Sorry Doesn’t Fix Betrayal

Haeyoon bit down hard on his lip, feeling like a bitter laugh might escape, and took his seat.
It was a seat somewhat apart from the two, but being diagonally across, their forms were clearly visible.

Ahn Seonwoo looked at Haeyoon with an expression on the verge of tears and spoke.

“S-sorry, Haeyoon-ah. I heard you… weren’t coming…”
The atmosphere was completely different from when they had met alone and he’d given him the wedding invitation.
The Ahn Seonwoo who had snapped, asking if the person who got stolen from wasn’t at fault, was nowhere to be seen.

But from the moment he showed up with Oh Jaeyeol, whom he didn’t need to bring, his true intentions were clear.
It was hard to guess whether he was truly acting or simply mocking Haeyoon, knowing everyone would notice.

Haeyoon decided to stop the unskilled battle of wits and simply accept the situation as it was.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t anticipated this.
He picked up his fork, looked at the two, and spoke.

“Yeah. It’s fine. Actually, I wasn’t planning to come but decided to last minute… so you two might not have known.”
His voice was calm and composed.
To an outsider, there would be no hint of what had transpired between them.

After a glance at Seonwoo, Haeyoon’s gaze shifted this time to Jaeyeol beside him.
Honestly, what was more astonishing than Ahn Seonwoo was Oh Jaeyeol.
Even if Seonwoo’s attendance wasn’t strange since it was his own reunion, Jaeyeol was not their classmate.
Oh Jaeyeol had become familiar with this gathering solely because he had attended for a long time as Seo Haeyoon’s lover.
And now he was attending again, as Ahn Seonwoo’s lover? Setting aside betrayal, it was something Haeyoon couldn’t comprehend with his common sense.

When their eyes met, Jaeyeol hurriedly avoided Haeyoon’s gaze.
It seemed he, too, knew how absurd this was.
Haeyoon just looked at Jaeyeol with an indifferent gaze for a moment, then soon averted his eyes as well.
He had said everything he had to say, shown every emotion he had to show, at the moment Oh Jaeyeol had declared their breakup.

The only slightly surprising thing was that he hadn’t known, over all that time, that Oh Jaeyeol could be this cruel—a person who wouldn’t even maintain the basic courtesy between people, let alone a romantic relationship.

“Haa……”
The moment Haeyoon’s gaze left him, Jaeyeol let out a small sigh.
He shouldn’t have come here.
A belated regret washed over him like a tide.
He had been wrong to give in to Seonwoo’s persuasion: that since everyone would find out once they got married anyway, and they’d have to send invitations to friends, it would be better to announce it together when everyone was gathered.

Though everyone was pretending nothing was wrong, eating, chatting, and talking, it was impossible not to notice that they were all conscious of the three and feeling awkward.

When are you two getting married?
It was a question he used to hear like a greeting when attending each other’s gatherings with Haeyoon.
Everyone had always assumed they would eventually marry, and no one doubted it.
Even Jaeyeol and Haeyoon themselves had thought so.

You can break up with a long-time lover, but how can you date and even marry their best friend?
Even though no one said it out loud, Jaeyeol felt as if he could hear them all muttering these words internally.

“I’m just going to the restroom for a moment.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
Then, Seonwoo spoke.
Rising from his seat, Seonwoo naturally rubbed Jaeyeol’s arm and shoulder in an intimate manner before walking away.

Absentmindedly answering, Jaeyeol found himself looking at Haeyoon and was startled.
Because Haeyoon was also getting up, as if intending to follow Seonwoo.

“Hyung.”
The one who reflexively stopped Jaeyeol from rising was Woojin, sitting across from him.
He was, without a doubt, an awkward presence for Jaeyeol as well.

“How’s work going these days?”
Woojin asked.
His face showed no genuine curiosity.
It was clear to anyone that his intention was to keep Jaeyeol anchored to his seat.
But with too many eyes watching, Jaeyeol couldn’t ignore him and chase after the two.

“Huh? Oh, well… It’s okay…”
In the end, Jaeyeol could only sit back down with an awkward smile.
Seeing Haeyoon’s back as he followed Seonwoo into the restroom made his chest tighten uncomfortably.

* * * *

“What, is there something you want to say to me?”
Seonwoo answered as if he had been waiting for Haeyoon to follow.
He was so nonchalant that Haeyoon, who had indeed followed because he had something to say, felt flustered.

Staring intently at Seonwoo, who looked back as if saying ‘go ahead and try anything,’ Haeyoon opened his mouth.

“Seonwoo-yah. Let me ask you one thing. I’d appreciate an honest answer.”
“Okay. Say it.”
“Why are you going this far?”
“……”
“Did I… perhaps wrong you in some way without even knowing?”

Haeyoon was genuinely curious.
Beyond the anger, the shivering sense of betrayal, he wanted to know.
What on earth was the reason for going to these lengths?

One can have an affair with a friend’s lover.
Feelings can arise suddenly one day.
One might choose to abandon a friend, believing love is more precious than friendship.
Even Oh Jaeyeol choosing Ahn Seonwoo—who was warmer, more beautiful, and an Omega—over himself, who was boring, unfun, and even a Beta… intellectually, he could understand that.

But Ahn Seonwoo didn’t stop there.
He deliberately called Haeyoon to give him a wedding invitation, uttered insulting words, and showed up with Oh Jaeyeol as if intent on hurting Seo Haeyoon.

So why? Why on earth?

“Why are you trying to hurt me this much?”
Haeyoon was genuinely curious.
What on earth did our decade-long friendship mean to you?

“Pfft.”
At that moment, Ahn Seonwoo laughed.
It was a laugh of ridicule and absurdity.
Facing the dazed Haeyoon, he turned to the mirror, neatly fixed his disheveled hair, and spoke.

“Haeyoon-ah. I think you’re misunderstanding something… Do you think I’m doing something like getting revenge on you?”
Seonwoo approached Haeyoon slowly, wearing an expression of utter triviality.

“That’s not it, Haeyoon-ah. It’s just… I ended up falling for Jaeyeol-hyung. I tried, you know. Even though I tried, my feelings wouldn’t go away, so I couldn’t help it. Jaeyeol-hyung says he likes me too, so what could I do?”

Haeyoon knew Seonwoo’s claim of having ‘tried’ was false.
That day, that moment, it was Seonwoo who had called Haeyoon to Jaeyeol’s apartment.
If it had truly been unavoidable, he could have told him in a normal way.
Even if it were impossible, he could have tried to make Haeyoon less hurt, but clearly, it was Ahn Seonwoo’s will to reveal their relationship in the most shocking and cruel way.

“…I see.”
So Haeyoon just answered calmly.
There was no need to argue further with someone who, even in this situation, could only say this much.

He only became curious.
If that’s the case, then can I also meet someone without a special reason?
Not for grand revenge or retaliation, but simply because my feelings lean toward someone—is that allowed?
He wondered if Ahn Seonwoo, who had acted this way, could now accept that as理所当然 (a matter of course).

“Are you done asking?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then I’ll go out first. Since we seem to have ruined the mood, I should step aside. You have fun and enjoy yourself.”

Finishing his words, Seonwoo even patted Haeyoon’s shoulder a couple of times before passing him and exiting.
Haeyoon just stood there, quietly exhaling.

He hadn’t even hoped for kneeling and begging.
But he couldn’t help thinking how each of them could be so shameless.
It wasn’t about demanding Oh Jaeyeol back or compensation for his lost time.
Frankly, they weren’t even married, so he had no intention of demanding repayment for the time they had spent together, which they had ruined.

A sincere apology would have been enough.
Even if their relationship had become irreparable, if they had apologized wholeheartedly, saying they were sorry for causing pain, Haeyoon could have let them go without leaving any bitterness.

But how could they both act as if they hadn’t done the slightest wrong?
How could they act as if the pain of someone who was once a lover and a friend meant nothing?
As if they were the more uncomfortable ones, the displeased ones, as if Seo Haeyoon were tormenting them.

Letting out a long sigh from his stifled feelings, Haeyoon walked out of the restroom with slow steps.
He had thought he was handling it well compared to his friends’ worries, but it seemed he had only suppressed it outwardly; the festering wound inside felt like it was finally pus.

Feeling dazed and dizzy, he was carefully walking out when he saw the figures of Jaeyeol and Seonwoo rising from their seats in the distance.

“Sorry for… really sorry for ruining the mood. I’ll contact you later. Haeyoon-ah. Really… really sorry. I’ll head out first.”
Seonwoo’s voice was tinged with moisture.
In a way, he looked as if he had been somehow victimized by Haeyoon inside the restroom.

He could see Seonwoo’s hand tightly clutching Jaeyeol’s arm.
Haeyoon didn’t answer and closed his mouth.
He didn’t even have the energy to respond.
He felt nauseous, as if he might vomit.

Haeyoon sat down without a word.
Seonwoo and Jaeyeol also left the restaurant without adding anything more.