8) False Hope
Kang-woo opened his eyes in the morning with a fluttering excitement in his chest. Today was none other than the day Seok-ho returned to Korea.
The fact that he would be able to see him made his heart feel so buoyant that it almost seemed ridiculous, so he tried to act calm. Yet without realizing it, a soft hum slipped out of him.
He had no idea how the morning passed. As the time Seok-ho had mentioned beforehand drew closer, Kang-woo became restless. It wasn’t as if they had been apart for a month—at most, they hadn’t seen each other for a week. And yet, knowing that he was coming back home made his heart beat faster.
[Arrived at Incheon Airport.]
Seok-ho’s replies had stopped an hour ago. After that final message telling him he had arrived in Korea, there had been no further word.
If Kang-woo had to guess, Seok-ho was probably on his way home after picking up his luggage. There was a very high chance he simply wasn’t checking his phone because he was driving.
Holding his phone tightly in one hand, Kang-woo sharpened his hearing.
How long had he been sitting like that?
It felt as though he heard movement beyond the front door.
He half rose from the sofa. Just as he thought he had heard footsteps, the sound of the door lock keypad being pressed followed.
It must be hyung.
Kang-woo’s steps hurried slightly toward the entrance. By the time he passed through the hallway and arrived, he saw Seok-ho standing in front of the shoe cabinet.
Their eyes met as Seok-ho was taking off his shoes.
Seok-ho froze mid-movement and stared at Kang-woo. The dark eyes fixed on him were so familiar that the corners of Kang-woo’s lips lifted.
“Hyung.”
Facing his usual stoic expression, relief washed over him. The wildly beating heart in his chest gradually settled into calm.
“Did you have a good trip?”
At Kang-woo’s cheerful greeting, Seok-ho nodded.
“Yeah. I’m back.”
It was only a few simple words, yet hearing them made Kang-woo’s chest tighten with emotion. At last, it felt as if everything had returned to its rightful place.
After leaving his suitcase in the room, Seok-ho headed straight to the kitchen to quench his thirst.
Meanwhile, Kang-woo hovered nearby the entire time.
Just the fact that Seok-ho was right in front of him made a smile creep across his face. He knew that if he showed how happy he was too openly, Seok-ho might find it strange—but he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.
“Was it fun in America?”
Leaning against the kitchen island, Kang-woo asked casually.
“I mostly stayed in the hotel working, so there wasn’t really anything fun.”
Seok-ho wiped the moisture from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and answered in an indifferent tone.
“That’s a shame.”
“What is?”
“Well, you went all the way abroad. You didn’t even get to enjoy it properly. Since you were there anyway, it would’ve been nice if you stayed longer and looked around a bit.”
Kang-woo spoke words he didn’t truly mean, trying to hide the fact that he had been waiting for him so desperately. As Seok-ho poured himself another glass of water from the purifier, he turned to look at Kang-woo.
Meeting his sharp gaze—where the whites of his eyes contrasted vividly with the dark irises—made Kang-woo’s heart jolt.
Seok-ho folded his arms and spoke in a low voice.
“Listening to you, it sounds like you wish I’d come back a little later.”
“That’s not it.”
Kang-woo denied it firmly, then quickly added,
“I’m really happy to see you right now, hyung.”
It was the truth. Even just a week without seeing him had felt agonizingly long.
He had blurted out the explanation because Seok-ho was teasing him without understanding how he felt—but embarrassment soon followed. He had tried to say it casually, only to shake his head right afterward. It must have looked ridiculous.
As expected, Seok-ho let out a small snort of laughter and shrugged.
“If I want to go sightseeing, I can do that next time I travel.”
He tilted the cup and took a sip of water. As if thinking about something, Seok-ho glanced at Kang-woo and casually suggested,
“Next time, want to go together?”
“Where?”
“America.”
America. With hyung. Just the two of them?
Would that even be okay?
His heart wanted to nod immediately. But Kang-woo wasn’t sure. If he made a promise like that with him… would they really be able to keep it later?
He couldn’t even be certain what tomorrow would bring.
“If that’s possible, I’d like that.”
Instead of giving a definite answer, Kang-woo replied vaguely. Then he quickly changed the subject with a smile.
“Was the jet lag hard to deal with?”
Even after that, Kang-woo kept peppering him with questions—how the bed had been, what the people he met were like.
He wanted to know what Seok-ho had eaten and who he had spent time with while they were apart.
There was a bit of selfishness hidden in those questions as well.
Because Kang-woo hadn’t been doing very well in the house without him, he secretly hoped that Seok-ho hadn’t enjoyed his time in America all that much either.
He hoped that Seok-ho had felt his absence, even just a little.
Even if it was only for a fleeting moment, he hoped Seok-ho had missed Kim Kang-woo… and felt that same emptiness.
“Did you eat a lot of good food in America?”
That was why he kept asking one question after another.
“It was all greasy stuff.”
After rinsing his cup with water and placing it on the drying rack, Seok-ho looked at Kang-woo.
“I kept thinking about the food you make.”
Had he somehow read his mind?
Hearing Seok-ho’s answer—as if responding to his unspoken wish—made Kang-woo feel inexplicably happy.
It was technically just about food, but still… it meant that Seok-ho had thought about him while he was abroad.
Soon after, Seok-ho began unpacking his luggage, and Kang-woo’s barrage of questions naturally came to a stop. Kang-woo stayed by his side, glancing at him without anything in particular to do.
After busily pulling out toiletries and clothes from the suitcase for a while, Seok-ho suddenly took out a paper bag from the luggage and held it out to Kang-woo.
“Here.”
“What’s this?”
“A welcome-back gift.”
“A welcome-back gift?”
He hadn’t expected that at all. Kang-woo slowly stepped closer and reached out.
As soon as he took it, he could feel the heavy weight of the large paper bag. Fidgeting with the handles excitedly, Kang-woo asked for permission.
“Can I open it?”
“I gave it to you as a gift. Of course you should open it.”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
Answering solemnly, Kang-woo immediately sat down right there and checked the contents.
Still kneeling beside the suitcase, Seok-ho paused and quietly watched him.
Inside the paper bag was a large box of chocolates and another box whose contents were unknown.
Kang-woo first took out the chocolate box and opened the lid.
“Wow, it’s pretty.”
Inside was an assortment of chocolates with cute, delicate designs. They were so pretty it almost felt like a waste to eat them.
But food only truly had meaning when you put it in your mouth and savored the taste. He picked up the most eye-catching white chocolate and popped it straight into his mouth.
Sweetness spread across his tongue. A smile naturally formed on his lips.
“Well? I heard it’s popular as a souvenir, so I bought it.”
“It’s delicious. Hyung, want one?”
“I’m good. You eat them.”
By now, Kang-woo had gotten used to Seok-ho refusing. He didn’t really like sweet things.
Everyone had their own tastes.
Without pressing him further, Kang-woo turned his attention to the other box.
What is this?
It felt fairly heavy.
Still chewing the chocolate in his mouth, he unwrapped the packaging. When he opened the lid, a large mug appeared inside.
“Wow……”
It’s pretty.
The admiration slipped out on its own.
It was a mug from a famous café brand whose origin was the United States. On the outside were the words NEW YORK, along with various illustrations symbolizing New York.
Holding the handle, he turned it this way and that. It looked like it could hold plenty of water because of its large capacity.
When he was home alone, he often brewed tea, so it seemed like it would be very useful.
More than anything, just the fact that it was a gift Seok-ho had bought while thinking of him made Kang-woo’s heart swell.
“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
When Kang-woo bowed his head with a bright smile, Seok-ho gave a faint smile in return.
“Don’t eat all the chocolate at once. Your teeth will rot.”
Speaking as if reminding a child, Seok-ho finished tidying up the rest of his luggage. After that, he immediately took a change of clothes from the drawer and went into the bathroom.
Kang-woo remained sitting there for quite a while, simply fiddling with the mug.
The smooth texture against his fingertips felt nice.
He thought it might be the nicest gift he had received in a long time.
***
The first snow fell without being mentioned in the forecast.
The sky had been gloomier than usual, and then small snowflakes began to drift down one by one.
The light snowfall gradually grew heavier, turning into thick, fluffy flakes. Streets, trees, buildings—everything was turning white.
Kang-woo sat pressed against the window, gazing endlessly at the gentle snow falling from the sky.
Watching the silent snowfall somehow made everything feel unreal.
It felt as though he were sitting inside a giant snow globe.
As time passed, the ground slowly began to pile up with snow. The snowfall that had continued all morning finally stopped briefly in the afternoon, only to start pouring down fiercely again after nine in the evening.
Suddenly, worry crept into Kang-woo’s mind.
If it snows this much, hyung might have trouble getting home from work.
Seok-ho had driven to work again today. As if fueling his anxiety, the news was filled with reports of car accidents caused by the unexpected snowstorm.
[Hyung]
[Be careful driving in the snow.]
He picked up his phone and sent the message. Not long after, a reply came.
[The roads look really jammed, so I’m going to take the subway.]
He was probably leaving his car at the shop.
It was a wise choice. The roads would be slippery, and a serious accident could happen. Even if it was a little inconvenient, public transportation was safer.
Kang-woo felt relieved. But soon another worry surfaced.
Did he bring an umbrella?
Since the snow hadn’t been in the forecast, the chances that Seok-ho had prepared one in advance were very low. Maybe he kept one at the studio just in case.
Still… what if he didn’t? Maybe I should go meet him. I can take a walk too.
Pacing around the sofa while thinking it over, Kang-woo finally made up his mind and sent another message.
[Where are you right now?]
