“Is there something wrong with your legs?”
“No.”
“Are you sure you really like sports cars?”
“Yes.”
“You’re crawling along.”
The speed limit on two-lane national highways was 60km, and on four-lane highways it was 80km. In the midst of that, I was pushing 80km to 100km, and very occasionally up to 120km, yet Rashanin sneered that I was crawling.
“Putting horseshoes on a dog’s paws.”
“……”
“Just enjoy it.”
“I’ll handle it myself, so please keep your mouth shut.”
I’m a man with a dick too, so wouldn’t I want to drive like crazy? But still, wrong was wrong. The 1.5-ton sports car was no different from a potential weapon, and I also didn’t overestimate my driving skills enough to speed on a two-lane road. Despite Rashanin’s nagging and conflict, I stubbornly did it my way. Honestly, if only Rashanin wouldn’t grumble beside me, it would have been quite enjoyable.
“Pull over.”
“Pardon?”
“I said pull over.”
Rashanin wasn’t the type to just tell me to pull over. Thinking “surely not,” I glanced sideways, and Rashanin’s expression was resolute. When I pulled the car over to the shoulder as he said, sure enough, Rashanin got out of the passenger seat. The next sequence was obvious without even looking. He would steal the driver’s seat and stomp on the gas pedal to his heart’s content. Rashanin was more than capable of that. And I, sitting in the passenger seat, would rot inside.
The not-so-distant future flashed through my mind. I needed some kind of plan. The moment Rashanin went around the back of the car and was about to get to the driver’s side, I impulsively stepped on the gas and moved forward about 20 meters.
I suppressed my laughter after confirming in the side mirror that Rashanin was making an incredulous face.
“You have a bad personality.”
“Are you just realizing that now?”
“No.”
Just before Rashanin, who was striding toward me, arrived, I drove the car forward another 20 meters. The feeling of duping Rashanin twice was utterly satisfying. Rashanin, who’d been fooled twice, called my name with a growl, apparently annoyed.
“Unhyuk.”
“I can’t give it up.”
“You’re crawling.”
“That’s still fine.”
“Fine?”
This time I didn’t move the car even when Rashanin came up beside the driver’s seat. I looked up at Rashanin, who placed his hand on the driver’s side window frame, and grinned.
“You told me to enjoy it. I’m enjoying it plenty.”
“This?”
“Of course.”
“Even teasing me?”
“Well.”
When I didn’t say no, Rashanin raised one eyebrow. Teasing Rashanin and watching him react were both enjoyable. Just when I thought he’d give up at this point, he placed his hand on my shoulder. In the moment I flinched in surprise, Rashanin’s hand, which had slipped under my armpit, lifted me up in one swift motion. It was tremendous strength.
“R-Rashanin-ssi?!”
I called Rashanin’s name in surprise, but he paid no attention and just seated me in the passenger seat. Then he naturally climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door.
“What are you doing?”
“Your world is too small.”
“Rashanin-ssi?”
“It’s good to weigh reasons and calculate gains and losses, but the more you settle for that, the smaller your world will become. Sometimes move as your heart dictates, not your head.”
Because it was the truth, I had nothing to say. As I couldn’t retort and just frowned, Rashanin grinned.
“I’ll show you a new world.”
“…?!”
“Just watch.”
“Rasha…”
Before I even had time to call his name, the supercar with a zero-to-sixty of 4.0 seconds shot forward. The sense of speed was no joke. When I barely came to my senses and checked the speedometer, the needle was stuck at 150km. My God. 150km on a winding two-lane coastal road. It was an acrobatic act that risked our lives. The surrounding scenery changed so quickly it was more thrilling than riding a roller coaster.
“Are you insane?!”
“How violent.”
“You said you didn’t like sports cars!!”
I shouted loudly because of the surging adrenaline. Despite the terrifying speed, Rashanin glanced at me. When I yelled at him to look ahead, Rashanin smiled and stared straight ahead.
“Should I go a bit faster?”
“What?!”
We were already at 150km, and he wanted to go faster? Even when I shouted loudly that he was crazy, to stop, Rashanin kept stomping hard on the pedal. Waaah—a scream burst out involuntarily. I felt like my soul would leave my body.
Damn vampire. Cursing inwardly, I gripped the safety handle tightly. I didn’t know if it was from fear or excitement, but my heart was racing. And laughter burst out.
*
If there was anything special about me, it was only my special occupation that I couldn’t tell others about. Still, drama occurred even in ordinary daily life.
The invisible mistreatment from my stepmother, discord with my half-siblings, and various related matters were more, not less, than weekend dramas. The process of breaking up with Huijeong was the same. Fighting, apologizing, clinging with a phone that wouldn’t even be answered, going to her house—all of it was common material from melodrama movies and dramas. That’s how everyone becomes the protagonist of their own drama at least once. But still, dreaming of special deviation was inevitable.
That dream was becoming reality. Events that would only happen in action thriller comedy movies occurred one after another. I met the legendary director, stayed in the finest room of a six-star hotel, got caught up in a fight between high-ranking vampires and lost consciousness, and was seduced by a man. All of it happened after one vampire appeared.
Even today, because of Rashanin’s whim, I flew to Jeju Island without notice and was greeted by a Ferrari F430. Not only that, but because Rashanin, who was speeding at will, got caught by traffic police, I had to handle the aftermath too. Since the speed exceeded 200km and Rashanin wasn’t carrying identification, we went to the police station. In the end, I contacted Seoul and experienced the commotion of receiving a faxed copy of Rashanin’s identification that I’d obtained in advance and submitting it.
I begged the police for leniency, saying this happened because I was trying to please a bad-tempered, rich buyer from Russia. As a result, I received a 60,000 won speeding fine and a heap of lectures not to do it again. And it was my job to safely drive the Ferrari to the hotel following the tail of the police car.
It was an episode that would only appear in a comedy movie or sitcom. Though nothing was more troublesome for a low-level public servant than this kind of incident, ridiculously, I found myself thinking it was quite fun.
Perhaps Rashanin’s words to just enjoy it became the catalyst. I’d faced many problems in my life that weren’t easily resolved. I’d avoid them, or if I couldn’t avoid them I’d confront them, or if even that didn’t work, I’d let them flow by.
It was the same now. Even I didn’t know how the future would turn out. Results I didn’t want might pop up. Still, I realized that in this moment, in this movie-like moment that might come once in a lifetime, only worrying would be a foolish thing to do.
As Rashanin said, my world was small. Even while settling, hadn’t I longed to escape at some point?
People don’t change easily. However, once you make up your mind, enjoying a small deviation is easy.
* * *
It took time to get used to one of the top five finest rooms in Korea, consisting of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large living room, kitchen, conference room, and three balconies. Someone straightening the wrinkled bed and hanging laundered clothes in the closet, eating at expensive restaurants while receiving people’s gazes—I now took these for granted. Even getting caught by traffic police while speeding on a two-lane road in a supercar worth hundreds of millions could be laughed off.
But this seemed a bit too much. The special table at the restaurant overlooking the sea was decorated with gorgeous flowers and candles. There was no room for misunderstanding. This was clearly a date. It was the most classic among various methods a man employs to win a woman’s favor. I couldn’t help but think this was much worse in quality than having dinner alone in our room.
“Is there something you don’t like? You keep frowning.”
It was during dinner. I’d declared I would never let Rashanin have the driver’s seat again, and Rashanin had asked my opinion on how about taking a yacht tomorrow. Then Rashanin spoke up asking if something was wrong. He was a perceptive man. I hesitated for a moment, then opened my mouth.
“The candles.”
“Why the candles?”
“Isn’t it… a bit excessive?”
Deviation was fine, enjoying was fine. But this was a bit ticklish. Looking at the candles burning with an orange glow, I was seized by a strange feeling. For the first time in my life, I was being seduced by a ‘man’ of the same sex, and I became newly aware of the fact that I had that ‘man’ right before my eyes.
As I sipped wine while suppressing the urge to scratch my chest, Rashanin made a comment.
