<10>
What time is it now, seriously…
Han Jaekyung had been glancing at his wristwatch roughly every five minutes. The movement wasn’t obvious, but anyone paying a little attention would easily notice that he wasn’t finding this place, or this situation, particularly pleasant or interesting.
“Han Jaekyung. How long has it been? No, should I call you Attorney Han now?”
“Why be so formal among friends? Just call me comfortably like before. Right, Jaekyung?”
The unpleasant attention that had been spearing down on him like a harpoon since the moment he entered the hotel banquet hall—entirely rented out for the class reunion—remained constant even after several hours. His already prickly nerves grew sharper as people he’d never even spoken to until graduation chatted glibly about being friends. People who wouldn’t have dared approach him when Yeonhu was by his side…
“By the way, it’s been ten years, but you really haven’t changed at all. Are you popular at the law firm too?”
“Haha… No. What popularity? I’ve aged just the same as everyone else.”
But Jaekyung was no longer so immature that he would blatantly show his displeasure like he might have in his school uniform days. He forcibly smoothed his furrowing brow and responded naturally in a casual voice, words flowing like water. Though he couldn’t bring himself to initiate friendly conversation insincerely, by his late twenties he had thoroughly mastered the art of blending into situations.
The reason why this current situation felt so hopeless and why he felt like his insides were on fire was…
“But when is Jang Yeonhu coming? If Han Jaekyung is here, Yeonhu can’t not come.”
Yes. It was because of Yeonhu, who had pushed Jaekyung into this banquet hall alone.
When he had confidently promised Yeonhu’s family that he would take Yeonhu to the class reunion, Jaekyung had been self-assured. Yeonhu’s prior engagement was obviously a date with that precious boyfriend of his, and since they would see each other every day at work anyway, it was just a matter of postponing one weekend appointment. Especially since Jaekyung himself had declared he would attend the reunion.
Knowing how torturous it would be for someone of Jaekyung’s sensitive temperament to attend a reunion alone, Yeonhu would surely cancel his plans and attend with him. That’s what he had arrogantly assumed.
But it was truly a naive thought. Yeonhu stubbornly insisted that he absolutely couldn’t cancel his plans because there was a play “Eunseong” wanted to see, but that he would meet earlier for lunch and come after seeing the performance.
“Jaekyung, this is your first reunion since graduation, right? That’s good. The others have been wanting to see you a lot, so make some friends while you’re at it.”
If he was going to do whatever he wanted anyway, he could at least speak nicely about it. Unable to listen to any more of that sweet-voiced bullshit, Jaekyung finally threw in the towel. Trying to persuade him further would only be to his own detriment. He wondered where the Yeonhu who used to lie flat and comply with whatever Jaekyung said without objection had gone.
He glanced down at his wristwatch again. Eight forty-five. He had said it was a three o’clock show, so there was more than enough time for it to have ended and for him to arrive. As Jaekyung was about to anxiously chew his lips, a strange voice suddenly poured from behind his back: “Oh, Han Jaekyung!” Turning around, he saw a man with a smooth impression holding a wine glass. His height was probably around the mid-170s. Although he had filled out more roundly than Jaekyung remembered, he wasn’t difficult to recognize.
“Oh, Han Jaekyung. I thought you were dead, but you’re alive! Long time no see.”
“…Yes, Class President. Long time no see.”
He could clearly recognize who it was, but couldn’t remember the name. Even the title “Class President” that he’d used was from their first year, not their third, so it wasn’t really appropriate, but the person addressed didn’t seem to mind. “Hey, hey, come out,” he said sociably, wedging himself in and taking a seat next to Jaekyung. It seemed his personality, which could create a comfortable atmosphere with anyone, remained unchanged. To admit it now, Jaekyung had actually quite envied the Class President’s personality, though he pretended otherwise.
“I hear you and Jang Yeonhu still stick together. My uncle says he’s seen that bastard Yeonhu coming to the company several times.”
The Class President adjusted his glasses and smiled mischievously at Jaekyung. Come to think of it, wasn’t the Class President’s uncle the head of the law firm Jaekyung belonged to?
“That’s just how he is. …How have you been?”
“Me? Needless to say, I’m the same as always. By the way. You know I’m a school teacher, right?”
“Yeah. I heard from Yeonhu.”
Being a high school teacher might have been on the modest side compared to the brilliant careers of those filling this venue, but looking at the reality, that wasn’t quite the case. The high school itself was a prestigious private school where the children of political and business elites flocked, and he had been earmarked early as the successor to the foundation. Once he accumulated enough experience and aged a bit, he would naturally progress through the positions of vice principal and principal to become the chairman of the board.
“You remember how my mom gave you scholarships regularly? Make sure to put in a good word for me with Chairman Jang later, okay? Don’t forget, man.”
It was quite a talent to be able to say things that Jaekyung would never say in a million years in such an inoffensive way. Jaekyung just nodded vaguely and checked the time again. It was almost nine o’clock.
“So when is our future Chairman Jang supposed to arrive?”
“Seems like that’s all anyone is curious about. I think I’ve heard that question about twenty times today.”
“Come on. What else is there to talk about with a classmate you’re seeing for the first time in ten years? If you’re going to feel hurt about that, you should first reflect on yourself for cutting off all contact after graduation.”
“Okay, okay. That’s enough.”
He had a nagging tendency even in high school, and it seemed to have gotten worse since becoming a teacher. Jaekyung shuddered and speared a cube of cheese from the table. It was obvious that continuing the conversation would only lead to more nagging. The Class President seemed to notice Jaekyung’s intentions and just smiled once from behind his glasses.
Come to think of it, it was always like this in the past too. Occasionally, when Yeonhu was absent and Jaekyung was left standing alone like an umbrella abandoned by its owner, the Class President would always fill the seat next to Jaekyung with that casual face. When the Class President, who was friendly with everyone, was beside Jaekyung, he could blend in quite naturally among various groups.
“Yeonhu… I don’t know. He said he’d be late because he was on a date, but he’s really late.”
Perhaps because of that memory, his lips, which had remained tightly closed when others asked, were now slowly opening.
“Date? What? Does he have a girlfriend or something?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeonhu is on a date with his girlfriend, so why are you here… Wait, is this girlfriend not you but someone, someone else?”
Fuck. Shouldn’t have said anything. How does he teach Korean to high school students with that level of comprehension? Jaekyung opened his mouth, smiling as brightly as a rose filled with venom.
“Class President. Your mouth may be crooked, but your words should be straight. Yeonhu is a man and I’m a man, so how could we date?”
“That… that’s true, it is, but. No, the situation doesn’t make sense. Jang Yeonhu? Of all people, ‘the’ Jang Yeonhu?”
His clean-cut eyes without double eyelids were wide open, apparently quite surprised. “Yes, ‘the’ Jang Yeonhu,” Jaekyung nodded again. Since Yeonhu wouldn’t be crazy enough to reveal the weakness of having a same-sex lover in front of classmates he maintained for networking purposes, Jaekyung decided to play dumb.
“That’s strange. There were no rumors about an engagement. Let’s see… Youngseon Electronics’ Heejoo noona got married last year, and Il Donghwa Chemical’s daughter is still studying abroad, so it’ll be at least another year or two before she returns.”
The Class President counted one by one on his fingers, enumerating names familiar to Jaekyung’s ears. It was a list of people with whom Yeonhu had at least once exchanged engagement talks. Strangely, Jaekyung felt his stomach turning more as he heard those names. Though Jaekyung hadn’t caused a scene, it was definitely to his credit that none of those engagements had come to fruition. But… before he could fully enjoy that glory, some random guy had appeared out of nowhere and snatched everything away. Thinking about it again, it was impossible not to feel heated.
It was just as Jaekyung, burning inside and parched, was gulping down ice-cold champagne that made his teeth ache. Someone steadily opened the door of the banquet hall and entered.
Jaekyung, with his back to the door, noticed the change because of the expression of the Class President facing him, which fluctuated mercilessly. The faces of the people greeting the quietly entering person quickly showed evident dismay, as if they had bitten into dirt.
If it were Yeonhu coming in, everyone would have been rushing over wagging their tails, so it clearly wasn’t Yeonhu. Who on earth had arrived to… Jaekyung turned his head back casually, only to nearly jump out of his seat. It wasn’t because the uninvited guest was standing right behind him. The uninvited guest was someone Jaekyung knew all too well.
“It’s been a while.”
“…Yeah.”
“You’re still really bad at lying. Right now, your expression doesn’t look happy at all. But still, well…”
The man’s name was Moon Yeonu.
“I’ve missed you, Han Jaekyung.”
He was Jaekyung’s ex-boyfriend, with whom he had dated, albeit very briefly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
