Chapter 2
“The moving company is coming Wednesday morning.”
— No. I’m asking when you’re coming over.
In truth, if he was going to stay at Tae Igyeol’s place, he could go right now. Whether by choice, force, or compulsion, since he’d have to move out anyway, what difference would it make if he went today or tomorrow? Mo Eunje decided to choose the slightly more comfortable option.
“When should I tell you I’m coming so you’ll come pick me up?”
— …
“I’m feeling really miserable right now, and surely I don’t have to pack my things and go to your place alone? I believe you’re not that disloyal.”
— I never had any loyalty to begin with.
“I’ll do all the cleaning, laundry, dishes, and recycling for a week. Deal?”
— I can do the cleaning, laundry, dishes, and recycling perfectly fine myself.
As expected, he never failed to defy expectations. With Tae Igyeol’s personality, he might do household chores even better than Mo Eunje—in fact, there was no way he couldn’t do them at all. Tae Igyeol was the type to redo things if he wasn’t satisfied with how Mo Eunje had done them.
“What’s the point of having a car if you’re not going to use it? Come on, it’s not even that far. Just come once.”
— Come on, it’s not even that far, so ask your mom to drop you off in front of my place on her way to Busan. If you have a lot of stuff, just send it by courier.
“Damn it.”
— I have another call coming in. Hanging up.
“Hey, wait, wai—”
Though he called out pitifully, the call had already ended. The claim about having another call had a 99.999% probability of being a lie. He’d seen Tae Igyeol use the same excuse countless times to end annoying phone calls. And Mo Eunje had fallen for it quite a few times.
“I’ll just call him back. What’s the problem?”
Getting hurt over something like this was too bothersome. As always, Mo Eunje persisted undeterred and tapped Tae Igyeol’s name at the top of his recent calls list. He switched to speaker mode and flopped down on the bed. The day when he’d have to part with the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on his ceiling was approaching.
— What now?
“How was your call?”
— …
“You hung up pretty fast, huh?”
— …
Judging by the lack of response, it seemed he had indeed tricked him to end the call. Tae Igyeol’s actions were predictable to Mo Eunje.
“So I’ve been thinking…”
— Just think. Think, but don’t tell me about it.
“Ah, why not!”
— I get really anxious when you say you’ve been thinking. Makes me wonder what nonsense you’ll spout next.
“It’s not nonsense this time, really!”
— Not nonsense, yeah right. I can already guess you’ve been racking your brain trying to figure out how to get me to come pick you up. I’m busy. I’m busy now, I’ll be busy tomorrow, and I’ll be busy the day after tomorrow. Hanging up now.
“…”
The call ended again before he could even say the nonsense he’d prepared. Similarly, Mo Eunje was also predictable to Tae Igyeol. Mo Eunje rolled halfway over and, now lying on his stomach, tapped Tae Igyeol’s name again.
— I’m turning off my phone.
Why does he keep hanging up when he answers so quickly anyway? Just wasting finger energy.
“Sure, go ahead and turn it off, but listen to me first.”
— Sigh…
“Anyway, I’ve been thinking—it’s probably better to move when you have time. It feels awkward to just pack up and go alone to a place that’s not even my house, you know?”
— How do you never miss a single prediction? It’s so cliché that I’m speechless. At least come up with a more plausible excuse. This shows absolutely no effort.
“Try to see things from my perspective. You like putting yourself in other people’s shoes, right? I’m already imposing on you, so wouldn’t it be less awkward if I entered with the homeowner?”
— Listen to you talking about being awkward. Who was it that came and went like they owned the place regardless of whether the owner was there or not?
“My goodness… Is there someone else like that besides me?”
— …Goodbye.
The call was abruptly cut off again. A new method had been deployed. It seemed like the first time Tae Igyeol had said “goodbye” during a call before hanging up. It was a bit refreshing. Mo Eunje grinned casually and tried calling again, anticipating Tae Igyeol’s response. This time, the familiar voice came through immediately after the first ring.
— Fine, I’ll come! I’ll come pick you up, alright, you crazy bastard? Damn it, stop calling already.
“…”
The call ended unilaterally before he could even reply. Mo Eunje laughed out loud, hugged his pillow, and rolled around on the bed. Even though it would only be until he found a place, he was looking forward to the days ahead of officially staying with Tae Igyeol.
&
The doorbell rang while Mo Eunje, who had opened his eyes but didn’t want to get up, was rolling around in bed. When he turned on his phone screen to check the time, it was almost 11:10 a.m. If it was a delivery, they’d leave it at the door, and since he hadn’t ordered any food today, there was no one who would visit his home at such an early hour.
The doorbell didn’t ring again, so it seemed like someone had pressed it by mistake. Yet somehow, he could hear friendly, murmuring voices conversing outside his door.
Mo Eunje rolled to the side and got out of bed. His eyes felt dry from sitting in front of his laptop until dawn, determined to write something. In the end, he hadn’t written a single word before lying down.
“Mmm…”
Standing in front of the mirror, he roughly combed his jet-black hair, which had formed a cowlick, with his hand. After checking for eye boogers and feeling satisfied with his handsome face, he went out to the living room.
In the hallway leading from the entrance to the living room stood a tall man with an impressive physique, wearing a gentle expression that didn’t match his size, facing Mo Eunje’s mother, Han Seola. Dressed in a sky-blue shirt, white slacks, and a trench coat, Tae Igyeol exuded a spring vibe with his outfit alone. Perhaps because it had been a while since he’d seen him dressed up so nicely, it felt a bit unfamiliar.
“Why are you so dressed up? Do you have a date or something?”
“This is how I usually dress when I go out.”
“…Right.”
He’d tried to tease him but didn’t even get his money’s worth. Maybe because he’d only seen Tae Igyeol at his home, he was used to seeing him in a white t-shirt and black sweatpants. Come to think of it, his mom also seemed about to go out, wearing a bright dress and even holding a handbag.
“You should dress nicely like Igyeol. Why do you always wear such colorful mismatched clothes?”
At his mother’s unexpected criticism, Mo Eunje looked down at what he was wearing. He thought his fluorescent orange short-sleeved t-shirt and blue sweatshorts were harmonious. They were much more stylish than Tae Igyeol’s boring training clothes that only came in black and white.
“What’s wrong with how I’m dressed? I think I look pretty good.”
“If only Eunje had been a daughter, I could have been in-laws with Yeonhwa and Igyeol could have been my son-in-law…”
His mother’s repertoire, which had been going on for twenty-six years, began. Conversely, Tae Igyeol’s mother, Song Yeonhwa, would say whenever she saw Mo Eunje that if only one of Tae Igyeol or Tae Iden had been a daughter, she would have welcomed Eunje as a son-in-law, lamenting why she’d only given birth to two sons. The fact that Tae Iden was eight years younger than Tae Igyeol was because Song Yeonhwa, unable to give up her longing for a daughter, had gotten pregnant late. Although it turned out to be another son…
“I hate the thought of giving our Igyeol away as someone else’s son-in-law. Hey, Igyeol. Our Eunje is a bit… you know?”
“Auntie, I also have certain preferences…”
“Hey! What’s wrong with me? You’re not the only one with preferences, you know. I have them too. And you’re not my type either.”
“Mom’s type is Igyeol rather than you.”
“Mrs. Han Seola, I didn’t ask, you know?”
Whether Mo Eunje snorted or not, his mother Han Seola’s gaze remained fixed on Tae Igyeol. They may have seen each other often when they were young, but not as much as they grew up. During middle and high school, they were going through puberty, and since Tae Iden, who always followed his older brothers around, was annoying, the two of them played outside instead. When they became college students, Tae Igyeol moved out, significantly reducing their chances of running into each other. Still, every summer and winter, the two families would coordinate their vacation schedules and go on family trips together.
“Our Igyeol really becomes more and more desirable the more I see him.”
“Mom. It’s not too late even now. Have a little sister.”
“This kid, really. Are you in your right mind? Igyeol, he says such nonsense. I have plans with friends, so order something delicious for lunch and enjoy yourselves. Today is the last day for this house too.”
Mo Eunje, ears wide open, held out both hands. When Tae Igyeol came over, it was the day his mom’s wallet would open. Sure enough, Han Seola took out two 50,000 won bills from her wallet and handed them to him. Mo Eunje’s mouth stretched ear to ear. If they packed up, went to Tae Igyeol’s villa, and ordered jajangmyeon, even with an extra-large order, he’d have nearly 80,000 won left as pocket money.
“Don’t think about pocketing the money. Buy Igyeol some meat.”
“Yes, yes. Please be on your way, Your Majesty. You’ll be late for your appointment.”
Mo Eunje joked, putting his hands together like a court eunuch and bowing at the waist. Han Seola laughed as if she couldn’t help it and stroked her son’s cheek.
“Take care, Auntie. I’ll come visit you in Busan next time.”
As Tae Igyeol politely bowed his head in greeting, Han Seola patted his back, put on her shoes, and left through the front door.
Mo Eunje and Tae Igyeol’s parents were all alumni of the same university, and the four of them had spent their time together from campus couple days to becoming newlyweds. Tae Hyunseok and Song Yeonhwa had their wedding at the same venue on a Saturday, and Mo Yeongwoo and Han Seola had theirs the next day, Sunday, and they’d even gone on their honeymoon together. They’d deliberately scheduled their wedding dates one day apart with the intention of honeymooning together. And their honeymoon babies, Tae Igyeol and Mo Eunje, were also born one day apart.
“Looking at your state, I can pretty much tell.”
As soon as the front door closed, confirming his mother’s absence, Tae Igyeol’s politeness disappeared.
“Tell what?”
“Just admit that you told me to come pick you up but haven’t even packed yet.”
Tae Igyeol, who rudely scanned Mo Eunje from head to toe, walked ahead with a swaggering gait. He flung open Mo Eunje’s door and surveyed the room with an ominous look. And for good reason—Mo Eunje’s room was exactly the same as usual, no different at all.
“Well, I didn’t know you were coming now.”
“Didn’t you say to move when I have time?”
“You never told me when you’d have time.”
“I have time now, so I came.”
“You just showed up without even calling. Would your finger break if you made a phone call before heading out?”
“Even if I had called before leaving, would you have been able to pack everything in that time?”
Of course, even if the call had come first, the situation wouldn’t have been much different. From the beginning, Mo Eunje had planned to pack together with Tae Igyeol no matter when he came.
