#65
“Let go of my hand. It’s not your business. Stay out of it.”
“Are you really not coming home? Is this really the end?”
Woohyun asked with a frown. Bluish smoke obscured the space between them before dissipating. Woohyun’s sharp emotions carried in his pheromones, bursting through the cigarette smoke. He didn’t seem to care about concealing it, perhaps thinking Eunhong was a beta. Eunhong shook off Woohyun’s arm and walked towards the company entrance. Woohyun hurriedly put out his cigarette and chased after him, finally shouting:
“Let’s talk. Please. If you keep ignoring me, what? Are you planning to never see me again?”
“…”
“Ah, shit! I’m sorry! I said I’m sorry!”
Eunhong stopped abruptly and quietly faced Woohyun. Woohyun apologized again, mixing in curses. He’s sorry. He won’t do it again.
“This is just how I am. What can I do about it? Shit…”
What did he mean by “how I am”? Eunhong recalled the Woohyun of the past. And he overlaid that image with the Woohyun in front of him now, swallowing his pride and apologizing. Woohyun’s eyes were shaking uncontrollably. Eunhong bit his lower lip hard.
“Stop changing the subject and tell me what you want.”
“Do you hate living together that much?”
As Eunhong tried to turn away again, Woohyun quickly stepped forward to block his path. He pleaded with shining eyes for Eunhong to wait a bit, so Eunhong reluctantly stopped with an expression that said “go ahead and speak.” After waiting for a while with his arms crossed in a defensive posture, Woohyun finally spoke.
“Then lend me some money. So I can find a place.”
For Woohyun, this must have been a very difficult thing to say. Eunhong swallowed the curse that had risen to his throat. Given that they were in front of the company, he summoned all the patience he could muster. Woohyun must have interpreted Eunhong’s silent stare in his own way, as he slightly raised the corner of his mouth and added:
“The place we lived together was already cramped and suffocating, but if I have to find a place after you left, I’d have to go somewhere even smaller. I can’t live like that.”
“Where would I have money to lend you?”
“…Hey.”
“Didn’t you say you’d talk to your mother?”
“The old lady says she doesn’t have money either. She won’t give me any.”
“…”
“I have no one else to turn to but you, and my mom told me to ask you too. We have a history together, so you can’t just ignore that, right?”
Woohyun scratched his head vigorously. He crumpled his cigarette pack and sighed heavily.
The all-too-predictable behavior choked Eunhong. He let out a long sigh and said:
“Why don’t you try the bank?”
“Hey, honestly, isn’t this too much? How many years did your family rely on ours? It’s only fair that you give me some money.”
“Stop talking like that. My mom paid her dues while working. And after I settle things with you, I need to find a new place too. I’m going to get a place in Busan, and my deposit is tight too.”
“Don’t lie. You have Lee Jaeha! What good is it keeping him around!”
Woohyun roughly grabbed Eunhong’s shoulder as he tried to turn away.
“If you’ve caught a rich alpha like an idiot, you should use him. What’s with your high and mighty attitude? Do you think acting so noble will make you his equal? It’s pocket change for him. Can’t you get that much out of him?”
Ha ha. Eunhong laughed in disbelief. He wasn’t sure if he hadn’t noticed because he had known Woohyun as a friend for too long, or if he was only seeing it now, but Woohyun’s distorted face looked so unfamiliar.
“Anyway.”
“…”
“I’m not moving out. Keep that in mind. Drag me out by force if you have to.”
Woohyun declared this boldly and then strode into the company. Eunhong felt as if all his energy had been drained in an instant and sat down on the curb by the road. He couldn’t understand why bad things always seemed to come all at once.
***
“Pull over. Next to that convenience store.”
“Why?”
“I want to buy soju.”
Jaeha frowned at Eunhong’s sudden request but stopped the car without saying anything.
On the way home from work, they both appeared outwardly calm, but in reality, it had been a day like war. Eunhong was in a state of knockout after receiving counterpunches from Han Jeongwook and then An Woohyun, while Jaeha’s head was throbbing from his grandfather’s bombshell announcement. Moreover, his grandfather’s subsequent words also bothered Jaeha.
If Lee Jaeseong had revealed something about Eunhong, he probably wouldn’t have lied, but even if he knew, his grandfather’s lukewarm reaction was a mystery. Based on past experience, Jaeha couldn’t believe his grandfather had become a sage… All these things combined had Jaeha feeling extremely anxious. He actually wanted to spill everything, but Eunhong, the person involved, was reluctant to remember that day’s events… Jaeha himself was in need of a drink.
“Why soju all of a sudden? We have a lot of alcohol at home.”
“I want to drink something familiar and get drunk quickly.”
“We have plenty of high-proof drinks too… Why insist?”
Jaeha picked up some beer and snacks while Eunhong just grabbed two bottles of soju. When Jaeha pushed Eunhong aside and presented his card, the part-time worker recognized Jaeha and greeted him with a bright smile.
It seemed he had made an impression even though he had only occasionally dropped by to buy cigarettes before Eunhong manifested. The part-timer’s subtle gaze also fell on Eunhong. He asked if Jaeha had quit smoking, mentioning it had been a while since he’d seen him, while glancing between the two. Eunhong stared at Jaeha’s face as he answered with a smile.
“Did you have a hobby of charming young kids?”
Instead of answering, Jaeha smiled and pulled Eunhong closer by the shoulder.
“What about you? Did you have a habit of drinking alone at home after work? For someone who does that, you don’t seem to handle alcohol well.”
Light banter about alcohol tolerance continued from leaving the convenience store until they parked in the underground garage. Jaeha had already forgotten his resentment towards Eunhong and his sullen mood from the past few days.
Eunhong put the plastic bag containing the soju bottles on the dining table and walked in, rustling. He looked tired and hurried as he walked in, taking off his clothes. Jaeha turned up the temperature in the house and put on some soft music.
By the time Eunhong came out after washing up, found some suitable snacks, and was shaking and pouring the soju bottle, Jaeha also emerged freshly cleaned, wearing a robe. While Jaeha was heating up the beef hot pot that Mrs. Ham had prepared, Eunhong took out frozen cups, poured beer, and mixed it with soju.
“Do you want somaek too?”
Jaeha shook his head gently.
“At least one of us should stay sober.”
“As if you’d get drunk.”
Watching Jaeha move the hot pot to the table, Eunhong downed a glass of somaek in one go. Ugh. Drinking something cold so quickly made the back of his head ache. Jaeha only poured beer into his own glass.
As the hot pot started bubbling again, Jaeha neatly transferred a chunk of beef and some mushrooms to Eunhong’s plate, along with some broth. The savory smell made Eunhong crave more alcohol. He quickly drank another glass, with the food in front of him.
“Don’t just drink, eat something too.”
“Okay, okay.”
Eunhong had liked mushrooms since he was young. Seeing him put a shiitake mushroom in his mouth first, Jaeha fished out a few more shiitake mushrooms from the pot and moved them to Eunhong’s plate. Watching him chew quietly, Jaeha asked:
“Why did you suddenly want to drink?”
“Just because.”
“I told you to just quit your job.”
“You always think it’s because of work when I’m having a hard time.”
“So you are having a hard time. Really, you don’t need to feel burdened. I can pay you a salary.”
Eunhong, who had been laughing at the mention of salary, suddenly became serious.
“Why would you pay me a salary? And would I enjoy receiving that? If it’s just about money, there are many other jobs. I’m not working there for the money.”
Jaeha raised his eyebrows. He knew Eunhong had affection for the company. The current project was one he had been involved in from the start. Jaeha remembered the times when Eunhong’s body was worn out from dedicating himself to it while juggling school. He also recalled how happy Eunhong was when they successfully launched. Then what could be bothering you so much? As Jaeha pondered this, Eunhong refilled his glass and said:
“It’s okay. Everything will be okay. I can solve it. No matter what happens, when we look back later, it’ll all seem like no big deal.”
Jaeha smiled weakly, feeling as if Eunhong’s words were directed at himself. Eunhong mixed another somaek and drank it. His face looked cute as he held the soju bottle over Jaeha’s glass, asking “You don’t want it?” with his expression. Jaeha nodded, pretending to give in.
“Grandfather has given me a task, and it involves my mother and father too.”
The suddenly heavy topic caught Eunhong off guard. He put down his drink and studied Jaeha’s face. Jaeha was adding more meat and mushrooms to the hot pot. With his eyelids lowered, it was hard to gauge his expression.
“Will this be okay too once it’s over? I’m thinking about how much I can forgive… I’m not sure.”
“…Well…”
Eunhong put down his spoon and rested his chin on his hand. His lower lip jutted out like a duck’s bill. Even as he furrowed his brow in thought, it was a difficult problem to decide. After thinking for a while, Eunhong let out a small sigh and spoke:
“Hating also takes energy.”
“Haha, that’s true.”
“Then let’s do this. Between us, let’s not hate each other. Whatever I become in the future, I’ll forgive you. In return, you forgive me too.”
“…Whatever you become?”
“Yes. A one-time forgiveness pass. Let’s exchange forgiveness equally.”
