LM 114 END

Finally, after handling the morning rush, it was almost time to clock out. Today was the regular day off for the meat restaurant, so there were no plans afterward to go to work.

“Hey, Siyul,” the boss called out to Kwon Siyul, who had just handed food to a delivery driver. When he turned around, the boss gestured with his eyes toward the window. Perhaps due to the nice weather, a few customers were sitting in small groups on the terrace. But the person the boss pointed to happen to be alone.

“Do you know that person?”

Just from the broad shoulders, straight back, and round, pretty earlobes shaped like a question mark, Kwon Siyul knew instantly who it was. His eyes opened wide. How did he know Kwon Siyul worked here, and more importantly, who else would suddenly show up like this without bothering to reach out ahead of time?

His feet twitched, wanting to run out immediately. The sound of his heart pounding was so loud he couldn’t tell if it was bursting from his chest or ringing in his ears.

“He’s been sitting there for a while now. I see him looking inside occasionally. It seems like he might be looking at you.”

The boss tilted his head to one side. Kwon Siyul looked up to check the time. It was just about time to clock out.

“Boss, I’ll brew two coffees before I go.”

“One for that friend…I mean, that person too?”

The boss corrected himself mid-sentence, perhaps thinking the age difference was too big to call him a friend. Kwon Siyul nodded his head emphatically.

“Yes. It’s someone I know.”

“Oh, then don’t worry about it. Sit over there. I’ll bring them out.”

“No! I was just going to get it to go. I’ll do it myself.”

He wanted to go out right away, but afraid of showing how desperately he had been waiting, Kwon Siyul deliberately dawdled at the bar while pulling the shots. He glanced over, but the other person didn’t turn his head. He just sat relaxed with his legs stretched out, as if enjoying the sunshine on his face, looking like he was just taking a brief rest in the spring sun while passing by rather than coming to meet Kwon Siyul here.

Kwon Siyul finished making the two coffees, occasionally clenching his trembling hands from nervousness. It seemed like they were brewed particularly poorly, but he didn’t have the courage to redo them.

After arguing with the boss who insisted he didn’t need to pay, Kwon Siyul finally put cash in the register and said goodbye, saying he was clocking out now. He pretended to be very relaxed, but his fingertips gripping the cups were white from tension.

As the bell jingled, the other person turned around. The other customers on the terrace had already left. The lone customer was indeed Woo Hyunse.

“You came by without any prior notice.”

Woo Hyunse turned around. Upon seeing Kwon Siyul, the indifferent expression on his face softened.

“I wanted to surprise you. Were you surprised?”

“Just a little. Really, just a little.”

Hoping his voice wouldn’t shake, Kwon Siyul sat down across from Woo Hyunse. As he put down the coffee he brought on the table, Woo Hyunse picked up a plastic bottle from the chair next to him and pushed it toward Kwon Siyul. Seeing the familiar packaging, Kwon Siyul burst out laughing. “Hahaha.”

“Why did you buy this?”

“It caught my eye. Now I notice it everywhere I go.”

Kwon Siyul put down the coffee he was about to drink and picked up the beverage Woo Hyunse gave him. It was still cold.

“Is the…settlement finished?”

He stared at Woo Hyunse intently. Woo Hyunse’s upper body was slightly leaning toward him, as if wanting to be closer.

“Yes. I called off the engagement.”

“Oh,” Kwon Siyul’s lips formed a round shape. It was the moment when what he thought was impossible became reality. His lips went dry as soon as he heard it. Kwon Siyul slipped his hands between his thighs. He didn’t know what expression to show Woo Hyunse.

“So it was true.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you about something like that.”

Kwon Siyul turned his head sideways and pouted. He was happy but didn’t want to show it. He felt oddly embarrassed.

Woo Hyunse thoughtfully tapped his cheek with one hand. Only then did Kwon Siyul notice the wound. It was a long horizontal cut on the other man’s cheek. Just like before, he didn’t put a bandage on even when hurt. Was he protesting, wanting it to be noticed? Kwon Siyul’s eyebrows curved into a worried expression. He quickly turned his head to hide his concerned look.

“How did you get hurt?”

“Hurt?”

“Here.”

He pointed to his own cheekbone. Woo Hyunse felt the area and then chuckled, “Ah.

“It’s a badge of honor.”

“Honor?”

Instead of answering, Woo Hyunse suddenly held out his phone to Kwon Siyul. “Here,” he said.

“Press it.”

Tilting his head curiously, Kwon Siyul tapped the play button in the center of the screen. Immediately, unexpected flesh tones began moving inside. It was the video the shop owner had mentioned. Thankfully it was muted, otherwise, he might have been irredeemably labeled a pervert by everyone around.

Kwon Siyul gasped and closed the video with lightning-fast speed. He even flipped the phone over and looked at Woo Hyunse with a bright red face. Despite committing such an outrageous act in public, the other man was smiling proudly.

“Are you crazy?”

“That’s my great-uncle.”

“…What?”

“The man who took you away. He kept pushing me to get married. This video…”

Woo Hyunse put his lips close to Kwon Siyul’s ear. The breath tickled, making Kwon Siyul raise his shoulders, but what he heard was quite shocking.

“I leaked it.”

“Wasn’t he your family?”

Kwon Siyul asked urgently, pulling his head away from his shoulder. Woo Hyunse took a sip of the coffee Kwon Siyul had given him and shook his head.

“Not since the moment he touched you.”

“…”

“From now on, I intend to show you all the cards I hold. Feel free to use them. You can even blackmail me if you want.”

‘I’ll give you the magic pearl and everything else.’

It was unclear why the shaman’s words suddenly came to mind right then. His lips tingled, and he felt like feathers were fluttering in his chest. His fingers wiggled involuntarily.

“…Why? Why did you go that far?”

Kwon Siyul didn’t feel the congressman had been punished excessively or pity him. But he was concerned that Woo Hyunse had taken action himself instead of notifying Kwon Siyul beforehand.

After all, weren’t they still family by blood? Even if he had done bad things to Kwon Siyul.

The glimpse of the video Kwon Siyul saw was far from normal. It was the most shameful of secrets, something so embarrassing one would rather die than have it exposed.

“I have just one thing left. Everything else is useless.”

Instead of asking directly what that one thing was, Kwon Siyul just stared at him. Seeming to read the question in his eyes, Woo Hyunse called out, “Kwon Siyul.”

“Shall we date?”

A warm spring breeze blew, ruffling Woo Hyunse’s hair. The memory of the cool river wind resurfaced, along with their conversation by the dark water.

Though it was spring, it felt too hot. That must be why his cheeks were burning. Kwon Siyul cooled his face with the plastic bottle he was holding. But the heat didn’t subside. Rather, it spread to his nape and reached his already pounding heart.

“…Do you like me, hyung?”

He finally managed to ask the question that had been stuck in his throat all along. He should have asked this from the beginning. He was foolish for starting in the middle. This time, he wanted to button things up properly from the bottom.

“Yes.”

“Do you love me?”

“Yes.”

Immediate answers came even to his blunt questions. Kwon Siyul bit his lip, then released it.

“Then can you love me more in the future than before, than now?”

“I already am.”

He had heard all the answers he wanted. There was nothing more to ask. Kwon Siyul turned his head and covered his nose with his palm. He didn’t want Woo Hyunse to see his reddened cheeks and the corners of his mouth that kept turning upward.

“Your answer?” Woo Hyunse gently prodded.

Should he ask him to wait, delay it, or make him more anxious? But Kwon Siyul didn’t like any of those options. He regretted the time they had wasted. He simply liked Woo Hyunse.

Kwon Siyul reached out subtly. He placed his hand on top of Woo Hyunse’s, then slid his fingers between Woo Hyunse’s larger ones, not wanting to let go.

“I’ll let it slide this once.”

Did he understand that there wouldn’t be a second chance? Kwon Siyul gathered his courage and looked at Woo Hyunse softly.

Kwon Siyul’s eyes widened. Woo Hyunse was smiling in a way he’d never seen before. The simple process of his eyes crinkling and lips turning up was completely transformed by his gaze. It seemed like it would slowly melt anyone who saw it, like a candle being lit by a flame. The emotion in his eyes reached Kwon Siyul too.

Woo Hyunse’s scent, once like a winter forest, now had notes of spring. Like new shoots breaking through frozen ground, growing stalks and buds, and finally blooming to announce spring’s arrival. The sweet scent enveloped Kwon Siyul like warm spring rain.

From “you and I” back to “us.”

Kwon Siyul tightened his grip on Woo Hyunse’s hand. He didn’t want to let go. One experience of being trapped in a cold winter was enough.

Now it was a brilliant spring day. As long as he was by Woo Hyunse’s side, every season to come would be an eternal spring. That was why Kwon Siyul was no longer afraid of anything.