#54
“Looking at that expression, this hyung is drunk too.” Imun observed Hajun, his eyes curved. Fortunately, Hajun was busy eating jeyukbokkeum with unfocused eyes.
His lips, moving rhythmically as he chewed, glistened with red oil. For some reason, it was a sight Imun couldn’t look away from.
Here we go again. His heart suddenly began to pound. Furrowing his brow at the sensation that he still couldn’t get used to, Saha urged him to drink.
“Wow, Imun hyung is so cool!” As soon as Imun downed his glass, Sura snickered and praised him. Imun could no longer stand by and watch the two members acting out, taking advantage of Hajun’s presence.
“You guys… come with me for a second.” Just as he placed his hands on the shoulders of the members who were quickly lowering their heads and shaking them, Rai deliberately cleared his throat to divert attention.
“Mr. Gangha seems pretty out of it. Shouldn’t we put him to bed now?”
“You don’t have to call me Mr. Gangha. Just… call me hyung. I’ll treat you comfortably too, comfortably.”
Hajun stopped moving his chopsticks and smiled broadly. It was unclear when he had become so disoriented. Seeing him spreading smiles in all directions, Imun felt an unnecessary anxiety.
“Yes! Imun hyung, stop giving me those looks now!” In those few seconds while Imun firmly gripped Saha’s shoulder as he tried to climb up, Imun casually waved his hand in front of Hajun’s face.
“Hyung… snap… out of it. How many… do you see?”
Hajun turned to look at him, slow like a sloth. “Two? No… three? Hold still. Hmm…” His eyelids were blinking much slower than usual. As Rai suggested, they shouldn’t give him any more alcohol.
“I’ll… I’ll… put hyung to bed and come back.”
Imun slowly stood up, putting Hajun’s arm over his shoulder. “Oh, oh? Imun… the living room is spinning… what should I do…” After hugging Hajun, who was leaning almost entirely on him, more tightly, Imun carefully headed toward the bedroom.
The movements of the two, taking one step at a time as if the goal was to walk without falling, were slow as turtles.
“Oh, that’s Imun hyung’s room.”
“Yeah. Weren’t we going to let Mr. Gangha sleep in the manager hyung’s room?”
Sura and Rai paused while refilling each other’s glasses and stared blankly at the two. They waited for Imun to come back out, but his door remained closed.
“I, I, just a moment!” Suddenly pale, Sura ran to Imun’s room as if being chased by someone. Unlike his quick movements, he peeked into the room very carefully, then came back with a much brighter expression.
“Right, of course not, obviously.”
“What?” “That kind of thing.” Sura muttered incomprehensibly while Rai and Saha exchanged puzzled looks behind his back.
*
“Hyung… hyung…”
After laying Hajun on the bed, Imun called him several times before giving up. Hajun seemed to have passed out on the way to the room, lying motionless in the position he’d been placed.
Imun turned Hajun’s defenseless body to remove his socks, knit sweater, wristwatch, and belt one by one. This would be uncomfortable. After leaving only his pants and t-shirt on, Imun hesitated, then shook his head, suppressing an inexplicable excitement and embarrassment.
After covering Hajun with the blanket up to his neck to prevent him from catching a cold, Imun was about to get up, thinking he’d done enough.
“Imun, where are you going… don’t go… I… hand…”
Hajun reached out his hand with a faint smile. The unfamiliar aegyo and this new side of him made Imun’s legs wobble momentarily.
The tumult in his chest reminded him that he was probably quite drunk as well. When Imun hesitantly took Hajun’s hand, Hajun closed his eyes with a satisfied expression, as if having achieved his goal.
The strength in Hajun’s grip rapidly diminished, suggesting he might have fallen asleep again. Though it seemed like the hand would slip away easily with just a slight twist, Imun quickly adjusted his hold, afraid of losing it.
Was the living room cold? Far from being warm, Hajun’s hand felt chilly. While instinctively stroking the back of Hajun’s hand for a while, Imun heard steady, even breathing.
Hajun had already fallen into a peaceful sleep, his face innocent of worldly concerns. As Imun blankly observed Hajun’s features, his gaze suddenly lingered on one spot.
His lips. Imun himself didn’t know why Hajun’s lips caught his attention so much today. He hurriedly pulled back his body, which had unconsciously moved closer to Hajun, and exhaled in surprise. It seemed like he should go to sleep too.
Come to think of it, this is my room. Though he only now realized he had brought Hajun to the wrong place, he didn’t want to wake him up again. After spending some time with furrowed brows, Imun lay down beside him demurely.
“Hyung… why… won’t you let go of my hand.”
He mumbled an excuse to no listener and his face flushed red. He felt awkward for having spoken so quietly that even a fully awake person wouldn’t have heard him.
He felt like he might accidentally let go of Hajun’s hand. “This is because hyung asked for it… so that’s why.” He whispered softly once more and firmly intertwined his fingers with Hajun’s.
At that moment, when their palms pressed together so tightly that not even air could pass between them, an unexplainable tingling sensation ran through his entire body. This is really strange. Every time the soft skin between their fingers rubbed against each other, his toes curled involuntarily.
“…Hyung… Hajun… Hajun-ah…”
Despite even trying informal speech, Hajun showed no sign of response. Imun had conflicting feelings—part of him wishing Hajun wouldn’t wake up, part of him desperately wanting Hajun to open his eyes and look at him.
Why do I like hyung so much? Feeling an inexplicable sadness, he moved his body a little closer to Hajun. Only after pulling Hajun deep into his embrace did his anxiety subside a little.
“Hyung… I’ll… protect you…”
He couldn’t allow even a speck of dust to fall on Hajun’s face. After watching his friend before him endlessly for several minutes, Imun closed his eyelids, unable to resist the wave of drowsiness.
*
Hajun gradually woke up to the sunlight pouring in through the window. He tried to roll over, but the weight of something pressing down on his waist made it difficult to move freely.
What is this… He removed the unidentified warm object and gently opened his eyes. Seeing Imun, still drunk with sleep, right in front of his face made him wonder if he was still dreaming.
Pausing his hand mid-rub of his eyes, Hajun gazed at Imun before playfully poking his nose. “Mmm…” After repeating the same action a few times, Imun whined as if telling him to stop, then embraced him.
The pleasantly comfortable weight of arms. A warm yet refreshing scent. The warm breath spilling over his crown. The sound of Imun’s heart beating calmly. As strength drained from his entire body, a languid yawn escaped.
What a vivid dream. Imun had appeared in his dreams a few times, but nothing comparable to today.
Just as he closed his eyes, surrendering to the dreamy sensation, a dreadful melody played in his mind.
‘Learning while drinking, the drinking game!’
‘Hahaha! Hajun hyung got caught again! Dong-goo park, orchard shot!’
‘Drink up! Drink up, drink up! Drink up, the alcohol goes down!’
It wasn’t a dream! All his senses instantly became clear and he felt nauseous. After reflexively sitting up, he stifled the scream that was about to escape. Imun, fast asleep beside him, was also not a fantasy but reality.
Last night, he clearly remembered Imun taking numerous drinks on his behalf. Since Saha and Sura had terribly increased the soju ratio in the penalty drinks each time Imun volunteered as a substitute, Imun must have suffered quite a bit too. Shuddering as he recalled the nightmarish memories, Hajun slightly turned his head.
It seemed he had captured an unexpected opportunity to look closely at Imun’s face. What a stroke of luck. After calming his startled heart, he slowly bent over.
The perfectly balanced features as if measured with a ruler, and skin without a single visible pore. It was an appearance that elicited admiration the more he looked. While fully appreciating Imun, losing track of time, Imun suddenly frowned.
The way his eyeballs moved around under his eyelids made it seem like he was dreaming. Just as Hajun was watching this fascinating sight in a daze, Imun’s long eyelashes trembled subtly.
As if in resonance, Hajun’s heart suddenly thumped. His whole body felt ticklish in a strangely unfamiliar way.
“Still a baby.”
Hajun chuckled at Imun’s downy hair glistening in the sunlight and carefully got off the bed.
*
After a simple hangover remedy of ramyeon, they left the dorm with the other members. It was to attend a preliminary meeting with the production team before the main filming.
As they went down to the underground parking lot, a man who appeared to be the manager raised his hand to signal his location. Behind him, upon seeing the celebrity van that he’d only seen on TV, Hajun’s expression stiffened.
“Hyung, take it.”
Imun, who had somehow approached him, was extending his hand as if it were the most natural thing. With everyone around! Unable to respond, Hajun just shook his head, but Imun grabbed his hand first.
“What’s the big deal? When you’re comfortable without holding hands later, let me know then.”
“Whoa, why are you two holding hands? Creepy! What, are you completing some penalty?”
As they were boarding the van, they saw Saha openly expressing disgust, and behind him, Sura and Rai with surprised expressions. Deliberately avoiding the gazes of all three, Hajun’s face turned impossibly red.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
