# Chapter 24
“Come on, Igyeol. Let me have connections like Tae Iden too.”
“That’s not what connections are. Connections are when people help each other, not just you benefiting. What would Tae Iden get from you?”
“Why are you being like this? I might not have much to offer now, but who knows if I could help Tae Iden later?”
“That’s what we call being a nuisance, or using someone.”
Ban Hajun’s brow creased at the scathing assessment. Unfortunately for him, his opponent was the mountain-like Tae Igyeol, who wouldn’t budge an inch no matter what Ban Hajun did.
“I just want to spread my wings a bit. Is that so bad?”
“Wings from someone like Tae Iden? And besides, wings need to pierce through your own flesh to be truly yours.”
“Look at him showing off because he was born with wings.”
“You can’t even handle the wings you were born with because they’re too heavy.”
“But what about you, Ban Hajun? Aren’t you going to be in your mom’s drama this time either?”
If only someone could spare even a tiny bit of tact for Gye Minho. Tae Igyeol’s cold comment indirectly referencing their family backgrounds had Ban Hajun simmering, and Gye Minho just added fuel to the fire. Gye Minho was kind, diligent, and had a good personality—all good qualities—but if one had to choose a single flaw, it would be that he completely lacked tact.
However, the reason they could be friends was because, regardless, Tae Igyeol routinely ignored his surroundings by focusing on grilling meat, Mo Eunje stuck right next to Tae Igyeol doing his own thing, just staring endlessly at the meat waiting for it to cook, and Ban Hajun was simple enough not to mind most things no matter how tactlessly Gye Minho behaved.
“I can’t bear to see my exceptional acting skills overshadowed by my parents’ influence. It’s not that I can’t handle the wings I was born with—I’m deliberately hiding them.”
Mo Eunje suddenly recalled Tae Igyeol’s imitation of Ban Hajun’s acting.
‘Please.Don’t.Go.I’ll.Do.Better.’
Sure enough, when Tae Igyeol was about to perform that impression again, Mo Eunje quickly nudged him with his elbow. It meant let’s let it slide since today was Ban Hajun’s birthday party. Tae Igyeol’s eyebrow twitched momentarily, then he closed his mouth that had been about to speak.
“I’m already handsome enough that my acting gets buried under my looks, so imagine if people knew my parents’ professions too. If my acting skills get underrated because of that, I’d seriously be so wronged and miserable that I’d want to die.”
“That’s right, that’s right. I understand that feeling best. I also want to die when I think about my novels being buried under my handsome face.”
“…Both of you, knock it off.”
When Mo Eunje played along with Ban Hajun, Tae Igyeol spoke as if they were pathetic. Simultaneously, Tae Igyeol used the tongs in his hand to pick up a well-cooked piece of meat and held it in front of Mo Eunje’s mouth.
“Wow, that smell is killer.”
Mo Eunje, his nose twitching at the appetizing aroma, brightened up and blew on the meat before quickly putting it in his mouth. As he had suspected from the glossy look, the rich juices and tender texture were superb.
No one heard Gye Minho’s timid mumble: “So you’re not appearing in it this time either.”
“Me too, ah.”
Ban Hajun, who was sitting next to Gye Minho across from them, opened his mouth wide toward Tae Igyeol. Tae Igyeol immediately frowned.
“Is this bastard crazy? Eat with your own hands.”
“Wow, look at this guy discriminating against people. How could those without a butler live with such mistreatment? Why don’t you just set up house together? No one will say anything, so go ahead and live together? Then I’ll acknowledge it.”
“Okay, thanks for your acknowledgment. Here, Hajun. Eat and shut up.”
Mo Eunje, who had snatched the tongs from Tae Igyeol’s hand, smiled broadly as he put meat in Ban Hajun’s mouth. He put it in directly without even giving time to cool it with a breath, then returned the tongs to Tae Igyeol.
“Hot, ah, hot, shit…”
Ban Hajun was flustered and didn’t know what to do. Beside him, Gye Minho was silently picking up meat with tongs, cooling it with his breath, and eating quietly.
“When you smiled like that and told me to eat and shut up, I should have known. Wow, how could you give me something so hot… And you call yourself a novelist? What’s with ‘shut up’?”
Having swallowed without properly tasting it due to the heat, Ban Hajun snapped at Mo Eunje.
“Hajun, abandon your prejudice that novelists must always use pretty and polite words. Do you think announcers always use standard language and perfect spelling when texting? I’m only a novelist when I’m writing novels or at scheduled events.”
“Yeah, watching your livestreams gives me the creeps. Why do you deepen your voice, pretend to be nice, and act all proper? It’s so cringeworthy.”
Since this was something Mo Eunje himself acknowledged, and he was pleased and satisfied with the image he had created, he wasn’t affected in the slightest by what others said. In fact, the more his close friends acknowledged it, the more proud he felt that he had done a good job being intellectual and elegant again.
“That’s just another side of me. Won’t you respect it?”
“That’s just a split personality.”
“Yeah, I know I’m handsome and have a good personality too. By the way, did I tell you I became a permanent MC?”
“Really? Why on earth? People like that fake act?”
“Yeah. People have refined taste, don’t they?”
“Wow, truly impossible to understand. No, just impossible.”
While boasting to Ban Hajun about becoming a permanent MC, Mo Eunje put a large piece of meat, mushrooms, garlic, grilled kimchi, and bean sprouts into a lettuce wrap and held it in front of Tae Igyeol’s mouth. With tools in both hands, Tae Igyeol was busy placing cooked meat and vegetables on plates, so he just opened his mouth to receive the wrap.
“Me too, ah.”
This time, Ban Hajun opened his mouth toward Mo Eunje.
“Hajun, why do you keep doing that? Read the room.”
But Gye Minho, who had been diligently eating meat and drinking soju by himself until now, scolded him. Ban Hajun looked deeply shocked by this comment about tact from Gye Minho of all people.
“I seriously can’t hang out with you guys anymore; it’s too upsetting. Gye Minho, you were worse than them just now. I’m the birthday boy today.”
“That’s why we’re teasing you.”
For some reason, Gye Minho actually said something tactful. Tae Igyeol and Mo Eunje exchanged glances and snickered.
“What was that just now? What was that look? Are you two really dating?”
Ban Hajun, who had very cautiously wondered if they were really dating when they first became close, now habitually made snarky comments.
“Change your repertoire. How can you milk the same joke for years? Ugh, so tiresome.”
“Ah, that’s right, you moved in together recently? I forgot. So you’re a married couple? I’m being totally serious here, if you two are friends, then I don’t have any friends.”
Ban Hajun put on an uncharacteristically serious face. Mo Eunje, feeling it wasn’t even worth scolding him anymore, impassively made a wrap, while Tae Igyeol narrowed his brow, contorted his eyebrows, and glared with a fierce aura.
“What good is it being my birthday party? Nobody treats me right. Ah, what a miserable life…”
“Sorry, sorry. Is our Hajunie feeling sad? Here, eat some meat.”
Mo Eunje held a wrap in front of Ban Hajun’s mouth, filled with four green chili peppers, four whole raw garlic cloves, and a big spoonful of ssamjang.
“Meat, meat. There’s no one who thinks about our Hajunie like our Eunjie! Ah.”
When Ban Hajun opened his mouth wide while speaking with a lisp like Mo Eunje, Mo Eunje quickly popped the wrap into his mouth. Tae Igyeol and Gye Minho were watching the two’s cringey behavior with disgusted expressions. And exactly two seconds later,
“Ah fuck! You crazy bastard Mo Eunje. I’m going to kill you, seriously!”
After taking one bite and feeling the spicy taste, Ban Hajun made a terrible face, spewing food particles as he glared at Mo Eunje like he was going to kill him. Mo Eunje quickly hid behind Tae Igyeol.
“Stop acting like idiots and just drink.”
Tae Igyeol mixed somaek (soju and beer) and handed it to Mo Eunje. Gye Minho, who had just downed his drink, immediately poured more soju into his empty glass. When they thought everyone was going to make their first toast together, Tae Igyeol and Ban Hajun exchanged glances, grabbed their cigarettes, and headed toward the ashtray in the corner of the rooftop.
&
Tae Igyeol, who had brought Ban Hajun to the ashtray, positioned himself where he could see Mo Eunje head-on. After confirming that Ban Hajun was standing with his back to the brazier, he took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
Ban Hajun, who lit up first, extended his flame. Tae Igyeol put the tip of the white stick in his mouth to the flame and inhaled deeply. The cloudy smoke passed through his throat, circled his lungs once, and escaped between his lips. Tae Igyeol narrowed his eyes, furrowing his brow, and stared at Ban Hajun as he exhaled a long stream of smoke.
“Why are you squinting like that again?”
“……”
“I think I’ve told you more than a thousand times that he’s not my type? I don’t like people who are prettier or more handsome than me. I like cute ones.”
“Exactly.”
Mo Eunje was not only more handsome than Ban Hajun, but fundamentally his actions were cute. Of course, even though Tae Igyeol knew that Ban Hajun didn’t have even a grain of ulterior motives toward Mo Eunje, it was a separate matter that if Mo Eunje seemed cute to him, it was natural that he would seem cute to others too, which made him uncomfortable.
“It’s really irritating. I’m genuinely curious, do you find him cute?”
“I’m also genuinely curious, you don’t find him cute?”
“What?”
“……”
“Not like you want to hit him, but you genuinely think he’s cute?”
“The one I want to hit was you.”
“…Fine. What can I expect from someone whose eyes have gone crazy.”
Ban Hajun shook his head and blew out smoke toward the outside. Then he turned his body to see where Tae Igyeol was looking and clicked his tongue.
“Stop staring. He’ll wear out.”
Mo Eunje was busy receiving and eating meat that Gye Minho was picking up with tongs. He had grilled it deliciously and put it on a plate for them to eat comfortably, but he couldn’t understand why Mo Eunje kept accepting and eating meat given by another guy.
“You know your taste is really tacky, right?”
“As if you’re any better.”
“I’m better than you. How can you like such a fashion-challenged, tacky guy…”
People who call Mo Eunje tacky are fools who only look at clothes. No, even just looking at clothes, his face was so white that primary colors suited him well, making him look pretty even in colorful outfits. Of course, his sense of color coordination was somewhat lacking, but after seeing it for a lifetime, even Mo Eunje’s traffic light fashion now looked stylish. Today, too, Mo Eunje was wearing his usual neon orange t-shirt with a mint-colored windbreaker with a large swoosh, and blue training pants with three stripes down the outside of the thighs.
“At least I never develop any ulterior motives for guys who wear fluorescent clothes.”
“That’s a shame. If you’d shown even a little interest, I would have pushed you off right here.”
Tae Igyeol tapped the long ash into the standing ashtray and raised one corner of his mouth.
