# Chapter 140
They drank alcohol and ate meat until they were stuffed while chatting about trivial things that could be done or left undone. Except for Ban Hajun picking fights over every little thing because he found it irritating how excessively Tae Igyeol took care of Mo Eunje, the four of them spent a casual time together, not much different from before. Mo Eunje tried to calmly accept Tae Igyeol’s excessive behaviors that he wasn’t yet used to, while Gye Minho showed little reaction for the sake of his mental health.
But as it approached midnight, for some reason, Ban Hajun and Gye Minho became completely drunk. Mo Eunje was bewildered since he thought they were drinking too much and too quickly, but he hadn’t expected them to get so drunk they couldn’t even control their bodies. Until now, they could at least put them in taxis to send them home, but today that seemed impossible.
“I think we’ll have to let these guys sleep on the living room floor.”
“Why would we let these people in? Absolutely not.”
“Then what should we do? They’re completely out of it.”
“I’m calling a taxi right now.”
Unlike Mo Eunje, who was concerned about the guys slumped over the table, Tae Igyeol frowned in disgust and picked up his phone. Even if they put them in taxis in this state, there was no guarantee they would arrive home safely. The taxi driver would drop them off in front of their homes, but whether they could get inside was uncertain.
“Let’s just let them stay for tonight. I’m too anxious to send them away like this.”
“You really…”
“Or we could both take them home and make sure they get inside.”
There was no way Tae Igyeol would do something so troublesome. He might have considered giving them a ride in his own car, but since Tae Igyeol had also been drinking, they would have to take taxis together and ensure they got home safely—a hassle that was out of the question.
“I’m kicking them out. I don’t care if these bastards end up on the street or get dragged to the police station.”
“…They drank like this because they were excited to celebrate us. How can you be like that?”
“Haah…”
While their friends had been drinking heavily, Tae Igyeol had been busy showing affection, and Mo Eunje had been enduring it, so they’d unintentionally moderated their amount and pace, leaving them pleasantly tipsy. This also meant their reason and judgment remained intact.
Gye Minho, though struggling to accept the reality of two close friends dating, didn’t hold back his congratulations, and Ban Hajun kept taking credit, claiming it was all thanks to him. In any case, it was undeniable that both had their own reasons for celebrating Tae Igyeol and Mo Eunje while drinking.
“I’ll wake them up and put them inside.”
“I’m throwing them out as soon as the sun rises.”
“Okay. You can handle that.”
“If it weren’t for you, I would’ve thrown these bastards from here down to the first floor.”
As Mo Eunje shook Gye Minho’s shoulder to wake him, the grumbling Tae Igyeol got up and kicked Ban Hajun’s leg. There was some noise for a while due to the not-so-gentle care, but Tae Igyeol and Mo Eunje were able to successfully dump their friends on the living room floor.
“Should I get them pillows and thin blankets?”
“No.”
“I’ll run the washing machine tomorrow after they leave. But they should at least be covered with blankets. Grandma said you’ll get an upset stomach if you sleep with your belly uncovered.”
“I don’t care if they get an upset stomach or not.”
Tae Igyeol’s stance was so firm that Mo Eunje had to be satisfied with just placing a sofa cushion under each of their heads. Still, he felt he’d done his duty by preventing Tae Igyeol from committing the unfortunate act of throwing them off the rooftop.
The two men went back to the rooftop and began cleaning up the messy table and surroundings. If their friends hadn’t been completely drunk, they would have all cleaned up together, but today they had no choice but to do it by themselves. While Tae Igyeol cleaned around the grill, Mo Eunje neatly organized the table while continuing their conversation.
“Ban Hajun and Gye Minho really seem like good people.”
“Why?”
“Even though we’re dating, they congratulate us and don’t look at us strangely.”
“If they looked at us strangely, would they be friends? They’d be people we should have cut off long ago.”
“But I don’t think there are many friends like them who would accept this so well. It’s not easy to accept two people dating out of four friends who hang out together. We really made good friends.”
Even in the closest relationships, things can go wrong if emotions are hurt in certain areas. Of course, one can pretend to understand, pretend not to have prejudice or preconceptions in front of others, but it shows if there’s no sincerity. But Mo Eunje felt that Ban Hajun and Gye Minho were sincerely supporting them, which made him feel generous and infinitely grateful to them.
“Still, don’t be too much in front of them. They’re accepting it because they’re good people, but even as a couple, you shouldn’t behave like that.”
“What do you mean I shouldn’t? We just don’t have to meet them.”
“Talk sensibly. We’ve known them for 6 years now, but I want to hang out with them for 60 more years.”
“You can just hang out with me.”
“Is life just about the two of us? Why do you keep saying such nonsensical things? I stayed quiet today because you just arrived and seemed in a good mood, but I was seriously about to die of embarrassment.”
Using tongs to pick up cooked meat and placing it in front of his mouth or on his plate, mixing soju and beer when the glass was empty, and cleaning up spills were things Tae Igyeol naturally did before. But wiping his mouth directly when something got on it, frequently putting his arm around his shoulder or waist, and hugging him from behind with his chin on his shoulder were excessive behaviors even in Mo Eunje’s opinion. As he was reflecting on Tae Igyeol’s drastically changed behavior, something quickly approached, touched his lips, and made a ‘chu’ sound as it pulled away.
“W-what?”
“I was holding back a lot because of the guys. You should appreciate that.”
“You’re crazy…”
Once again, Tae Igyeol’s lips gently touched Mo Eunje’s lips and pulled away. His face seemed to malfunction as his cheekbones kept rising and the corners of his mouth tried to hook onto his ears. Watching Tae Igyeol, he was experiencing firsthand that when people fall in love, they do things they normally wouldn’t, and no matter what they do, it just feels stupidly good.
“Eunje. I’ll be good to you.”
“Why would you say that? There’s no need for just you to be good in our relationship. We both need to be good to each other.”
“Still, I want to be even better to you. Thank you for accepting me.”
“Why do you keep saying that? There’s no such thing as accepting or not accepting—we like each other. If we’re keeping score, I’m more grateful that you didn’t give up.”
After saying this, he felt awkwardly embarrassed. But it was because Tae Igyeol hadn’t given up and pushed all the way through that they could enjoy this happiness now.
“Damn, I just got goosebumps. Hey, let’s save these kinds of talks for later. I’m not used to this.”
Mo Eunje ostentatiously held out his arm. It was covered in goosebumps. Tae Igyeol’s neat fingers approached and subtly stroked up Mo Eunje’s arm. Different goosebumps rose along the path where his hand had slowly passed.
“Try to get used to it from now on. I don’t have enough time to express all 10 years’ worth of feelings I’ve suppressed until now. So this is something you need to adapt to.”
His languid voice was filled with satisfaction.
“Are you really Tae Igyeol? Ah, whatever. We’ll adjust to that gradually. We’re pretty much done cleaning up, so let’s gather everything and go inside. My stomach’s so full I want to lie down.”
“You go in first. I’ll smoke a cigarette and come in.”
“…Let’s go in together. I’ll wait.”
“Then let’s just go in.”
Tae Igyeol put back the cigarette he had taken out. Mo Eunje gently held his hand. Tae Igyeol’s gaze dropped to their clasped hands.
“No, go ahead and smoke.”
“It’s fine. I don’t have to smoke. I’ll quit if you don’t like it.”
He interlocked his fingers firmly with Mo Eunje’s and showed a splendid smile.
“I don’t like the smell of cigarettes, but I don’t dislike you smoking. And don’t give up something because of me. Well, using cigarettes as an example is a bit strange, but anyway, I just like you as you are, so don’t use me as a standard for anything.”
It felt a bit embarrassing to express in words what he had always only thought. He didn’t want Tae Igyeol to give up or sacrifice anything to accommodate him. Love that comes at the cost of losing one’s own essence tends to lose its meaning.
Mo Eunje liked and loved Tae Igyeol as he was, so he didn’t want him to change forcibly or compulsorily. That would be a solitary effort to adapt to the other person, which would likely lead to exhaustion in the end. He wanted them to make efforts for each other, but avoid one-sided efforts.
“Still, if there’s anything you don’t like or find unpleasant, please tell me.”
“Tae Igyeol. If there’s something about me you don’t like or find unpleasant, will you break up with me?”
“What nonsense are you saying? There couldn’t possibly be anything about you that I don’t like or find unpleasant.”
“…I feel the same way. I just like you as you are now.”
Mo Eunje was the first to press his lips against Tae Igyeol’s. The kiss, which started lightly, deepened gradually, like the moon emanating light as it ripens.
Once started, kisses were highly addictive and not easy to stop. Even after finishing the cleanup and coming inside, showering, and lying in bed, they pressed their lips together without anyone needing to take the initiative. They didn’t tire of kissing, though they had lost count of how many times they had done it today. As they kissed, Tae Igyeol naturally supported Mo Eunje’s neck like a pillow, and they ended up lying on their sides facing each other, crossing their legs, overlapping, and embracing.
