Episode 43
“Hyung, aren’t we bound by blood? Are you going to let your brother starve? Hyung, I really don’t have a single penny. I can’t even go on dates like this. Do you want your brother to spend Christmas alone and lonely while couples are everywhere?”
“Ah, I see.”
Woo Hyun-se replied dryly. Despite the response showing no interest whatsoever, Woo Tae-joo continued to speak passionately, like an actor before an audience, even placing his hand on his chest.
“I need to be part of a couple too. If I live like this and die alone, how sad will you be, hyung? Imagine your only brother dying alone in a tiny room. How tragic. It would even make the news.”
“You’re good at talking nonsense. Keep barking.”
Woo Hyun-se had noticed the moment Woo Tae-joo started sweet-talking, but he pretended not to and watched his brother’s antics. Seeing his act, Woo Tae-joo swayed his thick upper body side to side and made a ridiculous “eeng” sound. This one was a bit creepy. About as much as unexpectedly seeing a zombie pop out in a B-grade horror movie. “Shit,” Woo Hyun-se cursed sincerely.
“Pay it back.”
“Between us, money transactions are… I’ll pay you back with love.”
“Bullshit.”
Even while cursing, Woo Hyun-se generously transferred some pocket money to Woo Tae-joo’s account. Despite everything, he was a cousin brother with few reasons to dislike. After checking his account, Woo Tae-joo lunged across the table as if to shower Woo Hyun-se with kisses. Woo Hyun-se pushed his head away forcefully with a serious expression.
“Oh right, hyung, have you met Seo-hee noona?”
Woo Tae-joo, sitting on the porch putting on his shoes, looked up. He was wearing limited edition sneakers as outdoor shoes. No wonder his card limit gets exceeded so quickly. Woo Hyun-se couldn’t help but think of Kwon Si-yul, who would be at home by now, startling like a street cat seeing a large dog when looking at price tags first whenever Woo Hyun-se tried to buy him something.
“Seo-hee?”
It was a name he had never heard before. Even after carefully recalling if there had been someone with that name in the past, nothing came to mind. Seeing Woo Hyun-se’s confusion, Woo Tae-joo opened his eyes wide as if asking if he really didn’t know.
“In Seo-hee. Don’t you know your fiancée’s name?”
“I’ve never been engaged.”
He had never even met her, let alone heard her name. But Woo Tae-joo knew about it. Either rumors had already spread, or the well-connected Woo Tae-joo had picked up the information from somewhere.
“Well, you will be soon. That noona is nice. She has a good personality too.”
“…”
Being inside the restaurant, he couldn’t smoke. Woo Hyun-se took out his cigarette pack but put it back. His mouth felt dry.
“Oh, she has a boyfriend though.”
As if suddenly remembering, Woo Tae-joo added. He seemed to know a lot about this fiancée whose face Woo Hyun-se didn’t even know.
“But I guess you don’t care about that stuff.”
After casually revealing someone else’s private life, Woo Tae-joo smiled innocently. He looked completely unconcerned about what he had just said or what impact it might have. To Woo Tae-joo, both the fact that Woo Hyun-se was going to get engaged and that the fiancée had a boyfriend were just gossip to mention once and forget.
In contrast, Woo Hyun-se held his tongue. One word from him could reach his uncle’s ears through Woo Tae-joo’s mouth, and then to the ears of the big man.
Woo Hyun-se sent Woo Tae-joo off in a taxi. He walked out of the restaurant gate, followed the wall, and lit a cigarette.
Whether one wants it or not, time flows on. He looked up at the sky while exhaling cloudy smoke. Dark clouds were thickly gathered as if heavy snow was about to fall.
* * *
Snow could be seen falling outside the window. When he had entered this store, it had been raining steadily, but the weather had changed that quickly. The calendar pages had also flipped by. It was already the beginning of the last month of the year.
Si-yul briefly paused his cleaning to watch the snowy scene. It was a light, powdery snow. Even when it fell on the road, it scattered like flour in the blowing wind.
Unlike today, the first snow had been big, fluffy flakes. Si-yul had welcomed the first snow wrapped up in blankets at Woo Hyun-se’s house.
Si-yul had somehow ended up staying at Woo Hyun-se’s house. It wasn’t so much that he had crawled in on his own, but rather that Woo Hyun-se wouldn’t let him leave. Feeling embarrassed about living as a freeloader, he had tried to return several times but never succeeded. Woo Hyun-se strongly insisted that the store was much closer from here and that all necessities were already provided.
When Si-yul tried to go to the inn to at least get clothes to wear for work, Woo Hyun-se drove him, but instead of the inn, he headed to a shop. That day, Si-yul tried on dozens of outfits and received about as many.
‘For now, just winter clothes.’
Si-yul refused, feeling indebted, but Woo Hyun-se deliberately tore off all the tags from the clothes right in front of Si-yul’s eyes. He even stamped them to prevent returns, forcing Si-yul to accept the clothes reluctantly.
‘I haven’t even paid you back for the shoes yet.’
‘If you’re that concerned, pay me back with…’
‘Pardon?’
Si-yul missed the middle word and asked again, but Woo Hyun-se just smiled mischievously. In the end, the closet in the room Woo Hyun-se provided was filled with new clothes – padded jackets, coats, pants, tops, and even hoodies that Si-yul loved. They were all expensive brands that Si-yul couldn’t afford to pay back unless he won the lottery.
He hadn’t even paid off the shoes, and now more debt piled up like fallen leaves. In fact, he had offered to pay for the shoes earlier, but Woo Hyun-se had refused. Saying Si-yul might run away without paying the debt – quite a contrast from the past when he didn’t trust Si-yul.
The house was spacious, with an en-suite bathroom in his room. But they mostly slept together. Even when he fell asleep in his own room’s bed, he would wake up in Woo Hyun-se’s bed. He suspected he might have sleepwalking, but then Woo Hyun-se boldly confessed:
‘I moved you while you were sleeping.’
When asked why he didn’t just let Si-yul sleep in his own room, Woo Hyun-se gave the strange answer:
‘It’s winter, so it’s cold.’
It was a ridiculous excuse, given that it was warm enough inside to wear short sleeves.
Woo Hyun-se’s work hours were irregular. Some days he left early and came back early, other days he left late and returned late. Si-yul deliberately didn’t ask what kind of work he did. He had a rough idea. After all, hadn’t he personally experienced where and how their first meeting took place?
‘I have two days off next week. Want to go somewhere?’
Si-yul, who was lying on the sofa using Woo Hyun-se’s thigh as a pillow while watching TV, perked up. He had just been starting to feel a bit bored with the routine of only going between home and the store. He raised his upper body and looked at Woo Hyun-se. His eyes were sparkling with expectation.
‘Where to?’
‘Well. Where do you want to go?’
‘Um… Oh, how about the sea? I want to see the sea.’
The last time he had gone was with Kwon Yuwon after the college entrance exam. Even then, it had been cloudy and the sea wasn’t as blue as he had hoped. He wanted to see with his own eyes the rolling blue waves he had only seen in videos.
‘Alright.’
Woo Hyun-se smiled gently and brushed Si-yul’s bangs. This kind of contact had become as natural as flowing water. They even slept close together like one body. Even if he lay on his side, he would roll into Woo Hyun-se’s arms while sleeping, or feel Woo Hyun-se’s warm, firm chest against his back.
“…”
Though there was no one watching, Si-yul’s cheeks felt hot. He grinned and then tried to compose his expression while glancing around.
Seeing the snow reminded him of old memories of playing in front of the orphanage, and Kwon Yuwon, who was never absent from any of his memories. How many days had it been since he last saw him? Si-yul started counting the days on his fingers, then rested his chin on the end of the broom handle and let out a heavy sigh.
Communication with Kwon Yuwon was sporadic. If Si-yul sent a text early in the morning, a reply would come late at night or in the early hours, usually just one message. He still wasn’t answering phone calls. He said he was busy looking around and searching for jobs.
Si-yul was somewhat relieved to hear that he was looking for work. In fact, he was still half in doubt. Was it possible that Yuwon had accepted the pig’s offer and gone far away? Was he in danger? The only one who knew the answer was Kwon Yuwon himself, but Si-yul couldn’t even see his face, let alone talk to him on the phone. So he was completely in the dark.
Si-yul read Kwon Yuwon’s text message once more to alleviate his anxiety. Though Yuwon was smart and capable and would likely escape well from any crisis…
…It was probably just needless worry.
He must be doing fine, and this level of concern was becoming pathological. Si-yul shook his head vigorously and took his gaze away from the window. He diligently swept the floor with the broom, erasing one by one the jumbled thoughts that filled his mind.
[When shall we meet?]
[I’m free anytime]
[Let me know when is good for you, hyung. I’ll skip class]
Woo Tae-joo sent messages whenever he had a chance. If Si-yul put his phone away for a while because he was busy with work, he would later find ten or twenty messages piled up. Questions like “Did you eat?”, “Where are you?”, updates on what Tae-joo had been doing, and even coffee gift certificates were mixed in between.
When Si-yul told him not to send such things, Tae-joo insisted that he just sent them because he was thinking of Si-yul, and that they should have coffee together using the coupon when they meet next time.
He should meet him at least once.
In Si-yul’s world, the only person who could be called a friend was Kwon Yuwon. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, and at the orphanage, he had met people who could be considered friends to some extent, but Kwon Yuwon, who was like a brother, was the only one he had maintained contact with until now.
But now that Kwon Yuwon wasn’t by his side. Woo Hyun-se was there, but he clearly wasn’t a friend. The world was wide, but from Si-yul’s conservative perspective, he couldn’t call someone he was physically intimate with a friend.
It happened to be his day off. Woo Hyun-se had left early in the morning, saying he had work. He said he would return late at night. For once, Si-yul was free and alone.
As he was lying on the sofa, rolling around playing a phone game, his phone rang. Thinking it might be Woo Hyun-se, he even paused the game to answer, but it was Tae-joo, who shared only the surname with Hyun-se.
