By Zephyria 
Scoffing inwardly, I avoided his gaze and picked up a snack that Seong Hae-min had pushed towards me. Unlike earlier when I ate it deliciously, it was dry and made me choke. While eating the snack, I mumbled as if making an excuse.
“It wasn’t that I wanted you to sing… I was just curious if there was a reason you don’t sing. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to…”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to answer, Seong Hae-jun.”
“Huh?”
“…….”
“Huh?”
“…….”
“Huh?”
I stammered the same words over and over like a broken clock’s second hand, and Lee Beom’s eyebrow twitched roughly. It was the signature expression of a teen romance novel male lead, (-_-^). I snapped back to reality and shut my mouth obediently.
“I’ll tell you one more time. Just once. So listen carefully and remember it.”
“…….”
“There hasn’t been a single time I didn’t want to answer you.”
“Uh, uh…”
I replied, dumbfounded. Did he eat something wrong? Were the snacks he was eating earlier past their expiration date? Was someone trying to poison him? Why was he acting like this? In a brief moment, I ran through various scenarios that could make a person go crazy. One of these must have driven Lee Beom mad.
Lee Beom tilted his chin up and looked down at me. A faint double eyelid line stood out above his dark, deep pupils.
“Seong Hae-jun.”
“What.”
“What will you do for me if I sing?”
“…I have to do something?”
I suppressed the urge to scream in disbelief. I don’t need anything, don’t do it! Forget it! We came to a karaoke room, so why was he asking for a reward? He was a dirty, petty human.
It was Ban Pyo-ran who asked the initial question, so why was he expecting compensation from me? I had only been helping Ban Pyo-ran!
I subtly glanced at Ban Pyo-ran. And I regretted stepping in.
I was worried he might be sulking and observing the atmosphere, but Ban Pyo-ran, far from being dejected, was watching us with wide, curious eyes, as if he had come to see a sequel to his favorite movie! Regret washed over me.
I shouldn’t have stepped in.
If Ban Pyo-ran and Lee Beom were the female and male leads, an extra like me would have been fine, and they would have figured things out on their own without me rushing them. Why did I get involved?
I wished Min Si-hu, who had gone outside, would come back quickly. I never imagined there would be a moment I’d miss Min Si-hu, but life truly is full of surprises.
Lee Beom was still waiting for my answer.
“Beom-ah, stop it. You’re not going to sing anyway.”
“…….”
As the silent urging continued, Seong Hae-min, unable to watch any longer, intervened with a smile. But Lee Beom persistently waited only for my answer. I felt like a hole might appear in my face soon. Cold sweat trickled down my back from his strange obsession. The tug-of-war, unable to reach a compromise, continued bizarrely.
“Beom-ah. Stop it.”
“Seong Hae-min, you’re not the one he’s waiting for.”
“Lee Beom. That’s enough.”
“…….”
Seong Hae-min, who maintained his smile (^-^), and Lee Beom, whose eyebrows twitched (-_-^). The tense standoff across the table was broken by Min Si-hu, who returned just then and loudly flung open the door.
Creeaak!
“Ta-da! Si-hu Prince, entering!”
Finally, Min Si-hu! I just realized your usefulness, which I thought was non-existent except for paying taxes in this country!
Min Si-hu, who seemed to have shaken off his earlier sulkiness, entered majestically, hugging pet bottles filled with cold water in both arms. I couldn’t be happier to see him.
“What’s up, what’s up? Did something happen without Si-hu? Huh? Huh? Why is everyone like this?”
Min Si-hu, sensing the strange atmosphere in the room, poured the pet bottles he was holding onto the table and looked at us sitting on the sofa. He swiveled his head around, scanning everything, reminding me of a meerkat in the desert. Jeon Jae-hyung, looking like he had just woken up, blinked slowly like a turtle.
Lee Beom, who had been leaning forward and staring intently at me, shifted to a posture where his back was against the sofa. His furrowed brow, looking extremely displeased, was a bonus.
“Well, Hae-jun asked Beom why he wasn’t singing, and then Beom suddenly…”
Thump.
“Hey. Seong Hae-jun.”
Why again!
Seong Hae-min was trying to explain the situation, but Lee Beom cut him off by lightly hitting the table. Then, with one eyebrow raised, he glared at me with his pitch-black eyes.
Following Lee Beom’s gaze, the eyes in the room converged on me. Even focusing sunlight with a magnifying glass wouldn’t feel this intense. Was not answering earlier such a big mistake? My straight back stiffened.
Suddenly, Lee Beom asked.
“Do you want to hear it?”
“Hear what?”
“Do you want to hear me sing?”
Before I could even open my mouth, Lee Beom picked up the remote control on the table with both hands and glared at me. He was clearly determined to sing.
My answer doesn’t seem to matter…
As my answer was delayed, Lee Beom’s eyebrows twitched violently. Could I even say I didn’t want to hear it now?
“Uh, yeah. I want to hear it.”
I nodded vaguely. Without hesitation, Lee Beom punched in the song number with the remote. Min Si-hu, who had been leaning in, widened his eyes like saucers. Just like the (ㅇ_ㅇ) emoticon.
“Si-hu, it’s my first time seeing Beom sing! Beom, you could sing?”
“Yeah, it’s my first time seeing it too.”
“Mine too…”
Seeing everyone’s surprised faces made me even more flustered. He was going to sing a song he’d never sung even in front of the Four Heavenly Kings.
I looked back at Ban Pyo-ran. Far from being upset with Lee Beom or intimidated by his gruffness, Ban Pyo-ran was watching the situation with great enthusiasm, ready to shake his tambourine. Honestly, I was taken aback. As if he were the female lead in this situation, his face, lit with anticipation, was determined and charming.
“Mmm.”
Looking at the bright Ban Pyo-ran, I let out a small sigh of realization. This was all a small ball thrown by Ban Pyo-ran. It was Ban Pyo-ran who had asked why he wasn’t singing, creating this situation.
This is why they’re the female lead.
Thinking that, everything became clear, flowing like a river. Whether Lee Beom was fixated on me or not, Ban Pyo-ran had started it. Ban Pyo-ran’s black hair shimmered. Indeed, it seemed clear that Lee Beom’s decision to sing was because of Ban Pyo-ran.
Lee Beom, rolling up his sleeves, fumbled on the table and picked up the neglected microphone. And I didn’t miss the slight tremor in his hand. Nervousness? This wasn’t the Lee Beom I knew.
Could it be?
Based on the facts gathered so far, a rational suspicion struck my mind like lightning.
His singing skills… aren’t great?
Lee Beom, unaware of my thoughts, cleared his throat. I quickly followed his actions with my eyes, hiding my suspicious expression. Min Si-hu, genuinely happy that Lee Beom was singing, whistled cheerfully.
Lee Beom quickly wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants and gripped the microphone again. It was the moment my rational suspicion about his singing skills turned into certainty.
As Lee Beom brought the microphone close to his lips, a gentle melody flowed from the speakers. Lee Beom’s mouth slowly opened.
“Wow…”
And the eyes that had been watching Lee Beom with suspicion slowly widened. A long gasp escaped Seong Hae-min, who was sitting next to me. Min Si-hu, his eyes wide open, covered his mouth. Jeon Jae-hyung, like the Bboongyi doll he held, stared at Lee Beom without blinking.
“Let’s go, just the two of us…”
The song Lee Beom chose was a masterpiece, one that many idols had covered in unique ways during my high school days. Although the original was released much earlier, Lee Beom’s version was a remake by a famous male ballad singer. And…
Lee Beom, contrary to my expectations, sang incredibly, incredibly, incredibly well.
With his soft, gentle voice flowing through the speakers, I lost all my absurd speculations about his singing skills. I broke into a slight sweat.
His dark eyes, which had been looking at people sullenly and annoyingly, were now cast downwards. The boundary of his thin double eyelids blurred indistinctly, and long eyelashes cast shadows beside his prominent, aquiline nose. Even as the flashy lights flashed, turning his face red and then blue, they couldn’t mar his small, handsome face, which was focused on the song.
The song suited Lee Beom perfectly. His low, soulful voice seemed to wash over my ears like moonlight cast upon the night sea.
Is this the male lead?
He’s a cheat character with all stats maxed out.
Even this obvious realization, which I was merely reconfirming, sent a thrill through me.
Right, what about Ban Pyo-ran?
I found myself staring blankly at Lee Beom. It wasn’t until the instrumental break that I suddenly came to my senses. I quickly checked on Ban Pyo-ran. Even I had been lost in watching Lee Beom blankly, so how could others be different?
Ban Pyo-ran, sitting not far away, had forgotten about shaking his tambourine and was staring blankly at Lee Beom. Following the song, his red lips parted loosely. A blush rose on his pretty face as he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Lee Beom.
I could instantly name the emotion clearly shown on his face. No one could possibly not fall in love with that expression.
Ban Pyo-ran had fallen for Lee Beom.