Maybe he shouldn’t have drunk.
His head was a bit dizzy. It felt like his thoughts were paralyzed. His steps were upright and he knew what he was doing, but it was something he wouldn’t have done if he’d been sober and not drunk.
Yeongbeom was standing in front of an apartment complex he’d visited before. He stood at the entrance of the walking path and looked up at the towering apartment buildings.
This was where Seongjo currently lived, but it was also where Yeongbeom’s family lived. The fact that he’d received Seongjo’s help when getting this house for his mother and younger sister vaguely crossed his mind and passed.
Since such thoughts didn’t continue long, the guilt didn’t last long either. Seeing how he didn’t feel like visiting his mother or younger sister even after coming this far, perhaps the emotions of regret and guilt themselves had become paralyzed in Yeongbeom now.
But he did think this. That he very much disliked Seongjo living in this apartment.
It was an excessively good place for Yeongbeom’s family. Until moving to this complex, his mother and younger sister had lived in an old house where light didn’t even properly come in.
But not for Seongjo. This place was different from any of the residences Seongjo had lived in until now.
Yeongbeom, who had lowered his raised head, looked around the complex. The walking path had a pretty decent view, but it was small in scale, and even the arrangement of the flower beds felt shabby compared to where Seongjo had lived before.
A place like this didn’t suit Seongjo. He was a man who should be in the top-floor penthouse of a bigger, higher, more expensive apartment. He shouldn’t have moved to a place like this just because of some new man…….
Though he wanted to go find Seongjo again, he’d just see the same or worse reaction as last time. Then the one he should visit was someone else.
Yeongbeom moved his steps as they were. The first couple of steps staggered, but after that he could move like someone not drunk at all. His steps continued slowly, very slowly. Completely different from his impatient heart.
* * *
Yeongbeom pressed the doorbell. He couldn’t hear sounds from inside the house, so he couldn’t tell if the bell had properly rung or not.
Since there had been times when he frequently visited to see his mother and younger sister, he already knew this apartment had good soundproofing. Also that you couldn’t hear the sound from outside even when the bell was pressed. But even knowing this, he pressed the doorbell button once more. Because he thought the person inside the house might not come out.
Making such thoughts meaningless, the door opened quickly. When he raised his head seeing the gap in the front door widen, a man with an impassive expression stood before his eyes.
Height…… about the same as Yeongbeom’s, perhaps.
It was a delicate and refined face. Thanks to his height, build, and cold expression, he didn’t look weak at all though.
He didn’t say anything. It wasn’t an expression surprised by a stranger’s visit, and there wasn’t even a question like “Who are you?” He just silently looked at Yeongbeom.
Though his face had no expression, Yeongbeom could feel just from facing him. That this man was looking at his drunk self pathetically.
Yeongbeom suppressed and endured the anger that came from that fact and asked.
“……Do you know who I am?”
“Yes.”
It was such a monotonous answer that it deflated him. Shouldn’t there be some other explanation attached? For example, ‘I heard you’re my lover’s ex-boyfriend,’ or at least ‘I can guess……’
Yeongbeom faced his face with a wrinkled expression.
What was his name again? He’d definitely looked at the name several times along with the photo he’d received, but now that the face was right in front of him, it didn’t come to mind immediately. Definitely…….
Right, Jeon Yujeong. Yujeong.
An androgynous name more likely to be used as a woman’s name. Having a thought close to nitpicking that he didn’t like even that, Yeongbeom lowered his head slightly. Seeing how his vision became dizzy again for a moment and his stomach churned, his drunkenness seemed to be rising gradually.
However, since he didn’t want to show it in front of Jeon Yujeong and receive even more pathetic looks, Yeongbeom opened his mouth pretending nothing was wrong instead of showing it.
“I heard you’re a teacher.”
Yeongbeom didn’t even try to hide the fact that he’d looked into him. Since his head was lowered, he couldn’t see Yujeong’s face, and it was more frustrating that no answer came back. But feeling like he wouldn’t be able to produce as straight a voice as now if he made eye contact, Yeongbeom continued speaking in that state.
“Is it okay for you to openly meet someone like Seongjo?”
He thought some answer would come to these words. Something like what kind of person is someone like Seongjo. An answer for when he heard that question was prepared too, but Yujeong just stood there silently this time as well. It felt as if some kind of wall had been erected between him and Yeongbeom. Though he felt like he was being completely ignored and gritted his teeth, Yeongbeom maintained only his voice calmly.
“What will you do if rumors spread at your workplace?”
Yeongbeom muttered clearly.
“Even if times have changed these days, people who dislike it still dislike it, don’t they? Won’t parents make protest calls saying they don’t want a gay teacher…….”
Yeongbeom knew how ruined he must look right now. But he didn’t feel guilt or shame about that fact. Having finished speaking, Yeongbeom raised his head and mechanically moved the corners of his mouth to smile. He faced Yujeong with a smiling face.
It was words close to a threat. That if he continued to meet Seongjo, he would expose that relationship to the school.
However, there was still no change in Jeon Yujeong’s expression. There was no way to know if he was even slightly shaken or didn’t care at all. Had he even understood the words in the first place? He felt twisted inside. Frustration and anger mixed to create an indescribable emotion.
Jeon Yujeong looked at Yeongbeom silently for a long time. When the impulse to grab his collar and scream at him to open his mouth right now was raising its head, he finally spoke.
“You smell strongly of alcohol.”
It was a first statement Yeongbeom hadn’t expected. Yujeong calmly looked at Yeongbeom’s expression wrinkled as if absurd.
“I thought a robber was breaking in. Seeing how you were pounding on the door.”
Is he joking right now? Yeongbeom frowned and laughed as if incredulous. After laughing like that, he suddenly recalled. Where the source of this laugh was.
Originally Yeongbeom didn’t have a habit of laughing like this. It was because he tried not to show negative things like incredulous expressions or frowning in front of others. The reason Yeongbeom learned this kind of smile was purely because of Seongjo. He’d come to resemble his habit exactly.
Seeing how he was blankly having such thoughts, he must have definitely gotten drunk. He felt like he should be hearing a different answer from the man before his eyes…… His mouth wouldn’t open. Rather, Yujeong, who had been watching that appearance, opened his mouth first again. It was words continuing the story he’d brought up a moment ago.
“It seems that wasn’t such a wrong thought.”
What did it mean that it wasn’t wrong? After brief consideration, he could tell right away.
Did he mean thinking he was a robber wasn’t wrong?
He was about to let out an empty laugh again at the absurdity. However, after finishing what he had to say, Yujeong struck first before Yeongbeom’s protest could continue. He slightly lowered his head toward Yeongbeom and brought his body a bit closer. It was thoroughly a posture for whispering. Yujeong, who had turned his head slightly, opened his mouth as it was and whispered right into Yeongbeom’s ear.
Those words were calm and leisurely like Yujeong’s other words.
But to Yeongbeom’s ears, those words…….
“Haven’t you been able to break your habit of stealing yet?”
…….
Goosebumps rose crawling up the back of his neck. Dismissing the words he’d heard as clearly as lightning striking his ear as a misunderstanding, Yeongbeom shouted with a completely wrinkled expression.
“What bullshit are you……!”
But that shout couldn’t continue to the end.
Though there was still not the slightest change in Yujeong’s expression, Yeongbeom felt from that face a sense of contempt beyond being pathetic for a moment.
Seeing that expression, he suddenly recalled.
What things Yeongbeom himself had done that could be called ‘stealing’ until now.
“You…….”
A dazed murmur flowed from Yeongbeom’s mouth. It felt like he sobered up from the alcohol all at once in an instant. While thinking ‘no way,’ he…… couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth and let out the single word ‘no way.’
His face turned deathly pale as if he’d seen a ghost. Yeongbeom staggered back from Yujeong as he was.
Yujeong opened his mouth calmly.
“When threatening others, you should prepare your own grave too.”
“…….”
“I have quite a lot of things worth burying you with too.”
“…….”
“Are you prepared?”
“…….”
“Sunbae-nim.”
