He answered as though nothing was wrong — but past the light scent of someone freshly washed and the casual clothes Munyeong was wearing, the glimpse of his collarbone stimulated every one of Yeon Haejeong’s senses. What’s he doing being so completely unguarded? And then there was the subtly heated look in Munyeong’s eyes as he glanced over, as if to ask whether it was so wrong to have a drink together — there was something sensual in it.
But unlike Yeon Haejeong, who was thoroughly stirred up, Munyeong found the whole situation a little dreamlike. A home more beautiful than a palace, a stunning night view, and this moment of sitting comfortably with his first love sharing a drink — it felt too unreal, and his heart floated somewhere untethered.
**
The drinking session that began with two people feeling entirely different things warmed up quickly. The proof was in how the stilted conversation gradually became easier and easier. Whether it was because he was more keyed up than usual, Yeon Haejeong’s face — which normally didn’t budge even after a whole bottle of whiskey — flushed red quickly and the alcohol went to his head. Munyeong, on the other hand, was quiet even when he drank. His cheeks went rosy and warm, but he wasn’t much different from usual. What was a little different was that his movements slowed down slightly, and he laughed more.
“…This place is amazing.”
He’d felt it when he first came, but the circumstances then had been too much of a mess for him to properly take it in. Munyeong blinked his reddened eyes slowly and said quietly.
“It’s nothing that special.”
Swirling the glass of ice and liquor, Yeon Haejeong gave a dismissive sniff, as if something like this were trivial.
“…Have you lived somewhere even nicer……?”
Munyeong asked with a vague, guileless expression, and Yeon Haejeong looked at him, let out a needless little cough, and answered with exaggerated flair.
“Obviously. When I was in America, there was a rooftop terrace. With a view overlooking all of Central Park.”
Yeon Haejeong boasted like a child showing off the latest robot toy. It was the kind of showing off that would make most people roll their eyes — but Munyeong responded with a genuine, wide-eyed,
“Wow.”
And asked innocently,
“Cen… tral Park? Is that somewhere famous……?”
“Well, I guess you wouldn’t know. What… want me to show you sometime?”
Yeon Haejeong slipped in the suggestion and needlessly swirled his glass around.
“…How would I see it. I……”
Munyeong trailed off with an awkward smile and a small murmur. At the deflated look on his face, Yeon Haejeong furrowed his brow and shot back.
“Why can’t you.”
“……It’s in America.”
“Then go to America.”
“……I’ve never been abroad. Not even once.”
Munyeong scratched his flushed cheek with a sheepish expression. In this day and age, admitting you’d never been overseas was the kind of thing that invited condescension. People scraped their money together to travel abroad — but for Munyeong, overseas travel was simply out of the question.
“……Well, I figured.”
“……”
“But still……”
“……”
“…That’s just how it is.”
“……Hm?”
He’d expected Yeon Haejeong to do what he usually did — chide him for being a pauper or say something cutting. He thought he’d look down at him and make some snide joke, the way he always did. But instead, Yeon Haejeong answered as though brushing it off entirely.
“Does not going abroad kill you? You might just not have gone. Why say it like you’re ashamed of yourself. Idiot.”
Yeon Haejeong knocked back the rest of his drink in one go and made a fuss out of nothing. Munyeong stared at him with slightly surprised eyes, mouth hanging open — before a quiet laugh slipped out. He laughed with an actual sound — a soft pfft — and received Yeon Haejeong’s signature sulky glare.
“What are you giggling at.”
“……Nothing. Just reminded me of high school.”
“What?”
“You were the same back then.”
“…What was.”
“……Saying kind things… in a mean way.”
Munyeong smiled playfully, a little sheepish about it. It was something he’d never have dared to say normally, but alcohol had a way of making people honest. And feeling so detached from reality, Munyeong felt a strange kind of ease. Thinking of it as a dream made the tight, compressed feeling in his chest loosen just a little.
“…Shut up. When did I ever.”
“If you say so……”
Munyeong replied softly to his denial and smiled with his eyes curving. It wasn’t only Yeon Haejeong who was different tonight. Munyeong himself was different too. Different from the way he’d been every day, all hunched in on himself. He was still cautious, but unlike the times when he’d kept his head down and stayed quiet, he was talking in a genuinely comfortable way, almost like they were old classmates of the same age — and more than anything, he was laughing easily. It was a rare sight. Something you didn’t often see even during their school days.
“Why do you keep laughing like that……”
Damn. Yeon Haejeong swallowed the curse and couldn’t take his eyes off that laughing face. When he smiled, he looked almost like a boy. His eyes curved so well — a completely different face from when he was tense. Bright enough that the thought young, almost lovely came naturally. He looked like a young boy and yet there was something beautiful about him.
Yeon Haejeong, annoyed by the thumping of his own heart, hit his chest with his fist discreetly. I’m not a kid, why the hell is my heart pounding. Embarrassing.
“…Sorry. I think I’m just… in a good mood today.”
“…Good?”
Yeon Haejeong asked back, perking up. Good? He’d half-forced him here, so he’d honestly expected Munyeong to be uncomfortable. He’d even had a backup plan ready in case he insisted on leaving right away.
“…Just……. It doesn’t feel real.”
“What doesn’t.”
“…The place is amazing…. I got to shower in an amazing bathroom….”
Munyeong explained slowly, one thing at a time. Yeon Haejeong kept a disinterested expression on his face while hanging on every word.
“You went and bought good food too so I got to eat as much as I wanted…… and the night view is so… pretty, and the drink is…… good. I think this is the first time…… I’ve ever thought alcohol tasted good.”
Munyeong’s clear eyes lit up as he spoke his honest thoughts.
“……Thank you.”
“……”
“For always helping me……”
Munyeong smiled more brightly because he knew this moment was a fleeting illusion. Starting tomorrow, he’d have to go back to reality. From zero — no home, nothing to his name — he’d have to start again.
“…While you’re at it. Shin Juho. Could you find that deadbeat for me too?”
Yeon Haejeong, who’d been listening quietly, asked in a low voice. The soft, loosened expression around Munyeong’s eyes flickered and stiffened slightly.
“……You really do know everything.”
“I’ll find him, so get it all back.”
“…A-ah no. I can’t impose that much……”
“You put up the guarantee. Which means until you find that bastard, the thugs are going to keep coming after you. You know that, right?”
“……”
The face that had been smiling like a fool darkened quickly. He knew.
“…It’s fine. I’ll figure something out on my own……”
“Pay off all his debt again?”
“…N-no…. I have to find Juho. But taking your help again, I feel… bad……”
“Never mind Juho. Damn. Aren’t you even angry? How are you so calm?”
“……I am angry. But.”
“……”
“There’s only so much…… I can do on my own. That’s all.”
Munyeong smiled bitterly and went on in a composed, it’s-fine sort of way. The more he did, the more Yeon Haejeong’s eyes creased with frustration.
“…You’re really……”
Yeon Haejeong let out a heavy sigh as if he couldn’t stand it, and suddenly stood up. He paced back and forth on his long legs a few times, crossing the wide space quickly. When he came back, there were a few sheets of white paper fluttering in his hand. Munyeong looked blankly up at him as he approached.
