After Miro left the house, Eunchan enjoyed a brief sweet nap on the living room sofa. On the living room floor, a scarf he’d been knitting haphazardly rolled around with its threads unraveled. Only when evening dusk was falling did Eunchan open his eyes to the vibration sound. Groping above his head and picking up his phone, Eunchan answered the call without checking the caller.
“…Hello.”
– Hyung? Were you sleeping? I’m sorry.
“Hyungsik?”
– Yes, hyung.
At his hoarse voice, Hyungsik apologized for waking him up. Eunchan rubbed his eyes that wouldn’t open properly, then soon discovered the darkened surroundings and sat up in surprise. Miro, who had left in the morning, still hadn’t returned.
“What time is it now?”
– It’s almost 6 o’clock.
“Ah… Uh. Hyungsik-ah, why? Is something wrong?”
– No, I went to the house and there was a piece of mail. I called to deliver it and also to ask if you want to have dinner together.
Eunchan swept his face with his hand, then massaged the back of his neck. His head wasn’t working well since he’d just woken up.
“House? Whose, my house?”
– Yes.
“Aren’t you scared? The remaining one hasn’t been caught yet, why would you go there?”
– Just… Hyung, how long are you going to stay there? You’re not even coming to work.
At Eunchan’s scolding, Hyungsik answered as if complaining slightly. It was true that the time spent with Hyungsik had decreased a lot since meeting Miro. Eunchan’s heart softened toward Hyungsik, who was feeling hurt, and he stopped being angry and asked affectionately.
“So where are you now, did you eat?”
– I’m at Savings Bank intersection right now! I haven’t had dinner yet. Do you want to come out now, hyung?
At Eunchan’s softened tone, Hyungsik answered immediately in excitement. He should wait for Miro to return, but thinking of Hyungsik who must have walked alone to the empty house without an owner, he somehow felt sorry and wanted to at least buy him dinner.
“Okay. I’ll just put on clothes and come out quickly. Find somewhere delicious and go inside.”
– Yes, hyung! Text me when you leave!
“Yeah.”
After finishing the call with Hyungsik, Eunchan checked if there were any missed calls left. However, while he was sleeping, there were only a few text messages from Miro.
[Eunchan. I. Might. Be. A. Little. Late. ^^. Sorry]
[You. Must. Eat. There’s. A. Sandwich. I. Made. In. The. Fridge. ^^. Eat. It]
[I. Want. To. Go. Home. I. Want. To. Be. With. Eunchan]
The last message was from two hours ago. Worried about Miro, who had never come home this late, wondering if something big had happened at the company. He wanted to call, but worried that the bell might ring during a meeting or that he might make a busy person more distracted, Eunchan soon composed a short message.
[Are you busy? I’m thinking of having dinner with Hyungsik for a bit… Contact me when you have time]
Only after sending the text did the thought occur that he’d unnecessarily mentioned Hyungsik, but now that they were dating, there seemed no need to lie, so he quickly forgot about it.
Eunchan stretched once, passed through the dark living room, and headed to the room. He was thinking of just roughly putting on a coat over comfortable sweatpants. As he put his wallet in his pocket and stopped by the bathroom to fix his messy hair, the phone he’d thrown on the sofa began to ring.
Eunchan, who rushed out of the bathroom, checked the caller and answered the phone.
“Miro-ssi, are you okay?”
– Yeah, did Eunchan sleep w-well?
“How did you know I slept?”
– Because your voice is hoarse…
“I only slept a little.”
Though he’d spent several hours sleeping, not wanting to be seen as someone who only sleeps without doing anything, Eunchan spouted an obvious lie.
– I see. Are you having dinner with Hyungsik?
“He said he has mail to give me. I’m thinking of eating while I’m at it. I haven’t seen Hyungsik’s face much lately.”
– Should I receive it and bring it to you?
“It’s fine. I’ll go and come back quickly, so what. When will you come, Miro-ssi? It seems like it’s been quite a while since you left.”
Eunchan answered with a laugh at Miro’s absurd suggestion.
– I-I think I’ll be a bit late. Do you have to meet Hyungsik?
“I told you, there’s business and I haven’t seen his face in a long time.”
– There’s no need to see his face often…
At Miro’s attitude of keeping Hyungsik in check until the end even though they were dating, Eunchan drew a question mark above his head.
“He’s a close younger brother. But Miro-ssi, I’ve felt this before, why do you dislike Hyungsik so much? Now that we’re dating, tell me without hiding anything.”
– D-dating?”
“…Aren’t we?”
At Miro’s question, his heart thumped. Could he have forgotten receiving the confession? No, before that, did I properly say let’s date? Eunchan’s heart raced as he traced through his memories of that day.
– No! That’s right!
Like someone scared that Eunchan might make it as if it never happened, Miro answered hurriedly.
– Eunchan and I, we’re d-dating.
He could feel Miro panting through the receiver after confirming once more. Embarrassed, Eunchan was grateful that since it was a phone call, he could hide his reddened face, and quickly wrapped up the call.
“Yes. Then I’ll contact you after I go out. Call me too when you come home, Miro-ssi.”
– Yeah, you have to come back quickly.
“Okay.”
As soon as they confirmed they were dating, Miro’s attitude became much softer. Thanks to that, Eunchan, who received permission for dinner with Hyungsik without much effort, stepped outside the entrance with light steps.
As night darkened, streetlight illumination brightened between the streets in the distance. In the cold blowing wind, Eunchan carefully fastened his coat, then walked the stone path in the garden. Standing next to the spot where he’d planted the hydrangea seedling, Eunchan turned around. The empty house with only faint lights on, the rocking chair moving alone in the wind, and the tightly closed warehouse visible behind the dark path.
At the gloomy atmosphere, Eunchan suppressed the goosebumps rising and turned his head forward again. To think this house would feel scary just because Miro wasn’t here. His brave answer to the question ‘You’ll be able to be alone, right?’ was embarrassing.
Eunchan walked quickly through the main gate and vigorously sang an exciting song he knew in his heart until he got out to the bright street.
It was the debut song of Uju Daebak Boys, where Choi Hanul was. However, since he only knew the highlight part clumsily, only after repeating the same verse dozens of times could Eunchan arrive at the entrance of the residential complex.
Should have gone with an easier song, with so much English in the lyrics, it’s impossible to follow along easily. Eunchan naturally blamed Choi Hanul and caught a taxi.
“Please go to Savings Bank intersection.”
[Got in a taxi]
[I got in a taxi. I’ll text again when I arrive]
After sending texts to Hyungsik and Miro respectively, Eunchan comfortably leaned his head against the window. Since Miro was naturally bearing all the living expenses and father’s funeral costs, he currently had some money. Eunchan, who didn’t want to depend on others, especially not someone he loved, tried to give Miro money every time, but thanks to Miro who deposited double the amount Eunchan gave him each time, he didn’t even try anymore.
Every time Eunchan emphasized that the closer the relationship, the more careful you should be with money, Miro would smile broadly and only say nonsensical things like ‘It’s all E-Eunchan’s anyway.’
While he’s out, he should buy Hyungsik beef and if there’s time left, pick out a gift for Miro. Since he’s someone who cherishes even a childish rabbit doll, he wanted to give him something better and prettier.
So Eunchan had to rack his brain making a gift list for Miro all the way to his destination.
When he arrived at the intersection, Hyungsik was waiting in front of the crosswalk. As soon as he got out of the taxi, Hyungsik, who recognized Eunchan, approached with a bright smile.
“Did you wait long? You should have found a place you wanted to eat and gone in first.”
“I just got here too.”
Somehow it felt like it had been a while since he’d seen him. Eunchan put his hand on Hyungsik’s shoulder and walked leisurely through the night streets. The street was crowded with passing people, and the stores had their lights brightly on, waiting for customers. Passing by bars and various chain stores, Eunchan whispered to Hyungsik.
“Let’s eat beef. Hyung has a lot of money.”
“Pork belly is good too!”
Pulling Hyungsik, who said it was fine to eat pork, Eunchan headed to a restaurant that looked somewhat good. It was a Korean beef restaurant with a flashy exterior in a 3-story standalone building. Inside was moderately filled since it was dinner time. After receiving guidance and taking a seat near the salad bar, Eunchan soon ordered a mix of chuck flap tail and short rib.
“Hyung, I’m really okay. Let’s eat something else.”
“Never mind.”
The basic side dishes that came out weren’t bad either. After pushing the japchae and fried food in front of Hyungsik, Eunchan picked up the tongs. Though he occasionally bought dinner for Hyungsik like this when he got a bonus or had a really hard day at work, it was the first time buying beef. Eunchan felt sorry for not having bought him much while watching Hyungsik eating well diligently.
“If it’s not enough, I’ll order more, so eat a lot.”
“Hyung, did you really win the lottery or something?”
Hyungsik, who had been receiving and eating well as fast as it was grilled, put down his chopsticks with a serious face and asked. Eunchan received Hyungsik’s nonsense with a blank face.
“What are you talking about?”
“Or did you cause some accident? Is this like a last supper or something?”
“Be quiet, eat while I’m buying.”
“There’s really nothing wrong, right? Never mind then. But if you did win the lottery, tell me.”
At Eunchan’s face, which was no different than usual, Hyungsik, who picked up his chopsticks again, giggled. After additionally ordering 3 servings of beef brisket and eating, Hyungsik put cold noodles in his mouth. Eunchan also scooped a spoonful of scorched rice while holding his full belly. Though Hyungsik teased him saying he was like a grandfather, since he always ate scorched rice after eating meat, Hyungsik’s teasing was familiar to Eunchan.
“Oh, right. Here’s the mail.”
“Don’t just go to hyung’s house carelessly. It’s dangerous.”
The remaining one hadn’t even been caught yet, and he had no fear. Hyungsik, who listened to Eunchan’s scolding in one ear and let it out the other, took out a document from his bag.
“This is it.”
“Are you sure it’s for me?”
Is something unpaid, or is it something related to father? Eunchan received the document with puzzlement.
“Yes, it says your name on the front, hyung. What, they’re redeveloping?”
Recipient Kim Eunchan, Sender Redevelopment Promotion Committee. It was a document from his hometown. Eunchan threw it aside without even opening it. He didn’t have the peace of mind to think about even grandmother’s house. He was overwhelmed just soothing his insides that were barely getting better.
“I don’t know. Are you done eating?”
“No, just a little more…”
“Eat slowly.”
Somehow his appetite completely disappeared, so Eunchan put down his spoon and looked out the window.
