Junghyun immediately looked away from Jaehyuk’s accusatory gaze that seemed to ask where he had sold his conscience.
“Let’s go buy some ramen. Oh, but I can’t eat spicy food.”
“Say something that makes sense.”
Jaehyuk frowned openly, as if to say that after living with Junghyun for three months already, this was like hearing a megaldon claiming to be vegetarian.
Jaehyuk was confident that he wouldn’t be surprised even if Junghyun downed pure chili pepper extract in one shot.
But there was something Jaehyuk still didn’t know.
“Recently, Director Jang hasn’t been adding any chili peppers when cooking.”
Junghyun entered the ramen aisle, asking if Jaehyuk hadn’t noticed that the overall seasoning had become milder, and slowly scanned the shelves.
Only then did Jaehyuk realize his oversight.
Now that he thought about it, all the meals at home had become blander recently.
He had assumed Director Jang was getting old…
“So it was your doing?”
“I asked him to make the seasoning milder because I’m preparing for pregnancy. While I’m quitting alcohol, I thought I’d also start taking care of my stomach properly.”
“All of a sudden?”
“Because I hate going to the hospital.”
Junghyun’s idea of avoiding hospital visits by not creating reasons to go was commendable, but something still bothered Jaehyuk.
“Are you sure you’re not really feeling unwell?”
“Of course I’m not well. I’m quitting drinking. I’m sensitive.”
“Then keep living sensitively.”
As if Junghyun being sensitive wasn’t much different from usual.
Encouraging him to maintain that state, Jaehyuk added another pack of ramen to the cart and headed straight to the checkout.
“If we leave now, it’ll take about two to three hours. By the time we set up the tent, the sun will be setting.”
“Do we really have to go?”
“If not?”
At the question of what they would do with all the meat they’d just bought, Junghyun offered a practical solution.
“We could grill it on the apartment rooftop.”
“On the 72nd floor rooftop?”
Aside from being illegal in this weather, the 72nd floor would have strong winds, low air pressure, and insufficient oxygen.
When Jaehyuk clicked his tongue, wondering if meat would even cook in such an environment, Junghyun pouted.
“Our apartment would be fine.”
“In this weather?”
“We have a tent.”
“Where are you going to stake the tent pegs?”
“We can just sit inside.”
Junghyun answered casually, as if to say surely two adult men sitting inside wouldn’t blow away.
That attitude was suspicious.
Like he’d done it many times before.
“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
“Our apartment rooftop has a grilling area. If you apply to the management office a week in advance, you can grill meat.”
“On a public apartment rooftop?”
“The grilling area is public too.”
Remarking that Jaehyuk’s apartment lacked amenities, Junghyun placed the items from the cart onto the checkout counter. Then, while busily packing groceries into his bag and ice box, he gestured to Jaehyuk.
“Your card.”
At this gesture to hurry up and pay, Jaehyuk searched his inner coat pocket but paused.
“I didn’t bring my wallet.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Really. I left it in my coat.”
“I know you don’t keep your wallet in your coat.”
Junghyun scoffed, saying he knew perfectly well that Jaehyuk kept not a wallet but a money clip with his ID and a single card in his suit jacket inner pocket, not in his coat. But Jaehyuk’s expression was quite serious.
This made it hard to tell if he was telling the truth, but since they couldn’t keep stalling, Junghyun changed tactics.
“Then use your phone payment.”
“I don’t use that.”
Junghyun was horrified.
“Are you a caveman?”
“One card is enough for everything. So you pay.”
Come to think of it, Junghyun had never seen Jaehyuk use mobile payments. And he only carried one card anyway…
“I really didn’t bring anything.”
“Your phone.”
At Jaehyuk’s tone suggesting Junghyun wasn’t a caveman, Junghyun looked him up and down suspiciously.
“Are you really sure you don’t have it?”
“I don’t. Plus, you’ll need to pay for gas too. Fortunately, there’s a Hi-Pass card in the car for tolls.”
“It’s bad enough being dragged along, and now I have to pay for the trip too?”
“Hurry up and pay. People are waiting behind us.”
Seeing a couple waiting right behind them with two overflowing carts, as if stocking up on emergency rations, Junghyun reluctantly handed over his phone.
Despite Junghyun’s openly displeased expression, the employee who took the phone was all smiles.
“You two make a good couple. A weekend trip, how nice.”
As the employee made casual conversation while ringing up the purchase, Jaehyuk asked with a curious expression.
“Do we look like a couple?”
“If you know he doesn’t keep his wallet in his coat, you must be a couple.”
“You’re perceptive.”
“I can tell by looking. Would you like to pay all at once?”
“Yes.”
“Please sign.”
After signing on behalf of Junghyun, Jaehyuk handed him the receipt and phone. Then, as he pushed the cart toward the escalator, Junghyun followed, grumbling.
“Damn, my card bill…”
Checking the receipt and wondering if he would be in the red again this month, Junghyun despaired. He had picked only expensive items assuming Jaehyuk would pay, but now he was paying himself, creating a huge hole in his bank account.
“What am I going to do about next month’s card bill? I’m quitting my job too.”
“If you’re unemployed, you won’t have anything to spend money on anyway.”
“Actually, unemployed people have more things to spend money on.”
“Then keep an allowance ledger. I’ll give you an allowance.”
“At my age, I have to keep an allowance ledger?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, tyrant.”
“Most of what you spend is probably on food anyway. Just eat at home. Director Jang will cook for you.”
“How can a person live on just home-cooked meals every day? We need to eat out too.”
“I’ll pay for those.”
At Jaehyuk’s tone suggesting that would solve the problem, Junghyun grimaced even more.
“You mean I can only eat out with you?”
“Of course.”
Answering nonchalantly, Jaehyuk stepped onto the escalator, and Junghyun stood right beside him, quietly staring at him.
After a moment, he spoke seriously.
“Hyung, do you know that you’re really overwhelming? I mean…”
He was about to say “dumped,” but Jaehyuk cut him off.
“Say one more word.”
“If I do, what will you do?”
The moment Junghyun retorted, asking if Jaehyuk would get angry, their lips met.
It was a light, brushing kiss, but in that moment, Junghyun felt everyone’s eyes on them and could only blink in confusion.
“I’ll do that every time you say you dumped me from now on.”
“…What about breaking off the engagement?”
When Junghyun asked to check if that phrase was acceptable, Jaehyuk narrowed his eyes and smiled. Then, instead of a kiss, he pinched and pulled Junghyun’s cheek.
“Ow, that hurts!”
“Breaking off the engagement gets this. Try either one.”
“I’m best at the despicable act of mocking others’ weaknesses, but I won’t do it.”
Only after hearing this clear answer did Jaehyuk release Junghyun’s cheek. Then, grabbing the cart handle again, he clicked his tongue.
“You truly have a mouth of terror.”
“This is actually a big improvement.”
“Yongwoo and Director Han Juwon said the same thing—what kind of life have you lived?”
“Maximum difficulty level for child-rearing. Even Seojun’s parents would say I was truly remarkable as a child. So it’s just innate.”
“At least I don’t have to worry about a child being born like you—that’s a relief.”
Junghyun momentarily paused. Normally, he would have retorted without missing a beat, but his delayed response made Jaehyuk look at him, and only then did Junghyun counter.
“A child like you would be exhausting too. I imagine they’d follow their mother around all day nagging.”
“That would be cute.”
“Wow, calling yourself cute. Narcissism on top of everything. No wonder your lover ran away.”
It wasn’t “dumped” or “broke off the engagement,” but something so similar that Jaehyuk tapped Junghyun’s forehead, and this time Junghyun took it obediently.
As they bickered like this, the two arrived at the underground parking lot and began loading their purchases into the back seat of the car.
Not only the trunk but also the back seat was completely full, with seemingly no space left.
“It looks like it’ll burst if we get in too.”
“It won’t.”
Saying there was no such risk, Jaehyuk got into the driver’s seat first, started the engine, and selected a saved destination on the car’s navigation system. Then he took out his phone from his pocket, and at that moment, Junghyun saw it.
The wallet in Jaehyuk’s pocket.
* * *
“Is that how you plan to get even richer?”
“Yes. I need to get even richer.”
“Wow, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This filthy world.”
After spotting the wallet and arguing the entire drive, they finally used Jaehyuk’s card extensively at the rest stop, but that was only after the fact.
Having already swiped an enormous amount at the mart, Junghyun, looking extremely annoyed, stuffed a cold baked potato into his mouth.
As Jaehyuk had said, they arrived after a little over two hours at a birch forest.
A stream flowed below, and birch trees filled the forest above, with a road paved for cars to enter, making it look like a campsite.
However, strangely, there were no other cars or people in sight.
“This looks like a campsite, but there’s nobody here?”
On the navigation system, it was simply marked as a mountain with no campsite indicator. But given that they had passed through a barrier on the way, it seemed like it might be a business…
“Is this an unlicensed campsite? Or a membership one?”
As Junghyun looked around at the landscape of tall white trees, wondering if this was a place only for the upper class, Jaehyuk, who was inflating an air shelter, answered his question.
“It’s my private property.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
