The distance between Tae Shinwoo and Seo Eunho had dramatically grown closer. Of course, Seo Eunho still hadn’t confessed to Tae Shinwoo. Because Tae Shinwoo didn’t rush him and Seo Eunho didn’t hurriedly make up his mind either.
For now, Tae Shinwoo seemed satisfied just that Seo Eunho hadn’t concluded he would get a part-time job or leave this house.
The feeling of being indebted wasn’t great, but if Tae Shinwoo thought that way, it was something to be grateful for. Seo Eunho thought he should slowly repay Tae Shinwoo’s favor—no, his feelings—later.
Whenever that might be, his situation would never get better than Tae Shinwoo’s, but still, if he weren’t a student, if he got a decent job, he’d be able to do something for Tae Shinwoo even a little.
It was a pleasant thought just to imagine. Unlike before, Seo Eunho often smiled while picturing the future. It was all thanks to Tae Shinwoo.
“You look happy. Is it because you’re alone for once?”
“What are you talking about?”
As if knowing he’d been thinking about him, Tae Shinwoo, who could never be a gentleman, suddenly appeared. Since he’d just gotten out of the shower, the scent of body wash lingered around his nose.
From some point on, a similar scent came from both Tae Shinwoo and himself. It was because the number of times Tae Shinwoo went home had drastically decreased.
He didn’t particularly try to send him back either. He did wonder if his family was looking for him, but if they were, Tae Shinwoo would go home on his own.
Like today.
“I don’t want to go.”
“You’re probably just lazy.”
“No, I really don’t want to. I just want to stay here.”
Seo Eunho’s body stiffened as hands sluggishly wrapped around his waist. He hadn’t looked back so he didn’t know, but Shinwoo hadn’t even put on a shirt. Seo Eunho hit the back of his hand and pulled away.
“What are you doing?”
The problem was that day when he’d suddenly sat him on his lap. After that day, Tae Shinwoo’s physical contact had become a bit excessive. Skinship at a level that would never happen between friends, especially between guys, was too frequent—way too frequent.
Like suddenly hugging him from behind like this, or sliding his fingers between Eunho’s fingers, or pressing his face against the nape of his neck. Sometimes he’d even reach out from the front to suddenly hug him.
“You’re getting rougher.”
It wasn’t that he disliked it. The problem was that he liked it too much and his heart was so excited.
Eighteen. Seo Eunho couldn’t handle his first love, which had started at an age full of vigor, like a sly fox. Everything from one to ten was embarrassing and bothered him.
Thanks to that, the situation had become a bit ridiculous. Tae Shinwoo approached whenever he had a chance, and Seo Eunho pushed away and ran from such a Tae Shinwoo. There was no progress at all.
“And you’ve become weird.”
Seo Eunho rubbed his face roughly and retorted. At this rate, he couldn’t bring himself to say he liked him. It seemed like the moment they were called something other than friends, he wouldn’t be able to control Tae Shinwoo.
“I was always weird.”
Tae Shinwoo answered with a shrug. He should be upset since Eunho was rejecting him so mercilessly, but Tae Shinwoo looked cheerful. At least that was fortunate. If Tae Shinwoo had been hurt, Seo Eunho wouldn’t have known what to do.
“Aren’t you late?”
“It’s okay to be a little late.”
“But your grandfather called for you.”
“…That’s why I want to be late.”
Seo Eunho raised an eyebrow at the deliberately annoyed tone. It was the first time he’d seen Tae Shinwoo openly show his dislike.
‘Your grandfather?’
Come to think of it, that was when Tae Shinwoo’s voice had become particularly lukewarm after receiving the call.
“You…”
As soon as that thought reached him, Seo Eunho opened his mouth. Do you hate your grandfather? Why do you hate him? Because he suddenly became curious. The other day when they talked about his parents, Tae Shinwoo hadn’t mentioned his grandfather.
“I’ll be late.”
But Tae Shinwoo didn’t even give him a chance to ask anything. He couldn’t tell if he was really in a hurry because he thought he’d be late, or if he just didn’t want to bring up his grandfather as a topic.
Actually, either way didn’t really matter. If he didn’t want to talk about it, he didn’t want to pry. Even if he didn’t know such things, it wouldn’t change the relationship between Tae Shinwoo and himself.
***
Despite whining for a long time about not wanting to go, Tae Shinwoo prepared like a shot and headed to his family home. He couldn’t even remember how many times he’d said he’d come back quickly. Seo Eunho roughly figured it was said multiple times like a vow out of his own desire to return quickly.
“……”
The house without Tae Shinwoo was too quiet. Since when had they been together so much? He even felt a bit awkward.
Seo Eunho sprawled out spread-eagle on the bed and just stared blankly at the ceiling. He didn’t know what to do. Since it was always Tae Shinwoo who suggested doing something, he couldn’t think of anything suitable to do.
“Mmm…”
But he didn’t want to just lie down and sleep. Shouldn’t he do something practical? An uncharacteristic thought came to him out of nowhere.
No, Tae Shinwoo was helping him with everything. In that situation, he couldn’t just lie around enjoying himself. Right now he was a student, so let’s say that’s fine. Of course, setting aside the fact that Tae Shinwoo was also a student.
But once he became an adult, Seo Eunho had no intention of being indebted to Tae Shinwoo any longer. As expected, it was right to start working immediately. But what kind of work should he do?
“……”
Before, he thought he could do any kind of work. Because he just needed to make money no matter what. But now his thinking had changed a bit.
Something more respectable. In other words, he wanted to find work that wouldn’t look shabby to Tae Shinwoo, who would become a college student and meet many new people.
But he didn’t know what that was. What was shabby work and what wasn’t shabby work?
“Haa…”
Seo Eunho’s gaze briefly drifted to the computer. He had the ridiculous thought of searching online for non-shabby work. He didn’t actually act on it.
Bzzzz.
That was exactly when his phone vibrated.
“…?”
He smiled, naturally thinking the caller would be Tae Shinwoo, but unfortunately, Seo Eunho’s guess was wrong. The sender of the message with an attached photo had a restricted display.
Wondering what this was, Seo Eunho checked the message. Even until then, he had no particular thoughts.
“What is this?”
But the moment he checked the message, Seo Eunho’s face showed disbelief. He actually first thought his eyes might be wrong. So he blinked several times and even rubbed them.
However, the photo attached to the message didn’t change. No matter how he looked, no matter how many times he looked again, in the photo Tae Shinwoo and that woman who had disappeared with his father were having a conversation.
How should he take this? Why on earth was Tae Shinwoo with this woman?
The back of his neck went cold and stiff as his heart began to pound. His head spun at the combination he couldn’t understand at all. No matter how he thought about it, there was no reason for the two of them to meet.
Moreover, Tae Shinwoo had never said a single word about this. This could only be seen as deliberately hidden. Because he couldn’t dismiss this meeting with the woman as nothing.
“……”
Seo Eunho closed the message window and immediately looked for Tae Shinwoo’s number. He intended to call him and check.
But when it came to actually calling, he hesitated. First, he’d gone to a family gathering, and even if he asked Tae Shinwoo, he couldn’t be sure he’d give a proper answer.
No.
After a moment’s hesitation, Seo Eunho chose a different person to call. It was the number of the woman he hadn’t looked for once since she disappeared from before his eyes.
Unlike with Tae Shinwoo, this time there wasn’t a shred of hesitation in making the call. Listening anxiously to the connection tone that felt tedious, Seo Eunho kept tapping his fingertips.
Maybe she won’t answer?
That thought came belatedly, but anyway, it wasn’t completely turned off or anything, so he decided to wait.
—Oh my, Eunho!
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the woman’s pleased voice came from the other end of the phone.
Seo Eunho, who had called first himself, kept his mouth tightly shut. Could he ask? The reason he was wavering uncharacteristically was probably because this matter was related to Tae Shinwoo.
—Did something happen?
In the midst of this, an absurd question was thrown from the woman. Seo Eunho found himself laughing as if dumbfounded and replied.
“Something happened a while ago.”
—Ah, that. Your friend solved everything, didn’t he?
But Seo Eunho’s face immediately hardened. The friend she was talking about meant Tae Shinwoo. In other words, the woman knew Tae Shinwoo.
“…I received a photo.”
There was no need to hesitate any longer. Seo Eunho finally asked the woman.
“A photo of you and Tae Shinwoo together.”
—Oh, really?
The woman showed no sign of being flustered. As if she’d known this would happen.
“Did you meet?”
—We must have met for it to be taken, right?
“Why did you meet?”
—Mmm. That’s a secret…
It was a strange conversation where he couldn’t resolve what he actually wanted to know. Seo Eunho crumpled his face and jumped up from his seat. He didn’t know where she was, but he felt like going to find her right away and asking directly.
—I can’t say.
In the meantime, the woman gave an unwanted answer. A sigh that boiled up from inside spilled out of his mouth.
—But since we have some history together, I’ll tell you one thing.
“……”
—Make a good impression on that friend, but don’t trust him too much.
Seo Eunho didn’t give any response to the advice he hadn’t even wanted. He didn’t want to hear it. But strangely, he couldn’t hang up the phone either.
—I’m saying this out of solidarity because it seems like you’re in my department.
My department? Solidarity?
—Enjoy it to the fullest while you have the chance. He’s too good a sugar daddy to let go, isn’t he?
The puzzlement quickly disappeared at the woman’s following words. In a moment of rage, Seo Eunho almost shouted that it wasn’t like that, that Tae Shinwoo liked him and he liked Tae Shinwoo too.
—Anyway, it’ll end soon.
“…End?”
—Later, you’ll understand what I mean.
“……”
—But it’s a bit disappointing. I wanted to sleep with you once.
At the dirty joke, Seo Eunho didn’t give any response. He couldn’t hear well anyway because the words “it’ll end soon” kept circling his ears. Unable to hide his confused feelings, Seo Eunho hung up the phone recklessly. He shouldn’t have called the woman. He should have called Tae Shinwoo instead…
‘I can just ask him later.’
Seo Eunho tried hard to calm his somehow murmuring heart that way. But he couldn’t help looking at the sent photo again.
“……”
The silence was long, and Seo Eunho stared at the photo of the two people for quite a while. As he did so, one thing at least became certain.
The blue bruise remaining on Tae Shinwoo’s forehead.
In the end, it meant that Tae Shinwoo had met that woman after they had left him.
