24
“Hey… of course. How is that even a question…”
Taein answered with a dejected face and added this:
“You said you and I are… one body, so why are you even asking something like that…”
“Hey, one body has its own variations.”
“……”
“If you don’t tell me everything properly, there’s a lot I don’t know either.”
“……”
“And even if we’re one body, how can I know everything? Why do you think terminal cancer exists? It’s their own body, but why didn’t they know? No matter how much we’re one body, you have to tell me when it hurts for me to know, you bastard. You have to cry like a dog for me to know.”
“…Right.”
Taein felt embarrassed because Gu Wanjae seemed to have thought about ‘one body’ much more specifically than expected. He had intended to playfully scold him for asking such things, but Gu Wanjae’s serious statement made him forget his next words. Taein shut his mouth tight like someone who had eaten honey.
“Anyway, don’t hang around with that bastard. Lee Wuyong really isn’t right.”
“Got it.”
“If you want to meet women, tell me.”
“No. Women.”
“Same goes for men. First, whoever you meet, show me their face before you think about meeting them.”
“Hey, shibal. Are you going to keep saying shit like that? I’m going to fucking live alone forever.”
Taein, who couldn’t stand it anymore, cursed at Gu Wanjae and approached the sofa. Gu Wanjae just glanced up at Taein who suddenly approached from the side. Most of his face was covered by his arm, so his expression wasn’t visible. Taein said:
“Speaking frankly, how can I meet women with this body? Are you trying to scratch at me by keep saying that?”
“What am I scratching at?”
“You keep saying it even though I said no.”
“Isn’t it true?”
“I said no.”
“Men too?”
“…I have nothing to say.”
“Then promise me this time.”
It was then that Gu Wanjae, who had been lying down, suddenly sat up.
“What.”
Taein looked down at Gu Wanjae while standing.
“Women, fine, that can happen in life. But meeting men, no matter how I think about it, doesn’t seem right.”
“…Yeah.”
“Promise me you won’t meet men.”
Gu Wanjae was seen extending his pinky finger. A promise that was meaningless either way. Making such a promise as ‘men’ was funny to Taein from the start. Taein, who had been staring at the pinky finger as if it were absurd, violently bumped his own pinky finger against Gu Wanjae’s pinky finger like performing a choke technique.
“Calling that shibal thing words. Really.”
“We shook on it.”
“Of course.”
“Okay. You’re not the type to say something different. So I’m relieved too.”
“Ha…”
“Right? With women, no matter how forceful they are, you can handle it on your own. But if you meet men out of curiosity and get into trouble. Who’s going to take responsibility then? I can’t watch that happen.”
“Shibal bastard, tone down the disgusting talk.”
“That’s just how it is.”
“Ah, shibal.”
The more the conversation continued, even after making up and coming home, it felt like subtle fighting kept going on. Eventually, Taein left first, went into the bathroom, and washed his face with cold water. Taein soaked his skin with cold water until his face felt numb, then looked at the mirror with his wet face. A face that was somehow displeasing. Somehow unappetizing. Such a face was in the mirror. This was also why Taein didn’t look in mirrors these days. Taein quickly lowered his eyes and turned the faucet to the colder side.
He tried to erase what happened today by washing his face so hard it made splashing sounds.
* * *
Still, being best friends, even after fighting, feelings were quickly resolved. Taein had been learning exercise from Gu Wanjae since weekend morning. It was partly because of his trait, and also because he was originally interested in exercise, so he decided to learn perfect exercise form from Gu Wanjae’s suggestion.
“Put strength in your chest. Focus on your chest.”
“…Ah.”
“You need to straighten your back properly.”
For several minutes, he couldn’t do push-ups and was just holding the plank position. Gu Wanjae said if the posture was bad, he shouldn’t even start exercising, and was making Taein completely unable to move. Saying to fix the posture first.
“Hey, in your chest.”
“I’m doing it… ugh.”
“Like something is filling up plump. Put strength properly.”
“I am putting strength… ugh, in.”
“No you’re not.”
“I am putting it in…”
“Legs. You should set them up properly without me saying anything.”
Gu Wanjae’s body was near Taein’s upper body, but when pointing out his legs, he would just extend his foot like kicking and tap Taein’s thigh hard.
“Hey, shi… are you kicking with your foot?”
“Whether I kick with my foot or whatever, you have to endure it, bastard…”
“Hey… shi… I’m not doing it.”
Even after saying he wouldn’t do it, Taein couldn’t easily break his posture and just turned his head to the side to look at Gu Wanjae.
“I said I’m not doing it.”
“What aren’t you doing, bastard. If a man draws his sword, he has to cut at least a radish.”
“I already cut all the radish, shi…”
“Bullshit. You haven’t even peeled the radish skin yet.”
“Ah, cramps. Ah, I’m fucking shaking.”
“Bullshit. You’re disgustingly dramatic.”
“You try it, shibal.”
Taein gave up completely, released strength from both arms, and collapsed his posture by putting his chin on the floor. Instantly, Gu Wanjae’s hand came under Taein’s stomach to support his center.
“Not a chance, bastard.”
“Hai-shi… tough bastard…”
“You said you’d learn. Aren’t you going to do it?”
“Hey, what crazy bastard does this for hours with just posture?”
“Hours my ass. It hasn’t even been 10 minutes.”
“It’s been more than 10 minutes.”
“Bullshit.”
“Hey, bullshit or whatever, stop it. I get it.”
“Ah, the bastard is weak.”
“Weak? Want to die?”
“I’ll take you on.”
Gu Wanjae seriously changed his expression and stood up, properly positioning himself as if telling him to come at him once. Who asked for that kind of thing? As it suddenly seemed like it would turn into martial arts, Taein completely turned around saying to cut it out. He waved his hands high, expressing his intention to absolutely not do it.
When Taein saw through the window glass that Gu Wanjae was going “hei, hei” and seemed to be gathering energy with both hands, he got up completely and ran to the bathroom. That crazy bastard is trying to choke someone again.
Thinking that, he focused his eyes on the mirror.
“……”
Just 10 minutes of exercise and sweat had gathered all over his face. He felt repulsed by his unpleasantly reddened face color. Taein examined his jawline this way and that, then pushed out his inner cheek flesh with his tongue. Then his appearance looked much better.
“Really weirdly shaped…”
Gu Wanjae says he’s handsome, that being born with such a face is also a blessing, but from his perspective, it wasn’t. He was originally plain, but after his trait changed, he became an even more unsightly face. Should he say he lacks presence? Taein seriously examined his face, then lowered his eyes. It was a disposable razor that Gu Wanjae used. His beard marks weren’t thick, but he knew he had started shaving recently.
Taein tore open a new razor with his hand and held the blade side to his chin.
From the lower jaw upward, from top to bottom, he rubbed the razor on his skin without even applying soap. He didn’t get cut by the blade or feel anything sharp. He just thought that something was brushing against him. Taein enjoyed the feeling of shaving with his chin held high. Doing this, he felt like he had really become a man. He even made a scary expression by bringing his eyebrows together in the middle. Like in the mafia movies he had seen before.
Should I also live doing rough work like Gu Wanjae?
He had never asked in detail about the work that Gu Wanjae dismissed as ‘business.’ The school guys would add their two cents saying Gu Wanjae had joined a proper legitimate organization. But the Gu Wanjae they talked about was often exaggerated. Still, it probably wasn’t helpful to society or ordinary work. No matter how much he calls it a business. What ordinary businessmen go around mountains anyway?
Taein, who was having random thoughts while scratching his chin with the razor, let out a hollow laugh at ‘ordinary.’
Neither you nor I are ordinary.
Is that why we’re friends?
“Ah.”
At first he was gentle, but he must have unconsciously applied force. The blade scraped wrong against his skin and made a scratch. Looking at the chin area where blood immediately showed, Taein blinked his eyes. It stung a little, but the knife mark positioned right in the center of his chin below his lip didn’t look too bad. It was rather cool.
He wiped the blood quickly and lifted his chin with a satisfied expression.
Soon embarrassed feelings rushed in, but he decided to shake them off while washing his face.
Taein stayed in the bathroom for about 10 minutes before coming out.
“Hey, I’ll handle the exercise myself.”
Saying that, he went out to the living room, but Gu Wanjae wasn’t visible. He should definitely be here though? Taein went “what?” and pressed his forehead against the large window. Where did he go without saying anything? Contrary to his doubt, Gu Wanjae wasn’t visible anywhere.
At first, he thought he’d come back.
He lay on the sofa for over 20 minutes, looking outside whenever he remembered.
But no one resembling Gu Wanjae came into view, and he didn’t suddenly appear from the room or front door either. He just wasn’t there. Taein also sent messages on his phone. Where are you? Where did you go? On a weekend, Gu Wanjae who had no schedule couldn’t have suddenly disappeared. Taein frowned deeply while holding his phone.
Not because there was no answer from Gu Wanjae, but because one unsettling text message had arrived.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
