Chapter 75
Yuwon let out a sigh of relief and dropped his shoulders that had been tensely raised.
His gaze, which had been looking down at the disconnected phone, glanced sideways. There, Minhyeon was quietly breathing, fast asleep.
“Don’t go, please. Hm, don’t leave me alone…”
He had been quite flustered by Minhyeon suddenly clinging to him and pleading, but he couldn’t just ignore it and pretend not to know.
He had helped Minhyeon, who had collapsed on the bare ground, get up and brought him into the house. After taking off his shoes and coat and finding the bedroom, he had barely managed to lay him on the bed. Minhyeon, lying in a proper position, soon stopped crying, but was still clutching Yuwon’s clothes.
Worried that forcibly removing his hand might wake him up, Yuwon had no choice but to sit quietly on the bed and wait for Minhyeon to fall completely asleep. It was during this time that Jeonghyeok had called.
What if he said he’d come pick him up right away? If he found out that he was at Minhyeon’s house, he would be furious.
Despite his heart racing with worry over various scenarios, the call ended quietly. Yuwon was even more relieved when Jeonghyeok said he wouldn’t return until tomorrow morning. Since he had lied about still being at the pub, he thought he just needed to send a message at the right time for arriving home.
“…”
Why couldn’t I honestly tell ajeossi that I was at Kim Minhyeon’s house? That the guy was too drunk so I brought him home, and that I’d leave soon so don’t worry. That’s all I had to say.
Though it bothered him that he had lied so naturally, there was no way for ajeossi, who wouldn’t return until tomorrow morning anyway, to find out about his lie.
I just need to quietly get through this, just me. Yuwon shook his head and tried to erase his uncomfortable feelings.
“Ugh…”
Just then, Minhyeon suddenly let out a pained groan. Seeing him put his hand on his temple, he seemed to have a headache.
“Hey, Kim Minhyeon. Minhyeon.”
“…Hyung?”
Minhyeon slowly opened his eyes and called Yuwon with a dazed face. Then scolding immediately poured out.
“Are you okay? That thing about being good with alcohol was all a lie, right? You drank just like Choi Seongcheol but only you ended up in this state. You know?”
However, Minhyeon couldn’t believe this situation and just blinked his eyes blankly.
Why is hyung in my room? That can’t be right.
Enduring his splitting headache, he tried to retrace the previous situation. He had met his hyungs and drank, and eventually overdrank trying to keep up with Seongcheol’s pace.
After moving to the pub, he couldn’t resist the overwhelming sleepiness and fell asleep lying down. That was his last memory.
“Are you really okay?”
Even at the irritated voice, Minhyeon smiled like a fool.
“Are you smiling right now? Are you really crazy?”
With a smile on his lips, Minhyeon closed his eyes again. Thinking that he was having a good dream after a long time.
He hoped that when he woke up from sleep, hyung would still be there like now. That he would stay with him in this house where he was alone. He desperately wished that at least hyung would remain in this unfortunate house where first his father left and then his mother left.
Even though his head hurt like it would split, he kept giggling. The more he did, the more Yuwon’s face gradually crumpled.
“If you’re going to get drunk, you should get drunk properly…”
When he muttered to himself, Minhyeon slowly opened his eyes. And quietly said:
“Hyung, you know.”
“What.”
“I want to drink water.”
At the sudden request, Yuwon burst into a hollow laugh in disbelief. But he obediently got up from the bed and left the room.
He rather hoped he would come to his senses after drinking cold water. If he just fell asleep like this, he would definitely suffer from a hangover tomorrow.
After walking a few steps, he could see a water purifier sitting alone in the empty kitchen. On the drying rack right next to it, two cups were placed upside down side by side. Yuwon took out one of them and filled it with water.
While the water was falling with a trickle, he looked around the inside of the house.
Perhaps because it was a house where he lived with his family, it seemed too spacious for Minhyeon to live alone. Like the four-person chairs and dining table, or the long sofa in the living room. They were furniture that depicted a happy family of three.
Yuwon stopped his thoughts at the sound of the water stopping and headed back to Minhyeon’s room.
“Minhyeon.”
“…”
“Kim Minhyeon?”
“Mmm… just a little more, I want to sleep more.”
“You said you wanted to drink water.”
He approached and shook his body, but Minhyeon waved his arms and burrowed into the blanket. After talking in his sleep for a while longer, he fell fast asleep just like that. Every time he breathed out making “puu, puu” sounds, the smell of alcohol mixed in his breath was terrible.
“What the heck, really…”
Yuwon placed the cup he was holding on the nightstand beside the bed. Then he carefully moved his steps toward Minhyeon’s feet. He folded up the hem of his pants to take off his socks and also undid his belt buckle. He thought this much was necessary for him to sleep comfortably.
Then, Minhyeon, who had been quiet, tossed and turned.
“Hyung… Yuwon hyung.”
At Minhyeon’s voice calling his name again, Yuwon was startled and looked up. But it seemed to be just sleep talk, as Minhyeon was still deeply asleep, oblivious to the world.
“Phew…”
Yuwon let out an inaudible sigh and carefully backed away while checking on Minhyeon’s condition. If he stayed any longer, he might get caught by Minhyeon again. He grabbed his phone, turned off the lights, and quietly left the room.
Standing on tiptoe, Yuwon safely reached the entrance, roughly put on his shoes, and left the house. When he stood in front of the elevator, he suddenly remembered something he had completely forgotten.
“Ah, right.”
Yuwon hurriedly picked up his phone. He needed to contact Jeonghyeok that he had arrived home.
[I arrived home! Please be careful on your trip too, ajeossi]
The elevator arrived at the same time he sent the message. Yuwon pressed the first-floor button and then searched for the route home on his phone. Several public transportation routes appeared in a list.
While wondering whether to take the subway or the bus, he found a bus that didn’t have much time left until arrival. Since he could board right in front of the apartment complex, it seemed like he could definitely catch it if he hurried a little.
He turned his head to look at himself in the mirror, and his appearance was a mess. His hair was disheveled and he had sweated so much that his body felt sticky. Thinking he should hurry home and shower, Yuwon got off the elevator.
After putting his phone in his pocket, he quickened his pace. He passed through the communal entrance and took a step onto the low stairs, right at that moment.
“…Huh?”
A foolish voice flowed through his lips. It was because he saw a man leaning against a car parked right in front.
His profile with a cigarette in his mouth was very familiar. From his uncommon build to his cool appearance, he was someone who looked exactly like ajeossi.
Yuwon stopped walking and looked at the man intently. When he spit out the cigarette he was holding, the hazy cigarette smoke disappeared and his face became even more clearly visible.
He wasn’t someone who resembled Jeonghyeok. Even in this dark night, it was unmistakably Jeonghyeok to the point where there could be no confusion. The moment he realized this, Yuwon’s eyes began to shake aimlessly.
Why is ajeossi here? He definitely said he was going to Busan and wouldn’t return until tomorrow.
More than that, why was he here instead of at home? Had I ever mentioned that I was at Kim Minhyeon’s house? No, even if that were the case, how did he know Kim Minhyeon’s home address…?
His head was noisy with unresolved questions. No matter what assumption he made, he couldn’t clearly explain the situation of Jeonghyeok being in front of him right now.
Whether he knew of Yuwon’s confused state or not, Jeonghyeok, who had half-turned his head, just stared at Yuwon quietly.
“How did you…”
As soon as he barely opened his mouth, Jeonghyeok chuckled and asked back:
“Are you curious how I found out and came?”
As if asking whether that was important right now, his eyes looking at Yuwon were fierce. Every part where his gaze touched felt vividly as if it would burn up.
After staring at Yuwon for a while, Jeonghyeok dropped his cigarette on the ground with a thud. He stepped on it firmly to extinguish the spark and walked around the car body toward the passenger seat.
“Get in for now. We need to go home.”
Jeonghyeok’s face as he gestured toward the inside of the wide-open passenger door was smiling. Since the corners of his mouth were raised, it was definitely a smiling face.
But his eyes were the complete opposite. They were very sharp and cold. It also seemed like he was holding something back tightly.
Yuwon swallowed dry saliva. Somehow he had a feeling that he shouldn’t get in that car. But he couldn’t not get in the car. He had neither reason nor justification for that.
“Aren’t you getting in?”
At the impatient urging, Yuwon weakly shook his head. He approached Jeonghyeok hesitantly and bent his body inside the door where he was standing.
Finally, when he got into the passenger seat, the door closed with a bang.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
