“Huh?”
Even when he gathered courage to smile, all that came back was a sullen retort.
“Why would I be curious about how some pale little dick is living?”
“……”
At his rough answer, Hui-myeong’s gaze fell disappointedly.
Could he really have lived forgetting about me? Is it only my delusion that our time together, though not long, was a life-shaking connection?
Well. Hui-myeong’s ten years had only been Do-ha, but who knows how many people passed through Geum-gang’s ten years. Moreover, if there’s someone by his side now, he wouldn’t even think about a boy he cared for a little long ago. The women wouldn’t leave him alone when he’s still this impressive.
Breaking through the awkward silence, there was a pounding knock and one of the subordinates opened the door.
“Hyungnim, the jajangmyeon has arrived.”
At his words, Geum-gang finally put down his feet from the desk and got up from his seat. He walked with his hands in his pockets, then stopped when he saw Hui-myeong completely deflated.
“Did you eat?”
“No.”
“Eat and then go.”
Geum-gang patted Hui-myeong’s shoulder as if bestowing great mercy and left the room. He hated himself for being excited by such small attention, but he couldn’t miss the opportunity.
The men sitting around the sofa excitedly tore open the packaging and mixed their jajangmyeon. In the not-so-spacious office, the smell of food fried heavily in oil stimulated the appetite. Jajangmyeon. Hui-myeong felt like he’d received a gift he never imagined.
‘I’ve lost a lot of weight, so it should be okay to eat this much.’
Hui-myeong thought of his newly changed trainer. He’d told him to gain weight mainly through healthy food, but it was impossible to maintain a perfect diet when he wasn’t even an athlete.
Was it in middle school or high school, the noonas at Suseolhwa ordered it for him a few times and that was all, so his mouth watered as soon as he saw the jajangmyeon.
“Hey, eat this and go home.”
When Hui-myeong’s eyes sparkled as he gulped, Geum-gang tossed him a bowl of well-mixed jajangmyeon. Hui-myeong didn’t even say he’d eat well and moved his chopsticks right there.
Hui-myeong’s eyes rolled back at the sweet taste of jajangmyeon he’d had in so long.
When watching thriller dramas, there were countless scenes of detectives eating jajangmyeon together. Every time he watched, he wanted to eat it, but Hui-myeong had little appetite, and Do-ha, who enjoyed fine dining, detested food bombs of seasoning and sugar.
Hui-myeong forgot about appearances and the situation and wolfed down the noodles. The savory flavor exploded in his mouth.
“Hyungnim, does that bastard seem like it’s his first time eating jajangmyeon?”
“Leave him. I guess it tastes good when you eat it like shit.”
Geum-gang casually threw out his words while lifting the noodles, but his gaze intermittently turned toward Hui-myeong. The way he kept shoving noodles into his mouth was like a child opening their eyes to the taste of the world for the first time.
“Pretty boy, wipe your mouth while you eat.”
“Huh? Yes, yes.”
Hui-myeong received the tissue handed by the subordinate and wiped his mouth. Only after seeing the tissue turn black did Hui-myeong realize how disgustingly he had been eating.
“Our dongsaeng, don’t borrow money from the wrong places. You could really end up with your life ruined.”
“I’m already living hearing funeral bells every day.”
Hui-myeong retorted while forcibly chewing the noodles.
“Bullshit. Do you live near a church or something? Being so scrawny. Here, eat the sweet and sour pork too, and the fried dumplings.”
When another subordinate placed sweet and sour pork and fried dumplings in Hui-myeong’s bowl, Hui-myeong bowed his head and ate everything without leaving anything. Perhaps because it was written on his face that he didn’t know worldly affairs, the gangsters especially took care of him.
When Hui-myeong completely emptied his bowl, Geum-gang put down the bowl he was eating from with a thud on the table and crossed his legs.
“Stop your bullshit and now that you’ve stuffed yourself, go home.”
“Take me.”
Hui-myeong said shamelessly while wiping his mouth for the last time.
“What?”
The subordinates giggled and laughed at Hui-myeong’s words.
“Hyung, take me home.”
“This fucker thinks I’m some taxi driver.”
“You’re going to take me anyway.”
All the gangsters here were groveling, but Hui-myeong wasn’t scared of Geum-gang. What was scary was Do-ha, not Geum-gang who had always been kind.
“Ha, I…”
While Geum-gang was letting out an incredulous laugh at the absurdity, one quick-witted guy respectfully handed over car keys with both hands.
“Here you go, hyungnim.”
“Give our dongsaeng some service, hyungnim.”
“Wow, the kid must have fallen for hyungnim. Because hyungnim has a lot of that what’s it called, tosstosterone or tennistosterone.”
Having caught an opportunity to tease their hyungnim after a long time, they were excited.
At the egging attitude of the guys, Geum-gang reluctantly grabbed the car keys and stood up.
“Follow me.”
Success.
Regardless of his mood, Hui-myeong followed him out with a light heart.
***
When they came outside, the bleak autumn wind assaulted his body. Having come out wearing only a shirt, his body trembled even standing outside for just a moment. As he rubbed his arms waiting only for Geum-gang to come, a car pulled out from the alley and stopped in front of Hui-myeong.
Soon the pitch-black window rolled down and Geum-gang, who had boarded the driver’s seat, was visible.
“Get in.”
Unlike the van he drove around when he was a low-level organization member, the car he got into was a luxury German SUV with a silver emblem.
Hui-myeong, who got into the passenger seat, felt as good as a puppy smelling spring. He had eaten sweet and delicious jajangmyeon, and rode in a car Geum-gang was driving.
“Nice car.”
Do-ha’s car was also from the same company, but Geum-gang’s car was bigger. Since he had a big build, a small car wouldn’t satisfy him.
Being with Geum-gang, whom he met after 10 years, was strangely more comfortable than being with Do-ha, whom he’d met for 10 years. Seeing that appearance over his shoulder, Geum-gang frowned as if he didn’t like it.
“Don’t act cute in front of me, it’s fucking annoying. I called you to tell you this.”
“…”
At Geum-gang’s words, Hui-myeong instantly shut his mouth tight. Perhaps belatedly thinking his words were harsh, Geum-gang glanced at Hui-myeong’s expression from the corner of his eye. As if asking when he was like a lively puppy, he became sullen.
“Hyung, aren’t you glad to see me?”
“Embarrassingly, fuck.”
“So you remember everything we did together.”
“No, what memories?”
Now Geum-gang acted as if he didn’t know anything. But quick-witted Hui-myeong couldn’t fail to notice.
“My mom’s name.”
“Jung Myeong-hee?”
“You remember everything.”
“Damn it, fuck.”
Geum-gang muttered a curse unable to contain his anger. Of course. Hui-myeong quietly raised the corners of his mouth.
The name ‘Jung Hui-myeong’ was just his mother Jung Myeong-hee being too lazy and roughly switching the front and back of her own name. Geum-gang had cursed his mom instead of him, saying it was the first time he’d seen a name given so carelessly since birth. Though his own mother was being cursed, Hui-myeong felt rather relieved inside. Because the name given that way had always hurt him, but he’d never been able to show it.
He was someone he could force himself to spill even such trivial stories to. To Hui-myeong back then, Geum-gang was that person.
Hui-myeong didn’t believe lies like being embarrassed about the past. He would have tried to forget, but it was impossible for Geum-gang to forget Jung Hui-myeong. Because the emotions he felt then could never be false.
The emotions of the two at that time clearly flowed both ways, and in terms of size, Geum-gang’s feelings were no smaller than Hui-myeong’s. For Geum-gang, who was abandoned at a temple as soon as he was born, and for Hui-myeong, who lived as a burden to his mother working at Suseolhwa, such emotions were a first.
“The wind feels nice today.”
Hui-myeong rolled down the window all the way and leaned against it. Though the autumn wind was cold, it felt good to have his hair flying. His hair, which had a light brown tint even without dyeing, was thin and soft, so it fluttered easily. Geum-gang, who was driving while glancing sideways, silently adjusted the buttons to raise the window. Surprised by the sudden tightening on his head, Hui-myeong hurriedly sat up straight.
“If you don’t want your head caught in the window, sit properly, you bastard.”
Cursing again. But even when Geum-gang frowned and growled, Hui-myeong didn’t care at all. It had been so long since he’d ridden in a car that wasn’t Do-ha’s or a driver working under him that his heart even fluttered.
“But where are you taking me?”
Hui-myeong asked while staring ahead.
“I have to know if you tell me.”
“You’re just going without even knowing where?”
Hui-myeong giggled.
