The one who proposed the blind date to Lee Euishin was a senior in the engineering department famous for having wide connections, and the other party was a dance major student one year older, known as a goddess in the arts college. Did Kwon Yunsu know that the guy was becoming more of a celebrity day by day?
“I guess handsome guys live up to their looks.”
When he uttered words he didn’t mean, Kwon Yunsu got worked up as expected.
“Hey, that’s not about his looks, that’s about his shitty personality. Ugh, he was so cold to that noona I was embarrassed and got scolded. He should live getting cowed by meeting a woman scarier than him.”
Shin Jaewoo let out a laugh while lightly brushing Kwon Yunsu’s back of the head.
“What, you were so shocked when Euishin went on that blind date you didn’t even watch soccer.”
“…I watched it just fine. And at this rate, I hope that bastard dates someone so he’ll at least stop being needlessly petty.”
The subway entrance came into view in the distance, so Shin Jaewoo glanced at his watch. Though they’d walked slowly, there was plenty of time left. Genuine words suddenly came out.
“I wish Euishin would date too.”
“Why you?”
He looked at him intently with sparkling eyes.
“I want to get closer to you, but you only stick around with him so there’s no opening.”
“……”
Since that movie date, there’d been no progress with Kwon Yunsu. It didn’t go beyond hanging out with several people in the club room. The reason was simple. Because the person who always did things alone with Kwon Yunsu was Lee Euishin. Moreover, once this kid went home, he’d go completely out of contact.
「Yunsu, what are you doing?」
「I’m near school right now, want to come out?」
「Got time? Want to watch a movie?」
He’d tried making obvious moves several times, but the reply always came back the next morning. It seemed like once he went home, he’d throw his phone somewhere and not even look at it. Just what were he and Lee Euishin doing together inside there?
“I’m not a very fun person.”
Kwon Yunsu replied awkwardly, and,
“I have fun when I’m with you though. Even more fun when it’s just the two of us.”
Shin Jaewoo continued shooting arrows.
Going down the long escalator leading to the ticket gate, Kwon Yunsu just smiled. ‘I’m happy you see me in a good light’—only simple feelings were conveyed without any confusion. A sudden mischievous urge arose and he asked with narrowed eyes.
“By any chance, is your type the mischievous kind? Or do you only deal with guys as handsome as Lee Euishin? Why are you so aloof, when I contact you, you never reply properly once. What the hell do you two do together?”
When he attacked with several things at once, Kwon Yunsu seemed to be pondering what to refute. Then after a moment, he retorted in a flat voice.
“What makes Lee Euishin handsome? He’s rude and looks scary. You’re more handsome. Shin Jaewoo is totally cool. I bet the money I earned today that you’ll get a girlfriend within half a year.”
He’d never heard anyone say he lacked in the looks department, but he wasn’t particularly happy. Because he knew that Kwon Yunsu’s face sometimes went blank when looking at Lee Euishin.
“You need to hurry up and say the same thing back to me.”
Kwon Yunsu, who’d been hurrying toward the ticket gate, said playfully. Shin Jaewoo quickly reached out his hand and brushed Kwon Yunsu’s cheek. Soft. He’d heard from a girl he dated in high school that when you want to have sex, you always touch faces.
“You’re totally handsome, Kwon Yunsu.”
Really. You’re so white and clear and fuzzy with soft down, you’re just pretty. So can’t you hang out with me a bit more intensely? Kwon Yunsu shrank his shoulders again, avoiding his touch. Then, as if shaking off something unfamiliar, he said loudly.
“We get along sooo well.”
Shin Jaewoo silently gazed at Kwon Yunsu’s profile.
I want to date a guy like you. My preference is to play around a bit naughtily, but if you say you’re scared, I’ll go slowly. So just develop a bit more awareness, pretty boy.
“Then next time I ask you to come out, definitely come.”
Kwon Yunsu nodded roughly. Shin Jaewoo smoothly patted his round head. It was praise for not reacting even once to the intermittently vibrating phone during the time from when their part-time job ended until arriving here.
* * *
Entering the apartment entrance, Kwon Yunsu let out a big sigh.
Past 1 AM, there were five missed calls on his phone. He lacked ammunition for how to counter the landlord’s fucking nagging. After doing six hours of furious dishwashing and sleeping soundly the whole subway ride, today’s daytime furious behavior had become obscure.
Why did he do that? What did I say when leaving the dongbang? He couldn’t remember any of that, and only thought that if he went home now, he’d get terribly chewed out. And it’d be awkward. He really hated awkwardness. Worrying over ambiguous problems with no answers felt similar to indigestion.
‘There’s only Kwon Yunsu.’
…When he heard those words, somewhere in his body felt pricked and anxious, which was also, so to speak, a feeling like indigestion. Crazy bastard. That’s why I told him to make some friends, but he doesn’t listen to others…
Massaging his stiff wrists, he walked slowly. Lee Euishin might be asleep. Then tomorrow morning we’ll have to face each other sober. Actually, there wasn’t time for a long argument. Soon it would get frantically busy. He had to prepare for the festival, borrow money from his noona, and find a part-time job. While doing all that, final exams would arrive. What could he do to earn a lot in a short time? If it were vacation, maybe, but trying to save money during the semester to spend during vacation had many constraints. Thanks to Shin Jaewoo, he’d secured one short-term part-time job, but this was nowhere near enough. How could he earn quickly and earn a lot? It was when he was entering the building while desperately thinking about money.
“Hey.”
“…!”
It was Lee Euishin. Lee Euishin, who’d been standing at the entrance stairs, walked over with big strides. Though at home he didn’t move a muscle and lived languidly, the guy had exercised regularly, and there wasn’t a single place on his slender, tall frame where muscles hadn’t developed. When such a guy stood blocking his way, it was newly threatening. Rather than fighting, he wanted to just brush it off with words.
“Where were you?”
“……”
“Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
Kwon Yunsu gulped. His tone was… strange. It wasn’t his usual way of getting angry with heat rising to his forehead, but a weary, calm voice. Sneaky bastard, when did you learn a new technique? Kwon Yunsu put strength in his throat.
“It’s my choice.”
“You were working part-time with Shin Jaewoo?”
“……”
What don’t you know?
“Did that bastard tell you not to answer the phone?”
“I ignored it of my own volition.”
Wrinkles formed between Lee Euishin’s brows. The familiar face of irritation. Then he returned to that unfamiliar tone again.
“What were you doing?”
“Washing dishes.”
Are we fighting properly? The moment he asked himself, the situation ended.
“Let’s go in.”
Lee Euishin turned his body and jerked his chin toward the entrance. Was he telling him to go first? To go in and face each other properly? Kwon Yunsu nodded and headed inside. The elevator was stopped on the first floor.
When he massaged his hands due to the fatigue rushing in all at once, the guy grabbed his wrist. Then he turned his hand this way and that before muttering as if pathetic.
“Doing shit like that…”
Should I ask if you, a rich kid, are looking down on my poverty right now?
But seeing his face seriously clicking his tongue, he lost the desire to do so. Kwon Yunsu just kept his mouth shut. The place where the guy’s touch passed tingled for no reason. I should just go in and sleep. Thank heavens there’s no morning class tomorrow.
Anticipating the end of an exhausting day, he opened the front door. And for a moment, he was stunned by the smell of food hitting his nose.
“Uh…”
Lee Euishin, who’d entered past Kwon Yunsu who’d stopped walking, jerked his chin toward the kitchen.
“Come here.”
I was planning to go look even without you ordering me.
“What’s… this…”
And Kwon Yunsu opened his mouth in surprise. On the dining table were things he’d never seen once since moving into this house. A salad with red, green, and white colors mixed in colorfully, baked bread, steak, wine. All of it for two people.
“The person in charge of meals was late, so I made what I wanted to eat.”
“…You made this?”
Until now, Lee Euishin had never played any role in the kitchen besides washing dishes, grilling meat, making coffee, and checking expiration dates. Even though he grumbled that it wasn’t tasty, he ate what was given just fine, yet he knew how to do something like this?
“Were you… hungry?”
Lee Euishin nodded as he sat down.
“I was hungry.”
“Why didn’t you eat…”
