#49
“Watch your words. Seriously.”
Eunhong had noticed that the alpha Woohyun was seeing would drive him to exhaustion every time they met due to their intense desire, without any consideration for Woohyun’s life. However, while that might be true for the alpha Woohyun was seeing, Eunhong had no intention of letting him lump Jaeha together and paint him as a sex-addicted maniac obsessed with mating.
“Do you think everyone in the world is like you?”
Eunhong was serious, but Woohyun just laughed.
“You think you’re any different? Acting all noble. Don’t you watch dramas? What do you even watch on Seflix that you pay for every month?”
“Me? I watch documentaries. Whales, octopuses…”
“Oh shit, you boring bastard. There’s a reason why you’re hopeless at romance. Poor Jaeha. What does he see in someone like you? It’s pitiful, really pitiful.”
Eunhong couldn’t find a retort and just stirred his udon aimlessly. Woohyun said what he wanted to say regardless of Eunhong’s complex expression and quickly lost interest. After a while of tormenting his udon noodles, Eunhong muttered unconsciously.
“…Actually, I’m not sure. I’m fine just being friends.”
Woohyun, who had been chewing on sushi, quickly swallowed and shouted, “What the fuck, friends?”
“No, I mean, if I mess up, I could lose everything, including friendship. I’m not completely clueless.”
Eunhong decided to be honest since the topic had come up. After all, Woohyun and Jaeha had no connection… In some ways, he was the optimal confidant.
“You’re talking absolute bullshit. Is what you’re doing to that guy how you treat a friend? Have some conscience.”
“What if we accept each other’s feelings, date, and then it ends? Doesn’t that mean the end of our friendship too?”
“Eunhong. Ban Eunhong.”
It felt strange to hear Woohyun call his full name after so long.
“Friendships end even without dating, you idiot.”
Woohyun spoke as if he had transcended worldly matters. He put down his chopsticks with a clatter, as if his words were the absolute truth. Looking at his face, Eunhong thought, “Who are you to talk?” Not knowing what I’m thinking as I look at him…
After paying a total of 89,000 won for lunch, including the additional food Woohyun ordered, Eunhong felt a surge of anger that wasn’t there before.
Woohyun was smoking a cigarette outside the restaurant building. Before, Eunhong had avoided those cigarettes because of their strong scent, even though they were said to mask pheromones. Now, he was almost glad, thinking they might hide his own scent. Noticing Eunhong’s interested gaze on the cigarette, Woohyun tilted his head slightly.
“So, what did you want to give me?”
“Oh.”
This. Eunhong took out two 50,000 won bills from his pocket and handed them over. As soon as he showed the money on his palm, Woohyun snatched it. He knew what this money was without being told.
“It’s my birthday, and you’re just giving me this?”
“…Is there something you want?”
“A car.”
Woohyun blew smoke into Eunhong’s frowning face.
“Your ‘friend’ has a lot of money, doesn’t he? Can’t he do something?”
Suddenly, his sneering face became unbearable. Eunhong answered irritably.
“Since you brought it up, about our house.”
“House? What about it? Did the landlord ask for a rent increase?”
“Let’s end it. I’ll take care of the remaining contract period…”
“What?”
Woohyun’s face contorted unpleasantly, as if this was completely unexpected. He threw his half-smoked cigarette on the ground, crushed it with his foot, and spat.
“End what?”
“Honestly, we’re not compatible. You’re different now from before. You can live alone now. I want to live quietly by myself.”
Woohyun took out a new cigarette and lit it. It was hard to tell if his deep inhale was him considering the situation or choosing which swear words to use. After exhaling smoke lengthily several times, Woohyun looked at Eunhong with a mocking expression.
“Is this why you asked to have lunch?”
“……”
“You want to live alone…”
“…Yeah.”
“But what can I do? I don’t have a penny to find a new place.”
“What? Where did all the money you’ve earned go?”
“That’s none of your business. I guess I’ll have to pester my mom to see if there’s any money coming from her.”
Holding the nearly burnt-out cigarette filter, Woohyun took a deep drag, his cheeks hollowing. Along with thick smoke, he exhaled words mixed with laughter.
“When are you moving out? But I wonder if my mom will let this slide. You know how irritating her personality is.”
“…You bastard.”
Eunhong’s eyes flickered with anger as he glared at Woohyun. He knew Woohyun saw him as a pushover and treated him like shit, but he didn’t expect him to go this far, dragging in family and trampling over everything. It felt like his blood suddenly turned cold. Eunhong clenched his fists tightly and turned away.
If there was one thing Eunhong had firmly decided after returning from Busan, it was to end living with Woohyun and distance himself. There was a time when they were good friends, but somehow it had deteriorated… After careful consideration, he concluded that it had gotten worse since they started living together.
‘I was a fool to expect things to get better.’
His angry, forceful steps gradually became dejected. Eunhong rubbed his eyes unnecessarily.
‘No. I was too childish.’
His father, who passed away after a long illness, couldn’t even get insurance, and money always slipped through their fingers like sand. His mother, whose career had been completely cut off due to caring for the sick, was far from being able to earn money. She had to support two sons and her widowed mother-in-law alone, and was also burdened with the debt left by his father’s illness.
It’s not that he hadn’t thought about talking to his mom. It’s not that he hadn’t resented why she was living like that. His mother had suffered too much to ask her to end the multi-generational living arrangement that had continued since his grandmother’s time. He couldn’t bring himself to tell his mother to find a different job while he was living his life doing what he wanted.
Instead of thinking about living while doing what I want… should I have chosen a job that pays well? Should I have earned more money and gotten mom out of there earlier? His dragging footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
The pedestrian crossing signal had turned red. Eunhong took a deep breath and exhaled while standing still. The familiar scent of cigarettes wafted in from behind. Woohyun, who had followed him, stood next to Eunhong and blew a long stream of smoke upwards.
“By the way, how long are you going to stay out?”
Thump, Woohyun draped his arm over Eunhong’s shoulder.
“Moving out is one thing, but you can’t live like this, can you? It’s not like living off others is some family tradition.”
Eunhong pushed away Woohyun’s arm, suppressing his churning stomach.
“I’m moving out.”
“……”
“I won’t kick you out right away. I’ll wait for the remaining contract period, so find a way to save up the deposit or get a loan. Contact me when things are settled.”
“Hey, I told you earlier. To my mom…”
“I’ll take care of the Busan house too. Don’t worry about that.”
Eunhong, who had finally calmed all his emotions, spoke quietly while looking into the distance. His expressionless face was clear, as if he had never been angry.
“I’m not a child… and I’m not incompetent. How long did you think I’d let you push me around?”
The pedestrian signal turned green. Eunhong shook off Woohyun and walked forward, saying,
“I won’t live like you, An Woohyun.”
The hand that had been gripping his shoulder fell away surprisingly weakly.
“Fuck… don’t do something you’ll regret.”
Even the threat mixed with swear words had no effect. Eunhong, who had walked a few steps, turned halfway. Walking backwards, he looked at Woohyun’s contorted face once more. Cutting off a relationship that had been dragging on was, for now, simpler than he thought, and also refreshing.
***
Tick-tack. The pen tip scratching on the pad made a sound like glass clinking.
Freelance work. At least 10 projects.
He’d have to contact those who offered substantial work that he had rejected because of the contest. If he worked intensely for about half a year as if his life depended on it, he might be able to get a small house in Busan with the money he’d save plus what he had saved. Eunhong underlined the words he had scribbled on the pad and drew a star.
Even if they start with a small house, if he suggests gradually expanding it, his mom and Sunhong would probably agree. The progress would be slower if he helped with living expenses until his mom settled, but still.
Mom’s job.
Mom would understand too. If he told her that he had been tiptoeing around and crawling on his own all this time, she might get angry with him, but she wouldn’t blame him. That’s what he thought, but his heart was still uneasy. Eunhong drew a question mark next to this part. In fact, this was the biggest problem.
Loan.
Yeah… A loan was an option if needed. Being a military service graduate with work experience, he should be able to get a decent amount. Still, he wanted to keep this as a last resort in case An Woohyun refused to move out till the end, or if his mom wanted to try running a store… to prepare for various variables.
Loan from Jaeha?
Rejected! Absolutely rejected! Eunhong scribbled thick black lines over the written words, obliterating them. What are you thinking? Friends shouldn’t lend money to each other, and moreover, Jaeha would probably just give the money outright if asked how much was needed, which made it even more unacceptable.
Deposit.
The deposit for the house where Woohyun was currently living alone was money that Eunhong had been gradually building up since college, truly representing Eunhong’s years of effort. It included money saved from part-time jobs, earnings from freelance work during his student days, various contest prize money, and so on.
It didn’t seem like Woohyun would back down easily. Thinking about that money made him want to cry tears of blood… It seemed he needed to consider the worst-case scenario. Suddenly remembering his belongings left in that house, Eunhong’s eyes flew open. The bastard probably wouldn’t destroy the computer since he needed it for gaming, but the innocent figurines might have their necks broken. Rather than that, he should sell them and add to the household funds… Eunhong wrote “Rescue my babies before they all die” next to number 5.
