Chapter 68
While Si-yul was cuddling quietly, wiggling his toes, he suddenly remembered something and looked up. Woo Hyun-se, who had been resting his chin on Si-yul’s head and playing with his hair, lowered his chin to meet Si-yul’s gaze.
“Hyung, have you heard any news about Yuwon?”
“I haven’t heard any details yet. Why?”
“I had a dream yesterday, and I’m feeling really uneasy about it.”
“What kind of dream?”
Dreams usually become hazy over time and are forgotten even if you try to remember them, but this one stuck to Si-yul’s mind and wouldn’t fade away. The cool air on his nose felt like the damp fog he had experienced in the dream reservoir, making him rub his arms and bite his lip.
“There was a reservoir behind the mountain at our orphanage. It’s a place where people rarely go… In the dream, Kwon Yuwon was walking into it. I tried to call out to him to come back, but no sound came out. I’m feeling anxious.”
“That does sound worrying.”
Si-yul’s expression darkened. Woo Hyun-se slowly stroked Si-yul’s back with his warm hand.
“They say dreams often mean the opposite, so try not to worry too much. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”
Woo Hyun-se was kind and gentle. The sharp memories of their first meeting had long since been pushed aside and dissolved by new memories. He was the person who grounded Si-yul when he felt adrift.
How could he not love him?
The word rose from his stomach, up and up, settling on the tip of his tongue. He opened his mouth wanting to say it, but as in the dream, no voice came out. It was strange, even though this wasn’t a nightmare, and no one was secretly listening.
Instead of confessing, Si-yul stretched out his arms and hugged Woo Hyun-se tightly. Even though he couldn’t fully envelop Hyun-se’s large frame, he struggled to pull him into himself.
He wanted to convey it somehow. That the space Hyun-se occupied in his heart was this big. That even though it might not be much, he liked him this much, even more than this.
* * *
Thinking he might find some clues about where Kwon Yuwon had disappeared to if he visited the inn, Si-yul went there on his day off for the first time in a while. Even though quite some time had passed, the belongings left in the room remained untouched, not a single item out of place.
Well, how much could there be worth stealing for someone who ended up in a place like this? Si-yul waved his hand in front of his nose as if to chase away the musty smell and opened the window. Once the smell escaped through the palm-sized window, breathing became much easier.
When Kwon Yuwon left, he had taken all his clothes with him. Knowing this, Si-yul still turned the drawers upside down and checked behind the wardrobe, hoping to find something. He even lay flat on the floor and swept under the drawers with a long ruler, but all he found were clumps of gray dust.
Coughing from the rising dust, he sat down dejectedly. Given Yuwon’s personality, he wouldn’t have left anything behind, so in the end, it was just unnecessary trouble.
The cold winter air filled the room. Si-yul closed the window and sat leaning against the wall. As he sat there resting, memories of lounging around with Kwon Yuwon came flooding back. Simple memories like lying on the other side watching TV, or sharing ramyeon at a small table.
“…”
In the past, he had rarely felt lonely no matter where he was. Partly because he stuck to Kwon Yuwon like glue, but more so because he wasn’t the type to feel lonely easily. But lately, he often felt empty and hollow inside.
Especially on nights when he couldn’t see Woo Hyun-se before falling asleep. Even though the interior was warm enough to walk barefoot, being alone in the spacious house made him feel cold inside, as if abandoned in the middle of a vast plain.
Si-yul ran his hand through his hair and looked at his phone. That night, Woo Hyun-se had dropped Si-yul off at home and left as he said he would. Si-yul wanted to act spoiled again and ask him to stay until he fell asleep, like before, but he held back.
He was afraid that if he clung too much, Hyun-se might get tired of him. Kwon Yuwon, who had never even had a girlfriend, had once pretentiously said that knowing when to back off was the key to a long-lasting relationship.
Though this was his first time experiencing such feelings, Si-yul couldn’t figure out how much he could push, how clingy he could be, or where he should draw the line. There was no one suitable to ask for advice. He could pretend to ask the bartender casually, but that would only work once or twice before raising suspicions, so he had to keep quiet.
He especially didn’t want the manager to find out. He couldn’t even imagine what expression Manager Kang would make if he revealed that he was now in that kind of relationship with her ex.
…He wanted to hear his voice.
It had become a chronic condition. Whenever he had a moment, thoughts of Woo Hyun-se would surface, and he would miss him. He was afraid to send photos after what happened last time, so he picked up his phone, thinking he should at least send a message.
At that moment, the phone rang. The number on the screen was one he had never seen before. Usually, he wouldn’t answer unknown numbers, but his instinct told him to pick up. He pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear. Only breathing could be heard from the other end.
“…Kwon Yuwon.”
That was enough to identify the caller. Si-yul’s eyes widened. As he opened his mouth to shout and ask where Yuwon was, Yuwon spoke first.
“Kwon Si-yul, you need to hide somewhere safe for a while.”
“What?”
Si-yul asked back, bewildered at having the initiative taken away. A coin dropping sound was heard from the other end. It was a public phone.
“Things have gone wrong.”
Si-yul’s head started to throb. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. Deep wrinkles formed between his brows.
“You bastard, I told you not to do anything dangerous…!”
He didn’t trust Kwon Yuwon. When Yuwon had confessed about receiving a good offer from the ‘pig’, Si-yul should have read the hidden meaning in his subtly stiffened lips and blank gaze. He should have tied Yuwon up in the inn, but distracted by other things, he had neglected him, thinking Yuwon was capable enough to take care of himself. It was incredibly stupid.
“Where are you? Tell me quickly, I’ll come right away.”
“No. You’ll get hurt if you come. I’ll handle this myself…”
“Kwon Yuwon!”
Si-yul cut him off, calling his name. The other side fell silent for a moment. Si-yul roughly rubbed his face.
“I know you don’t trust me, and I know you’re worried I might get hurt, but please, at least tell me why. I need to know what’s going on and how things are unfolding. Are you really going to keep doing this without saying anything? Really… Am I even your friend, Yuwon?”
He tried to speak as calmly as possible, but he couldn’t help the tremor in his voice. Si-yul rubbed his reddened eyes with the back of his hand. He thought he had felt relieved after their last meeting, but that wasn’t the case. An unknown anxiety had been lingering underneath.
Kwon Yuwon inhaled sharply at Si-yul’s self-deprecating final words. His exhale that followed was slightly shaky.
“…I diverted some drugs.”
It felt like a blow to the back of the head. Si-yul’s head was actually throbbing. He couldn’t close his gaping mouth. It was an unwritten rule in this world. You don’t mess with someone else’s drugs. It was synonymous with saying you’d be lucky to just lose a hand, and most likely, your body would soon be found in some mountain or sea.
“Are you crazy? What on earth were you trying to do…”
Curses rose to his throat. While he usually trusted and covered for Yuwon’s actions, this was beyond what he could handle. His voice trailed off, choked with emotion.
“I didn’t divert them to sell. I had a purpose, and according to the plan, they shouldn’t have found out… Shit. Anyway, it’ll take some time to resolve this, so hide somewhere as safe as possible. The orphanage won’t do. We gave them all our past addresses when we provided information. The inn is out too. Stay with a friend I don’t know… Anyway, stay somewhere I’m not aware of.”
“Can’t you just turn yourself in? It might be safer to go to the police.”
“Even if I’m imprisoned, their people will kill me. I need to take care of everything first. I have a plan, so don’t worry.”
“How can I not worry when things are like this!”
Si-yul shouted, overcome with emotion, but Yuwon laughed heartily as if something was incredibly funny. After chuckling for a while, he abruptly stopped when Si-yul called his name in a low voice.
“Kwon Si-yul, do you remember when we had our fortunes told? We went together because they said the fortune teller was good.”
“…Yeah.”
Though it was an abrupt change of subject, Si-yul listened without saying anything. It was sometime after they had left the orphanage, they had visited a fortune teller who was said to have recently received divine powers. A kind-looking woman adorned with gold necklaces, bracelets, and earrings had greeted them. Looking at Si-yul, she had started rattling off predictions even before he could tell her his birth date.
“‘You may not have luck with parents, but you have luck with a spouse. Your spouse will be like a dragon, a dragon. They’ll give you everything, including the dragon’s orb. You may not have parental luck, but your luck with people isn’t bad, including this friend here.'”
“‘What about money, not just a spouse? Will I make money?'”
“‘Huh? No. I’m telling you, your spouse will bring you money, houses, buildings, everything. Grandma says you can live like a rich person without working.'”
“‘So I can’t make money myself?'”
“‘No. Your money luck isn’t great. But your future looks smooth otherwise. Isn’t it great to have a fate where you don’t starve even if you don’t work? It’s about upper-middle on a scale of high, middle, and low. They say youth is for struggling, but it’s better to have good luck in middle and old age than in your early years.'”
That’s how she had concluded. Si-yul had been so discouraged by the talk of poor money luck that he couldn’t remember much of what was said afterward. He was just left with regret for wasting money.
“That ajumma told me I have a very long lifeline. She said even if people try to cut it from all directions, I’ll dodge like a mouse and live a long life. I believe that. Of course I should believe it, I paid 100,000 won for it.”
“…”
“So, Kwon Si-yul, take care of yourself first. You know me, right? I’m Kwon Yuwon. I’m the kind of person who would survive and return even if a plane crashed and I fell into a jungle.”
“Kwon Yuwon…” Si-yul called out, almost like a sigh. “Yeah?” came the affectionate reply. Si-yul did have a baseless faith that if it was Kwon Yuwon, he could overcome any crisis, no matter how big.
