GB 32

An officer who looked about Yoon Moo-hwa’s age greeted him.

It was an unfamiliar face. 

When Haero showed his wariness without hiding it, the other person laughed loudly with a “Hahaha.” 

He seemed to have an easygoing personality.

“We met at a party before, but I guess you don’t remember.”

“The kid’s a bit shy around strangers.”

The reply was brief. Judging by Yoon Moo-hwa’s comfortable attitude, they seemed to be peers. Still, Haero’s wariness didn’t ease.

He often went to parties following Yoon Moo-hwa. From the moment Yoon Moo-hwa had to attend parties for social reasons, Haero was always his partner.

Haero followed without complaint. No, what was there to complain about in the first place? It was both his duty and his right.

What he felt each time was that Yoon Moo-hwa was subtly awkward. He had seen him trapped, surrounded by people multiple times at parties. Then, Haero would make excuses like being thirsty or needing the bathroom to extract Yoon Moo-hwa. In fact, even without saying such things, Yoon Moo-hwa would come out on his own when he saw Haero staring intently.

“If Haero wasn’t here, I would’ve been stuck there late again today.” Yoon Moo-hwa had actually said this, so it was Haero’s role regardless of what anyone else said.

“Because you’re here, he can’t have personal time,” someone had said. Haero stared at them blankly before retorting,

“This is his personal time. Time spent with me.”

The fact that he couldn’t remember if it was a man or woman suggests this wasn’t a conversation he’d had with just one or two people.

“You should graduate from him too. Then you’ll get your own personal invitations. There are many people who want to invite you separately.”

What on earth would they do with an invitation? Did they want to surround him and pour out conversation topics he wasn’t interested in, like they did with Yoon Moo-hwa? Haero couldn’t understand why people were interested and enthusiastic about such things.

“Since I never enrolled with him, there’s no need to graduate. I don’t really understand what you’re talking about.”

And before he could grumble more about not using him as an excuse, Yoon Moo-hwa would invariably come find him and take him away.

A relationship where each appears just when the other needs them. That was Haero and Yoon Moo-hwa. No words necessary.

It was always like this. So who attended which party and who showed interest in him wasn’t Haero’s concern. It was natural that he didn’t remember this young officer.

The blonde officer repeatedly brushed up his hair as if well aware it was his charm point. But to Haero, it was an eyesore.

“Haero, say hello. We’re in different units, but still. We know each other a bit.”

“Just a bit?!” The blonde officer jokes, pretending to be hurt.

But Yoon Moo-hwa didn’t correct himself until the end. He was a bit annoyed. They had only met a few times during joint training, were in different units, and even though they were part of the allied forces, they were from different countries. In short, they weren’t close at all.

He just gave a perfunctory smile and pulled Haero a bit closer to his side.

“Hello.”

Haero greeted with a somewhat less wary expression. The other offered his hand for a handshake. The hand he grasped was enormously large and a bit clammy. Because Yoon Moo-hwa’s hands were always dry, Haero felt a strange chill down his spine.

As he tried to rub his hand clean invisibly after the handshake, suddenly Yoon Moo-hwa handed Haero the tumbler.

“I’m not thirsty though?”

“You look sleepy. Drink a bit more.”

What if he needed to use the bathroom? However, Haero took what Yoon Moo-hwa offered for now. It was a habit formed since childhood when he received pajamas from him. If it’s from Yoon Moo-hwa, he accepts it first.

As Haero reached for the tumbler, Yoon Moo-hwa pulled his hand back belatedly. Their hands tangled, and whether by chance or not, Yoon Moo-hwa’s hand rubbed against Haero’s palm as it slipped away.

“…”

Haero stared at his own hand.

The sensation of those solid bones was vivid. Suddenly, his throat felt dry.

Haero emptied the tumbler. Meanwhile, Yoon Moo-hwa was engaging in conversation with the officer trying to befriend Haero. There was no room for Haero to join in.

As if letting him sleep, Yoon Moo-hwa pulled Haero’s shoulder. Resting his head on Yoon Moo-hwa’s shoulder, he felt intensely awake, as if the coffee’s effect was kicking in belatedly.

But Haero squeezed his eyes shut.

He felt like if their eyes met, that officer would keep talking to him, and just… he didn’t know. He wanted to pretend to sleep. Regardless of how uncomfortable this position was.

* * *

Embarrassingly, despite worrying he wouldn’t be able to sleep, Haero fell into a deep slumber. When he opened his eyes, he was leaning against the window. Yoon Moo-hwa was gone. 

As he jerked his head up in confusion, the blonde officer teased him with a grin, “You look like a lost child. You slept so well without waking once, even with all this noise.”

Haero didn’t respond. He was urgently looking for the missing Yoon Moo-hwa.

“Colonel Yoon has already left. Without you.”

“Don’t lie.” Haero snapped, standing up abruptly. 

He didn’t have time to listen to such nonsense. As Haero hurriedly tried to get off, the blonde officer bent down, following him, and teased further, “But it’s true. Aren’t you curious about my name? Since you’re Yoon Moo-hwa’s brother, you’re going to join the navy, right? It would be helpful to have connections with me. Even better if we become close.”

“…”

As Haero got off the helicopter, his legs wobbled slightly on the vibration-free ground. He could regain his balance on his own without needing help, but the blonde officer quickly caught him.

“…Thank you.” Although the help was unnecessary, he expressed his gratitude anyway.

The officer grinned. “If you’re grateful, listen to my name before you go. I’ll count it as payment.”

Haero openly showed his dislike. 

The officer scratched his head, embarrassed. “Kids these days are difficult.”

“I don’t understand why you’re showing so much interest in me. If you’re seeing me as a sexual object, I’ll report you to the military court.”

“Wow, you’re not just tough, you’re cold, ice cold. I’m not hitting on you, kiddo. To be precise, it’s not you but the one behind you…”

“What are you doing?”

A deep voice cut in.

It wasn’t just the voice. An arm, intimidating just by its thickness, came between the officer and Haero, separating them.

“I was late bringing the luggage. I was going to wake you at the end because you were tired. Did you sleep well?”

As soon as he saw Yoon Moo-hwa, Haero’s expression melted. If he had a tail, anyone would have seen it wagging.

The officer watched with interest as Yoon Moo-hwa’s attitude and Haero’s wariness instantly dissolved.

“You know I have eyes faster than rumors, right?” The officer rattled off in a language Haero didn’t understand, “When they said you brought a child, half of the gossips said the admiral was preparing an item to step into politics, and a quarter said it was a social experiment. And another quarter said you only brought him out of pity and would just provide financial support before cutting ties. I was different. I was certain that if you kept the child for 5 years, he would be a direct link to you!”

He absolutely hated talkative guys. This was exactly why Yoon Moo-hwa didn’t welcome Alyosha.

“How many times are you going to tell that story? Why are Russian kids so talkative?”

“Brother, that’s all stereotyping. Shouldn’t such preconceptions have been washed away by the Great Flood? Let’s not gossip with prejudices that should have died during the inundation period. And how many times? This is the first time in front of your brother.”

Alyosha joked as he tried to put his arm around Yoon Moo-hwa’s shoulder. Yoon Moo-hwa immediately avoided it by stepping back, pulling Haero along. It looked like he was naturally hiding Haero behind him.

“Alyosha.” Yoon Moo-hwa said, looking at Alyosha.

“I told you my name, so we’re good … Your protection is too excessive. You’re not his father, you know.”

Haero made up his mind. He didn’t like this officer and decided he never would. Talking about fathers, how inconsiderate. 

Besides, I don’t want to talk about Yoon Moo-hwa being a father or anything like that either!

“Since you’re neither my father nor family, if you’re going to say such things, get my consent first.”

“Hahaha. Look at this kid, Yoon. He really might report me to the military court.”

“If Haero wants to sue you, I’ll cover all the lawyer fees. Remember that.”

Finally, the officer gave up first. Alyosha raised both hands as if declaring surrender. It meant he was well aware of how much money their family had made from the titanium resources excavated from land they had owned for generations.

“Alright. I’ll stop here. We’ll see each other again tomorrow anyway. Good job coming here, and kiddo, good job sleeping.”

He was a dislikeable person right to the very end.

Haero was about to throw a sucker punch at the officer’s retreating back but was stopped by Yoon Moo-hwa’s hand.

“Where did you learn that?”

Yoon Moo-hwa asked, surprised, and Haero played dumb. If he said the owner of the espresso bar Yoon often visited taught him, he’d be breaking his promise with the owner who told him never to tell Colonel Yoon that he taught him such things.

“I just saw it somewhere.”

“They say kids grow up fast, but I’m always surprised by how much you change every time I don’t see you, really.”

That’s what I should be saying.

Every time Yoon Moo-hwa returned from a voyage, Haero had to work hard to find and get used to his changed aspects.

Injuries were frequent on the ship. It had nothing to do with experience. Experience helped operate the ship and fulfill roles, but for crew members, there were times when luck mattered more than experience.

“You change every time even as you get older.”

Yoon Moo-hwa glanced at Haero’s sulky voice. “Are you upset because I said you’re young?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then are you saying something about me being old? Well, there is quite an age gap between us.”

Hearing the somewhat bitter musing, Haero looked up, thinking it couldn’t be so but wondering if Yoon Moo-hwa might have been hurt.

As expected.

He was expressionless as usual. Except for the slight upward curl of his lips when he saw Haero looking at him.

Leaving the dumbfounded Haero behind, Yoon Moo-hwa strode forward.

Haero quickly followed the tall man who was rapidly getting farther away. When he stuck close to his side, Yoon Moo-hwa grinning and ruffled his hair instead of asking if he was happy. 

Haero, taking his bag from Yoon Moo-hwa and kept smiling.

At that moment, drones rose into the sky.

Haero was momentarily mesmerized by the scenery created by the silently rising drones.