LM 21

“Why did you pay, boss? You shouldn’t have. It’s embarrassing for me.”

This person always treated him to things. It involved small things like drinks to meals and alcohol to even bigger things that he didn’t know how to repay. Whatever the reason, it was also Woo Hyunse who gave Kwon Siyul a good job.

“Oh? I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“You should have just left it…”

Facing Kwon Siyul who was still grumbling, Woo Hyunse laughed softly, seeing the other man’s reaction. As his eyes crinkled and the corners of his lips turned up, his handsome face looked even more benevolent. As if there was no impure intention in the things he was bestowing upon Kwon Syul right then and there.

“If you really want to treat me to something, we could go watch a movie together.”

“A movie?”

“Yeah. I don’t really like going alone. It would be nice if Kwon Siyul could come with me. It would be less boring that way.”

The words he casually threw out while resting his chin on his hand didn’t seem to have any deeper significance than just that. Kwon Siyul felt a slight twinge in his heart. He could go with Kwon Yuwon if he wanted, but it seemed like Woo Hyunse didn’t have a single close friend with whom to go to the movies with. It didn’t look like he had bad social skills, though…

Then suddenly recalling their first meeting, he nodded as if coming to an understanding about something. His social skills might be fine, but his hidden nature might be too dirty for people to want to associate with.

“I happen to have two tickets right now.”

Kwon Siyul couldn’t even pay for the movie. He barely managed to insist on paying for the popcorn. Even in regard to this, Woo Hyunse wasn’t too happy about it.

The movie was rated R. When the staff at the entrance checked their IDs, Woo Hyunse confidently pulled out Kwon Siyul’s ID from his own wallet. Even as Kwon Siyul stared intently at the ID and Woo Hyunse, alternating between the man and the cards he held in his hand, the other brazenly pushed both his own and Kwon Siyul’s IDs back into his wallet and acted like it was nothing.

“Give that back.”

“I told you to get it reissued.”

He replied nonchalantly and strode ahead on his long legs. Unable to argue in such a crowded place, Kwon Siyul followed behind him, pouting his lips until it resembled a duck’s bill.

The movie wasn’t bad. It was rather on the entertaining side. However, the level of mature content was quite high. The old movie he had watched in the early morning couldn’t even compare to the explicit nature of this film.

Kwon Siyul’s face burned bright red on several occasions while watching the movie. Even if there were few movies showing this late at night, choosing this kind of movie showed that Woo Hyunse’s taste might not be very good.

Unlike Kwon Siyul, who was the color of a well-ripened apple on an autumn day, Woo Hyunse appeared to be rather bored. There wasn’t even a smile or a hint of embarrassment on his face. Even as the two main characters on screen were in the midst of lovemaking, Woo Hyunse silently yawned and rested his chin on his hand appearing indifferent to what was showing on-screen. It was obvious the movie bored him terribly.

Only Kwon Siyul was fidgeting restlessly in his seat. If their fingers so much as brushed against one another’s in the popcorn bucket, Kwon Siyul would flinch with his whole shoulder and quickly pull his hand out of the bucket. The other’s fingers brushing against his hand made him more nervous than the characters having sex on the screen.

“Are you enjoying it?”

Woo Hyunse suddenly whispered in his ear, nearly making him jump out of his seat. 

Fortunately, he remained seated. But he did end up fluttering like a bird, pulling away. Luckily, there was no one in front or behind them.

“Why are you whispering in my ear?”

Kwon Siyul covered his ear where the warm breath had touched his palm and pulled his head to the side. Woo Hyunse chuckled softly at his antsy behavior.

“You shouldn’t make noise in a movie theater.”

“Don’t whisper in my ear like that.”

“What did I do?”

“You blew in my ear.”

“Your ears must be very sensitive, huh?”

He asked, narrowing his eyes like a fox’s tail. Kwon Siyul pressed the back of his hand against his cheek, which couldn’t get any redder, and sharply turned his head back toward the screen. The sex scene had already passed. Kwon Siyul crossed his legs and leaned his body as far away from Woo Hyunse as possible.

Suppressing the urge to storm out midway, he managed to watch the movie to the very end. As soon as the lights came on in the theater, Kwon Siyul stood up abruptly, causing the chair to fold in half. He just wanted to go home now. But Woo Hyunse, who stretched languidly as if he had just woken up from a nap, grabbed hold of his wrist, making it impossible for him to leave right away.

“Shall we get some fresh air before we go? It’s a shame to part like this.”

“It’s too late. I need to go home. Yuwon will be worried about me…”

“Barely midnight and you call it late? Didn’t you used to go clubbing late at night before, Kwon Siyul?”

That was when he was busy with deliveries. The situation was totally different now. He considered making an excuse about having to go to work tomorrow, but suddenly Woo Hyunse looked up at Kwon Siyul with a deliberately forlorn expression on his face. ‘Forlorn’—the expression didn’t suit Woo Hyunse at all, yet there was no other word for that face.

“You might have someone waiting for you at home, but I have no one. If we part like this, I’ll feel lonely and isolated. Very much so.”

Like the words he had called passionate before, there was a high possibility that these words that came out of his mouth were also lies. But it also felt like he shouldn’t let go of this hand. It stung a corner of his heart, and it pricked his conscience like a blunt needle.

Kwon Siyul drooped his shoulders and nodded his head slowly. He lost. He felt like he was being tricked, but he didn’t want to send Woo Hyunse back to a dark and gloomy home. Kwon Siyul knew better than anyone how depressing the quiet darkness could really be.

Wondering where they were going, Woo Hyunse parked the car near the riverbank. Due to it being late, there weren’t many people around. Only a few groups were huddled together at the bottom of the embankment, still in the middle of sharing their unfinished stories. The alcohol in their hands seemed to drive away the cold air of early winter from their bodies.

Woo Hyunse got out first, and Kwon Siyul followed. At the suggestion of a walk, Kwon Siyul trailed behind that broad back as if on a leash. They also stopped by a convenience store to get some snacks during their midnight stroll.

Woo Hyunse picked out a few cans of beer for Kwon Siyul to drink, along with yogurt drinks and water. Kwon Siyul added some snacks to the haul and rushed to the counter. When the other tried to sidle up next to him, he pushed him aside and boldly presented his own card. Even though this barely covered the heel of what he had been treated to at restaurants, he couldn’t just keep being in debt to Woo Hyunse, right?

Woo Hyunse raised his eyebrows as if dumbfounded, then chuckled and stepped back. After he paid, Kwon Siyul picked up the heavy bag himself. But before he could even step out of the convenience store, Woo Hyunse snatched it out of his hands.

“I can carry it.”

“What use are you if you still want to be a porter while getting treated?”

As he reached out his arm, he got a flick on his forehead for no reason. It wasn’t even that hard, but due to his sensitive skin, the spot where the finger flicked turned bright red. Kwon Siyul rubbed his tingling forehead but was still grinning.

They sat side by side at the bottom of the riverbank. It was a place with few people around. The river breeze was cool but not too chilly. Maybe it be because Woo Hyunse was sitting close by, not even a hand’s width away.

He was a person who radiated heat even through his clothes. Despite looking so icy and cold when expressionless, his touch on Kwon Siyul’s skin was as burning hot as freshly melted iron.

Would his hands be that warm too? Would they be warm if he held them? It felt like that heat was transferring to him even without touching. Kwon Siyul curled his twitching fingertips and hunched his body over. Suddenly, Woo Hyunse took off his coat and draped it over Kwon Siyul’s shoulders. Surprised, Kwon Siyul looked up with a strange nasal sound coming from his throat, “Huh?”

“You looked cold.”

Woo Hyunse’s coat had that familiar scent. Kwon Siyul pretended to sniffle while deeply inhaling the fragrance into his lungs. The inside of the coat, warmed by the other, was as cozy as a brazier filled with charcoal. But since it was not unbearably chilly that evening, Kwon Siyul returned the oversized coat to the other man’s shoulders.

“This level of cold is nothing. I’ve been through winter training twice in the military, you know.”

While some lucky fellows never got to experience it until they were discharged, Kwon Siyul had gone through this grueling training twice. Hammering stakes into the frozen ground, setting up tents, shivering in the bone-chilling cold—he did all of this twice. Because of that, Kwon Siyul disliked the cold more than the heat.

“You’ve been in the military?”

Woo Hyunse asked as if he didn’t already know Kwon Siyul’s age. Kwon Siyul puffed out his chest like a pigeon. He was a proud army veteran who had completed his full term. Although being an orphan was grounds for exemption, both Kwon Yuwon and he had escaped to the military when they were struggling to make it on their own. At least there, they were guaranteed three meals a day and a warm place to rest at night.

He had considered making a career out of it, but despite having food and shelter provided, he decided that spending his whole life in an environment where you had to follow orders wasn’t for him, so he left shortly after completing his service.

Kwon Siyul was about to salute with a loud “Attention!”, but not wanting to draw any eyes from others in the late night, he lowered his half-raised arm.

“Of course. I did so well in the military that I even got a reward leave.”

“Is that so?”

“Where did you serve, boss?”

He asked, but naturally assumed Woo Hyunse had been exempted. Rich people didn’t usually put themselves through such hardship. Even for reserve force training, most young masters from well-to-do families would pay fines rather than attend the rigorous training the military would subject you to.

Even if he had enlisted, Kwon Si-yul was 100% certain he would have spent his time in a cushy position before being discharged. Ready to mock if Woo Hyunse said he did public service, Kwon Siyul curled his eyes and watched Woo Hyunse’s lips as he spoke.

“Army 2nd Division, Military Police.”

“Pardon?”

“I think they call it Military Police these days?”

Woo Hyunse scratched near his thick eyebrows. He seemed a bit confused. Kwon Siyul tilted his head and stared at the other man’s face. Then he nodded his head slowly. The Military Police prioritize appearance and build. No matter how capable someone was, if they were short and unattractive, they wouldn’t end up being selected. With Woo Hyunse’s good looks, they probably would have recruited him even if he had applied for a different position.

“To be honest, I thought you’d have been exempted from military service.”

“With a perfectly healthy body? Had to serve, of course.”

“Or maybe special forces?”

“They wouldn’t take me. Because of my condition.”

“Even though it’s recessive?”

“Yeah, go figure.”

Woo Hyunse took a sip of water and chuckled dryly at Kwon Siyul’s mischievous remark. He offered the water to Kwon Siyul, who put his lips to the bottle’s mouth and took a gulp. He wasn’t really thirsty. The thought of  putting his mouth where Woo Hyunse’s had been was too enticing to not follow through with it.