Chapter 41
Jeonghyeok had the talent of wrapping even the most vulgar words to sound gentle. Yuwon, who had almost been completely swayed by that talent and was about to nod his head, suddenly came to his senses. He remembered the promise to meet Sohyeon again next week.
They had agreed to go together to the soup restaurant where the kitchen auntie worked, but he felt at a loss about how to bring this up.
In the current atmosphere, it was obvious he’d say no, but even if he postponed it for a few days, the situation didn’t seem likely to change much. Rather, since it would be breaking a promise, he might get even angrier.
Yuwon, who had been racking his brain, adjusted his posture and wrapped his arms around Jeonghyeok’s neck. At the sudden change in position, Jeonghyeok slightly furrowed his brow.
“I understand now how upset ajeossi must have been. I completely understand.”
As prettily and politely as possible. Yuwon raised his voice to its highest pitch before continuing.
“But couldn’t you let it slide just one more time?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I have one more appointment. We agreed to have lunch together next Thursday.”
“What?”
As expected, Jeonghyeok’s face contorted sharply. His fierce questioning voice was equally sharp.
“But we’re not just going to eat—we’re going to see the kitchen auntie.”
Yuwon quickly added an explanation before it was too late.
“Auntie started working at a new soup restaurant, so we’re going to have lunch there while seeing her after a long time. This is okay, right? Strictly speaking, it’s not just me and Sohyeon noona alone.”
Jeonghyeok couldn’t take his eyes off Yuwon’s lips as he chattered away. It was the same even when Yuwon finished speaking and was gauging Jeonghyeok’s reaction. He stared so intently that Yuwon wondered if something was on his lips.
Yuwon glanced around nervously and rubbed his lips once. Nothing came off on the back of his hand.
Silence flowed for a while. Had he made too much of a fuss? He should have waited just a little longer. Just as Yuwon’s worry was deepening, Jeonghyeok spoke up.
“Just eat and come back. Don’t wander off anywhere else.”
Though it felt like he was reluctantly agreeing, permission was permission nonetheless. Yuwon’s expression brightened cheerfully.
“I absolutely won’t wander off. I promise.”
Yuwon stretched his hand out in front of Jeonghyeok’s face and said.
“Should we even pinky promise? Huh?”
“……”
As if such a thing wasn’t necessary, Jeonghyeok grabbed Yuwon’s hand in front of his eyes and pulled it down as he spoke.
“Promise me one more thing.”
“What promise?”
“That you’ll never again say nonsense about separate rooms or whatever.”
He could easily make that promise. Anyway, saying they should use separate rooms had been something he’d blurted out in anger. It was a kind of protest, asking him to understand how angry he was.
“Okay. I won’t do it again. Come on, promise.”
Yuwon pulled his hand free from Jeonghyeok’s grip and held out his pinky finger again. Jeonghyeok, who had been staring at it quietly, let out a short sigh before linking his pinky finger.
“This is copy, this is stamp. Now, laminating too. All done.”
Yuwon, who had been fiddling with Jeonghyeok’s hand, smiled proudly as if everything was complete. Then he pressed his body close and leaned his head on Jeonghyeok’s shoulder.
“I hate it when ajeossi gets angry.”
“……”
“You already look scary, but when you get angry on top of that, you know it’s really scary?”
“Want to get scolded?”
Yuwon hugged the bristling Jeonghyeok and laughed playfully. At the bright laughter, Jeonghyeok’s tense expression quickly relaxed as well.
“When I was working at Cheolpan-jip, Boss Park made a slip of the tongue once. He said, ‘Kim Yuwon, you should be grateful to the director who raised you.'”
While nestled in Jeonghyeok’s arms, Yuwon suddenly began telling his story.
“Usually you’d say to be grateful to the parents who raised you. He was trying to say that but the words came out wrong. At that time, Sohyeon noona was definitely right there. Even though it was obvious she heard everything, she kept pretending she didn’t hear it, so I just told her everything myself. That I don’t have parents and grew up in an institution.”
At that time, Sohyeon had looked surprised for a moment, then quickly smiled refreshingly. She offered brief comfort, saying it must have been hard. Her straightforward response made him feel completely relieved. It was good that it wasn’t drawn-out pity.
“Sohyeon noona’s younger sibling is the same age as me. It’s a younger sister, and maybe because they share a room, the two of them are really close.”
“……”
“So she took care of me because of that. She said it reminded her a lot of her younger sibling.”
Yuwon smiled gently and lifted his head. His eyes met with Jeonghyeok’s, who was looking down at him intently.
“Do you know what I thought when I first heard that story?”
“What did you think?”
“How nice. That kid who has an older sister like Sohyeon noona must be really lucky.”
Though he was clearly smiling, his eyes looked like he was crying.
“I couldn’t stand how envious I was of that kid whose face I don’t even know.”
And he blamed himself for having such thoughts, thinking he was so pathetic. He should be used to it by now. Even though he knew that what was natural for someone else might be an impossible dream for him, he still felt painfully sad from time to time.
What if he really became a hateful person like this? His heart already had holes all over it, and he worried that instead of being able to patch them up, they might gape open even more uglily.
“I understand everything you’re saying.”
Then, Jeonghyeok’s voice was heard.
“Don’t get too close to her. I get jealous.”
At the unexpected words, Yuwon’s brow furrowed deeply. He had explained so carefully what kind of feelings he had for Sohyeon, so what was this nonsensical talk?
“What have you been listening to this whole time? Did it go in one ear and out the other?”
“No, I heard everything.”
Jeonghyeok chuckled and hugged Yuwon. Warm heat was transmitted from his solid embrace.
“Now you have me.”
“……”
“So you don’t need to envy anyone.”
At the low voice, his heart sank with a thump. Soon his chest tingled. Before the trembling could completely subside, lips were pressed together. Jeonghyeok, who had lowered his head, burrowed deep into Yuwon’s embrace.
Yuwon gently closed both eyes. Do all people become like ajeossi when they get older? Can they penetrate someone’s heart without being told, and figure out what they want to hear? If it wasn’t that, there was no way he could read his heart so accurately.
As the kiss gradually deepened, his breathing naturally became labored. Jeonghyeok, who had been sucking on his tongue intently, said quietly.
“Let’s go in.”
Yuwon’s face, whose eyes had fluttered open, gradually flushed red. He felt embarrassed about having made a fuss about separate rooms and such. In the end, it would come to this.
When he nodded silently, Jeonghyeok gently slipped his tongue through his parted lips. The two entered the room while sharing breath. It was the end of a very brief lovers’ quarrel.
***
Before dawn broke, outside the window was still dim. Jeonghyeok, who had opened his eyes, placed his arm over his forehead and let out a long breath.
Waking up early when his mind was complicated was an old habit. During his school days, he had been such a heavy sleeper that getting up was torture, but at some point, even when he wanted to sleep long without thinking about anything, his body wouldn’t cooperate.
Is this how I’m getting old? Erasing his bitter feelings and turning his head, he saw Yuwon’s smooth face sleeping soundly. Unlike him, once Yuwon fell asleep, he slept so deeply that someone could carry him away without him knowing. Thanks to that, he often satisfied his greed by burying his nose in the sleeping guy’s nape and rubbing his lips against it.
But today, instead of doing that, he quietly looked at Yuwon’s bedside. As always, his neatly placed phone caught his eye. Jeonghyeok took the phone and unlocked the pattern he had already memorized. Going into the recently used apps, he could quickly find the content of recent contact with Sohyeon.
[Noona!! Are you doing well? How’s school?]
[Whoa Yuwon! Of course I’m doing well.]
[School is the same as always lol How about you? Are you doing well?]
[Of course lol I’m doing well]
[Did you find a new part-time job? I want to come visit where you work]
[I’m not working right now, just taking a break~ I have plenty of time so let’s meet up when you have time, noona!]
That was all the messages exchanged. Looking at the call log, there was one call from Sohyeon right after the last message was sent. They must have decided when and where to meet during that phone call.
Jeonghyeok turned his gaze to Yuwon while gripping the phone tightly. Yuwon, who had his eyes closed as if dead, was lost in sleep without any wariness. Unlike Yuwon, who seemed to have no worries or concerns, Jeonghyeok’s insides were noisy.
The quarrel had ended warmly, but his heart felt even more unsettled.
The story that Yuwon had honestly confided scattered Jeonghyeok’s thoughts. How he had come to depend on Sohyeon, why he couldn’t help but want to see her. Yuwon’s eyes as he spoke calmly lingered in his mind.
Yuwon probably firmly believed that with that earnest explanation, he could resolve the misunderstanding with him, but unfortunately, that was a big miscalculation.
Jeonghyeok hoped that no one would take up heavy residence in Yuwon’s heart. Whether it was Yoon Sohyeon or the director who was like a parent, it was the same. He wished for only people in shallow relationships who wouldn’t matter much even if they disappeared at any time to stay by his side, rather than people whose mere thought would make his eyes well up with tears.
Jeonghyeok carefully stroked Yuwon’s hair. Even Yuwon’s insensitivity—not stirring even when touched by human hands—bothered him.
Why are there so many things to worry about? Grumbling, Jeonghyeok pulled up the blanket that had slipped down and covered Yuwon up to his chin. And he couldn’t fall back asleep for a long time.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
