LM 72

“What if the audience is empty?” Kwon Siyul remembered the words Woo Taeju  had tempted him with, but in reality, the concert hall lobby was bustling with people. Seeing some even holding bouquets, it seemed like it would be a concert full of warmth and welcome. Several wreath-like objects the size of shrubs decorated the tightly closed entrance to the hall.

“Didn’t you say there wouldn’t be many people?”

“I guess my sister expanded her reach in the meantime.”

Woo Taeju leaned toward Kwon Siyul and whispered, shielding his mouth with the back of his hand. It was clearly a joke, so Kwon Siyul giggled.

“Shouldn’t we have prepared flowers too? I saw a flower shop earlier.”

Wasn’t she his cousin? Kwon Siyul wasn’t sure if it was okay to come empty-handed. He thought about buying a small bouquet on the way.

“Of course, I sent one in advance.”

Woo Taeju pointed to one of the wreaths with his fingertip. The long tail of the wreath bore the phrase “Violin Goddess Woo Jihye.”

“I’ll go buy a bouquet before the performance starts.”

“You don’t need to, hyung. I sent one on your behalf too.”

Kwon Siyul had looked up concert etiquette but hadn’t found anything about bouquets. Figuring Woo Taeju, who seemed more experienced, knew best, he took in the sight of the wreath Woo Taeju had sent.

The large doors that had been tightly shut opened, signaling the imminent start of the performance. People began filing in one by one as if they had been waiting for this moment all along. Kwon Siyul was about to join them when Woo Taeju grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward a different direction.

“Isn’t it that way?”

“We’re on the second floor. VIP seats.”

It seemed Woo Taeju had prepared good seats because he knew someone. Kwon Siyul followed Woo Taeju up to the second floor. Inside, they saw a space with only two chairs.

It was a box seat, like something out of a movie. Kwon Siyul marveled that even concert halls had such seating, as he placed his hands on the railing and looked around at his surroundings. Despite being on the second floor, they were close enough to the stage that they might even be able to see the performer’s sheet music.

“These are great seats.”

“Right? I begged my sister for the best seats. Do you like it?”

Kwon Siyul, experiencing this for the first time, didn’t have a clear criteria for likes or dislikes. Still, he wasn’t completely clueless about seating and could tell this spot was prime.

“Thank you. I’m having a new experience thanks to you.”

Woo Taeju’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected gratitude, and then he burst out laughing. He stretched out his arms as if about to hug Kwon Siyul but flinched and ended up just scratching the back of his head.

“It’s about to start. Come here, hyung.”

Woo Taeju patted the seat next to him. Kwon Siyul scurried over and sat down. The cushion was as soft as a bed, and the lighting focused on the stage left their seats in a gentle glow, just like a night light. Kwon Siyul worried he might fall asleep—his eyelids already felt heavy.

He sat up straight and looked at the stage. A woman in a blue dress similar to the tie color Kwon Siyul had picked out for Woo Hyunse that morning entered with her group, met by thunderous applause. The bow began to glide slowly across the strings, and Kwon Siyul’s gaze gradually became hazy.

Before Kwon Siyul knew it, the sound of clapping hands woke him up next. His body was sunk deep into the chair. The bright lights made him blink, and he turned his eyes toward a blurry figure moving in his vision.

“Hyung, the performance is over.”

“Huh…What?”

He mumbled incoherently as he got up. The stage was already empty, and the people who had packed the first-floor seats were leaving in droves. How did this happen? He had fought off sleep until the intermission, digging his nails into his palms, but from the start of the second half, everything had gone dark as if someone had flipped a switch.

Good grief.

He had slept. Slept soundly. So much so that his body felt completely refreshed. Kwon Siyul rubbed his face repeatedly, groaning. There were all sorts of ways to show one’s ignorance. His ears burned with shame at having exposed his lack of cultural refinement. He felt terrible that Woo Taeju had given him such a good seat with a clear view of the stage for him to have wasted it by falling asleep like that.

“You must have been very tired.”

As Kwon Siyul squirmed in embarrassment, Woo Taeju patted his shoulder, saying it could’ve happened to anyone. Kwon Siyul looked up at him with an expression full of discomfort.

“I’m sorry. You brought me all the way here, and I just slept.”

“My sister chose the wrong pieces. Instead of playing lively ones, she picked all slow, drowsy tunes. I fell asleep in the middle too, snoozing on your shoulder.”

Woo Taeju smiled sweetly, mimicking sleep by putting his hand to his ear. His eyes, looking down at Kwon Siyul, showed no sign of drowsiness. For someone who claimed to have slept on Kwon Siyul’s shoulder, his hair and clothes were undisturbed. Kwon Siyul realized that it was a white lie to make him feel less embarrassed.

“If you really feel bad, you can buy me a drink.”

Woo Taeju had already paid for dinner. Kwon Siyul had tried hard to hold onto the bill, arguing that it wasn’t right for Woo Taeju to pay for the meal after taking him to the performance, but in the end, it was snatched away. Whether it was a natural business acumen or some hidden super-strength gene in people with the Woo surname, Kwon Siyul found it impossible to win against either Woo Taeju or Woo Hyunse in terms of strength.

After using the concert as a sleeping aid, how could he refuse the offer to buy drinks? Though worried about his bodyguard, Kwon Siyul figured it would be fine if they didn’t stay out too late, so he gladly accepted. Woo Taeju’s face brightened as he picked up his phone.

“Shall we head out first? The concert’s over anyway.”

Kwon Siyul elbowed Woo Taeju’s side, who was walking slowly while searching on his phone. Woo Taeju startled and hurried to open the door.

The first-floor lobby was packed with people. While many were leaving like an ebbing tide, some were taking photos at the photo booth or sitting in chairs waiting for their companions. Amidst the hustle and bustle, Kwon Siyul fixed his gaze on Woo Taeju’s back, hurrying his steps to avoid losing track of him.

Woo Taeju looked back and reached out his hand. While two men holding hands might seem a bit odd, Kwon Siyul realized they might drift apart like grains of sand swept by waves if they walked separately. To avoid getting lost, he firmly grasped the offered hand. Woo Taeju curled his fingers around his hand, holding Kwon Siyul tightly.

Holding hands certainly made it easier to navigate through the crowd. Kwon Siyul stuck close behind Woo Taeju, who seemed to slow his pace in consideration.

Suddenly, Woo Taeju came to an abrupt halt. Walking absent-mindedly, Kwon Siyul bumped his nose hard against Woo Taeju’s back. Rubbing his sore nose, Kwon Siyul tilted his head to the side. People were still crowded in front of Woo Taeju.

Among them, Kwon Siyul’s eyes were drawn to a head that stood significantly taller than the others, almost out of habit. Just as the word “No way” flashed through his mind, Woo Taeju cupped his hands around his mouth.

“Oh, Hyunse hyung!”

It was a loud shout. The voice was so powerful that even in the noisy environment, several people flinched and turned to look at Woo Taeju. The tall, broad-shouldered man also turned his head.

What a coincidence. It was someone Kwon Siyul knew well too. Just this morning, they had been reluctantly parting ways, not wanting to separate. Kwon Siyul’s face broke into a wide grin at this unexpected encounter. He wanted to call out that name loudly too.

However, Kwon Siyul’s smile slowly faded. Next to Woo Hyunse stood an unfamiliar woman. With her hair neatly tied up in a bun, she was strikingly beautiful even from a distance.

Woo Hyunse looked in their direction too. His gaze, which had been fixed on Woo Taeju, moved down to Kwon Siyul. Kwon Siyul tore his eyes away from the woman and looked at Woo Hyunse. Their eyes met in mid-air.

“Hyunse hyung, over here!”

The name that had been partially drowned out by the surrounding noise earlier now rang clearly in Kwon Siyul’s ears. It turned out Woo Taeju and Woo Hyunse knew each other. Kwon Siyul twisted his shoulder, trying to pull his hand free. Somehow, he desperately wanted to flee far away from this place as soon as possible.

He felt scared and uneasy. While he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what he was afraid of, he just felt he shouldn’t be here.

As he tried to retreat following his instincts, Woo Taeju not only refused to let go but tightened his grip, firmly holding Kwon Siyul in place. Unable to cry out to be released, cold sweat beaded on Kwon Siyul’s pale palm.

By now, many people had left the lobby, and the once-crowded space was now quite empty. Woo Taeju pulled the resisting Kwon Siyul along. Kwon Siyul moved forward but kept his head down, staring at the floor. He saw familiar shoe tips on the shiny tiles.

“So you did come with Seohee noona. Ah, you should have called if you were coming.”

Woo Taeju’s voice was cheerful. Woo Hyunse said nothing. Kwon Siyul’s whole body tingled. He felt pierced by the gaze. His heart pounded as if he was waiting for a sentence for a crime he hadn’t committed. His lips were dry, and his throat parched. Woo Hyunse’s scent, wafting toward him, wasn’t like the usual snow-covered forest but more like a deep, dark night sea.

Kwon Siyul swallowed hard and, gathering all his courage, lifted his head. Woo Hyunse wasn’t even looking at Woo Taeju. He was staring straight at Kwon Siyul. There wasn’t a trace of a smile. When their eyes met, Woo Hyunse slowly lowered his gaze. His eyes lingered on the back of Kwon Siyul’s hand, held by Woo Taeju.

“Ah, where are my manners? I should introduce you first. Hyung, this is Kwon Si…yul, the one I mentioned before.”

Woo Taeju turned to Kwon Siyul and trailed off. Kwon Siyul’s complexion was so pale that it looked like he might collapse at any given moment. More than that, where Kwon Siyul’s gaze was directed caught Woo Taeju’s attention. He was staring at Woo Hyunse. As if he had seen a ghost come back to life, utterly shocked by the sight before him.