Seungju’s vision went pitch black this time. Baek Muyeon. Even as his head felt like it would burst with rage, he thought first: If that had been saved under the name Baek Muyeon, I really would’ve been fucked.
With trembling hands, he set down his cup and hurriedly stood up. Then he grabbed his phone. The people gathered around Yejin looked up at him and burst into laughter.
“Team Leader Seungju is in his prime.”
“I’m jealous.”
Whatever people were chattering about, he had no leisure to respond or smile back at them. Now that he’d stood up, the alcohol hit him. Seungju stumbled out of the lodging with a clattering noise. With the closed front door behind him and staggering steps, Seungju answered the phone. And without thinking, he yelled.
– Seungju, don’t tell me you’re still drinking….
“Hey, you fucking bastard, where are you?”
– …Are you drunk?
“Am I drunk? Is that what you’re curious about right now?”
– Then what is it? Why are you cursing the moment you answer when someone calls you?
As always, Muyeon’s tone was shameless. Of course it was. Muyeon had no idea why Seungju was angry right now. Seungju thought this bastard’s timing was terrible too. How did he call at exactly the moment when Seungju was beside himself with rage?
Of course, Muyeon’s circumstances didn’t matter to Seungju right now. So the shameless tone made him even angrier. He ground his teeth and jumped.
“Do I look like I wouldn’t curse right now?!”
– What’s going on? Did I do something worth cursing at? Isn’t that you, Seungju? What time is it now and who the hell are you drinking with again….
Ah, so that’s why he called. Seungju let out a sharp laugh. When someone is too absurd, laughter comes out. Because it’s ridiculous.
He took the phone away from his ear and checked the time. It was past 11, nearly midnight. Seungju laughed again. Haha. Unbelievable. It’s not like I’m a high schooler, no—more than that, who’s interfering with whom right now? Seungju cut off Muyeon’s words in a low voice.
“Hey, Baek Muyeon. If you don’t want to regret it, shut your mouth.”
– …What’s wrong.
Muyeon responded in a similarly lowered tone. He seemed to finally realize the seriousness. Seungju had already arrived at the resort across the way—that is, the building where his lodging room was. He knocked on the Director’s door without hesitation.
“Open the door, you fucking bastard.”
As soon as he hung up, the door burst open. Muyeon’s face looked annoyed. What did he do right to be annoyed? This time too, Seungju entered the room with a clatter. The door slammed shut behind him.
“What is it?”
“What? Wait, you bastard.”
Seungju immediately turned on his phone. Then he regretted it for a moment. Seungju didn’t do things like Instagram. Naturally, he didn’t have the app installed either. He didn’t want to do the ridiculous task of downloading the app, signing up, and finding Muyeon’s already hazy-in-memory ID.
This timing wasn’t good for him either. Drunk, it was the perfect time to get drawn into Baek Muyeon again. Frustration welled up along with the irritation.
“Fuck!”
Seungju spat out another curse. Now Muyeon had gone quiet. He seemed a bit flustered, unable to follow the situation. Understandably so. Even when he was angry because of the former Director, even when he received that absurd call that woke him at dawn, Seungju had never gotten this angry. He didn’t think he’d ever cursed like this in front of Muyeon before. Though he couldn’t be certain.
Whether Muyeon was flustered by his lover’s never-before-seen behavior or not, that was his problem. Seungju had no reason to be kind to his circumstances right now. He put down his phone and held out his hand to Muyeon.
“Phone.”
“……”
Muyeon wordlessly held out the phone he’d been holding. That damn couple phone. Seungju irritably threw his phone onto the sofa. He remembered how Muyeon had thrown his phone right onto the bare floor before. But this bastard has money and I don’t.
“Not this one. The other one.”
“…Why that one?”
Muyeon hesitated before answering. Seungju laughed again. Finally back to formal speech. This bastard seems to be starting to grasp the situation. He confidently held out his hand.
“Give it to me.”
“I’m asking why you need that one.”
“Is there something in it I’m not supposed to see?”
“……”
“I know everything, you bastard.”
Muyeon didn’t answer for a long while. Eventually, he brought the other phone from the room. Seungju felt the urge to throw the phone Muyeon held out to him.
“Hey, are you messing with me? Unlock it.”
When Seungju swung the phone as if to throw it again, Muyeon let out a short sigh. It meant he had no choice. Seungju glared at him again. Every single action has a talent for getting under my skin. Even after coming this far, what did he do right?
Seungju received the phone with trembling hands. And immediately opened the app. For a moment, he fumbled over which button to press. It made him look stupid, which pissed him off more. But soon he accessed Muyeon’s profile. And realized the image he’d been thinking of since earlier. He shoved the phone screen right in Muyeon’s face.
“Now do you understand why I’m pissed off?”
Finally, Muyeon said nothing. The slight satisfaction that came whenever he shut up, and the maddening confirmation that what he’d just shoved at him really was his dirty laundry—both twisted Seungju’s insides simultaneously.
After a long while, Muyeon took the phone. In a slightly cracked voice, he barely opened his mouth.
“…So what?”
“So what? Did you just say ‘so what’?”
I’m going crazy. Seungju clenched his fists. His fists raised to shoulder height trembled. But he couldn’t bring himself to hit Muyeon. Seungju had never hit anyone before. Instead, he let out a groan and clutched his head. All kinds of accusations flowed from Seungju’s mouth. This bastard, crazy bastard, all talk bastard….
After pouring out his irritation, Seungju dropped his hands from his head and let out a deep sigh. The words that had been too pathetic to leave his mouth finally spilled out.
“What are those photos?”
“Photos.”
“Just how many women have you been seeing? And yet you make a fuss asking me who I’m drinking with?”
“I haven’t been seeing anyone.”
“Have you finally lost your mind?”
Muyeon turned on the phone screen again. And he pulled up the photos that had brought shock and horror to Seungju earlier. Seungju’s insides flipped again. Muyeon points below the photos with his thumb.
“Look, they’re all old photos.”
“What?”
“I posted them a long time ago. It’s been at least half a year, no, more than a year.”
Seungju widened his eyes and looked at the screen. It was true. When he checked the dates below the photos, even the most recent one was from at least half a year ago. So it would’ve been around when Muyeon had just joined the company. Muyeon added,
“I haven’t seen anyone else while seeing you, Seungju.”
The low voice and calm tone made him want to believe those words. Seungju’s heart almost wavered for a moment at the evidence before his eyes and Muyeon’s overly confident attitude.
Come to think of it, he probably didn’t have time to see anyone. After the two started seeing each other, Muyeon had devoted his time solely to Seungju. Not only when they met, but even when they didn’t meet, the one who always contacted first and called was Muyeon. Hadn’t he been moved by that devotion?
Seungju came to his senses. Because new absurdity and suspicion soon arrived. It was a natural question starting from the premise that Muyeon acted devotedly toward him.
“Then why did you keep this Instagram?”
“This?”
“Why did you just leave up this exhibition of who you met and how much? So it wouldn’t matter when I saw it? Am I that easy to you?”
“No, it’s just…”
“Do you know how I saw this?”
Not giving Baek Muyeon a chance to speak felt more satisfying than he’d thought. Plus, the words came out well even though he was drunk. Indeed, extreme emotions make a person come to their senses. Seungju looked straight at Muyeon and continued.
“Hey, the company employees all looked through your Instagram. You crazy bastard. Did you think being called naive or whatever was a compliment? Didn’t you even think the company people would all see what you’ve been up to? Even if you show that you’ve never done any social life, you should do it in moderation. Aren’t you even embarrassed?”
“The employees?”
“Yes! Really, how thoughtless do you have to be….”
While Seungju sighed deeply again and looked up at the ceiling to soothe his disbelief, Muyeon stayed silent. After a brief pause, he spoke.
“You’re angry because the employees saw my Instagram?”
Seungju’s eyes widened. He doubted his ears. Though there had been many times when he thought he couldn’t understand Muyeon’s distant thought process, this seemed like the first time he’d heard something so absurd. Is that what’s important to him right now?
“Is that what’s important right now? I was asking why you left those damn photos for everyone to see?”
“……”
“I really can’t understand….”
Muyeon didn’t answer. Seungju squinted and examined his expression. He really didn’t know what he was thinking. No, he felt like he knew. A vague suspicion flowed from Seungju’s mouth.
“…The person who called you at dawn before, are they in these photos?”
“……”
“They are, aren’t they?”
“……”
“You said you didn’t know them?”
Seungju looked up at the ceiling again. The absurdity was beyond limit, but no more laughter came out. Muyeon, who usually responded well, saying nothing proved everything.
“This and that too—this kind of Instagram, just delete it and be done with it, and if there’s someone who keeps calling, just block them and be done with it. Why did you leave them alone? What other reason could there be except that you like people calling and giving you attention?”
Seungju only then realized that resentment toward the call Muyeon received that dawn still remained in him. Even as he spoke, he felt pathetic about himself for holding onto emotions that lingered from past events. Of course, it wasn’t strange. Heo Seungju was always one step slow in exactly these matters.
