The moment he was about to say not to come, Seo Jumyeong leaned this way and shouted the store name loudly.
—I’ll arrive within 30 minutes. Don’t go anywhere and wait.
While Chaehun was looking at Seo Jumyeong with dumbfounded eyes, Seunggeon only said what he had to say and ended the call. There was no chance to do anything else.
“Seunggeon’s coming?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll finally see his face.”
Chaehun smiled awkwardly while looking at Seo Jumyeong, who was smiling with anticipation.
It was the Seunggeon who said his entire memories of high school had disappeared. He had asserted they wouldn’t meet because it would be awkward if they met each other. Of course, last time Seunggeon had come face to face with Seo Jumyeong, but they hadn’t exchanged a single word. But he couldn’t understand why he was saying he’d come now.
Chaehun had to tilt his head while gulping down the soju that filled his glass in one go.
* *
Chaehun recognized at a glance that Seunggeon had changed clothes. He said it was a business meeting, but he was wearing a sharp dark gray suit as usual. Though it wasn’t an outfit that matched a restaurant with meat-grilling smoke billowing, no one cared. Most people concentrated on their own tables. The other people were too busy staring blankly at Seunggeon’s face.
Chaehun, who felt anew that the handsome effect was tremendous, greeted Seunggeon with a smile. Seunggeon, who exchanged simple greetings with Seo Jumyeong, took one side of the round table.
Since they had almost finished eating and Seunggeon also said he’d already eaten dinner, they didn’t order anything additional. Instead, they received one more soju glass and placed it in front of Seunggeon. Though he said he wouldn’t eat meat, Chaehun didn’t forget to prepare chopsticks for him too. Though Seo Jumyeong sent a look saying he was making a fuss, Chaehun didn’t care.
“I heard you lived in America, how was it?”
Seo Jumyeong, who was filling Seunggeon’s glass with soju saying let’s have a drink, started with the most innocuous question. Though Seunggeon received the drink, he didn’t drink it and put it down.
“Not drinking?”
“I can’t drink well.”
“You look like you’d drink like a horse though. You don’t have to force yourself to drink. Ah, and why did you just leave when you came to the reunion?”
Seo Jumyeong asked as if he just remembered, but Chaehun was certain he’d been waiting to ask since he heard Seunggeon was coming.
“Because I don’t remember.”
“Hm?”
“I lost my memory. I got into an accident right before the college entrance exam, so I have no memories of high school.”
“Huh? Really? You have no memory? Not even of me?”
“I can barely match names and faces.”
“Oh my.”
“That’s why I couldn’t greet anyone at the reunion. I’d returned to Korea after a long time and happened to hear they were having a reunion. So I thought if I saw familiar faces, I might remember, but everyone was unfamiliar.”
“Then what about Chaehun? I heard you two are dating?”
“I remember him the most. Things like him being bad at soccer and liking rolled omelets.”
“You were closest to Chaehun. It’s fate. Seeing how you only remember him even though you lost your memory.”
Chaehun, who had been quietly listening to the two’s conversation, drank soju pretending to be nonchalant at Seo Jumyeong’s mention of fate. It was a story he’d already heard once from Seunggeon, but hearing it again through conversation with a third party felt ticklish inside.
Seo Jumyeong, who learned that Seunggeon had lost his memory, refrained from detailed questions.
Because it was the weekend and there were customers waiting, it was awkward to occupy seats for long. They decided to continue the conversation after changing locations. After simply deciding on a place for a second round and Chaehun came back from the bathroom, Seo Jumyeong was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Jumyeong?”
“He said he’s leaving early. That he doesn’t want to intrude without tact. He paid too.”
“He has too much tact. But is it okay? To tell him everything?”
“It’s better to tell him in advance. We might run into each other by chance.”
While he was nodding that that was true, the phone placed on the table rang. Chaehun slightly frowned seeing his hyung’s name displayed on the screen. It felt awkward to answer in front of Seunggeon.
“Not answering? A call came earlier too.”
“Later.”
“Seems like you’re not on good terms with your hyung.”
Chaehun, who was changing his phone to silent while thinking he should contact him separately later, looked at Seunggeon. It wasn’t Seo Jumyeong but this guy whose intuition was exceptional. Chaehun answered as casually as possible.
“We fought.”
“Seems serious.”
“That’s how sibling fights are.”
“You love them but are disappointed?”
“You have a good memory too.”
Chaehun clicked his tongue at Seunggeon’s memory for remembering a conversation from over 20 days ago.
But Seunggeon made a rather serious face.
“If you don’t like it, say you don’t like it.”
“Hm?”
“I’m telling you to say you don’t like it. Even with family, the habit of constantly giving in is bad.”
The cold advice was definitely something Seunggeon would say. He’d heard many times from Jumyeong too that he was soft with family. Still, if things continued this way it wouldn’t work, so it was right that he needed to say he didn’t like it.
“You’re right. But it’s not that easy.”
“So? What are you going to do?”
“I’m thinking of going far away, but that’s difficult too. Let’s go now.”
Chaehun, who briefly vented his inner feelings, quickly changed the subject and stood up from his seat.
* *
When they came out of the barbecue restaurant with an umbrella, the rain had stopped. The restaurant street on Saturday evening was bustling with people. The chicken restaurant they decided to go to for the second round was in the building next door. Chaehun turned to look at Seunggeon and asked.
“What do you want to do? Second round without Jumyeong?”
“No.”
“You’re going home?”
“Come with me.”
“…?!”
Chaehun realized half a beat late that the subject Seunggeon came to pick up was himself. So he was saying let’s go to Seunggeon’s house together. He widened his eyes and looked at Seunggeon. He wondered if he understood correctly.
“We can’t just hold hands and sleep. But we can try various things without exceeding 100.”
Seunggeon’s expression and voice, casually saying embarrassing words, had no great fluctuation. On the other hand, Chaehun had to blush. It was because memories of doing all sorts of things without penetration came to mind.
“Is that why you came?”
“Yeah.”
“Aren’t you being too eager?”
“Say no if you don’t want to. The contract was for one day on the weekend.”
He was about half moved but the word contract brought him back to reality. Still, seeing Seunggeon’s face filled with anticipation, he couldn’t easily say he didn’t want to.
He was definitely fallen for this guy.
“I don’t want to. I’m going to rest tomorrow. I have things to do too.”
When he flatly said no, Seunggeon’s eyes widened. It was a reaction that he hadn’t thought even a little that he’d be rejected.
He was in a state of being smitten with Seunggeon. He wanted to grant everything he wanted. But if he was dragged along too much, he felt like his feelings would be discovered. Above all, there were many things he had to do tomorrow.
“You go in too. Where’s the car? Call the driver. I’ll see you off.”
“You’re telling me to go?”
Seunggeon, whose face was somehow sulky, asked while frowning for a moment. Chaehun pretended not to know and smiled.
“You’re not going?”
“What about you?”
“I have to go home too. It’s right there.”
Chaehun pointed toward the main street. Though it wasn’t visible well from here, it was right ahead.
“Let’s go together. We’ll call the car from there.”
Seunggeon turned his body first and gestured with his eyes to hurry. Chaehun, who was briefly bewildered, quickly stood next to him.
As they walked slowly, he felt some kind of déjà vu. It had been a while since he walked the night streets. Last time when they returned from the club and went to the Japanese restaurant from the apartment parking lot, all they did was cross one road. When was it that he walked on the sidewalk like today? As he searched his memory, a certain moment from the past suddenly came to mind.
It was that night over 10 years ago when they walked together so he could borrow hiking boots from him.
