Chapter 86
“Documents?”
Si-yul woke up from a nap when the phone rang. He quickly answered as it was Woo Hyun-se, who asked him to bring some documents he had left at home to the office for an evening meeting.
“Did you eat lunch?”
“Lunch…”
Looking at the clock, it was well past lunchtime. He wasn’t particularly hungry and had only had a sip of water since waking up in the morning. He was about to lie and say he had eaten, but stopped himself. Hyun-se would find out anyway when they met. Si-yul shook his head slightly, even though the other person couldn’t see him.
“No, not yet. I just woke up.”
“That’s good. I haven’t eaten either. Let’s eat together.”
“Okay. Where are the documents?”
“In the second drawer of the study desk. I’ll send someone.”
“I can go by myself.”
He could find his way with just the address using his phone. He was thinking of taking a walk while he was at it, but Hyun-se laughed and told him to come comfortably. Knowing he had no right of refusal, Si-yul obediently said “Yes” and hung up the phone.
“Study.”
The study was an unknown space to Si-yul. It was where Hyun-se often went to work, and although it wasn’t locked like Bluebeard’s forbidden room, Si-yul had never set foot in it. He had caught a glimpse from outside the door once, seeing that one side was filled with books that didn’t seem to be his type, which had preemptively cut off his interest.
Thinking he should get the documents ready before the person Hyun-se sent arrived, Si-yul turned towards the study. The doorknob turned smoothly with a click.
Dry air greeted Si-yul first. The room was as dark as early evening, but a thick beam of light penetrated the center. Dust particles danced in that light.
Hyun-se’s scent lingered faintly in the air. Si-yul took a deep breath, carefully sifting out and savoring Hyun-se’s scent as if filtering it. Then, suddenly realizing what he was doing, he opened his eyes with a bitter smile.
A massive bookshelf occupied one entire wall. A recliner, a low table made of thick glass, and a long-necked stand lamp looked perfect for comfortable reading.
The neatly organized bookshelf had some gaps here and there, and Si-yul noticed a stack of books on the table. Judging by the bookmarks sticking out of the spines, these seemed to be the books currently being read.
Si-yul gave the bookshelf a cursory glance and approached the desk. The desk, positioned in front of the window, reflected its owner’s personality with an all-in-one PC, keyboard, and mouse neatly arranged at precise angles.
He carefully dusted the desk and sat in the chair. It seemed to be adjusted to Hyun-se’s sitting height, as Si-yul’s feet didn’t touch the floor. He thought about adjusting the height but decided against it, not wanting to leave any trace of his visit.
In fact, there wasn’t much to see on the desk either. Just some scattered files and a sealed envelope of documents. Oddly, unlike the neatly arranged files, the envelope was precariously perched on the edge of the desk, as if about to fall into the trash can.
“Second drawer…”
As he bent down, he accidentally nudged the envelope. Worried it might fall, he quickly reached out to grab it. Suddenly, the sender’s address stamped on top caught his eye. The word “Wedding” stood out in bold letters more than anything else. He desperately hoped he had seen wrong, but cruelly, the words printed on the paper remained unchanged.
Before he could even process his thoughts, he found himself opening the top of the envelope. His hand holding the envelope trembled slightly. His shaking hands fumbled several times trying to untie the string wrapped around the button. Even after finally untying the string, he hesitated to open it immediately. He didn’t want to see it. At the same time, he wanted to see it so badly.
No.
It wasn’t for him to see. Even if he looked, reality wouldn’t change. Si-yul took a deep breath. It was a box that shouldn’t be opened. It was obvious what would come out if he did. He exhaled slowly and put down the envelope. Wanting to leave this place altogether, he abruptly stood up from the chair. In his haste, he forgot to retie the string he had undone.
“Ah-”
As he rose, he accidentally caught the corner of the envelope. The rather thick envelope fell to the floor with its mouth gaping open. He frantically reached out to catch it but couldn’t grab a single piece. Postcard-sized papers fell to the floor like autumn leaves.
He hurriedly knelt down to pick up the papers and cut his index finger on a sharp edge. It was a deep, long diagonal cut. He pulled his hand away with a wince, but the burning pain, as if a saw had scraped his skin, had already started. Red droplets of blood welled up on his finger and dripped down.
Si-yul quickly put the injured part in his mouth. He couldn’t stain the papers with blood.
The lingering scent of Hyun-se and the smell of dry paper had disappeared, leaving only the metallic taste of blood on his tongue and in his nose. Si-yul looked down at the papers with his finger in his mouth. They were beautiful cards. There were various colors. The letters embossed in gold were elegant, and the quality of the paper was luxurious.
There wasn’t just one or two wedding invitations. They were samples sent by vendors. The A4 paper that spilled out of the envelope had “Wedding Checklist” printed on it.
“…”
Si-yul picked up one of the invitations with his uninjured hand. It was too beautifully printed to pass by without opening. It was an invitation with dark green paper overlaid on a white background, with English words embroidered in silver foil. Si-yul silently read the words inside, one letter at a time.
We, two people, in the presence of our cherished ones,
Are about to bear fruit to the love we have nurtured
While facing each other for a long time.
If you bless this beginning,
We will cherish it as our greatest happiness.
Please come and brighten the place
Where we will move from you and me to us.
Us.
With someone other than himself.
That word engraved itself in his eyes more than any other. The dry air of the study became humid. Water rose from his toes, submerging him up to his nose. The water surface that had been lapping just below him gradually rose. Even when he lifted his head, his ears, nostrils, and eyes were inevitably submerged. No matter how hard he tried to push air into his lungs by inflating his chest, he couldn’t breathe properly.
Had Hyun-se wanted him to see this, telling him to go to the study?
The white of his eyes, free of any speck, turned reddish. Even when he opened his mouth, there wasn’t enough air coming in. It felt as if someone was holding his throat and slowly applying pressure, blocking his airway.
From you and me, to us.
Or from us to you and me.
Si-yul stared blankly at the high, distant ceiling. His vision blurred, then cleared, then blurred again. His temples were hot and damp, but he didn’t bother to wipe them.
Something was approaching with heavy footsteps from that dark place. Coming so close that he would have to face it no matter how much he avoided, hid, or turned away.
* * *
“Hyung, shall we go on a trip?”
“A trip?”
Woo Hyun-se turned around. Si-yul nodded, sitting in a dining chair. They had just finished eating. When Si-yul only pecked at his food like a bird, Hyun-se moved to sit beside him and personally spooned food into Si-yul’s mouth. That way, he managed to finish half a bowl of rice.
“To Jeju Island. I’ve never been there.”
“Don’t people usually go there on school trips?”
“I went to Gyeongju.”
Jeju Island had been a candidate, but Gyeongju was chosen due to budget issues. He had been so excited about finally getting to ride a plane, and then so disappointed. He had promised to go to Jeju Island with Kwon Yuwon later, but they kept postponing it due to lack of time, and he had never been there. He had only looked at it with envious eyes whenever it appeared on TV.
“How about overseas? If you want to see the sea, the Maldives or Hawaii would be nice too.”
“Jeju Island is enough. I want to eat pork noodle soup too… We can’t eat that anywhere else, right?”
Hyun-se looked at Si-yul quietly. It was a searching gaze. Si-yul hid his cut finger inside his fist, pretending to be nonchalant. Sweat formed on his palms, afraid that pheromones carrying his true feelings might leak out without him knowing.
If nothing else, it had been a while since he had expressed a desire to eat something. It seemed to be a convincing excuse, as Hyun-se, after observing for a while, withdrew his gaze and gave his cheerful permission.
“I have a villa in Jeju. I’ll have it prepared.”
“A villa?”
Hyun-se shrugged lightly at Si-yul’s wide-eyed question, as if having a villa was as common as having a washing machine or refrigerator in every house.
“Yeah. One in Yangju, one in Jeju.”
“You really are rich, hyung.”
“Enough to support Kwon Si-yul for life even if the business fails.”
“Wow, that’s reassuring.”
“So don’t think about going anywhere else and stay right by my side.”
Hyun-se kissed Si-yul’s forehead with a smacking sound. Si-yul smiled faintly. It was very different from before when his smile used to bubble up like carbonated water, but Hyun-se failed to notice the difference.
