#86
[Kim Minhwan]
Nam Seonwoo wondered why Minhwan, who should be enjoying the festival, was calling. Thinking he might be making some bet with his classmates, Seonwoo answered the phone.
“Hey.”
-Hyung, hyung, where are you now?
Unlike what he expected, Seonwoo couldn’t hear the voices of other classmates. Wondering if they had already parted ways, he turned around to look at the clock on the first floor wall. It was just before 3 PM.
“Me? I’m now…”
Seonwoo hesitated as he glanced down. Through the glass entrance doors, the black car was still parked in the same spot.
“…at home.”
He wasn’t sure if Kang Jihan could see inside, but feeling as if their eyes had met, Seonwoo naturally turned his head away. The damn elevator was stopped on the 9th floor.
-Oh, why? Weren’t you going to high school?
“Something came up. That’s how it turned out.”
-I see…
The unusually drawn-out final syllable, the voice that seemed higher pitched than usual, and the hiccup he just heard—it seemed there was a booth serving alcohol at the April Fool’s festival.
“Did you drink during the day?”
-Gasp. Oh, h-how did you know?
Just as he thought. It seemed Minhwan had stepped away from the group to sober up. But even so, it was suspicious that he would call him during that brief time. Feeling uneasy, Seonwoo tried to end the call.
“Then go back to enjoying yourself. I’m hanging up.”
-W-wait, hyung! Don’t hang up! Uh, did you hang up? No, right? Hyung? Why can’t I hear your voice? There’s no way hyung would hang up…
“If you have something to say, say it quickly. I’m busy.”
-Phew. Of course, there’s no way hyung would just hang up. Our hyung, who seems totally cold-blooded and whose little blood is completely blue and icy, is actually a super nice hyung when you get to know him.
Seonwoo swallowed a sigh at the needlessly long speech. This was why he didn’t like dealing with drunk people.
The elevator display was still showing ‘9’. Seeing it stay on one floor for so long, it seemed someone was moving in. Due to the nearby university, this officetel had frequent move-ins.
Even though Jihan wasn’t getting out of the car and entering the building, Seonwoo felt uneasy. He wanted to get home as quickly as possible. So to Kim Minhwan, who was rambling on about “what kind of person Seonwoo hyung is,” Seonwoo said curtly:
“I’m counting to five.”
-Huh? Oh, got it! Uh, didn’t you say before that you live near the north gate? Where all the officetels are clustered?
After defeating Choi Youngjae, classmates would surround Seonwoo during major courses and ask all sorts of questions. As if making up for the time they hadn’t been close, they would probe for personal information like which school he graduated from and where he lived, and Seonwoo had answered without much thought. It wasn’t Kang Jihan but his classmates, so there was no reason not to tell them.
Of course, Kim Minhwan was there too. He, who had tried to answer on Seonwoo’s behalf, soon became glum when he realized he didn’t know much about Seonwoo. He must have remembered being told that Seonwoo lived in this officetel.
-Is it the building with the protruding windows?
“Why?”
-Well… the guys kept telling me to stop saying weird things and chased me away…? But I really didn’t say much. I just stated the fact that it wasn’t fun… Anyway, I just walked around and ended up here, and you just happened to be home…
“Hey. Did you get into school without taking the essay test? Whether writing or speaking, I told you to lead with your main point.”
At his irritated voice, Kim Minhwan dejectedly replied, “Mmm…” Then, even more suspiciously, he cleared his throat.
-Can’t you come out for a moment?
‘This bastard is actually…’
It was like something out of countless unnamed dramas and movies—the scene of stupid guys confessing when drunk.
-I’m in front of your building right now, and I’ll just say one thing and get lost.
“Say it over the phone.”
-No, no! This is something I have to say while looking at your face, at the very least.
The more he heard, the more convinced he became that what Minhwan wanted to do was confess. Seonwoo pressed his forehead. He thought he had wrapped things up nicely earlier, but why did Minhwan have to drink during the day of all times…
-I won’t take much of your time. It’ll be really quick… Huh?
That exclamation was ominous. With a sinking feeling, Seonwoo rolled his eyes toward the entrance. Why did his ominous premonitions always come true? There was Kim Minhwan, waving his arms wildly.
-Hyung, isn’t that you? It is! Hyung! I’m here!
And he was right in front of Kang Jihan’s car. Seonwoo ran his hand over his face.
‘What timing…’
From morning, Kim Minhwan was trying to confess out of nowhere, then Seonwoo had to ride in Kang Jihan’s unexpected car and have uncomfortable conversations, and now just as he was about to enter his home, both of them showed up at his doorstep simultaneously… He felt like he might develop a trauma about April Fool’s Day.
Unlike Jihan, Kim Minhwan rushed straight into the building. He grinned widely without ending the call.
“Did you come out already? That’s our hyung!”
“I wasn’t coming out, I was on my way in.”
“Really? Wow, our timing is amazing.”
Stop talking. As Seonwoo ended the call, Minhwan finally took the phone away from his ear.
“Hyuuung. Did I tell you? That school uniform really suits you.”
“You did. Stop saying it.”
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Jihan’s car was hidden behind this giant guy. Meanwhile, the elevator had quickly descended and stopped at the first floor. But the elevator closed its doors without taking anyone in.
Seonwoo looked up at Kim Minhwan. Even when he heard his voice on the phone, he thought Minhwan was somewhat drunk, but the smell of alcohol was overwhelming. However, unlike his usual swaying at drinking gatherings, he was standing straight on both feet, so Seonwoo asked suspiciously:
“What did you want to say? Say it.”
“Oh, right.”
Kim Minhwan, who had been grinning foolishly, straightened his back. Then after clearing his throat a couple of times, he put on a solemn face.
“You know, this morning, you misunderstood me…”
…Wasn’t he going to confess? Seonwoo nodded without letting down his guard.
“I was actually really confused and upset and felt bad then, no, I don’t mean I still feel that way! It’s all resolved. You apologized in such a cool way. Anyway, after you left, I thought about it… You seem like a real adult.”
But surely he didn’t come all the way to Seonwoo’s home just to say that. Waiting patiently, Seonwoo saw Kim Minhwan fidgeting with his large hands.
“Honestly, if someone around me had such perverted tendencies, I don’t think I could point it out so directly. I’d just think it was disgusting and leave it at that… But you got so serious and angry. I thought that was really…”
“Main point first.”
“Oh, yes! Main point first!”
Now Kim Minhwan politely folded his hands below his stomach. Seonwoo almost laughed at this respectful posture, similar to when Minhwan was being disciplined by Choi Youngjae, but his smile quickly disappeared at what followed.
“Hyung… ah, this isn’t leading with the main point but… what do you think about, uh, a man liking another man?”
Here it comes.
Seonwoo thought for a moment. If he answered “It could happen,” Minhwan would definitely confess, and if he responded with discomfort, things would noticeably become awkward. That was evident just from how Minhwan kept glancing at him while asking such a question.
“If someone likes someone, they like them.”
Better to reject him clearly. It would be awkward either way, but this was better than dragging it out half-heartedly.
‘I should have done this with Kang Jihan too.’
With that self-reproach, Seonwoo stared at Kim Minhwan as if to say “bring it on.” Minhwan’s face brightened.
“R-right?”
“Right.”
“Hyung. I’ve been thinking abou… Ah, main point first! Main point…”
The guy’s face was bright red, like a time bomb about to explode. At this point, his face itself was the main point. Kim Minhwan, who was hitting his own head repeatedly, swallowed hard. Then suddenly, he shouted loudly:
“I l-like you, hyung!”
At the shout loud enough to shake the building, Seonwoo quickly looked around. The elevator was still stopped at the first floor, and fortunately, there was no one entering or leaving the building.
But Kim Minhwan, with his eyes tightly shut, seemed unable to see where he was. Standing at attention with his head held high, he bellowed:
“It m-might sound like my usual talk! But it’s not!”
“Hey, wait…”
“It’s not like the kind of liking between hyung and dongsaeng, I really seriously… I think I like you! I like you!”
It was a truly resounding confession, like a public declaration at a retreat. Kim Minhwan’s two fists were trembling. His tightly shut eyes remained closed.
Seonwoo was so taken aback that he couldn’t even respond. He knew Minhwan was going to confess, but he hadn’t expected him to roar it out like this.
“Of course, I know you’ll be surprised! But I-!”
“Yan Ma, your voice…!”
The stationary elevator began to ascend again. It would be disastrous if someone heard this. He had seen quite a few people wearing Korea University jackets in this officetel. Seonwoo hurriedly pulled Kim Minhwan inside the building.
