His indifferent response suddenly jumped up. His large, open eyes reflexively turned to Sa Gong-hyun.
“Luggage, passport, whatever.”
The hope he had felt was confirmed. He opened his thinly pursed lips that had been pouting in dissatisfaction. He moved his buttocks, which had been far away, close to Sa Gong-hyun.
“Am I going too?”
“Didn’t you whine about wanting to go on a trip somewhere?”
“Really? Am I really going too?”
Sa Gong-hyun laughed briefly at his excited voice. Jae-young held his arm and shook it gently as if urging a response.
“Why would I lie about that? I’m making time while going for work. Because someone whined so much it formed a crust in my ear.”
“How much did I whine? I just hinted that I wanted to go. Where are we going? America?”
To the continuous questions, Sa Gong-hyun just nodded his head.
A smile leaked out weakly. Although he had sung about wanting to travel, he thought at most he’d end up going somewhere domestic. He couldn’t be happier about going to a foreign place.
Jae-young took off his shoes and put his feet on the seat. He leaned his head on Sa Gong-hyun’s shoulder and half-lay down. The sky outside the window over his raised knees was blue.
He tilted his head slightly. His head slid down from Sa Gong-hyun’s chest to his firm thigh.
Even from below, his handsome face looked clear.
“Ah, so that’s why you took me to the shooting range for a so-called date? Worried something might happen?”
“Does Do Jae-young consider even this a date?”
“Were you that worried?”
“First you throw a fit saying don’t come near me, now you’re thrilled.”
“You’re really an expert at changing the subject. Do you want me to get angry and tell you not to touch me?”
“Aren’t you tired of making threats that won’t work?”
Each response that followed his words was infinitely indifferent. But Jae-young didn’t mind at all. It was because the touch that had settled on his abdomen was gently wandering inside his t-shirt.
“I was serious. It didn’t work because Hyun-ssi slipped away in an annoying way.”
Jae-young closed his eyes quietly as if doing him a favor. Even though he wasn’t wearing any particular perfume, the smell emanating from him was pleasant.
As was the low laughter that fell belatedly.
***
“Good air, nice weather.”
Jae-young, stepping onto the runway, stretched. It had been a long flight, but his body felt fresher than expected.
“Is money that good?”
It was thanks to the comfort of the private jet that stole away his drowsiness. One arm that had been raised high toward the sky came down onto Sa Gong-hyun’s shoulder. He took Jae-young’s hand, pulled it down, and trapped it in his own.
“Logi!”
Suddenly, an excited voice could be heard from somewhere. Jae-young, who had been walking in step with Sa Gong-hyun, was the first to react. His head turned from him toward the empty space.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know even though you kept your landing time a secret? I told you. I’m very interested in Logi.”
He was an American man with blonde hair, as tall as a beanpole, and a burly build. Jae-young, who noticed that he was approaching with a pleased look and trying to embrace Sa Gong-hyun, spoke up.
“Logi?”
“Goodness. Who is this tiny tot? Logi, did you go to Korea and have a child already?”
Logi seemed to be his nickname. Who am I to call Sa Gong-hyun by a nickname? That was a complaint in itself, but he was even more displeased when the man called him a ‘tiny tot’ with a surprised face.
“Get out of the way.”
Sa Gong-hyun spoke with a fluent pronunciation while frowning and glaring at the American. Jae-young ignored the American’s gaze fixed on him and rubbed Sa Gong-hyun’s hand with his thumb.
“Is his name Jeremy? Who is he? Are you close? Why is he coming all the way here and acting like this?”
“He’s a business partner.”
“For a business partner, he’s acting too familiar…”
“Business partner? You still haven’t broken that damn habit? Logi, quickly explain that we’re brothers. Kid, we’re brothers. That makes me your uncle. Unless you’re an idiot, you should understand what I’m saying, right?”
The voice that interrupted and continued on and on was already tiresome. He had heard before that Sa Gong-hyun had an adoptive father. He had returned to America to attend a funeral during the time he was being monitored.
It seemed that this American named Jeremy might be the son of that adoptive father. Or maybe a member of the same mafia organization.
Jae-young twitched the corner of his mouth irritably.
“Listen, American. I’m not a kid, I’m…”
“Not my child, but my lover.”
“…Right, lover. I’m Logi’s lover. What are you going to do about it?”
His raised eyes suddenly became triumphant. The American called Jeremy gaped with his mouth stupidly.
Jae-young pulled Sa Gong-hyun’s arm and walked past Jeremy.
“No way! You never mentioned this to me! You’re lying, right?!”
Jeremy’s shout could be heard from behind. It was really outrageous. It was strange how he was more desperate at hearing the word “lover” than when he had misunderstood him as Sa Gong-hyun’s child.
Jae-young grumbled with protruding lips. He was in such a foul mood that he didn’t even notice Sa Gong-hyun letting out a silent laugh at his appearance.
“The exit is not that way, but this way.”
“…I knew that.”
Irritated, Jae-young, who had been walking wherever he saw a path, pouted his lips. Soon after, he turned to follow the direction Sa Gong-hyun was pointing.
“When did you learn English?”
They were on their way to the car that had come to pick them up at the airport. Jae-young, who was sitting in the back seat looking out the window, gazed at Sa Gong-hyun who was sitting next to him.
“That’s the basics if you want to pull off a scam. Who would fall for it if you could only imitate poorly?”
English, Chinese, Japanese—he had learned it all. Though he wasn’t fluent, he could definitely handle conversations.
“Looks like I don’t need to worry about leaving you alone.”
“Am I a child?”
“You are a child.”
“But you just said I wasn’t a child but your lover?”
“If you’re not trying to exclude me, speak in English.”
While they were bickering, Jeremy, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around. Jae-young, who had narrowed his eyes, glanced at Jeremy once.
“What, does he have a persecution complex?”
“Per, persecu…”
Since Jeremy was mulling over specific words in a clumsy tone, Jae-young gently lifted his back from the seat.
“Repeat after me, Jeremy. Pihae uisik.”
“Pihae… pihae ee…”
“Uisik.”
“Eesik.”
“Eu-i-sik.”
“Damn it, what is that!”
Jeremy, who had been obediently pronouncing Korean following Jae-young’s lip movements, finally got irritated. Finding it amusing, Jae-young burst into laughter.
“That means persecution complex.”
“What?!”
“Who’s excluding whom? That’s childish. If I couldn’t speak English, would Jeremy have done the same?”
“Why would I! Logi! Why are you dating such a rude kid? You’re not thinking of getting married, are you? I oppose this marriage!”
Marriage? What nonsense. A derisive snort came out involuntarily. Sa Gong-hyun didn’t even frown at Jeremy’s commotion. His appearance of silently reviewing documents looked as if he was already accustomed to this situation.
Jae-young slowly tilted his upper body. He held Sa Gong-hyun’s shoulders and brought his lips close to his ear. With his other hand, he covered his mouth.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
