Eunha, who had been looking at Kim Taeyoung approaching while holding a wine bag with a sour expression, forcibly arranged his face.
“What. When did you come to Korea, hyung?”
“I came yesterday, but I deliberately didn’t say anything because I wanted to surprise you. I thought we could have drinks together after a long time…”
“……”
“Who?”
Taeyoung’s gaze moved to the side. Eunha stepped diagonally as if blocking his interest and replied.
“A younger guy I know.”
“…Younger guy?”
It was a look asking since when did you have a younger guy you know. Eunha calmly smoothed over the situation.
“Yeah. So drinks today will be difficult. I’ll contact you later. Thanks for this.”
I’m really sorry, but please leave tactfully. Quickly. Please. Outside of Yeonjun’s field of vision, Eunha shot an intense glare at Taeyoung. Fortunately, Taeyoung read the unusual atmosphere well, and even with a face full of curiosity, he obediently led the conversation the way Eunha wanted. They exchanged a few more superficial greetings before he turned away. Along with words that he’d contact him.
Thus the brief confrontation that had been like the calm before a storm rippled away. Inside the exhaustion that felt like all his blood had dried up, the elevator they boarded was terribly quiet. Quiet enough to hear the sound of swallowing dry saliva.
“…Who was that?”
After a moment, Yeonjun spoke. It was a completely choked voice. It was a tone asking who ‘that person’ was ‘too.’
The existence of Taeyoung, who had once been a sex partner, flashed through his mind. If he told him as it was, it seemed like it would return as a trial Yeonjun couldn’t handle, so Eunha evaded appropriately.
“…Just, a hyung I know? Like a friend…”
“Is that person also just a friend?”
“……”
“Aha…”
It was an exclamation containing many meanings. Yeonjun, confirmed with a sidelong glance, had eyes whose light was fading away weakly. If when meeting the twins he had simply seemed twisted in his disposition, now it was, how to say… it felt a bit closer to enlightenment and realization.
Why did all these things happen simultaneously? While clicking his tongue at the mischievous layers of mountains, the elevator door that arrived at the 8th floor opened. Yeonjun stepped into the hallway first, and Eunha, who followed after, walked slowly and looked at his neat back of the head.
Actually, if you looked at it, there was no need to be troubled to this extent. It’s not like he committed some crime, and it’s not like he has some relationship with that kid…
But he knew that Yeonjun was thinking exactly that inside too. That they’re actually nothing to each other, and so he’s in no position to say anything.
Rather, that’s probably why his eyes were so heavy. If he crossed the line, he could push back that much and act comfortably. Because he’s a kid who tries not to do that until the end.
‘Can’t you tell me what being sweet is?’
Ridiculously, because he’s a kid who says things like wanting to become sweeter.
“…Sleep well, hyung.”
Even after experiencing all this, because he’s a kid who barely wishes for my peaceful night.
He faced him in front of the door. Looking at Yeonjun, whose eyes had become cloudy with almost all the light gone, who tried to show even a dry smile while fiddling with his wrist, Eunha thought somewhat blankly. That he’d rather you act a little selfishly toward me. That he wished he’d pour out the complicated feelings rising inside onto him. This way… acting this way doesn’t seem very good.
And the words to sleep well—he actually wished he wouldn’t say them.
The things he wanted to forbid kept increasing one by one. It really was a bad phenomenon. Eunha forcibly emptied his thoughts and shook off the warmth filling his wrist.
* * *
It was the middle of the night the very next day when Eunha received contact from Gu Haebin. Saying your Baek Yeonjun is collapsed dead drunk, so come pick him up.
Eunha, who had been sprawled on the sofa, quickly regripped his phone. He couldn’t help but gasp.
“Who is whose what… No. You two drank together?”
Haebin admitted it without hesitation. That your Yeonjun seemed very troubled because of you, so he went out to meet him and kidnapped him. It couldn’t be more absurd. He wondered when the two people had become such informal acquaintances, wondered what the hell was wrong with Haebin’s character to make the kid drunk until he collapsed, and lastly felt like protesting why he was telling him to handle it.
“…If you took him, you should take him back.”
– I drank too.
“Then put him in a taxi…”
Haa. Eunha, who burst out sighing while speaking, bit his lower lip. Even knowing it was a trap Haebin had set up nicely, it was difficult to ignore it. Since that incident happened just yesterday, the reason Yeonjun drank was of course himself. Yesterday, that face that seemed to have a lot to say, looking upset while just rotting the sad feelings inside, came to mind and his mood worsened again. How could he pretend not to know?
Haebin must have targeted that. To incite the relationship in some way. He kept doing useless things. What kind of unsuitable cupid act was this… Even while thinking that, it was a bit funny how he ended up getting up.
“Where is it?”
– My shop. Branch 1. Come quickly.
Eunha immediately prepared to leave. He roughly put on clothes and grabbed his car keys. Haebin’s pub that he arrived at by driving to the well-known address had its sign lights off, whether business had ended or it hadn’t opened.
Eunha looked around and tried the entrance door. After confirming it wasn’t locked and entering inside, the spacious interior with dim lighting came into view. Gentle music was flowing. Haebin, who had been sitting half-lying on a sofa placed in a corner of the empty hall, discovered Eunha and put down his phone.
“You came?”
“Where’s the kid?”
Kid. While saying that, Haebin giggled. Eunha didn’t care. He planned to take Yeonjun and return right away.
Following the direction he gestured at half-heartedly, he could see a back view slumped over lying on the bar table beyond the corner. As he approached closely, the smell of alcohol wafted strongly. Even when he touched his shoulder and called him a bit, there was no response. Unable to gauge how much he drank, Eunha looked back at Haebin with displeasure.
“No, why did you let him drink this much?”
“Did I make him drink? He drank it himself.”
“You should have looked at his condition appropriately and cut him off. He can’t handle alcohol well.”
“Then why did you upset the kid? He was trying to die, really.”
“……”
“How badly did you treat him?”
“What did I treat badly?”
“And I get the age… but physically, is it really okay to call that a kid?”
Following his gaze, Eunha looked down again at Yeonjun’s back lying there. Swallowing a sigh, when he said then don’t just watch and help move him, Haebin got up from his seat and strode over.
Moving a tall adult man who couldn’t control his body was by no means easy. After supporting him from both sides and barely pushing Yeonjun into the passenger seat, Eunha, who closed the door, looked back at Haebin with displeasure instead of immediately getting in the car. Because he felt he should say something.
