Brr-ring— Brr-ring—
The dial tone rang several times before it was abruptly cut off. A moment later, the recipient’s loud voice boomed through the speaker.
— Hyung! It’s been forever! Why the hell’ve you been ignoring all my calls?!
“Hey, you’ve got a bike lying around you’re not using, right?”
Go Hoon got straight to the point, despite the warm greeting. On the other end, there was a brief silence. Then, Yoon Seong-gon noticeably started to stammer.
— W-What? A b-bike…? W-What are you talking about? I-I-I-I don’t… I don’t get what you’re saying at all…?
This asshole really couldn’t lie to save his life. And yet, he kept trying to bullshit his way through things. Hoon replied in a flat, unimpressed tone.
“Your dad was saying you bought another expensive-ass bike lately and don’t even ride it. He was seriously pissed.”
— …Shit. When the hell did he go mouthing off about that again. I told him not to talk about my stuff to other people.
Grumbling noises spilled from the other end for a while. Hoon listened silently, half-tempted to record the whole thing and send it to Mr. Yoon.
— No, but like… why’re you asking all of a sudden?
Yoon Seong-gon was always quick on the uptake. Plus, he’d known Hoon long enough to read between the lines. His instincts must’ve been screaming at him that some kind of misfortune was headed his way—and he was absolutely right.
“Lend me the bike.”
— N-No way. Hyyyung… I paid a shit ton for that thing…
Seong-gon immediately started whining. But Hoon couldn’t care less.
“You don’t even use it. I’ll ride it nice and easy without wrecking it. Just let me borrow it for a few months. You know we live in the era of the sharing economy.”
This probably wasn’t what the creators of the sharing economy had in mind, but Hoon was shameless about it. Seong-gon mumbled on, his voice full of unease.
— No, I said no… And what do you mean sharing economy. You’re not even gonna pay rental fees…
“I never said I’d use it for free.”
— …Weren’t you going to, though?
“I’ll buy you a meal. That should cover it.”
Without a shred of hesitation, Hoon went straight for the cheap deal. On the other end, a low muttered curse slipped through the line.
— Hyung, seriously, aren’t you being a little much? That bike cost me a fortune and you’re trying to write it off with one meal…
As the complaints dragged on, Hoon suppressed a laugh. He was actually planning to compensate Seong-gon somehow once things got a bit more stable—but the guy’s reactions were too funny to pass up. He was just messing with him at this point.
“You said it’s just gathering dust in some corner.”
— Still… that’s not the point…
Not bothering to listen to the voice brimming with dissatisfaction, Hoon went straight into command mode.
“I’ll send you my address. Bring it to my place by 11:30 a.m. tomorrow. I’ll be waiting.”
— H-Hyung! Tomorrow?! That’s too sho—
Hoon hung up before he could finish protesting.
“Transportation secured.”
With a refreshed face, free from worry, he slipped his phone back into his pocket.
***
11:30 a.m. sharp.
After receiving Seong-gon’s call, Hoon stepped outside and gave the bike a once-over. It looked far better than he expected.
“Damn, this thing looks solid.”
The tires were thick, and the saddle looked comfortably cushioned. More than anything, the matte black frame looked sturdy as hell.
Crouching down, Hoon pressed on the large wheels with both hands. Watching from the side, Yoon Seong-gon grumbled under his breath.
“I told you I paid a lot for it. It was too expensive for me to ride casually.”
“It’s not that you couldn’t ride it. You just didn’t. You clearly don’t care about wasting money.”
“I was gonna ride it, okay!”
Seong-gon snapped, his face flaring up. Hoon’s cold stare slowly drifted over to him.
‘You’re raising your voice at me? You trying to die or something?’
The look in his eyes said it all. Seong-gon’s bravado instantly crumbled, and he continued in a more subdued tone.
“…I-I was planning to ride it to the Han River once the weather got warmer…”
‘Oh, really.’
Hoon ignored him entirely and held out his hand.
“Give me the key.”
A pitiful gaze met his. Sucking in a breath between his teeth, Seong-gon reluctantly handed over the bike lock key with a tearful expression.
Grabbing the end of the key between his thumb and index finger, Hoon tugged—but Seong-gon resisted, fingers tightening around it.
“You gonna let go?”
One raised eyebrow was all it took. The grip slackened immediately. Hoon successfully pried it from his hand and shoved the key into the pocket of his track pants.
“Hyung, seriously, you have to take good care of that bike. I barely even got to ride it, okay? If anything happens to it, my heart’s gonna be in shreds. Got it?”
Anyone listening would’ve thought he was being extorted by some broke-ass thug. Pulling the full pitiful act—but the truth was, Seong-gon was the pampered son of a gas station owner.
Well… more accurately, he was a spoiled brat on the verge of being kicked out of his house for never listening.
There was something Go Hoon’s former part-time boss—and Yoon Seong-gon’s father—used to say all the time:
“I swear, I don’t know when that boy of mine is ever gonna grow up and act like a proper human being.”
Still, since Seong-gon was his only child and a late-born one at that, he couldn’t help but dote on him. Even as he grumbled, he had that soft spot. He’d often half-jokingly ask Hoon to whip the boy into shape since he couldn’t manage to do it himself.
“Alright, alright. I promise I’ll treat your precious bike with the utmost care, make sure it doesn’t get even a scratch.”
Go Hoon gave a half-hearted nod to calm the fussing mess in front of him. But Seong-gon wasn’t satisfied with that. He hugged the bicycle tightly with both arms, patting the saddle like it was some cherished pet, continuing his pathetic little performance with tearful dedication.
“Catherine… you gotta be strong, okay? Survive under that temperamental jerk.”
He even gave the bike a name, apparently. Catherine. What a joke. He probably never even glanced at the thing when it was tucked away in a corner, and now he was acting like this? Ridiculous.
Hoon, unable to suppress his disgust any longer, frowned and snapped.
“Damn, are you leaving your girlfriend in my care or something?”
“Hyung! That’s a seriously unethical thing to say!”
“Then wrap it up and let’s go eat.”
With that, Go Hoon turned on his heel and started walking. The second Seong-gon saw him move, he instantly dropped the dramatics and followed along with a brightened face like nothing had happened.
“So, what’re you treating me to?”
“Something tasty.”
“Tasty like what? Beef?”
Go Hoon didn’t answer, lazily continuing his stride.
“Tuna sashimi? Lamb? Duck? Come on, hyung. What’re you buying?”
Trailing behind like an overexcited child, Yoon Seong-gon kept firing off guesses as Hoon led the way toward a local eatery.
***
“Hyung, come on, you’ve got no conscience, seriously.”
“Quit whining and eat. Your soup’s getting cold.”
Go Hoon scooped up a steaming spoonful of gukbap, blew on it, and shoved it into his mouth. He followed it up with a piece of crunchy kkakdugi, chewing with satisfying crackles.
Across from him, Yoon Seong-gon stared at him in disbelief. Finally, he gestured toward the black stone bowl in front of him with his eyes.
“This is your idea of something tasty?”
“It is tasty. It’s clean, warm—comforting.”
“Sure, sundae gukbap is good. I’m not denying that. But still! This?! This is what you meant?!”
Seong-gon pouted and grumbled while Hoon remained completely unbothered.
Eventually, the younger one sighed in defeat and began stirring the pale broth with his spoon.
“Your stinginess really hasn’t changed one bit. I deliver a whole damn bike to your house and this is what I get? Freaking gukbap? You damn gukbap-chung.” (slang: person who only ever eats cheap soup meals)
“My life’s still too damn brutal for me to evolve into some generous saint, you little brat.”
“Shit, if I knew it’d be like this, I should’ve just ignored your call.”
This little bastard always acted like he was being bullied, but still managed to say every damn thing on his mind.
Even now, spouting off complaints in Hoon’s face, showing him the pinnacle of insubordination, the older one calmly enjoyed his hot broth without so much as a flinch.
That only made Seong-gon’s eyes narrow even more.
“You really do see me as your little lackey, don’t you?”
“Yup.”
The answer came instantly, no hesitation.
Staring at Hoon while gripping his spoon like a weapon, Seong-gon looked like he was ready to stab someone. But Hoon just kept talking with a perfectly calm face.
“Your dad said I could use you anytime I needed. Since you’re just lazing around at home anyway.”
Hoon didn’t keep in regular contact with Mr. Yoon. Everything he knew about Seong-gon had come from that one conversation when they reunited after his discharge from the military.
Back then, Mr. Yoon had been running a long-term storage service on the second floor above his gas station.
With nowhere to store his belongings during his service, Hoon had ended up relying on his help.
On discharge day, he didn’t have a place to settle yet, but the first thing he thought to do was retrieve his stuff—so he headed straight to Mr. Yoon’s place, still in uniform.
When he arrived, the older man welcomed him with a warm smile. Hoon had stood upright, saluted smartly, and reported his discharge like a proper soldier.
Mr. Yoon, pleased and beaming, had praised how much more manly Hoon looked after the army, and Hoon had tried to hand him a portion of the military wages he’d saved up—to cover the storage fees, essentially.
But the man had adamantly refused the money, saying he didn’t need it.
Instead, he gripped Hoon’s hand firmly and gave him a single word.
“Thank you, Hoon-ah.”
There was no context, no explanation—but Hoon instantly understood what he meant.
He could read the complicated emotions in Mr. Yoon’s eyes—and in the end, he gave up insisting.
“What kind of bullshit is that? I’ve got stuff going on too, you know?!”
Hoon snapped out of his memories as Seong-gon raised his voice again, yanking him back to the present.
