LM 20

It was a rare day off. Kwon Siyul’s way of spending holidays was lounging at home playing mobile games rather than going out. With no one to contact besides Kwon Yuwon, he was comfortably lying down, engrossed in breaking blocks on his phone. That was when a message notification pinged.

[Isn’t it your day off?]

[What are you doing?]

Correction needed. Lately, there was one more person besides Kwon Yuwon that Kwon Siyul exchanged messages with.

“At home, just hanging out,” he sent, saying it aloud stiffly as if Woo Hyunse were right there next to him.

[Not bored?]

[No, I’m playing a game.]

[Want to meet up for dinner later?]

After reading the last text, Kwon Siyul hesitated to reply. The fact that Woo Hyunse was dominant bothered him. The image of Woo Hyunse’s playful grin as he said, “Let’s just say I’m recessive,” flashed before his eyes.

No matter how he looked at it, meeting Woo Hyunse was dangerous. Even though he’d joked about being recessive, Kwon Siyul didn’t believe his words. Woo Hyunse was dominant. If he were really recessive, he would have laughed it off, saying there was no need to worry about anything. Though they hadn’t known each other for long, from what Kwon Siyul had seen of his personality so far, he didn’t seem like someone who would hide things.

But when does life ever go as one wants? For one, he was working at a place Woo Hyunse had introduced him to. There was still a debt to repay. Woo Hyunse had his phone number and even his momentarily forgotten ID card in his possession.

“Right, my ID card.”

He’d been putting off getting a new one issued since he hadn’t felt much inconvenience without one. Taking a new photo and going to the welfare center to get it issued was quite the hassle. Though he should avoid Woo Hyunse as much as possible, he had no choice if he wanted to get his ID back.

[What time?]

So Kwon Siyul replied to Woo Hyunse’s message. He repeatedly told himself that it was ‘just to get the ID card back’ and for no other reason than that.

Lying on his stomach, he wiggled his toes. A kind reply arrived asking what time would be good. Kwon Siyul glanced at the clock. 5 p.m.. It was about time for dinner. He typed aggressively, insisting that this time he would absolutely pay.

[Is 7 okay?]

[I’ll pick you up.]

“Always offering to pick up and drop off. What a strange guy…” Kwon Siyul muttered to himself, smirking all the while. Then, startled by his own laughter, he composed himself and typed. In response to his somewhat formal message saying he’d come on his own, only two ‘ㅋ’ characters flew back. This was the difference between Woo Hyunse and Kwon Yuwon. Kwon Yuwon would have sent so many text messages that Kwon Siyul would have to scroll down just to see them all.

Though there was plenty of time until the time of their appointment arrived, it somehow felt short. It might be a bit tight for him to shower, brush his hair, and choose clothes for the outing, but he decided he might still have some time after all. Kwon Siyul plugged his phone into the charger and quickly stripped off his clothes.

Rushing out, he arrived earlier than expected. Bored with standing on the street, he entered a nearby drugstore just to pass the time. He wasn’t planning on buying anything, just trying to kill some time. As he looked around, a large perfume corner that took up an entire wall caught his eye.

As if beckoned, Kwon Siyul awkwardly walked over. They were all unfamiliar brands. Well, neither he nor Kwon Yuwon had much to do with perfumes. Kwon Yuwon thought pheromones were bad enough without adding perfume to the mix, and Kwon Siyul wasn’t particularly interested in fragrances. The only scent Kwon Siyul wore was whatever fabric softener was on the biggest discount at the supermarket that month.

“Sir, are you looking for anything in particular?”

As Kwon Siyul was bringing the nearest perfume to his nose, a staff member who had been watching closely approached him with a broad smile. Kwon Siyul looked around, startled. He wasn’t used to such excessive friendliness coming from a store’s staff member.

“No, I’m just looking around.”

“Alright. Please let me know if you need anything.”

Watching the retreating staff member, Kwon Siyul turned back to the perfume display. Blue glass bottles, bottles wrapped in straw, bottles topped with large flower shapes—each had its own strong personality.

Kwon Siyul scanned them and picked up the most unassuming-looking perfume. It was labeled as a wisteria scent. Observing what others were doing, he sprayed it on a test strip and smelled it.

It was sweet like wisteria flowers in full bloom. A scent that evoked light purple. He had wanted to find a scent similar to birch, but his interest had wandered in the meantime.

Kwon Siyul carefully rubbed the damp test strip on his bare wrist. Glancing at the person next to him, he rubbed that wrist behind his ear like a cat grooming itself. He brought it close to his nose once more, sniffed, then scrunched his eyes half-closed and grinned widely. He really liked the sweet yet light fragrance.

As he took out his phone to check the time, he heard a light tapping sound on the front window. He looked up and met Woo Hyunse’s eyes.

Woo Hyunse smiled brightly, tapping the window with his index finger. As Kwon Siyul stared blankly, forgetting even to blink, Woo Hyunse tilted his head and held up his own phone. Soon, the phone in Kwon Siyul’s hand rang loudly.

Kwon Siyul gasped, tossing his phone up as if he had come into contact with a hot stone, then quickly catching it. All eyes turned to him. Some looked out the window and whispered to the person next to them. Having never been the main character and not wanting to be, Kwon Siyul fled the store in a mad rush to get away from their scrutiny.

“Why are you calling? You clearly saw me inside.”

Rushing out, Kwon Siyul found Woo Hyunse wearing a gleaming smile as if something was terribly amusing. Irritated, Kwon Siyul grabbed the hem of his coat and tugged on it.

“You were just standing there. I thought you didn’t recognize me.”

“Hah,” Kwon Siyul let out a laugh of disbelief. He could recognize Woo Hyunse from over 100 meters away. Wasn’t he a head taller than others with shoulders a span wider? He’d know him just by the back of his head, or even if his face was covered with paper, showing only his eyebrows, forehead, and hair.

“That’s not possible…”

He was about to say, but noticing the onlookers inside the glass window, he quickly let go of the coat. Uncomfortable with the public attention, Kwon Siyul hurried his steps. He thought everything would be fine once they left this area.

Woo Hyunse followed closely behind. Walking side by side, he suddenly leaned toward Kwon Siyul’s nape as if noticing something. His prominent nose brushed Kwon Siyul’s earlobe. His soft exhale tickled Kwon Siyul’s cheek, making the fine hairs there stand on end.

“Did you put on perfume?”

Kwon Siyul gasped, covering his ear with his palm and stepping back abruptly. His face turned as red as if dipped in ripe cherry wine, especially the earlobe Woo Hyunse’s nose had touched.

“Why are you suddenly sniffing me? Are you a dog?”

“I smelled something nice, that’s all. A dog? Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

Woo Hyunse pouted, pretending to be hurt by his comment. Such an expression on his large frame, from someone older than Kwon Siyul, felt unfair. Kwon Siyul sighed heavily, rubbing his hot face vigorously with both hands.

“The scent suits you well.”

“Don’t you dislike sweet smells, Mr. CEO? You didn’t like that drink from before.”

“I don’t particularly like them. But…”

Woo Hyunse leaned close to Kwon Siyul’s nape again and took another deep breath. This time, Kwon Siyul didn’t avoid it. He just awkwardly rubbed the other side of his neck.

“It suits Kwon Siyul-ssi well.”

“…”

Kwon Siyul bit down on his lip, trying hard to suppress a smile. Still, his lips twitched. He had applied the perfume at just the right time, hadn’t he? At the very least, he’d received a compliment.

Kwon Siyul scratched the skin where Woo Hyunse’s breath seemed to linger. Lacking the courage to smell Woo Hyunse’s neck as he had done, Kwon Siyul took a deep breath under the guise of sighing. Unlike that night when he was drunk and buried his face in Woo Hyunse’s clothes, the scent didn’t fill his nostrils as strongly. Still, it was similar to what he’d smelled before. The scent of a cold winter sea.

It didn’t seem like the wintry birch forest that Kwon Yuwon had described. Kwon Siyul felt a little, just a little, bitter about that.

Once again, Kwon Siyul failed to treat Woo Hyunse to a meal. The place Woo Hyunse took him to was a fine dining restaurant, far more expensive than what Kwon Siyul had expected they would be eating at. He’d never even considered entering such a place, let alone visiting one. Like a country bumpkin newly arrived in the city, Kwon Siyul simply blinked his eyes, stealing glances at Woo Hyunse’s hands.

He awkwardly handled the cutlery, imitating what he’d seen others do in the drugstore with perfume testers. Fortunately, the food came in small portions, and the chef came out to explain how to eat each dish, so it wasn’t as difficult as he’d feared.

“Is it to your liking?”

“Yes. It’s delicious.”

In truth, Kwon Siyul couldn’t tell if the food was going into his mouth or nose. It was certainly tasty, but he wasn’t in the right state of mind to fully appreciate it. Worry about the bill loomed like a dark cloud over his head.

“Excuse me, I’ll be right back from the restroom.”

Using that excuse, he stopped by the counter. He wanted to pay in advance without Woo Hyunse knowing about it. Hadn’t they said a man’s word is worth its weight in gold? The orphanage director had always emphasized that if you’re born male, you must always keep your word. Kwon Siyul hoped there was enough money left in his account, deciding he’d take on a day job if necessary, and waited for the staff member to speak.

“Your companion has already settled the bill.”

No matter how many times Kwon Siyul asked if that was really true, if it was indeed their table, the staff’s answer didn’t change. Kwon Siyul returned with puffy cheeks. Despite his difficult circumstances, he had really wanted to treat Woo Hyunse to at least one meal. Now he felt even more determined to somehow put food he’d paid for into Woo Hyunse’s mouth.