By the time the two of them came back inside, Hae-ryeong’s noodle bowl was already scraped clean.
“You’re back fast.”
She threw the comment lightly, fiddling with her phone now that she’d finished eating. The noodles in Jae-ha’s bowl had gone soggy from sitting too long. He quietly lifted a mouthful of the mushy strands and ate.
“Sunbae’s really not going with noona?”
“…Yeah, that’s how it turned out.”
Awkward, Jae-ha mumbled in agreement. Hae-ryeong glanced between the two of them with curiosity.
“Wow, Ju Hae-hyun. Not bad. How’d you convince him?”
“Convince him? Please. It was only natural.”
“Hm…”
Her eyes narrowed briefly, but she soon brushed it aside like it didn’t matter.
“Anyway, Hae-hyun, you should come home once in a while. Mom and Dad say they’re starting to forget what you look like.”
“I went during Chuseok.”
That had only been a few weeks ago—pretty recent, really. But Hae-ryeong just snorted at his excuse.
“And what was the point of showing up then? Over the holiday we all got dragged into the Guardian Agency, babysitting restless souls throwing tantrums. We were on overtime every night. You got hauled in too, remember? Spent all night running along the Nakdong River because we were short-staffed. And then the moment the job was done, you bolted. Mom and Dad said they barely even saw you.”
Should he be more shocked that they hadn’t done ancestral rites, or that the Guardian Agency handled things like that? Being forced into night shifts over the holiday sounded rough, but since Jae-ha’s family didn’t do ancestral rites, he could at least hold his head high.
“Yeah, you should go. Your parents must be worried.”
A son skipping home to crash at someone else’s place doing unpaid volunteer work—it was easy to see how that could sting from a parent’s perspective. Feeling a twinge of guilt, Jae-ha offered a gentle nudge. But Hae-hyun just shook his head like the idea was absurd.
“No way. How could I leave sunbae alone and go?”
Hae-ryeong jumped in immediately.
“Then you can go together with Jae-ha.”
“Huh?”
Dumbfounded, Jae-ha tried to protest, but nobody was listening.
“If sunbae comes, I’ll go.”
And sure enough, Hae-hyun nodded.
“Wait, why would I—”
“Yeah, Mom and Dad are curious about you too. They keep asking, what kind of guy has Hae-hyun so obsessed?”
At that, Jae-ha was convinced going would be a terrible mistake. He’d be introduced as the villain who lured their son away from home, made him hole up in some guy’s place, and refused to return. No way that description earned him any goodwill.
“I think it’d be better if I didn’t go.”
“If sunbae doesn’t go, I’m not going either.”
Arms crossed, Hae-hyun turned his head with a pout. Like a sulky kid.
“Come on, Jae-ha, just help me out this once. Our mom’s about to lose it.”
“…Wouldn’t it be better if your parents just waited until you eventually went back on your own…?”
At his hesitant suggestion, both Hae-ryeong and Hae-hyun widened their eyes at the same time. Normally they didn’t look that alike, but in that moment, they were unmistakably siblings.
“What? You’re kicking him out?”
“Why would you bring that up now?”
If only they’d talk one at a time… but no such luck. Patiently, Jae-ha explained.
“I’m not kicking him out. But like noona said, if you stay away too long, of course your parents will worry.”
“My mom doesn’t worry about me!”
With a wounded look, Hae-hyun blurted out something completely unfilial.
“Wait, is that why you said that? My parents don’t care about that kind of thing. Don’t worry about it. So it’s fine if I keep staying, right?”
“No, that’s not what I meant—”
“My parents don’t care what I’m doing. It’s not like I’m dead, so—mph.”
What a boast. Not knowing where to even begin correcting that, Jae-ha instinctively clapped a hand over his mouth and glanced at Hae-ryeong. She just watched them with an amused, having fun with this look—no help at all.
“Fine. I’ll go with you. Happy now?”
Mouth still covered, Hae-hyun blinked and obediently nodded. It was Jae-ha’s fault for wording things poorly in the first place.
Fired up, Hae-hyun wanted to go home immediately. But with classes left on his schedule—was this guy planning on being a fifth-year?—and with their parents out that day, thanks to Hae-ryeong’s intervention the visit was pushed back to tomorrow. At least that saved him from showing up at his crush’s house in rumpled campus wear.
Jae-ha had already finished his classes for the day, but since Hae-ryeong had parked on campus and Hae-hyun still had lectures, he ended up tagging along with them. He figured he’d just drop them off and head home afterward, since he had nothing else to do.
Unexpectedly, Hae-ryeong was quiet the whole walk. Compared to her mood at lunch, the calmness made him wonder if something was up. He found himself sneaking glances at her, and as if catching on, she suddenly lifted her head and their eyes met.
“Jae-ha.”
“Yes?”
“You still like the same person?”
If he’d known she’d ask that, he would’ve kept his eyes on the ground. Regret came too late.
He never thought she’d remember that careless answer he’d given when they first met. He couldn’t even look toward Hae-hyun now, just feeling cold sweat trickle down his back. At least Hae-hyun hadn’t reacted—he clearly hadn’t caught on. Unfortunately, it seemed Hae-ryeong had.
“…Yeah, I do.”
It felt wrong to joke about it right in front of the person, but outright lying felt worse. And knowing Hae-ryeong had seen him with Hae-hyun, any denial wouldn’t have been convincing anyway. So he admitted it, halfheartedly.
“You’d think you’d cave if someone pushed a little, but nope—turns out our Jae-ha’s a one-woman man.”
Just how lightly did she see him? Curiosity about what sort of image she had of him flared up.
“It’s just unrequited, though.”
“Oh wow, where’d all that sly confidence go? Why so deflated?”
Laughing, Hae-ryeong clapped him on the back, acting like the whole thing was lighthearted.
I thought so too, but it wasn’t. He couldn’t voice that humiliating confession, so he just stayed silent. She slung an arm over his shoulders and whispered teasingly.
“Noona’s being totally serious, you know. You’re just too pure-hearted to take advantage.”
“…Thanks.”
Not thankful at all, but he answered politely.
“We’re here.”
Just then, Hae-hyun’s sulky voice piped up. Come to think of it, Jae-ha had been walking with Hae-ryeong’s arm over his shoulders, but Hae-hyun had stayed quiet. Normally, he’d have shoved himself between them in a jealous fit. …Maybe he’d worn himself out. Maybe the obsession was starting to cool. Swallowing that bitter thought, Jae-ha nodded.
He saw them off and trudged home alone, feeling strangely hollow. When he stepped into the living room, the stuffed animals were still perched side by side on the back of the sofa.
He stared at them for a long moment. Then he moved the fox plushie to one end of the backrest and the dog plushie to the opposite armrest.
***
“Should we bring something? Anything your parents would like?”
The next day, just as planned, Jae-ha was heading to Hae-hyun’s house. Despite all of Hae-hyun’s sabotage attempts, once Jae-ha texted Hae-ryeong—whose number she’d forced on him—she said she’d already told their parents. That alone spiked his anxiety.
No matter how he looked at it, he was bound to get chewed out. But he couldn’t back out now. If he bailed, Hae-hyun’s parents would see him as the sleazy punk who lured their son away and didn’t even keep promises.
So, like a general heading into battle, Jae-ha carefully polished his outfit before stepping out. He didn’t even flinch at Hae-hyun sneaking glances and asking why he was dressed up so sharp.
“What do your parents like?”
“They’ll eat anything. You don’t have to bring anything.”
“No, I’ll at least get cookies.”
Sure, the visit was sudden. But he was still about to meet someone else’s parents—while harboring intentions toward their son. He couldn’t show up empty-handed. Stopping at a bakery, he bought the most expensive box of cookies he could find, steeling himself before setting out.
Hae-hyun’s family home wasn’t far from Jae-ha’s place. Considering his own apartment was within walking distance of campus, the distance was easily commutable.
“Did you originally commute from home?”
“Yeah. It was a bit of a trip, but the subway worked.”
“Isn’t that uncomfortable?”
Jae-ha was tall enough that he sometimes risked bumping his head on the subway doors. With Hae-hyun being even taller, it had to be worse. But Hae-hyun just shrugged.
“Better than driving a car around campus.”
“You have a car?”
Barely twenty-one and already with a car? Surprised, Jae-ha asked, and Hae-hyun just shrugged again.
“My noona, my hyung, and my younger sibling—we all got our licenses right after the CSAT. Our parents gave each of us a car. We often have to go places without public transportation.”
“Ah.”
That made sense. Right, they were all exorcists. Ghosts didn’t only haunt cities—having your own car would be essential.
But still, for parents with four kids to buy a car for each of them—that was some serious wealth. Maybe exorcism really did pay well? The Guardian Agency was technically a public enterprise… maybe the salaries were good. It was a specialized and dangerous job, so there had to be hazard pay.
…Or so he thought, not giving it much more weight.
