BHB 61

Suddenly, Yeowon was reminded of when he first entered university. Out of the blue, Lee Taegang suggested they change their phone numbers. Not just Yeowon, but Taegang especially had many enemies from high school. Many knew Yeowon was from a well-off family, so he often became a target for those wanting to show off by stepping on him. Yeowon frequently clashed with guys from the neighboring school, notorious for their bad reputation. That’s why Taegang changed his number, and Yeowon also ended up changing his number too. Yeowon persuaded himself by saying it would be meaningless if his number stayed the same since Taegang and him were what others called a “set”.

“Do I look like someone who went to college for such a grand reason?”

— That’s why it was strange. I felt a bit hurt too.

“Oh, hurt.”

— Just then. Just then, you bastard.

“I know, you jerk. It would’ve been fucking disgusting.”

— Then shall we meet today? Jin Youngchae will jump at just one message. I’m off today.

“Call. See you in the evening. You decide the time and place.”

— Let’s get wasted like old times.

Yeowon could sense the rising venom in Kim Myungjoo’s voice. Come to think of it, he lost contact with all those old classmates when he entered university. At first, he thought it was inevitable since they all went to different colleges and split up. Yeowon  hasn’t given it much thought since he didn’t feel particularly attached to the fact that they weren’t in touch. 

Yeowon, with an indifferent face, scratched his cheek and stopped his brief thoughts, checking a few more unread messages.

[Are you free today?]

It was a message from someone whose name alone made Yeowon feel ambivalent. Somewhat uncomfortable, yet not quite.

[I’m contacting you about the exhibition I mentioned before.]

Yeowon let out a small sigh after confirming the content in the line just below. It was something he had completely forgotten about. How could he have forgotten so perfectly? Even if he blamed it all on Lee Taegang, it was clearly his own fault for being so absentminded.

Yeowon finished preparing to go out and immediately called Jeon Chaemin. The call was answered before even two rings.

— Yeowon?

Hearing the slightly excited voice, Yeowon responded casually, “Yes. It’s me, Han Yeowon.”

— Oh, what’s the occasion for calling?

Noticing the trembling and somewhat joyful tone, Yeowon exhaled pointlessly and replied, “You messaged me about the assignment, sunbae.”

— Ah… right. Last night…

“That, the movie we were supposed to see? Exhibition? When is it?”

— Exhibition. It’s an exhibition by a photographer I like. Today.

“That’s great. I happen to be free.”

— Me too. I’m free too.

“What time should we meet? I’m available anytime except dinner time.”

— Um… I’m at school now. I can go right away. You?

“Me too. Then let’s meet in 30 minutes.”

— Ah, okay. See you then. I’ll send you the location via message.

“Alright.”

After cleanly ending the call, Yeowon’s gaze stopped on Lee Taegang’s saved name. Come to think of it, where did this bastard say he was going today? Did he go to school?

After rolling around once in the morning, falling asleep briefly and waking up, Taegang was gone. He had sent a message asking where he was, but there was still no reply. Well, there’s no need to know every detail of his personal life. 

Yeowon quickly turned off the screen after looking down at the chatroom with no answer. Anyway, there was no time to think about Taegang today. The day’s schedule had become busier than expected.

**

The outing after a long time was great for a change of mood.

Of course, he had been attending school classes usually, but since he hadn’t been diligent in going, it wasn’t enough to call it an outing. If the mood struck with Taegang during class, they would immediately return home or find a secluded place to enjoy biting and sucking each other. Or they would ignore classes and just stay holed up at home doing that thing. There were even embarrassing times when just seeing the guy would make his lower body throb with pleasure and ecstasy. Like boys who had just discovered sex for the first time. It was embarrassing to think his friends might know. Even when he first got a girlfriend, it wasn’t this intense.

As soon as he got into the taxi at the appointed time, he checked Taegang’s message again. The number hadn’t disappeared from his message asking where he was. It meant he still hadn’t read it. 

‘Should I call?’ 

He changed his mind after a moment’s consideration. It hadn’t even been a few hours since he decided to enjoy some time alone, so he needed to put it into practice.

He thought he had timed the taxi ride well, but he hadn’t anticipated the exception of traffic jams. Recently, he had only been going between school and home, so he hadn’t been aware of rush hour traffic. Of all places, the exhibition was in a bustling area known for its crowds. Yeowon clicked his tongue briefly and sent a message to Jeon Chaemin saying he might be late and to go inside somewhere.

In reality, among his friends and acquaintances, no one really cared how late the others were. If you’re late, you’re late, if not, you’re not. The ones who arrived early would just start drinking or play another round of games. The only times he felt uncomfortable about being late were with his ex-girlfriends.

[Take your time^^ I’ll wait.]

Reading the quick reply, Yeowon scratched the back of his neck. This senior was quite cringeworthy despite being a man. The guys he knew would usually respond with something like “I’m dying here” or “You’re so late, you’re buying everything.” 

Then again, he found himself staring at Taegang’s unresponsive chat window. It had been days since they didn’t know each other’s whereabouts. The situation of thinking about Taegang while going to meet Jeon Chaemin also felt oddly peculiar.

“We’ve arrived.”

Ten minutes later, at the driver’s voice announcing their arrival, he shook off his wandering thoughts and got out of the car. Perhaps because it was daytime, the crowd was impressive. Feeling the push of people as soon as he got out of the taxi made him realize he had truly arrived in a proper bustling area. In high school, he used to hang out with friends in crowded places all the time. But after going to college and finishing military service, those excited outings had decreased.

As he approached the meeting place, he caught sight of Jeon Chaemin pacing and looking around. He was dressed more neatly than usual, with a pale face. His beauty was striking even from a distance. Whenever he saw Jeon Chaemin, the same thought crossed his mind. Wouldn’t it be better for Taegang to roll around with a guy like that? They had even hooked up before.

Just the thought of those two doing such things at school still made his nerves raw. It was because while that image was quite unsettling, a part of his mind kept insisting that they looked good together.

“I told you to go inside somewhere.”

Despite being 20 minutes late, Jeon Chaemin smiled softly as soon as he saw him.

“You’re here?”

“Were you standing out here the whole time?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it would be this crowded.”

“No, no. It’s okay. I’m just grateful you came.”

“Grateful for what… Let me buy you a coffee at least.”

“I said it’s fine.”

“You’re showing me the exhibition too.”

Come to think of it, when was the last time he went to an exhibition? He vaguely remembered a girlfriend he dated as a freshman asking him to go together because she had tickets. But that was about it, and he wasn’t cultured enough to frequent exhibitions and such.

“Looks like you’ve been somewhere.”

“Huh?”

“No… you just seem a bit dressed up.”

At the casually uttered observation, Jeon Chaemin paused for a moment and smiled awkwardly, “Oh… yeah. That’s right.”

His fair skin quickly turned red. His clear eyes were flickering with embarrassment, but Yeowon didn’t notice and immediately took the lead.

“So what kind of exhibition is it?”

“It’s by a photographer I like. He’s young but has a good sense, so he’s already popular.”

“Ah…” Yeowon responded indifferently after asking. 

Jeon Chaemin, glancing at Yeowon’s profile as he just nodded, carefully asked, “You’re not interested in these things, are you?”

“Well… no.”

“I thought so.” Jeon Chaemin let out a small laugh, amused by something. 

Seeing him laugh as if he had known all along, Yeowon snorted, “What’s so funny?”

“Just because you seem exactly as you appear.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You’re not good at lying, are you?”

“…Well, I guess not.”

“It always shows on your face.” Jeon Chaemin smiled softly as he looked at Yeowon. 

Just as Yeowon was puzzled by his tone, which seemed to have been observing him for a while, Chaemin stopped in front of a building first.

“I also take photos as a hobby.”

“So that’s why you’re so interested, I guess.”

“…Yeah. I actually wanted to pursue this as a career, but my parents were against it, so I couldn’t.”

It was a common story. Since fields like photography and art are areas where you need exceptional talent to be barely recognized, most parents rarely approve easily. 

However, Yeowon, who was not influenced by his parents at all, just shrugged his shoulders in confusion. “Well, I don’t know much about it.”

“…”

“Isn’t it a shame to give up something you like because of others?”

After all, even if you live for just a day, you’re the only one responsible for your choices, so what use is mere verbal opposition in life? Even if it’s from parents, as people say, parents don’t live your life for you, so it’s all ultimately pointless. At least that’s what Yeowon thought.

“Let’s go in.”

But feeling it wasn’t his place to say much more, he spoke indifferently to Chaemin, who had stopped. He briefly nodded towards the building entrance. 

Chaemin, who had been momentarily dazed, hurriedly nodded and followed Yeowon as he entered first.