#095
The diligent teacher Jung Hwi-kyung says, everything you acquire will eventually have its use. With this mindset, Hwi-kyung went to the bookstore and browsed through workbooks. Looking at the latest exam questions, he saw that even the programming languages were stuck at the point he had studied.
After this period, he’d have to study again. Especially in coding, where new codes pop up monthly, preparing quickly was the smart thing to do. Hwi-kyung immediately booked a new exam venue. Though he wouldn’t be getting a job, it was better to have more certifications, just in case.
He also started studying stocks again. He had personally experienced that even if you regress and know the future, neglecting to study can lead to all sorts of problems. Mistiming investments due to confusion about timing could easily wipe out what little funds he had.
Even those who regress need to study. Only by working hard can regression specialists enjoy the benefits of regression. This was the biggest lesson the system window had taught Jung Hwi-kyung.
There was nothing in the world that could be obtained for free. The only thing Jung Hwi-kyung had acquired for free was Lee Gyo-ha.
[This is really driving me crazy]
[I’m coming to Korea]
[I have a feeling you’re employed somewhere]
[How is getting certifications considered resting?]
[Just go lie down in my officetel instead]
In the end, Jung Hwi-kyung took all sorts of certification exams within two weeks of regressing. Each exam had a different cycle, and missing this timing meant a long wait until the next exam. For Hwi-kyung, this certification spree was just a rational scheduling adjustment.
However, from Gyo-ha’s perspective, Hwi-kyung wasn’t in his right mind yet. Even though the system window wasn’t visible anymore, Hwi-kyung was efficiently walking the path of a job seeker on his own. Though he denied it verbally, his actions honestly looked like he had jumped into the job market.
Gyo-ha, just as he had done in the fifteenth iteration, applied for a leave of absence mid-semester and caught a flight to Korea. He had been delaying his entry while wrapping up his life in America until his right hand healed, but if left alone, it seemed Hwi-kyung might show up with a new employee ID around his neck.
Two weeks after moving into the sixteenth iteration, the two met again at Incheon Airport.
“You haven’t gotten a job anywhere, right?”
“I haven’t.”
“I couldn’t help but come back, worried you might start going to interviews again if left alone.”
“I’m telling you, I haven’t been going to interviews.”
“But you took all those certification exams.”
“Well, that’s… it seemed a waste not to, since I already know all the answers.”
“There are other things to worry about being wasted…”
“Did you rush back just to nag at me?”
“Okay, I’ll be honest. It’s true that I came back in a hurry because I missed you.”
“What about graduate school?”
“I wrapped it up well. I didn’t drop out.”
“Good job.”
Thanks to you, even economy class feels okay now… Hwi-kyung let Gyo-ha’s nonsense flow past like background music and stretched out both arms to hug him.
The ruthless certification acquisition wasn’t all bad. Thanks to it, Gyo-ha had returned earlier than planned. Surprised by the unexpected hug, Gyo-ha awkwardly hugged Hwi-kyung back.
“I missed you too.”
Even after the system window became invisible, Hwi-kyung had been constantly anxious. It was natural, having lived with “Inadequate conditions” for decades.
What if he keeps regressing, just without seeing it? What if he goes back to the past just as hope for living normally arises? Even without the system window, the noise in Hwi-kyung’s head remained the same.
It’s impossible for someone born with many thoughts to live thoughtlessly. Hwi-kyung’s innate nature was to worry so much that it was worrying.
But the moment he faced Gyo-ha at the airport, the distracting thoughts that hadn’t disappeared even during TOEIC listening tests magically stopped. He felt a sense of stability, as if scattered puzzle pieces had come together.
“But why is your right hand…”
“Ah.”
“What happened?”
…Of course, that sense of stability shattered to pieces after confirming the bandage wrapped around Gyo-ha’s right hand. Lee Gyo-ha, being far from meticulous, had suddenly hugged Jung Hwi-kyung back with his injured hand.
He’s going to live his whole life unable to lie… Gyo-ha looked up at the high ceiling of Incheon Airport, having been caught with everything he intended to hide upon his return.
* * *
No matter how many times he reconsidered, it was absurd. That was Hwi-kyung’s conclusion.
Hwi-kyung and Gyo-ha had been in constant contact since returning to the starting point. Due to the time difference with them being on opposite sides of the earth, long calls were difficult, but like some long-distance couple, they made sure to check on each other at least every other day.
Usually, Gyo-ha would ask Hwi-kyung, “You really can’t see the system window now, right?” as a standard, but Hwi-kyung also repeatedly asked if Gyo-ha was okay. Since Gyo-ha had directly dealt with the intangible entity called the system window, it was natural to worry about him.
But every time he worried, Gyo-ha reassured Hwi-kyung that there was no problem. Who would have known it was a blatant lie? Hwi-kyung glared at Gyo-ha’s right hand, which was still bleeding.
“Staring like that won’t suddenly heal my hand…”
“Be quiet.”
“…”
“Ah, really, this is unbelievable. Why on earth didn’t you say anything?”
“I thought it would heal in a few days…”
“But it didn’t.”
“That’s right.”
Gyo-ha had a talent. A talent for turning someone’s mood upside down with just a few words. Hwi-kyung had to experience his mood, which had improved upon meeting Gyo-ha, plummeting in an instant.
It was a miracle that Jung-hye hadn’t strangled Gyo-ha yet. If Gyo-ha had been Hwi-kyung’s younger brother, Hwi-kyung would have beaten him up for cheerfully saying, “It’s not that bad, right?”
“Your hand has been festering and bleeding for over two weeks, and you thought it would heal with time?”
“…I’m really sorry.”
Having experienced Hwi-kyung over time, Gyo-ha immediately lowered his tail and apologized instead of honestly answering “Yes!”
Putting yourself in the other’s shoes, this was quite an infuriating situation. If Hwi-kyung had been hiding an injury all this time, Gyo-ha would have immediately stripped Hwi-kyung’s clothes off to check as soon as they met.
“Take it off.”
“What?”
“I need to check if anywhere else is in this state.”
“No, even so…”
“Should I take it off for you?”
But for Gyo-ha, Hwi-kyung tearing at his dress shirt was also disconcerting. Usually, it was Gyo-ha, not Hwi-kyung, who undressed the other.
Even though he had no other injuries and wouldn’t mind revealing his bare body, he never imagined being cornered in the bedroom like this immediately upon entering the officetel.
“Uh, what. Don’t get too close. I’ll take it off myself.”
“…”
“And don’t stare so intently. It’s turning me on.”
“You’re getting excited in this situation?”
“Yes, a little…”
“This is really unbelievable.”
Hwi-kyung didn’t wait for the hesitating Gyo-ha and lunged forward, roughly tearing off his shirt. It was the first time in Jung Hwi-kyung’s life that he had torn off someone else’s dress shirt with his bare hands.
However, this was all Lee Gyo-ha’s fault. If he wasn’t injured elsewhere, why was he dawdling like this? Watching him reluctant to undress, claiming shyness, made Hwi-kyung’s blood boil. How could he say this when he’s always the one suddenly undressing others?
Gyo-ha succeeded in turning Hwi-kyung into a wolf. It was quite a skill to turn someone into a beast not through tempting seduction or subtle sexual appeal, but by simply infuriating them.
Hwi-kyung’s hands, a bit rough from manual labor but without a single scar, mercilessly groped Gyo-ha’s bare chest. There was no time to protest.
“Take off the bottom too.”
“Really?”
“Is there a way to fake undressing?”
“No, I’m telling you, everything’s fine except my right hand.”
“How can I trust you?”
“Who else would you trust if not me?”
“I originally don’t trust anyone except my grandmother.”
The hand that had been boldly groping the well-built body that had gone abroad to model slid down smoothly and undid the belt. Gyo-ha screamed internally.
It was Gyo-ha’s first time having his clothes removed by someone else’s hands, stuck in the officetel without even properly unpacking after returning to Korea. The problem was that Hwi-kyung was doing this solely for the purpose of a physical examination. Gyo-ha had been having impure thoughts since Hwi-kyung’s hands touched his chest…
“Hey.”
“Yes.”
“Why are you erect?”
“You undressed me first. I feel really wronged…”
“You’re thinking about getting aroused after hiding your injured hand?”
“Yes.”
“You’re really shameless.”
Hwi-kyung, who was about to nag more, couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. Though he wasn’t over his anger, seeing the blatantly assertive lower part made it impossible to scold.
Taking advantage of this moment, Gyo-ha leaned in and kissed Hwi-kyung. With his exceptionally developed sense for such situations, he brilliantly recognized that this was the perfect moment to gloss over the injury on his right hand.
In the end, Hwi-kyung had no choice but to surrender to Gyo-ha, who was lightly rubbing his lips all over his face. Though he was still concerned about Gyo-ha’s right hand, Hwi-kyung had also been longing to see Gyo-ha all this time.
The two figures overlapped into one. Gyo-ha, fervently hoping that Marcia wouldn’t visit the officetel today, put his weight on Hwi-kyung and toppled him onto the bed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
