HFS 49

“Oh, it came out well. I must have a talent for taking photos!”

“It’s because the subject is good.”

Lee Cheong-hyeon smoothly replied as he took the photo into his hands. In the picture, Lee Cheong-hyeon was sitting in a chair, slightly hunched over, with only his head turned toward the camera. As Kang Woo-jin said, it had come out well, but his face was expressionless. Lee Cheong-hyeon rubbed his cheeks. He felt somewhat tired.

Thinking it would be better to rest, Lee Cheong-hyeon also left early. Despite being jeered at for leaving so soon, he apologized with a smile and made his way out of the festive crowd.

The inside was dead quiet compared to the terrace. Passing through the empty living room, he carefully opened a closed bedroom door. In the darkened room, he could see a figure lying on the inner bed of the two single beds. It was Seo Hee-won, who hadn’t been seen since leaving the terrace.

“Hee-won, are you asleep?”

There was no answer from Seo Hee-won, who was lying facing the wall. Only his blanket-covered back rose and fell slowly with his every breath.

Lee Cheong-hyeon couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Seo Hee-won, who had said he’d be uncomfortable sleeping with others, yet had fallen so deeply asleep he hadn’t noticed someone entering the room. Lee Cheong-hyeon quietly gathered his things and left so as not to wake him.

As he showered in hot water, his frozen body thawed and fatigue washed over him. It seemed they had stayed outdoors in the dead of winter for too long. After finishing his shower, Lee Cheong-hyeon roughly dried his hair and returned to the room where Seo Hee-won was sleeping. He didn’t turn on the lights for fear of waking him. Seo Hee-won was still lying motionless in the same position as before.

“Sleep well.”

He approached quietly, trying to minimize the sound of his footsteps. It was strange to see Seo Hee-won with his eyes gently closed. It was also funny to see him tucked under the blanket like everyone else while sleeping. Come to think of it, this was the first time he’d seen Seo Hee-won asleep. Even when they hung out at Seo Hee-won’s place, Lee Cheong-hyeon always went home when it was time to sleep, and Seo Hee-won seemed to naturally sleep late and wake up early. It was unusual for Seo Hee-won to fall asleep before midnight.

Wondering if Seo Hee-won was very tired or possibly sick, Lee Cheong-hyeon reached out his hand. He felt a twinge of guilt, thinking maybe he shouldn’t have suggested the walk. His palm touched Seo Hee-won’s white, soft forehead. Having just washed with hot water, his hand was warm, making it difficult to tell if Seo Hee-won had a fever.  Lee Cheong-hyeon placed his palm on his own forehead for comparison, but still couldn’t tell.

Tilting his head to one side, he gently pulled down Seo Hee-won’s blanket a little. A pale nape was revealed, one that would surely feel the cold air harshly. He moved the back of his hand toward it. For a moment, he felt like he was molesting someone in their sleep, but then thought, we’re both guys, so what does it matter? He didn’t stop there.

Just before contact, there was a sharp sound and his hand was caught. Seo Hee-won had opened his eyes and was staring directly at Lee Cheong-hyeon. His eyes were clear, as if he had never been asleep in the first place. In contrast, his voice was slightly husky.

“Why do you keep touching me?”

“You’re awake? I was worried you might be sick.”

“…”

“I was checking if you had a fever…Sorry.”

He was already feeling slightly guilty, and now with Seo Hee-won’s sharp voice, he was flustered. He could feel Seo Hee-won’s gaze fixed on him in the darkness. The grip on his wrist was quite strong.

“I don’t have a fever.”

With those words, Seo Hee-won abruptly let go and pulled the blanket over himself completely. His attitude was thoroughly dismissive.

Embarrassed by this unusually cold behavior, Lee Cheong-hyeon rubbed his wrist. It wasn’t like he had done it on purpose, but Seo Hee-won was making him feel really awkward just for waking him up. A mischievous thought of tormenting him to keep him from sleeping suddenly arose. After giving the back of Seo Hee-won’s head, hidden under the blanket, a sideways glance, he simply returned to the empty bed.

Having driven since morning and even drinking alcohol, which he usually avoided, he expected to be more tired than usual. Deciding to be understanding of Seo Hee-won’s difficult day, he quietly lay down under the covers.

“Good night.”

Though Seo Hee-won couldn’t possibly have fallen asleep already, there was no response. Lee Cheong-hyeon listened for any movement from the bed next to him but when there was nothing until the end, he just closed his eyes. He felt a little hurt by the suddenly cold attitude that had developed in just a few hours.

* * *

The next morning, Lee Cheong-hyeon woke up and sat up, stretching widely. Having slept fitfully, his fatigue hadn’t properly lifted. Turning his head to look at the adjacent bed, he found it empty. Seo Hee-won’s coat was gone too, suggesting he had gone out early in the morning.

Looking outside through the living room windows, there was no sign of Seo Hee-won anywhere. Since the car was still there, it was likely he was walking around somewhere nearby. Lee Cheong-hyeon thought about going to look for him, but noticed the living room was in complete disarray. It seemed everyone had come inside last night and had another drinking session indoors this time.

Giving up on finding Seo Hee-won, Lee Cheong-hyeon sent him a text asking where he was and started cleaning up the empty bottles and trash. Soon after, the alcohol-soaked individuals began crawling out into the living room one by one.

“Good morning.”

“I feel like I’m dying…”

“How late did you drink?”

“Until sunrise…We didn’t drink that much, but we kept drinking while playing games.”

Yoo Jimin, answering with difficulty, grabbed a water bottle and gulped it down. Hyojung, who was staggering to the bathroom, didn’t look good either. Tae-young, who claimed he’d never been drunk before, came out with a normal face and helped with the cleaning. Kang Woo-jin looked like he was still asleep, remaining inside his room the entire time.

“Is Woo-jin still sleeping?”

“Yes. He won’t get up even if you wake him.”

“He should be getting up soon…I’ll try to wake him.”

“Be careful. He kicks.”

“…”

“And the drunk antics he was pulling yesterday…”

Tae-young reminisced while rubbing one side of his jaw. Though his tone was calm, a subtle anger was evident. Lee Cheong-hyeon had been about to joke about leaving Kang Woo-jin behind, but he kept his mouth shut. Judging by the atmosphere of the room, they might actually do it.

Lee Cheong-hyeon entered the room used by Tae-young and Kang Woo-jin. Next to a neatly made bed, Kang Woo-jin was hugging a blanket, fast asleep.

“Woo-jin.”

“…”

“Kang Woo-jin, get up now.”

“Yeah…”

“We need to go home. Wake up quickly.”

“Yeah…”

Shouting loudly was futile. He answered consistently in his sleep-drenched voice but wouldn’t get up. When Lee Cheong-hyeon forcibly took away his blanket, Kang Woo-jin curled up like a pill bug, covering himself with the bed sheet. Moreover, when Lee Cheong-hyeon shook him, he really did start kicking, making it difficult to approach.

He’s not a five-year-old, Lee Cheong-hyeon thought with a deep sigh, then whispered in Kang Woo-jin’s ear,”If you don’t get up, I’m calling Seo Hee-won.”

“Ugh, no…”

Kang Woo-jin squirmed and moved to the corner of the bed. It seemed to be working.

“I’m really going to call Seo Hee-won. Get up quickly.”

“No, please…”

“I’ll tell him everything about how you spiked his drink yesterday.”

Kang Woo-jin, who had been groaning, sat up with a gasp at the final threat. Even in his half-asleep state, he asked, “You didn’t tell him, did you?” Lee Cheong-hyeon patted his back reassuringly.

By that time, there was still no reply from Seo Hee-won. Usually, he would respond immediately when contacted, but today he was strangely silent.

After finishing cleaning the messy living room and starting to cook hangover ramen, Seo Hee-won finally came inside.

“Hee-won. Where have you been?”

“Yes.”

With that response, Seo Hee-won slipped into the room. Lee Cheong-hyeon stared at the closed door in disbelief. When had he asked a yes or no question? He had asked “where” Seo Hee-won had been. As he let out an incredulous laugh, Tae-young glanced at him.

“Did the two of you fight?”

“No? He’s been acting a bit strange since yesterday.”

“Ah—”

Tae-young nodded once, as if he had some inkling about it.

“What? Do you know something?”

“No? I don’t know anything.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Tae-young carried the finished pot of ramen to the table. The three hangover-afflicted people rushed to the table.

Left alone in the kitchen in a puzzled state, Lee Cheong-hyeon walked toward the room Seo Hee-won had entered. He was planning to talk to him and also feed him, even if it was just ramen. When he opened the door, he saw Seo Hee-won sitting on the bed with his legs stretched out, fiddling with his phone.

“Hee-won, didn’t you see my text?”

“I just saw it.”

“Where did you go?”

“Just went out for a walk.”

“I see…Alright. Come out and have breakfast.”

“I’m not eating.”

Throughout the conversation, Seo Hee-won never once looked at Lee Cheong-hyeon. The content seemed like a normal exchange, but his tone was stiff and his gaze remained fixed on his phone. Clearly, something was off about Seo Hee-won. Lee Cheong-hyeon entered the room completely and closed the door.

“Hee-won.”

“Yes.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“Then why are you acting like this?”

“Acting like what?”

“Your expression isn’t good, and you’re behaving like someone who’s angry…”

“…”

“Did I do something wrong?”

At that question, Seo Hee-won sighed, rubbing his face, and answered as if annoyed. His gaze still didn’t turn toward Lee Cheong-hyeon.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, hyung. Just…I couldn’t sleep well, so I’m tired.”

“…I see. What about breakfast?”

“I don’t usually eat breakfast.”

While that explanation was somewhat understandable, it still felt off. Lee Cheong-hyeon, who also had no intention of eating breakfast, climbed onto his own bed and sat down. He planned to spend the remaining time until checkout there.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

Lee Cheong-hyeon answered eagerly to Seo Hee-won’s call. Seo Hee-won glanced at him from the corner of his eye and said, “Didn’t you hear me say I’m tired?”

“I heard you. But what can we do? We have to drive soon. Want me to give you a massage?”

“No, I mean I want to rest alone, so please leave.”