GBH 141

“…What are you going to do about missing the soccer club today.”

The shape of Se-kyung’s lips speaking was transmitted to the firmly fleshed buttocks. As well as the smacking kisses. When he rubbed his nose bridge against the buttock flesh, his breath scattered like powder on the skin.

“Soccer club? Ah, the early morning soccer club.”

Se-kyung had asked if he would be disappointed since he was missing his perfect attendance record, but Song Yi-heon’s reaction was as if he hadn’t even thought about the early morning soccer club.

After all, the reason he went to the early morning soccer club was because of Se-kyung, who insisted on being with him even while dozing off with sleepiness. He knew it was wrong to deliberately make people suffer, but he wanted to see more of Se-kyung, who packed up a load of things for Song Yi-heon and followed him around to support his college entrance practical exams.

Perhaps because he had lived such a hard life since he was young, his soul liked Se-kyung’s delicate and devoted care. The hot packs he provided to prevent muscle injuries, the tea he carried in a thermos to melt his frozen insides, the taping that Se-kyung did with more pain than he felt. As a joke, he added that the red ginseng stick he gave him every morning was good enough to make him smile all day.

He couldn’t make Se-kyung suffer any more, so he limited his early morning soccer club to this winter, making each day precious, but Ji-soo had snatched one of those days, so he had every right to be angry.

“Why would I go there without you?” Song Yi-heon replied as if it were obvious and a silly question, then lay back down on the bed and covered himself with the blanket with Se-kyung.

“Sleep more. We have time before checkout.”

Although they needed to start preparing now to leave by check-out time, instead of waking Se-kyung, he patted him back to sleep. Check-out time could be extended if needed. For him, it was more important that Choi Se-kyung sleep well.

The big guy obediently followed and used Yi-heon’s outstretched arm as a pillow, nestling into his embrace. Love overflowed as abundantly as Se-kyung who filled his arms.

***

On the street famous for jewelry stores in Jongno 3-ga, there is a long-established gold and silver shop that has kept its place since the liberation era. This place, which is like the elder of the jewelry district, has a reputation built up over time, so it is often visited by elderly family members to buy engagement and wedding gifts for their children and grandchildren, and young people who looked like high school students were not common customers.

The gold and silver shop employee wondered if these young customers even knew the price of gold when they came here, and greeted them kindly, hiding his curiosity. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“We’ll look around and let you know.” Yeon-ji tried not to look like a country bumpkin as she looked around the dazzling gold and silver shop and asked for understanding. 

The employee seemed to understand and stepped back without recommending expensive products.

“Please, look around comfortably.”

As soon as the employee left, Yeon-ji poked Song Yi-heon in the side. Unlike Yeon-ji, who looked like she was about to gape at the glittering gold and diamonds, Song Yi-heon was calm, as if he had been here several times. He leaned his forearm against the glass display case and looked around leisurely.

“Are you really going to buy it here?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you rich?”

“Yeah.” Song Yi-heon answered insincerely, as if saying the obvious, and scanned the displayed rings. 

Yeon-ji, who had been restless, also came over and looked at the ring with a green sapphire the size of a thumbnail that Song Yi-heon was looking at and asked, “Is it your grandma’s eightieth birthday party? Is that why you’re buying a gift?”

“You’re talking nonsense after eating a warm meal. Don’t you remember me saying it was a couple ring?” Song Yi-heon, who had treated her to a grand family restaurant in exchange for helping him choose a ring, scolded her in a way that made her feel like a worker. 

Yeon-ji protested, feeling wronged. “I remember, but I’m saying, why are you choosing a couple rings here? That’s what I mean.”

Especially at a Jongno gold and silver shop famous for wedding gifts and jewelry. It was a different scene from her peers who usually chose couple rings at low-priced accessory shops. But the confident and boastful expression was similar.

“Isn’t it obvious? I have to give him the best.”

Ugh, cheesy. Yeon-ji rubbed her arms. 

Song Yi-heon, who was looking through the ring display, stopped at a display case that even newlyweds wouldn’t visit. “This is good, right? A ring should have a big stone to look good.”

What he pointed to was a gold ring with a nail-sized diamond in the center and a thick band. 

Yeon-ji looked at Song Yi-heon seriously to see if he was joking and asked, “What’s impressive about it? Do you have somewhere to go to get respect?”

“Are you going to keep talking nonsense?”

“Who’s talking nonsense?” Yeon-ji, who had been sarcastic, explained what was wrong, “Who buys couple rings at a gold and silver shop at our age? And would they like something with a huge jewel? Even my grandma would say it’s tacky.”

“You’re too young to know-.”

“Whatever, we’re the same age.”

Song Yi-heon pretended not to hear and unfolded his own philosophy, “First of all, the jewel has to be big to be seen well and look luxurious, and there has to be a lot of gold to be thick and look cool.”

“No, that’s just your standard! It’s not like that in general!”

“Isn’t it obvious that you give the best to the person you generally like?”

Yeon-ji was speechless. It seemed like Song Yi-heon was right, but she couldn’t admit it. Apart from arguing about right and wrong, she had to stop him, even if it was because she felt sorry for her friend who would receive an old-fashioned ring with a huge diamond as a couple ring.

“Why give a diamond ring when you don’t know when you’ll break up? The receiver will feel burdened.”

“I’m going to live with him forever, so it’s okay.”

“You have to match the receiver’s taste, not your own!”

“He likes everything I give him.”

“He’s just pretending to like it!”

“He’s not.”

Yeon-ji thought she was right, but Song Yi-heon was annoyingly smug and stubborn, so she fumed and looked for her phone.

“Should I ask him?!”

“Ask what? I’m right.”

Song Yi-heon was so confident that Yeon-ji got angry and took out her phone. And she was looking up a phone number and pressing the screen, and the ringing tone was heard outside the device, as if she was really making a call. 

Song Yi-heon was horrified and rushed to snatch the phone, thinking she was just pretending to make a call.

“Hey, hey! Who do you think you’re calling…!”

After a small fight, he snatched the phone and looked at the screen, and the call ended during the fight, and the recipient’s saved name flashed. Seeing the saved name ‘Choi Se-kyung,’ Song Yi-heon felt a chill down his spine. He seemed to be acting nonchalantly, but he was paying attention to the people around him, but he couldn’t fool his best friend.

Yeon-ji pouted as she snatched her phone. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

“…”

“Tell Se-kyung to not be so obvious. I’m scared you two will get caught.”

Yeon-ji was the first to notice the change in the two, as she was very close to Song Yi-heon and had been a class representative often, so she had known Se-kyung since entering high school. She suspected the relationship between the two at the amusement park after the college entrance exam and was convinced by Se-kyung’s subtly cold attitude. Only then did Se-kyung’s strange behavior at the school festival make sense.

“I’m really wronged. I’m just a friend, but everyone asks if I’m dating you. And it seems like I’ve grown apart from Se-kyung too.” Yeon-ji complained that she was upset and wronged that Se-kyung, who had always been kind, was wary of her as if looking down on her. There was no criticism or aversion to men dating each other.

Song Yi-heon was able to date Se-kyung because he had no aversion or prejudice against homosexuality, but he also knew how homosexuality was viewed in the world. Since he couldn’t arbitrarily judge individual beliefs as right or wrong, he was careful not to argue that negative views were wrong.

Hostile and blatant hatred can be punished on the spot. But the hateful gaze of a close friend is too scary to dare to fight against. Since he couldn’t arbitrarily control other people’s beliefs, how they would accept homosexuality was ultimately close to gambling.

Yeon-ji must have thought a lot after noticing that two men were dating. Maybe she felt aversion or hatred. But after much confusion, she chose understanding instead of hatred.

Song Yi-heon didn’t know how to express his sincerity other than to be grateful, so he awkwardly touched the back of his head and turned his gaze away.

“…Yeah, even if you put a diamond in a ring, it’s only going to be used as compensation when fighting.”

Although Yi-heon was the type to teach how to throw punches, saying it’s better to fight back than get beaten up, today he couldn’t go against Yeon-ji.