Chapter 119: Jealousy, Finally Named

For a while, Wooju stood there blankly.

Then, as if trying to shake off the strange, ticklish feeling, he roughly scrubbed his hair and quickly finished his shower.

After changing clothes, he grabbed the doorknob—but before opening it, he took a deep breath.

“Hey, if you’re going to shower too—”

As he stepped into the living room, the sofa was empty.

He had clearly told him to stay put—so where did he go?

Then he heard a rustling sound from the study.

Looking closely, the room that was usually dark was brightly lit.

When he entered, he saw Jitae’s back, standing in front of the display case, looking at the traces of Wooju’s journey as an athlete.

“Who said you could come in here?”

At the teasing voice, Jitae flinched in surprise.

Judging by his reaction, he had probably planned to sneak a look and pretend nothing happened.

He was secretly timid like that.

“I was curious. I wanted to see your place too.”

“There’s nothing much to see.”

Of all places, Jitae was looking at the display filled with Wooju’s history as a volleyball player.

It made Wooju strangely self-conscious.

“If you’re done, let’s go out. By the way, did you eat dinner?”

Wooju tried to steer him away on purpose.

He knew Jitae’s feelings from the interview—but volleyball had also left him with pain and scars.

“Wooju.”

Jitae looked at him gently and took his hand.

“I want to stay here a bit longer. I want to see how you got this far.”

“……”

Wooju silently stopped and stood beside him again.

“You saw my interview, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you don’t have to worry. Before, thinking about volleyball made things complicated… but now I’m really okay.”

In a way, even his step into the entertainment industry had started because of volleyball.

He wanted to stand beside Wooju again.

Since he couldn’t play anymore, he had to rise again through something else.

Even when people mocked him—saying he had no talent, that he relied on his looks—

even when his efforts weren’t acknowledged,

Jitae pushed forward like crazy, chasing success alone.

And now, he had made it.

A successful actor.

“Come to think of it, volleyball is what got me into modeling too. And honestly… I enjoy what I do now.”

“Acting?”

“Yeah.”

His gaze moving across the display didn’t look like a lie.

It was as if he truly wasn’t hurt by volleyball anymore.

That alone relieved Wooju.

“But what’s this?”

Jitae picked up a book-like item from the lower shelf.

Inside were neatly organized clippings—articles from when Wooju first entered the V-League until now.

“Did a fan make this too?”

Even at a glance, it was clear how much the creator admired Wooju.

“No, Dongha gave it to me.”

At that, Jitae’s hand froze.

“Huh? Who?”

“You know. The staff who used to be my manager.”

But Jitae hadn’t asked because he didn’t know.

“Why would he give you this?”

And then it clicked.

Why he had rushed to confess his feelings back then.

That manager—Dongha—

had clearly shown signs of liking Wooju.

Especially that phone call he overheard at the hospital.

And now, this scrapbook…

It was too much to be just “nothing.”

“Why? Obviously—”

“Does he like you?”

“What?”

Wooju raised his voice in disbelief.

But Jitae was completely serious.

“You’re joking, right?”

“I’m serious.”

“Why would he like me? He’s just a fan.”

Fan?

Jitae repeated the word quietly, his tense expression easing slightly.

Wooju explained everything—

how Dongha confessed he had been a longtime fan,

how he brought tons of merchandise to get signed,

how this scrapbook was something he had made over time.

“Really?”

“If you don’t believe me, call him right now.”

Wooju even held out his phone.

Jitae stared at it for a moment, then shook his head.

“How do you even think like that? How does your mind jump there?”

Wooju couldn’t believe it.

“That guy follows you around so much—it looked suspicious to me.”

“Even then, who jumps to ‘he likes me’? Most people don’t think like that.”

Usually, people would assume it was admiration, or just work.

Even if Dongha acted awkward, Wooju had only thought he was shy.

“Gang Wooju, you really don’t know yourself.”

“What now?”

Jitae reached out and gently brushed the remaining moisture from Wooju’s hair.

Wooju flinched, but stayed still.

“There are probably tons of people around you who think you’re amazing.”

That was just speculation.

Even if it were true, admiration didn’t equal love.

“And is there really no one like me around you?”

“At least no one calls me cute except you.”

If his sister Kang Saetbyeol heard that, she’d laugh herself to death.

And someone like Jitae—

who could love one person for over ten years without wavering—

there was definitely no one else like him.

“And if anything, shouldn’t I be the one saying that?”

From Wooju’s perspective, Jitae saying that felt almost unfair.

“You’re the one I should be worried about.”

“What would you worry about?”

Even with his slightly messy hair under the cap,

even in a simple T-shirt and slacks—

Jitae still looked effortlessly good.

Wooju had recently realized that celebrities looked even better when they weren’t trying.

“You probably get hit on everywhere.”

“Well…”

Jitae hesitated.

That alone made Wooju’s eyes slowly narrow.

“Oh wow. You can’t even answer? So it’s true?”

The smile faded from Wooju’s face.

At that moment, an alarm rang loudly in Jitae’s head.

“No, that’s not it. You know I have a bad personality.”

“You hide that when you work.”

Wooju remembered clearly—

like during that ad shoot, when Jitae comforted an actress and gave advice.

Even if his intention was practical,

the result was the same—people liked him.

If he acted like that everywhere,

how many people must have approached him?

“Must be nice. Being so popular.”

Wooju dragged out his words sarcastically.

As he walked out, Jitae hurried after him.

“Gang Wooju, that’s really a misunderstanding. I don’t get confessed to that much. Seriously.”

“Then what counts as ‘not much’ for you?”

“…Uh.”

Jitae paused, eyes drifting upward.

It was obvious—

he couldn’t even count.

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