“Why do you believe Hahyun’s words but not mine? I’ve been telling you from the beginning. I didn’t know anything about it. I just thought they were real reporters.”
I snorted.
“Someone like Mr. Hajin who’s seen so many reporters couldn’t tell something was strange? When the reporters were all women and there were no broadcasting company or newspaper names on the cameras…”
“Wait, wait… did you say women?”
“Yes, I’m sure they picked only women because I like men! Maybe they were afraid I might fall for a male reporter…”
But even as I was speaking, I felt something odd. Looking at Hajin’s expression, he seemed to be contemplating something, rubbing his chin with his hand. Soon he nodded as if he understood.
“I grew up with Juwon. So I know him better than anyone. Juwon never once liked men on his own. Men liked him. If we’re talking about orientation, he’s bisexual, not gay.”
“…What?”
“Besides, if I had planned something, wouldn’t I have done it perfectly? Would I have been that sloppy? Like you said, I’ve met more reporters than anyone. Doesn’t something seem strange?”
It was definitely strange. If this was done because they were worried I might go to someone else, there would have been no reason to only show female reporters to someone who was presumed to be bisexual.
Moreover, until now, Hahyun had only been hostile toward ‘men’ who approached me. Not women.
This should have been obvious with just a little deeper thought, but I only realized it now. I felt so ashamed for having fallen for such a shallow trick and then confronting them proudly as if I’d uncovered the truth. My already heated body grew even hotter, and I fanned myself while breathing heavily.
“Ha, who should be angry right now? Why are you acting like this?”
“I’m sorry to Mr. Hajin, but I am upset.”
Hajin looked at me through narrowed eyes.
“And here I thought the clever Yoon Juwon was conspiring with Hahyun to trick me.”
“That’s impossible.”
When I snapped back, Hajin gave me a strange smile and said,
“Then can we sleep together tonight as usual?”
Hajin’s words made my irritation surge. How could he casually say such things when the person in front of him was so angry they didn’t know what to do? I grabbed a shampoo bottle and glared at him.
“Get out before I throw this. I’m sleeping alone tonight.”
“…Why are you treating me like this?”
Hajin grumbled as if he felt wronged. I could understand his reaction, since he hadn’t done anything wrong but was receiving my frustration, and his turn had been disrupted.
However, just as I had suffered between the brothers because of Yoon Juwon’s sins, sometimes people have to endure unjust blame for crimes they didn’t commit. In such cases, one should know when to give up and compromise.
“I’m not doing this to you specifically, I just don’t feel good, so let’s sleep separately.”
“But that’s not how it—”
“Am I a toy?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m not a toy, so why should I follow the rules regardless of how I feel?”
Hajin looked at me with an expression that suggested he had a lot to say, then sighed.
“Fine, you’re right. If you don’t want to, it’s not something I can force.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
I put on a robe and walked past Hajin, who was standing dazed in front of the bathroom door. When I opened the bathroom door to go out, Hahyun was there, tears streaming down his face. He must have heard our conversation from inside the bathroom.
“…Hyung.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Hyung, it’s a misunderstanding. That’s not it. It’s not… You’re a fox spirit again… No, I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please.”
Hahyun was babbling, not even knowing what he was saying. I didn’t respond to his words and turned away. Hahyun knelt down and clung to my legs.
“Hyung, please. Talk to me. No, forget talking, just scold me instead. I’m so scared.”
I stood there, looking straight ahead to avoid making eye contact with Hahyun. I felt my resolve would weaken if our eyes met.
“I have nothing more to say to you.”
“I’m sorry. It really wasn’t something I planned.”
If it wasn’t planned, was he suggesting that reporters spontaneously gathered to form a press corps and assembled in front of our house? There’s a limit to how much nonsense one can believe…
“If it wasn’t planned, then what was it?”
“No, well, you see. I did it without realizing it myself.”
After uttering such nonsense, Hahyun started crying uncontrollably. The tears flowing down his face seemed like they might pool on the floor, and Hahyun’s face had turned so pale that it wouldn’t have been strange if he collapsed backward at any moment.
“Fine, just back away a bit.”
“No. If I let go, you’ll never come back to me.”
Hearing Hahyun’s words, I thought carefully.
What do I want to do?
Of course I was angry about what Hahyun had done, but that didn’t mean I never wanted to see him again, as he suggested. I calmed my emotions a bit and looked down at Hahyun. He was looking up at me with tearful eyes. Seeing that face made my heart soften.
“I’m not going to stop seeing you. I have no intention of leaving because of this… Just think of it as being punished for doing something wrong.”
Hahyun urgently asked,
“If it’s punishment, you should set a date, right? Not knowing when it will end…”
At times like this, it was remarkable how similar these brothers were despite not being related by blood. Selfish guys who don’t understand the other person’s feelings at all, can’t read the atmosphere, and persistently demand what they want… Then again, I knew what they were like from the beginning and still fell for them, so it was all my fault.
I raised my eyebrows and glared at Hahyun. He closed his mouth.
“Then, how long were you planning to play this trick?”
“If I’m being honest… until you agree to marry me… No, that still makes me anxious… I’m sorry. But it wasn’t a joke to me.”
While Hahyun was rambling on with excuses, Hajin walked past him with a disgusted expression.
“I was so anxious because I thought hyung could leave the house anytime. I’m sorry.”
I twisted my body to free my leg from Hahyun’s arms, but he was holding on so tightly that I couldn’t escape.
“Let go of my leg first.”
“No. You’ll leave if I do. Set a time before you go.”
“One week.”
“…No. How can I endure a whole week?”
Hahyun clung to me more desperately, crying loudly. He added that being told to wait a week was like being told to die. Since this was an expected reaction, I said what I had been preparing to say.
“Then face my resentment indefinitely. I can’t stand selfish people.”
Hahyun, seemingly not fully understanding the situation, snapped back.
“I don’t like cold people eith— No, that’s not it. I might die after a week, but I’ll try to endure it. It’s still better than never seeing you again. Hic…”
Hahyun breathed heavily like a child. Yet he didn’t loosen his grip on my arm.
“Let go before I kick you. I’ll really get angry if you keep this up.”
“Will you forgive me after you get angry and kick me?”
“Of course not. I’ll probably hate you more.”
Hahyun startled and released my leg. Thinking I might get caught again at any moment, I quickly fled to my room. Water was dripping from my hair, which I hadn’t been able to dry properly because of the brothers.
“It’s been so long, how long are they planning to act like this?”
It was a big problem that both Hajin and Hahyun were getting worse rather than better. Of course, I knew that the cause of all this was my fault for not choosing one of them.
They probably felt increasingly anxious about being abandoned because I hadn’t made a choice. Perhaps that’s why the brothers had stopped asking me to choose between them at some point, and I was taking advantage of their feelings to buy time. My chest felt tight. I couldn’t avoid this forever.
I dried myself off, shook my hair, and thought. Since I had the chance to sleep alone for the first time in a while, I would think about it tonight.
Lying in bed with the blanket over me, I seriously contemplated who I should choose between the two. Not long after, my consciousness began to blur, and I soon fell asleep.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar place.
I tried to look around, but everything was covered in a hazy fog, making it difficult to see ahead. As I groped my way forward, step by step, I began to see a dazzling light at the far end.
Thinking I might be able to return home if I went toward it, I walked, and walked, and walked some more. But no matter how much I walked, I couldn’t reach the place with the light. I realized that I was dreaming. Goosebumps began to form on my skin.
“How can a dream be this vivid…”
Stopping in my tracks with a sense of déjà vu, I recalled meeting young Hajin not long ago. A smile naturally formed on my lips.
“Is it Hahyun this time? It would be troublesome if he cries even in dreams… If I’m going to meet him anyway, I’d like to meet a very, very young Hahyun. I wonder how cute he was.”
I muttered to myself as I began exploring here and there to find Hahyun. But no matter how much I searched, there was no sign of him. That’s when it happened. A figure began to appear in the light ahead.
The light was so bright that I couldn’t move and just stood still, yet it kept coming closer. After blinking a few times, the shape before me began to appear more clearly.
“You, you are…”
“It’s been a very long time, Kim Sojin.”
“…”
It was Kim Hyunju.
