“Hit me all you want, until you feel better.”
“…What?”
“It must have been Kim Yu-shin’s first kiss, and I…”
Yu-shin blocked Jun-wan’s mouth with his palm. His already heated face felt like it would burst soon.
“What are you saying!”
Jun-wan quietly waited for Yu-shin’s punishment. Honestly, he’d done something deserving of divine punishment, so whether he got slapped or his shin kicked, he had nothing to say.
On the other hand, Yu-shin was restless. Though there was no one to eavesdrop, he busily shook his head looking around. When his head returned to its place, as if unable to look at Jun-wan’s eyes gazing up intently, he looked at the air for no reason.
“That day… I already hit you a lot.”
The hand blocking his mouth also slowly fell away. Yu-shin gathered both hands together and picked at his innocent nails.
“I pulled out a ton of hair too.”
“I wondered. The back of my head felt empty.”
Jun-wan lightly countered. The back of his head was still densely filled with black hair.
How hard could she have hit him? With those small hands. Her fist is only bite-sized at best. Rather, I who drunkenly came at her must have been more violent.
Jun-wan squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled a long breath. Though he had no memory, he roughly understood his own drunken behavior.
Regardless of gender, if someone was in front of him, he’d embrace and press against them. Most cases ended with light contact, but he’d heard he could behave badly too. Judging by Kim Yu-shin’s reaction, the latter was highly likely.
“I know you must have been very startled. It’s natural for you to be angry.”
“Do you always act like that when drunk?”
“When moderately drunk it’s fine… but they say when completely wasted I act like that. This is the first time I’ve been this drunk in ten years, so it’s really awkward to explain.”
“Just… kissing and groping for hours, and, rubbing lower parts—didn’t anyone say anything?”
“……”
When Jun-wan looked at him as if he didn’t understand at all, determination rose again in Yu-shin’s eyes.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Move.”
“I did that?”
He firmly held Yu-shin who was trying to get down from the table. When pressed, Yu-shin’s face turned uncontrollably red.
He’s really making light of me. Yu-shin clenched his fist tightly.
“Should I really punch you?”
“Hit me. Hit me and let’s hear the details.”
Jun-wan openly presented his right cheek.
This is ridiculous. Yu-shin slapped his cheek as if to show him.
Jun-wan, having properly taken a hit with one cheek turned red, began the interrogation again.
He inquired in detail about what he’d done. At this rate, it was like Yu-shin was in the position of having committed a crime. For someone who couldn’t even remember, he was shameless beyond measure.
The person was so persistent that Yu-shin had no choice but to confess everything before him. All the embarrassment was Yu-shin’s portion.
“…Satisfied? I swear I didn’t exaggerate anything.”
“……”
Jun-wan’s face looked like he’d eaten a handful of shock. After being speechless for a while, he rubbed his stiff lips and barely squeezed out his voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, will you move aside?”
When Jun-wan slightly turned his body, Yu-shin slipped out through that gap. Just leaving felt wrong with Jun-wan looking so pale.
“I’m not angry because of Park Jun-wan’s drunken behavior. I felt bad because you blacked out.”
“……”
“I’ll accept your apology. So never bring this up in front of me again.”
Having driven the point home, he went up to the second floor. After pouring everything out, his mood improved and the reason to hole up in the studio disappeared.
After Yu-shin went upstairs, Jun-wan, left alone, sat weakly in the spot where Yu-shin had been sitting. Someone had shaken it off and left, but the one who belatedly shouldered the baton of shock still couldn’t escape the serious atmosphere.
He didn’t deny having a terrible drinking habit. It was all said and done since Kim Yu-shin had inevitably caught him. But there was definitely a point that needed to be addressed.
The misconduct from complete intoxication amounted to no more than momentary contact. Without a doubt, there was no sexual intent in it whatsoever. This wasn’t brain theory but data created based on testimonies from numerous witnesses and those who’d experienced it. While not something to brag about anywhere, it wasn’t something to take lightly either.
But the outrage he’d committed against Kim Yu-shin… wasn’t it too vulgar? He could hardly bring himself to definitively call it drunken behavior.
Jun-wan, who had been biting his lips hard, suddenly let out a deflated laugh.
“…Must have been quite impressive.”
The kiss shared while unconscious must have been quite to my liking. Just what was it like that I held onto Kim Yu-shin and sucked on him for hours? The absence of memory is inwardly frustrating. Perhaps it’s regrettable because it’s something that might never happen again.
“Let’s eat dinner.”
By the time the sun had set and the sky turned pitch black, Jun-wan knocked on the bedroom door. Yu-shin, who happened to be feeling hungry, closed the book he’d been reading without regret.
While descending the stairs, he smelled something delicious. To the question of what the menu was, Jun-wan indifferently answered pasta. Yu-shin licked his lips. Pasta… he hoped it was tomato.
“Wow! It’s pomodoro!”
When exactly the menu he wanted was prepared, delight came first.
The refreshing tomato sauce stimulated appetite with its scent alone. It was filled with crushed tomatoes and plenty of fresh basil, and the Parmigiano cheese settled like snowflakes on the surface transformed the store-bought sauce into a much more refined taste.
Yu-shin generously coated the rolled pasta noodles in sauce. The pasta Jun-wan made suited his taste remarkably well. While he chewed a big mouthful, the person who’d personally prepared dinner also silently moved his fork.
Though there was only silence, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Family members (食口)—weren’t they literally people who shared meals under one roof, according to the Chinese characters? The quiet stillness had become something they could now accept as natural.
“Are Kim Yu-shin’s parents doing well?”
The one who first broke that silence was Jun-wan. While cutting a small cherry tomato in half with a knife, he naturally asked after them.
Yu-shin answered only after swallowing what was in his mouth.
“Yes. Nothing special. Except that they’re a bit lonely.”
“That’s fortunate. My father’s birthday is the day after tomorrow.”
Jun-wan answered briefly and put the tomato in his mouth. His tone was so casual that even the listener was a bit slow to grasp the weight contained in those words.
Yu-shin blinked slowly and asked back.
“Birthday? Minister Park’s? The day after tomorrow?”
“Yes. The family is planning to gather for a meal that day. I’ll visit after work, but Kim Yu-shin can do as you’re comfortable.”
Jun-wan put down his cutlery and rinsed his mouth with carbonated water. He maintained as calm an attitude as possible, not wanting to burden Yu-shin.
“If it’s uncomfortable, it’s fine not to attend. I’ve already gotten Mother’s understanding in advance.”
Yu-shin held fork and spoon in both hands, stopped still. His expression said he didn’t understand.
“Are you telling me to come or not to come?”
“Are you thinking of coming?”
“Why you think I’d be uncomfortable—that’s what I find questionable from the start.”
Jun-wan sent a wordless gaze. It contained the meaning: it’s a meeting with parents, can you handle it?
A hollow laugh escaped Yu-shin’s mouth. He moved his stopped hands and rolled the pasta noodles, moderately mixed with sauce, into a pretty shape.
“You’re under a huge misconception. I act very sweetly in front of adults, you know? It’s true I’m very shy with strangers, but I know how to observe basic courtesy.”
“My hyung and his wife will also come.”
“It’s a birthday, so of course hyung-nim and his wife would co— wait, you were really planning to exclude only me?”
As if finding it absurd even thinking about it again, Yu-shin put down the pasta he’d worked hard to roll nicely onto the plate.
“Tell them I’ll go.”
“……”
“Contact them now.”
His wide eyes alternately swept over the phone on the table and Jun-wan’s face. He looked ready to get angry if his demand wasn’t met. Yu-shin’s eye corners were gradually sharpening to acute angles.
Since his will was this firm, there was no choice. Jun-wan exhaled a long breath and sent a short text to his mother. When he glared as if to say, are you satisfied now, Yu-shin nodded and picked up his fork again.
“What does Minister Park like?”
It was an expected question. Jun-wan answered decisively.
“Father has no material desires. He doesn’t really like receiving gifts on birthdays or holidays.”
“But I can’t greet him empty-handed. That would be even less courteous.”
Yu-shin quietly looked up at the air, lost in thought. A smile gradually formed on his deeply contemplative face. Even his cheeks with faint freckles swelled roundly.
Jun-wan gazed intently at that sight. He was deeply uneasy about Kim Yu-shin’s scheming.
“Don’t do anything rash.”
“What?”
“Father is even more so than me. He’s someone who absolutely won’t tolerate extravagance.”
“Wouldn’t a painting be okay? That’s not spending money but putting in sincerity. He’ll know my profession is artist anyway. You said Minister Park likes paintings.”
“……”
Jun-wan’s mouth shut tight. Put that way, he had nothing to say.
