It's Just A Picture (BL)
Chapter 277: Her cheeks were wet from her own tears

Chapter 277: Her cheeks were wet from her own tears

Outside their favorite local restaurant, Doha squared next to a light poll. She had drunk quite a lot and even did it subconsciously, too.

She wanted to drown herself in the alcohol and not feel. And not think.

She used her hand to draw on the dirty ground while humming to herself and recalled the day she squatted there, next to Dongwoo. She watched him smile while he was under the influence of alcohol.

And even if she was also drunk, she could not wash her eyes of what she saw that day.

The beauty and charm Dongwoo had made her heart skip a beat.

She called him pretty, and he took it as an April Fools Day joke, but she really meant it.

She was drunk that day but she could recall their conversation very well.

From then on, she watched Dongwoo closely. He was a very likable person. Very hard-working and very talented.

She never acted on her growing feelings and thought that giving it time was the best thing to do. And that she would confess when the time was right.

But she never found the right time.

Dongwoo was never alone and he never looked at her the way she hoped he would. And because of that, she started getting the hint that he may not feel the same way as her.

She started feeling that if she confessed, he would definitely reject her.

But then, one would never know unless they tried, right?

Dongwoo claimed he didn’t have a girlfriend and it was believable, knowing he only spent his time working and the ones whom he always looked for were the twins.

She felt she still had a chance.

As long as there was no girl in his life but...

She was looking in the wrong direction. She was looking out for the wrong opponents.

She sniffed.

It was a battle she was bound to lose from the very beginning.

She... Tears slid down her eyes... She never expected to have had no chance from the beginning and finding out he was gay, though a tiny bit relieving, hurt her.

It was relieving that she didn’t have to fight with other girls to get his attention and it was also painful that she never had a chance from the beginning since he wasn’t straight.

He was gay. He was into guys.

He had his eyes on guys, and not just any guys; it was the ones who, according to everyone’s observation, showered him with all they had and listened to only him.

The hint was right in front of them all along but they could never get it because no one would’ve thought.

Her cheeks were wet from her own tears.

What in the world was she doing crying silently and alone by the roadside?

"Hey," Dooshik called from behind but she did not turn. "I figured I’d find you here."

He stopped right behind her but she did not turn.

"What’s wrong? You were drinking like you were competing for the Olympics." He said and walked to her front but she did not raise her head.

This made him feel there was indeed something wrong. Or was she asleep?

"Hey," he squatted in front of her, only to find her face wet with her own tears. "What’s wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I just feel I have the worst luck, that’s all." She said and sniffed. "No need to worry. I’ll feel better soon."

But Dooshik did not heed her words. He got up and pulled her up into his arms.

He never saw Doha cry before and they had known each other for a very long time.

Sure, they weren’t exactly the closest since she didn’t like to share her secrets but... He knew her long enough to know she would not cry for any simple thing. Even strong things didn’t make her cry either. She would rather get angry and throw a tantrum instead of letting her tears flow.

In fact, he felt she was the strongest person he had ever met, emotionally, that is.

She was always so vibrant that seeing her cry now made him worry and it made his heart ache.

"Doha," he called. "I know you might not want to talk about it," he said, pressing her head to his chest. "...but I want you to know that you can always confide in me if you ever feel the need to. And if you want to cry, I can let you borrow my shoulder."

"Who said I’m crying?" She asked but still wrapped her arms around him. "My eyes are just sweaty."

"Yes, yes. And your eyes rarely sweat." He said, somehow knowing that was what she was going to say. "But for whatever reason, your eyes suddenly started sweating; I want you to know that it’s going to be okay. The world isn’t over."

Doha clutched tightly around him and cried some more.

"Why are my eyes still sweaty?" She asked as she cried.

"Probably because your heart isn’t feeling too good." He answered, stroking her hair. "Just let it out. I’m sure you’ll feel better that way."

"Dooshik,"

"Yeah?"

"Am I a likable person?" She suddenly asked and he nodded.

"Yes, you are." He answered, smiling anxiously as he did not know why she suddenly asked that.

"Then, do you like me?" She asked and he paused.

"What?"

Doha raised her head to look at his eyes.

"You don’t. See, I’m not a likable person." She said. "Maybe that’s why I’ve been single for so long. Should I just change my character altogether?"

Dooshik gulped.

Where did this conversation come from all of a sudden?

Wait, was she crying because she had an unrequited love? Then, was it one of the twins? Was that why she had that expression earlier?

"Doha, you... You’re very likable." He said. "You don’t have to change your character. You’re okay, just the way you are."

But Doha didn’t seem to be convinced.

"And..." Dooshik continued, "...most people may like you as a friend. It’s not very common to see someone who would like you the other way." He explained. "And if the person you like doesn’t like you the other way, then I believe it wasn’t meant to be." He said and she nodded.

"I guess so." She said and dropped her head on his chest. "They looked so good together."

’So, it’s true.’ he thought.

Dooshik thought he had passed that hurdle but Doha hadn’t gotten her answer so she asked again,

"So, do you like me or not?" She asked.

"Doha, that’s..."

"You said people would like me mostly as a friend and only a few would like me the other way. Do you like me just as a friend or... Do you like, like like me?"

Dooshik pursed his lips and looked into her eyes.

She was drunk. Would she remember this conversation later?

When he was drunk, he rarely remembered the kind of conversation he had the next day. So he hoped it would be the same for her.

"I... Really like you." He answered and threw his gaze away, blushing. "But I don’t have the confidence to confess so I’ll... I’ll just look at you from afar." He looked back at Doha, only to find her blushing.

"W-what?! You actually like like like me?"

Dooshik bobbed his head back. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything.