#041
Lee Yeonwoo and Kim Haseon, who was seeing him off, waited for Kang Dojun with sunken eyes. Soon a black sedan with dark tinting stopped in front of them and a man got out of the driver’s seat.
“Hyung!”
Even though his face was completely covered, Lee Yeonwoo recognized him at once. No, conversely, it might have been because he was covering his face in the middle of summer that he noticed.
‘A celebrity…’
Kim Haseon bowed with a tense, stiff body.
“Hello!”
Although they had briefly greeted each other through video call yesterday, even though his face wasn’t properly visible, the aura of being a celebrity emanated from him.
“Nice to meet you. Did you have fun?”
Kang Dojun went to Lee Yeonwoo’s side, took the backpack from his hands, and loaded it into the back seat.
“Why are your eyes so sunken? Couldn’t you sleep?”
Lee Yeonwoo was also wearing a hat and mask to hide his face, but somehow Kang Dojun recognized him and rubbed his shadowed under-eyes, making Kim Haseon look dumbfounded.
He had thought that Lee Yeonwoo was close enough to contact Kang Dojun, but seeing it in person was even more so.
“I gamed all night.”
“All night?”
“Kim Seungseon kept tempting me…”
“When did I!”
Kim Haseon, who flinched when Kang Dojun’s gaze suddenly fixed on him, shouted indignantly. Despite his pleas to please stop and go to sleep, Lee Yeonwoo, who had experienced the gaming chair and high-performance PC, was like a bulldozer.
He even made the ridiculous claim that he originally couldn’t sleep well at night, and made the devilish suggestion that they stay up all night together. In the end, the two who couldn’t sleep a wink greeted the morning with open eyes.
However, although Lee Yeonwoo’s physical fatigue may have increased, as a result of consistent counseling, taking medication, and gaming all night – something he enjoyed – his mental fatigue had now almost converged to zero.
If there was one disappointing thing about Kang Dojun’s house, it was that there was no computer. Even if there was one, it was a laptop for documents, which wasn’t suitable for gaming.
His under-eyes were shadowed, but his pupils sparkled more than ever before.
“Looks like you had fun.”
“Yes. Wonyang Seungseon really can’t game, it was hilarious.”
“…I’m probably better than you.”
Lee Yeonwoo ignored Kim Haseon’s rebuttal and dragged Kang Dojun along.
“Do you game too, hyung?”
“I’ve never tried it.”
“Let’s do it together later. I’ll teach you.”
“Okay, let’s get in the car now. Seungseon-ssi, we’ll be going now.”
“Ah, yes. It was an honor to meet you.”
Kim Haseon extended his trembling hand. After Kang Dojun shook his hand, he got into the driver’s seat.
“I’ll see you again next time.”
As the black sedan left, Kim Haseon clenched and unclenched his fist that had shaken hands with Kang Dojun.
“Shook hands with Kang Dojun… next time again…”
In that shock, he didn’t realize that Kang Dojun had called his name wrong.
* * *
“Hyung, you didn’t watch the broadcast yesterday, right?”
“Sorry.”
He had deliberately hidden in his room to memorize scripts during the broadcast time to avoid watching with his parents.
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
“That’s not what you mean?”
“Don’t watch this episode.”
Like last time, there were quite a few episodes he said not to watch.
“Don’t watch episode 3 and yesterday’s episode 7?”
“Yes. They edited it strangely.”
“How did they edit it?”
“Yesterday’s courage test came out… Hah, I’ll just stop talking here.”
Lee Yeonwoo seemed to get annoyed in the middle of his explanation and stopped talking with a sigh.
“Ah, garlic?”
When Kang Dojun asked casually in passing, Lee Yeonwoo looked at him in surprise.
“…You watched yesterday!?”
“I didn’t watch.”
“Then how do you know?”
After yesterday’s broadcast ended, his parents had come to his room and recited all the broadcast content, so even though he didn’t watch it, he felt like he had.
“It just happened.”
It seems like he watched. Lee Yeonwoo grumbled quietly but still requested once more just in case.
“Please absolutely don’t watch. Episodes 3 and 7.”
At Lee Yeonwoo’s desperate shouting, Kang Dojun resolved that he must watch those two episodes.
Soon they entered the apartment parking garage and the two who arrived took the elevator.
Kang Dojun pressed buttons at 5-floor intervals while not taking his eyes off Lee Yeonwoo.
Lee Yeonwoo was calmly staring at the red numbers going up in the elevator. No conversation was exchanged, but during that time, the fact that he was worrying about him was palpable.
When they reached the 17th floor without incident, Kang Dojun finally relaxed.
He was continuously receiving counseling, steadily taking medication, and riding elevators without problems. If that was the case, maybe for a day…
“Yeonwoo, do you want to go out and have fun tomorrow?”
“Go out? Didn’t you say you have filming from tonight? Tomorrow too.”
“The schedule got postponed a bit. I think I’ll have about 3 days free.”
Life appeared on Lee Yeonwoo’s face.
“Really? Then let’s go to Namsan Tower!”
“Namsan Tower?”
“Yes, tomorrow. …Would it be difficult because there are many people?”
He had wanted to visit Namsan Tower ever since before coming to Seoul. He didn’t want to go to such a commemorative place alone, and if Kang Dojun didn’t have time, he had wanted to somehow go even if it meant calling Shin Gihyeon or Kim Haseon.
“We can just wear hats and masks.”
“Right? What time should we go? Ah, what should I wear tomorrow?”
Lee Yeonwoo went into his room with an excited heart and rummaged through his clothes. Then, as if remembering something, he opened his backpack, put on the beanie Kim Haseon had given him, and stood in front of Kang Dojun.
“How is it? Should I wear this tomorrow?”
“It’s the middle of summer? Where did that come from?”
“There are no seasons in fashion. Seungseon gave it to me.”
Although there are no seasons in fashion, a wool beanie in the middle of summer would definitely stand out.
“It suits you well though. Don’t you have anything else?”
“…Another hat?”
He had been borrowing Kang Dojun’s hats to wear.
‘I should have bought a hat too when we went to the department store last time.’
It was useless to regret it now.
Kang Dojun went into the dressing room to choose a hat to give Lee Yeonwoo. Since he always wore black ones…
“Should I give you a white one?”
He picked up a white cap, took off the beanie from Lee Yeonwoo who had followed him, and put the hat on him. With his fair face, white suited him well too.
“This is pretty too.”
Although his beanie was taken away, the word “pretty” touched him more deeply than “suits you well.”
Lee Yeonwoo quickly adjusted the hat and checked the full-length mirror in the dressing room. Whether it was because of the compliment buff, he definitely felt it was better than when he wore the beanie. Hiding his joy, he pressed the hat down firmly.
“Then I’ll go with this one.”
* * *
That night, Lee Yeonwoo couldn’t sleep. There was the reason that he had taken a nap during the day due to gaming all night the previous night, but it was because he was facing his first proper Seoul sightseeing in the weeks since coming to Seoul.
Around this time, a phone call always came.
“Yes, ajeossi.”
Oh. Is it nice to abandon work and go to Seoul?
“I miss everyone. Are you all doing well?”
The village is noisy and troublesome even without you.
At Uncle Cheolsu’s words, Lee Yeonwoo asked with a “no way” feeling.
“…Do outsiders still come visit?”
Of course! There are residents who like it, and residents who hate it because the village is noisy.
“Be careful with locking your doors.”
This will stop coming with time too. It’s all temporary, temporary.
The uncle said with a secretly happy voice.
There are even people who come all the way here to buy your honey.
“Ah.”
The bad memories with Ber came to mind again. When related words came up, the nightmare unfailingly surfaced, and he ruffled his hair.
We’re at the point where we can’t sell because there’s no honey! Hey hey, should we increase the bees a bit?
“That’s good too, but are the other ones doing well?”
Of course. I’m an expert now too. Well, these bees… I think they recognize me now.
Uncle Cheolsu, who had become like a bee father, continued talking as if bragging about his own children.
In the middle, he also reported on the bees’ condition and checked inside the hives to see if spawning was going well, if honey was collecting well, and how the queen bee’s condition was. By the time he hung up the call, it was almost 7 AM.
That meant he had stayed up all night again today.
Knock knock.
“Are you awake?”
At the knocking sound, Lee Yeonwoo got up from lying on the bed and opened the door.
“Did you dream about me?”
It was something he used to say cutely to the village elders. Although Kang Dojun was flustered at first, now he knew it was a morning greeting and laughed it off.
“No.”
“…I’ll go wash up!”
While Lee Yeonwoo went to wash, Kang Dojun examined the bed where Lee Yeonwoo had lain all night. The blanket was neatly arranged in the same state as yesterday.
‘Did he stay up all night…’
Yesterday too, and today. He worried if it might be insomnia. But he also slept well during naps, and when with him, he slept deeply, even tossing and turning.
Still, he needed to confirm anything suspicious before going. Especially if it was a health issue.
Since filming was postponed for about 3 days, he had gotten a vacation that wasn’t a vacation. Kang Dojun planned to take this opportunity to visit a sleep clinic together.
Meanwhile, Lee Yeonwoo came running hurriedly and took out the clothes he had prepared yesterday to put them on.
“I’m all washed. Hyung, get ready quickly too.”
“Already?”
At Kang Dojun’s puzzled question, Lee Yeonwoo pulled down his shirt that he had halfway lifted to change clothes.
“Aren’t we going now? You told me to wash up.”
“Namsan Tower starts operating at 12. Let’s wash and eat.”
“That’s fine though.”
Kang Dojun checked the time. 7 AM. Even if they went out at this time, most restaurants would be closed.
“There won’t be any open places.”
Lee Yeonwoo showed a disappointed expression, stopped changing clothes, and flopped down on the bed.
“Hah, Seoul’s day starts late.”
In the countryside, everyone’s awake by 6. He buried his face in the pillow and muttered.
“You only saw food photos. How would you know they wouldn’t be open?”
Kang Dojun stroked the back of Lee Yeonwoo’s head as he settled on the fluffy pillow.
“Then sleep a bit more while we’re at it. You stayed up all night. Aren’t you tired?”
“How did you know I stayed up all night?”
“It just showed.”
Lee Yeonwoo trembled slightly as he laughed. Even as he grumbled “what’s that supposed to mean,” he was simply happy about his trivial interest.
“Sleep a bit more. I’ll wake you when it’s time.”
“Aren’t you tired, hyung?”
“Not particularly?”
“Don’t say that, let’s sleep together.”
Lee Yeonwoo pulled Kang Dojun to his bed. It was just a pure suggestion, but Kang Dojun was a bit flustered.
“No, I…”
“We can just set an alarm for the time. Ah, I’m tired. Let’s go back to sleep quickly.”
Before he knew it, he was lying in bed side by side with Lee Yeonwoo. They had slept together a few times in the countryside, but this was the first time in Seoul.
Lee Yeonwoo was holding him tightly like a stuffed animal and making soft breathing sounds.
He couldn’t have fallen asleep right away; he seemed to just be closing his eyes.
Soon his breathing became shallow and even after confirming that Lee Yeonwoo had fallen asleep, Kang Dojun somehow couldn’t fall asleep.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
