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A toast. He knew what it meant but didn’t know what to say. Taein swallowed his saliva and looked at Gu Wanjae again. Gu Wanjae only pointed at the table with his chin. He was just smiling as if saying “go ahead.” Even though Gu Wanjae would probably be at the “baby” level in the hierarchy, he didn’t know what he was expecting by looking at him. Taein cleared his throat with an “Um” and turned his gaze to the center of the table.
“Ah, yes. Uh… be happy today too…!”
Is that a toast? Can this be called a toast? Hyung? Laughter could be heard. Still, everyone was laughing “hehe,” and they didn’t seem to be in a bad mood. Taein felt relieved watching the glasses clinking together unexpectedly. It was true that he had been quite nervous when getting in the car too, but it seemed like there wasn’t really a need to be so scared. Besides the bald hyung, everyone else seemed decent too. At least so far.
“Be happy?”
Gu Wanjae could be seen shaking his empty glass with a mocking face. Taein also downed a glass of soju in one shot and looked at Gu Wanjae.
“At least give me a heads up when the hyungs are here, you fucking bastard…”
Taein’s voice barely reached only Gu Wanjae amid the surrounding commotion.
“Our Wanjae’s best friend, let’s have a drink.”
From within that commotion, a stranger’s voice could be heard. Taein turned his head to the left and made eye contact with the person looking at him.
“Wow, Wanjae was right, he really is handsome.”
Looking at the soju glass being filled with a gurgling sound, Taein also picked up a soju bottle. While pouring alcohol into his glass, he said “No, much more…” and looked at the man. They say even empty compliments are a skill, but he seemed to lack that ability. The man was plain to an almost excessive degree.
“Wow, hyung. When did I ever say that much.”
Just then, Gu Wanjae’s voice could be heard chiming in from the side.
Though he was making excuses as if he hadn’t, Gu Wanjae was the type who would do that anywhere. At school too, he had praised him countless times, calling him “our school’s signboard” and “the flower of the cesspit.” When he said such things in front of all the kids, he sometimes wondered if he was teasing him, but his eyes only showed sincerity. How could he keep a straight face in that situation? Taein always let it slide like that.
“Come on, cheers.”
A total of three glasses, including Gu Wanjae’s, clinked in the air. Taein took half a shot and ate corn cheese with a spoon. After eating only salty things, the sweet and savory taste was another delicacy. Taein made an “Mm” sound and reached his spoon toward the corn cheese that no one else had touched once more.
“But really, you don’t have a common face. Your jaw is just this small too. It’s a bit weird to say this to a man, but you seem kind of pretty?”
The man looked at Taein with curious eyes. At the gaze that tilted his head and stared at him alone, Taein just smiled as if electrocuted. If Gu Wanjae hadn’t said anything, this situation wouldn’t have happened. Because he had exaggerated so much, many people were commenting while looking at his face.
Taein stretched both hands toward the man, saying “Ah, much more.”
Earlier he was in the middle of pouring alcohol and it was his first time seeing the man’s face clearly so he couldn’t bring himself to speak, but this time it was possible to give empty compliments.
“Me? You’re saying I’m pretty?”
The man’s voice was tremendously loud. At that confirming question, other hyungs around could be seen wondering “What are you talking about? What about you?” Taein turned his head the other way, pretending he hadn’t said anything. Fortunately, the man brought the focus to himself saying “Why, aren’t I better than you?” It didn’t seem like he did it because he was worried Taein would be embarrassed, but because he genuinely thought so.
Gu Wanjae giggled from the side while consistently filling Taein’s glass whenever it emptied.
It didn’t taste particularly sweet, but because of the side dishes, alcohol kept going down. Various types of sashimi, cooked seafood, even sweet corn cheese. Nothing was tasteless.
Gu Wanjae also poured down soju from the side. He was originally strong with alcohol, so about three bottles was nothing to him. Adding Taein’s drinks and what the hyungs drank, countless empty bottles piled up on the table.
“Ah!”
That’s when Taein’s hand touched those empty soju bottles.
It wasn’t a hard brush, but once one soju bottle tilted, it pushed other soju bottles and they all rolled and fell at once. Cleaning up was Gu Wanjae’s job. Gu Wanjae said “Hyung, please give me that, yes” and picked up those bottles one by one. From then on, Taein was a bit dazed. The soju bottles fell over, and he could see Gu Wanjae cleaning up, but he didn’t have specific thoughts or impressions. He just thought “I see.”
“Hey, are you drunk?”
In front of him, Gu Wanjae was holding out an empty soju glass.
“…A bit?”
“Hey, then for now.”
At Gu Wanjae’s nuance of leaving first, Taein raised his bleary eyes to respond.
“Hey… in group living… if you leave first… it’s inconsiderate…”
Taein, who spoke so well, slowly opened and closed his eyes. Then gradually the speed of opening his eyes slowed down and his body tilted to the side. Falling face-first to the floor happened in an instant. Gu Wanjae looked at the cross-legged position sticking up in the air, chuckled, and straightened those legs to a comfortable angle. Since the drinking session was already in full swing, the hyungs no longer had much interest in Taein either.
Taein, who fell asleep in the corner like that, woke up only after an hour had passed.
When he woke up, it was noisy around him.
Hyung, thank you!
What he immediately saw was some hyung getting up and bowing.
He was acting cute in front of the bald hyung.
Taein, who slowly raised his upper body, made eye contact with Gu Wanjae who was right next to him.
“You awake? Want to go?”
“Yeah… but is it okay to leave first…”
He was more coherent than when he had collapsed. Taein didn’t mention anything more about group living.
“Yeah, several people already left.”
Gu Wanjae pointed ahead with his face. Taein also looked at the people sitting at the table with his eyes. Certainly the seats were more spacious than when they first came.
“Hyungs, I’m going to take care of my friend.”
Gu Wanjae, who had stood up in the meantime, bowed toward the hyungs. Taein watched that scene with no expression. The moment he got up, his mind returned, but then his head was throbbing again with a headache. Taein looked meaninglessly at Gu Wanjae approaching with half-unfocused eyes.
“Hey, let’s go.”
“Ah… yeah…”
As soon as he tried to get up, Taein swayed backward and hit his hand against a coat rack in the corner.
“Ah…”
It hurt but his reaction was slow. Taein tried to find his balance in that position and hit Gu Wanjae’s neck hard. Gu Wanjae grabbed his neck with both hands saying “Ack, shibal.” Taein kept staggering while saying “Uh, sorry, uh.”
“Hey… I could tell from when you kept drinking.”
Even while frowning, Gu Wanjae put one of Taein’s arms around his neck.
Then Gu Wanjae, who exited through the door, listened to Taein’s mumbling.
“What are you saying?”
“Hey… this isn’t being drunk… it’s… there’s some injury…”
He had finished organizing things in his head in his own way, but only strange words came out of his mouth. Gu Wanjae scolded him asking what kind of bullshit that was while offering his back. Taein had no strength in his legs, so while saying “It’s okay, I’ll go,” he collapsed onto Gu Wanjae’s back. Gu Wanjae, who got up like that, asked an employee for help.
“Please put his shoes on. Those ones, the white and black mixed ones. Yes.”
“Ah, this person.”
It was the employee who had first encountered Taein. Gu Wanjae, who thanked the employee who put on the shoes, used his knees and forehead to open the door. A jingling sound was heard and cold wind immediately hit them.
“I just… my arm… broke…”
“Would it have broken?”
“You talk too much…”
“Me?”
Gu Wanjae let out a hollow laugh while crossing the cold night. He had seen Taein drunk before, but he had never rambled so much like sleep talk. Gu Wanjae, who had been just walking for a while, looked at the ocean once when he almost reached the guesthouse.
“Hey, did you see the ocean today?”
“Yeah, earlier…”
“Let’s look before going in. Look.”
Taein only lifted his chin slightly at Gu Wanjae’s words. He couldn’t immediately distinguish whether what was in front of his eyes was the ocean or a river. Taein, who only left words saying “It’s nice, good,” buried his cheek deep into around Gu Wanjae’s shoulder again. It seemed like the cause of this trouble was starting to drink alcohol and sashimi at the same time when his stomach clock was ringing. Taein had almost no strength in his arms either.
“Hey, bastard… if you drink without me somewhere else…”
Gu Wanjae, who was about to say “you’ll die,” hesitated in front of the stairs. He felt a moist sensation from his hand.
What is this? Did this bastard piss himself? He briefly had that thought, but started climbing the stairs anyway. It was quick to the second floor. Gu Wanjae went straight to room 204, entered the password, and somehow got inside with his feet. Gu Wanjae roughly kicked off his shoes and went to where the blanket was neatly spread out to lay Taein down.
It was when Gu Wanjae, who was standing, crouched down to take off Taein’s shoes.
His outstretched hand was glistening in the moonlight.
Ah, this bastard pissed himself.
While thinking that and looking properly in the moonlight, it didn’t seem like urine.
It was transparent yet somehow sticky, and seemed to keep drying up.
Gu Wanjae, who had been quietly staring only at his hand, turned his gaze toward Taein’s face.
He was fucking handsome when his eyes were open, but he was fucking handsome even with his eyes closed.
Gu Wanjae somehow couldn’t take his eyes away, wondering if he had ever looked at Taein like this in the middle of the night. Really, his looks. While thinking that, Gu Wanjae moved his hand and vaguely guessed the identity of the sticky liquid. This bastard who was so accomplished had a hard time becoming an Omega. This probably leaked out from behind too. Though he nodded to himself, Gu Wanjae’s face was gradually turning red. Unnecessary heat rose up.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
