“But where are we going now?”
“Yangpyeong. There’s a decent cafe. Sometimes coffee while looking at the river in the suburbs is nice too, not just hotel coffee.”
“Do chaebols drink coffee while looking at rivers too?”
“If you’re going to drink anyway, it tastes better if you look at something pretty while drinking.”
The days were getting longer, so it was still bright outside.
“If you’re tired on the way, sleep a bit. Did you rest properly over the weekend?”
“Yes. I slept like a corpse. Didn’t do anything.”
“Where did you drink so much? Ah, if it’s personal and you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”
Ilkyung shook his head.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. It would be funny to cause such a ruckus at dawn and not even talk about what triggered it. Um, they’re friends from high school, I thought of them as really close friends.”
“Guys?”
“No, there are two girls too. Four of us are friends—two girls and two guys. But two of those friends are getting married.”
When he put it out there again, his mood was about to go on a roller coaster. His feelings were strange.
“So you ended up like that drinking congratulatory drinks?”
At Daehoon’s question, Ilkyung fell into thought for a moment. Because there were several things that made it hard to say it was exactly that. There was congratulations, of course, but.
“Um, it was just an extension.”
“What kind of extension?”
“The one getting married, she originally had a boyfriend.”
“That one? Is she gay?”
“Do you think there are that many gay people?”
After blurting that out, Ilkyung thought ‘oops.’
“Ah, I’m sorry. You must have thought that because I said ‘that one.’ She’s a girl. We’re really close friends so I often express it like this. Anyway, that girl had a boyfriend.”
“Ah, I see. But Ilkyung-ssi, you keep doing that—I’m not gay, I’m bi. My family thinks I’m gay so it doesn’t really matter. Anyway, she had a boyfriend, so what happened that led to her marrying such a close friend?”
Daehoon corrected what needed to be corrected and continued the conversation.
“Her original boyfriend suddenly manifested as an ability user. I guess there are cases where people manifest that late.”
“Mm, it’s possible. If you look at the data, those cases aren’t completely nonexistent. Becoming an ability user doesn’t have a set time like teenagers going through puberty.”
“Is that so?”
Ilkyung muttered.
Even though Ilkyung’s family members were ability users and he himself worked at the Center, there were still many things he didn’t know.
“So that friend had no choice but to break up with her original boyfriend. While breaking up, the friend she’s marrying now apparently comforted her a lot.”
“Hmm, she must have received a lot of consolation.”
“But you know, I don’t really understand that either.”
“Which part?”
The car that had been on the main road turned off to the side and naturally entered an alley stretching to the right. While driving smoothly, Daehoon didn’t miss a word Ilkyung said and responded.
“Right? They were friends for almost 10 years, but could they see each other as the opposite sex overnight?”
“Is there no premise that the two friends originally had romantic interest in each other?”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Ilkyung jumped. At that, Daehoon slowly nodded.
“It’s there, the cafe.”
Ilkyung’s mouth fell open at the scenery unfolding before his eyes.
“Wow! It’s really pretty.”
The view before them was beautiful enough to instantly end all the conversation they’d been having.
“Wow! There was a place like this? Look at the sunset.”
The slowly setting red sun reflected and rippled on the river water.
“Do you like it?”
“Of course I do. How is there a place like this near Seoul?”
Ilkyung was staring intently, then suddenly rummaged through his bag frantically. Daehoon quietly watched Ilkyung doing that.
“I have to capture something like this in a photo. Wow, it’s really pretty.”
Ilkyung took out his phone and started taking pictures of the river and sky that seemed to be on fire. Daehoon found Ilkyung like this both funny and cute. He had thought this scenery was wonderful when coming here, but he hadn’t thought to take photos this passionately—was it because he’s young after all…
“The cafe is so pretty too.”
A small house stood there. There were many cases where single-family homes like this were renovated into cafes or restaurants, but this was the first house with a view of the river. Ilkyung momentarily fell into the illusion that he had entered inside a painting.
“The coffee tastes even better.”
Daehoon said, waiting for Ilkyung who was taking photos. Ilkyung looked at Daehoon with round eyes. His gaze was full of curiosity. Daehoon smiled gently and led Ilkyung inside.
“Welcome, ah! It’s been so long!”
“Yes, it has.”
As if he were a regular, the owner greeted him right away. Ilkyung looked back and forth between the two of them.
“Ilkyung-ssi, what do you want to drink?”
“Um, I’ll have hot chocolate!”
Daehoon laughed softly. Ilkyung looked at him with an expression asking why he was laughing.
“No, it just suits you well.”
“You’re teasing me for being childish, aren’t you?”
“Of course not. I’m saying you’re cute.”
Ignoring Ilkyung who was about to throw a tantrum like a small Maltese puppy, Daehoon ordered one hot chocolate and one espresso. And he also ordered cake for Ilkyung.
## 2. Sexual Frustration
Daehoon and Ilkyung, who sat by the window, didn’t say anything for a moment. While looking out the window like that, Daehoon opened his mouth.
“I think I cut off Ilkyung-ssi’s story earlier, so you’re saying you can’t understand how someone can suddenly see you as the opposite sex overnight?”
At Daehoon’s question, Ilkyung suddenly exclaimed “Ah!” quietly as if he just remembered. Then he nodded.
“That’s right. We saw all kinds of sights we should and shouldn’t have seen while attending high school. I mean, we showed each other all our ugly sides.”
“Really?”
“We cried our eyes out getting scolded by teachers, complained after being rejected by other people of the opposite sex… We even hid at their houses to avoid getting scolded by our moms, then got caught and dragged home. But after seeing all that, how could we date?”
“Well, no one knows about human emotions.”
At Daehoon’s answer, Ilkyung shook his head as if it was nonsense.
“I’ve only dated people I fell for at first sight, so I don’t really understand.”
“Then isn’t it hard to continue for long when the fantasy breaks later?”
“Is that so?”
Ilkyung tilted his head. Maybe that’s why they broke up without lasting long.
“Anyway, I can’t date someone I already knew. Really.”
Daehoon, who had been lost in thought for a moment, nodded.
“So that’s why you interfered with your noona’s arranged meeting?”
“What do you mean?”
“Because you and noona shouldn’t fall for each other at first sight?”
Ilkyung frowned slightly. Was he saying that if noona had come to the arranged meeting, she would have fallen for him at first sight? Isn’t this person being too shameless?
“According to Ilkyung-ssi’s claim, we could never date.”
When Daehoon laughed lowly, Ilkyung raised his voice sharply.
“I’m not gay!”
At that, Daehoon laughed even louder.
Ilkyung ate all the hot chocolate and cake Daehoon bought him without leaving anything.
“Eating in a place with a nice view makes it keep going down. At this rate I’ll gain weight.”
“What’s wrong with one day?”
“You say that because you have a good body, Director. I’m saying muscles don’t build on me even when I exercise.”
“You do exercise though, right?”
At those words, Ilkyung bared his teeth and huffed. Daehoon said with a low laugh.
“Shall we go now? Ilkyung-ssi must be tired.”
“I’m not the one driving, so what.”
“Alright. If you’re tired on the way, sleep a bit.”
“How could I do that? A superior is driving next to me.”
Daehoon shrugged and said.
“I wish you’d treat me as a superior at the Center too.”
“When did I not, or what.”
“Delusions are free, or what.”
Daehoon imitated Ilkyung’s speech pattern and opened the passenger door for him. Ilkyung naturally got in now.
It didn’t seem like they were at the cafe that long, but when they drove, only car lights flashed in the total darkness. When they came, they came along the national road looking at various things, but on the way back, Director Ha chose the highway.
Ilkyung boldly promised he wouldn’t sleep next to him, but unable to help his drowsy eyes, he started nodding off.
“If you’re sleepy, recline the seat and sleep. It’s okay.”
“Yawn. I’m fine. Oh, it’s raining! Did they say it would rain today?”
The weather seemed fine until just now, but thick raindrops started falling plop plop on the front windshield.
“Ah, come to think of it, there was news of rain at night, but I didn’t think it would come this early. What should we do? I think there will be traffic when we enter Seoul.”
