# Chapter 43
“Eat slowly. We can ask them to pack up whatever’s left.”
“Mmmph gzzz mmm.”
Mo Eunje mumbled through his sandwich-stuffed cheeks, essentially telling Tae Igyeol not to talk to him. With only one mouth, he was too busy eating to have the energy to respond. He could eat just one of the two sandwich pieces at the café and have the other packed up, but he was so hungry that he wanted to finish both before getting on the train. Sucking his iced tea through a straw, he couldn’t believe how delicious the bittersweet flavor was.
“I’m done. Let’s go. Go, go, let’s go.”
He shoved the slightly larger remaining piece into his mouth and stood up. After clearing their tray and leaving the café, they were about to head straight to catch the train when Tae Igyeol suddenly stopped.
“What?”
“Wait here a moment.”
After briefly looking around as if searching for something, Tae Igyeol strode away with his trench coat fluttering behind him. Mo Eunje, watching the imposing figure enter the convenience store, very slowly backed up and started walking toward the train platform so that Tae Igyeol could find him immediately when he came out of the store without having to look around.
Sure enough, as soon as Tae Igyeol exited the convenience store, he immediately fixed his gaze on Mo Eunje. He had moved quite a distance from where they had been standing in front of the café, yet Tae Igyeol spotted him right away. But then again, with such a striking appearance, it would be harder not to notice him. Internally praising himself, Mo Eunje waved both arms widely toward Tae Igyeol.
“What did you buy at the convenience store?”
“Just. Just in case.”
Mo Eunje looked at him as if to ask what he bought “just in case,” but Tae Igyeol continued walking without answering.
After boarding the train and checking their seats, Tae Igyeol placed his sports bag in the overhead compartment. Soon, an announcement that the train would depart shortly was heard.
Mo Eunje could have taken the window seat first, but he waited patiently. He intended to give up the window seat to Tae Igyeol, thinking he might feel stressed in the aisle seat with people passing by whenever the train stopped at stations. Unlike Mo Eunje, who had always enjoyed being at the center of attention, Tae Igyeol had preferred secluded corner seats where he could be as inconspicuous as possible since childhood.
“Why aren’t you sitting?”
“You take the window seat.”
“Don’t drop your head into the aisle while sleeping and obstruct traffic. Go in.”
“Hey, that was just once a long time ago… Ah, stop pushing. I’m going in, I’m going.”
After trying to be considerate, it was annoying that he kept bringing up something from years ago. When Mo Eunje was twenty, he went with Tae Igyeol to the Busan International Film Festival by train. Having drunk himself into oblivion the night before, Mo Eunje sat in the aisle seat and fell asleep as soon as he got on the train. With his neck bent toward the aisle as he slept, Tae Igyeol had to adjust his position several times. When Mo Eunje shamelessly denied it ever happened, Ban Hajun and Gye Minho, who had been sitting in front of them, presented photos and videos as evidence. Come to think of it, they had made many memories together over their long years of friendship.
“It would be fun if everyone came together.”
Mo Eunje mumbled as if talking to himself. The train slowly began to move.
“Ban Hajun said he was going to Ganghwa Island with his partner. And Gye Minho…”
“He said he has a pride match with his early morning soccer club tomorrow that he absolutely can’t miss. Even without that, he would probably find traveling burdensome right now since he’s working on his serial.”
“And you don’t have to go to the match?”
“If I go, the game won’t be fair. Our team would definitely win. I deliberately skipped for the sake of equity and fairness.”
“…Speaking of that, haven’t you skipped every single time this month?”
“Ban Hajun’s date must be fun. His face is all smiles and excitement.”
Just as Mo Eunje was about to give a somewhat pathetic answer about definitely attending the soccer club next week, Ban Hajun conveniently sent a photo to the group chat. It showed him smiling brightly in front of appetizing grilled shellfish. Judging from his both hands visible in the frame, it seemed his partner had taken the photo from across the table.
“To others, it would just look like two friends traveling together, right?”
Tae Igyeol murmured, almost to himself, while looking at the photo on Mo Eunje’s phone. Only Ban Hajun was in the picture, but Tae Igyeol seemed to be seeing the person beyond the frame.
“I guess so. Ban Hajun isn’t the type to show affection in public anyway. He’s already quite conscious of others’ gazes, so he’d probably just act like we do.”
“Like we do…”
“Ah. Maybe it’s hard to act like us? No matter how close friends are, they couldn’t match our relationship that’s practically like family for two generations. How should I put it, in terms of genre, our relationship itself might be called a fantasy?”
“Fantasy…”
“Huh? Why do you keep mumbling to yourself?”
Tae Igyeol closed his eyes with a rigid expression, not responding. Looking at him, Mo Eunje felt strangely concerned and went back over what he’d just said, wondering if something might have upset Tae Igyeol. But recognizing there wasn’t anything problematic, he turned his gaze toward the window, thinking that Tae Igyeol must be tired after staying up late last night and getting up early this morning.
From Busan Station, they took a taxi to MH Plastic Surgery & Dermatology. Mo Yeongwoo and Han Seola had opened a new hospital in Haeundae District, keeping the same name as their hospital in Seoul. Congratulatory wreaths and potted plants filled the hospital lobby from the entrance.
“You sent a potted plant too, right? Which one is it?”
“That one.”
The plant Tae Igyeol pointed to with his chin was placed in the most prominent spot next to the reception and payment desk. It was as tall as he was, closer to a tree than a plant, but since it was in a pot, it still counted as a potted plant.
Since Mo Yeongwoo and Han Seola had appeared quite often on broadcasts as a couple specializing in plastic surgery and dermatology, they were relatively well-known to the public. Currently, they were also running an opening event, so the dermatology appointments were fully booked. Because of this, they couldn’t even greet Mo Eunje’s father, Mo Yeongwoo.
They toured the hospital with Han Seola, and the scale was similar to before. Like in Seoul, the dermatology department had three doctors working besides Mo Yeongwoo, and Han Seola managed the plastic surgery department alone.
“It looks like you’ll have to wait another hour. Would you like something to drink?”
“I’ll go buy it, Aunt. I saw there’s a café next door.”
As soon as they entered the plastic surgeon’s office after finishing the hospital tour, Han Seola took out a card from her wallet. Tae Igyeol politely accepted the card, while Mo Eunje impolitely sank into the sofa.
“Mo Eunje. You go.”
“Igyeol said he’s going. I’m having my morning coffee break.”
Mo Eunje’s irreverence wasn’t because he felt comfortable around his mother. The same scenario would have played out if it had been Tae Igyeol’s mother, Song Yeonhwa, offering the card. This was just his innate temperament and disposition. That’s why Mo Eunje and Tae Igyeol had such contrasting attitudes toward each other’s mothers.
“Aunt, you’ll have chamomile, right?”
“How is our Igyeol so thoughtful and caring? Even remembering Aunt’s favorite herbal tea.”
“I’m thoughtful and caring too. I know Aunt Yeonhwa has a cucumber allergy, so when I made her spring rolls, I left out the cucumbers.”
“If you knew she had a cucumber allergy and still put cucumbers in the spring rolls, would you even be human?”
He jumped in unnecessarily only to get scolded by his mother. Tae Igyeol was planning to buy drinks on his way out for a smoke anyway, but his mother knew nothing about that and only praised Tae Igyeol.
“I want a slice of cake too.”
“What kind?”
“Mille crêpe. Or tiramisu if they don’t have it.”
Tae Igyeol nodded lightly and handed over his neatly folded trench coat that had been draped over his arm. Taking it, Mo Eunje found it odd that the weight was concentrated in only one pocket, and his gaze briefly lingered on Tae Igyeol’s back as he left the office.
“Stop making Igyeol do everything for you. That might work when you’re kids, but if a relationship becomes too one-sided, it won’t last long.”
Mo Eunje let his mother’s words go in one ear and out the other as he checked Tae Igyeol’s trench coat pocket. Inside were a dark brown glass bottle of liquid digestive medicine and a box of digestive tablets.
Huh? Why are these here?
Mo Eunje tilted his head in confusion, then smiled. It seemed that when Tae Igyeol went to the convenience store before boarding the train, he had bought digestive medicine in case Mo Eunje got indigestion from eating his sandwich too quickly. His mother was right. Despite his size, Tae Igyeol was truly a thoughtful and caring person.
“Mom, do you know what this is?”
Mo Eunje asked Han Seola in a voice filled with emotion, holding up the glass bottle and the box, one in each hand.
“Digestive medicine, isn’t it?”
“Really? Do you genuinely see this as just digestive medicine?”
Despite his mother’s dismissive look, he couldn’t help but smile. Mo Eunje set the mood by half-closing his eyes lazily and spoke in an exaggerated tone with an intentionally affected expression.
“Wrong. This isn’t just digestive medicine. This is love.”
“I’m hearing all sorts of strange things today. Digestive medicine is digestive medicine, what do you mean love?”
His mother showed her disagreement, but it didn’t matter. How could one explain everything in words? He hadn’t brought it up seeking his mother’s empathy anyway.
Even though they were practically family, judging by how much Tae Igyeol took care of his friend, it seemed he would be incredibly loving in a romantic relationship. Of course, he decided to momentarily ignore the fact that this was why the nickname “Mo Eunje’s butler” had been created.
Anyway, if he did this much for a friend, how devoted would he be to a partner? Though he pretended to be prickly on the outside, he had a warm and delicate heart that outweighed his obsessive tendencies, and he never showed off—he wouldn’t be a bad romantic partner. If Mo Eunje hadn’t discovered this now, he would have never known. Whoever ended up with Tae Igyeol would definitely be fortunate, if not to the extent of having saved a nation in their previous life.
