#119
Gyo-ha was surprised when he heard Hwi-kyung’s request to accompany him as a partner to a party.
“A party? On a weekend?”
“Yes.”
“And I’m your partner?”
“Yes.”
“That’s strange. You don’t have a fever.”
“……”
“Did something happen? Hwi-kyung suggesting we go to a party? Did someone drug you?”
Hwi-kyung actively suggesting going somewhere was unusual. Even for Gyo-ha, who prided himself on knowing Hwi-kyung well, the invitation to a party was something new. After all, Hwi-kyung was an extreme indoor person who didn’t particularly enjoy going out.
Despite his personal preference for avoiding crowded places, Hwi-kyung had received party invitations from all sorts of places over the past six months. He did his work well, and though quiet, he was an attractive beauty who drew attention. There was no shortage of people showing interest in the charming foreigner.
When you gained favor with those around you, party invitations were the first to come. America wasn’t a country where introverts could easily survive.
On top of that, both BK Entertainment and its collaborating companies had widespread party cultures. Most employees got to know each other through weekend parties, and those who frequently declined inevitably faced disadvantages.
However, Hwi-kyung had rejected all party invitations so far, regardless of any disadvantages. Initially, he made excuses about being unfamiliar with American culture, and now he escaped by claiming he had other things to do on weekends.
He reluctantly attended truly important parties, but even then, he usually vanished like a ghost before people got drunk enough to vomit.
This party culture troubled Hwi-kyung more than the screen door-less subways or the occasional sounds of gunshots. Work talk should be limited to official settings, yet they insisted on throwing parties to build work-related relationships in private settings… if this wasn’t “black” company culture, what was?
But most people other than Hwi-kyung seemed to quite enjoy the parties. Though it wasn’t clear whether they were pretending to like them or genuinely enjoyed them, Hwi-kyung knew at least one person who truly liked parties. He was right beside him.
“Is there a dress code?”
“It’s just a casual potluck party.”
“Still, if partners are allowed, there should be quite a few people.”
Lee Gyo-ha immediately responded to the word “party.” From the moment Hwi-kyung mentioned going to a party, Gyo-ha had been turning his closet upside down, saying he needed to choose what to wear.
Not that there were many of Hwi-kyung’s clothes in that closet. Unlike Gyo-ha, who had been living in America, Hwi-kyung had entered the country with minimal luggage.
So Gyo-ha would surely drag Hwi-kyung out shopping. Watching excited Gyo-ha, Hwi-kyung’s heart trembled at the thought of how many hours of shopping awaited him.
Shopping with Gyo-ha was physically exhausting. Hwi-kyung closed his eyes tightly. He would undoubtedly have to visit various places and try on dozens of outfits. Just thinking about it made him feel drained.
Still, having Gyo-ha accompany him to the party was reassuring. From experience, Gyo-ha was like a walking talisman. For Hwi-kyung, who often attracted annoying people, Gyo-ha was essential. Having him nearby meant fewer strange people approached.
“I already told them I’m bringing my partner.”
The word “partner” flowed naturally from Hwi-kyung’s lips. At this casual remark, Gyo-ha stopped rummaging through the closet and quickly turned to look at Hwi-kyung.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I like the word ‘partner.'”
“……”
“If I’m going to uphold your reputation, I should dress really well.”
“You look handsome even in casual clothes.”
“Really? What’s this? Why are you being so nice… Is it my birthday today?”
Gyo-ha, who had been saying things like “I wish I were dead… no, dying might be too much…” every day because of graduate school, had regained his vitality. After being cooped up avoiding external gatherings because of his thesis, he now seemed genuinely excited about attending someone else’s party.
With a former aspiring model by his side, even Josh, if he had any sense, would stop hovering around Hwi-kyung. Although it meant openly declaring he had a male partner, Hwi-kyung no longer intended to hide Gyo-ha as he had before.
Showing off his impressive partner was necessary to keep yellow fever racists like Josh away…
* * *
As is characteristic of potluck parties where each participant brings food, Gyo-ha displayed his cooking skills to prepare food for the party. Hwi-kyung had planned to buy party food from a large supermarket, but Gyo-ha wouldn’t accept such “half-measures.”
So the two headed to the party venue loaded with an almost excessive amount of food. Their destination, Alisha’s house, was less than a 20-minute drive away.
“You said you were dispatched to a film studio? The place with few Korean employees.”
“That’s right. I’ve seen about two Korean-Americans there.”
“How are the people? Come to think of it, you haven’t talked much about work lately.”
“Well, it’s just the same as Korea.”
The same kinds of lunatics, the same kinds of decent people… places where people lived were similar everywhere. If they hadn’t been able to communicate well, America would have been worse than Korea.
Until they arrived, Hwi-kyung bombarded Gyo-ha with all sorts of nagging. Don’t reveal that you’re the youngest son of BK, don’t drink too much… Gyo-ha let Hwi-kyung’s continuous nagging flow past him like sweet classical music.
Judging by the excessive nagging, it seemed Hwi-kyung hadn’t invited Gyo-ha because he genuinely wanted to attend the party.
In truth, Gyo-ha had felt something was off from the moment Hwi-kyung suggested going to the party. Hwi-kyung rarely opened up easily about his problems. That character trait hadn’t changed even after moving to a different country.
Hadn’t he only informed Gyo-ha on the day itself that he was being dispatched from BK Entertainment to the local studio? Hwi-kyung wouldn’t talk about what happened at work unless asked directly.
Thanks to the taciturn Hwi-kyung, Gyo-ha’s perception had become sharper when it came to him. Someone who disliked even walking in Central Park on weekends suddenly seeking out a party on his own? Something was seriously wrong.
Gyo-ha became curious about who was bothering Hwi-kyung this time. Due to his seemingly fragile appearance, Hwi-kyung frequently attracted annoying people.
[Alisha.]
[Oh, you’re here. Everyone’s been dying to see you arrive.]
[Me?]
[Of course. Our Snow White has brought a prince.]
[Snow White? What’s with that nickname…]
[You always have crazy dwarfs flocking around trying to kill you.]
[…Anyway, take this.]
[You brought enough to feed everyone invited?]
[Better too much than too little.]
By Hwi-kyung’s standards, it wasn’t that he had prepared a lot of food, but that others had prepared hardly anything. With so many party attendees, it was surprising how few people brought substantial amounts.
Only Liu, the Chinese-Malaysian, gave Hwi-kyung a thumbs up. Aside from Hwi-kyung, it seemed only Liu had prepared food appropriate for the number of people. Hwi-kyung felt a sense of Asian solidarity in their shared approach of feeding people first.
[By the way, where’s that partner you said you’d bring?]
[Standing right next to me.]
[…Really?]
[Yes.]
[Hello.]
The sociable Gyo-ha abruptly inserted himself between Hwi-kyung and Alisha, extending his hand. Alisha shook Gyo-ha’s hand with a dazed expression.
[The land of K-pop is indeed different.]
Hwi-kyung allowed Alisha to misunderstand the average level of attractiveness in Korea. There was no benefit in telling her that handsome people were an endangered species in Korea too. No need to spit in his own face.
Instead, he stood right next to Gyo-ha and enjoyed watching Josh get irritated. Liu once again gave a thumbs up to Hwi-kyung for bringing Gyo-ha along.
“Hwi-kyung.”
“Yes.”
“Why does that person keep hovering around?”
“Who? Ah… Don’t worry about it.”
The closer Josh got to him, the closer Hwi-kyung stuck to Gyo-ha. As a result, Gyo-ha couldn’t help but focus more on Josh.
Looks like a discriminator. Josh too.
Gyo-ha stared intently at Josh while keeping one arm around Hwi-kyung’s waist. Perhaps due to the distance, Josh didn’t immediately notice Gyo-ha’s gaze.
But Gyo-ha was picking up on everything Josh was saying about Hwi-kyung. From comments like “I knew he was gay” to “Asians only stick with their own kind.” None of the disparaging remarks deviated from expectations.
“Shall I cut him off?”
“Cut what off?”
“His livelihood. Or should I cut something else?”
“What nonsense are you talking? Just eat some hummus.”
Hwi-kyung stuffed chickpea dip into Gyo-ha’s mouth before he could do anything rash. Gyo-ha sipped grape juice instead of alcohol and continued to massage Hwi-kyung’s left hand.
It was clear that such inconsiderate people were making things difficult for Hwi-kyung. Taking advantage of times when Gyo-ha couldn’t be by his side, all sorts of pests were swarming around, which made Gyo-ha’s throat burn with anger. No matter how he thought about it, the hummus Hwi-kyung had put in his mouth was too dry.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
