Trip (15)
“Hyung, why don't you just be honest with Juyeon noona already?”
“W-what are you talking about?”
Seonwoo panicked at my sudden words. He must have a guilty conscience somewhere.
“That you don't have any feelings for Juyeon noona at all.”
“……”
A brief silence fell.
“You know exactly what I'm talking about, right?”
Breaking that silence, Seonwoo regained his composure and opened his mouth.
“I have no idea.”
But all I got back was a deflating response.
“No, what do you mean 'no idea'?”
Is this guy planning to play dumb? Even without Juyeon noona confessing outright, he has to know she likes him.
“I know Juyeon's feelings well enough.”
“Then…”
“But I don't know my own feelings.”
Oh, please. It's obvious he has zero interest in Juyeon noona. If he cared about a girl, he wouldn't be grinning like an idiot at another one right next to her.
But Seonwoo's bullshit kept coming.
“And Juyeon is precious to me, no matter what anyone says. That's why I want to cherish our relationship more.”
In other words, he's still unsure what to do, so he's gonna mull it over. One wrong move, and their bond could shatter.
Sure, losing a childhood friend overnight would suck.
But…
“So what about Juyeon noona's feelings all this time?”
Juyeon noona's yandere state is precarious in its own way. While the other heroines are blatant, hers simmers under the surface. If it boils over, Seonwoo might end up in the hospital for real.
Honestly, from my position, that might be for the best—even if it's a bit cold. If I were heartless or uncaring, I'd just ignore it.
“Hmm… Got it. I'll try to gently explain it to Juyeon.”
“Gently explain?”
“Yeah, I need to tell her properly that I can't reciprocate her feelings yet.”
Well, if he's saying that much, I can't argue anymore. I'm not in a position to tell him to reject her outright.
“Taeyang, you think deeply about things.”
Seonwoo smiled again. His gaze felt a bit prickly, but without words, I couldn't read his mind.
“I just said it because Juyeon noona seemed all worked up alone. If it was meddling, sorry.”
“No, it's fine.”
Seonwoo shook his head. Then, with that same sly grin, he asked,
“So, shouldn't you start deciding your answer soon too?”
“You mean with the noonas and Yuyeong?”
Seonwoo just stared at me without reacting. But I knew that meant yes.
“I… I rejected them properly. Told them straight up it was too much pressure and we should just stay friends.”
“Really?”
Seonwoo raised one eyebrow, surprised.
“They still seem to like you, though.”
“Yeah, it's a problem for me too.”
The more I spoke, the more his face relaxed. Why is he acting like this?
“Too bad, but then they'll have to move on. Plenty of guys out there—they'll find someone good soon enough.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, they're all great girls.”
A weird unease settled in. It's not like I'm some scumbag regretting not dating them. They could date others, sure.
But why did Seonwoo's words nag at me like this?
As I eyed him suspiciously, he changed the subject.
“So, you're still all about Hayan in the end?”
“Yeah. No way I'm handing Hayan noona over to some other guy.”
I stated it firmly, and Seonwoo burst out laughing.
“Siblings getting too obsessed can make things tough for both sides.”
What does he know? If I explained the yandere stuff, he'd just think I'm crazy. Hell, he might even suggest dragging Hayan noona to a psychiatrist.
“Anyway, got it. I'll think seriously about Juyeon and make a decision if needed. You should do the same with Iri or the others—put it to rest for good.”
Seonwoo wrapped up with that advice, grinning ear to ear. He looked relieved, like a weight off his shoulders.
Was he stressing about it too?
But my unease didn't fade.
——
“Taeyang, you okay?”
“Yeah, resting helped.”
I flashed a big smile, and everyone sighed in relief. They must've been really worried. Gotta manage my condition better from now on, just in case.
“We're going to the Ecological Park that Juyeon mentioned.”
“Sure, I can go. Staying alone at the dorm would be boring anyway.”
“You could hang with noona instead?”
“It's fine. Gahee noona, enjoy the trip.”
“If anything feels off, tell us right away.”
Iri noona came closer and said.
“Got it.”
Short reply, and she didn't push further. Our chat ended there.
A few days ago, we'd have joked around or switched topics, but things felt awkward with Iri noona now.
“Shall we head out?”
We made for the Ecological Park. The time Juyeon noona was supposed to bump into that guy had passed, but who knows—maybe it'd still happen. How would Seonwoo react?
Hard to say. His answers were so vague.
For now, he was chatting with Juyeon noona like usual, reminiscing warmly.
Juyeon noona looked better than before. Her eyes were still cloudy, but it was more nostalgic affection than jealousy when she looked at Seonwoo.
I wasn't in the mood to talk, so I walked quietly, just listening.
The topics shifted from Juyeon noona and Seonwoo's memories to Hayan noona or Gahee noona's stories. Seonwoo jumped in eagerly.
Like this.
“Really? I wanna try Gahee's baking next time.”
“Come play sometime, Juyeon.”
“For real? Gahee, can I visit your place?”
Somehow, Seonwoo and Gahee noona had gotten close.
“Unnie, can I come too?”
“Yeah, Yuyeong too. And… Hayan and Taeyang.”
“Taeyang?”
Hayan noona's call snapped me back.
“You still not feeling great?”
“Huh? No. Just never heard of canelés before.”
“They're delicious. I'll make some next time.”
Gahee noona leaned in with a gentle smile.
“Well, if we're all going together.”
I accepted with that condition. She nodded, satisfied, and kept walking beside me.
“Gahee, how'd you get into baking anyway?”
And Seonwoo didn't stop there, keeping the chat going with her.
Their convo led the chatter nonstop.
———
Everyone gasped in awe as the Ecological Park path came into view. Summer greens rustled in the breeze, offering a fresh vibe different from the beach.
Walking the forest trail, we shared our impressions.
“Whoa, this is amazing.”
“Yeah, paths like this make me wanna run.”
“Classic track team answer.”
Seonwoo naturally sidled up to Iri noona.
“You've always liked running, Iri?”
“Huh? Yeah, I love sports. Back in the day, I even dragged Taeyang to play soccer with the boys.”
“Oh, really? I love soccer too.”
“I'm the soccer club manager!”
Seonwoo chatted happily with Iri noona and Yuyeong. Juyeon noona, not big on soccer, hung back and listened.
Just a thought I've had lately: Why does Seonwoo keep hitting on the girls?
Well, in the game, he was like that. Harem protag types usually are.
On a trip with friends, bonding casually isn't weird.
But it felt bolder than before the trip. Especially after I told him he wasn't into the heroines.
He'd toned down the flirting with Hayan noona, though. That's good.
Good, no problem… so why this feeling…
“……”
“……”
I locked eyes with Juyeon noona. She chin-nodded like do something.
Why's she so dependent on me…
“Oh? Hyung likes soccer too?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah. Did Taeyang play?”
“Yeah! He was on the soccer team before transferring.”
“No way? That's awesome!”
Seonwoo overacted his surprise. No need for fake reactions.
“But he quit, right?”
Yuyeong grumbled.
“Yuyeong, didn't we agree not to bring that up?”
“Oops, sorry.”
“Shame. Would've been great experience. Our high school has a team too.”
“I'm just gonna study for college.”
“So, Taeyang, what's your career path?”
Gahee noona's eyes sparkled as she came to my side.
“Hmm… Still thinking.”
“Let's figure it out together! Joining soccer again would be even better.”
“Yuyeong. He said no.”
The talk shifted to me. Seonwoo watched, then gave a wry smile—like why's this guy still hanging around if he's cutting ties?
“Seonwoo, remember that?”
“Huh?”
Juyeon noona pointed far off, dragging him like she'd been waiting. This was her home turf, after all—easy to pull his attention.
“Yeah… Let's check it later.”
“What?”
His response was half-hearted. Did my words earlier sink in?
“We can't just ditch everyone.”
“What're you saying?”
After some lame excuse, he reluctantly let Juyeon noona pull him along, her hand subtly on his.
“Hey! Juyeon?”
“Huh?”
A guy's voice from somewhere made us all turn. The boy who appeared out of nowhere approached Juyeon noona and Seonwoo.
“Whoa, it really is Juyeon and Seonwoo!”
“Huh? You're…”
It was that guy from the flag event.
————