BHB 27

“Yeowon, Han Yeowon.”

The world was spinning. How much had he drunk? It had been a while since he’d been this intoxicated, barely able to stand. Yeowon tried to steady himself but stumbled, only to be caught by someone beside him. After blinking a few times, he realized it was Baek Seungha.

“Ah… right. It’s senior.”

Yeowon chuckled to himself, his face flushed from alcohol. Seungha had his arm draped over his shoulders, supporting him.

“Is this your place?”

Seungha’s hand on his waist tightened, ensuring he wouldn’t fall. His strength seemed unchanged as he effortlessly supported Yeowon, who was over 180cm tall, all the way to his home.

Yeowon couldn’t remember how he’d gotten to his front door. Only fragments of memory flickered through his mind, as if he’d teleported. He clung to Seungha, trying to gather his wits.

“I think… so…”

“What’s the passcode?”

Despite the trouble he was causing, Seungha asked kindly. It was a stark contrast to his earlier cold demeanor. Now he was almost uncomfortably caring.

“What was it…”

Yeowon blinked slowly as he pressed the buttons, but a harsh beep signaled he’d gotten it wrong.

“That’s strange…”

He furrowed his brow and tried again, but with the same result.

“Can’t remember?”

Seungha, still supporting him, showed no signs of strain as he asked. Yeowon nodded, looking frustrated. He couldn’t understand why the password wasn’t working. It was a combination of his and Taegang’s birthdays, a code they both used for everything: phone locks, door codes, even bank PINs. It shouldn’t be wrong…

There was no way it could be wrong…

Though the keypad seemed to blur into two or three, Yeowon squinted and tried to focus. But before he could enter another code, the door unlocked with a beep. Confused, he stared at his door, tilting his head.

“What are you doing?”

A cold voice came from the other side. Both the drunk Yeowon and Seungha, who was practically embracing him to keep him upright, turned towards the sound. Seungha’s pupils dilated slightly when he saw the speaker. Taegang, facing Seungha, wore his usual expressionless face, but it was subtly contorted.

“Hand him over.”

Taegang ordered curtly after sizing up Seungha with a chilling gaze. Seungha seemed to understand exactly who the command was directed at.

“It’s been a while, but you haven’t changed,” Seungha said, adjusting his hold on Yeowon’s waist and smiling generously.

Taegang, apparently uninterested in pleasantries, ignored him and repeated, “I said, hand him over.”

“Han Yeowon isn’t an object to be handed over,” Seungha replied politely, but with an edge to his words.

“Seems you haven’t changed either.”

As the two large men faced off, another harsh beep sounded from the door. Frustrated by another failed attempt, Yeowon slurred, “Ah… shit, what was it…”

Distracted by the forgotten passcode, Yeowon squinted and irritably jabbed at the buttons.

“Hey, Taegang. The password… what was the password? Ah… shit, this can’t be happening…”

Hearing Yeowon’s drunken mumbling, Taegang let out a deep sigh and swiftly pulled him from Seungha’s arms. He bent down and slung him over his shoulder in one smooth motion. Suddenly flipped upside down, Yeowon hung limply over Taegang’s body. The way he handled him showed a practiced familiarity, almost as if he was showing off to Seungha.

Taegang, with Yeowon over his shoulder, headed towards his own apartment as if it were the most natural thing. Ignoring Yeowon’s mumbles about feeling sick, he paused before entering. He turned his head slightly towards Seungha, who stood silently watching.

“Just a few years have passed,” Taegang said, his voice low and menacing.

“And you dare show up.”

His words, like a threat to himself, echoed ominously down the hallway. Though he didn’t specify who he was addressing, it was clear. Seungha clenched his large fists, trembling slightly. The veins in his neck stood out as he seemed to be holding back words with all his might.

Unable to say anything, Seungha watched as the door slammed shut behind Taegang with a loud bang that reverberated through the empty corridor like a warning. Seungha’s gaze darkened as he stared at the firmly closed door.

***

As soon as he opened his eyes, Yeowon felt like his head was about to split open. He groaned, clutching his forehead. Although he rarely experienced blackouts even when drinking heavily, last night was clearly different. His memory was blank from a certain point. Perhaps it was due to his heightened emotions from fighting with Taegang and the uncomfortable atmosphere with Baek Seungha, but the alcohol had hit him harder than usual.

Yeowon slowly got up and stumbled towards the kitchen. His vision was blurry, so he fumbled around until he found the refrigerator, opened it, and brought a bottle of water directly to his lips. Only after emptying about half the bottle did his thirst subside. Rubbing his eyes, he surveyed his surroundings. The wallpaper and furniture looked familiar, but this wasn’t his place. It was like his home, but not quite.

“Ah… damn it.”

It was Lee Taegang’s house.

Realizing where he was, Yeowon cursed under his breath, his face full of dismay. He couldn’t remember how he ended up here, which made the situation even more maddening. He felt embarrassed about shamelessly sleeping at Taegang’s place after their recent fights, all because he was drunk.

Yeowon was about to leave while Taegang wasn’t around, but just then, the bathroom door swung open. Taegang emerged from the steamy bathroom, his hair wet and only his lower parts covered. Yeowon’s face twitched uncomfortably at the sight.

Caught off guard by the sudden encounter, Yeowon found himself unable to look away from Taegang’s muscular upper body. The tattoos covering his shoulders, collarbone, and entire arm seemed even more intimidating, as if he had been working out more. His abdominal muscles appeared to have no fat at all.

His toned, rock-hard upper body now felt sexual in a way it never had before, and Yeowon knew it was all Taegang’s fault. After making him witness his intimate encounter with Jeon Chaemin and then forcefully kissing him, this reaction seemed inevitable.

“Move,” Yeowon muttered quietly, averting his gaze from Taegang, who was blocking the passage. He could feel his intense stare on the top of his head as he draped the towel he’d been using to dry his hair over his shoulder.

“Move”

“Since when?”

“What?”

“When did you start seeing Baek Seungha again?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Yeowon looked up at him with wide eyes, as if asking how he knew.

“He brought you here yesterday,” Taegang said in his characteristically indifferent tone.

“Ah.”

Finally realizing that Seungha had helped him home, Yeowon let out a heavy sigh. He must have caused a lot of trouble.

“Recently.”

“When exactly?”

Yeowon frowned at his seemingly casual yet persistent questioning.

“I don’t know. How am I supposed to remember exact dates?”

“Did that bastard approach you?”

“What?”

“I’m asking if that bastard tried to get close to you.”

“Why do you care?”

Yeowon’s response was equally hostile, put off by his aggressive questioning. The focus of his questions was strange to begin with.

“What do you mean by ‘approach’?”

“That bastard has been hovering around you for a while.”

“What do you mean ‘hanging around’? We were just close friends.”

“I told you. Don’t be so soft-hearted, accepting every bastard that comes your way.”

“Who’s accepting what? If anything, I was the one who wanted to be friends with him in the first place.”

“That broke bastard probably approached you knowing what you’re like. You fall for anyone who shows you a bit of kindness.”

“I’m grateful you let me stay, but watch your mouth. Your words have been getting harsh lately.”

Yeowon stared at Taegang with a bewildered expression, genuinely unable to understand. Beyond anger, he couldn’t comprehend why he was acting this way. He felt too dumbfounded even to laugh bitterly at his tone, which seemed to imply something strange between him and Seungha.

“Didn’t you like that senior too?”

Yeowon asked in return.

“You got that tattoo because of him, right?”

Yeowon nodded towards the tattoos covering one of his arms. If nothing else, he knew Taegang had been deeply impressed by the tattoos on Seungha’s back. But contrary to his expectations, Taegang let out a scornful laugh. It was a laugh that didn’t seem like a laugh at all, more like an expression of disbelief.

“As always… you don’t know a damn thing.”

Taegang muttered, almost to himself, as he searched for and lit a cigarette. Smoking casually inside the house, he waved his hand at Yeowon as if he were a nuisance.

“Go.”

Taegang ordered with a voice that sounded like a sigh, then disappeared from his sight. Left alone, Yeowon stood there dumbfounded, running his tongue along the inside of his mouth. He couldn’t help but let out a deflated laugh at Taegang’s dismissive attitude, treating him like an annoyance.

As he was about to leave, Yeowon suddenly changed his mind. The more he thought about it, the more unfair it felt. What had he done to deserve such looks, such words? What was it that he didn’t know that made him treat him like a criminal every time? 

Unable to take it anymore, Yeowon aggressively turned back and roughly flung open the door to the room where Taegang had disappeared.

“What is it that I don’t know?”