# Chapter 144
Even though he knew it was cowardly to test people’s feelings, it was too scary to seek permission from both families’ elders without any information, like heading into bare ground. He could somewhat anticipate Han Seola’s reaction since she had previously revealed her true feelings, saying it would be disastrous. Because of this, he desperately hoped that at least Song Yeonhwa would think more flexibly.
“Hey, Iden’s first love is Suji, Baek Suji. He probably still likes her.”
“That’s why I said ‘what if.’ What if. If.”
“Hmm… Honestly, with Igyeol it might be fine, but with Iden I’d try to stop it by any means necessary.”
“Huh? So Igyeol would be okay?”
Mo Eunje had deliberately mentioned Tae Iden, who had the same profession as the actor they had discussed earlier, because using Tae Igyeol as an example would be too obvious. He hadn’t expected to get the answer he wanted so easily. Mo Eunje pretended to be busy eating watermelon to hide his nervousness while keeping his ears wide open.
“That boy would survive well even if we left him on a deserted island. What’s wrong with him dating a man?”
“Then why would you try to stop Iden?”
“Our youngest is too well-known. Not just in Korea, but around the world. That tender-hearted kid would be so hurt and torn apart. I can’t bear to see my son being pointed at and despised.”
Since Song Yeonhwa was an ordinary middle-aged Korean woman, she had somewhat conservative aspects and wasn’t without homophobic attitudes, but considering she had said “what’s wrong with Igyeol dating a man,” it seemed she would at least accept their relationship positively.
“Aunt, Igyeol is your son too.”
Although a public figure like Tae Iden would be in a more disadvantageous position if the same situation occurred, somehow Mo Eunje felt like Tae Igyeol was being treated as an outsider, and he unconsciously became serious. He had spoken seriously, but Song Yeonhwa burst out laughing, making him feel a bit hurt.
“Who said he’s not my son? Igyeol is the type who would break every finger of anyone who points at him to get what he wants—how could I stop him? If I opposed him, he’d stop seeing me. He probably wouldn’t need my permission anyway, but rather than losing my eldest son, I’d just give my permission for that little thing.”
Mo Eunje internally reflected on the disrespectful feelings he had just had, feeling the genuine affection. He thought the elders all had their reasons, and it was fortunate that at least Song Yeonhwa wouldn’t oppose when they asked for permission. Tae Hyunseok, with his flexible and open-minded thinking, would probably be the same.
As expected, the biggest hurdles were Mo Eunje’s parents, Mo Yeongwoo and Han Seola. From the taxi heading to Incheon Airport, Mo Eunje couldn’t get his mother’s voice out of his head, saying it would be disastrous.
“Why? Does Igyeol sincerely like you?”
Mo Eunje unconsciously sighed, and Song Yeonhwa, who had been quietly watching him, asked jokingly. For a moment, he felt the impulse to confess the truth at least to Song Yeonhwa, thinking this might be the perfect opportunity, but he simply couldn’t get the words off the tip of his tongue. So he stretched the corners of his mouth as usual and grinned.
“We’ve always sincerely liked each other.”
“No, not that kind of like. The meaning you were talking about just now.”
“I think Aunt is suffering from the heat. Should I buy you a tasty Americano with a shot of espresso? I saw a café if we walk a bit.”
“I don’t really like that. It makes my mouth feel dry as I drink it.”
Iced Americano with an espresso shot was a drink Mo Eunje had been practically living on throughout the first half of this year—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was addicted to it—though he had gotten a bit tired of it recently. As Song Yeonhwa said, if the ratio wasn’t right, it left a dry feeling in the mouth, and it could also become too sweet, bland, or rich, making it difficult to find the golden ratio. Still, since he hadn’t found a replacement drink yet, it remained Mo Eunje’s favorite.
“But by any chance, is the person Iden likes nowadays a man?”
Judging by her cautious tone, Song Yeonhwa seemed to have wanted to ask this question from the beginning of the conversation. Mo Eunje quickly shook his head before her misunderstanding deepened.
“No? From what I can see, Iden still seems to like Baek Suji.”
“Right? There are so many pretty girls his age, why specifically… Would Baek Suji even see a minor 9 years younger than her as a man?”
“Aunt, honestly, Iden’s appearance isn’t that of a minor. If he hid his age, no one would think he’s a minor, right? They might even believe he’s my friend.”
“In your aunt’s eyes, our Iden still looks like a baby—what are you saying?”
“…Aunt. There’s no such baby in the world.”
Mo Eunje said with a disgruntled expression, but Song Yeonhwa didn’t listen at all. The thought of a big baby nearly 190cm tall was so creepy that Mo Eunje shuddered.
&
The summer vacation schedule had already passed its halfway point. Unlike the family who went out every day enjoying their vacation, Mo Eunje, unable to give up the air conditioning, didn’t want to leave the house unless there was a schedule that required everyone to move together. Even when Tae Igyeol suggested going to the pool, Mo Eunje remained one with the sofa, disliking both the sun tanning his skin and the heat.
Today too, right after breakfast, the whole family, including Grandmother, went out to play golf, but Mo Eunje sprawled on the sofa without moving a muscle. Just the thought of exercising in the blazing sun, sweating profusely, made him feel suffocatingly hot. For Mo Eunje, the best vacation was turning on the air conditioning inside and eating watermelon.
Tae Iden begged him to come along, asking why he had come all this way if he was just going to stay cooped up inside, but Mo Eunje pretended not to hear. Everyone had their own way of enjoying a vacation, so there was no need to interfere with each other. Since Mo Eunje wouldn’t move, Tae Igyeol, who was constantly looking for opportunities to be alone with him, naturally didn’t go out either.
Thanks to this, Mo Eunje was enjoying a leisurely and relaxed time lying on the sofa with his head on Tae Igyeol’s thigh. Before they started dating, Tae Igyeol wouldn’t touch him at all when they were in this position, but now he was holding one of Mo Eunje’s hands with interlaced fingers. With his other hand, he was fiddling with the circle pendant hanging around Mo Eunje’s neck. An identical pendant dangled from Tae Igyeol’s wrist.
“You should have gone too. Since you like golf.”
“Why would I go there when you’re not going.”
“Why go? To play golf, of course. They’re split into women’s team versus men’s team for a lunch bet, and apparently my mom is almost single-handedly dominating.”
Tae Iden was continuously sending photos, videos, and messages, broadcasting in real-time, making it feel as if they were there together. Grandmother, Han Seola, and Song Yeonhwa were on one team, while Grandfather, Mo Yeongwoo, and Tae Hyunseok were on another, and Tae Iden, who had never played golf before, was watching while filming.
“When I went to round with them last year, I saw that Aunt is no joke. Our father talked big and got completely crushed.”
“It’s amazing to see you going to places like that.”
“There’s nobody who plays golf around me except the adults. It’s quite fun playing with Father and Aunt.”
“Among the three of you, you’re the worst, right?”
“Hey, they’ve both been playing for over 20 years, how can you compare me, who’s only held a golf club for 5 years?”
“So, you are the worst.”
Mo Eunje giggled, shaking his body. Tae Igyeol was the kind of person who should be the best at everything he did, and in reality, he usually was the best, so it was cute and funny that he was no match for Han Seola and Tae Hyunseok when it came to golf. Mo Eunje had never gone golfing with them, so he hadn’t seen it firsthand, but just imagining Tae Igyeol being worse than someone else at something was so entertaining that he couldn’t stop laughing.
“Oh, what…”
Suddenly, as if a shadow fell over his face, Tae Igyeol’s face drew closer. Their lips met once, twice, three times, repeatedly touching and separating.
“Are you just going to do whatever now?”
Since becoming lovers, Tae Igyeol would thrust his lips forward whenever their eyes met, regardless of time or place. Since clinging together had originally been Mo Eunje’s role, he was bewildered to find that Tae Igyeol was such a frequent skinship person. Of course, Mo Eunje enjoyed it immensely when they were doing it, but there was a limit—they couldn’t spend 24 hours a day biting and sucking each other’s lips, yet Tae Igyeol was a bit extreme.
“Even this isn’t enough to make up for all I’ve held back.”
“Still, we need to be careful here. We’re not alone.”
“I know. But right now, it’s just the two of us. You know the vacation is almost ending, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“If you knew what I’m doing to endure, you’d feel so sorry for me that you’d let me do anything once we get back to Korea.”
He didn’t need to emphasize it anymore—Mo Eunje knew now. He couldn’t help but understand why Tae Igyeol, even after coming all this way, would run in the blazing sun sweating profusely, waste energy in the pool, and occasionally rush to the bathroom during their kisses.
With his vigorous vitality, Mo Eunje’s situation wasn’t much different. Having private time in the bathroom before getting into bed at night had become Mo Eunje’s new routine recently.
But now wasn’t the time for this. Mo Eunje sat up, avoiding Tae Igyeol who kept pressing their lips together. It was already mid-August, so he needed to start thinking about whether to return to school for the second semester, check his emails for work requests and reply to them one by one, and prepare for his new work since he had renewed his contract with the agency. However, though tinged with guilt, the desire to enjoy and savor this happy time more was turning Mo Eunje into an idler.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Just…”
“Just what?”
“…About my new work. I think I should also write the short stories that were requested.”
In truth, what he wanted to resolve more than anything else was escaping the guilt over his love. Sometimes he felt that this was his life and wondered why he needed the elders’ permission, but then he thought they couldn’t hide their unconventional relationship forever, so wouldn’t it be better for both their parents and themselves to tell them before being found out? His mind wavered dozens of times a day.
However, he couldn’t find the courage knowing that the moment they confessed their relationship, the peaceful happiness everyone was genuinely enjoying would shatter. Nothing about his love was easy or simple.
“Eunje.”
“Yeah.”
Tae Igyeol looked into Mo Eunje’s eyes affectionately, caressing his cheek.
“Should we get permission all at once while we’re here with all the elders gathered?”
“…Why ruin the vacation?”
“Who cares if the vacation is ruined or not. Your peace of mind comes first.”
“No giant devoted boyfriend allowed.”
“You can ban everything else, but don’t ban me in bed. I might really go crazy then.”
Tae Igyeol cupped the nape of Mo Eunje’s neck with his large hand and overlapped their lips. The soft, pliant sensation was dizzying. Their sweet saliva mingled, and their breathing quickened. As his seated body kept trying to fall backward, Mo Eunje tightly gripped the back of the sofa to resist.
After being deeply immersed in kissing for quite a while, by the time they heard the noise, it was already too late. There hadn’t even been a sound of a car, but Grandmother, Han Seola, Song Yeonhwa, and Tae Iden had already entered the front door.
