"You've got it all wrong!"
Kin shout out, unable to tolerate another second of the other man defending his friend. Did he really think Kin would believe that? The reason those two ended up happily married at the end was because his own idiotic character died in a car accident!
'Nothing going on' ?
Are you crazy?
Who would believe that! Even with his eyes closed, he could tell they had a crush on each other. As for him, he was just a fool who stepped in out of jealousy, envy, or whatever you want to call it.
"It's true that I'm not happy, but it's not because I'm overthinking or that he don't love me!" He sighed, both tired and relieved that the other man finally stopped saying things he had no interest in hearing. If this were the 'real' Kin, Kiryu probably would have been scolded much worse or even physically harmed. But he didn't want to do that.
"Really?" The other man froze, looking at him with a confused expression, before asking again, sounding unsure. Khin had to confirm with a serious tone and face.
"Of course. Why would I be afraid of him not loving me?"
"...You're truly strange."
Kin heard Kiryu's murmur clearly and realized he had touched a nerve of suspicion. Part of him wanted to care because he didn't want to complicate things, but another part of him knew he couldn't actually act like the character.
"....I mean, even if he doesn't love me, there's nothing I can do about it, right?" The other man's face became even more bizarre, so he had to elaborate.
"Since we're married, if something really happens between them, I could get a lot of money if I sue for divorce."
"Sue for divorce?" The repeated words probably didn't make him seem any more normal. But honestly, he didn't know how he was supposed to act normally. Should he be jealous? Throw a tantrum? Or curse at the other person for presumptuously asking about his husband? He didn't want to do any of that.
"I think... I've got it." Kin let out a breath. He really couldn't force himself to play along. He wasn't a good actor. His beautiful eyes looked down, not wanting to make eye contact, fearing that avoiding his gaze would make everything even more suspicious.
If blurting out that he was strange because he had been transmigrated from another dimension would be too messy, then making up a story about suddenly becoming smart and realizing he wasn't a fool who should be obsessed with one person seemed more plausible.
"I don't think we should force a relationship with someone who doesn't love us." He put on a sad face, acting like he was heartbroken and still had some lingering regret. He tried to soften his voice a little so the other person would think he was lamenting, but not too much, so he would believe that Khin had genuinely moved on.
"So I'm going to ask my parents if I can get a divorce." Kin secretly glanced at the other man, wanting to know what his conversation partner was feeling. He was a little anxious, seeing that the other's face was filled with a mix of suspicion and shock that was hard to describe. At least those eyes were wide, and his brows were so furrowed they were knotted. The silence made him want to take back his words and choose a new sentence, hoping it would make things look better.
"...Is that so?" Kiryu's voice sounded off, making him think it was time to change the subject.
"Speaking of which, did you come here just for that?"
"Actually..." the other man answered in a low voice, mumbling so much it was unintelligible before falling silent for a while. He opened and closed his mouth several times, as if to speak, until Kin's impatient look forced Kiryu to reveal his reason.
"Because we met today and you weren't rude to me like you usually are... and you're acting strange and came out here to eat alone in the garden, so I thought... you might be..." After talking at length, starting from their meeting that afternoon, he stopped speaking and fell silent again.
Then, a sincere apology followed.
"I'm sorry."
"Might be what?" Kin asked without thinking. He really wanted to know what the other person was thinking. Why did he suddenly go silent and apologize like that? But even though he asked, the man in front of him remained still, clasping his hands together and looking as if he was being scolded, even though Kin hadn't done a thing.
"Might be what???" He asked again, getting the same silent response.
"Now I'm getting annoyed." Khin lowered his voice, trying to threaten the other man even though he wasn't actually that angry. The startled look and his expressive face showed that it had worked, unbelievably so.
"You might be lonely! But... but I didn't mean that you look pitiful or anything!" The other man quickly explained, defending himself loudly so Kin wouldn't misunderstand. Khin laughed at the absurdity.
"If you think I'm pathetic or something, I wouldn't be surprised." He breathed out and stopped laughing. Aside from the annoying perspective from the novel's author, his own opinion of this character was that he wasn't far off from being pitied by others.
"My character is quite pathetic, too."
Having a bad personality, being idiotic, forcing a man to marry him even though they weren't in love, and expressing love in such a drastic and self-centered way—to say he wasn't pitiful would be a lie.
"That's not true."
"You think so? Don't you think your friend is unlucky for having to marry someone like me?"
"..."
"You do, right?" Kin laughed. Just seeing the other man's face. He knew Kiryu must have felt deep sympathy for his friend when he learned he was forced into a political marriage with someone like Kin.
He wasn't angry at all that the other man thought that, because he thought the same thing. Although the whole story was a bit crazy, when you think about it, Phupha, who was forced into a political marriage with someone he didn't love, was also quite pitiful. Everyone wants to live their life with the person they love.
Kin looked at the other man's handsome face from a new perspective. A handsome face that was different from before. At least this man seemed to care when he distanced himself. Even if he didn't know the real reason, it was definitely not a malicious approach.
"How about we go out to eat together sometime?"
"Would that be okay?"
"Of course. You're not a bad person. It's better if we're friendly."
"...But wouldn't it look like... I'm betraying Phupha?" Kin didn't know how to react to that, and the other man didn't seem to be joking. The honest, innocent eyes looking at him made him want to laugh at such childish thoughts.
"No, I'm getting a divorce soon anyway," he replied with a chuckle.
"But you're not divorced yet..."
"Oh... So you're trying to flirt with me?" The other man's hesitant voice made him feel more amused. The voice and the face filled with guilt made him think of a dog being scolded, so he couldn't resist teasing him even though he knew his own status. When he thought about it, it was strange, but he was doing it with pure intentions. There was no romance involved.
"No! Not at all! How could I flirt with you...?"
"Then you don't have to worry."
"Really?"
"Of course." It seemed the smile on his face made Kiryu feel better. The other man nodded a few times but still looked a little unsure. Kiryu's hands were clasped together, playing with his fingers in nervousness.
"Then... can I treat you?"
He didn't know if it was because of the darker-than-usual surroundings or the insufficient lighting playing tricks on his eyes, but he could swear he saw the other man's cheeks turn a little red. Maybe he was just shy about offering to treat a rich person like him?
"Oh... you're rich too?" Kin tried to convince himself that what he saw was just an illusion. He smiled until his eyes crinkled and teased him instead. The other man looked flustered and didn't know what to say, so Kin had to help him out.
"Just kidding. Sure, if you want to treat me." He had no reason to refuse the kindness being offered. It was great to not have to use his own money. If he were the real him, he would never have had the chance to do anything like this, so why not take advantage of it? He could treat him next time. After all, the other man seemed much more innocent than he had expected.
"So we can exchange numbers now, right?"
"Of course. You're my friend." The moment he replied with a slight upturn of his lips, a smile appeared on Kiryu's face. The other man hastily pulled out his phone and handed it to him. Kin's slender hand took it and looked at the numbers on the screen, waiting for him to enter his number.
Kin froze, his lips still smiling. His problem now was that he didn't know the phone number of the 'man' whose body he was inhabiting.
"Um... just a moment." Kin took out his own phone. Luckily, it wasn't password-protected. Maybe it was normal for people here? No one was nosy or liked to meddle in other people's business like in his old world, so there was no need to lock their phones. He scrolled to the settings, hoping it would show the number, and it did.
Kin looked at his own screen.
"You don't remember your own number?"
"...I don't really have to give my number to anyone." He stopped for a moment to find an excuse. It probably wasn't strange if he didn't remember his own phone number. Not everyone remembers it, right?
"I'd have thought someone like you would have people asking for your number all the time." He handed the phone back, having already saved his own number and handed over his own phone to Kiryu. Kiryu took it, fiddled with it for a moment—much faster than he had—and handed it back.
The number was blank, so he could save the other man's name as whatever he wanted.
"Well, see you around." Kiryu stood up when his business was done. But before he could walk away, he turned back to Khin, who was typing out the name. A slight cough made him look up at the person who was still standing there.
"...I'm free tomorrow."
"I'm not free." He smiled and replied instantly without thinking. The other man's face looked strange, but it was exactly what he wanted to see.
"Okay... see you around, Mr. Kin." The young man nodded, not even trying to bargain. He then walked away, leaving only Khin and the fried chicken that had long since gone cold. But even so, he still felt good, thinking about the small conversation that didn't feel special at all.
But it had made him happy.
Why did a man who incited his friend to cheat on his spouse seem so cute when he met him in person?