Different Dreams in the Same Bed (9)
“Huff, huff… I can’t run anymore.”
He was out of breath. First day of unemployment. Jeongbae was forced to run in the dawn air. With the heavy casted arm and being unaccustomed to exercise, Jeongbae was dying.
“You still have two more laps. I’m going easy on you because you’re injured.”
Jaehyuk, wearing sunglasses and a hat, looked like a demon instructor—only missing a whistle. Sticking close to Jeongbae’s side, he kept nagging about breathing and ankles and running posture.
“Huff, huff, why… exercise… I hate it.”
Jeongbae, who barely reached the target point, protested vehemently. He had already been dragged out and since he’d started, he ran to the end, but for Jeongbae who was used to labor, exercise was just a waste of energy.
“To… huff huff… today we came together, but I’m not coming out from tomorrow. I have to look for a new job too.”
At that moment, he felt Jaehyuk’s eyes flash from behind the sunglasses. Jeongbae flinched but didn’t back down. He stared straight at him without avoiding his eyes.
“Part-time job?”
“…Yeah.”
Jaehyuk ground his teeth. The atmosphere turned cold.
“Your arm is broken, you have to study, you have to take the college entrance exam, and you have to go to the hospital. But a part-time job?”
Jeongbae bit his lips tight in frustration.
“Still… I can’t just play around.”
“…Play?”
Jaehyuk’s voice dropped low and cold.
“You think running at 6 AM… is playing? Want to play some more? About twenty laps.”
Jeongbae waved his hands in panic.
“That’s… that’s not what I meant…”
Jaehyuk lightly grabbed Jeongbae’s wrist. His fingers wrapped around slowly but persistently.
“You’re going to miss the days when you worked at the rice soup restaurant.”
Along with a confident voice, Jaehyuk’s large palm swept Jeongbae’s sweaty forehead.
“Why… do you get to decide everything?”
Jeongbae answered somewhat sulkily.
“Because you nodded.”
Yesterday’s subtle atmosphere.
Trembling hands.
And the nod.
When his thoughts reached that point, Jeongbae’s face burned hot.
“You begged me for help, pleading desperately.”
Jaehyuk shamelessly fabricated things that never happened.
“When did I beg! That… that wasn’t what it meant. I wasn’t in my right mind then…”
But Jaehyuk already had eyes full of certainty.
“No take-backs.”
“I… I said let’s not do that kind of—”
“Then run away.”
“…What?”
“I said try running away.”
Jaehyuk crossed his arms.
“Right now.”
Jeongbae couldn’t close his mouth. He thought about bolting for a moment, but had no confidence in shaking off Jaehyuk, who was said to be the base-stealing king in baseball. Sure enough, he could see thick thigh muscles twitching in the direction he glanced at to run.
“If you run, I’ll chase. If you hide, I’ll find you. If you get a job, I’ll meet that boss first.”
“Why… why would you go that far…”
Jaehyuk tilted his head. It wasn’t a joke. Cold eyes shone persistently under the sunglasses. Jeongbae’s mouth shut tight.
“The crying is over now. I can’t see that again. From now on, you’ll move according to my plan.”
Jeongbae’s eyes widened. He tried to object, but his caught wrist was suddenly pulled and he lost his balance. As he leaned into Jaehyuk’s arms like that, his heart beat half a beat faster.
“I won’t… leave you alone for even a moment now.”
It was Jaehyuk’s declaration of war. A journey that wouldn’t be smooth awaited Jeongbae ahead.
9 AM. Jeongbae had just grabbed a simple breakfast and been dragged to the community center.
“Emergency support, basic livelihood recipients—you can apply for all of these. Please fill out the documents here.”
Following the kind civil servant’s guidance, Jeongbae mechanically wrote his name, contact information, and address. He signed a bunch of documents he didn’t even understand.
“I really don’t need to go this far… I can work soon…”
Jeongbae looked back at Jaehyuk as he spoke and flinched. Their eyes met with a strangely sticky gaze. Jaehyuk’s large hand stroked his head. It felt ominous.
“This isn’t my preferred method either.”
“I knew it was a bit—”
“Should we register our marriage right away?”
“What?!”
Jeongbae was startled and shoved Jaehyuk away. This crazy person’s way of thinking was utterly unpredictable.
“Why? Can’t we register marriage at the community center? While we’re here, if I stamp it with a bang, I can legally take responsibility for you for life…”
Jeongbae, red all the way to his ears, covered Jaehyuk’s mouth.
“Please shut up. That marriage talk.”
Jaehyuk burst into laughter beyond his blocked mouth. With eyes folded like half-moons, he lightly pulled Jeongbae’s wrist. Then he immediately pressed his lips to the back of his hand.
Jeongbae felt like his face would explode from embarrassment. The civil servant handling the complaints in front was flipping through documents while trying to hold back laughter with twitching lips. Even though it was morning, his physical strength and mental state were already half depleted.
“Emergency support will be approved quickly, and if you can’t find work for a long time because of your injury, you may also qualify as a livelihood and medical benefit recipient.”
Jeongbae’s feelings were complicated as he came out after receiving the guidance.
“You don’t need to be embarrassed. You’re getting back the taxes you’ve paid.”
“But I’m perfectly healthy…”
Jaehyuk’s gaze turned to Jeongbae’s broken arm. It was annoying that he only showed awareness at times like this when he was the one who broke it.
“If it bothers you, succeed and pay double the taxes.”
Jaehyuk said indifferently.
“With a salary of 300 million won, they take 44% just in income tax. They’re robbers without knives. Don’t whine about it when that time comes.”
Flustered, Jeongbae blinked.
“How would I earn 300 million?”
“Why wouldn’t you? You said you’d be a doctor.”
At Jaehyuk’s cool summary, Jeongbae also let out a laugh. Anyway, he felt a little relieved that he might receive support. He had been worried about the living expenses going out just from breathing this month, so it was fortunate.
“Now, on to the next course.”
As they got in the car, Jaehyuk fastened his seatbelt and said in a somewhat excited voice.
“Take me home now.”
Jeongbae tried to dissuade him, but it was useless. He was only thinking about when to shake off Jaehyuk and find a new job. But the dark eyes stared at Jeongbae, then suddenly took out a phone and started taking pictures wildly.
“What… what are you doing right now?”
“Can you smile a bit? I might miss this.”
Jeongbae thought the crazy bastard was saying crazy things again. He barely held back curses and turned his head sharply, and Jaehyuk admired it by himself.
“Sulky Kang Jeongbae. This kind is rare.”
Jeongbae quietly let out only a sigh. He absolutely wouldn’t listen.
However, the place where the car stopped shortly after was a location Jeongbae hadn’t even thought of.
***
A mechanical sound went whirr.
Jeongbae felt his shoulders shrink even more as he sat in the examination chair. The distinctive smell of medicine in the dentist’s office stung his nose.
“Are you scared?”
Jaehyuk grinned constantly. This must have been why he was strangely excited from earlier.
“I really don’t need to—”
“Do it.”
At the answer that came back like a knife, Jeongbae pressed his lips tight. The canine and molar teeth that always bothered him whenever he looked in the mirror. But until now, the dentist was a luxury. The chair tilted and the light turned on brightly. When he carefully opened his mouth, the doctor looked at his teeth calmly without much to say.
“Hmm… This much can be covered naturally enough with a temporary crown.”
‘Naturally.’
At those words, Jeongbae’s breath stopped for a moment. He remembered the gazes of people that had implicitly been directed at him every time he smiled. Whether pitying or mocking. The doctor immediately continued the explanation.
“Implants will take a few months, so you can use this in the meantime. We’ll match the color almost exactly to your natural teeth.”
“Ah… yes… Then… the price…”
His voice trembled slightly. Jaehyuk, who had been listening right next to him, said indifferently with his arms crossed.
“Just do it.”
“But… the money…”
Jaehyuk didn’t even bat an eyelash.
“Pay me back. With interest. Very expensively.”
At the too-firm voice, Jeongbae couldn’t think of any more words to refuse. Apology and gratitude, embarrassment, sadness. Unknown emotions swirled. Whether he knew Jeongbae’s heart or not, Jaehyuk just left to the waiting room like that.
The procedure ended faster than expected. The strange foreign feeling in his mouth disappeared and he smacked his lips, when the doctor handed him a hand mirror.
“Look in the mirror. It’ll be much more natural than you think.”
Jeongbae took the mirror with trembling fingertips. The moment he checked his teeth, his breath caught.
“…Huh?”
The loose canine tooth space was neatly filled in. The color and shape… looked like his real teeth. Without realizing it, a bright smile formed on his lips. The somewhat lacking, comical face was nowhere to be found, and a clear-faced man was smiling.
Jeongbae brought his hand to his throbbing chest. It had been a really long time since he felt like this. Happy, excited, awkward.
‘It’s been quite a while since I took care of myself.’
It was bitter and he felt guilty. To indulge in such luxury when he’d even lost his job. And whether he deserved this.
“Your husband called to inquire several times.”
“Pardon?”
Jeongbae was so surprised he reflexively questioned back. The doctor squinted.
“You must be newlyweds. Your groom is so happy he’s dying. He kept singing about wanting to fix it, wanting to fix it…”
“He’s… not my husband.”
“Oh? Really? Then hold on tight.”
“Pardon?”
Jeongbae’s eyes widened.
“The nurses were already in an uproar when he came in. Looks like he’ll be popular.”
“…Right. I don’t know why he’s doing this to me.”
Jeongbae replied sullenly without realizing it. The doctor added with a proud face.
“No, you’ll become popular too, patient.”
“Th… thank you.”
Jeongbae gave thanks while hiding his embarrassed look.
“How is it?”
Jaehyuk asked lowly.
“…It’s strange. It doesn’t feel like me.”
Even after getting in the car, Jeongbae kept looking at his face in the small mirror on the sun visor.
“The before was cuter. Though now is pretty too.”
Jeongbae’s chest tightened hotly. That complex that made him avoid taking pictures and made him self-conscious even when speaking in front of people. He always pretended it was okay and showed his missing teeth comically, but to himself it was actually a big wound and stain.
And the person who understood his inner feelings was…
“Jeongbae.”
Jaehyuk’s fingertips lightly touched Jeongbae’s cheek. The touch that tapped as if telling him to look back was affectionate.
“I’m glad I took those pictures earlier after all.”
At those words, Jeongbae laughed out loud without realizing it. Then his eyes met Jaehyuk’s. Jaehyuk wasn’t smiling. He was just quietly looking at him.
In that gaze was sincerity that showed he really wanted to do this for him. Jeongbae bit his lips tight. He felt like tears would fall.
