“Goodbye.”
He straightened out his clothes and bowed, before getting out of the car. The cold night breeze blotted out the previous heat from his sweaty cheeks. He pulled up the bag that slipped down due to the chills that had made his shoulders quiver. Thud. As he closed the door, the window from the driver’s seat rolled down half way, showing Shin Kwonjoo’s face. He walked over wondering if Shin Kwonjoo was going to say goodbye, and the other looked out the window, making eye contact.
“I’ll come back next Saturday.”
Ha Joyoon’s eyes widened at the sudden remark, but then he recalled Shin Kwonjoo’s schedule. Starting tomorrow, he had a business trip to the headquarters in Washington. Ha Joyoon smiled faintly and nodded.
“Okay.”
There were no words to wait for or to meet with him. It just so happened that Ha Joyoon would be having his usual leisurely weekend when Shin Kwonjoo comes back. He simply guessed that the man would contact him after organizing his luggage.
The man looked at Ha Joyoon for a moment, seeming like he was about to say something, but soon turned his head again with his mouth firmly closed. The black-tinted window immediately rolled up and the car began to slowly move away with the sound of its heavy engine. Taking a few steps back along with the direction of the sedan’s movement, Ha Joyoon stood close to the wall and couldn’t take his eyes off the vehicle quickly leaving the alley.
The alley Shin Kwonjoo disappeared through now returned to being a usual quiet space. His lips were now painfully swollen from their frantic kissing and his face looking down at the floor burned red with heat. They had been close to his house, what would he do if someone had seen that? He tried his best to wipe off the embarrassment and guilty conscience on his face as he turned to the gate.
“Yoon-ah.”
The familiar voice startled Ha Joyoon and he turned around. A cold sweat went down his spine at the sight of Ha Junghye smiling happily at him from a short distance.
“Are you just coming back? It’s late.”
“Mhm. It’s because of work. What about you, noona?”
“I had plans to meet with a friend. I just came back.”
Ha Junghye smiled happily and put an arm around his shoulder before ringing the doorbell. The smell of refreshing breeze filled his nose each time he drew a breath. He heard the sound of his mother’s voice from the interphone and the gate opened soon after. Click- Opening and pushing past the iron handle, a well-managed garden and the small persimmon seedlings planted earlier this year came into view.
“Who was that person?”
Ha Junghye asked the sudden question during their quiet conversation. Ha Joyoon had been smiling softly, but then paused his movements when he heard the question. Not missing his small reaction, Ha Junghye smiled mischievously and winked.
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.
“P mjeuta j uilwqrf bo atflg ojmf ogbw atf klcvbk. Cgf sbe rfflcu rbwfbcf?”
“Ztw…”
Cr tf tfrlajafv, ecregf bo tbk ab jcrkfg, tfg jgw jgbecv tlr rtbeivfg foobgaifrris ujlcfv ragfcuat. C ilaaif abb ragbcu obg j qfalaf kbwjc. “Pa’r bxjs.” Ktf kjgw nblmf gfrfwyilcu j rqglcu ygffhf ktlrqfgfv.
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“Don’t take this the wrong way and just listen. Do you like, completely swing the other way?”
“Mhm…”
Hearing his older sister’s words, Ha Joyoon took in a breath and was lost in his thoughts for a while. He experienced lots of things for the first time when he was dating Kang Taejung. Regardless of gender, the only person Ha Joyoon had those kinds of feelings for was him. So, he had never really thought about his sexuality. If he were to classify them based on emotional conditions, men and women were the same to him. Considering the fact that he readily accepted Shin Kwonjoo’s suggestion to be sex partners and continued their relationship so far, Ha Junghye might be right.
But on the other hand, he was uncertain on whether to give a definite answer regarding his preference. This was because it was hard to see himself having any special relationship with the other. Especially since them having a sexual relationship was already quite an impromptu and deviant choice. After thinking for a long time, Ha Joyoon opened his mouth to speak with a noncommittal expression.
“I’m not sure.”
“Dummy. How don’t you know that?”
“Right.”
“Whatever. Just don’t tell mom and dad. Skip over it.”
“…I won’t.”
Pfft. Ha Junghye let out a soft laugh and began to walk slower. Matching her strides, Ha Joyoon’s steps slowed down by a beat.
“But I’m glad.”
“About what?”
“You seem a little better. Your expressions have changed too…”
Immediately understanding what she meant, Ha Joyoon gave a taut smile and avoided the gaze boring a hole at him.
Was he really okay? He wasn’t quite sure.
It was difficult to decide what their relationship was. They did sleep together a lot of times, and as their time together went by, indescribable emotions came and went with it. It was an unclear and unnamed relationship with them only being around each other.
He wasn’t the only one that avoided labeling their relationship. They only continued to sleep together and Shin Kwonjoo never showed his inner thoughts easily. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what the other’s intention to hide and only show a polished version of himself meant. Unconcealable bitterness was filled in his slightly raised eyes. For the first time, he was aware that he had started a difficult relationship with a difficult person. He couldn’t believe that he was feeling this way now. It was truly a funny thing.
Thump-
Opening the door, he was met with the familiar scene of his bedroom. Ha Joyoon moved slowly, gently drying off his damp hair with a towel. His eyes glanced around the room habitually, and came to a sudden stop when he turned in a particular direction. His irises glistened as he suppressed the tears that quietly surged in waves. Step- Step– The sound of his heavy footsteps resounded in the room.
His mind began to wander to his past. The faint longing coursing through him was hard to shake. His steps stopped completely when he reached the old camera on one side of the cabinet.
It had already been decades, but thanks to his good management it only gave off a vintage feeling with only a few scratches. Ha Joyoon reached out his trembling hand and slowly stroked the old camera and its lens. It was also a device that captured the world, but it had held the entire heart of a socially inept boy.
The time and memories of the small black device could not even be expressed in words, so Ha Joyoon did not leave it alone for a long time. He had taken care of everything else after the breakup, but this was the only thing he couldn’t do away with.
Only after the night ended at the peep of dawn was he able to take out a part of his life that had settled in the cabinet. He never used it comfortably, as it was either broken or defected, but that made it all the more precious. It gave him happiness and he appreciated it more.
Now, I’ll really let you go, I’ll wish for your happiness and walk in the path I have in mind. Ha Joyoon whispered several times as he sank to his knees and rested his head on the box that contained the camera.
Putting the glass down on the table, the man walked in the direction of the balcony again. Opening the door, the cold breeze spread into the officetel. The darkness of the night informed him that the day would come to an end soon. Neon lights in the city that wouldn’t go out until late at night illuminated the lives of people living in it. Even though it looked like a beautiful sight from far away, there was an intensity that existed if you looked closely within.
– It looks like I’ll arrive next week. Didn’t you say you’d be back by then, too?
“…Will you be stopping by immediately?”
– Maybe… I’ll have to meet Father first. You need to prepare for that too.
“Okay.”
Returning back to the table, he emptied the remaining liquor in his glass and swept a hand through his hair. The alcohol had a pungent smell, burning at his throat and stirring his intestines sharply. He habitually swiped at his nervously frowned eyebrows. His answer was simple and clear, making it hard to continue the conversation, and the other person over the phone burst into empty laughter.
– You’re still the same.
“How?”
The man questioned, pouring a drink into his empty glass once more. A dark amber liquid filled the crystal glass decorated with colorful patterns
– You’re still so mean. Aren’t you curious about how I’ve been? You always act like this.
The spite in her voice was delivered through the receiver as she had no intention to hide it. He let out a deep breath looking down at his glass absentmindedly. As he turned slightly, the alcohol inside the glass shook aimlessly like waves at the high seas. This way of continuously picking at his faults was one he hated the most.
“Not really interested in playing with words. You should hang up if you have nothing else to say. I got the gist of what you had to tell me.”
– Still so cold and full of yourself.
“…”
– That’s why I fell for you but it turned out to be the worst.
“Stop saying pointless things. I’ll hang up now.”
Before the other could react, the man quickly ended the call. As soon as he pressed the button, there was an eerie coincidence of his phone lighting up and ringing once more with a familiar caller ID, but this time he had no intention to pick up.
Thank you!!!😊
I like following each chapter but I definitely need to reread this when it’s completed. It’s more complex than you first think.
i understand what you mean. i’ll also need to go back and read through/make edits before the last volume is posted, just so it’s more consistent than it currently is.