GB 51

Haero knocked on the door of the supervisor’s office.

“Yeah. Come in.”

At the answer from across, he opened the door to find the supervisor looking up from something he had been scribbling.

When Haero saluted, the supervisor returned it with a very relaxed posture before burying his head back on the desk and mumbling, “Phone call. Answer it.”

Haero put the still-connected phone to his ear. “Cadet Haero speaking.”

―Hello, Haero.

A deep, pleasant voice with just a hint of amusement, though not actually laughing.

Haero’s heart dropped.

It was a voice he would recognize even in an unconscious state. And it was the voice of the person who had been troubling Haero the most recently.

“… Hyung.”

―Are you doing well, Cadet Haero?

Haero smiled a little at Yoon Moo-hwa’s playfulness. “I’m doing well. Are you having a smooth voyage, Colonel?”

The supervisor glanced at Haero before burying his head in his sketchbook again. What he had learned from doing this job for a long time was that it was best for him to completely cut off interest in the cadets’ private lives.

―I’m doing fine personally, but the voyage isn’t smooth.

“Huh…?”

Yoon Moo-hwa rarely spoke of uncomfortable matters. For him to openly say the voyage wasn’t smooth, something must be wrong. Haero immediately felt worried.

Fortunately, Yoon Moo-hwa didn’t drag it out or equivocate, but explained right away.

―We had an emergency return due to a wounded civilian requesting rescue. Since we happened to be in nearby waters, we’ve docked at the base near the school. I felt a bit sorry not to say anything since we’re so close, so I called.

“Oh, when did you dock?” Haero asked in a trembling voice, clutching the receiver tightly. Above all, he was worried that Yoon Moo-hwa might have been hurt.

―It’s been a while. A week ago.

‘A week.’

‘It had been a week, and he was only contacting me now.’

Haero’s heart stretched to its limit and then went slack like a rubber band that had finally snapped.

―I heard you’re going home the day after tomorrow. I thought we could meet, have a meal together before you go, so I called.

“If I wasn’t going home the day after tomorrow, would you have quietly set sail again?”

When Haero asked in a slightly sulky voice, Yoon Moo-hwa just laughed, “Haha.” 

It was an affirmative sound. Haero’s heart ached. In the past, he would have openly said it was too much, but now he couldn’t even do that. He couldn’t. Is this what liking someone means? Even though he had only recently become aware of it, even though it was only this much, Haero was already starting to hate this emotion. Not being able to act as usual and having to be cautious just because he liked someone. It’s unfair. Ever since meeting Yoon Moo-hwa, he had always thought of him as his own, but as soon as he realized he liked him, he felt so distant.

“Anyway… I’m glad I can meet you early too.” Haero added, trying to sound cheerful, “Let’s eat something delicious before going back.”

―Nothing’s wrong, is it?

Haero thought he had perfectly imitated his usual self, but apparently he couldn’t fool Yoon Moo-hwa. At his lowered voice, Haero felt a pang of guilt, and his heart wavered between wanting to confess everything and the reason telling him to keep it more tightly sealed.

“It’s nothing.”

He thought about completely brushing it off, but once the topic was broached, Yoon Moo-hwa wouldn’t let it go. After hesitating, Haero decided to say the less significant of the two things. Instead of “I think I like you,” the easier words.

“My tattoo was discovered. I’m sorry. I should have put on a semi-permanent cover-up earlier.”

Semi-permanent cover-up is a method of applying a band that’s closest to one’s skin color instead of painful tattoo removal. While painless, it’s very expensive and still looks unnatural compared to real skin. Plus, it needs to be replaced every 2-3 years, which is troublesome.

Haero had been postponing the procedure because he wanted to pay for at least that much with his own money.

“Because of me, people who don’t even know you might start gossiping about you again. I’m sorry.”

He tried to speak cheerfully as if it was no big deal.

Yoon Moo-hwa was silent for a moment.

Haero could easily imagine what expression he was making. He’d be frowning with his lips firmly pressed together. As if holding back from saying something like “Is this the time to worry about me?”

―Are you alright?

‘See?’

Yoon Moo-hwa always considers him first. It must have been the same with the kids’ lock. Though he couldn’t understand his deep thoughts, he must have been trying to protect him anyway. Haero deeply believed that Yoon Moo-hwa thought of him as the top priority.

“Yeah. I’m fine. It’s nothing. I’m not a kid… I can handle it well.”

―Okay… Let’s talk more tomorrow. I have to go now.

Just then, behind Yoon Moo-hwa’s words, Haero heard a soft voice calling his name over the receiver.

‘Moo-hwa-ssi, the food is here. When will your call end?’

“…Who are you with?” Before he could think, Haero’s lips moved on their own and blurted out the question.

Yoon Moo-hwa was silent for a very brief moment before answering in a very soft voice.

―Oh. I’m meeting someone briefly. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow, Haero.

‘It was a woman.’

Haero’s heart pounded.

He didn’t know Yoon Moo-hwa’s sexual orientation. However, Haero had never met anyone who called Yoon Moo-hwa “Moo-hwa-ssi” before. It wasn’t because the other person was a woman, but that unfamiliar way of addressing him that pounded Haero’s heart violently.

“Hyung!” Haero called out to Yoon Moo-hwa as if reaching out, but it was already too late.

By the time his heart was being pounded, the call had ended.

As Haero stared blankly at the receiver, the supervisor yawned long and shooed him out, “It’s almost roll call time, so go back.”

He barely managed to take a step.

With each step, the ground beneath his feet felt sticky like a dried-up swamp, making it difficult to move forward.

* * *

“Who was that?”

Yoon Moo-hwa, having taken his seat, glanced at his companion who asked with sparkling eyes.

“My younger brother.”

“Ah, the brother I’ve only heard rumors about?”

Yoon Moo-hwa smirked. “I’m not sure what rumors you’ve heard. There are so many.”

“Well, that’s how gossip is. The version I heard was that you’re especially fond of your younger brother. Are there other versions?”

“If you’re curious, just scratch the surface of any gossip around you and they’ll excitedly tell you. You could extract stories from a vending machine.”

Yoon Moo-hwa was certain that his companion had already heard all versions of the rumors.

It was an appointment his father had almost forcibly arranged. The other party was the third daughter of a senator in the United Assembly. As far as Yoon Moo-hwa knew, she already had an artist boyfriend. She supposedly shuddered at the thought of military men due to a bad experience in her previous relationship. This meeting wouldn’t go as his father hoped. At least one person at this table would be constantly thinking of someone else.

‘No. At least two people, maybe?’

Yoon Moo-hwa smirked.

There were rumors that a branch of the Naval Academy would be established and student exchanges would begin. His father had put Haero forward. After suggesting that sending Haero to a school on the opposite side of the Earth would be a good opportunity to experience a bigger world, he brought up the topic of this meeting.

It was blackmail.

Unlike his own words from before about Haero needing to experience a bigger world and make new choices, Yoon Moo-hwa immediately agreed to come to this meeting. He moved his body right away without even noticing the paradox in his own words.

“Do you like paintings?” Yoon Moo-hwa suddenly asked, as if just remembering, while neatly cutting his steak. The pieces of meat he cut were about half the size of his mouth. Yoon Moo-hwa showed no sign of realizing he had unconsciously cut them to “someone else’s size.”

His companion paused as she was bringing the wine glass to her lips, then smiled slightly. “I love them. … What about you, Moo-hwa-ssi?”

“I’m not particularly interested. I don’t really understand them when I look at them.”

The assessment was now complete. Though not directly stated, it was as good as concluding the main point.

His companion was a wine enthusiast, while Yoon Moo-hwa was not an enthusiast but a heavy drinker. After quite some time had passed, their table was filled with bottles of alcohol, unsuitable for an unofficial first meeting.

His companion, now in high spirits, began to talk about other versions of the rumors. Most were ones Yoon Moo-hwa had already heard. He had no interest in nonsense. If excessively dirty rumors circulated, he could quietly serve a lawsuit to the source.

However, this version caught Yoon Moo-hwa’s attention.

“There’s a lot of talk about you bringing your brother to parties. I suppose it’s because he became an adult this year. While the exact age is unknown, it’s estimated to be at least a ten-year difference, but people have been showing interest for 2-3 years already.”

Seeing Yoon Moo-hwa’s hand pause, she became more excited to speak. As someone who loves painting and loves painters even more, she unfolded her story to advise, in response to him being a clean drinking companion without getting too close.

“Twenty-two is a suitable age for marriage.”

“That’s too early.”

“Military men tend to marry early, don’t they? Especially naval officers. Navy men are considered good marriage prospects. They’re well-maintained and high-income–”

“With a high probability of dying early?”

“Oh my.” His companion squinted her eyes and laughed at Yoon Moo-hwa’s harsh joke.

With his slightly tipsy state, seeing that squint, he thought of the freckles on Haero’s nose bridge. 

‘It wrinkles when he laughs too.’

“So what are you trying to say?”

“I thought there would be early talk since you’re the guardian, but you’ve kept your brother hidden away, bringing him to social events but not letting him interact with people. Not only that, you’ve locked him away from being seen as a potential romantic partner. So we started making bets among ourselves.”

After emptying a strong drink in one go, she rolled the fragrant alcohol in her mouth and whispered, “When will Colonel Yoon Moo-hwa finally announce his relationship with that boy? To be blunt, you’re not even family now, are you? He’s neither family nor a minor needing a guardian anymore, so how long do you intend to keep him like this … Isn’t it interesting?”

Her pearl-like voice, brewed from strong alcohol, rolled into Yoon Moo-hwa’s ears.

“That’s indeed an interesting story. People must be bored. They should read novels instead of writing them.”

“Is that so? Should I write it as a novel? But it’s because it’s not a novel that people are so unbearably curious about.”

Yoon Moo-hwa gently rotated his wrist, swirling his glass. He gently swirled the wine and drank it, then smiled slightly. In fact, wine isn’t his preference. He likes strong liquor. Preferably something mixed haphazardly enough to be called trash by critics.

“I don’t see Haero that way.”

He deliberately avoided saying “my brother.” Because Haero is not his brother.

“Let’s say that’s true for you, Colonel. What about your brother?”

“…”

“Does your brother think the same way?”