BHB 63

Finally, the two entered the restaurant Chaemin had recommended for dinner, unable to hide their awkwardness as they faced each other for their first meal together. While Chaemin appeared calm, there was still some clumsiness when pouring water or handing over utensils.

“This barbecue place is a local favorite.”

It was a charcoal grill restaurant filled with middle-aged men. Most of the customers were middle-aged men who were quite drunk. 

Yeowon looked around and suddenly turned his gaze forward. He saw Chaemin’s face shining brightly in the smoke-filled space.

“Do you come here often?”

“Sometimes?” Chaemin raised his voice louder than usual due to the noisy surroundings. 

Yeowon let out a deflated laugh, thinking this place didn’t quite suit Chaemin.

“Why?” Curious about the sudden laughter, Chaemin asked with wide eyes. 

Yeowon replied lukewarmly, “It doesn’t suit you.”

“Huh?”

“You look pretty, but your taste is the opposite.”

He had thought Chaemin would prefer elegantly cutting steak or quiet, refined places. However, Chaemin didn’t respond, perhaps not hearing Yeowon’s words due to the noise. He just rolled his wide-open eyes and touched his slightly reddened face.

“Want to have a drink?” Yeowon asked while grilling the meat. It felt incomplete to have side dishes without alcohol.

“Ah, sure.” Chaemin nodded, accepting gladly. 

After receiving drinks and glasses from the staff, Yeowon poured a glass for Chaemin first. The cheerful sound felt refreshing.

“I’ll pour for you too.”

“It’s okay.” Yeowon stopped Chaemin from pouring his drink, poured an appropriate amount himself, and downed it immediately. 

Chaemin’s hand holding his glass remained awkwardly in the air, as if he had intended to clink glasses.

“Ah, I’m used to drinking alone.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just drink too.” Chaemin smiled forcedly and likewise poured the drink into his mouth. But it seemed quite bitter, as he frowned and inhaled sharply. 

Seeing him immediately empty a glass of water, Yeowon hesitated, “Are you not good with alcohol?”

“…Yeah. I can’t drink much.”

“Then just drink a little.”

“It’s not that bad. I’m fine.”

“Don’t overdo it. I’m not good at taking care of drunk people.” Yeowon blurted out in his usual tone. 

Somewhat flustered, Chaemin hesitated to answer and nodded slowly. “Okay. I won’t.”

Clearly, the person in front of him was another man, but it felt different from dealing with other men. It wasn’t because the person in front of him was gay, but something was different. 

Feeling frustrated by this undefinable difference, Yeowon clicked his tongue and poured another drink.

“Ah.” As he was filling the glass, Chaemin let out a short exclamation as if remembering something. “Are you going to the MT this time too?”

Now it was Yeowon’s turn to sigh at the mention of something he had completely forgotten. Recalling a recent conversation with Do Yeongjae, he slowly nodded. “Yes. Probably.”

“… You’re going.”

“Yes. The meat here is delicious.” Yeowon replied indifferently, picking up about three pieces of meat and stuffing them into his mouth. 

The juiciness and texture were of quality befitting a popular restaurant. Perhaps because his parents were in the food business and ran a business, Yeowon not only liked food but also had an excellent eye for quality.

“I thought you wouldn’t go to the MT.”

“Why?”

“You don’t seem very interested in school life.”

Is that how it looks from the outside? Well, he hadn’t been diligent about going to school lately. After returning from his leave, he had missed classes due to fighting with Lee Taegang, and then he was too busy being with Taegang.

“I’m not interested in school life, but I do like gathering and having fun like that.”

“Really?”

“When I was a freshman, I joined all sorts of gatherings to have fun.”

“I heard you like to party.”

As Yeowon tilted his head as if wondering how he knew, Chaemin answered while subtly avoiding eye contact, seemingly embarrassed, “I just heard from others…”

“Others?”

“You probably don’t know, but you’re quite famous.”

Yeowon raised an eyebrow at this unexpected comment while expertly wrapping meat in lettuce.

“Since you first enrolled.”

As he felt Chaemin’s voice sounding somewhat excited, suddenly his phone vibrated. For a moment, Yeowon thought it might be Lee Taegang, who hadn’t been in touch since morning, and hurriedly took out his phone. But the caller was someone entirely different.

“What?”

— Where are you?

Hearing Kim Myungjoo’s question as soon as he answered, Yeowon suddenly remembered the promise he had made in the morning.

“I’m out right now.”

– Where exactly outside, you bastard? Don’t tell me you forgot our promise?

“…Even working adults can forget things when they’re busy.”

— What work? You’re just a college student. Where are you, really!

“I’m eating. Near Yeonnam-dong.”

— Oh, that’s close. Then we’ll head over there too.

Whatever. Just as he was about to give a casual reply, Yeowon hesitated as he remembered the person in front of him. “I’m with someone.”

— So what? Is it a girl?

“No.”

— Then it doesn’t matter. Are we coming? Send the restaurant name via message.

“Ah, you uncultured bastard. Just because it’s okay with you doesn’t mean it’s okay with everyone.”

If he had been eating with Do Yeongjae or Jo Suchan, he would have told them to come without even asking for their opinion, but given who his current companion was, he couldn’t easily give permission.

— Oh, why! We can just eat together. We’ll have some drinks after eating. It’s good to get closer, isn’t it? Is it those guys who came to the club that time?

“No, not them…”

— Don’t tell me it’s a girl? Are you lying about it not being a girl!

“It’s not a girl, damn it. I said it’s not.”

Just as he was trying to stop Kim Myungju, who was preparing to barge in regardless, a hesitant voice came from across the table.

“Friends?” Having heard the conversation and seemingly understanding the flow, Chaemin carefully continued speaking, “It’s fine with me if you tell them to come.”

“No, it’s not.”

“High school friends?”

“Ah… well. Yes.”

“Really, it’s okay. They can come.”

“These guys are really rude and noisy though.”

“It’s fine. If they’re your high school friends, does that mean they’re Taegang’s friends too?”

At the mention of that guy’s name from Chaemin’s lips, Yeowon awkwardly raised the corner of his mouth and nodded. “I guess so…”

“I’m okay with it. I was actually curious about your friends.”

At such an enthusiastic approval, Yeowon let out a short sigh. He himself wasn’t keen on it, but there was no reason not to be. Seeing Chaemin’s expectant look with particularly bright eyes, he thought there was no reason to disappoint him either. So he put the phone back to his ear and continued gruffly.

“Come.”

— Okay! We’ll be there soon.

Yeowon glanced at Chaemin as he poured a drink right after hanging up. “I just thought of something.”

“Yes?”

“How did you… become close with Lee Taegang?”

As if it was an unexpected question, Chaemin’s slightly flushed face gradually hardened. It was unclear whether it was because the conversation had shifted to a personal area or because the subject was Lee Taegang.

“Well, if it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer…”

“It was at a… bar.” Although his discomfort was apparent, Chaemin didn’t avoid the question and answered more readily than expected. 

Of course, it was an unexpected answer, different from what Yeowon had heard from Taegang before.

“… Taegang said you became close through a competition.”

“Ah…” Chaemin’s shoulders flinched slightly. 

This seemed unexpected for him too.

“I think Taegang said that because he felt uncomfortable talking about it.”

“…”

“Actually, where we first met was… at a certain bar.”

Taegang’s name always came out familiarly from Chaemin’s mouth. The expression ‘we’ that grouped the two of them together as well. In fact, even though there were guys who had been close to Taegang, none of them really considered Taegang as intimate. Taegang was the type to draw strong boundaries, always maintaining a distance even with close friends. So apart from himself, Chaemin was the first to speak of Taegang so familiarly and closely.

“… Since you know everything now, I’ll tell you. I’ve known since I was young that I… like men.” Chaemin, gripping his swaying glass tightly with both hands, opened his mouth as if confessing. “In reality, it’s hard to meet men… I couldn’t date and always just had crushes… Sorry. Is this making you uncomfortable?”

Still finding it difficult to talk about his orientation, Chaemin checked Yeowon’s reaction after every sentence. 

Yeowon shook his head indifferently and nodded for him to continue.

“… So after becoming an adult, I went to that bar quite often. But as you know, it’s hard to meet good people even in such places. But that day, I happened to run into someone who had been rude to me before.”

Yeowon could roughly guess what kind of place ‘that’ bar was. It was probably a bar where people of that orientation gathered, and he could imagine what kind of person Chaemin was referring to as rude.

“Sometimes… there are people who act brutally just because the other person is a man.”

“…”

“I don’t know what misunderstanding there was, but he suddenly… dragged me into the bathroom, claiming I had seduced him.”

“… Ah…”

“I was about to suffer something bad… but that’s when Taegang helped me.”

Having finished telling this difficult story resolutely, Chaemin downed a shot of alcohol. In a way, it was history. It might seem like a grandiose word, but it was a history unique to Taegang and Chaemin. One that Yeowon knew nothing about.