.

He soon heard kids laughing uproariously from aside.

Someone else responded, “Dude, do you think that makes sense? How can he get dumped unless the girl is blind or so?”

“Hey man, who knows if he dated a celebrity and got dumped by her?”

“Eun Jiho looks way better than the celebs.”

Listening to the continuous chat, Eun Jiho couldn’t bare the headache. When he put his palm on the head and groaned in pain, their eyes changed. Not only Woo Jooin but also the other two Heavenly Kings stared at him in interest.

The boy who flung the question swallowed hard and asked again.

“Jiho… you actually been dumped?”

“…”

Eun Jiho remained silent for a second. ‘Oh, shoot,’ he murmured to himself again then rubbed his forehead with his hand. It looked as though they already read Eun Jiho’s mind from the look on his face.

The silence prevailing the dark space seemed very eccentric. And then, in the next moment, they sent up rousing cheers. The boy who asked the question stuck out his blushing face.

“Dude, come on! What happened?”

Eun Jiho glanced the side. The rest of the Four Heavenly Kings were now speechless with grim faces.

The wind blowing from the terrace shook their hair. Eun Jiho then opened his mouth, which was purely and simply a very impulsive act.

“There was a girl I liked when I was in middle school.”

“For how long?”

“About a year and a half?”

“Whoa.”

While their jaws dropped out of surprise, Eun Jiho lifted his eyes again to look at the other Four Heavenly Kings. It was understandable that they all looked stiffened.

When it was about the time in middle school, they would surely know who Eun Jiho had a crush on. Since he got along with only a few girls, the scope of the subject became greatly reduced. ‘Who would pop up inside their head?’ With that thought in mind, Eun Jiho’s black eyes revealed a deeper glow. At that moment, a question returned from across.

“Why did she dump you?”

“…”

Eun Jiho thought for a while then clenched his fist with a smile. It was a question that he truly didn’t want to answer.

As if they read the intention of refusal from his face, the boy pulled his body slightly back to give up on getting answers from Eun Jiho anymore. It was then that Eun Jiho detached his lips.

“She doesn’t even know it’s a confession.”

“What?”

“She still doesn’t know it’s a confession. I said to her, it was just a joke.”

‘Because I don’t want our relationship to get awkward,’ Eun Jiho mumbled to himself. He then raised his eyes to look at others.

The first one who understood what Eun Jiho meant was no other than Woo Jooin. Looking at his face turning pale, Eun Jiho moved his eyes to check Yoo Chun Young and Kwon Eun Hyung. They also looked as if they were now aware of Eun Jiho’s remark.

On that day, when Hwang Siwoo confessed his love toward Ban Yeo Ryung, a casual conversation went through between Eun Jiho and Ham Donnie, who were standing next to each other near the classroom back door.

“Dude, you received a confession?!”

That day, Ham Donnie looked as if she truly had no idea. ‘I’d rather be glad for that reaction,’ Eun Jiho thought while touching his lips quietly. It was what he intended but when she really didn’t remember anything about it, he felt quite upset.

The attention he was receiving still felt stinging to Eun Jiho. Every face seemed to be asking him about what happened between him and the girl. Under the dim light, Eun Jiho forced a grin on his face.

At that moment, someone from across rubbed his eyes and got up from the floor. He spoke with his eyes full of drowsiness.

“Oh, I can’t stand anymore.”

“Well, we have to wake up at 6 in the morning. Should we then go to bed?”

“I’m going to a different room.”

“Yeah, let’s wrap up.”

Kids hid the empty bottles into the narrow space behind the couch and threw the leftover snacks into the trashcan. Then they got up one after another.

One went inside the master bedroom and the other two roughly wore their shoes to head to the next door. Watching them leave, Eun Jiho heard someone calling his name. He turned his head to look back with a smile.

Inside the dark room, Woo Jooin showed a sign of seriousness in his eyes, which seldom happened. Kwon Eun Hyung, who was about to get up from the floor, furrowed his brows out of the headache. He didn’t look that sleepy though.

He then found Yoo Chun Young staring at him. His blue eyes penetrated the darkness, directing Eun Jiho.

“Why?” Eun Jiho asked with a grin.

“No.”

It was Kwon Eun Hyung who replied first. He didn’t look that surprised. He swept his tangled red hair back then left for the bathroom to wash his face. Woo Jooin tilted his head with a smile. He then said to Eun Jiho.

“Hmm, if you don’t want to talk further, you don’t have to.”

“Who says I don’t want to?”

“Your face tells. We don’t need to interrogate you for having a crush on a girl.”

With that said, Woo Jooin also moved his steps toward the small room. He might be going to bed. Eun Jiho stared at his back then turned his head. Now the only two facing each other in this dark space were Eun Jiho and Yoo Chun Young.

Yoo Chun Young looked curious but he also seemed to be not that interested in listening to his story. A moment after, he dropped his blue gaze at the floor then walked pass him by.

It was then that Eun Jiho opened his mouth.

“Yoo Chun Young.”

“Uh-huh,” with a short response, Yoo Chun Young’s blue eyes directed this side. Eun Jiho then said with a smile.

“You must listen. I think no other than you should listen.”

“…”

“You were wondering anyway. No?”

“I don’t want to bother you and listen.

“It is me who wants to talk about.”

Yoo Chun Young hesitated for a moment but soon walked after Eun Jiho.

‘What a place with a beautiful view,’ Yoo Chun Young thought while looking at the scenery under his feet. The building was unbelievably decent for a retreat.

The sea at the distance now sank deeply into the darkness. The terrace was particularly large. Since it was summertime, many rooms opened the terrace doors to cool down the heat. Through the open windows, he could hear people giggling in high tones from downstairs.

‘If I close my eyes and listen, I might hear all the sounds of the world… What floor is Donnie’s room on?’ Pausing his thoughts there, Yoo Chun Young took his phone out from the pocket. It was then when he wondered whether he should text Donnie or not, who could be in bed.

He heard the terrace door getting slide opened from behind. It was Eun Jiho, who entered the space. He brought two bottles of water from the fridge and handed out to Yoo Chun Young.

“Our body needs to rehydrate for alcoholysis.”

“…”

Yoo Chun Young grabbed the bottle from Eun Jiho without any words. When he took a sip, he felt that his body would’ve been thirsty.

The two boys leaned on the balustrade and enjoyed the breeze in silence. Standing like that for a while, it was unbelievably refreshing for a summer night. The touch of the metal shafts felt cold. How long were they doing that? Eun Jiho broke the ice at last.

“I knew there was no reason when people liked someone.”

The talk began suddenly. Yoo Chun Young got surprised but he tried not to show his feelings. He didn’t look at Eun Jiho’s face for that reason.

A moment of silence went by. In the meanwhile, a blackbird flew in and passed right in front of them. It caused a wind blow. Eun Jiho’s words continued at a slight interval.

“But as I began to like her, oh, for god’s sake…. when I woke up one day, I found out myself only looking at her.”

“Her?” Yoo Chun Young asked and turned his head to face Eun Jiho.

Under the darkness, his face looked somehow more unrealistic. Yoo Chun Young could understand a bit why other girls became captivated by his appearance.

Waving his colorless, almost pale white hair in the wind, Eun Jiho’s expressionless face was truly non-human. A look of bitterness appeared on his jet-black eyes.

“Ham Donnie.”

When that answer came back, Yoo Chun Young wasn’t surprised at all. He just stood straight from leaning against the balustrade. How could he not know that? From the video that he watched at Donnie’s house, Eun Jiho’s gaze at Ham Donnie was so obvious that those who saw his eyes would notice his crush on her. Yoo Chun Young closed his lips tightly.

Eun Jiho smiled shortly then turned back to lean against the railing. The boy’s room was on the 3rd floor, so it could be quite frightening but Eun Jiho didn’t show any signs of fear. He just lifted his chin a bit and cast his gaze in the dark room.

“Do you remember when Ban Yeo Ryung, Ham Donnie, Woo Jooin, and I became the same class in our sophomore year in middle school?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Shortly after that, I fell into her, so my crush began since my sophomore year in middle school. That was why I went to her house very often. You know, her dad still asks her about every unknown boy if he is me, Eun Jiho.”

“Yeah.”

Eun Jiho looked up at the sky then heaved a short sigh.