TWELVE 71

“Be careful driving, eat plenty of food, don’t fight with people, and the world is a scary place, so even if someone tries to pick a fight, just let it go.”

“I will.”

Despite my nagging, which he could easily be sick of by now, Gi Seoin nodded without a single hint of annoyance. Then, he took one step closer to me. He doesn’t even wear perfume, yet a pleasant scent drifted faintly from him.

“Hug me.”

As I spread my arms at his pampered words, Gi Seoin bent his upper body and came into my embrace. I stroked his broad back and gave it a light pat.

“Hurry back.”

Immediately after Gi Seoin—who had been making it obvious with his whole body that he didn’t want to go—left for work, I also headed to the dressing room before starting my daily routine.

In a corner of the closet, which had become filled only with my things before I knew it, I pushed aside the hanging clothes and checked the shopping bag revealed behind them. It was the birthday gift for Gi Seoin that I had hidden away. The wrapping was intact, and the letter remained perfectly sealed.

In case Gi Seoin had discovered the gift without my knowledge, it had become a habit to check it once he left for work.

I hadn’t been caught today, either. Feeling relieved, I put it back in its place and hid it well with clothes so it wouldn’t be seen.

Today was December 17th. Before I knew it, Gi Seoin’s birthday was only two days away. This meant there were only two days left of me being on pins and needles, worrying if he would find the gift I bought in advance. It also meant only two days until I would actually see his expression when he received the gift.

He’ll like it, right?

I was half worried and half expectant. Seeing as a smile spread across my lips every time I imagined him receiving the gift, it seemed my expectations were greater.

Leaving the dressing room, I made a cup of tea and entered the room that had now become my personal study. Since I hadn’t yet overcome my fear of being alone, I always kept the door wide open. Trying my best not to be conscious of the fact that I was alone in this house, I sat at the desk.

The sun was coming in so well that I had to lower the blinds halfway. Sitting at the desk, I checked the subjects and the amount of material I had to study today.

Since I hadn’t even looked at a book once since dropping out of high school, I had been intimidated, but contrary to my worries, it suited my aptitude quite well. Listening to lectures, peering into books, and solving problems made time pass before I even knew it.

Above all, the sense of accomplishment I gained while studying made me feel elated. My heart fluttered at the feeling that I was living entirely for myself. It was an emotion I hadn’t felt while working while being chased by debt.

It was thanks to Gi Seoin that I was able to enjoy such luxury. He believed in me without any conditions. The only way to convey my gratitude to such a person was to pass the high school equivalency exam quickly and become a better person. That made me cling to my studies even more.

—Non-fiction requires dissection, just like when you solve math or science problems. I told you last time, right? The key to non-fiction is grasping the structure of the text. You only need to remember three things for the structure of a text. What are they? First, the problem statement. Second, the cause…

A familiar melody suddenly mixed in with the instructor’s voice. Is it an error? I paused the lecture. In the room that had instantly become silent, noises followed.

It was the sound of the front door lock opening and someone entering.

Gi Seoin? Did he leave something behind?

Even as I thought this, goosebumps rose on my back. I could tell just by the presence. The person who had suddenly entered this house was not Gi Seoin.

Slowly and quietly, I stood up.

I was reminded of the homeless person who had secretly entered my house to live and hide, then brandished a weapon at me. My palms became damp with cold sweat. Who could it be? I felt like my heart was going to burst.

The presence drew closer.

Even closer.

“…”

I had definitely thought it wasn’t Gi Seoin, yet his face flashed before my eyes.

However, the person who returned to the front of the room where I was and looked at me as if to confirm my presence was not Gi Seoin. It was a middle-aged woman who resembled him to a frightening degree.

We had already encountered each other once before.

“Seoin’s… mother…?”

“Oh my.”

Her eyes were definitely not smiling as she looked at me, but a smile was already hanging on her lips.

“Seoin’s friend. We saw each other last time, didn’t we?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I bowed my head in greeting, and she stared at me intently. Gi Seoin also gazes at people in that manner. Even in this brief moment, the shackles of bloodline caught my eye. Even though the son said he had turned his back on his mother…

“The name is…”

“It’s Woo Seungkyung.”

“Woo Seungkyung. Mr. Seungkyung.”

She savored my name while maintaining an elegant smile.

“Nice to meet you. Last time, I was so flustered I couldn’t even greet you properly.”

“Yes. I also couldn’t greet you properly then…”

“By any chance.”

She cut me off.

“If you aren’t busy, could you serve me a cup of tea?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes.”

I had no choice but to nod reflexively at her, as she made the request with an air of entitlement. Even if her attitude had been different, I had no grounds to refuse. It wasn’t just anyone; it was Gi Seoin’s mother. Though he said he had cut ties, I couldn’t bring myself to act rudely.

She familiarly sat at the bar table in the kitchen. Every action was as natural and confident as if she were the owner of this house.

“What kind of tea would you like?”

“Oolong tea; Seoin enjoys drinking it, so it should be here.”

Of course, it was there. It was also true that it was a tea Gi Seoin enjoyed. Even though it wasn’t a special thing at all for a mother to know her son’s tea preference, for some reason, it was unexpected.

It was a relief that I had learned how to brew tea from Gi Seoin. I brewed the tea with my best effort. I didn’t want her to find fault in something trivial. I didn’t know what kind of person his mother was, but I got the impression that she would judge others by a strict standard, so I naturally became nervous.

In fact, I felt her gaze watching me so intensely that my back stung. At this moment, what kind of person was I being recorded as to her?

Why did she suddenly come to visit?

She must have known that Gi Seoin leaves for work. Surely she didn’t come to see me…

Then, another question suddenly flashed in my head.

The front door password.

‘Seoin.’

‘Go away.’

How did she know it?

On that day when she had burst into this house like today, Gi Seoin had clearly changed the door lock password.

I hoped that the sound of me swallowing my dry saliva wouldn’t reach her as I placed the teacup with rising steam in front of her. She looked up at me without saying a word, and only when that silence and gaze became uncomfortable did she speak.

“Sit down.”

“Ah, yes.”

I lowered myself into the chair as told, but I was sitting on pins and needles. The eyes that scrutinized me were like awls. It seemed she wanted something from me. However, I couldn’t ask a single thing until she spoke first.

She didn’t take even a single sip of the tea she had requested and only looked at me, before finally opening her mouth.

“Mr. Seungkyung, you are quite handsome.”

Strangely, it didn’t come across as a compliment at all.

“Seoin does tend to have excellent taste.”

“…Thank you.”

“But the problem is…”

In the middle of speaking, she rummaged through her bag. I watched to see what she was looking for and couldn’t believe my eyes. She had pulled out a cigarette.

Smoking wasn’t a shocking thing, but I was flustered because it was none other than Gi Seoin’s mother. Gi Seoin loathed cigarettes, just as he did alcohol. I wondered if such traits also escaped the influence of genes.

Since it wasn’t my house, she didn’t need to ask me, but she lit the cigarette without even pretending to be conscious of me. The smell… Gi Seoin will hate it.

“Mm, let me rephrase.”

Muttering as if talking to herself, she absurdly flicked the cigarette ash into the teacup.

“Seoin tends to have excellent taste, but the problem is…”

The words she spat out after that were even more preposterous.

“He just has no eye for people.”

It was clearly a statement embedded with the intent to attack me. I now knew the reason why her saying I was handsome didn’t sound like a compliment. Because it wasn’t a compliment.

“Gi Seoin, that boy…”

The woman, who had scattered smoke, continued.

“He’s easy to handle, isn’t he?”

“Pardon?”

“Even after teaching him as much as I could, the boy is quite lacking. Don’t you agree?”

“I’m not sure… what you are talking about…”

“Haha,” she laughed. It was a sneer.

“I trust you aren’t asking because you don’t know. Mr. Seungkyung, you’re the opposite of Seoin. You’re crafty even though you’re uneducated. I’m not insulting you. I actually think that’s better.”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Did Seoin ask you to live together?”

She had an expression as if she were suppressing a burst of laughter.

“Maybe go abroad and register a marriage, too?”

I see. It became certain. She knew about the relationship between me and Gi Seoin.

How she knew wasn’t important. If she was someone who could find out the house password even after Gi Seoin changed it, would she be ignorant of the relationship between me and Gi Seoin?

The important thing was the fact that she harbored ill feelings toward me. They say you can’t know a person’s heart, but she was expressing her hostility with her whole body, as if worried I might not realize it.

Then again, how many parents in Korea would look kindly upon their son’s male lover?

“He has a bit of a charming side. Did he mention adopting a baby and raising it together?”

“He has never said such a thing.”

“And the talk of marriage registration?”

“No. Everything you’re saying, we’ve never discussed it. Us living together… it was decided only for as long as I recover.”

At that, the woman snorted and threw the cigarette into the teacup.

“You have no intention of leaving even after you recover, do you?”

It was insulting.

“…Why are you making such an assumption?”

“Why do you think?”

She asked back, curling up the corners of her mouth. Even the expression of looking down on me was sophisticated. That made the pressure feel even greater.

I had an intuition. Ah, this person could even kill someone while smiling.