HFS 48

“Cheong-hyeon likes taking care of me. And usually, he’s really…good to me.”

His boastful voice became more subdued toward the end. With his eyes slightly downcast and a faint blush spreading across his cheeks, he looked completely like someone in love. For Yoo Jimin, it was a startlingly unfamiliar sight for him to see the other man so infatuated.

“…Okay, I get it. And? Is that all, just that he’s nice to you?”

“Even when I suddenly call him to buy me food, he never complains, and he buys me whatever I want to eat…”

“No, not that kind of thing. Don’t you have something more definitive?”

“What more do you need?”

Isn’t this already pretty definitive? Who would spend money, time, and do everything asked for someone they don’t like? When he asked as if he genuinely didn’t understand, Yoo Jimin merely clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk…That’s the problem with singles. You misunderstand when someone’s just a little nice to you. If that level of kindness means someone likes you, then everyone in the world likes everyone.”

“Who would be that nice to someone they’re not interested in?”

“There are people like that. Hey, don’t you remember our first guild meetup? That oppa has been taking care of people since then. It’s just like, he’s overflowing with humanity or something…”

“I’m not an idiot. I can tell the difference. How he treats me is different. Today, he only did things for me…”

“I-di-ot. Only did things for you? That’s because you stuck to him all day and wouldn’t let go! He just takes care of whoever is close by, whoever catches his eye. So it’s like…first come, first served.”

“No, even now he’s worried I might be cold…Ugh, forget about it. What do you know anyway.”

Seo Hee-won tried to end the conversation with Yoo Jimin. He didn’t understand how Lee Cheong-hyeon had looked at him today or how different it was from usual.

As he was about to leave, Yoo Jimin called out in a serious voice.

“Hey, Hee-won. I never thought the day would come when I’d worry about you…Don’t just see what you want to see. That’s a sure-fire way to get hurt later.”

“…”

“This morning in the car, I casually mentioned I wanted to eat strawberries. When we went shopping, Cheong-hyeon oppa grabbed strawberries first thing. Easy to misunderstand, right?”

“What are you talking about? Cheong-hyeon has always liked strawberries.”

“…Isn’t he bothered that you call him by his name so casually?”

“No. Don’t say unnecessary things to Cheong-hyeon.”

“Yes, yes.” Yoo Jimin answered half-heartedly before abruptly asking with a serious expression on his face.

“So, are you going to confess or something?”

“Not right away. Someday.”

“You’re crazy…you crazy bastard. Then, you know, if you get rejected, maybe I’ll be next in line…Ah, I’m kidding, kidding! It’s just a joke. Hey, do you really think I have so little loyalty? Huh?”

When Seo Hee-won gave him a murderous look, Yoo Jimin brazenly shouted back at him.

After a brief silence, Yoo Jimin got up and dusted himself off.

“But, I’m giving you some sincere advice…”

With his hand on the doorknob as if about to leave, he spoke quite seriously.

“If you’re going to confess, couldn’t you wait until after we clear the boss?”

“…”

“I mean…if you get rejected, things will get awkward, right? Cheong-hyeon oppa will leave the guild and the party. That’s what always happens when people get confession-attacked. If he leaves, we’ll need to find a new DPS, but where would we find one at this point? All the good DPS players have already joined parties. Then our party is doomed, boss clear or whatever—it’s all over.”

“This boy really…”

As Seo Hee-won approached menacingly, Yoo Jimin quickly fled the room. He was running away laughing loudly when he almost bumped into Lee Cheong-hyeon, who was just entering the pension house.

“Oh! Oppa. Seo Hee-won is over there!”

“Yeah. Walk properly! You’ll fall.”

“Okay!”

Seo Hee-won, who was coming out of the room chasing Yoo Jimin, spotted Lee Cheong-hyeon and stopped in his tracks.

“There you are. Shall we go now?”

“Yes, let’s go. Just wasting time because of Yoo Jimin…What were you doing?”

“Ah. I was worried you might be cold.”

Lee Cheong-hyeon placed something in Seo Hee-won’s hand. It was a hand warmer that had just been opened and was starting to get warm. It wasn’t the expected scarf, but Seo Hee-won smiled happily. What mattered was that Lee Cheong-hyeon was being thoughtful toward him.

* * *

There was a nice walking path around the pension house. A stream ran alongside it. It was a bit disappointing that they couldn’t go into the water since it was mid-winter.

The wind was cold, but the air that filled their lungs deeply was refreshing. Looking up at the sky, stars that were hard to see in Seoul were twinkling brightly. The scenery that was difficult to appreciate in the city and the sound of rustling leaves instead of noise were peaceful.

“It would be more fun if we came in summer.”

“Should we come again next time?”

“Let’s do that.”

“Just the two of us?”

Lee Cheong-hyeon nodded his head, even though he thought it might be more fun with more people. Seo Hee-won seemed uncomfortable around others, and if they came alone, they could probably feel relaxed if it was just them. Just a month ago, he couldn’t have imagined being comfortable alone with Seo Hee-won, but now they were close enough to think about traveling together. It felt strangely amazing.

Throughout the walk, Seo Hee-won kept fidgeting with the hand warmer Lee Cheong-hyeon had given him. His exposed nape was concerning, but fortunately, he didn’t seem to be cold.

After enjoying their short walk, the two returned to the pension house. Their minds felt clearer after the slight haziness from the alcohol.

As they entered through the main gate, they could see the pension house and terrace at a glance. On the still-lit terrace, someone was waving wildly toward them.

“Come quickly!”

Kang Woo-jin was shouting loudly with a bag of marshmallows in his hand. When they came inside, they saw a brazier full of firewood burning brightly. Six chairs were arranged in a circle around the brazier.

“Ta-da! Let’s roast marshmallows while staring at the fire.”

“Nice. That’s romantic.”

“I brought this too. Good job, right?”

Kang Woo-jin proudly held up the sparkler box. Seeing his grin, Lee Cheong-hyeon gave him an encouraging nod and then slipped a marshmallow onto a wooden skewer. While he was carefully roasting it over the fire, making sure it didn’t burn, Seo Hee-won sat down next to Lee Cheong-hyeon. He sat at one end of the semicircular arrangement of chairs, which gave him a clear view of the seat at the opposite end.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“The scarf you wore this morning. Where is it now?”

Seo Hee-won’s voice was cold as he asked this unexpected question. Lee Cheong-hyeon’s eyes instinctively searched for Hyojung. She was sitting at the end with Yoo Jimin, and they were sharing the scarf that Lee Cheong-hyeon had lent her.

“I lent it to Hyojung earlier. She looked cold.”

Yoo Jimin, who had been peacefully eating marshmallows, suddenly looked flustered and turned to Hyojung beside him.

“Oh, unni, wasn’t this scarf yours?”

“I borrowed it from Cheong-hyeon. I was worried you might catch a cold.”

“Ah, I rarely catch colds since I’m pretty tough…”

Yoo Jimin fidgeted awkwardly. Lee Cheong-hyeon reassured him that it was fine to keep using it, then sat down next to Seo Hee-won. He offered him a perfectly roasted marshmallow. Instead of taking it, Seo Hee-won shook his head. He sat silently, fidgeting with the hand warmer he was holding.

“You’re not eating? I roasted it really well.”

“Why did you give me a hand warmer?”

“Well…because you looked cold?”

Even though he waved the sweet-smelling marshmallow in front of Seo Hee-won’s face, there was no reaction. Seo Hee-won only changed the subject.

Feeling disappointed, he brought the marshmallow to his own mouth. The sweet taste filled his mouth.

“When did you lend the scarf to Hyojung noona?”

“Before we went for a walk earlier. I was going to lend it to you, but I couldn’t find you.”

“Ah, so it was first-come, first-served.”

“Something like that. Besides, you’re a guy, so it’s a given that you can handle the cold better.”

“…”

“Why? Were you cold?”

Seo Hee-won didn’t bother to answer. During the walk, he hadn’t really noticed the cold, but now he was starting to feel a bit chilly.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you like strawberries?”

“It’s not that I particularly like them…I’ll eat them if they’re available?”

“…”

“Should I get you some strawberries?”

Once again, Seo Hee-won shook his head, closed his eyes for a long moment, then slowly opened them. He returned the hand warmer he’d been holding the entire time to Lee Cheong-hyeon. The heat immediately warmed the palms of his hands. Lee Cheong-hyeon looked at him questioningly.

“It doesn’t seem very warm. I’m going in first.”

“But it’s still hot…”

Seo Hee-won stood up and went into the pension house through the glass door. Kang Woo-jin, watching him leave, asked curiously, “Where’s Seo Hee-won going?”

Lee Cheong-hyeon shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t know. Thinking Seo Hee-won might be tired, he put the remaining marshmallow in his mouth. His gaze fell on Seo Hee-won’s empty seat. The sticky sweetness in his mouth no longer felt pleasant.

The stars were still densely shining in the night sky, but the cold wind on his cheeks and the sound of rustling leaves no longer evoked any feelings like they had before.

The sparkler he had lit produced small sparks. He mindlessly waved it as it burned with popping sounds.

“Cheong-hyeon!”

He reflexively looked up at the call. With a click, the camera flash went off. Kang Woo-jin was standing there with an instant camera. He waved the printed photo back and forth, waiting for it to gradually become clear.