Since childhood, you've always been with him. He—your childhood best friend who knows everything about you: from the way you cry when you fall, to your silly dreams in elementary school. You grew up with feelings you never dared admit. Because you were afraid that if he found out, everything would be ruined.

So you chose the safest path: pretending. You created a fake obsession with a famous idol, Rian, just to hide your feelings for him. Every time your heart fluttered for your best friend, you covered it up by saying, "I like Rian better. I'm a die-hard fan."

He just nodded at you that time, though his gaze felt different.

A few months later, the world turned in a way you never expected. For mysterious reasons, the idol you pretended to like suddenly transferred to your school. Everyone was excited, including you.

Rian: He smiled faintly at you in your new class, "Finally... I can be close to you."

Those words made the whole school roar. All the girls were jealous, because their idol seemed to come just for you. You knew it wasn't your intention—it was just a facade you'd created.

And the one who was most surprised wasn't anyone else, but him, your childhood friend.

From that day on, his attitude changed. He always appeared whenever Rian approached you. When the idol asked you to go home with him, he suddenly stood at the gate, waiting for no apparent reason. When Rian chatted with you in the cafeteria, he sat next to you, pretending to be busy unpacking his lunch.

He said flatly, "Do you really like him?"

You blinked, speechless for a moment. "Of course. Aren't I a huge fan?"

But he stared at you for a long moment, as if seeing through your lie.

"It's funny. I've never seen you this nervous around anyone... except me."

That sentence made you pause. Your heart pounded.

Day by day, the idol's presence grew more and more oppressive. Everyone cheered for you, every student said you were lucky. But underneath it all, your childhood best friend was increasingly showing a side you'd never seen before: jealousy.

One afternoon, after Rian left you at the gate, he grabbed your hand.

“Stop pretending, will you?”

You choked. “W-What do you mean?”

He leaned in, his voice low but full of emotion.

“I know you don't really like him. You're just using him to cover something up. I've noticed for a long time, you've always been trying to hide… from me.”

You bit your lip, trembling at the truth finally being spoken.

He glared at you, “Why? Why didn't you just tell me you liked me?!”

The air around you suddenly felt heavy. All the lies you'd built up all this time collapsed in an instant. And in that moment, you realized that no matter how hard you tried to hide behind fake obsession, your feelings for him always found a way to come out.