95.
“You’re dressed so nicely today?”
Choi Mujin wore the clothes Haseo had picked out for him at the department store before, instead of his usual suit.
“Let’s find a spot first.”
They found a suitable place in the park, and Haseo spread out the picnic mat.
“Sit down. Did you eat breakfast?”
“Had something light.”
“Then we’ll have lunch. This place is famous for what they call Hangang ramen.”
Haseo pointed to a spot as he spoke.
“Go make some ramen. I’ll prepare the other things.”
Choi Mujin couldn’t help but smile at Haseo’s boldness in giving orders.
“One ramen?”
“Two. There are two of us.”
“Alright. I’ll be back.”
Though he’d never made Hangang ramen before, he figured he could just follow what others did. Choi Mujin obediently went to make the ramen as Haseo instructed. When he returned to the mat, he found several lunch boxes: one with kimbap, one with rice balls, one with bulgogi, and the last one with fruit. The quantity seemed quite generous for two people.
“I brought lunch boxes.”
Haseo said proudly, sitting up straight.
“Can I have some too?”
“That’s why I brought so much. Where’s the ramen?”
“Here.”
With the ramen added, their meal looked even more abundant. No matter what, ramen was soul food for Koreans. They picked up their chopsticks and dug into the lunch boxes and ramen.
“How’s the taste? I haven’t properly cooked in a while.”
“It’s delicious.”
“I’m glad.”
“To be fair, it’s hard to make kimbap taste bad.”
“You always have to say things that way.”
Haseo pouted. They had brought so much food that he thought they would have leftovers, but as they ate and talked, they finished all the lunch boxes. They even finished all the ramen. Satisfied with their full stomachs, they each took a drink, feeling peaceful.
“The scenery is nice.”
“It is.”
“Have you been here before?”
“I’ve passed by, but I’ve never spent time here like this.”
“I see. It’s the same for me. Life has been too busy.”
The sunlight made the Han River sparkle. What was it called? Yunsul? Haseo stared at the river for a long time, then suddenly rested his head on Choi Mujin’s thigh.
“I’m going to nap for a bit.”
Though his thigh, tightly packed with muscle, wasn’t ideal as a pillow, Haseo closed his eyes and fell asleep easily.
During this time, Choi Mujin could observe Haseo more closely. He had lost a little weight since the last time he saw him at home. But his expression had improved considerably from before. It was as if the shackles that had bound and weighed him down had been removed.
“Haseo. What do you want to do with me?”
As he asked the sleeping Haseo, he mumbled a response as if sleep-talking.
“…Dating. Normal, ordinary dating.”
“Haseo?”
Haseo said just that and fell back into deep sleep. What an audacious fellow. Ordinary dating? Though his desire was modest, it wasn’t easy for Choi Mujin to fulfill. After all, he was a man who did bad things, yet this was what Haseo wanted from him.
Choi Mujin pinched Haseo’s straight nose with an incredulous expression. But Haseo was in such a deep sleep that he didn’t open his eyes. He only woke up about an hour later.
“Ahem. Is your thigh okay?”
“It’s fine.”
“Wasn’t I heavy?”
“You think that’s heavy?”
Choi Mujin snorted at Haseo’s words.
“Let’s see. It’s only 1 o’clock. No wonder the sun feels so hot.”
Haseo grumbled as he helped Choi Mujin stand up. Then he packed the empty lunch boxes into his backpack and folded the mat.
“Is the date over already?”
“No? We’re going to ride bicycles now.”
“Bicycles?”
“I heard riding bicycles here is really fun.”
“Do you know how to ride a bicycle?”
“How hard can riding a bicycle be!”
It was hard. Getting on the bicycle wasn’t difficult, but what came after was the problem. In the brief moment it took to put his feet on the pedals, the bicycle tipped sideways. If Choi Mujin hadn’t caught him, he would have hit the ground.
“I’ll hold it for you.”
Choi Mujin went behind the bicycle and held it steady.
“This is strange. Other people ride so easily.”
Haseo squinted at the bicycles zooming past them.
“It’s because it’s your first time.”
“Right? It’s my first time.”
But the situation didn’t improve much as time passed.
“Let go! You can let go now!”
Despite his terrible coordination, his confidence was overwhelming. If Choi Mujin hadn’t intervened, things would have been a mess long ago.
“Let go of what!”
Eventually, Choi Mujin pulled Haseo off the bicycle.
“I’m almost getting it.”
“Almost? Do you know how many times I’ve had to catch that bicycle?”
“About ten times?”
Choi Mujin unconsciously shook his head. What a stubborn person Haseo could be.
“Let’s do something else besides bicycles.”
“I don’t want to. I really think I’m just about to get it.”
“Let’s ride a boat instead. How about that?”
“No, still…”
Haseo still had a look of lingering attachment, but Choi Mujin forcibly pulled him along. Even if he caught him each time, if this continued, Haseo could get hurt eventually. So it was better to cut it off from the start.
Even as he was dragged away, Haseo couldn’t take his eyes off the bicycles. As they bickered like this, time flew by and evening arrived.
“It’s dinner time.”
“Yes, for dinner, we’ll go where I want.”
“Where’s that?”
“A sushi restaurant.”
“Sushi!”
At Choi Mujin’s words, Haseo obediently followed him. The sushi restaurant they visited looked extraordinary from the entrance. Haseo looked at the door with its luxurious decorations and then turned his head.
“It looks expensive.”
“I’ll pay.”
“But you already bought the ramen.”
They had each paid for their own boat cruise tickets. When Choi Mujin tried to pay, Haseo stomped his feet in front of the ticket booth and got angry, so he had to back down. But here, he couldn’t let that happen. Seeing how thin Haseo was, he wanted to feed him plenty of food.
“Haseo.”
Choi Mujin put his arm around Haseo’s shoulders and said:
“Dating isn’t about splitting things evenly.”
“But I heard modern relationships are about splitting everything equally. That’s how you avoid fights.”
“No. Dating is a game where the person who falls first, who likes more, loses. So there’s no need for you to pay here.”
Haseo stared at Choi Mujin as he spoke.
“The person who likes more loses the game?”
“Yes, because when you like someone, you’ll do anything for them.”
“I see. Then…”
Haseo took a breath, choosing his words carefully before speaking.
“Do you like me?”
As he looked up with those dark eyes, Choi Mujin couldn’t bring himself to lie.
“…I like you.”
“How much?”
“How much would you like me to?”
“People usually say they like someone as much as the sky, as much as the earth, as much as the stars.”
“I can’t say such embarrassing things.”
“Hmm. I see.”
As Haseo turned his gaze away, Choi Mujin caught a fleeting emotion on his face. Haseo was disappointed in him. Realizing this, Choi Mujin hastily spoke up.
“But I like you enough to risk my life.”
Hearing this, Haseo covered his mouth with his hand. He even lowered his head, so it was impossible to see what expression he was making. As Choi Mujin bent down to see his face, a small laugh escaped.
“Ha, hahaha.”
It wasn’t a laugh of pure joy. It contained regret, anger, and sadness. Haseo removed his hand from his mouth.
“So you were capable of saying it.”
His resentful gaze fell upon Choi Mujin.
“Why didn’t you say it all this time?”
It wasn’t that he had never confessed. But the time he had said he liked Haseo was when Haseo’s memory wasn’t fully intact. Whenever Haseo was in his right mind, Choi Mujin always deflected. He expressed his affection through actions but never verbalized it.
‘Why did I do that?’
The conclusion came quickly. It was because Choi Mujin was a coward. Having been betrayed since childhood, he couldn’t trust people. And by putting Haseo in that category, he had only hurt him. This realization hit Choi Mujin hard, and he gritted his teeth.
Haseo looked at Choi Mujin, then removed the hand from his shoulder and turned away.
“I’m going home. I can go alone. Don’t follow me.”
At these firm words, Choi Mujin stopped himself from following. Even as he watched Haseo walk away, he couldn’t bring himself to move.
“Haseo.”
Though he called out his name, Haseo didn’t look back. Choi Mujin rubbed his forehead with his hand, then took out his phone and made a call. Haseo had said he would go alone, but it was worrying to let him go like that. Fortunately, Seo Miso had been nearby all along, so he had her follow Haseo.
Anxiety filled his chest, but this time he decided to let Haseo go. He couldn’t run away immediately anyway.
Yes, that’s how it would be.
Haseo spent the entire night awake. He struggled to get out of bed and left the room with his toothbrush. Today he decided to skip breakfast. After slowly washing up, he went to work at the café, where the manager greeted him.
“Haseo~! Welcome. Wait, what’s wrong with your face?”
“My face?”
“You look half-dead. What happened? You took a day off on Saturday for a date.”
“Ah, the date. I did go.”
“Did the date not go well?”
The café manager, though talkative, was a good person. He had hired Haseo despite his lack of experience and taught him many things. That’s why Haseo could speak comfortably.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
