Chapter 68: The Suspicion

Only then did Wooju seem to remember, letting out a low hum from his throat.

But soon after, he asked again.

“So what?”

“I’m asking if you say things like that to other people too.”

“Sorry, but do you think there’s anyone around me as handsome as you?”

The only people around him were dark, rough men who were crazy about sports.

Because of the nature of his job, Wooju had no choice but to constantly be surrounded by men of the same gender.

So since he was young, his surroundings had always been filled with male friends and older brothers.

There was simply no one he could use the word “pretty” for.

His only real friends were Park Hyun-jin and Jo Su-hyeok, and they were no exception either.

But even considering that, the fact that Won Ji-tae’s looks were exceptional didn’t change.

Objectively or subjectively, the guy was handsome.

Not only that, he had the kind of face that suited the word “pretty” as well.

The day they watched the movie together, Wooju didn’t go straight to sleep afterward.

Instead, he began seriously searching the internet for “Actor Won Ji-tae.”

At first, he only intended to look at a few photoshoots.

But before he knew it, he was watching clips from dramas Ji-tae had appeared in.

And by the time he came to his senses, he had even watched the personal vlogs his agency had uploaded.

With every video he clicked on, the words “He really is handsome” slipped out naturally.

Even the comments were full of the same thing.

People were saying things like God must have put extra effort into making that face.

Or that after creating Won Ji-tae, God must have been so satisfied that He made everyone else casually afterward.

Most of the so-called fangirl comments were about his looks.

That made Wooju start wondering if Ji-tae had always been that handsome in the past.

Even back then, he had been popular enough to have his own fan club.

So it wasn’t like his face had changed much.

But lately, the thought kept occurring to him more often.

That Won Ji-tae was incredibly handsome.

“If someone like that existed.”

It was hard to imagine someone like that even existing.

Someone who looked as good as, or even better than, Won Ji-tae.

“As if that would happen.”

“I’m saying if.

Just if.”

“Why are you even curious about something that won’t happen anyway?”

Wooju replied casually, wondering why he would ask something like that.

Sometimes Park Hyun-jin asked similar questions.

Like what he would do if he suddenly got stranded on a deserted island.

But Wooju never understood that.

There was no chance of him ending up on a deserted island in the first place.

So why would he bother imagining it with a hypothetical “what if”?

“No, just assume it once.

You can imagine it comfortably.”

But he kept saying he couldn’t imagine it.

Even today, the two of them continued their mismatched conversation, bickering back and forth.

The topic about appearance eventually turned into a deep discussion about why people should imagine situations that would never actually happen.

During the entire hour-long drive, the two of them chatted like panelists on a debate show.

“Ah, my mouth is completely dry from talking so much.”

By the time they arrived at the gym parking lot, Wooju stepped out of the car looking exhausted.

“Hey, continue the discussion when we get home.”

Watching Ji-tae get out of the driver’s seat, Wooju shook his head as if he was fed up.

They had talked so much that he already felt tired before even starting training.

“Forget that.

Kang Wooju, you know you still haven’t answered me, right?”

“Answered what now?”

Ji-tae took the sports bag from the back seat and slung it over his shoulder.

“If there were a handsome person around you, would you treat them the way you treated me?”

“You’re like a leech.

How many times are you going to ask the same question?”

Wooju clicked his tongue and quickened his pace.

Ji-tae started grumbling angrily from behind.

“Wooju hyung.”

At that moment, a man suddenly entered Ji-tae’s field of vision.

He was a little shorter than Wooju and had curly hair.

The man ran up and stuck close beside Wooju.

“Ah, Kwon-ah.”

It was Baek Yoon-kwon, the team’s libero and also the youngest member.

Wooju greeted him warmly without even looking surprised.

“You’re joining training again starting today, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You didn’t come for a while, so I was bored.”

“Then you should’ve asked Choi Seok-hyun to keep you company.”

Ji-tae’s steps suddenly stopped.

There was no distance or hesitation between them at all.

Wooju raised the corner of his lips and began ruffling the guy’s hair several times.

Ji-tae’s brows slowly started to furrow.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

Ji-tae’s gaze naturally scanned Baek Yoon-kwon from head to toe.

As expected of a volleyball player, his physique was excellent.

But the thing that stood out the most was his face.

Large, sharp eyes, a sleek jawline, and a high nose bridge.

His appearance somehow reminded one of a prickly baby kitten.

“Damn it… that guy is handsome.”

Ji-tae began biting his lips as he recalled a strange discomfort he had felt before.

Living with Kang Wooju for nearly three weeks had made him vaguely notice certain things.

[This week’s number one on the music chart is Dream Earth! Congratulations! Please come forward and share a few words!]

Five boys wearing flashy outfits walked onto the stage on the TV screen with excited faces.

It happened when they had casually turned on the TV after lunch.

As usual, there wasn’t anything interesting to watch, so they kept switching channels.

Eventually, they stopped on a music show that neither of them really watched.

“Those guys are really popular these days.”

Wooju said as he took a big bite of the apple Ji-tae had neatly sliced for him.

The crisp sound coming from his mouth was strangely pleasant.

“You know them well?”

“Not really.

I just happened to hear their song once, and it was pretty good.

They’re popular idols, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

They were one of the idol groups whose popularity was rising rapidly at the moment.

Since they were formed through a popular audition program, both their visuals and skills were impressive.

They had gained massive attention immediately after debuting.

Ji-tae sat at the table, watching Wooju who was focused on the screen while eating apples enthusiastically.

“…Can I change the channel?”

“Ah, wait a moment.”

At that moment, Wooju stopped Ji-tae’s hand.

His eyes were still fixed on the screen.

For some reason, an unpleasant feeling began to boil inside Ji-tae.

“This is the first time I’m properly looking at their faces.”

Wooju couldn’t take his eyes off the screen, as if he might fall into it.

His eyes sparkled with curiosity, like a child who had just discovered a dazzling jewel.

If Kang Wooju had shown that level of concentration during class, he might have gotten into a prestigious university.

“There’s definitely a reason they’re so popular.”

“Why?”

“They’re all handsome.”

Ji-tae tightened his grip on the remote control.

The distance between his eyebrows slowly narrowed.

It wasn’t that he disagreed with the statement.

To survive and reach the top in the idol industry, every member of that group was indeed good-looking.

But the fact that Kang Wooju thought so too irritated Ji-tae immensely.

“Hey, hey.

Do you know that member with the red hair?”

“Why him all of a sudden?”

At some point, Ji-tae’s lips had begun to pout slightly.

“He’s seriously pretty-handsome.

It’s amazing.

How can someone look like that?”

Ha.

Ji-tae finally let out a mocking laugh.

Then he glared fiercely at Dream Earth performing their encore stage.

Especially the red-haired member Wooju had pointed out.

His slightly sharp eyes and the large size of them, which seemed to occupy half of his face, were striking.

With a small mole beneath his right eye and a thin, delicate facial structure, he was the kind of person who could easily be called prettier than most female idols.

In other words, there was absolutely no way to argue against what Kang Wooju had just said.

“Kang Wooju, those guys are probably ten years younger than you.”

“What the hell, why are you suddenly attacking my age?”

“It’s funny.

A man ten years older judging the faces of kids.”

“Hey, a ten-year difference doesn’t make someone an old man.

And I wasn’t judging.

Don’t twist it like that.

I was just stating the obvious.”

Of course, Ji-tae already knew that much.

Celebrities worked using their external appearance as a kind of weapon in the first place.

Ji-tae himself was no different.

So saying someone was handsome or pretty when looking at them was perfectly natural.

But the subtle discomfort that had built up back then had quietly taken root somewhere in Ji-tae’s heart.

For example, when watching a drama.

“That actor is handsome.”

Or when Ji-tae once asked what he thought about Baek Yeon-ah, whom they had met during an advertisement shoot.

“She’s pretty.”

Things like that.

And recalling that Kang Wooju had even told him that he was handsome, Ji-tae finally reached one hypothesis.

“Kang Wooju… could he actually be an extreme face-lover?”

Watching Wooju laughing while ruffling Baek Yoon-kwon’s hair, the strange feeling inside Ji-tae finally began to bloom into a clear suspicion.

“Won Ji-tae, what are you doing?”

Noticing that Ji-tae was no longer following them, Wooju suddenly turned around.

Naturally, Baek Yoon-kwon’s eyes also met Ji-tae’s.

If he had to say, that guy’s appearance was similar to the red-haired idol member Kang Wooju had pointed out on TV that day.

“Wow, seriously?

You’re actor Won Ji-tae, right?”

Baek Yoon-kwon’s eyes widened as he ran excitedly toward Ji-tae.