Dubious Ally

After the movie ended, as everyone left the theater, Cheonwoong couldn't help but feel uneasy about the boy walking next to Aria. When the name "Shihoon" popped into his mind somehow, Cheonwoong suddenly realized that he knew him. However, until now, he hadn't been able to properly recall his face.

As his face slowly started to come back to him, Cheonwoong felt like his memories were returning as well. Just then, Shihoon walked toward Cheonwoong, smiling casually as he walked with Aria.

"Hey, Cheonwoong. It's been a while."

Cheonwoong was momentarily stunned. Shihoon was speaking to him like this? Shihoon reached out his hand toward Cheonwoong as if he recognized him, and Cheonwoong took his hand, still feeling confused.

"Shihoon? So it's you..." Cheonwoong realized, connecting the name with the face in his mind. But something still felt off.

Shihoon smiled awkwardly when he saw Cheonwoong staring at him with a blank expression.

"Don't you remember me?" Shihoon asked, furrowing his brow.

Cheonwoong shook his head. "No, I do remember. That day... But why are you here?"

"Oh, I just came to watch a movie with Aria. It's just a coincidence we ran into each other here," Shihoon said nonchalantly, tapping his wrist. "It's not like we ever hung out much, right?"

Cheonwoong found the way Shihoon was speaking to him strangely familiar, even though they hadn't had many conversations in the past. He paused for a moment, then glanced at Aria.

"Right, got it," Cheonwoong replied. He wanted to ask more but decided it would be awkward.

Shihoon shrugged at Cheonwoong's response. "Well, why don't we just relax and chat for a bit? You guys must be tired after the movie."

Cheonwoong hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed. "Okay, let's go."

They settled at a nearby café. Yuseong and Chan looked somewhat uncomfortable, and Cheonwoong continued to think about Aria and Shihoon. Why was Aria so close to Shihoon? There was definitely something more to their relationship than just friendship. But asking about it made him uncomfortable. Aria still seemed to be hiding something from him.

"Do you guys go to the movies together often?" Chan asked, breaking the silence.

Aria nodded. "Yeah, sometimes. Shihoon and I both like movies."

"I see," Chan responded briefly, exchanging a look with Yuseong.

Cheonwoong, unable to join the conversation, glanced at Yuseong and Chan while deep in thought. What was going on between Aria and Shihoon? Their expressions seemed so natural together, and the realization that he felt out of place made the situation even more awkward.

"Cheonwoong, what are you thinking about?" Yuseong noticed and asked.

Cheonwoong quickly snapped out of his thoughts and answered, "Oh, I was just wondering if Aria and Shihoon were close before."

Yuseong smiled, picking up some popcorn. "Don't overthink it. They're just friends who like movies."

But Cheonwoong couldn't easily believe that. Yuseong's words made sense, but there was something more to the connection between Aria and Shihoon. Cheonwoong felt like there was some hidden energy between them that he couldn't quite understand.

As a brief silence passed, Shihoon turned to Cheonwoong and spoke. "Cheonwoong, how have you been? Is school going well?"

Cheonwoong hesitated before responding. Shihoon seemed to be naturally trying to get closer to him.

"Yeah, I'm just... doing fine," Cheonwoong answered.

"That's good. By the way, it seemed like you and Aria had a bit of a fight before. Did you guys work things out?" Shihoon asked, his eyes sparkling.

Cheonwoong was taken aback by Shihoon's question. The small argument with Aria didn't seem like a big deal to him, but Shihoon was bringing it up in a way that made him feel uneasy.

"Yeah... something like that happened," Cheonwoong replied awkwardly.

"I see," Shihoon said with a smile, smoothly changing the subject. "I'm glad to hear it's all worked out."

After hearing those words, Cheonwoong became even more certain that there was something deeper between Aria and Shihoon. Complicated. They seemed to share a lot of things, and there was a lot he didn't know. Their conversation flowed naturally, but Cheonwoong couldn't understand the underlying meaning behind it all.