When he opened the window, hot wind flowed in along with the distinctive smell of grass. Under the bright sunlight, he could see at a glance the gradually ripening grains. The open field was a familiar sight to Yoonjo and an unfamiliar landscape to Seonwoo.
They’d already been driving around outside for an hour. Seonwoo kept driving along the road as if he didn’t want to arrive anywhere at all. Yoonjo was leaning with his elbow on the windowsill, then sat up straight like someone who’d remembered something.
Moving his fingers quickly as if searching for something, Yoonjo soon found an answer and urgently called Seonwoo.
“Hyung, hyung! Seonwoo hyung, you know what. There’s a place I want to go.”
It might seem sudden, but Yoonjo was quite serious. And he immediately brought up the navigation and showed it to Seonwoo.
“Here, let’s go here.”
“If it’s because we’ve been driving around, I’ll go home now…”
“I just got discharged from the hospital, so let’s go have fun. Okay? Hyung, you know I don’t really ask for favors.”
For someone saying that, Yoonjo asked for favors as easily as breathing. As if he’d roll around on the spot, at Yoonjo’s behavior of constantly being unreasonable, Seonwoo turned the steering wheel.
The place they arrived at before long was a small beach they’d stopped by once before. Yoonjo hopped around checking the inside, then practically carried Seonwoo as he made his way through the stone path. Putting Seonwoo down on the soft sandy beach, Yoonjo diligently tied something to nearby trees and rocks.
Before arriving at the beach, they’d stopped by an old supermarket to buy long, sturdy rope. Right next to it were two large straw hats that were always in Seonwoo’s car.
Yoonjo, who’d been gauging the length of the rope and the distant horizon, nodded as if it was appropriate. Then he looked at Seonwoo and slowly examined his outfit. At Yoonjo’s behavior, Seonwoo, who’d been silent, covered his eyes with his hand’s shadow and said indifferently.
“It’s hot, so is there a reason we had to come all the way here? Just being at the pavilion in front of the house would be enough…”
“Take it off, hyung.”
“…What?”
“I’m saying take everything off except your underwear.”
At Yoonjo’s words spoken without context, Seonwoo unconsciously hesitated and stepped back.
“Yoonjo-ya. We’re not in that kind of relationship yet…”
“Ah! That kind of relationship or whatever, you need to take it off first before we can do anything.”
Yoonjo, who spoke as if it was no big deal, crossed his arms to take off his shirt then paused for a moment. Quietly lowering his arms, Yoonjo took off his pants first instead and rummaged through a black plastic bag. Inside was a tacky swimsuit bottom he’d bought from the supermarket.
“Go change, hyung. It’s dangerous if you go in with your clothes on.”
Only then could Seonwoo understand Yoonjo’s intention. He wasn’t some voyeuristic pervert, and his past self who’d jumped to conclusions about doing something outside felt embarrassing. But even so, there was no reason to take off his clothes.
“I won’t go in, I’ll just watch you play.”
“No.”
“Whether I do it or not is my decision, not yours…”
Yoonjo glared with fierce eyes and walked toward Seonwoo without hesitation. Then in an instant, he stripped off Seonwoo’s clothes. Out of courtesy, he left the pants.
“Should I put the swimsuit on you? Or will you put it on yourself, hyung? If it were me, I’d choose the former, but you seem like the latter type.”
Shrugging his shoulders and handing over the flashy floral-patterned swimsuit, Yoonjo dipped his feet in the sea. It was a bit cold but not bad.
“Hyung, are you done changing?”
When he turned around, he could see Seonwoo’s face unable to hide his annoyed expression. When the bright sunlight shone on his smooth white skin, it sparkled as if glowing. Yoonjo stared blankly at Seonwoo’s bare body and gave a thumbs up.
“Wow…”
“Done looking?”
Seonwoo, who indifferently swept his hair up, approached Yoonjo. He looked at Yoonjo with a slanted gaze, wondering what on earth he was planning to do. Yoonjo’s gaze was fixed on Seonwoo’s body. More precisely, on his well-defined abs.
“No. I’d have no regrets if I could look at you for exactly 24 hours straight.”
“You’re casually telling me to walk around naked.”
“I’d be grateful if you would.”
“It’d be better if you took yours off rather than me.”
“Well… I am a bit more than you…”
When he slightly lifted his shirt to show his stomach, his well-toned muscles were revealed along with skin the color of well-baked rye bread. Yoonjo lightly patted his stomach and showed a playful smile.
“Anyway, come in, hyung. Get yourself wet and relax.”
Letting out a brief sigh, Seonwoo reluctantly splashed seawater on his body. Pretending otherwise, Seonwoo always granted Yoonjo’s requests.
The wind carrying salt scattered their hair. Yoonjo took Seonwoo’s hand and took a step forward. Because Seonwoo had a faintly anxious expression, Yoonjo laughed out loud and took another step.
“Trust me, just once. Even if I fall into the sea, I’ll send you back safely.”
“No, I’ll…”
Seonwoo, who was about to say he’d save him, closed his mouth when he saw Yoonjo’s expression. Yoonjo slightly raised his upper lip as if looking at something strange and added.
“What are you talking about. A person who’d break with a single tap.”
Unable to utter a single word of rebuttal, Seonwoo let out words like a sigh.
“…Do as you please.”
At Seonwoo’s reaction close to giving up, Yoonjo showed his teeth and smiled brightly.
When he relaxed, his body floated on the sea. As his ears were half-submerged, the sound of water strangely sounded more frightening. When Seonwoo fidgeted with his hand, he felt a hand grasping his. It was Yoonjo.
Yoonjo was subtly supporting his body so Seonwoo wouldn’t flounder. He adjusted the distance so the rope on his hand wouldn’t get too taut and helped Seonwoo float comfortably on the sea.
“Whenever summer comes, I always lie still in the sea like this. Actually, I went to a swimming pool because Seoul was so stifling, but I guess I’m not the swimming pool type. That distinctive… disinfectant smell is too terrible and maybe because there are so many people… it’s incredibly noisy too.”
“What’s so good about lying down like this.”
“Try closing your eyes quietly. You can’t fall asleep. Instead, focus on that sensation. Just floating around and the sounds in your ears. Then you feel like you’re alone in the sea. The world gets incredibly far away.”
When Seonwoo slowly closed his eyes, Yoonjo covered his face with the straw hat he was wearing.
“Your heart becomes incredibly at ease. Whenever I feel stuffy inside, I do this once in a while… It helps quite a bit. Whenever things are hard, thinking ‘Yeah, there was a moment like this too.'”
Keeping Yoonjo’s gently heard voice in his ears, Seonwoo breathed out lightly. As he was gradually consumed by the sound of the sea rippling and swaying in his ears, he felt as if only Seonwoo remained in the world.
More precisely, with Yoonjo holding his hand, the two of them.
“I can’t dare say how hard it is for you, hyung. Each person’s burden is different. Who am I to say this or that.”
“……”
“But if you think there was at least one day like this, you’ll feel a little better.”
Splash splash—. The occasional sound of the water’s surface swaying, the sunlight burning his skin painfully, the cicadas’ cries constantly echoing from far away, the warmth felt at his fingertips, and even his breath felt more vividly because of the straw hat covering his face.
He gradually felt his mind drifting away. Seonwoo, who’d been standing at the ambiguous boundary of falling asleep, barely opened his eyes at the hand tightly grasping his. When he slowly removed the straw hat, he saw Yoonjo right next to him.
“You can’t fall asleep. Then you’ll really drown.”
“I appreciate the concern, but I can at least swim, Yoonjo-ya.”
“The sea and a swimming pool are really different. Don’t think that just because you did well there, you’ll do well in the sea too. At least in a pool, someone can come save you before you drown. The sea isn’t like that.”
Yoonjo squinted his eyes and spoke deliberately sternly. At this, Seonwoo lightly touched Yoonjo’s cheek with his wet hand.
“No way. You’ll come save me.”
“Mmm… Right? Uh… that’s true but…”
“Like how you hit my back and grabbed my collar, you do that to other guys too, so—mmpf…!”
When Yoonjo unconsciously slapped Seonwoo’s chest, Seonwoo momentarily lost his balance and sank. He hurriedly grabbed his body, but Seonwoo’s face was already soaking wet.
“Oh my… Hyung, so… I’m sorry! Did you swallow a lot of water? Did you? What if something happens to this handsome face…!”
“…Right. This was you. I forgot for a moment…”
Muttering, Seonwoo pressed his forehead against Yoonjo’s shoulder and floated around. Even so, his mood wasn’t bad. After staying still for a while, Seonwoo smiled faintly.
***
Naturally, if it was natural, Yoonjo and Seonwoo returned to Namhang village. Yoonjo carried Seonwoo, who was weakly trying to shuffle into the house, and brought him to the pavilion. Then he quickly made two cups of coffee. One was iced coffee for Seonwoo, and the other was instant coffee mix for Yoonjo to drink.
Yoonjo lay sprawled in the pavilion looking at the ceiling where spider webs were tangled here and there. From the cup right next to him came the clinking sound of ice melting. Then he turned his body toward Seonwoo, who was leaning his back against the railing looking only at the distant place.
His expression was extremely serious as if thinking deeply about something. Thinking he might have depressing thoughts if left alone at home, he’d brought him out for now, but there was no pretext to talk to him. Having thought that far, Yoonjo touched his lips.
Like a stream of consciousness, he got angry. It wasn’t like checking if fruit was ripe or not—what country’s etiquette was it to poke around as you pleased?
Yoonjo, who was about to open his mouth to talk to Seonwoo, checked the screen lying down at his phone’s vibration.
「Web sender」
「Korea University Dongbaek Dormitory Move-in Notice.
Students who receive this text must complete dormitory move-in application within the deadline.
As this is additional move-in selection due to vacancy, application and management fee payment mandatory within deadline.
Deadline: August 15th ~ August 20th.
Move-in period: August 25th ~ August 29th.」 2:18pm
“Huk…”
