#015
“How about…?” What do you mean, how about? As Shin Gihyeon hesitated awkwardly, Lee Yeonwoo briefly added:
“Born in January.”
Shin Gihyeon’s confusion deepened. Actually, age didn’t matter at all. He just couldn’t keep up with Yeonwoo’s unreasonable conversation.
“Yeonwoo-ya.”
Unable to watch any longer, Kang Dojun stood up from his seat. He had actually wanted to approach them earlier, but the two seemed to be having fun together, so he had been sitting still, not wanting to interfere.
“Yes, hyung.”
Yeonwoo replied brightly to his call.
“You can’t make Gihyeon-ssi uncomfortable.”
“Me?”
At Dojun’s scolding, Yeonwoo pondered when he had ever done such a thing. But no matter how much he thought about it, he had never made anyone uncomfortable.
“I’ll apologize on his behalf.”
Kang Dojun rubbed Yeonwoo’s ear while offering an apology to Shin Gihyeon. He must have remembered those bright red ears from earlier.
Shin Gihyeon made a slightly awkward expression. He couldn’t understand why Kang Dojun was apologizing on Yeonwoo’s behalf.
‘What kind of relationship do they have?’
Even if they were hyung and dongsaeng, they weren’t real brothers, and they’d only been together for a few days at most. He was extremely curious about what had made them so close.
‘Alright, I’ll get close to Yeonwoo and ask him about his secret.’
Hiding his true intentions, Shin Gihyeon smiled brightly and said:
“Sunbae-nim, I’m fine. That’s right, Yeonwoo-ya. Let’s get along well from now on.”
“Sure.”
Yeonwoo answered concisely and turned his head toward the display shelf.
“What are you trying to buy?”
“Just…”
“Just what?”
Kang Dojun kept probing persistently. As Yeonwoo tried to brush it off vaguely and was about to pick up just any item, he made a suggestion.
“Want to sit for a bit before we go?”
Yeonwoo’s ears perked up. Without hesitation, he answered the response he’d been waiting for.
“Sure, why not.”
He answered nonchalantly, but thinking of Yeonwoo who must be secretly delighted inside, Kang Dojun couldn’t help but smile.
Yeonwoo quickly settled into the counter seat, pressed his body against the wall, and patted the remaining cramped space.
“Hyung, sit here.”
“Okay.”
Kang Dojun chuckled and squeezed into the narrow seat.
Shin Gihyeon watched with a disappointed expression. When he had suggested sitting together, they had told him to sit alone…
Unable to resent his idol and object of admiration who sat down without hesitation, his resentful feelings were directed toward Yeonwoo instead.
Whether those two knew how he felt or not, they were busy playing around, squeezed together in the narrow counter seat.
Kang Dojun made a mischievous expression and said jokingly to Yeonwoo:
“Give me money.”
“Huh? Money?”
“For the candy.”
He had seemed to just be sitting quietly at the counter, but apparently he remembered the candy Yeonwoo had just eaten.
Yeonwoo hesitated a bit before saying:
“Deduct it from my part-time pay…”
“You’re not working.”
“Deduct it from hyung’s part-time pay.”
“I already spent all my part-time pay on the ice cream we ate earlier.”
Kang Dojun continued teasing Yeonwoo. His gradually distorting face was cute and amusing.
Not knowing that Kang Dojun was just joking, Yeonwoo seriously pondered the matter. Come to think of it, he had come here without any money.
What should he do? Watching Yeonwoo lost in thought, Kang Dojun was about to stop the joke, but he missed the timing due to Yeonwoo’s words.
Yeonwoo suddenly called out to Shin Gihyeon, who had been standing quietly.
“Gihyeon-ah, if you go to the storage room, there should be a chair. Bring it and sit down.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Yeah, but you know what? Did you also eat ice cream earlier by any chance?”
“…No?”
“Then could you deduct my candy money from your part-time pay?”
So there had been a purpose behind his kindness after all. Yeonwoo tried harder to persuade Shin Gihyeon.
“Hm? To commemorate becoming friends.”
Shin Gihyeon broke out in a cold sweat. This wasn’t just being naive—his thinking seemed a little, no, very free.
He interpreted things however suited him and made requests without hesitation. He felt like he’d keep getting swept up in his pace. But he couldn’t refuse either. In the end, Shin Gihyeon took a bill from his pocket and gave it to Yeonwoo.
Yeonwoo’s black eyes widened as he looked at Shin Gihyeon.
“You’re such a kind friend. Thank you, I’ll definitely pay you back later.”
He reached out for the bill, but Kang Dojun stopped him from the side, telling him not to use Shin Gihyeon’s money.
“Don’t take it. I put 10,000 won in the cash register earlier. Use that to pay.”
Yeonwoo glared at Kang Dojun with wide eyes from beside him. What? You already paid but you were teasing me? His expression was full of indignation.
“Gihyeon-ssi, if you just give him whatever he asks for like that, you’ll spoil the kid.”
“…Yes. I’m sorry.”
He suddenly got scolded. At Kang Dojun’s tone, as if he were educating his own child, he found himself apologizing without thinking.
“What do you mean spoiled? I’m all grown up, what…”
Yeonwoo grumbled, apparently embarrassed by his words. The village elders did call him ‘baby’ sometimes, but that was only possible because they were almost grandmother and grandfather age.
There was only a two-year age difference between him and Kang Dojun, but because of his lecturing tone, even Shin Gihyeon seemed to be looking at him strangely, and embarrassment washed over him.
“Taking other people’s clothes without thinking, putting your hands on things without paying first—if that’s not being childish, what is?”
“Right, this is hyung’s clothes.”
Kang Dojun was now treating Yeonwoo almost like a younger brother he needed to take care of.
The clothes didn’t fit his size, so the sleeves kept sliding down to cover his hands, but since he didn’t seem bothered and just left them alone, Kang Dojun personally rolled up the sleeves for him.
Despite seeming to eat his meals properly, his thin wrist was revealed.
“Achoo!”
At the sound of Yeonwoo’s small sneeze, Kang Dojun carefully covered him with the blanket that Shin Gihyeon had used for his nap earlier.
Watching this, Shin Gihyeon bit his lips. The blue blanket with baby ducks patterned on it suited Yeonwoo incredibly well.
He felt a strange emotion, as if it had finally found its rightful owner.
“What’s this? Why are there so many heads here?”
Meanwhile, Grandpa Beom entered and muttered as he looked at the people in the store.
“There’s a young man I haven’t seen before too. Did you come from Seoul?”
“Yes, hello.”
“Grandpa, this is my friend Shin Gihyeon. Gihyeon-ah, this is the corner store grandpa.”
In his third year living in the countryside, having spent almost every day hanging out only with the elderly, Yeonwoo didn’t show it, but he was a bit excited about his friend he’d made after such a long time.
“Where’s the corner store?”
Grandpa Beom gave Yeonwoo a light tap on the head, then stood up and patted Kang Dojun’s shoulder, saying:
“You worked hard today too. At least take this with you.”
He picked up some snacks from the front and placed them in Kang Dojun’s arms.
“No, I ate a lot while working.”
“Come on, I’m closing up now, so everyone hurry up and get out.”
He forcibly pressed the snacks on him and urgently shooed them out.
“Grandpa, you’re closing already? Aren’t you going to make money?”
“There are no customers today because of the feast!”
“Feast?”
“That’s right, everyone will be gathered at the village hall. I’m going too, so if you’re not coming, hurry home.”
Only then did Kang Dojun understand why there hadn’t been a single customer today. Since there was a feast in the small rural village, it seemed like everyone had flocked there.
Yeonwoo also seemed to remember the fact he’d forgotten, muttering:
“Right, there was a feast today.”
Feasts were predictable. He’d experienced them countless times and was sick of them.
As the youngest, he had to put up with all the elders’ drunken behavior, so he didn’t particularly want to go. Yeonwoo shuddered as nightmarish memories came back, and he said urgently:
“Let’s go home too.”
On the way home, Yeonwoo ate several bags of the shared snacks and offered some to Shin Gihyeon.
“Want some?”
Though their first meeting had been a bit awkward, they were friends now. There was nothing he couldn’t do for him.
“I’m fine.”
“But where are you sleeping?”
“Probably with Dojun sunbae-nim…”
Shin Gihyeon glanced at Kang Dojun. He didn’t seem to have any particular thoughts about it.
“With hyung? Why don’t you sleep in my room instead?”
Kang Dojun always seemed to stay up late, so Yeonwoo, unusually considerately, made the suggestion. The title of being a friend after such a long time was tremendous.
“I’m fine. Gihyeon-ssi, please sleep in my room. I can sleep in the living room.”
“Uh… then hyung, sleep with me.”
“Should we? Gihyeon-ssi, please sleep comfortably by yourself.”
…Why does it turn out that way? Shin Gihyeon couldn’t hide his displeased expression.
He had been planning to have deep and serious conversations with his respected sunbae-nim late into the night to become even closer, but it was ruined by their unnecessary consideration.
Moreover, Kang Dojun’s surprisingly easy acceptance of Yeonwoo’s proposal made Shin Gihyeon feel even more dejected.
“No, I’m fine…”
“Wow! I’m excited. I want to stay up late tonight.”
Shin Gihyeon’s attempt at refusal was mercilessly crushed by Yeonwoo’s oblivious excitement.
Not noticing that Shin Gihyeon was glaring at him, Yeonwoo had snack crumbs around his mouth as he lifted a snack bag and emptied it into his mouth in one go.
“Eat slowly.”
Kang Dojun patted his back while speaking. Shin Gihyeon was frustrated seeing the two of them so happy without him.
“I want to sleep together too!”
He felt embarrassed by the two pairs of bewildered eyes focused on him and the words he’d blurted out without thinking.
“I mean… how about the three of us sleeping together?”
He added an explanation belatedly, but it was already spilled milk. Even as he spoke, he was confused by his own rambling words.
“Of course, if it’s too cramped, it can’t be helped, but if there’s enough space, I don’t mind either… I don’t mind staying up late.”
“Yeah! I like it. How about you, hyung?”
“…I don’t particularly mind.”
Seeing the two quickly agree, Shin Gihyeon blinked. This actually works?
“Hyung, then let’s sleep in your room since it’s a bit bigger.”
“Do whatever’s comfortable for you.”
Yeonwoo even seemed incredibly excited for some reason.
And his ominous premonition wasn’t wrong. While Kang Dojun was briefly away washing up, Yeonwoo came over to Shin Gihyeon, hugging a pillow tightly to his chest, his eyes sparkling as he said:
“Let’s have a pillow fight.”
“…What?”
His eyes looked as excited as if he’d come on a high school field trip. Shin Gihyeon was quite tired, having finished drama filming and then being tormented by consecutive variety show filming schedules.
“I don’t want… Agh!”
Before he could even finish his refusal, the countryside’s fierce hand flew toward his shoulder.
“Won’t you do it?”
Having already struck him with the pillow and then asking with innocent eyes ignited a fire within Shin Gihyeon.
It was Yeonwoo who kept unintentionally interfering with his plans to get close to Kang Dojun.
‘Fine, good.’
It wouldn’t be bad to release the stress that had built up toward him through this opportunity. Shin Gihyeon gripped the end of his pillow tightly.
The chaos happened in an instant.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
