GBH 112

The bare branches of the bushes around the bench swayed. As the dry twigs and twisted leaves shook in the early winter air, the fluffy fur on Se-kyung’s hat also moved. His dazed face stood out as it swayed aimlessly.

“Huh…?”

Se-kyung’s eyes widened, perhaps shocked by the somewhat rough vocabulary, or because his confession, which had always been rejected before, was unexpectedly accepted.

“You can stay home and keep a house. I’ll earn the living expenses.”

Although he had suggested running away first, when Yi-heon played along, Se-kyung seemed unable to believe it even as a joke.

“You’re coming with me? Why?”

Awkwardness emanated from Yi-heon as he rummaged through the box for the remaining hot dogs. His stern profile as he selected a hot dog revealed a stubborn determination despite his embarrassment.

Conscious of Se-kyung’s intense stare, Yi-heon awkwardly stopped turning the hot dog and picked up a soft drink.

“That’s enough fooling around.”

As he sucked on the carbonated drink, ice cubes rattling, his Adam’s apple bobbed prominently. The stinging sensation of the drink flowing down his esophagus to his stomach was as palpable as the emotional changes he had experienced.

He had denied, let go telling Se-kyung to find someone better, worried alone, childishly disrupted the festival and ran away. By Yi-heon’s standards, he had done everything he could.

“If it doesn’t work after all that, then it’s not meant to be.”

Hitting, fighting, yelling, running away… 

He had done everything possible, yet looking back at his memories, he found himself kissing Choi Se-kyung numerous times.

Hugs, pecks, kisses.

Hadn’t he embraced Choi Se-kyung for comfort when tossing and turning with anxiety the night before the college entrance exam?

Choi Se-kyung existed at the point where reason and instinct didn’t align. While Yi-heon might not be book-smart, he wasn’t foolish enough to insist something that existed didn’t.

Choi Se-kyung was special, and now he had to accept that.

However, he couldn’t help feeling conflicted. When the real Yi-heon’s soul returned, he would have to leave. He was still worried about the pain Se-kyung would feel when left behind.

Although he didn’t particularly like cold hot dogs, wanting to give Se-kyung something, he placed the largest remaining hot dog in Se-kyung’s hand. He wrapped the wooden stick in Se-kyung’s hand, stiff from the cold wind. The larger fist melted under his palm.

“Eat. You need to build up your strength if we’re going to run away.”

“… Okay.”

Finally, Se-kyung smiled. It was a shy smile with faint dimples. As the joy of becoming the object of obsession was conveyed, Yi-heon was certain that neither of them was in their right mind.

The clouds blocking the sunlight were pushed away by the wind, letting the sun shine through.

Se-kyung tilted his head towards the sun. The cold winter breeze brushed his nose. Holding the hot dog with both hands, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the sunlight. He looked like a cat basking in the sun, eyes narrowed, sprawled against a wall.

“This is nice.”

Although they talked about leaving, they wouldn’t actually go to the countryside and give up college admission. Choi Myung-hyun would continue to pressure them, and it was unclear whether Yi-heon’s suggestion to leave was sincere or just to cheer Se-kyung up.

“Really nice.”

Nothing had changed. Yet Se-kyung didn’t lose his smile.

He hoped to share this moment with Yi-heon with the same feelings, a moment that could only be described as love.

* * *

Yi-heon borrowed Se-kyung’s phone to secretly call Kim Yeon-ji and get his phone and wallet back.

“Why? Let’s hang out together.”

Not understanding why Yi-heon wanted to be separate, Yeon-ji turned to convince Se-kyung but tilted her head curiously. Yi-heon also looked at Se-kyung with his arm around his shoulder but didn’t notice anything strange.

While Yi-heon was quite perceptive, he didn’t catch the faint smile of superiority that only girls might notice among themselves.

“Alright. Have fun, you two.”

Yeon-ji let them go and returned to where her friends were waiting. However, she still wondered if Se-kyung had looked down on her with a smile that seemed to say, “He’s not as good-looking as me.” 

Puffing her cheeks repeatedly in confusion, Yeon-ji eventually decided it was just her imagination.

Why would Se-kyung, being a man, need to compete with her in looks? And honestly… Se-kyung was prettier anyway.

“Could it be…” Yeonji deliberately voiced her denial out loud to shake off the uneasy feeling. “No way. They even kissed, didn’t they?”

The one Song Yi-heon kissed at the festival couldn’t have been Se-kyung. Yeonji quickened her pace, trying not to think about the fact that Yi-heon had never specified the gender of the person he kissed, and Se-kyung’s subtle way of keeping her in check.

In the distance, she could see her friends taking photos under the giant model of an old tree.

Choi Se-kyung was easy-going and an excellent amusement park partner who could ride vertical drop roller coasters without flinching. He rode whatever rides Yi-heon suggested, and even readily stepped into the dark entrance of the haunted house when proposed.

The haunted house entrance was designed to look like walking into the mouth of a death god with large, glowing red eyes. Despite the unique entrance, Yi-heon looked excited even though he seemed a bit nervous. The dark entrance reminded him of the escape room they went to after taking the June mock exam.

“Is it like an escape room?”

“Similar.”

After all, they have to avoid obstacles to reach the exit. Se-kyung nodded in response to Yi-heon’s question, thinking this way. Before he could explain further, a haunted house staff member came to hand out flashlights.

“Just trust me and follow.”

Stepping forward to receive the flashlights and grinning to show his canines, he looked quite dependable. Having done an escape room before, Yi-heon puffed out his chest confidently.

Se-kyung was indifferent, having been to the haunted house several times. Even on his first visit, he was unimpressed. The enclosed space was poorly ventilated, making dust tickle his throat, but he could tolerate the echoing sounds well enough.

“Kyaaak!”

The screams of other teams vibrating through the narrow passage,

“Uwaaaaah!”

When Yi-heon screamed right into his ear while hugging his waist from behind, Se-kyung endured well even though it felt like his eardrums might burst.

“Heurgh!”

“Mmm.”

However, he couldn’t help but let out a small groan at the force crushing his abdomen as if it would burst. Yi-heon, pale with fear, was so focused on watching the flickering red-lit corridor that he didn’t realize he was squeezing Se-kyung’s stomach.

“Yi-heon, that’s not a real ghost. It’s just a part-timer. So, could you loosen your arms…”

“Damn it, ghosts are real…”

Though he had no response to such a statement from someone who had actually experienced a soul swap, Se-kyung wondered if someone who had their soul swapped should consider ghosts as kindred spirits. Wisely, he kept this thought to himself.

It wasn’t all bad. Yi-heon clinging to his back like a small animal and peering over his shoulder was a sight impossible to see in everyday life.

“Huff, huff-“

Yi-heon panted heavily, on guard for ghosts that might jump out at any moment.

While he might be unfazed by blood and gore, he had no immunity to the sudden surprises in this space deliberately designed to instill fear. The greatest ghost story the country boy from Mokpo had experienced was the tale of the bathroom ghost offering red or blue toilet paper, and his greatest fear was the boss who ran off without paying wages during his factory work as a teenager.

His heart raced uncontrollably after being startled by a zombie that jumped out from what seemed like an empty space right after entering.

Caught off guard without knowing what a haunted house was, Yi-heon was a mess from the start and clung flat against Se-kyung’s back, unable to collect himself. He had long since lost his flashlight.

“Uwaaaah!”

Something suddenly fell from the ceiling. The clumped weight had a maximized effect in the closed space filled with fear. With the swinging momentum, Yi-heon looked like he might foam at the mouth.

Se-kyung couldn’t understand why the sight of a fake severed foot dropping on a string was scream-worthy, and his eyes wavered due to Yi-heon’s screaming behind him. The lean muscles were exerting considerable strength in their desperate flailing.

“… Yi-heon. Just close your eyes.”

“What?”

As nausea swept over him from the arms tightly squeezing his abdomen, Se-kyung patted Yi-heon’s arm and tried to soothe him. “Keep holding my waist and close your eyes. I’ll lead you to the exit.”

“Hey, how can I trust you!”

The distrust born from excessive fear turned into obsession. Yi-heon clung on for dear life, preventing Se-kyung from leaving him behind. Each time, Se-kyung’s face grew paler.

“If you abandon me, eek-!”

The red lights on the ceiling flickered. As darkness momentarily stole their vision and red light illuminated the long corridor again, a blood-soaked ghost in white clothes was a step closer. The disorienting red lights kept flickering, and the distance to the ghost shortened with each blink.

The ghost’s makeup was quite realistic. The unnaturally bent neck and distorted skin special effects created eerie shadows under the red light. The twisted movements of the joints as it approached stimulated the fear that arises when everyday scenes go awry.

However, Se-kyung was the type to think about dunking someone’s face in boiling oil at the mere sight of it. Compared to Se-kyung’s cruel and twisted imagination, the ghost’s makeup seemed tame, and to Se-kyung’s eyes, the special effects on the white-clad ghost were simply boring.

Meanwhile, Yi-heon buried his face in Se-kyung’s back, trying not to look at the ghost. Even as he trembled and whimpered, he suddenly clenched his fist and then swallowed hard as if making a big decision. Feeling the resolve through their touching bodies, one of Se-kyung’s eyebrows raised.

“Hey, hey. Ch-Choi Se-kyung. You go behind me.”

“What are you talking about?”

In this situation, it was only right for Se-kyung, who wasn’t scared, to take the lead. However, Yi-heon’s protective instinct overcame his fear.