After finally opening the door and entering, Yuwon took off his sneakers and walked along the corridor next to the living room. There were times when he thought the house was incredibly quiet on normal days, but today, he felt grateful for the quietness. On days when his mind was filled with so many thoughts, being alone in such a quiet house was perfect.
The only potential issue was that on days like this, when his emotions were complicated, Hyun Gyujin might decide to sleep over. It wasn’t unusual since Yuwon had been going to Hyun Gyujin’s house or vice versa whenever his parents vacated the house due to filming schedules. However, today, he wanted to have some time alone no matter what.
“….”
For now, let’s stop thinking about Hyun Gyujin. Yuwon, clenching both fists, went to his room, dropped his bag, and changed his clothes. Since he had been advised to think about dinner, it seemed like a good idea to decide on that first.
Dinner menu, dinner menu… After tidying up the discarded school uniform and washing his hands, Yuwon tried to think about what he wanted to eat for dinner. However, there wasn’t anything that came to mind as a definite choice. Why are there so many difficult decisions in the world? Yuwon took a small bottle of water from the refrigerator.
Continuously thinking about food names, he couldn’t think of anything else now. Well, let’s give up. Sitting on the couch with a cushion, he closed his eyes for a while, and when he opened them, he heard the sound of the door lock cap going up and down. Soon, the ringing bell made Yuwon get up and open the door. Outside, Hyun Gyujin was standing in a black hoodie, with the hood flipped over his head.
“I guess I need to teach you everything again from the beginning. I asked you who I was before opening the door.”
“You figured it out on your own.”
“How would I know?”
As Yuwon followed Hyun Gyujin, who walked confidently towards the kitchen, he opened a sealed container on the dining table. Inside, there was a lot of braised short ribs. Until a moment ago, Yuwon didn’t feel particularly hungry, and there wasn’t anything specific he wanted to eat. However, seeing the braised short ribs made him suddenly feel hungry.
“My mom wanted to give this to you.”
“Auntie is the best.”
Yuwon immediately took out his phone and called Hyun Gyujin’s mom, expressing his gratitude and saying that he would enjoy the food. Watching Yuwon, who was familiarly talking and expressing his affection, Hyun Gyujin took out a pot from under the sink and poured the braised short ribs.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Tfjt, Cecalf. P’ii mbwf bnfg ab qijs bc atf kffxfcv.”
Llr wbw, ktb ibnfv oglfcvis ufraegfr, kbeiv qgbyjyis tjnf wfiafv lcab j qevvif ys cbk. Cr Lsec Xseplc aegcfv bc atf rabnf jcv qea atf qba bc la, tf mjrejiis bqfcfv atf vbbg cfza ab atf gfoglufgjabg, kfca lcab atf qjcags gbbw, jcv mjwf bea klat akb qjmxr bo lcrajca glmf.
“What did Mom say? Is it okay to die?”
“What’s ‘okay to die’? Auntie invited me to eat meat this Saturday.”
“What? I haven’t heard that yet.”
“I’m Auntie’s son, after all.”
“Let’s please switch houses.”
Hyun Gyujin, who put the instant rice in the microwave, slowed down the boiling braised short ribs. The delicious smell wafted through the air, making Yuwon suddenly feel very hungry.
“This place feels like your home. I feel like I’m visiting someone.”
“Hasn’t that distinction disappeared a long time ago?”
As Hyun Gyujin spoke, the two families were now almost like one. Although they went to the same school when they were younger and even lived in the same neighborhood, they didn’t live in the same apartment until they moved to a newly built one around the time they entered middle school. However, when they moved to the new apartment, which was also in the same building, the boundaries between the two households rapidly eroded.
Whenever there was time, they spent weekends together, and even when they couldn’t, they took care of each other, maintaining a relationship more like family than actual family. Thanks to Yuwon’s mom’s connection as a high school friend, Hyun Gyujin and Jung Yuwon had been friends since birth, spending time together until now.
“Oh, right. When I rang the bell earlier, without asking, how did you know I was coming? Did you naturally think that I would come?”
“No. You raised the cap to enter the password and then closed it to ring the bell. I was testing you.”
“What? Sharp, aren’t you?”
“I’m naturally good at these things. Quick-witted and all.”
“So, that’s why you followed that flasher the other day, huh?”
“Well, that! At that time, the uncle really seemed like he needed help. Even though I couldn’t understand his directions, he kept asking me to accompany him at least until the intersection. How could I refuse that…”
While Hyun Gyujin took out a large and hollow dish and generously filled it with braised short ribs, Yuwon, with an indignant expression, transferred the instant rice onto his plate.
“Wasn’t it strange to follow a man alone in a trenchcoat in the middle of summer?”
“…I did ask. If he wasn’t feeling hot. But he said he got a bad summer cold…”
“Cold, my ass. Just by looking at him, it was obvious his taste was off.”
“So, since then, I’ve been careful…”
“Be even more careful. Even if you know it’s me, ask and confirm before opening the door. Those crazy guys know everything and mimic everything. Or at least check the face. No one can copy this face.”
As Yuwon, who had put out the chopsticks on the table, still had a slightly indignant look, he nodded with his lips slightly pursed. If Hyun Gyujin hadn’t followed him when he was going with that man in the Barbary outfit, it might have been a different story. Yuwon couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if Hyun Gyujin hadn’t been there to witness and intervene.
As they entered the alley, Yuwon suddenly turned his head reflexively, feeling warmth coming from behind and a strange yet familiar pressure. When he looked up, he met Hyun Gyujin’s gaze as he towered over him, wearing a black hoodie. Yuwon, caught off guard, stared at Hyun Gyujin, who nonchalantly shook the seized pliers in front of his face.
“What, what… give it back.”
“Your ear, what’s wrong with it?”
“…What’s wrong with my, my ear?”
“It’s fucking red. Is it hot again? It’s not hot inside the house.”
“Maybe my clothes are too thick…”
Yuwon, covering his reddened ear with his hand, hurriedly escaped to the bathroom. After locking the door, he turned on the cold water and checked his ear’s condition in the mirror. Not only the ear but also his neck and face were all flushed, and it seemed like there was a problem, visible to anyone who looked.
“Shit…”
Why does it keep turning red? Even though I haven’t seen Hyun Gyujin’s face for just a day or two. Every time I touch him, every time I get close to him, will it be like this? Yuwon quickly dried his hands with a towel and brought them to his reddened ear. He knew that doing this wouldn’t immediately cool down the flushed ear, but he felt like he had to do something, repeatedly wrapping his hot ear with cold hands.
Worried that it might get too cold, Yuwon wiped his damp ear with a towel and sat on the edge of the bathtub, exhaling a deep sigh. He was concerned about going out and facing Hyun Gyujin again, acting like a robot, repeating the same actions. Until lunchtime today, he was undoubtedly the most comfortable friend in the world, and now he couldn’t believe how things had changed so suddenly.
Stay calm. He’s not someone else; he’s Hyun Gyujin. From the time he couldn’t remember, they had been friends. Although he had been acting robotic to avoid acknowledging his still-throbbing heart, he slowly exhaled a deep breath. It wasn’t a resolution like before, but an effort to ignore the persistent, fluttering feelings.
funny thing about the flasher line: in korean, flashers are called 바바리 맨 or Babari Man(?) and this is because the trenchcoat flashers usually wear are called babari coat haha…i found it pretty funny so thought to share!
