A night when the white moon rose. They went out to eat a very late dinner. It was the man’s consideration for the children whose bellies were amply filled with dessert. He prepared a dinner banquet on a large yacht. The river’s waves rippled as if sprinkled with gold dust. An enchanting light blazed as if piercing the eyes.
“Come slowly…!”
Woonghee ran first. As he stepped onto the yacht, his heart felt like it dropped. Like riding a Viking ride. Still, he gritted his teeth and kept his balance well.
“Carefully, carefully.”
Woongju firmly held Jjokko’s hand. Carefully, carefully, she crossed following the stepping stones. When he quickly offered his hand, Woongju held on firmly and climbed onto the yacht. Only then did he feel relieved.
“I don’t know how meat can taste like this. It’s so tender it’s like eating a blanket.”
The meal the man had specially prepared was truly delicious. Meat juices flowed in the mouth, and the seafood slid smoothly on the tongue as if sliding down a slide.
“Try this too.”
Saying it would be very tender, the man personally cut the meat piece by piece and transferred it to the plate. Thank you. Woongju poked a piece of meat with her fork and fed it to Jjokko first, then quickly ate it herself.
“I’m so happy….”
The two children’s eyes sparkled brightly. As if stars were embedded in them, they became enchanted and swelled up like balloons with happiness.
Darkness like black silk with stars embedded in it covered the world. Woongju and Jjokko crouched by the riverside. They were dipping their hands in the river water, fluttering as if to catch stars.
“Try it like this, baby.”
Following Woongju, Jjokko cupped her hands. An armful of stars was caught in the small hand well and then scattered smoothly. Giggles of laughter could be heard.
Woonghee stood two steps behind. He was just blankly capturing the children with his eyes. Somehow he felt hazy. It felt like dreaming. Terribly enchanting moonlight flowed, and stars that seemed to pour like milk were embedded. Laughter like the fluttering of firefly wings could be heard.
If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up.
“How is it? You seem unable to come to your senses, fallen for me.”
Then the sound of clopping shoes approached. It was the man. The most dreamlike existence to Woonghee above all else. He had approached. Heavy pheromones seeped in, and a warm body embraced Woonghee.
“Did I score some points?”
Both with Woonghee-ssi and with Woongju-yang.
“Gi Junhyuk-ssi.”
Even before I called him, the man’s eyes were fixed on me. As always. It doesn’t make sense, but if it’s this man… it really seemed possible that he might know.
“Um, thank you, for preparing all this, for being considerate…. It must be bothersome.”
Woonghee tilted his head back and muttered carefully.
“It feels like I’m dreaming.”
“Philippine nights are exceptionally beautiful.”
The man wrinkled his nose bridge as if being coquettish. Then he pulled Woonghee a little more as if confining him in his arms and buried his nose in his nape. He felt the solid body enveloping him.
“In the Philippines, there’s a moon goddess called ‘Mayari.’ She’s said to be the most beautiful goddess in the world.”
Mayari, Woonghee rolled that round name on his tongue.
“She fought with the sun god and lost one eye. That’s why moonlight is weaker than the sun.”
Is that why? The sun blazes with intense sunlight as if to make you kneel, but the moonlight shines softly. Woonghee raised his eyes. The moonlight illuminated Woonghee’s round cheeks white. His glossy, shining cheeks rose softly. Because it’s so gentle like that, don’t people like it more? They look at it more often….
“…I think you’re like that Mayari.”
He kissed Woonghee’s temple. A voice sweet like dark chocolate ticklishly melted in his ear. The figures of the two were reflected in the rippling river water. Being on the high yacht, he couldn’t see well, but he was curious about his own expression.
I’m probably making an unfamiliar face, right?
A face fallen in love, terribly awkward. The image of me reflected in his eyes would be like that too.
“I’ve never in my life….”
Woonghee once again slowly wet his lower lip with saliva. Very carefully, cautiously, he wanted to begin.
“I’ve never fucking wanted something.”
“Do you know how that sounds to me?”
Woonghee slowly raised his head. He met eyes with the man whose eyes rippled like a starlit sea.
“It sounds exactly like you want me.”
Woonghee slowly closed his eyes. His lips descended onto Woonghee’s lips. With their lips overlapped, Woonghee asked as if murmuring.
“What happens if I ruin your film?”
The man burst into low laughter. I’m very serious, but he acted as if that wasn’t a problem at all.
“Why, are you scared of that?”
His lips moved as if tickling Woonghee.
“I want to try filming that movie you mentioned, but I’m not sure if I can do well.”
Woonghee showed his confused heart as if making a small confession. Just releasing what he’d been hiding inside made his body tremble. It felt like a small bird was fluttering inside his chest.
“I lack social skills, so I’m a bit afraid of standing in front of others.”
The man showed his teeth and laughed lowly. He set his teeth and gently bit Woonghee’s brow then released it. At such a trivial act, a subtle satisfaction was felt.
“You think I don’t know that?”
When Woonghee let out a low “Ah” moan, as if soothing a child, he gently kissed his eyelids.
“What should I do for you? Should I tell everyone to leave except the camera? Or how about I hold the camera myself?”
It was truly absurd, but if it was this man, it seemed he really might do that, so Woonghee burst into a snickering laugh.
“Are you scared that strangers will criticize and point fingers at Woonghee-ssi?”
After saying he knew everything about me. He didn’t know even half about me.
“…No. I’m scared they’ll curse you.”
I’m always ready to be torn to shreds. But what if you fall to the same level as me? That was what Woonghee feared most.
“Didn’t you say you’d become my cheapest thing sometime?”
Woonghee looked at him and laughed. Right, I did. He only now realized how useless his worry was. Right, I promised to become the number one cheapest thing among cheap things for him. Would such a thing matter now?
“I once made a wish.”
Following the man who bent his back, Woonghee’s body also curved. Of course in his arms. Looking down at the riverside together with the man like that. Stars were floating on the riverside that reflected the night sky like a mirror. I wondered where all the pouring meteor shower had tumbled to…. They were all here.
“I wished that Woonghee-ssi would be mine forever….”
I thought they had indifferently run away even though people were making wishes, but they were all here, floating around.
“How about I become the one eye Lee Woonghee-ssi lost?”
He wondered what that meant, then soon realized. It was the moon goddess story the man had brought up earlier. His heart felt like it dropped with a thud. Woonghee unconsciously swallowed his tongue down his throat. Otherwise, it felt like his heart would pop out right through his throat.
“Or how about I give you both my eyes?”
“……”
“My head too, my arms, my legs….”
Once, he had thought like that. In the vast universe, in this wide world, whether he could become anything at all.
“…After you give me everything like that.”
You speak of insignificant me as if you’ve become the creator of this human world.
“Only I will remain for you.”
In a world teeming with people as numerous as stars, what kind of miracle was it that I met you?
“Don’t you know?”
“…Know what?”
“That’s what I’ve been wishing for.”
Something surged up intensely from inside his chest, then collapsed again. The more he blinked, the starlight of the riverside spread dazzlingly.
“Gi Junhyuk-ssi.”
Right, we might be lives like fireworks that shine briefly and go out in this world. You and I. Perhaps we’ll disappear without even leaving a trace of our existence.
But right now, at this man’s single gaze, at his single voice, Woonghee’s life was shining brilliantly like a star.
And with that one fact alone, the world shone brilliantly.
“I want you forever too.”
<The End>
