# Chapter 3
Haeseung’s agitation stemmed more from the absurdity of the unexpected situation rather than any genuine remorse toward Mugyeong. Whatever guilt he might have felt had already diluted, leaving only doubt and bewilderment.
“You asked me about the standee prices a few days ago. That’s when I realized it. Lee Haeseung was finally going to sell me off. So I set up keyword alerts with my name. And coincidentally, the seller’s contact turned out to be yours.”
As Mugyeong explained the backstory with a friendly tone and a smile, Haeseung thought there was no need to ask ‘why.’ He probably wanted to pull one over on him. To see him flustered and squirming. Haeseung took out a wad of cash from his pocket.
“Take this money back.”
“It’s fine. Use it for your trip. That’s why you did this, right? For travel money?”
“I’ll figure out the expenses on my own. Take it.”
Mugyeong suddenly lifted the standee high. Haeseung flinched as if the standee was about to lunge at him.
“Then you take this back too.”
Trying to conceal his momentary fear, Haeseung looked up at Mugyeong silently with a deliberately composed face. Although he was accustomed to Mugyeong’s occasional impulsive actions, today they felt particularly striking. Perhaps it was because this was the first time he’d received money from Mugyeong. Unlike himself, the reality that Mugyeong was earning money—a substantial amount that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of touching—hit him hard.
Mugyeong had competed in the Olympics last summer, winning two gold medals by placing first in both individual and team events in the rapid-fire pistol shooting category. Thanks to his overwhelmingly handsome appearance, he instantly gained explosive popularity and appeared in numerous advertisements. For Haeseung, a student whose days blurred together in preparation for college entrance exams, it was like a sudden upheaval that happened overnight.
Until now, Haeseung and Mugyeong had maintained a balanced relationship, with equal weight on both sides. Neither tipped the scale, keeping them on equal footing. But Haeseung felt the moment he accepted money from Mugyeong, the scale had dramatically tilted toward Mugyeong’s side. While this might be a natural evolution, Haeseung feared that if he calmly accepted this change, other overwhelming changes would follow one after another. He wanted to prevent this change, or at the very least, delay it as long as possible.
Haeseung placed the wad of cash on the desk, snatched the standee from Mugyeong, and said with a resolute tone:
“Fine. I’ll take it back. You haven’t had dinner, right? Let’s go to my room and make some ramen.”
“I’m sick of ramen. Let’s order jajangmyeon and sweet and sour pork.”
“I don’t have money. Just eat ramen.”
“I’ll pay.”
Mugyeong picked up one of the 50,000 won bills from the desk, waved it in front of Haeseung’s eyes, and smiled brightly.
“I really owe you in so many ways.”
Haeseung muttered in a hollow voice as he led the way, clutching the standee.
The ferocious cold, nearly indistinguishable from midwinter, forced them to abandon their plan to eat outside. Exchanging meaningless comments about how it wasn’t this cold a month ago while shivering, Haeseung and Mugyeong took refuge in the room with their jajangmyeon and sweet and sour pork.
“Sorry for making you wait an hour earlier. Training ended late. Were you very cold?”
Mugyeong dipped a piece of sweet and sour pork, which had cooled rapidly in the chilly air, into the sauce as he spoke with an apologetic expression. Haeseung scoffed.
“I’ll let the lateness slide, but why did you ignore my text?”
“I didn’t know.”
“What do you mean you didn’t know? Do you think I’d believe that?”
From the beginning, the claim about training ending late had seemed suspicious, so Haeseung was even more skeptical of Mugyeong’s words. Mugyeong tried to suppress a smile while avoiding the topic, stuffing the cold sweet and sour pork into his mouth. Seeing Mugyeong trying not to laugh only strengthened Haeseung’s suspicion that he’d been deliberately toyed with. But Haeseung didn’t want to confirm his suspicions, so he focused on eating for the time being. Just as he nearly finished his bowl of jajangmyeon, Mugyeong abruptly asked:
“Where are you going for your trip?”
“I’m thinking of going to Jeongdongjin to see the sunrise. As a sentimental farewell to my teenage years.”
“Forget that and come with me to Europe. Hawaii would be nice too.”
“What’s with Europe and Hawaii?”
“You don’t know Europe? You don’t know Hawaii?”
Haeseung put down his chopsticks with a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth.
“Listen here, Mr. Nouveau Riche. I don’t have money for Europe. I don’t even have money for Jeongdongjin, which is why I sold you out today.”
“Do you have to go to Jeongdongjin?”
Mugyeong asked with a serious expression, raising his tone at the end.
“Why?”
“I’m jealous of you being close with those other guys.”
Haeseung chuckled. This wasn’t something he expected to hear from someone who had just handed him cash for travel expenses. Mugyeong was being particularly strange today.
“They’re all your friends too. We decided to go without you because you said you couldn’t miss two days of training. Why are you bringing this up now?”
“I didn’t know you were going to see the sunrise. I wanted to spend the last day of your teens and the first day of your twenties alone with you.”
“You’re being gross. What’s wrong with you? My digestion is already bad enough these days.”
During his year as a test-taker, Haeseung had lost muscle and gained indigestion. In contrast, Mugyeong’s body had become increasingly solid. Shooting, unlike its appearance, requires strong physical stamina and core muscles. Even their heights, which had been similar until middle school, began to show a noticeable gap. Haeseung had fallen just one centimeter short of the 180 cm mark, while Mugyeong had not only exceeded 180 but had easily surpassed 185 cm. For the past two months, before falling asleep, Haeseung had measured how tall he stood against the standee. Though such actions did nothing to help him grow taller, he had continued out of habit. Kang Mugyeong probably couldn’t even imagine the bone-melting jealousy Haeseung felt.
“I’ve been thinking, and I can’t let you go alone.”
Mugyeong spoke with a genuinely concerned tone. Haeseung was genuinely concerned about Mugyeong’s tendency to worry about him over ridiculous matters.
“Who says I’m going alone? I told you I’m going with the guys.”
“Without me, it’s practically the same as being alone. Lee Haeseung can’t do without Kang Mugyeong.”
“Oh, really?”
At Haeseung’s cold response, Mugyeong awkwardly smiled and picked up a piece of pickled radish. Then he abruptly said:
“And I can’t do without you either. So don’t go. While you’re having fun with those other guys, my heart will burn black with jealousy and turn to ashes.”
“That’s a dramatic expression. It’s only an overnight trip.”
“Whether it’s one night or one hour, jealousy is jealousy.”
Looking at Mugyeong’s desperate expression, Haeseung felt a tightness around his neck, as if an invisible collar had been fastened. The word “confinement” came to mind. But Haeseung knew that Mugyeong wasn’t confining him. What confined Haeseung was his own hypersensitive reaction to Mugyeong saying he was “jealous.”
“You could come with us. If you have time for Europe, surely you have time for Jeongdongjin, right?”
“I’m getting a car next month.”
Mugyeong’s casual, matter-of-fact tone struck Haeseung—who couldn’t even afford jajangmyeon—in a peculiar way.
“I envy you. That’s nice.”
“Let’s go see the sunrise in my car.”
“The guys would probably refuse to ride in a car you’re driving because it makes them anxious. But I’ll ask them.”
“No need to ask. It’ll just be you and me.”
“I don’t want to. What’s fun about going just the two of us?”
Haeseung refused outright. Mugyeong’s brow furrowed slightly before quickly relaxing.
“What’s the big deal? We’re alone together now, too.”
“And that’s why I’m bored out of my mind right now.”
This time, it took significantly longer for Mugyeong’s furrowed brow to smooth out. His pace of eating sweet and sour pork noticeably slowed, eventually leading him to put down his chopsticks entirely. Haeseung was inwardly surprised. Could he possibly have been hurt by what Haeseung said? That’s absurd. Was Kang Mugyeong the type of person to be wounded by something so trivial? Absolutely not. There must be something else on Mugyeong’s mind. Haeseung carefully observed Mugyeong, who was pursing his lips, and asked:
“Did something happen to you today?”
“…Yes, something did.”
Mugyeong’s voice, coming after a brief pause, sounded bleak.
“What happened?”
“You tried to sell me off for a bargain price.”
Haeseung was at a loss for words. Mugyeong’s expression dramatically drooped, giving Haeseung ample opportunity to feel guilty. Now he finally understood the real reason why Mugyeong had pretended to be the standee buyer. If his goal had been to make Haeseung feel indebted, he had succeeded completely. Haeseung couldn’t eat anymore and eventually put down his chopsticks.
“Hey, that’s not it.”
“What do you mean it’s not? It is.”
“If I’d sold you off, why would that still be in my room?”
“I’m not talking about the outcome, I’m talking about your original intention to sell me off.”
“Stop identifying yourself with the standee. That’s that, and you’re you.”
“I consider your photo to be you.”
Mugyeong, who had been keeping quiet, protested.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
A look of embarrassment crossed Mugyeong’s face. If Haeseung had seen correctly, it was the kind of expression one might make after a slip of the tongue. Haeseung was perplexed. What reason would Mugyeong have to possess a photo of him? The fact that Mugyeong had his photo, and moreover considered it to be Haeseung himself, brought him no joy whatsoever.
“I was just giving an example.”
Mugyeong hastily explained.
“Why are you giving such careless examples?”
As Haeseung’s voice rose slightly, a memory from three months ago suddenly flashed through his mind. What Mugyeong had said when he brought the standee to the rooftop room:
‘Think of it as me and take good care of it.’
How had Haeseung responded then? He’d told him to stop talking nonsense. In retrospect, he should never have remembered those words.
Haeseung realized his insensitivity and deeply regretted and reflected on his actions that had hurt his friend. This deep reflection gave birth to presumptuous impulses that made him feel he’d do anything to mend Mugyeong’s wounded heart. Haeseung tried his best to guard against these rising emotions.
There was no further response from Mugyeong. His hurt expression tugged at Haeseung’s heart. Haeseung also remained silent before deciding to honestly confess to Mugyeong the real reason he’d planned to sell the standee. Haeseung closed his eyes tightly, then opened them.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
