The Duet Song
When I saw her like this, I started wondering...
Was she really unaware that I was a guy?
“This is a song I really love,” she said, her eyes sparkling.
But even if someone likes a song, isn’t it a bit strange to pick a love song as a duet when the person next to them is a guy?
If they were just worried about the other person or in the early stages of a relationship, maybe. But not for me.
Of course, there was no way I’d catch her eye like that.
She didn’t think about me at all, nor did she think I was worrying about her.
Yoon Tae-jun would be the one to suit her.
“Am I thinking too much like a man?”
As I watched her happily sing and book the song, it felt like I was overthinking her alone, which made my mood drop.
Not as a lover, but as a friend.
Thinking about it, guys singing love songs together isn’t weird, right?
If I thought that, it didn’t seem so strange.
…Well, honestly, it’s impossible to tell someone like Han Si-a not to see me as a guy.
No matter how hard I brainwashed her into being just a friend, a woman was a woman.
Even in those childhood-friend stories where the super pretty girl doesn’t think of the guy as a lover, I thought that kind of story lacked realism.
Unless they were relatives or family.
A guy’s body reacts to a super pretty woman as a natural, instinctive thing.
Whether he shows it or not is just a matter of attitude.
But Han Si-a could do it.
Because even though I wasn’t ugly or lacking in appearance, compared to her I was like an ant in front of people.
And the guys around her were mostly idol trainees or pro trainers.
There were tons of strictly managed, successful men.
So it made sense that she wouldn’t think of someone like Yoon Tae-jun as a lover.
“It’s like a difference in rank,” I thought.
Of course, it didn’t make me feel bad.
I never even hoped she would see me as a lover.
I was just happy that I could find a decent girl who was at least better than me and have a small, happy relationship.
A guy who hadn’t had a real girlfriend until he was twenty-nine.
I didn’t need to chase the high walls like Han Si-a.
And even if she wasn’t superstar level, just having a girlfriend was enough to satisfy me.
“I should start getting closer to the girls in the class too, little by little.”
After Han Si-a, then Nam Yu-ri.
Compared to before, girls now took up a big part of my life.
And surprisingly, talking and hanging out with them wasn’t that much of a burden.
With this much, I could probably get close to the normal girls in the class too.
And maybe because of my changed appearance lately...
Or maybe because of the impressive moment from last time during badminton practice...
A few girls in the class had been giving me strange looks.
…Though it could have been my imagination.
I figured I could try approaching those kinds of people.
As I was thinking that, the intro of the song she had chosen started playing.
“Come on, focus up now.”
“Okay, got it.”
At her words, I brought the mic to my mouth too.
Han Si-a lightly turned her body toward mine, then turned her head and looked straight at my face.
Wait, what is this?
While I was bewildered by her unexpected action, she looked at me with a serious expression and said,
“You have to look this way too.”
“Huh? Me too?”
“This is a love song, right? I’m singing it with all my heart. Otherwise it’s like mocking the song.”
She said that with the most sincere expression I’d ever seen.
Not some nonsense guys do.
She really meant it because she was genuinely passionate about the song.
Like when singing a love song, you had to really get into the situation.
Just like how even if singers aren’t dating, they sing as if they love the person they’re performing for on stage.
“At least while we’re singing this song, it means we’re in love, right? What’s wrong with that?”
It seemed that was her way of enjoying the song.
She smiled with her cheeks puffed out and said that to me, and I nodded.
…This was fine.
Honestly, I thought this kind of singing would make the song even more fun.
Just imagine we’re acting in a play, right?
I lightly turned my body toward her with an easy heart.
Whoosh.
She let out a small breath, and her gaze shifted slightly.
Her eyes drew the shape of a crescent moon, and her pupils filled with my face.
I felt a strange emotion from there.
It was a tiny difference, but in her eyes there was now affection.
Like she really liked me.
Like she loved me, like a lover.
She was looking at me with the face of a girl who was falling in love.
“The first time I saw you coming toward me from far away… I almost stopped breathing. You’re so cool.”
“Every time your steps echo, my heart beats louder~ How can you be my boyfriend~”
Her voice was lively and cute.
I unconsciously shivered at the sound that echoed so hypnotically.
It wasn’t just because her voice was good. Her emotions were conveyed so clearly that it felt like if Han Si-a were my girlfriend, this is exactly how it would be.
“What are you doing? That’s my part.”
“Ah. Today, why are you so cute? You’re different from usual. My heart is pounding~”
Next she sang the female part, and I sang the male part.
My voice trembled slightly.
I poured a lot of emotion into it, thinking she really was my girlfriend, and sang.
“I can’t believe a girl this pretty is mine~”
Then Han Si-a smiled brightly.
Her face looked truly happy.
As if I had actually received such praise from her.
…Sigh. This is dangerous.
Kaboom kaboom.
My heart was pounding like it was in a pump.
It was just acting and singing. My brain was making me think things that weren’t real.
She really did feel too beautiful.
“How well we match~”
“Even without words~your gestures tell me everything~”
And then the male-female duet part continued.
“I like you too much~ More than anyone in this world~”
“If I could give you everything I have, even if it’s nothing, I would give it all to you~”
Our eyes met.
Our breaths overlapped.
The gazes we shared were filled with longing, and smiles spread across our lips.
An illusion of being in a relationship we had never experienced unfolded in my mind.
“I really love you~ No matter how much time passes~”
“As long as I have you~ I don’t need anything~ You are the only one I need~”
After the first verse, there was a short instrumental break.
Han Si-a took the mic from her mouth and whispered to me softly.
“Oh~ How was it? Did you get flustered just now?”
“What? You’re saying something without meaning it.”
When I fired back, she giggled and laughed.
Looking at her smile, I laughed without thinking.
…This was fun. How long had it been since I joked like this?
Thinking about it, I realized it wasn’t just her. I was the same too.
From school days until becoming an adult, I didn’t have many memories of laughing with anyone like this.
I had always been so busy with work that every day I was exhausted.
But just being able to feel excitement, nervousness, and joy with Han Si-a over something so small was like a blessing to me.
“Thank you, Han Si-a. For playing with me.”
“What?”
“No.”
Because I said it in such a small voice, buried under the song, I wondered if it was my true feelings.
After the duet ended, we sang a few more songs.
Because we had been singing so hard, our throats were dry.
Han Si-a took a pet bottle and drank it in big gulps.
“Kya.”
She swallowed with a satisfied sound.
She passed the bottle, and the water ran down her slender neck.
Even with my shirt unbuttoned, the sight was too good to ignore.
Her body, sculpted by years of dance practice and diet, was undeniably sexy.
As I quietly watched the scene, Han Si-a said,
“Do you want some too?”
“Huh?”
“You look thirsty. I’ve been staring.”
“Ah. Yeah. Can I drink this?”
“Why not?”
I hesitated as I took the bottle from her.
Han Si-a stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing as if she had realized something.
“No way. Seon Woo-hyun, are you thinking about something so childish? Like sharing a bottle someone else has touched?”
How did she know? Wow.
At her sharp question, I flinched unconsciously.
She leaned in with a teasing smile and said,
“You’re not a kid anymore~ What kind of person are you? Do you like me?”
“There’s no way.”
“Then why won’t you drink it? Just drink already.”
She handed me the bottle as if to say “drink if you can.”
Her expression was challenging.
I was annoyed. If I refused, would I look like I couldn’t?
I took the bottle and, like she wanted, brought it to my lips and drank.
“Kya.”
The cool liquid flowed down my throat, and I couldn’t help but sigh.
Honestly, my lips touching the same spot as hers made me a little nervous, but I pretended not to notice and handed it back.
“There. Done?”
“Oh, you drank it well. Our Woo-hyun.”
“I’m dead.”
Whenever things got this comfortable, she had the power to ruin the mood.
I placed the mic back on the stand and told her,
“Let’s go now. It’s already over.”
“Yeah, we should.”
She had condition management too.
There was no need to push her to keep singing, especially since she had practice the next day.
She seemed to agree, saying we should go without any regrets.
The screen showing the end of the session and the song faded.
As I was packing my things and about to stand up, “Ah.”
Our movements overlapped in the narrow space.
She stretched her arm forward to set the mic down.
And I stepped one foot toward the door to leave my seat.
Our feet tangled, and I almost lost my balance.
I grabbed the wall beside Han Si-a to steady myself.
She reached out and grabbed my waist, pulling me toward her.
“Hey… are you okay?”
Her voice came out naturally.
After that, our positions became strangely intimate.
It was like we were pushing each other against the wall, or hugging.
Almost like a couple’s romantic pose.
…It was too close.
Her slender face was right in front of mine.
I instinctively looked away to avoid meeting her eyes.
“Ah. Thanks. For catching me.”
“…No. It was because my foot got caught.”
Her cheeks were red.
I thought, Does my face look like that too? and thanked her before stepping back.
But before we could separate, the coin karaoke door suddenly opened with a bang.
“Si-a~ Hey~ You sing so well! Eh?”
Several guys and girls from our class stood at the open door, staring at us.
Han Si-a and I froze in shock, only turning our heads toward them.
The first girl who opened the door and Han Si-a locked eyes.
Soon the other kids in the class saw us and made a strange “Mhm?” sound, covered their mouths, and quietly backed away.
“Um… we weren’t paying attention. Sorry.”
They carefully closed the door and disappeared out of sight.
As soon as the door closed, Han Si-a and I realized we had been caught.
“Yo. This is gonna cause a big misunderstanding.”
“Haah. Exactly. We’re done for. How do we explain this?”
“In that case, just run! Let’s go!”
We quickly stood up and chased after the group leaving the class.