Luca and Hyunsu burst into laughter when they saw the giraffe plushie Siwoo was holding. Though Siwoo didn’t say it first, somehow they already seemed to know whose hands that plushie would end up in later. If today’s footage aired on broadcast, Yechan would surely get a nickname related to giraffes, and the origin of that plushie would definitely become an issue.
“What’s with the giraffe plushie all of a sudden? Did you buy it?”
“No. There was a giraffe plushie as a prize for the dart balloon-popping game over there, so I won it. I’m definitely!! Definitely!! going to give this as a gift to Yechan.”
“Our Siwoo is surprisingly petty.”
Siwoo, who answered innocently while waving the giraffe plushie, smiled bashfully at Luca’s touch stroking his head. Of course. Though he’d let it slide saying good is good, whenever Evan frowned at the sight of him moment by moment, he unknowingly buried his nose in the hem of his clothes.
It might not be because of pheromones, but whenever his expression wasn’t good, it kept bothering him.
“But do I still smell like Yechan?”
“It’ll disappear if you wash or spray deodorant, so don’t worry too much about it.”
“Ah, I should have just played the game one more time and gotten the big one. That size is too awkward to fit in a carrier, so it seems like I’ll definitely have to carry it by hand when entering the country. Should I go back now and exchange it?”
Judging by how he was roughly evading, it seemed like Yechan’s smell was still coming from his body. His feelings were strange. For a very brief moment, the thought flashed through his mind that Evan’s smell would be better. Well, after making such a fuss about pheromones, it wouldn’t make sense for the smell coming from his body to have changed to Evan’s either.
“Who wants cotton candy?”
The three chatted following the stream of consciousness as they headed to the meeting place they’d promised to meet after free time.
“I called Yechan to give him this gift right away, but he didn’t answer.”
Before they knew it, colorful cotton candy was in the hands of all three. But their eating methods were all different. Luca who patted it with his hands to flatten it before eating, and Hyunsu who just bit into it whole. Siwoo tore it off bit by bit with his hands to eat.
“He’s probably busy riding rides.”
“How much time is left? Want to go try the dart game our Siwoo played? I’m also getting the sudden impulse to give Yechan a big giraffe.”
“Ah! Right. There was also a shooting one. You could do darts or shoot a gun.”
The camera director filming the three waved his hand to indicate there wasn’t much time left, but they were already heading toward where the casual games were gathered.
“Euhahaha. I’m going crazy. Hyunsu hyung. Really, you not going to the military is the way to save our allies. Hyung, you’re not exempt, right? You have to go, right? How can you not hit a single one?”
Luca patted the shoulder of Hyunsu, who was shooting the gun with a serious expression. As the two bickered over whether it was because you touched me that I didn’t hit well, or you just have no skill, Siwoo fiddled with the darts beside them. The dilemma was whether to do it one more time to get a really large giraffe plushie, or just settle for an appropriate one.
“Siwoo-ya. Do you happen to have more change?”
“Yes. Here. But hyung, is there something you want? Should I do it for you?”
After the two grumbled at each other and apparently used up all their money, Siwoo took out his wallet while looking at Luca who tapped his shoulder.
“Evan, he doesn’t look like it but he likes small cute things. That chick-like thing up there, I’m thinking of trying to get that yellow bird. You only need to hit five for that one.”
“Uaaaah. Why, why can’t I do it? Everyone, the tip of this dart is blunt. Plus, you know those balloons aren’t fully inflated but wrinkled, right?”
Whether his competitive spirit arose, Hyunsu, who was making a fuss and stubbornly refusing to give up the gun game while even emptying the camera director’s wallet, sat down on the floor. And Luca, who regrettably couldn’t win anything by two differences, was needlessly blaming the equipment. It doesn’t seem like something to say when you only hit three out of ten. Hyunsu and Luca were six of one, half a dozen of the other, but the two were quite seriously mocking each other’s skills.
Siwoo, who was holding his wallet in his hand to take out money for Luca, blankly looked at the plushie Luca pointed to. It would be fine if Luca had won it, but the yellow bird was sitting there all alone just like that.
At the camera director’s words that it would be troublesome to delay further, Hyunsu and Luca left grumbling, but Siwoo’s feet didn’t easily leave that spot.
“Hyung! I’m coming with you too!”
Calling out to the hyungs who’d left first and now appeared small, Siwoo started running. In one pocket of Siwoo’s jacket as he ran like that was a yellow bird slightly smaller than his small fist.
* * *
Siwoo came out to the backyard carrying a basket full of cleanly washed vegetables from the kitchen. He dodged here and there between the busy people absorbed in their respective assigned tasks and set the basket down on the table.
“Siwoo-ya. Is this cooked?”
Shouldn’t the person who’s been grilling the meat know that? While thinking that, Siwoo walked quickly to Hyunsu’s side. Though he definitely wasn’t on dinner duty today, Siwoo was moving around more busily than them.
Though they could eat indoors, what wind had blown that Luca suddenly rolled up his sleeves saying they had to eat outdoors.
“Grill this about 5 more minutes on each side.”
Siwoo, who had approached at the sound of going to check the meat and looked at the meat’s condition in the camera director’s flash light who came near, answered simply and tried to move spots.
“Hyung. Do I skewer it like this?”
On one side, Ian and Louis were in the middle of skewering meat, green onions, and mushrooms, insisting they absolutely had to eat skewers.
“We could have just bought and eaten outside and come in. What’s this hardship?”
Siwoo gathered and held the skewers they’d haphazardly threaded. How long are they going to keep just skewering? They need to pass them over there in between skewering to grill and eat.
“Everyone’s going to drink beer, right? Siwoo hyung. Where’s the beer?”
A short sigh flowed from Siwoo’s mouth, who had been rolling around on the bed during free time then briefly went into the kitchen to drink water and got caught.
He should have just endured being thirsty. This was the end of someone who couldn’t ignore the chaos after entering the kitchen.
“Hey. You look for it. You can find it yourself. Coco isn’t on meal duty.”
“Kyak. Evan hyung! It hurts! It hurts!”
Siwoo’s gaze, about to set down the skewers next to the meat Hyunsu was grilling and answer, turned toward the commotion.
Yechan, who had come out in short sleeves, shorts, and dragging slippers, ran around dodging Evan. But there was a limit to Yechan in loose slippers avoiding Evan who wore sneakers.
“What hurts? It’s not like I hit you that hard.”
Tapping Yechan’s back with his large hand as he ran away laughing, even playfully putting him in a headlock, the two were tumbling around. Though Yechan had the best physique, he was helpless against the sudden attack.
“Kyak! I’m dying. Hyunsu hyung! Luca hyung! Kyak. Kyak. It hurts!”
Though Yechan’s screams echoed through the quiet garden, everyone just laughed and no one helped him. It would definitely appear on broadcast as slightly excessive play between the two who were close.
“Come here! Where are you running? Going to find beer? Then you’ll have to help carry the beer.”
In the end, Evan disappeared following Yechan who threw off his slippers and ran away through the back door. Everyone was smiling brightly, but inside they were all gauging Evan’s mood. Though it clearly looked like playful fun, for Yechan who was getting hit, it would taste like death.
Everyone knew that the reason Yechan was getting hit by Evan under the guise of play right now wasn’t because he asked Siwoo, who should be resting, a question instead of looking for the beer himself. It was certain this was his venting from pretending nothing happened about that tremendous incident during the day.
“Didn’t Evan hyung say he learned some boxing before?”
While firmly skewering meat on the stick and then picking up a thick green onion to follow, Ian whispered quietly to Louis.
“Before, there was a boxing scene in a music video, and while filming that he said it seemed fun so he learned a bit, probably.”
“Hyunsu hyung. Please flip this so it doesn’t burn. I’ll skewer more and bring them up.”
Siwoo placed the skewers neatly on the grill then went next to Louis and Ian who were working hard and sat on a chair. The more people moving, the faster they’ll finish.
“Hyung. Why are you sitting?”
Ian’s eyes widened seeing Siwoo, who had sat next to him before he knew it and was picking up a skewer stick.
“Why sit? When are you two going to finish all this? With how much these members eat, at this speed I don’t think we’ll finish today.”
“No. Hyung. This isn’t right. Hurry and go in. You’re not on duty today. Hurry and go in and rest.”
Louis quickly snatched the stick from Siwoo’s hand and shouted urgently. While his gaze was directed at the back door. Not knowing when Evan might come out. Yechan got hit for asking where the beer was, so if he saw him skewering, who knows what would happen.
Of course, it was certain he wouldn’t hit Louis or Ian, who had a physique difference, or play rough pranks. But the silent desperate pleas of the two who didn’t even want to gauge his mood began.
“Rest what? We need to hurry and eat.”
“No. If hyung rests, we’ll be safe. For our safety, please rest. You have to.”
There was only one thing in their minds. The moment when the formula was established that if they caused Siwoo even the slightest inconvenience, they’d die at Evan’s hands.
“Hyung! Hyung, go and bring Evan hyung. We should eat now.”
Ian, who had been watching Siwoo firmly plant his bottom and sit while making several skewers in an instant, even clapped his hands loudly as he spoke. This was truly the best method to efficiently drive Siwoo away from this place while also satisfying Evan.
