#7
Side Story 2: Orbit Deviation
Cold……
Nam Seonwoo mumbled and reached out his arm. He was sure he had slept under a thick quilt last night, but he couldn’t feel the blanket at all. As he fumbled around the bed without the energy to open his eyes, warmth touched his fingertips. It wasn’t as soft as a blanket, but it was much warmer. Familiar with this warmth, he snuggled in, and a satisfied sigh escaped him.
Warm. Clinging to the warm body, rubbing his cheek, sleepiness came over him again. Thinking of using the chest as a pillow to find a comfortable position, he couldn’t get into position. It was because this ‘pillow’ was too stiff. Thinking that Kang Jihan had just woken up, Nam Seonwoo muttered.
“What time is it?”
……
What? I thought you were awake.
Tightening the arm wrapped around his back, the stiff body finally moved in the direction he wanted. At this point, he would naturally be held facing each other, but Kang Jihan remained still like a stone statue. It was a bit cold on his back, but he was satisfied with this. Just as he was about to lose consciousness in the pleasant drowsiness.
“Did you have a dream?”
A deeply asleep voice was heard from above his head. Smiling slightly at the pleasant low vibration felt in both ears and cheeks, he felt his chest stiffen again.
“No. I slept really well. Why?”
He asked if he had talked in his sleep, but Kang Jihan remained silent again. At this point, it was a bit strange. Kang Jihan didn’t peck at his face annoyingly, nor did he sneak his hand down his pants from around his waist.
It was unlike him, but… it was rather good not to have to go through it in the morning. He had been tormented enough yesterday, so today he wanted to enjoy a leisurely late sleep. Nam Seonwoo yawned and said.
“Today, I want an omelet. With two eggs.”
Even if he slept in, Kang Jihan made sure he ate breakfast, so Nam Seonwoo had gotten into the habit of eating in the morning. Thinking of just finishing a bowl and going back to sleep, Kang Jihan acted strangely again. Kang Jihan, who didn’t seem to want to get up, looked like a machine that had stopped working.
“What are you doing? Hurry up.”
As he whined that he was hungry, Kang Jihan, who had been broken, finally moved. He reacted quickly to the word ‘hungry,’ so it seemed he had finally come to his senses. It was a bit empty without the huge stove, but soon the drowsy sleepiness came over him, and Nam Seonwoo fell asleep again.
When he opened his eyes, it was too quiet around him. Nam Seonwoo blinked slowly. Rolling only his eyes to check the clock, it was already pointing to noon.
Strange. There’s no way he would let me sleep until this time.
Even if he slept, Kang Jihan would say to eat breakfast and then sleep. Moreover, an omelet was a simple dish that Kang Jihan could make in a few minutes, so it wouldn’t take this long.
“Jihan.”
He called Kang Jihan, but there was no sign of him beyond the door. Nam Seonwoo, who had been lying blankly, looked up at the white ceiling and flinched.
……Wait.
Turning his head quickly, he looked at the clock he had checked earlier. A square digital clock. That familiar clock was something he shouldn’t be familiar with. The same went for the pattern on the ceiling. Nam Seonwoo, who had gotten up from the bed, slowly looked down at the bed.
“What……?”
It wasn’t the quilt he had covered with yesterday. The plain white sheet with no pattern was a design that could be seen anywhere, but Nam Seonwoo immediately realized where he had been lying.
It was the bedroom. The bedroom of the apartment where he had lived ‘with’ Kang Jihan.
Jumping out of bed and opening the bedroom door, the familiar interior of the house welcomed Nam Seonwoo. It was indeed that apartment where they had lived together. Nam Seonwoo, who had been blankly looking at the living room, which was neatly organized to the point of being bland, walked into the kitchen. Checking the calendar on the dining table, he muttered blankly.
“What is this…….”
The year written in the corner was a number that had jumped several years from the day he had fallen asleep. As absurd thoughts were about to come to mind, Nam Seonwoo quickly slapped his cheek.
Slap- The sound echoed through the quiet house. There was no pain, but his mind was uneasy, so he kept slapping the other cheek until it turned red. Only after confirming that he couldn’t feel the sensation of ‘pain’ at all did he sigh.
It was a dream. He didn’t know why he was dreaming of this time, but anyway, it was fortunate.
Nam Seonwoo, who had regained his composure, looked around. The house was as he remembered. The bland living room that reflected Kang Jihan’s taste for neatness, and the kitchen that looked new because he hardly cooked… Hmm.
The kitchen was a mess as if a bomb had dropped. Ingredients that seemed to have been recently bought and unpacked were scattered everywhere, and a blackened pot was overturned on the trash can. Looking at the scorched marks, he could almost smell the lingering burnt smell in the kitchen.
As far as he remembered, the kitchen of this house had never been in such a state. They hardly cooked together at home after entering their thirties, and eating out was the norm.
Come to think of it, he thought he had heard a clattering noise in his sleep… Wait. Was that sleep in this dream? Is it possible to sleep in a dream? Well, who was the Kang Jihan he was hugging earlier?
He was starting to get confused, but anyway, it was a dream. Shaking off his thoughts, Nam Seonwoo slowly looked around the house. The memories of this time weren’t particularly good, but it was nice to see them again.
Then, he heard the sound of the door lock being pressed. Nam Seonwoo, who had stopped in the hallway in front of the entrance, watched the door open, engulfed in an emotion that was hard to define.
……
……
When he met the eyes of Kang Jihan, who was thirty-four, he realized belatedly that this emotion was longing. It was nonsensical to feel longing when he had just fallen asleep with Kang Jihan yesterday. But this was indeed longing.
Even after meeting eyes, Kang Jihan didn’t greet him. And……
“Hello.”
The Kang Jihan who followed him to death, the Kang Jihan of that year.
Kang Jihan raised one eyebrow. It seemed that the greeting was out of the blue. So, when he said ‘You’re here?’ as usual, he finally nodded and came in.
Kang Jihan was dressed in a suit. Following the rustling sound, he looked down and saw that Kang Jihan was holding something in his hand. It was a bag with the name of a familiar brunch shop.
“Is that mine?”
Kang Jihan silently held out the bag. That’s right, Kang Jihan of this time was really hard to hear his voice. Nam Seonwoo, swallowing his laughter, took the bag.
“Thank you. I really like it here.”
Opening the bag, there was a yellow omelet packed inside. The food, which was packed prettily contrary to the state of the kitchen, and the memo written on the container saying ‘two eggs’ made the corners of his mouth twitch.
“Did you only buy mine? You should have bought yours too while you were at it.”
“No thought.”
“Really? It’s a bit lonely to eat alone, but what can I do.”
Emphasizing the word ‘lonely,’ Kang Jihan flinched. Pretending not to notice, Nam Seonwoo turned around and sat at the dining table. Taking a bite of the steaming hot omelet, he felt ‘delicious’ even in the dream.
He didn’t eat it often because it was quite far, but Nam Seonwoo liked the food from this shop. There was a day when he packed two because he wanted to eat with Kang Jihan, but the untouched food remained on the dining table until the next morning.
Remembering that time, a question suddenly arose. Kang Jihan didn’t dislike him, so why did he do that? …Could it be that he mistakenly thought he had bought two for himself to eat? It was a ridiculous guess, but it seemed plausible, so a chuckle escaped.
“Something good happened?”
“Huh?”
Kang Jihan was now standing in front of the dining table. With a frown, the expression he used to make when he was displeased. If it were before, he would have thought that he was in a bad mood or that he had made a mistake, but now it just seemed cute. It was because he remembered Kang Jihan making a sulky face.
“Yeah. You bought me food.”
Watching Kang Jihan’s eyebrow twitch, Nam Seonwoo added as if to make him hear.
“It would have been better if we ate together. Well, but you remembered that I like it here. Since the person I like remembers, of course, I feel good.”
There was no answer, so it seemed that he had indeed remembered the shop correctly. It seemed that he had mistakenly remembered that he liked the same food enough to buy two, but anyway, since it was his fault for not saying ‘I bought yours too,’ he decided to let it go.
Kang Jihan was still standing blankly. Glancing at his face, he looked clearly flustered. It seemed that he had no immunity to such expressions and seemed broken.
“But aren’t you going to work?”
The calendar said it was Saturday. Of course, this was a dream, but it was unexpected that Kang Jihan was at home at this time, which was well past the time to go to work. So, when he asked, Kang Jihan glanced down at his wristwatch.
“I said I would go in the afternoon.”
“Why? To feed me?”
……
Looking at Kang Jihan’s expression, he couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore. Finally, Nam Seonwoo burst into laughter and waved his hand.
“It’s a joke. Then, you should go now. Go.”
If Kang Jihan left, this dream would naturally come to an end. It was a bit regrettable, but perhaps because he had said things he couldn’t say to Kang Jihan at that time, he felt relieved. If he had expressed his feelings without hesitation, would Kang Jihan at that time have been so broken? Such a thought crossed his mind, but anyway, it was all in the past. Shaking off his thoughts, he was about to scoop up the spoon.
“Wait.”
Kang Jihan, who had been standing blankly, suddenly opened his mouth. Nam Seonwoo, who had been about to put the spoon in his mouth, looked up at him.
“Together.”
“Huh?”
“Eat together.”
Kang Jihan’s words were short, but Nam Seonwoo understood what he meant. He meant to eat the omelet together. It was a bit sudden, but since it was a dream, he didn’t need to think deeply.
“Okay. Then, sit down.”
Kang Jihan sat across from him. Nam Seonwoo pushed the omelet container towards Kang Jihan. Kang Jihan, who had been looking at the container, finally picked up the spoon and scooped the omelet.
“Delicious.”
“Yeah. It’s really delicious.”
They ate the omelet in silence. It was a bit awkward, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Nam Seonwoo, who had finished eating, looked at Kang Jihan. Kang Jihan was still eating slowly.
“Jihan.”
“Hmm.”
“Are you really going to work?”
Kang Jihan nodded. Nam Seonwoo looked at the clock. It was already past the time to go to work.
“Then, hurry up. You’ll be late.”
Kang Jihan stood up. Nam Seonwoo also stood up. Kang Jihan, who had been looking at him, suddenly hugged him. It was a bit sudden, but he didn’t hate it.
“See you later.”
“Yeah. See you later.”
Kang Jihan left. Nam Seonwoo, who had been watching Kang Jihan’s back, sat down again. The dream was about to end, but he didn’t feel regretful. Rather, he felt relieved.
“Jihan.”
Nam Seonwoo called Kang Jihan’s name. Kang Jihan, who had been walking, stopped and turned his head.
“Yeah.”
“Love you.”
Kang Jihan’s eyes widened. Nam Seonwoo smiled. Kang Jihan, who had been looking at him, finally smiled and turned around.
“See you later.”
“Yeah. See you later.”
The dream ended. Nam Seonwoo opened his eyes. Kang Jihan was lying next to him. Nam Seonwoo, who had been looking at Kang Jihan’s sleeping face, smiled.
“Love you.”
Kang Jihan, who had been sleeping, opened his eyes. Kang Jihan, who had been looking at him, finally smiled.
“Love you too.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
