The stress was nothing more than being tormented by Do-ha ahead of the wedding. After all, Hui-myeong’s life was entirely swayed by Do-ha alone.
“Fortunately, it’s mostly fat, but you’ve also lost some muscle, so you can’t gain weight with greasy or instant food. Take care of your diet and try to eat healthy snacks.”
He advised while carefully examining the body composition measurement results.
“Yes.”
While answering obediently, something suddenly entered Hui-myeong’s sight—the trainer’s wristwatch. It was a model he’d never seen before. Since he usually shopped with Do-ha and wore only things that matched his taste, and had no place to obtain new information, Hui-myeong was ignorant about things outside his domain.
“But where is that watch from?”
Unable to resist his curiosity, Hui-myeong asked. The trainer, who had a solemn expression, brightened up as soon as he brought up the watch.
“Ah, this? It’s a brand that people who professionally exercise wear, a model that can even go diving. I’m also a scuba diving instructor.”
“Wow.”
At the word diving, Hui-myeong exclaimed out loud. Even when they went to nice places, Do-ha was only enthusiastic about having sex while resting, so he never even dreamed of diving, but he was curious whenever he saw it on TV.
“What product is it?”
“It’s called Darmin, wait a moment.”
He brought his phone and soon took a picture of the watch on his wrist. When he put the picture into the portal site and waited, search results came up in droves before long.
“You can search with pictures too?”
“Yes. This is a pretty old feature, but you didn’t know. Try it with your phone, member-nim.”
At the trainer’s recommendation, Hui-myeong didn’t refuse and immediately held up his phone. Since there was no one to tell him about worldly matters, Hui-myeong was quite clumsy with new technology. When he did as taught, product searches really worked with just a picture.
“It’s really amazing.”
“Mine is this model, and I recommend it to people interested in scuba diving. For those who aren’t, it’s not really necessary.”
“I see.”
“If there’s anything you like, take a look around. This company makes good smartwatches.”
“Ah, no. It’s okay. I, I have to go now.”
Hui-myeong hurriedly waved his hand and cut off the conversation. He was afraid of being caught by anyone if the conversation lasted longer.
“Yes. Go ahead then. See you tomorrow, member-nim.”
After the conversation ended, the trainer greeted him with a much brighter face and moved away from Hui-myeong.
The new trainer, as if he had thoroughly learned the precautions, didn’t touch his body carelessly under the pretext of correcting posture during exercise, and didn’t even make eye contact when talking. Still, seeing him kindly respond when spoken to, he didn’t seem like a bad person.
It was sad that the better the person, the more he had to stay away. The closer they were, the faster they were separated—that was Do-ha’s policy.
‘But I learned something new.’
After the workout ended, his schedule was skin care. He always went to the same shop, but Do-ha didn’t particularly interfere with this place. Since they thoroughly managed regulars from celebrities to chaebols, even if a special customer like Hui-myeong spoke first, the employees responded with short answers. So to Hui-myeong, it was an utterly boring place.
After finishing his treatment at the shop, he moved to a baking class. When Hui-myeong whined that his daily life was boring, all he could take were such monotonous classes. Even that wasn’t allowed as a group class, and the duration was less than 3 months. It was all Do-ha’s will to block Hui-myeong’s contact with people.
Then around 4 o’clock, after his schedule ended, Hui-myeong cut his hair at the salon Do-ha had reserved and headed to the department store. He didn’t have much excitement about shopping anymore, but this too was a way to ease Do-ha’s suspicion. Hui-myeong roughly bought a few shirts in Do-ha’s taste and then ate cookies and juice in the VIP room.
‘Should I try something else?’
Suddenly remembering the picture search function the trainer taught him earlier, Hui-myeong took a picture of the watch he was wearing. It was the watch that Geum-gang said he’d give five million won for yesterday.
“Huh?”
When the search results came up, Hui-myeong exclaimed in surprise and then hurriedly closed his mouth. Original price 41 million won, current resale price 82 million won. It wasn’t a lie that it was an office worker’s annual salary.
‘It’s a 250th anniversary special edition.’
He never wanted something this grand. Do-ha always poured excessively onto Hui-myeong and didn’t particularly show it off.
‘I’d rather he give me freedom.’
Complaining internally didn’t change anything. Hui-myeong erased his interest in the watch and took pictures and searched for the clothes or cookies he bought today.
‘He said scuba diving.’
Suddenly remembering the conversation with the trainer, Hui-myeong looked up scuba diving videos on YouTube. After passing several instructional videos, videos taken directly underwater by divers appeared.
Fish gathering toward people, schools of silver fish and swaying seaweed. The divers’ appearance underwater was no different from free fish.
‘It looks fun.’
He didn’t know how to swim, but couldn’t he learn? But soon Hui-myeong became sullen. He couldn’t do anything Do-ha disliked. Moreover, since he painted Hui-myeong’s body bright red like a canvas every day, it was impossible to appear in front of others wearing a swimsuit.
‘Hyung wouldn’t have locked me up like this.’
To think that what came to mind in this situation was Geum-gang, who didn’t even acknowledge him. Though Geum-gang couldn’t save him like before, the past flowed into the present like fierce waves hitting a wall.
“No, really, Mrs. Ma always goes to Korean Airlines headquarters to buy tickets. Then the treatment is better or something.”
“She must still be healthy even though she’s over eighty.”
“She still goes to America twice a year.”
Breaking his reverie, an idle conversation was heard from the table next to Hui-myeong.
‘I can have fun too.’
At the giggling laughter, Hui-myeong put down the phone he was holding.
Being alone was too boring. It would be nice if he had friends to talk to while Do-ha was working, but since they were all under control, Hui-myeong’s life remained stagnant without progress or regression. Eventually, bored, Hui-myeong left the lounge early.
Arriving home, Hui-myeong roughly scattered the shopping bags in the living room, then brewed and drank a cup of warm coffee while looking up the baking techniques he learned today.
He had taken a barista course but couldn’t get the certificate. He also took a florist course but likewise couldn’t get the certificate. Baking would probably be the same. It seemed Do-ha thought that if Hui-myeong got a certificate, he would fly away like a fairy who regained her feathered robe.
In fact, his prediction wasn’t wrong.
The reason he learned those things was because Hui-myeong also had a small plan. Someday, to open a small cafe, display bouquets made with flowers bought from the dawn market that day at the entrance, and sell bread baked that day and coffee. But for now, it was just a pipe dream.
Even approaching thirty, the only thing Hui-myeong knew how to do was perfect sex with Do-ha. All he had was a body and face groomed in the way he liked best.
Now that Do-ha was getting married, Hui-myeong had to find his own way to live. While hoping Do-ha would abandon him, he was also afraid of being thrown into the world still unable to do anything. But most of all, he was most afraid of how long he would be locked up and sucked dry.
If abandoned at forty, if abandoned at fifty, what would he do then? Of course, the Do-ha he’d experienced so far wasn’t someone who would easily let Jung Hui-myeong go. No matter how ignorant Hui-myeong was of worldly affairs, he knew at least that he wasn’t an ordinary madman.
Nevertheless, since he didn’t know when something might happen, Hui-myeong had to pave his own way forward.
“Haa…”
Crouching under the sofa and worrying about this and that, a sigh naturally came out.
At that moment, at the ringing bell sound, Hui-myeong timidly raised his head.
『Beloved Lee Do-ha』
The saved name without any sincerity appeared on the screen. Looking at the time, it was already 6:30. Hui-myeong answered the phone while hugging his knees.
“Yeah. When are you coming?”
—I’ll be a bit late. A meeting came up. Let’s go to the hotel tomorrow. I’ll finish early tomorrow.
“Okay. Got it.”
—Myeong-ah.
“Yeah?”
—I miss you.
A soft breath mixed into Do-ha’s voice. They lived together for 10 years, so could he miss him that desperately? Even while thinking about leaving him all day, when he acted this affectionately, Hui-myeong’s heart softened.
“You know what, I bought a really pretty shirt at the department store earlier. I’ll take a picture and send it to you.”
—Good job. Today, just send your face, not below. I have to go into the meeting right away.
“Okay.”
Thank goodness. Hui-myeong hung up, relieved that he didn’t have to take provocative pictures. When he was alone, he would order high-level poses without hesitation. The exposed pictures and videos of Hui-myeong accumulated in Do-ha’s phone’s secret folder alone were probably measured in terabytes. Though he was terrified and refused such things at first, now he automatically offered himself up to the camera. Not provoking Do-ha. That was the most important thing in Jung Hui-myeong’s daily life.
