know anything... but I'm her friend, so I know. Jihye is only sincere for a week."
He said the guy Shin Jihye brought this time was also someone she met at a club. Park Sangjun and the others there were part of hre usual friend group. They knew her well, so they easily mingled with whoever she brought, even if they were strangers. Deep connections weren't necessary when they were just drinking and having fun.
"Ah, I've said too much to one of Jihye's fans. Just pretend you didn't hear any of that."
Jaegyeom, who had been listening quietly, scoffed. The thought of Yoon Taehee getting dumped by Shin Jihye in a few days was momentarily satisfying, but it was fleeting. His mood sank again.
You said you loved me..