#52
- The Eve
Even though it was only his second time, the airport scenery felt familiar. Hajun greeted Imun in the welcome advertisement board—still in the same place as before—and hurried his steps.
After completing the immigration process at a similar quick pace as before, Hajun pulled his carrier off the conveyor belt.
Fortunately, it didn’t break. Even though it was just for a few days, he couldn’t possibly visit empty-handed when he’d be staying at the dorm with the On The Sky members. Only after confirming that his carefully prepared gift was safe did he feel relieved.
Probably no one would recognize him, but he needed to prepare for any possibility. Just before stepping out to the arrival hall, he carefully put on his mask and cap and raised his head with a stern expression. The crowd visible beyond the automatic doors was larger than expected.
“I told him to call when I arrived.”
He quickened his pace with his phone in hand. Behind the fence, people were packed tightly together. Everyone had an expectant look, waiting for someone. While observing the crowd and guessing at each person’s story, his call connected with Imun.
“Hyung, where are you? Have you arrived?”
“Yeah, I just came out of the arrival hall. There are so many people even on a weekday evening.”
“Where? Ah, there you are!”
There you are…? What, no way! After frantically looking around for a few seconds, he spotted a tall man enthusiastically waving his hand to signal his location.
Even with his face completely wrapped up, his appearance was clearly extraordinary. That black figure standing like a crane among chickens in the crowd—
“You’re crazy!”
Anyone could tell it was Seo Imun.
Without realizing it, he ran over in alarm, and Imun naturally spread his arms. There was no time for a casual greeting. He grabbed Imun and frantically searched for a less crowded area, pulling away from the crowd.
A few minutes later. In a secluded space hidden between large potted plants, he finally released Imun’s arm and caught his breath.
“I told you I’d go to the dorm. What if someone recognized you? Why did you come to the airport?”
“I wanted to see you as soon as possible. Wow, it’s really you, hyung.”
As if he couldn’t wait any longer, Imun attempted another hug. Stunned as he was suddenly embraced, Hajun belatedly pushed against Imun’s chest.
“Let go, quick!” Ignoring the warning, Imun tightened his hold as if challenging him to try and escape. Eventually, Imun’s breath, mixed with laughter, penetrated his ear.
“Hyung, you should exercise more. You have no arm strength at all.”
A shiver ran down his spine at the bass voice resonating in his eardrum. “I said let go!” Even when he shouted with his face about to burst from heat, Imun just kept smirking. It seemed unlikely he would release him anytime soon.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! With the feeling that it was his last resort, he blew a breath into Imun’s ear, causing him to jump away like a sheet of paper.
With his cap half-removed without realizing it, Imun was clutching his ear and seemed quite startled. Hajun hurriedly scanned the surroundings to make sure no one was looking and tapped Imun’s arm.
“Get yourself together, Seo Imun.” After adjusting Imun’s cap and calling his name several times, Imun finally seemed to come to his senses and smiled awkwardly. Hajun’s anger dissipated in an instant.
“Don’t just hug me without warning like that.”
“Haha… I understand. That’s the end of my welcome greeting! Shall we go now?”
After sheepishly touching his earlobe, Imun suddenly snatched Hajun’s carrier. “Why are you—!” Hajun reached out several times to retrieve his luggage from Imun’s hands, but all attempts failed.
After silently glaring at Imun’s stubborn behavior, Hajun smiled lightly and gave him a push on the back. Since Imun, who had probably been waiting for today as much as himself, wanted to carry his luggage that badly, there seemed no need to insist on stopping him.
Why is he in such a hurry? “Hyung, hurry up!” Imun, who had been walking far ahead, was already coming back to him. “Yeah, I got it.” Hajun replied nonchalantly and quickened his pace a bit more.
*
While walking distractedly, Hajun inadvertently realized where Imun was heading. Of course, there was no way he would have taken public transportation. After having his hand swatted away several times as he tried to stop Imun, Hajun quietly bit his lip.
How should I bring this up? While wavering as the place grew closer, they inevitably entered their destination.
[Parking Lot 1]
“Hyung, this time I—” Turning around in front of a black SUV, Imun immediately frowned when he saw Hajun’s face.
“Hyung, why… are you so pale? Did you suddenly feel unwell?”
“Sorry, did I not mention it… I still can’t… with cars…”
“…Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that. Is the subway okay? Let’s take the subway.”
As Imun started hurriedly walking out of the parking lot, Hajun grabbed him and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter for me, let’s go together, okay?” Seeing Imun’s hand hovering in the air as if afraid to touch him made Hajun smile bitterly.
“What am I, glass that’ll shatter if you touch it? It’s fine, let’s just take the car.”
“Still, don’t push yourself. You’re doing this because of me.”
“…What about the car? And if fans recognize you on the subway—”
“I can come back for the car later. And who could possibly recognize me?”
Imun slightly lifted his bucket hat and smiled with his eyes. His mouth, though covered by the mask, was surely smiling widely too.
His effort to appear calm, as if he’d never been anxious, was completely transparent. Hajun felt somewhat sorry for unnecessarily worrying him.
“No, it’s okay. This is… a step forward, right? Since it’s not a passenger car, I think I’ll be able to handle it.”
“So, is this your car?” Hajun dragged Imun back to what he presumed was Imun’s car. “Hurry and open the door.” When Hajun playfully pulled down Imun’s cap and urged him, he took out his car key with a deep sigh.
‘Beep beep’ At the sound of the locks disengaging, Hajun swallowed hard. “I really am fine…” “I’m fine too.” Using Imun’s urgent voice as encouragement, Hajun grabbed the door handle.
“Hyung, hyung. Are you okay?”
After boldly stepping one foot inside the car, Hajun suddenly froze. As Imun carefully shook him, standing still like a stone, Imun’s eyes widened.
The firm expression he’d been showing to reassure Hajun was nowhere to be seen, and all that filled his vision were cheeks flushed red like apples.
While momentarily speechless, Hajun abruptly stared into the distance and mumbled.
“Maybe… could you hold my hand?”
*
Inside the car on the highway. Looking at Imun, who kept glancing at him, Hajun couldn’t feel at ease. Imun was already driving with one hand, having given his other hand to Hajun.
“Stop looking at me! I’m scared we’ll have an accident!” Hajun shouted at Imun, who glanced at him again as soon as they stopped at a red light, then sighed deeply. Fortunately, after his sharp scolding, he no longer felt Imun’s gaze.
Instead, the grip on their joined hands tightened. After staring for a long time at Imun, who was focusing on the road with a slightly furrowed brow, Hajun slowly lowered the window.
I never thought I could ride in a car. The method he had impulsively requested when his vision went white turned out to be surprisingly effective.
Concentrating on the warm sensation enveloping his palm, he took in a lungful of air. Perhaps because Imun was beside him, sitting in a car didn’t feel as frightening as it used to.
*
Confirming they had arrived earlier than expected, Hajun got out of the car. Determined not to let his luggage be taken this time, he hurriedly secured it, only to have his other hand suddenly grabbed by Imun.
“Why, why my hand?”
“What? …Just because we were holding hands before?”
“That was because of the car, I-I don’t need it now!”
“Hyung, you’re so mean… Are you just using me and throwing me away after getting what you want?”
Imun made a pitiful face and detestably sniffled. Given the situation, there was nothing particularly wrong with what he said, making it difficult for Hajun to harshly pull his hand away.
He’s really a strange guy. While Hajun wondered why holding hands between men was such a big deal to Imun, honestly, he didn’t dislike it either. He awkwardly looked at his hand enveloped in Imun’s and walked in the direction he was being led.
Before entering the parking lot, he recalled the neat walkway, fountain, and luxurious sculptures he had seen through the car window. Matching its extraordinary exterior, Imun’s dorm seemed to be quite, very, considerably high-end.
After passing through four communal entrances that opened with iris recognition, they finally reached the elevator. Just when he thought it was over, they encountered an unexpected obstacle. The elevator had no floor buttons.
“H-how do you, um, use this?” “Resident information is linked to the floor number.” Looking at Imun’s calm demeanor with a tired expression, Hajun laughed involuntarily. The phrase “ironclad security” came to mind.
“You guys… live in an incredibly nice place.”
“Haha, we moved here recently. The dorm is quite spacious too. Don’t worry about where you’ll sleep.”
“I’m not worried about where I’ll sleep, but this is like a hotel, not a home. At my place, you just need to open one front door to get in.”
“Well… there are many passionate fans, so…”
“Ah… that makes sense… It must have been tough.”
As Hajun patted the back of Imun, who was smiling awkwardly after removing his cap and mask, the elevator arrived with a chime. Though they had barely taken a few steps, Hajun felt he could already guess which unit was Imun’s home.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
