A Date That Ignites Jealousy
It was obvious at a glance that Suho's nerves were on fire because I hadn't come home. We'd already had one clash at the house, so calling me directly probably felt too awkward. That left a high chance he'd reluctantly dialed Jeong Sua instead.
"Oppa, I'll step out for a quick call."
I wished she would just hang up on him, but since they were childhood friends of fifteen years, Sua rose from her seat to answer. Letting her walk away like that was the kind of pathetic move only a loser like Kang Suho would make. I refused to allow it.
"Don't go."
"It's just a quick call..."
"The movie's about to start. Just text him the situation and be done with it."
"Hmm... that does sound better."
My eyes were dead serious. Sua, who had been hesitating, seemed to decide it wouldn't be right to leave me behind for a phone call and sat back down.
That bastard Kang Suho. Making such a pathetic call?
I had already given him more than enough time. Before Sua became an adult, there had been plenty of opportunity for the two of them to connect. Instead he had dithered, and the turn eventually passed to me. The time for going easy on him was over.
Just sit there quietly and watch as Sua becomes mine, Suho.
After inwardly mocking him to my heart's content, I secretly glanced at Jeong Sua's phone.
Yeah. Very satisfying. Just picturing Suho slumped in despair at home made my balls tighten with delight.
"Do you talk on the phone with Kang Suho like that often?"
"Well..."
"Well?"
I narrowed my eyes and stared at her. Sua's expression shifted as if she'd caught my intent.
"...Because we're childhood friends?"
She had chosen exactly the words I wanted to hear. If the word like had left her mouth, I would have flipped the entire theater.
"Ah, I see."
"Ah~"
Feeling pleased, I picked up a piece of popcorn and offered it to her again. This time she leaned forward on her own, taking it straight from my hand.
Her favorability has definitely shot up since the bar incident.
I felt a quiet satisfaction at how she drew a clear line, calling him nothing more than a childhood friend. Of course, we weren't officially dating yet, and it was possible she still harbored feelings for Suho. I couldn't let my guard down until she was completely mine.
"Oppa, do you realize your lips are curling up? Does what I said make you that happy?"
Sua's tone was thick with teasing. I turned my head as if embarrassed and gulped down the cola like a man dying of thirst.
Right on cue, the theater ads ended, the studio logo appeared, and the movie began.
"What are you talking about? The movie's starting, so be quiet."
"Hmm~ You look embarrassed, so I'll let it slide this time. Even Oppa has cute moments."
You're the cutest girl in the world, Sua. No, correction—since Cha Yeri is another main heroine, we'll call it a tie for first. Both of you are the prettiest and most adorable creatures alive.
What a sinful man I was, thinking about another woman while sitting in front of the one I liked.
For a while I paid little attention to the film, watching it with only half an eye. While secretly studying Sua's reactions, I noticed her mouth gradually falling open and her cheeks turning red.
Why? Because an unmistakably explicit erotic scene had appeared on screen.
Moans poured from the high-quality surround speakers. A feast of bare skin danced across the massive screen. For our pure, innocent Sua—who got nervous just from holding hands—this was far too early.
"Ijin oppa... this..."
Unable to endure the unexpected content, Sua finally spoke. But Sua, you're supposed to stay quiet in a theater. Then again, did it matter? The couples around us watching the same film already looked quite busy syncing up with the erotic scenes.
"Yeah... what?"
"Yeah, what? That's not the point... ugh... You said it was a romance movie... You never mentioned it was this kind of movie...!"
"It's an adult romance film, so I didn't lie."
"You clearly said it was popular among girls these days..."
"It's popular among girls who have boyfriends."
"Oppa... did you trick me into coming here on purpose?"
"Yes. I did."
My shameless admission seemed to leave her speechless. Not even a hollow laugh escaped Sua's lips.
After a moment of silence, I set the shared popcorn aside and took her hand.
"Want to leave? If you hate it, we don't have to watch. I heard the story was decent for an adult film, so I thought it would be fine."
Sua seemed to acknowledge that much, because she offered no objection. In truth, until the erotic scenes began she had been concentrating without even realizing it was an adult movie.
Above all, my goal was to heighten romantic tension by showing her an adult film, not to force her to endure something she disliked.
"I didn't know you hated it that much. Sorry."
"N-no. It's not that I hate it that much..."
"Then you like it?"
"Why does the conversation keep going this way!"
I kept my face calm and free of mischief as I spoke. Sua pondered her options. Even if she chose to walk out, I would respect it.
"Oppa... you didn't bring me here with perverted intentions, right?"
Uh... I couldn't exactly say no. I was a man, after all. When a guy takes a woman to an adult film, he might act indifferent on the surface, but deep down he hopes for a steamy situation—kissing in the dark, slipping a hand into her panties during the erotic scenes to caress her and help her immerse herself completely.
But. Perhaps because of the image I had built, her eyes already held a strange certainty before I even answered. The conviction that Oppa would never have brought her here with such thoughts.
She's painted me with a strange filter.
It was fascinating that she trusted me in a situation like this even while routinely calling me a pervert. Did she believe that despite my delinquent exterior, I was actually kind inside?
Sorry, Sua. I was born to play the villain. I'm neither kind nor trustworthy like Suho. Thrilled at the chance to exploit that very image, I barely suppressed the faint smile tugging at my lips and answered nonchalantly.
"Yeah... I thought even if we stayed, the scenes wouldn't be that explicit. A lot of the kids around us said they'd seen it."
"So Oppa didn't know either?"
As if. I'd already heard every detail from my friends.
"That's right."
Yet the lie flowed from my mouth with perfect naturalness.
"I see... hehe."
Was the situation amusing? A small chuckle escaped Sua's lips.
"Then let's just watch. You already paid, and leaving now would be a waste."
"You don't have to force yourself."
"No, it's fine. I realized Oppa isn't the kind of person who would show me something like this with lewd intentions. Plus, like you said, the story is actually pretty good. The erotic scenes are... a little difficult, but..."
"Thank you for understanding."
With the matter settled, I released her hand. A faint sound of disappointment slipped from Sua's lips. It was so clearly audible that pretending not to notice would have been ridiculous.
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Let's just watch the movie... Ugh... I must be losing my mind... To think something like that even for a second..."
Was this a special trait of love-comedy heroines? Even though I sat right beside her and could hear every word, she still muttered to herself in that small voice. Calling it foolish while finding the sight adorable made me realize I had completely melted into this love-comedy world myself.
When Kang Suho read the message, he felt the world collapsing around him. It was only his older brother and his childhood friend watching a movie together. Nothing more, nothing less. Yet...
His eyes were glazed. His hair stuck out in wild disarray. Suho's appearance was anything but normal. He looked like a man wasting away from illness.
He closed his eyes, opened them again, and slowly pulled himself together. He went to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water. Wiping away the moisture, he stared into the mirror and muttered under his breath.
"It's just a movie... It's no big deal."
Watching a movie was nothing. He had watched movies alone with Sua dozens of times, met her alone hundreds of times, and talked with her alone thousands of times. Besides, Jeong Sua had never particularly liked his brother's type. So the two of them going to a movie must simply be because it felt too awkward to part after buying a gift. They would finish the film and return home as if nothing had happened.
But...
Suho felt as though something was being stolen from him. The anxiety refused to stop. He knew the reason. This was clearly jealousy toward Kang Ijin.
His brother had everything. Vice president, popular, strong in fights, even reliable...
In comparison, Suho had nothing. The only thing worth boasting about was the handsome face everyone always praised. But his brother had that too.
Suho fell into thought with a grave expression. Kang Ijin was his biological older brother. Moreover, he was someone with far more strengths than weaknesses, a person worth learning from. It was only natural he was popular, and as a younger brother he should feel proud.
Yet Suho simply hated the idea of Sua getting along with his brother. The reason was simple. Suho had a one-sided crush on her. That was why he felt anxious.
What if Sua secretly likes my brother...
He gasped. No, that couldn't be. Suho shook his head vigorously to clear the dizzying thoughts.
When had it started? When had his brother begun to change? It was probably when he was twelve and his brother thirteen. Until then, his brother had been a troublemaker who practically lived at the police station, doing whatever he pleased. Because of that, Suho had received nearly all their parents' love.
But one day his brother's behavior reversed so completely it was like a different person. His speech and personality stayed the same, yet he began studying—something he had never done before—went to the gym consistently, and the calls from school about violence stopped entirely.
Seeing that transformation, Suho had come to respect Kang Ijin. His brother who worked hard to improve had been someone he wanted to brag about to his friends. When girls in class said his brother who came to pick him up was cool, Suho had actually felt even happier.
But. When had it started? From some point, the cooler his brother became, the more anxious Suho grew. It happened when Suho entered middle school—and Jeong Sua did too. Kang Ijin attended a different middle school. Yet the incident in which elementary-schooler Kang Ijin had beaten up middle schoolers remained a legendary tale no one from their school could fail to know.
Thanks to that, even after entering middle school, kids from other elementary schools would occasionally retell the story. The tale had been exaggerated until it became strange, but—
"Suho, your brother is really amazing. I'm so jealous. I wish I had a brother like that."
"But is that rumor true? That your oppa came all the way to the elementary school to fight for you."
"I heard he sent a middle schooler flying with one punch."
"What are you talking about? It was one kick."
"Bullshit. They ran away just from his aura."
"Suho, what's the real story?"
Since every version ultimately praised the greatness of a brother who fought to protect his sibling, Suho had been ready to answer their questions in a good mood.
However.
"All three of you are wrong. Ijin oppa took him down with a headbutt."
The answer to the question aimed at Suho somehow came from Jeong Sua's mouth. She had interrupted with an expression full of inexplicable pride.
"Wow, that's so cool. His name is Ijin? Sua, are you close with that oppa?"
"Not exactly close, but we greet each other when we meet. Plus, recently that oppa told me he con—"
"Con...? Why did you stop?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Anyway, even though his speech and actions are a bit rough, he's actually very considerate. Right, Suho?"
"......"
"Suho?"
"Huh? Uh... yeah. Our brother is amazing."
It wasn't only Suho who felt proud at the praise for his brother. The moment he saw how happy Jeong Sua looked, Suho's own mood sank into gloom.
Sua and hyung have no connection at all. Why are you bragging about our brother and looking so pleased?
I was the one who introduced them. I was the catalyst that let them grow close. Without me, the two of them would never have had any relationship. Because I existed, they were able to become friends...
"Ugh, I'll go to the bathroom for a second..."
-Urk.
Suho rushed to the bathroom and vomited up all those disgusting thoughts. Jeong Sua had simply been happy that someone she knew was being praised. Seeing that and feeling such vulgar jealousy made Suho loathe himself for having such ugly ideas.
"Let's not think like this... Both of them are precious to me."
After that resolution, Suho decided not to care whether Sua showed interest in his brother or not. In reality, she had never met his brother alone or displayed any signs of liking him.
Yeah, there's no way Sua likes hyung.
It had been nothing but a groundless worry.
...Or so he had thought only a few days ago. Before he lied to himself and met her alone in the evening. Before they went to watch a movie together, just the two of them.
Suho lowered his gaze to stare at his palm.
-Clench.
He tightened his fist. Then he made a vow.
"If it's going to be like this, I should confess first... I'll tell Sua my true feelings."
He resolved not to hesitate any longer. This was all the karmic price for dragging things out without ever finding the courage to confess. He would convey his heart honestly and begin a serious relationship with Sua. The trigger might have been jealousy between the two of them, but no matter what the trigger was, his feelings of love for Jeong Sua were completely sincere.