It was when the sound of thumping footsteps came from outside the door that Haeyoung, who had been roughly packing his luggage in a small carrier, raised his head.
Even without raising his head to check, it was obvious who had come running in a hurry. As expected, the person who burst through the door without even knocking was none other than Minho. He spoke as if screaming with his eyes wide open.
“They didn’t just not come back yet… they left first!”
“What are you talking about?”
At words he couldn’t get a grasp on what he was trying to say, Haeyoung tossed clothes into the carrier and asked back.
“I mean, the girls went to Jeju Island first!”
Watching such Haeyoung, Minho, who opened his mouth again, drooped his eyebrows.
…They went to Jeju Island first?
Haeyoung, who had been chewing over the words he’d spat out, laughed and tilted his head. No wonder they’d told them to eat outside—it seemed they’d moved the female cast members to Jeju Island during that time. When he came back after eating dinner, the house was too quiet, so he’d wondered if no one had come home yet.
‘The final selection will take place in Jeju Island. Huh? Jeju Island?’
Those were the words written on the card that had come to the house a few days ago. Soyoon, who had been reading what was written while holding the card, let out an exclamation at the words “Jeju Island,” and Minho, who was next to her, flinched his shoulders at the words “final selection.”
‘It’s already the final selection?’
The soliloquy that flowed from his mouth like a murmur was clearly filled with tension. The reactions of the other cast members weren’t much different either. While they reflexively tensed at hearing the words “final selection,” they were inevitably excited to hear the news that they were going on a 1-night-2-day trip to Jeju Island.
And now it was Thursday evening, and they had just come back after going out to dine together among the male cast members after receiving a mission. Of course, from the time they received the mission, he’d thought to some degree that the production team had a picture they were drawing. But sending the female cast members to Jeju Island first was an unexpected situation.
He understood why Minho had come running in a hurry in the middle of packing for tomorrow’s schedule to leave for Jeju Island. Haeyoung stopped packing and leaned against the wall to ask.
“How did you know they all left first?”
“There’s another mission card and some items on the living room table.”
“Items?”
“Yeah, I think they belong to the girls.”
At the casual question, Minho pursed his lips. However, he soon sat down on Haeyoung’s bed where he was packing and obediently brought out answers to his questions.
It was when Haeyoung was laughing carelessly while looking at Minho’s simple expression. Seonwoo, who seemed to have been packing inside, came out of the dressing room.
“Hyung-nim! We got another mission envelope.”
As soon as he spotted Seonwoo, Minho half-raised his body and raised his voice. Since someone had appeared who could deliver the message instead of the indifferent Haeyoung, he was clearly delighted.
“Is that so?”
However, the other party showed an even more static reaction than Haeyoung from a moment ago. The voice that returned with a faint smile took the form of a question but instantly cut off the conversation. Even Minho, who readily clung to anyone, sat back down on the bed with an awkward face.
Perhaps he didn’t have much luggage to pack—all he held in his hand was a dark-colored travel trunk. Well, it’s only 1 night and 2 days, so packing this and that would be more ridiculous. Haeyoung looked down at his carrier, which was half empty, and raised one corner of his mouth.
And when he raised his face, Cha Seonwoo, who had been looking at him from who knows when, came into his eyes. He’d probably been looking this way from almost the beginning, though he wasn’t certain. Haeyoung, recalling him who always didn’t take his gaze off him, cleared his blocked throat and turned his head toward Minho.
“Should we go check what’s written on the card? Is Jaehwi hyung out there too?”
“Yeah. He’s waiting in the common space right now.”
“Then let’s go out now.”
Haeyoung, who spoke casually, tilted his head toward the door. At his appearance of lifting his back off the wall, Minho also quickly got up from the bed.
Passing by the carrier placed on the floor, Haeyoung glanced up at Seonwoo.
“…Hyung too.”
Watching him gesture as if to say let’s go out, Seonwoo nodded with a quiet face. Haeyoung clenched his fingertips that flinched inward while looking at his expression.
The faint smile bothered him, but it was somewhat awkward to reach out first. For Haeyoung, who had never sustained an uncomfortable atmosphere for long after fighting with someone, this was his first crisis. Especially if it was Cha Seonwoo, whom he’d met for 5 years and never fought with even once.
How had they never quarreled even once all this time? Haeyoung left the room and walked down the hallway, stealing a side glance at Seonwoo standing behind him.
It wasn’t that there had been no clashes at all. If he had to recall moments when Cha Seonwoo had made a hurt face, there were several scenes that came to mind. There were definitely moments when he got angry at words that pretended not to know his situation.
But whenever that happened, if he looked at Seonwoo’s face, he would forget what he was about to get annoyed about and hesitate.
‘Wow, I really…’
‘…’
‘I guess I really love hyung.’
‘What?’
If he was admiring with a dazed face, he too would forget what he’d been upset about and eventually burst into laughter. Then Cha Seonwoo would exhale a sigh as if about to cry and reach out to pull him into an embrace. If he hugged him back as he rubbed his face against his shoulder, venting his grievances, the trivial problems would no longer matter at some point.
Haeyoung wasn’t the type to dwell on angry situations for long in the first place. Generally, once he calmed down a bit, he would try to look at the situation objectively, and in that process, he would find problems and solutions.
However, the problem visible in his relationship with him was clear. Hadn’t he given up and run away because he thought it couldn’t be undone in the first place?
At the time, that had been the best option before him. He’d vaguely thought that after breaking up, he would no longer be entangled with Dad, and naturally there would be no more occasions to give him money. He couldn’t even imagine that Dad would go to him afterwards. He’d been too complacent.
“…Ah.”
“Why?”
“It’s nothing.”
Minho peered over and asked him as he let out a short sigh. When he shook his head with a casual smile, he quickly turned his gaze elsewhere.
Recalling a few days ago when he’d met Dad made his head feel like it would burst. And the words he’d heard from Seonwoo before his head was even organized were the fuse. The fuse of the bomb he’d been holding precariously in his arms was lit, and now Haeyoung couldn’t easily get his bearings on what to do.
The day when he’d thought he didn’t want to give up felt distant.
Even knowing everything, can I hold onto hyung again? Before that, just thinking of hyung makes me miserable, so how should I face him from now on? Can I keep meeting hyung while enduring this feeling that I’m becoming shabby? …But can I not see him at all?
When self-deprecating doubts filled his head, there was a voice that came in through the weakest spot.
‘I thought that even if you found out, you would choose me.’
Haeyoung entered the common space and raised his hand to rub his face. Having brushed away his bangs for no reason, he raised his hand toward Jaehwi, who had come first and was waiting.
“Hyung.”
When he called him briefly, Jaehwi immediately sent an eye greeting. Haeyoung sat next to him and leaned his body against the sofa backrest. On the table visible right in front, one white card and four items were neatly placed.
Those must be the items Minho mentioned. Haeyoung, who had been watching the table, glanced sideways at Seonwoo sitting on the single-seat couch next to him. He briefly gave the table a look with an expressionless face.
But that was only for a moment—watching Seonwoo turn his head toward him as if it were natural, Haeyoung reflexively shifted his gaze. At the noticeably awkward shift in gaze even by his own estimation, his chest area throbbed for no reason.
“It seems we’ll go on dates in Jeju Island with the owners of the belongings.”
Just then, Jaehwi, who had taken out and read the card, conveyed the message to Haeyoung.
“We just need to choose one each. How should we decide, rock-paper-scissors?”
Jaehwi was showing a rare display of enthusiasm. He could understand why he, who was usually always dazed, was being so impatient. Since it’s the last date, of course he’d want to date Sehee again this time too. Minho, who was keeping his mouth tightly shut, wasn’t different from him either.
Normally he would have told them to decide first, but not this time. Haeyoung looked at Jaehwi and nodded. Soon, following Minho’s signal, all four extended their hands at once.
“Huh? Haeyoung…”
A voice like a sigh leaked from Minho’s mouth as he checked the result. It wasn’t any different for Haeyoung either.
Huh. Exhaling a flustered breath, Haeyoung looked down at his palm. All the others had made fists.
“Then let’s have Haeyoung choose first, and the remaining people will do rock-paper-scissors again.”
Minho glanced at Haeyoung and moved his lips. However, as soon as Haeyoung left, Cha Seonwoo easily gave up his right to choose. At his words that he would choose last, Minho nodded excitedly as if there was nothing bad about it.
Haeyoung’s gaze, which had been examining the items placed on the table once again while swallowing a sigh, stopped at one place.
“Then I’ll choose this.”
Even if he couldn’t completely guess what belonged to whom, there was one he was certain about. Haeyoung reached out toward it without hesitation.
