#67
“Why are you suddenly covering your chest…”
Just as Hee-gyeom chuckled and blurted out how odd Ha-min’s action was, the large robe slipped, revealing the scar. For a brief moment, Ha-min’s face turned ashen at the exposed wound. He had momentarily felt relieved thinking he had avoided a situation with his hyung.
“Ah…”
Ha-min covered it belatedly, but Hee-gyeom’s face had long since been colored with bewilderment. His expression was not just surprised, but rather stiff. Seeing that, Ha-min felt incredibly small. It always happened like this – a moment of carelessness and it would be exposed, which was why he always kept it tightly hidden.
“Sorry… it’s disgusting, isn’t it.”
Still, he felt somewhat relieved that it was Hee-gyeom who had seen it. It wasn’t his hyung, and it wasn’t Tae-in. Ha-min spoke softly with a sense of resignation. He let the tension drain from his body and released the hand gripping his wrist. Feeling somewhat tired, Ha-min lowered his head and stared blankly into space.
“Ah, no… that’s not it.”
Hee-gyeom stammered, not knowing what to say. Ha-min gave a faint smile at his awkward expression. This was a common reaction when people saw such a scar. They would be surprised, awkward, sympathetic, or look at it strangely. When he was in the military, a senior once said it made him uncomfortable and told Ha-min to keep it covered better.
Regardless of the reaction, he didn’t want to make others uncomfortable by showing it unnecessarily.
“You saw something you shouldn’t have.”
“No… why would you say that, hyung.”
“The watch broke…”
Ha-min let out a self-deprecating laugh as he made an excuse as if it couldn’t be helped. Then he sat quietly, fiddling with his broken watch. He should have changed the watch strap earlier. Whatever the situation, it was his fault. It was his mistake for stupidly wearing the old one for so long.
“Ah, so that’s why…”
Hee-gyeom muttered, his face showing that he finally understood the situation. Everyone had been puzzled when Ha-min stubbornly refused to get in the water even on this trip, and when the usually quiet person suddenly raised his voice after falling in the water once. Especially those close to Ha-min were more than surprised; they were bewildered. Hee-gyeom, who was meeting Ha-min for the first time today, had simply thought that Ha-min really hated water. Rather, his friends who were shocked by Ha-min’s outburst and departure seemed strange to him.
“Um… what should I do?”
Hee-gyeom scratched between his eyebrows and asked carefully. Ha-min opened his eyes quizzically at the sudden question.
“I mean… should I just pretend I didn’t see it?”
Hee-gyeom asked with a face that showed he really didn’t know what to do. A strange sense of guilt washed over him for having discovered a secret that someone else was desperately trying to hide. Moreover, seeing Ha-min’s bitter smile made him feel sorry, and he didn’t know what to do.
“Ah… yeah. Could you do that?”
In contrast to his previous desperation, Ha-min spoke calmly.
“I’m sorry for… making you worry unnecessarily.”
“No, no. I… I should be the one apologizing.”
“What do you have to be sorry for?”
“……”
“Just… keep it a secret from the others.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Now go back and have fun. I feel like I’ve just wasted your time.”
“No… that’s not true…”
“I’m sorry.”
Hee-gyeom furrowed his brow, looking apologetic as he saw Ha-min sincerely apologizing. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly started rummaging through his bag. Ha-min tilted his head, watching Hee-gyeom’s back as he urgently searched his bag.
Soon after, Hee-gyeom pulled out a thin jacket from his bag and approached Ha-min with a satisfied look, handing it to him. It was a large windbreaker.
“I brought this in case it gets cold at night, please wear it.”
“Huh…?”
Ha-min looked up at Hee-gyeom quizzically at the unexpected offer.
“Well… you said your watch broke. So you have nothing to cover it with… That jacket of mine is really big, so it should cover your hands too. The sleeves can be tightened, so it won’t slip down…”
Hee-gyeom scratched the tip of his nose awkwardly. Ha-min, finally understanding Hee-gyeom’s words, let out a short “Ah.”
“Ah…”
“If you don’t need it…”
“No, thank you.”
Ha-min carefully accepted his jacket. He had been wondering what to do just now.
“Thank you so much.”
“It’s not much…”
“Really…”
Ha-min trailed off, clutching the jacket tightly. Perhaps because he had been so shaken earlier, his emotions kept sinking. The tension in his body was releasing, and he was replaying his actions from before. It was pathetic how he had reacted so sensitively to just being dunked in the water once, how he couldn’t speak properly in front of him, and how he was receiving help again now. Over something so trivial… What was the big deal…
“Hyung…?”
Hee-gyeom called out curiously to Ha-min, who had momentarily lost his words. Hearing the call, Ha-min swallowed his emotions and forced a smile.
“I’ll wear it well.”
“Ah, okay.”
“You should go now. The others must be waiting.”
“Um… what are you going to do, hyung?”
“I’ll take a shower…”
That’s when it happened. The door burst open with a bang.
“Song Ha-min―!”
It was Tae-in’s voice. Both Hee-gyeom, who was standing there awkwardly, and Ha-min, who was sitting quietly, widened their eyes in surprise at the sudden voice. Hearing his name called, Ha-min got up from the sofa and responded.
“Oh, Tae-in.”
“Are you okay?”
Tae-in approached with a worried face. He looked genuinely shocked, his face not looking good. His usually cheerful face was completely stiff.
“Yeah, I’m fine…”
“You really scared me when you left like that. Hey, Hee-gyeom, thanks for looking after him.”
Tae-in said as he naturally sat down next to Ha-min. Ha-min instinctively hid his hands behind his back. Seeing this, Hee-gyeom rolled his eyes slightly.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
Tae-in inspected Ha-min here and there with a serious face. Ha-min shook his head hesitantly and smiled awkwardly.
“I was just surprised earlier. I’m really fine.”
“You got angry just because you were surprised?”
“Ah…”
Ha-min was momentarily at a loss for words at the pointed question. Tae-in continued speaking.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen you get angry.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yeah. My heart dropped. I gave that Shin Woo-kyung a piece of my mind. Make sure he apologizes properly later. How could he force someone into the water when they didn’t want to, no matter how close they are.”
“It was because I was being oversensitive, there’s no need…”
“Wrong is wrong, okay? You too. If something’s not right, get angry and say it clearly like you did earlier.”
“…”
“I’m not scolding you or anything… Anyway, I’m glad you’re not hurt.”
Tae-in cut off what he was about to say next. He let out a long sigh, as if finally relieved. Seeing his somewhat downcast appearance, Ha-min felt bad for making him worry unnecessarily. Hee-gyeom, who had been reading the strangely subdued atmosphere, pulled Tae-in away with a sly smile.
“Tae-in hyung. Stop worrying and come play with me again.”
“What? Then what about him?”
“Ha-min hyung said he’s going to shower and rest a bit.”
“Won’t he be bored alone?”
Tae-in said, looking at Ha-min, in response to Hee-gyeom’s relayed message. Ha-min was inwardly grateful to Hee-gyeom for changing the subject. Not wanting Hee-gyeom’s consideration to go to waste, Ha-min spoke as nonchalantly as possible.
“We’re going to hang out again in the evening. Like Hee-gyeom said, I’ll shower and rest a bit. I’m also a bit tired, maybe because it’s my first time on a plane…”
“…”
“It’s my first time on a trip, so I was so excited I couldn’t sleep properly last night.”
Ha-min rambled on as long as possible to convince Tae-in. It wasn’t all lies, so he didn’t stammer. Tae-in stared blankly with disapproving eyes for a moment before nodding.
“Alright, then rest a bit. If you get bored, call or come down.”
Tae-in instructed, seemingly uneasy about leaving Ha-min alone. Feeling sorry about that, Ha-min nodded with an even bigger smile.
“Okay, hyung. I’ll rest.”
Hee-gyeom wrinkled his nose playfully behind Tae-in’s back. Ha-min unknowingly let out a deflated laugh at his comical expression. He was so grateful for Hee-gyeom’s intentional effort to take Tae-in away, concerned that Ha-min might be uncomfortable, that he almost felt sorry.
“Call if you get bored!” Tae-in repeated his instructions as he was being dragged away by Hee-gyeom. He seemed really worried about leaving Ha-min alone. It’s not like I’m a child, Ha-min thought. He waved his hand, telling them to go with a light smile. And soon after the door closed, a quiet stillness settled in. Ha-min sat quietly, letting out a long sigh. He suddenly felt very tired and his body became languid.
**
Ha-min suddenly opened his eyes unconsciously, as if he had really fallen asleep after showering. Rubbing his heavy eyes, he looked around to see the sun setting through the window. After confirming that not much time had passed, he got up. Perhaps because he had taken a nap, his body felt refreshed and his condition had improved a lot.
Ha-min washed his face with cold water and put on the windbreaker Hee-gyeom had given him. It was twice the size of his body, probably because it was big even for Hee-gyeom. The sleeves also extended beyond his hands. But he thought it was rather fortunate.
“Oh, hyung, you’re awake.”
As he came out of the bedroom, he saw Hee-gyeom who seemed to have just finished showering. He was wearing only sweatpants, exposing his upper body without hesitation. Even though they were both men, Ha-min didn’t know where to look and rolled his eyes before dropping his gaze to the floor as he quietly spoke.
“You came back early.”
“Ah. Yes, well… It just happened.”
Hee-gyeom responded with an awkward laugh, then roughly put on a top while keeping a towel around his neck. Although his strangely awkward behavior was puzzling, Ha-min brought up what he couldn’t say earlier.
