They got to the karaoke room and though Chin-hwa's friends were hyped and ready to get their throats dry with screams of song lyrics, Chin-hwa shifted quite uncomfortably.
Kang-woo was sitting next to him and their legs, their knees were so close that it felt like a little motion would make them meet.
He gulped and looked away, trying not to think about it. He was feeling hot all of a sudden.
"Hey, turn..." He called out to his friends, but they were rowdy and loud. They weren't listening. He gulped, feeling thirsty as well. 'I'll just have a drink.' he said and reached out for the bottle of Soju they had ordered by Kang-woo, suddenly snatched it.
He held it in one hand and reached for the Air conditioner remote with his other hand. He adjusted the degree so it wouldn't be too hot, and all the while, Chin-hwa stared at him, wondering how he knew what he was thinking.
But well, it might just be a coincidence. After all, it was hot and Kang-woo probably wanted to turn down the AC so he would feel comfortable.
Yeah, a coincidence. He rubbed his neck.
But... His eyes glanced towards him again, the bottle in his hand specifically... Why did he take the bottle he was reaching out for?
"Little Hwa," Kang-woo called and he flinched, feeling he might've been caught staring.
"Yes?"
"You shouldn't drink too much, okay?" He said and poured soju in a glass, handing it to him. "It'll just make your stomach turn."
"Don't treat me like a kid," Chin-hwa said and snatched the glass from him, turning his head away. "This isn't my first time drinking either. So..."
"I know, I know." Kang-woo reached his hand out and almost stroked his face but stopped just before the tip of his fingers could touch him. He settled for the locks of his side hair and pinched it. "You're an adult now."
Chin-hwa pursed his lips while drinking slowly from the glass. What was with Kang-woo? His tone was a bit weird.
But when he shifted his gaze to him, he had that bright smile directed at him like all he could see was a sunny Chin-hwa.
What was he thinking? Chin-hwa wondered.
"Chin-hwa," Dong-cha called and he lifted his gaze to his friends at the center. "It's your turn." She said, and Seoung-bo hurried to pull him up.
"Come on. We want to hear the voice of an angel." She said, laughing. "Kang-woo-ssi spoke so highly of you, so it must.m be true."
"Well, I..." Chin-hwa couldn't get away from it and was dragged to the center. He was handed a mic and he gulped.
It had been a while since he held a mic and sang in front of people. When was the last time? Oh, yes. It was Kang-woo's 18th birthday.
He sang quite heartily then. Maybe it was because he wanted to convey feelings. He wanted Kang-woo to understand his heart even without actual words of confession said.
He wanted Kang-woo to 'see' his heart.
He always looked at him, smiled at him, and patted his head, and each time, it made his heart flutter, but that wasn't it. He wanted more. He wanted Kang-woo to look at him more than just... That little childhood best friend.
He gripped the microphone and glanced toward Kang-woo, only to find Yun-Tae sitting next to him.
He closed his eyes and looked away. It was not his business anyway. He wanted to get over him and that's what he was going to do, even though he knew his feelings were like sticky glue that wouldn't get off, no matter the effort put into it.
"Come on, Little Hwa," Yun-Tae called out, cheering him on from the side, "No need to be shy."
Chin-hwa opened his mouth, ready to sing once the beat dropped but no word came out. So many thoughts flashed through his mind in that single second.
What would he do if he sang in such a heartfelt way that his friends would mistake him for having feelings and confessing to a song?
He knew how he sang. He knew just how moving he could be, but what was the point when the one person he wanted to move, the one person he wanted to reach with his song, could not understand it?
Chin-hwa shook his head and handed Beom the mic.
"Sorry," he said. "My voice feels a bit parched." He smiled awkwardly. "It would be bad to sing with a voice like this and though it's a Friday, I still have some assignments to do. I can't fall sick and..."
"Okay, we get it. We get it." Dong-cha interrupted him and laughed, dropping her arms around him. "No one's forcing you, don't worry. You can sing again next time."
"Yeah, thanks." He smiled, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He was glad they were understanding friends.
But sometimes, they could be too much.
"Okay, why don't we get Beom to sing next?" Dong-cha suggested, taking her arm off Chin-hwa and grabbing Beom-Chim by the collar with a placid grin on her face. "Come on, boy. You're not bailing this time,"
"My throat is parched." Beom said calmly, pushing up the rim of his glasses.
"Bah, it sounds fine to me." Dong-cha said. "Come on, take the mic."
Beom, trying to keep his composure, knew he would only get Dong-cha to pester him more if he refused so he agreed.
"Though, I must warn you." He said, having a serious gaze as he made his confession. "I sound worse than a screeching board." He said, his glasses glinting along with his words.
Dong-cha tilted her head and folded her arms.
"Well, that's fine by me."
"Go, Beom!" Seoung-bo yelled out in cheer and Dong-cha clapped her hands. "Burst our eardrums with your killer voice. Whooo."
"That will literally happen." Beom muttered as he stepped into the center.
Chin-hwa sighed, glad that all attended had fallen from him. But when he looked up, he found Kang-woo and Yun-Tae chatting quite lively.
He wondered what they were talking about but as soon as that happened, he decided to cease his thoughts and forget about it. It wasn't his concern.
And yet...
"I want to go home." He suddenly said and everyone paused. They looked at him, mostly because they didn't hear what he had to say. He smiled like nothing was wrong and said, "I don't know if it's because this is my first time staying out so late, but I feel squishy inside. So, I'm just going to go home so I don't ruin the fun."