I thought I was still dreaming. This couldn’t be reality. It was a situation that couldn’t be explained unless it was a dream.
“You woke up early. Do you usually wake up at this time?”
“……”
I couldn’t move a single finger, frozen in the same position as when I first spotted Lee Jiwoo. I just realized I’d been so shocked I wasn’t even breathing.
Lee Jiwoo brushed off his butt and stood up, climbing up the stairs. Then, like when we first met yesterday, he suddenly thrust his face close to mine.
“It’s 6 a.m. right now.”
“H-how did you know to come to my house?”
“This is your house?”
“What?”
What is he talking about? And why is he speaking informally? No, that’s not the problem—how did he know to come here? Seeing that he was waiting, it was as good as being certain that I was in this house.
Did he really completely figure out my identity? How the hell did he know? We barely even talked? I thought something was strange from the start when he suddenly approached me first yesterday.
This isn’t at the level of a ghost or fortune-teller shaman—at this point, can he see the future? Are you a psychic, fuck.
I couldn’t figure out what expression to make or what to say, so I just stuttered when Lee Jiwoo slowly reached out his hand. Then he grabbed my hand and interlocked our fingers.
“I’m cold, can’t I go inside for a bit to just warm up my body?”
“That won’t work…”
Is he crazy?
“Why? Then at least give me a warm cup of tea. Or alcohol.”
Tea is one thing, but why is he suddenly asking for alcohol?
“How did you find me?”
Did he really know my identity and already finish investigating me? I wanted to ask outright, but Lee Jiwoo’s behavior was ambiguous, so I was confused too.
“Just, well, CCTV and… there are also black boxes.”
“…What?”
“It’s not like you went overseas, so finding you is easy.”
What is he talking about? CCTV and black boxes? Just the ones on the street? I stared at Lee Jiwoo blankly with an absurd feeling, then asked just in case.
“But… can’t just anyone look at those?”
When I was working part-time at a meat restaurant before, the boss had a package stolen inside the apartment building where he lived, but was denied access to the CCTV because of the Personal Information Protection Act.
If it was difficult even inside the apartment building where he lived, an individual looked at CCTV on the street for personal purposes? How?
“Really?”
But Lee Jiwoo just casually changed the subject as if it was nothing.
“But where were you going? At this early hour?”
“……”
I was so dumbfounded I was speechless. No, how did you look at the CCTV… Are you the police? And even if the CCTV is one thing, how did you look at someone else’s car’s black box? In just one night?
“If you haven’t eaten breakfast, let’s eat from the morning. I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.”
Even though I hadn’t agreed, Lee Jiwoo pulled my hand and started going down the slope. I followed along as if being dragged and hurriedly opened my mouth.
“Excuse me, Mr. Lee Jiwoo.”
“Call me hyung from now on.”
“What?”
“You said you’re seven years old, right? I’m 22.”
What bullshit. Your birthday is December 29th. My birthday is January 2nd. With this much difference, it’s as good as me being a year older.
“We must really be soulmates. I prefer younger guys.”
I was about to say I’m also 22 but stopped. It was the first time I learned that Lee Jiwoo’s preference was younger guys. I’d forgotten for a moment because I kept being flustered, but I had to become closely involved with Lee Jiwoo.
I’m still puzzled about how he came here, but if—really if—my identity hasn’t been exposed yet, this is a golden opportunity.
Let me be grateful that I’m Lee Jiwoo’s taste of a thousand years.
“Th-then I’ll call you hyung.”
Nevertheless, smiling and calling a man born on December 29th “hyung” wasn’t an easy thing. As I muttered with difficulty in a voice trembling like a goat’s, Lee Jiwoo stopped walking. Then he looked at me with surprised eyes. Fucking burdensomely.
“Do you like me too?”
I wanted to quickly nod and say yes, but my confused brain couldn’t read my heart and froze. While I hesitated for a moment, Lee Jiwoo muttered with a lukewarm expression.
“You have unusual taste. I thought you’d get angry and call me a stalker. I was fully prepared to be cursed at, but I’m glad you have unconventional taste.”
“……”
No, fuck… What beat should I match… I feel like I need to pick some concept and stick with one. If I’m going to like him, keep liking him; if I’m going to dislike him, keep disliking him…
But according to hyungnim’s words, Lee Jiwoo’s intuition is like a ghost. Wouldn’t it be better to act according to my personality rather than fabricating something?
But I’m not gay. If it were according to my personality, I wouldn’t have been dragged around just because someone was pulling me. Let’s just go along moderately and act only to the extent that it’s not too artificial. Since I just need to get close, let’s set becoming close as the top priority.
“How long have you lived here?”
“Since I was little.”
“Why do you live in a place like this? Isn’t it hard to get around? It would be fun to slip when it snows in winter though.”
“……”
It didn’t seem like he was picking a fight—it seemed like a question asked out of pure curiosity. Just because there was no malice didn’t mean it didn’t feel bad.
“There was someone else on the second floor—are they your parents?”
“…How did you know that?”
“I heard signs of people.”
“At 6 a.m.?”
The landlady sleeps in late, so she doesn’t usually wake up before 10 a.m. When I frowned, Lee Jiwoo stopped walking and turned to look at me.
“Then do you think I went in and secretly checked something?”
“Y-you wouldn’t do that.”
I just thought the landlady might have gotten caught up in my background investigation. We’re living in the same housing building anyway.
“So they’re not your parents.”
“She’s the landlady.”
“I see. If you’ve lived here since you were little, you’ve known her for a long time, right?”
“……”
What’s the intention behind the question? Like when hyungnim talked about Seogong-i last night, is threatening with people around you a hobby for rich people?
“That’s right, naturally…”
The landlady thought our situation was pitiful and sometimes stayed at the hospital with Seogong-i instead of me when I was working. So she’s no different from a benefactor, but I didn’t bother saying that. Of course, even if I don’t say it, he might already know.
But if Lee Jiwoo knows my identity, why is he pretending he fell for me at first sight and dragging me around? Is he trying to extract something about hyungnim from me in reverse? Sorry, but I’m like cannon fodder, so I don’t know any internal affairs.
I should tell hyungnim about this when he contacts me later.
“Then do you live with your parents on the first floor?”
At that question, I couldn’t help but be puzzled. He investigated the landlady who isn’t even a direct family member, but didn’t investigate my family relations?
Or is he testing whether I’m lying or not? Like hyungnim said, making clumsy lies seemed like it would have the opposite effect.
I said while being dragged by Lee Jiwoo without knowing the destination.
“My parents passed away when I was young.”
“So you’re an orphan?”
“…Yes.”
“That’s interesting.”
“……”
What the fuck is this guy doing, really? While I was bewildered wondering if I’d heard that right, we’d already reached the main street. Lee Jiwoo looked around and started walking again.
“What’s interesting?”
After pondering for a while, I asked as I followed Lee Jiwoo into a 24-hour seolleongtang restaurant.
“Welcome. Two people?”
“Yes.”
“Please sit wherever you’re comfortable.”
Perhaps because it was early, the inside of the restaurant was completely empty. But Lee Jiwoo, who sat down right in the center, looked at me and asked.
“What did you say?”
“What’s interesting. About me being an orphan.”
“I’m an orphan too. Both of them died when I was young.”
It was such an unexpected answer that I was speechless again. Did he say it’s interesting because he found the commonality that we’re both orphans? Is it right to express this as interesting? I couldn’t tell if his personality was peculiar or if he was lacking intelligence.
