The restaurant that appeared before him was appealing from the exterior. Now it was time to judge how delicious the food was and how precious the liquor they served might be.
Just as he was about to hurry his steps to follow Sa Gong-hyun, Jae-young slowly froze his warm smile.
Blinking awkwardly, he followed Sa Gong-hyun’s back. But… when had they ever talked about such things? How did he know that I like alcohol? His expression, which had subtly changed, calmed down steadily.
He couldn’t tell if the food was going into his mouth or his nose. They were the only people in the restaurant, as if the entire place had been rented, and as soon as they sat down, the food was immediately set up as if it had been waiting for them.
Even when the head chef came out to explain the dishes, Jae-young sat there awkwardly.
He chattered continuously to avoid revealing his uneasy state, but he couldn’t even gauge what he was babbling about.
Even in the midst of distracting thoughts, the moment Jae-young had to snap to attention was when the sommelier brought three bottles of wine.
“…”
…Impossible. If Sa Gong-hyun hadn’t been sitting across from him, he might have screamed in shock.
The three bottles of wine that the sommelier was explaining were none other than the three greatest wines of France.
Château Pétrus, Romanée-Conti, and Château Margaux. Each one was a top-tier wine. And they were all vintage wines with the years marked.
In all his life, Jae-young had never seen a restaurant possessing all three of France’s greatest wines at once. That alone was surprising enough, but when the sommelier opened all three bottles, his mouth fell open involuntarily.
The sommelier poured each type of wine into separate glasses and then vanished suddenly. …Are we really allowed to drink all three bottles? He swallowed hard.
Of course, he couldn’t help feeling a bit dazed. Sa Gong-hyun had brought his car, so he wouldn’t be drinking. Yet three bottles? And such jaw-droppingly expensive ones at that?
It was suspicious. This was way too suspicious. Does he really know everything? Is this a last supper he prepared knowing the truth?
Whether it was because Sa Gong-hyun knew things that Jae-young hadn’t told him, Jae-young couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling rising in his heart.
“Drink.”
A voice that was hard to gauge as either dry or caring stretched across from the other side. Jae-young nodded weakly.
“…Ah, yes.”
“If the wine isn’t to your taste, I’ll ask them to bring whiskey.”
“No, it’s not that. …It’s just my first time having such good wine.”
It was indeed a first—tasting all three varieties at once.
Jae-young, who had smiled awkwardly, slowly raised his wine glass. With so many things on his mind, he thought he wouldn’t be able to properly savor the wine, but despite everything, the wine tasted damn good.
Château Pétrus was such a famous wine that he remembered trying it two years ago.
It was too long ago to dare compare the flavors, but he distinctly remembered how he’d burst into exclamations the moment the aroma spread in his mouth.
It was the same this time. It was torture not being able to express those feelings openly.
Sa Gong-hyun laughed briefly, seeming to find it amusing how Jae-young rinsed his mouth with water before trying another wine.
Watching Sa Gong-hyun, Jae-young moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue.
“It feels strange with no one else here.”
“I prefer quietness when dining.”
Jae-young, who had belatedly stabbed a piece of meat with his fork, stretched his lips into a straight line. He’d thought it was because of him, but hearing it wasn’t made him feel a bit sheepish. He also recalled how he’d rattled on unnecessarily to someone who preferred silence so much that they’d rent an entire restaurant.
“Ah, was I talking too loudly?”
“It’s not like I didn’t know, so there’s no need to apologize. If I didn’t want to hear it, I wouldn’t have had a reason to meet you in the first place.”
Is this guy playing hot and cold with me? Seeing his expression that was utterly indifferent despite his words, Jae-young half-closed his eyes.
“So I can keep talking, right?”
“Do as you please.”
“But how did you know I like alcohol? I don’t think I ever mentioned it, so I was a bit surprised that you knew.”
Jae-young pretended to be casual as he put meat in his mouth and chewed. While masticating, he stroked the bottom of the wine glass with his index finger.
“I could tell by how casually you downed hard liquor. You don’t seem weak with alcohol enough to drink just to get drunk, but you don’t seem experienced enough to fearlessly swallow it because you’re a heavy drinker. You seem to vaguely know the taste of alcohol.”
…Sharp bastard. Jae-young raised the corners of his mouth and rolled his eyes as if embarrassed. Inside, he was burning black since the moment his mouth had opened.
His intuition was far from ordinary. It felt like if he let his guard down even a little, Sa Gong-hyun would immediately notice everything. He painfully realized why Seung-kwon had insisted on hitting and running in a short period at the beginning.
His mind, which should have been relaxed by the alcohol, became rigid instead.
“I feel embarrassed, like you can see right through me. You know what? Since meeting you, I feel like my taste has become more expensive. It also makes me think that what I’ve been drinking until now could hardly be called alcohol.”
Jae-young took the opportunity to pick up his glass and savor the wine.
His mood lifted. Considering his usual alcohol tolerance, he hadn’t drunk enough to get intoxicated, but his buoyant feeling was the result of various conditions coming together.
First, the weighty sense of satisfaction was nice. The harmony of quality meat and flavorful wine was satisfying. He wasn’t overly full to the point of discomfort.
When he hesitated to leave because it seemed a waste to leave the remaining wine, Sa Gong-hyun, noticing his feelings, gifted him an unopened bottle, which also contributed to his good mood.
Next, the night view unfolding before his eyes was beautiful. The walkway he had dragged Sa Gong-hyun to after dinner was enough to enhance the atmosphere.
Jae-young grabbed the wooden fence and inserted his feet into the sparsely holed spaces. The cool breeze was cold, but bearable enough.
He looked up at the night sky, but there wasn’t a single star visible. Even the crescent moon in the sky was dimmer than expected. He wasn’t particularly sentimental, so he didn’t find it disappointing.
Jae-young exhaled deeply and turned around while perched on the fence. Sa Gong-hyun was observing him from a distance of a few steps away. Just then, he approached with slow steps.
Jae-young smiled at him as he sat on top of the fence. Because the width was so narrow, he exerted strength in his feet while steadying himself with a hand on Sa Gong-hyun’s shoulder.
“I feel good.”
“It shows.”
“You too.”
“Me?”
“You’re smiling.”
“I suppose it’s hard not to laugh when someone’s getting tipsy like this.”
He finally removed his hand from the fence and balanced himself. When his body swayed slightly, Sa Gong-hyun extended his hands to either side of Jae-young.
As soon as he tried to guess what expression Sa Gong-hyun had, he saw a face that seemed to have returned to its impassive state. Jae-young wrinkled his nose bridge and held Sa Gong-hyun’s cheeks.
“I haven’t drunk enough to get tipsy.”
Then, to restore the vanished smile, he gently pulled the corners of Sa Gong-hyun’s mouth upward diagonally. Good-looking guys are still handsome even when you pull their faces. It was quite funny seeing just the corners of his mouth pulled up while maintaining an expressionless face.
When Jae-young laughed out loud, Sa Gong-hyun narrowed his eyes. Since Sa Gong-hyun was backlit by the streetlights on the walkway, details weren’t clearly visible. Just rough identification was possible: he’s smiling, he’s expressionless, he’s frowning.
“Hey, don’t frown, smile. Hyun-ssi is so handsome when you smile.”
A light breeze blew toward Sa Gong-hyun. Neither laughter, nor words, not even a breath could be heard from him.
Jae-young slightly raised his tenderly lowered eyes. Finding the lack of response strange, he lifted his eyebrows once.
The two eyes that met seemed to have a gleam in them. Even in the darkened shadow, his pupils were distinct.
“…Hyun-ssi?”
Jae-young, who still had a faint trace of the smile that had spread across his face, urged him. Nevertheless, Sa Gong-hyun kept his mouth tightly shut.
He was simply immobile. His firm hands gripping the fence, his two eyes silently gazing at Jae-young, his lips.
Maybe he’s angry because I pulled the corners of his mouth?
Jae-young gently released his thumb that had been pulling Sa Gong-hyun’s face. He closed his wide-open eyes once and then opened them. Despite belatedly withdrawing his hand, Sa Gong-hyun stood without moving a muscle.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
