‘Why did you do that?’
When Kim Younghwan asked, looking at him as if he’d shredded cash in a shredder, Lee Euishin answered simply.
‘Because it was dirty.’
‘Huh!’
‘Geez!’
The soccer idiots clicked their tongues as if flabbergasted. How could you spend such a large sum on such an absurd thing, are all nouveau riche sons like this—a great debate followed, but Lee Euishin felt relieved just from not having to see Kwon Yunsu buried in that dirty sofa.
Next to Kwon Yunsu, who had been chanting Allianz-something like a spell, Song Taesu likewise leaned his head back and muttered.
“When’s the Champions League final? Last week of this month? Ah, I want to go to Europe. I want to see the final with my own eyes.”
“Where’s the final then? If it’s Real and Atlético… at the Bernabéu? I want to go to Spain. Madrid!”
“Why are you guys ignoring Man City? City could make the finals!”
Kwon Yunsu sat up indignantly. He doesn’t know shit about Man or Real, but he knows Kwon Yunsu likes English teams. It’s called first love, and he’s even afraid to know why.
“He always likes hopeless teams.”
“What do you mean hopeless? Hopeless!”
“It’s not a lie.”
“It’s totally true.”
Do they really have to have such conversations so seriously? Lee Euishin was flabbergasted. And he was getting fed up. Kwon Yunsu, who got almost no sleep at dawn yesterday, should be tired by now too. Class was over, so he wanted to collect the kid and go home, but it wasn’t easy to catch his attention. When he gives hints, he fidgets this way and that but usually gets up within 10 minutes, but right now Kwon Yunsu’s soul has left his body.
“Europe? Can’t you just go?”
While Lee Euishin was timing things, it was Kim Younghwan who threw out such words. The heads of the soccer fans who had been betting on the winning team whipped around, and Lee Eunsub, who was next to Kim Younghwan, smiled and added.
“Younghwan and I are going during vacation.”
“What? Wow, hyung, are you going to see Man City?”
“Want to come?”
“I have no money.”
Looking at Kwon Yunsu kid who immediately made a tearful face saying he had no money, Lee Euishin thought about Kwon Yunsu’s family’s financial situation. With his parents’ divorce and asset division, alimony for the spouse at fault, etc., the assets were halved, and his older sister and Kwon Yunsu were raised by their biological father. Kwon Yunsu’s father worked at a solid company but was pouring money monthly into caring for his sick elderly parents, and the living expenses for his med student sister in the provinces and Kwon Yunsu living alone in Seoul weren’t trivial either. The guy was already thinking about his father’s old age and feeling guilty about receiving allowance. That reason probably also played a part in him readily accepting the cohabitation proposal.
If he openly bought him this and that, he’d feel burdened, so he fills the refrigerator bit by bit without Kwon Yunsu, who handles food expenses, noticing, and feeds him expensive things saying they came from home. Since he has no hobbies besides soccer, his allowance probably isn’t insufficient. But he definitely didn’t have emergency funds for an overseas trip costing several hundred thousand won.
“Just save up your allowance a bit. Originally when you’re young, you travel on a budget.”
“Hyung, you’re really going? Why didn’t you tell me? You should have said something from the beginning!”
“We didn’t hide it, we forgot. We’re telling you now.”
When Lee Eunsub said that, Ahn Shinwook suddenly raised his hand.
“Then can I join?”
Song Taesu also spoke up.
“Wow, Ahn Shinwook, do you really have nothing to do and no friends? Hyung, me too.”
…Anxiously turning his head,
“Me too! I want to go too!!!”
Kwon Yunsu was flailing with both hands raised high. He was just like a kid begging to be taken to the market.
“Ah, but we’re not going just to watch soccer…. Anyway, it’d be fun if we all go together. We haven’t even bought tickets yet and haven’t fully planned the itinerary. Come to think of it, there’s less than two months until vacation. Younghwan-ah, we should hurry. Let’s book the plane tickets within this month.”
“Yeah.”
“How much does it cost?”
“At least 3 million won will be basic. If we’re going all the way there, we should tour a few countries, right?”
“Whoa….”
Kwon Yunsu’s face crumpled unattractively. Lee Euishin also frowned next to him.
“Anyway, decide quickly if you’re interested. Once we book the plane tickets, you’ll end up going somehow.”
Just the plane tickets… Kwon Yunsu’s eyes sparkled as he muttered. Lee Eunsub’s last words decisively shook the guy’s heart.
Naturally, Lee Euishin became anxious.
While Kwon Yunsu alternately looked at Lee Eunsub and Kim Younghwan, and the laptop screen where the highlight video had ended, Lee Euishin stared intently at the guy’s face, then whipped his head around to glare at Lee Eunsub. I should have shut that bastard’s mouth. As far as Lee Euishin remembered, Kwon Yunsu had never once backed down when it came to matters related to soccer.
Kwon Yunsu going on a trip with those guys? Fucking terrible. Really fucking terrible. Maybe Shin Jaewoo, who’s absent now, might join that group. Then what about me? Fuck, then I have to go too. But if I go? …I’ll just get stressed like a dog.
He detested group activities. Group activities with Kwon Yunsu were even more fucking terrible. It was obvious his personality would be ruined between jealousy, impulse, and stress. It was different from high school when they were bound by the absolute goal of entrance exams. Back then it was relatively easy to fence off himself and Kwon Yunsu’s surroundings. But now they were fucking free twenty-year-olds and Kwon Yunsu loved soccer too much. …If he went, he’d lose it. He absolutely couldn’t allow it. And even more so with a bastard like Shin Jaewoo.
“Let’s just go home.”
Lee Euishin stood up abruptly and looked down at Kwon Yunsu. Get up, you mutt. We need to go eat.
If I go, can I go to Germany too? I want to go to Allianz Arena. Where do you like best? Kwon Yunsu, having a passionate conversation with Song Taesu, didn’t even turn his head.
“Hey, the landlord is waiting. Get up quickly.”
It was Ahn Shinwook who handed him his bag and made him stand up. Kwon Yunsu stood up still in a daze. For Kwon Yunsu, who had been sandwiched in the middle of the three-seater sofa, to get out he had to pass between Song Taesu sitting at the end and the table, but stupid Kwon Yunsu tried hard not to bump into anything and missed his footing.
“Ack!”
Catching the guy who was about to tumble forward, Euishin cursed and simultaneously let out a sigh of relief. This dog bastard, I can’t let him take his eyes off for a second…,
“…….”
Then he paused in thought at the feeling of the arm and shoulder caught in his hands. He keeps wearing thinner clothes. It was because of the mild spring weather, but ultimately this bastard was to blame.
“Aigoo.”
“Falling right into daddy’s arms. Goal, goal.”
“Is he using the engineering department heartthrob as his personal daddy?”
Even though the idiots were saying strange things, Yunsu had a ‘whatever’ expression. And he quickly got up and greeted them.
“We’re leaving─. If any new stories come up, don’t leave me out!”
Leave you out. If you’re going, go among yourselves and don’t include him. Euishin glared at the soccer idiots with such eyes and left the club room.
“Ah, hyung-deul are lucky. Looks like they saved up all the money.”
If you want to go that badly, go with me.
“What did I do? Euishin, have you been to Europe? Ah, you said you went.”
Let’s go with me, with me. Just the two of us.
Yunsu, who couldn’t hear any of his inner words, walked blankly. The May campus entering full spring was crowded everywhere, and on the boulevard next to the wide lawn area, large and small events, counseling booths, and promotional flyers were scattered about.
Just as Yunsu, who had been looking at a promotional paper with a soccer player drawn on it, was about to dangerously bump shoulders with a passing group,
“Hey, look where you’re walking.”
Euishin swiftly grabbed his arm.
“…Yeah.”
He really wants to go but it doesn’t seem easy, and he doesn’t know if he can go, but he really really wants to go, something like that? Yunsu had a sullen face.
“Look ahead.”
“Yeah yeah.”
Yunsu carefully pulled his arm free.
That evening’s dinner was the bean sprout soup they’d started eating in the morning, braised fish bought from a side dish shop, and the rolled omelet that Yunsu had completely burned. It was too high-level cooking to pull off in a dazed state. Euishin silently ate all the burned parts of the rolled omelet.
After eating, Yunsu sprawled out in the living room and looked at his laptop.
“Wow, this person must have gone to Camp Nou.”
“Euishin-ah, this is where they had the semifinals earlier. Where they held the World Cup opening ceremony.”
“Whoa, this person even got player autographs. Lucky, really….”
