Love Me More Side Story 6
Si-yul hastily shoved the photo into his pocket and turned around. Calling out “Hyung!” joyfully, he buried himself in Woo Hyun-se’s embrace as he opened the front door. Hyun-se lifted Si-yul high, as was his habit. He planted kisses all over Si-yul’s face, including his lips.
“Haven’t had dinner yet?”
“No. I was waiting to eat with you, hyung.”
Although it was a bit late for dinner, Si-yul couldn’t miss the opportunity to dine with Hyun-se. Hyun-se patted Si-yul’s bottom as if praising him, then changed his clothes.
In the past, a helper would come periodically to prepare side dishes and soups, but recently, Hyun-se seemed to have taken an interest in cooking and would personally prepare Si-yul’s meals whenever he had time.
“What’s on the menu today?”
Si-yul clung to Hyun-se’s back like a cicada, poking his head between his armpits. Although Hyun-se looked like he would only make pasta or Western dishes, he was quite good at Korean cuisine too.
“Guess.”
“Soybean paste soup and tteokgalbi?”
“Correct.”
It wasn’t just ordinary store-bought tteokgalbi, but high-quality ones skewered on sticks. The sight of the juicy meat made Si-yul’s mouth water. How did Hyun-se whip up such things so easily? He was already born with everything, and now he had cooking skills and dexterity too.
The table was quickly set with the appetizing spread Hyun-se had prepared. Si-yul sat opposite him, grinning widely. Though he was too shy to say it out loud, he couldn’t help but think it felt like they were newlyweds at times like these. Just the thought of that word made his ears turn red.
After the meal, they left the dishes to the dishwasher. Hyun-se returned to the living room with a cup of coffee, while Si-yul had a sweet iced tea.
“You said you took passport photos today. Where are they?”
Si-yul flinched while drinking his iced tea, leaning his head on Hyun-se’s shoulder. He should have dealt with it quickly, but he lost the timing while following Hyun-se around.
“Ah, well…”
“Let me see.”
“Can’t we not look? They turned out so bad.”
Si-yul wanted to hide them for now, even though he knew he couldn’t avoid it once the passport was issued. As Si-yul hesitated, Hyun-se stared at him intently. Suddenly, he reached out and slipped his hand into Si-yul’s pocket. How did he know they were there? It was fortunate that Si-yul had put down his iced tea, or he might have spilled it.
Hyun-se easily grasped and pulled out the transparent plastic bag containing the photos. They were crumpled from being hastily stuffed in. Hyun-se looked at the photos in the bag – plain pictures against a white background.
“Ah, don’t look!”
Si-yul’s face, including his earlobes, turned bright red. He jumped up, trying to snatch the photos from Hyun-se’s hand. But of course, Hyun-se wouldn’t let that happen. He raised his arm high, keeping the photos out of reach. His eyes remained fixed on the ID photos.
“They’re cute, why?”
“They’re not cute at all. Give them back. Ah, hyung!”
How could messy hair, an expressionless face, and sleepy eyes be cute? Si-yul clung to Hyun-se, struggling and whining to grab the photos. It was futile.
Hyun-se wrapped one arm around Si-yul’s waist, preventing him from moving, while he examined the photos. No matter how Si-yul looked at them, they seemed distorted and ugly, but Hyun-se scrutinized them with a faint smile as if they were the cutest baby animals in the world.
“I’ll keep one.”
“No way.”
“Thanks.”
Despite Si-yul’s clear refusal, Hyun-se cheerfully smiled and took out a photo. Even when Si-yul whined and offered to take new ID photos tomorrow, Hyun-se said these were enough. The photo eventually made its way into Hyun-se’s wallet.
“Give me one of yours too. It’s unfair if it’s just me.”
“I don’t have any.”
“…Then at least show me your passport photo.”
Si-yul’s cheeks puffed out in a pout. Hyun-se gently pinched and shook those cheeks, then went to get his passport. Si-yul had heard that passport photos usually turn out worse than usual. He was ready to find even the smallest flaw to tease Hyun-se about, opening the passport with eyes blazing.
“You look ba-”
It should have been normal for it to look bad. But the photo firmly placed there was flawless, even when looked at closely. Si-yul gaped, staring at the photo as if mesmerized. There was a younger-looking Hyun-se.
Though it seemed like a casually taken photo, there were no flaws. The high bridge of his nose, the deep shadows around his eyes, and without his usual smile, his gaze seemed even more profound. As if it could pierce through the photo and see right through Si-yul.
Was this a passport photo or a magazine shoot?
Noticing Si-yul’s admiration, Hyun-se smiled softly. Si-yul looked back and forth between the photo and Hyun-se. Of course, it wasn’t as good as the real thing, but the expressionless face was refreshing and hard to look away from.
“Hyung, do you really not have any extra photos?”
It seemed such a waste to only use such an excellent photo for a passport. Si-yul asked while unnecessarily stroking the photo.
“I threw them all away.”
“You shouldn’t have. I want one.”
“Next time I take photos, I’ll give you the first one.”
“Promise? You’ll give it to me first.”
Not trusting just verbal assurance, Si-yul held out his pinky finger. It might seem a bit childish for their age, but Si-yul didn’t think much of it as he often did this with Kwon Yuwon.
Hyun-se chuckled softly and intertwined his finger with Si-yul’s. Not satisfied with just that, Si-yul pressed their palms together and rubbed them. Only after copying the gesture did he finally trust and let go of Hyun-se’s hand.
Although they said overseas, Si-yul thought it would be somewhere nearby like Hong Kong or Southeast Asia, not somewhere much further away. It was an island in the South Pacific famous as a resort, with a flight time of over 10 hours. Si-yul, who had been nervous since the day before, fell fast asleep without even enjoying the fact that their seats were in first class.
Arriving at the airport wasn’t the end. They had to take a helicopter ride once more before finally reaching their accommodation. Si-yul suffered from motion sickness the entire way and couldn’t even see the emerald sea water.
The motion sickness only subsided after arriving at the resort. Si-yul looked around with wide eyes, taking everything in. Everything he saw was straight out of TV. The lush green lawn, palm trees that seemed to touch the sky, and the endless deep blue sea were sights he hadn’t seen even in Jeju Island.
He couldn’t believe he was actually here. He took a deep breath. The grass smelled fresh, the sea breeze on his cheeks was salty yet refreshing, and the sunlight beaming down was warm, neither too hot nor too cold – just the perfect temperature.
They took a buggy to their lodging, which turned out to be a private villa. The first things that caught Si-yul’s eye were the king-size bed big enough for three grown men and furniture said to be handmade from coconut shells.
Splash- At the sound of waves crashing, Si-yul was drawn to the balcony as if in a trance. Beyond the small but quite deep private pool and palm trees taller than the roof, he could see the ocean.
“Hyung, I can see the sea from here!”
Si-yul shouted, his nostrils flaring with excitement. Just then, a breeze blew, messing up his black hair. Hyun-se approached, brushed back the disheveled hair, and lightly kissed Si-yul’s exposed forehead.
“Do you like it?”
“Absolutely! How did you find a place like this?”
“I researched hard. To come here with Kwon Si-yul.”
Although the long flight was tiring, seeing the rolling waves and the endless horizon made it all worthwhile. Si-yul wanted to run to the sea right away, but there’s a saying that even Diamond Mountain is best viewed after a meal. Having missed the in-flight meal due to sleeping, his stomach was growling, demanding fuel.
“Shall we eat first? I’m hungry.”
They decided to fill their stomachs first and headed to a nearby restaurant. It was the island’s only restaurant and pub. The menu was entirely in English. Si-yul tried his best to read it, but he had long since given up on English. The black parts were alphabet, and the white parts were paper – there was no way he could read it. He had no choice but to leave the selection to Hyun-se.
Looking around, everyone seemed to have at least one or two cocktails on their tables, as if they had planned it. Si-yul wanted to have a drink too and cautiously spoke up.
“Can I order a cocktail?”
“Non-alcoholic only. It’s still daytime, it would be a waste to get drunk now.”
“Come on, hyung, I’m well over twenty. Wouldn’t it be okay if it’s low alcohol content? You know my tolerance – I can drink three bottles of soju. I won’t get drunk from just one cocktail.”
Disliking being treated like a child, Si-yul boasted about his alcohol tolerance, which Hyun-se knew well. No matter how strong the cocktail was, it couldn’t be stronger than soju. He pressed his face close to Hyun-se, turning this way and that, pleading as he often did with Kwon Yuwon. Finally, Hyun-se gave in and ordered the cocktail Si-yul had chosen.
However, the staff member looked back and forth between Si-yul and Hyun-se, shaking their head. Not understanding what they were saying, Si-yul just stared blankly as the two conversed. Hyun-se bit his lip as if trying not to laugh, then cleared his throat.
“They say they can’t sell alcohol to minors.”
“What? Isn’t it because we’re Asian and they can’t tell our age? How can I look that young?”
Although he had often been told he looked young, Si-yul could at least buy alcohol at convenience stores without showing his ID. He tried hard to show his age by extending and bending his fingers, but the staff member was firm. They said it wasn’t allowed until he showed his passport.
The lodging was quite far away, so they couldn’t walk back to get it. With no other choice, they ended up ordering just a beer for Hyun-se.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
