ORAS | Chapter 1.3

Time passed by steadily. It was during his second year of middle school, at the age of fifteen, exactly four years after becoming friends with Taeseong, that Wooyoung first felt a strange emotion.

“Crazy. Isn’t Taeseong getting confessed to? Look at that.”

Nam Ki-hyuk, chewing gum and laughing, casually mentioned. Wooyoung turned his gaze to the school gate, where Taeseong stood, awkwardly bowing his head, with a girl from a different school. The school uniform was different.

Confession. Girlfriend.

The moment those two words crossed his mind, a surge of anger welled up in him. It was unexpected, and Wooyoung couldn’t understand why he was so furious.

“Hey!”

Wooyoung clenched his fists and stormed toward them. Before he knew it, he had shouted, but when he turned to look at the two of them, he couldn’t say anything. His mind was a chaotic mess, his thoughts tangled.

He was angry. He didn’t know why, but he was furious. He didn’t even have the words to express it.

Wooyoung stood still for a moment, glaring at Taeseong, who was now taller than him, then turned away abruptly.

With frustration building inside him, he headed home. Naturally, Taeseong didn’t follow. No sane person would, especially not with a beautiful girl standing there.

“Damn…” Wooyoung cursed to himself, the anger swelling even more.

Back at his room, Wooyoung buried his face in his pillow, tears of frustration flowing uncontrollably.

“Dammit, I’m going to kill him. I hate him…”

He muttered various curses under his breath, blaming Taeseong for everything. Wooyoung didn’t even stop to think about why he was crying; he simply needed to let out the overwhelming emotions that had erupted within him.

The next day at school, however, Taeseong was as warm and friendly as always. He still asked Wooyoung about his day, and he continued to be a part of his life. Nothing had changed between them.

Wooyoung didn’t mention the bizarre emotions from the previous day. He kept quiet, letting the strange experience remain unspoken.

In Wooyoung’s mind, this was all Taeseong’s fault. It was Taeseong who had unknowingly opened up the path to these feelings, who had made him feel this way.

Therefore, it felt like a natural thing, this obsessive attachment to his friend.

For Wooyoung, Taeseong had become something like a sudden downpour encountered on the way home. It was an unavoidable rainstorm, one that soaked him to the bone because there was no umbrella to shield him, no way to escape it. It was a random encounter, yet it felt destined.

***

Wooyoung continued to write in his notebook, the thoughts swirling in his mind. As he scribbled down his tangled feelings about Taeseong, it was clear he was grappling with something far more complicated than simple friendship.

Taeseong is nice. But he’s a jerk.

Taeseong gets mad at the weirdest things. He’s a total psycho. (+ Crazy)

Taeseong is kind. What a fox.

Taeseong is good at studying. He’s popular. He’s so annoying. It makes me mad.

Taeseong is… Taeseong is… he…

The words froze on the page, his hand halting mid-sentence. He stared at the paper as if waiting for something to give him clarity. Then, a thought emerged, and he wrote it down.

“He likes me…”

He frowned, immediately crossing it out, but then wrote again, “He likes me. He likes me.”

It was strange. He couldn’t figure it out. Was it true? Taeseong? Could it be?

Then, he added one more word: “As a friend.”

Friend. The word hung in the air, a bittersweet aftertaste. Wooyoung’s pen hovered above the page, and the emotions he couldn’t even begin to understand started bubbling up again. He muttered to himself in frustration.

“Ah, damn it…”

His yellow desk lamp flickered weakly as he lay there, unable to shake the feeling. The confusion was eating at him. Was this what it was? Was this how he felt?

The bizarre emotions didn’t stop there. They cropped up again on Valentine’s Day when he saw a box of homemade chocolates given to Taeseong by Kim Sujeong from the other class. Even though Wooyoung had received far more chocolates, the sight of that one special box made his mood sour.

Why? Was it because Taeseong got a handmade chocolate?

Wooyoung shoved one of the chocolates he’d gotten into his mouth, chewing on it with a sense of bitterness. He ate the five boxes he’d received over the course of a few days, but after that, he couldn’t stand to touch another chocolate for a while.

He saw Taeseong passing notes during class, giggling and chatting away. Wooyoung was furious, not wanting to see it. Why? Why did Taeseong, who always aced his studies, make Wooyoung’s blood boil?

Taeseong seemed to have it all: the looks, the brains, the rich family that could afford all the extra lessons, making school a breeze for him. Wooyoung couldn’t help but feel resentment bubbling up whenever he saw him effortlessly sailing through.

It was so frustrating. Taeseong had no worries, and it pissed him off. He wasn’t even trying, but everything always seemed to come to him so easily.

And it wasn’t just the little things that bothered Wooyoung. When the cafeteria worker handed an extra chocolate milk to Taeseong, when he saw the name tag on his desk, when Taeseong smiled at some other random kid, it just kept building. Taeseong, Taeseong, Taeseong.

It was driving him mad.

As the summer of his fifteenth year approached, his classmates started to distance themselves from Wooyoung, sensing the storm brewing inside him. They were afraid to approach him, not knowing when he might snap.

“Are you… into him?”

Nam Ki-hyuk, sucking on an ice cream cone, raised an eyebrow and casually asked, his voice light.

“What?” Wooyoung snapped back, his thoughts momentarily derailed.

Nam Ki-hyuk shrugged, and for a moment, Wooyoung wasn’t sure if he had heard the question correctly. But it was out there now, the words hanging in the air.

“Are you into him, or not?” Nam Ki-hyuk repeated, this time with a hint of amusement.

Wooyoung clenched his fists, the words echoing in his mind. Am I?

The frustration and confusion inside him were growing, but he didn’t know how to express any of it. What was happening to him? What was this feeling?

Wooyoung furrowed his brows and glared at Nam Ki-hyuk, his mind reeling.

“That’s jealousy,” he said flatly.

Nam Ki-hyuk shrugged nonchalantly, continuing to chew on his ice cream. Wooyoung didn’t respond immediately. The word lingered in the air—jealousy. Could it be? Was that really what he felt? Jealousy? Over Taeseong?

Nam Ki-hyuk, being the only one of the three who had dated a few girls, noticed the tension. He wasn’t popular like Taeseong, who occasionally received confessions, but his easygoing, carefree nature meant he had a good number of girlfriends. Wooyoung, in comparison, was more guarded with his emotions.

“Jealousy means you like them, right?” Nam Ki-hyuk asked, continuing with a smirk.

“What? No,” Wooyoung snapped, the idea still hard to accept.

“But it does, doesn’t it? You get jealous because you like them.”

“Shut the hell up. That’s not how it works.”

Nam Ki-hyuk stuck out his tongue in mock disbelief. “Ohhh, really?” he teased, acting like he knew exactly what was going on.

Their banter continued, but it was clear Wooyoung was uncomfortable with the implication. The conversation led to one inevitable conclusion—Wooyoung was bothered by the idea of someone else getting close to Taeseong.

“And who exactly are you falling for?” Nam Ki-hyuk teased, leaning over Wooyoung’s shoulder in an exaggerated, mock-dramatic manner.

“I’m not talking about me,” Wooyoung retorted quickly, trying to deflect.

“But who is it?” Nam Ki-hyuk pressed on.

“I said, it’s not me!” Wooyoung practically growled in frustration, pushing him away.

Just as the exchange grew more heated, a calm, familiar voice cut through the noise.

“Wooyoung-”

It was Taeseong. Wooyoung’s stomach dropped. The slow, smooth drawl of his voice was distinct. Unlike the other boys with their rough, changing voices, Taeseong’s tone remained soft, sweet, and soothing.

Nam Ki-hyuk whipped his head toward Taeseong, a knowing grin spreading on his face. “Hey, Taeseong! Wooyoung’s talking to me about his love life, guess what—”

“Shut up,” Wooyoung hissed, immediately clamping his hand over Nam Ki-hyuk’s mouth, silencing him with a deadly glare.

The mood shifted instantly. Taeseong gave them both a curious look, his brows raised slightly, but Wooyoung didn’t wait to explain. He quickly adjusted his expression and threw an arm around Nam Ki-hyuk.

“Hey, Ki-hyuk, I’ll grab some snacks for us. Let’s go.”

He turned to Taeseong with a smile, forcing the awkwardness away. “Taeseong, wanna go to the store?”

Taeseong hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Yeah, let’s go together.”

Wooyoung subtly shot a glance at the ice cream-eating Nam Ki-hyuk, who was still chewing away, but his attention was now somewhere else. The smile Wooyoung wore felt strained, and beneath it, his chest was tightening, the familiar anxiety swirling once again.

Friend, jealousy. Friend, jealousy.

Something was definitely wrong, and he couldn’t ignore the growing conflict inside him. This wasn’t just a simple case of attachment to a friend. No, it was more. He couldn’t bring himself to say it, but the truth was clear now—his obsession with Taeseong had shifted into something else. Something more.

He couldn’t, wouldn’t, admit it to himself, though. It was too much to process.

The day continued with Wooyoung unable to concentrate in class. His thoughts kept drifting to Taeseong, and even when they played soccer later, his body didn’t follow his usual sharp instincts—he kept missing the ball.

The hours dragged on until he finally returned home, exhausted and mentally drained. He sat at his desk, pulling out textbooks and study materials from his bag. Tomorrow was his English vocabulary test. It wasn’t much to worry about, but it still demanded attention.

As his mind raced, one thought dominated: Escape. The only way out of this suffocating town was through education. The goal was clear—Korea University. Wooyoung knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he was determined to make it. It was his only chance for a different future.

But he wasn’t oblivious to the reality of his situation. His family wasn’t wealthy, and despite his best efforts, he didn’t have the same advantages that some of the other students had. He couldn’t afford private tutoring or extra lessons like Taeseong. But that wasn’t going to stop him. He would work harder.

His goal was simple: good grades, a good college, and a way out of the old house in the rundown neighborhood.

He had his sights set on the future, but even so, he couldn’t help but wonder: What about Taeseong?

The feeling that had been slowly gnawing at him was only growing stronger. He didn’t know what to do with it.

Sighing irritably, Wooyoung threw the sharpener across the room. Ever since Kihyuk’s bombshell of a statement, no matter what he did, Taeseong kept popping into his mind. It was truly the most frustrating thing.

***

[Today’s Knowledge iN]

Title: I’m worried. Am I a guy who likes other guys? Haha