<66>
“What… What nonsense is that?”
Moon Yeonu, who had been blinking in bewilderment for a moment, immediately asked with an uncharacteristically urgent tone. Well… if Jaekyung hadn’t seen and heard it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have understood or believed it right away either. He continued calmly.
“It’s exactly as I said. He still doesn’t know we broke up. So… until his memory returns, we’ve decided to stay that way.”
“Ha. You believe that? The accident, fine… let’s say that happened. Even being extremely generous, amnesia? Sure. Let’s say he was unlucky enough to get that too.”
“What are you trying to say?”
After gulping down the ice water from his cup as if feeling suffocated, Moon Yeonu looked up at the ceiling and let out a few dry laughs.
“And now he’s eighteen? Only remembering that he’s dating you, eighteen?”
“…”
“Isn’t the timing just too perfect? Am I the only one who finds this strange?”
“…It’s not like that.”
Jaekyung barely managed to answer while gripping the cutlery tightly. It was a whisper almost like a sigh.
It was an opportunity he had obtained only after turning a blind eye to his conscience. He didn’t want to leave any blemish on this windfall opportunity. Han Jaekyung firmly denied Moon Yeonu’s words. It was just a stupid suspicion that someone could have because they didn’t know how badly Jang Yeonhu was injured, or how many times he had been on the brink of death until he opened his eyes and regained consciousness.
“Really, it’s not like that. Don’t say such strange things.”
As he emphasized again, the smile on Moon Yeonu’s lips took on an even darker hue. It was clearly mockery.
“Han Jaekyung, you… Do you really not know? Or do you just want to pretend you don’t know?”
“…”
“Be honest. You think it’s strange too, don’t you?”
“Moon Yeonu!”
The sharp voice scolded the other person with considerable force. But Moon Yeonu just waved his hand and snorted dismissively. As his right hand holding the fork began to tremble slightly, Jaekyung quickly hid it under the table to conceal his agitation.
Moon Yeonu was right. Jaekyung too had fleetingly thought that the timing was remarkably coincidental.
Jang Yeonhu, who knew nothing about what a terrible person Han Jaekyung was, or what deplorable things he had done… just chirping affection with a loving face.
It was too perfect and too miraculous… almost to the point of seeming unreal.
“…”
“…”
The two exchanged glances as if in confrontation. Moon Yeonu’s gaze, looking down as if deliberately, was relaxed, while Han Jaekyung’s expression was completely distorted, having lost even the composure to feign calmness.
If Jang Yeonhu was lying… there would only be one reason for that.
He was finally going to punish Jaekyung. After thoroughly enjoying watching the arrogant orphan who had presumed too much wallow in blissful ignorance. He would drop him from the highest point to the bottom and kill him. After finally removing Han Jaekyung from his life for good, now that he no longer had to worry about his family’s opposition, he would then be with Choi Eunseong and…
Having vividly remembered Jang Yeonhu’s voice saying that not a single day in the decade he had lived as Jaekyung’s patron had been anything but hell, Jaekyung’s thought process could only continue in such a way.
So it couldn’t be true. Even if the sky fell, Yeonhu’s accident and memory loss had to be nothing more than an incredibly fortunate coincidence. It was the very last chance left for Han Jaekyung. A chance he couldn’t even have without being prepared to hold a dagger to Choi Eunseong’s innocent face.
“I’m telling you it’s not… Why are you saying such things?”
The thin, trembling voice sounded miserable even to Han Jaekyung himself.
Moon Yeonu, who had been staring at the pale face that looked like it might burst into tears at any moment, let out a deep sigh and lowered his gaze. If Jaekyung had just exploded in anger, shouting as was his usual temperament, Yeonu would have argued back, but when Han Jaekyung responded like this, even Moon Yeonu quickly lost his fire. There seemed to be a large gap between what he had intended to say and what Jaekyung had understood, but judging by the overly sensitive reaction, it was clear that saying anything more would have no effect.
“Fine. I’m sorry. I won’t talk about it anymore.”
“…”
“But just know this. Jang Yeonhu isn’t as good a person as you think.”
Han Jaekyung’s face turned pale as if he was being strangled, and his lips moved as if to say something, but in the end, no sound came out of them. Moon Yeonu pretended not to notice and stabbed the last bite-sized piece of apple pie with his fork and brought it to Jaekyung’s mouth.
“Try it. It’s delicious.”
The smiling voice had no trace of the seriousness that had filled it just moments ago. Another person’s utensil, the last bite of dessert someone else had been eating. In normal circumstances, Han Jaekyung would have swatted it away harshly, but he silently opened his lips and accepted the apple pie. The strong cinnamon aroma rushed into his nose. The half-melted vanilla ice cream had melted into the mushy fruit pulp.
“If you’re done eating, let’s get going. Is the time okay? I’ve booked a performance.”
Han Jaekyung’s mouth was completely blocked by the pastry and apple pieces coating his tongue. Moon Yeonu grabbed Jaekyung’s chin and moved it up and down, nodding for him.
“When you’re feeling complicated, just eating something delicious and having fun is the best. Don’t think about anything.”
Even poor advice can sometimes be helpful.
“Got it?”
“…Yeah.”
Jaekyung nodded without thinking. His anxiety had subsided, though embers that could reignite at any time still lurked.
* * *
“So, Yeonhu hyung, I also with my grandmother before—”
“Oh, really?”
The friendly smile and gentle voice had been repeating the same words over and over like a broken record. Choi Eunseong, who had been excitedly sharing every detail in their first one-on-one time in who knows how long, finally stopped without finishing his sentence.
While Jang Yeonhu’s thick-skinned smile was natural enough, even the great Jang Yeonhu couldn’t completely hide the trace of boredom in his voice. It didn’t even take an hour for silence to fall in the car that had been filled with Choi Eunseong’s chattering voice.
Jang Yeonhu, who had remained on guard even after letting Choi Eunseong into his home for a while, soon relaxed his hostility after personally confirming that Eunseong truly had no particular interest in Han Jaekyung. But after that, having comfortable face-to-face conversations was just that and nothing more. He showed not a shred of interest in Choi Eunseong, whether positive or negative.
Really? I see. Ah. Jang Yeonhu’s responses to Eunseong didn’t go beyond such boundaries. Today was no different.
It was nice to be able to share the same car with Jang Yeonhu alone thanks to the Chairman’s consideration. But the consideration was going to waste with no results.
“…”
“…”
When Choi Eunseong, worn out on his own, quietly settled down, Jang Yeonhu blatantly fixed his gaze only on his mobile phone. Eunseong lowered his gaze and sneakily peeked at the screen.
[<My Jaekyung: Are you feeling better?]
[<My Jaekyung: Jaekyung-ah.]
[<My Jaekyung: You must be sleeping. Contact me when you wake up.]
[<My Jaekyung: You’re eating before sleeping, right? You need to eat something because it upsets your stomach.]
There wasn’t a single reply from Han Jaekyung, but Jang Yeonhu, as if accustomed to it, kept adding new messages to the chat. I want to see you soon, it’s boring without you, you know I love you a lot… etc., etc. It was doubtful whether this was the same person who had been nodding with a soulless gaze until just a moment ago.
Just when he thought he had no more pride left to hurt, his pride was wounded again. It felt like the driver sitting in front silently concentrating on driving was inwardly laughing at his situation. Choi Eunseong felt the urge to open the door of the car speeding down the highway and jump out bubbling up inside him.
Even Jang Yeonhu before losing his memory hadn’t been this attentive to Choi Eunseong. He realized too late that Han Jaekyung’s explanation—that their relationship had been so close as friends that they had momentarily confused friendship with romantic feelings—was just a pleasant lie. Whenever he saw the two of them, so attached that they couldn’t bear to be apart even though they lived in the same house, Choi Eunseong often wanted to just give up everything and run away. Otherwise, he felt like he might grab Han Jaekyung by the collar in front of Jang Yeonhu and yell at the top of his lungs to give back his lover.
Buzz.
“Hello? Jaekyung-ah! Are you up now?”
Jang Yeonhu, who had been languidly leaning against the leather seat refreshing his chat with Han Jaekyung, straightened his back and hastily answered the phone before the vibration had even finished ringing once.
“Why does your voice sound like that? Are you feeling worse? Should I turn the car around right now? …Yeah, yeah. Ah, that’s a relief. I was worried.”
Sitting right next to Jang Yeonhu and hearing his voice rising and falling steeply with joy, excitement, and undisguised concern. Choi Eunseong felt something in a corner of his heart falling away piece by piece.
“Alright. Then get more rest, and if there’s anything you want to eat or need, let me know. I’ll buy it on my way. Don’t ask anyone else, you have to wait for me, okay? Yeah. I love you too, Han Jaekyung.”
The words ‘I love you’… I don’t think I’ve ever heard them. Choi Eunseong pretended to sleep, resting his head against the window and closing his eyes. He felt more miserable than when he had almost begged to receive his part-time wages in advance and still didn’t have enough money for a school trip, eventually having to reach out to his homeroom teacher.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
