SWAP 4

The period we spent as friends: 29 years.

The fact that the years we have known each other and the number of our age are exactly the same.

Just hearing it felt distantly daunting, but to Seo Saheon and Lee Seoul, it was a perfectly natural tag. They had been together since they were in the womb, and they went to the same kindergarten as well as the same elementary, middle, and high schools, so what more needed to be said? Since they began living together immediately after becoming adults, it was no exaggeration to say they had been stuck together for almost their entire lives.

Of course, I know that cases like this are not common.

No matter how close childhood friends are, they are bound to graduate from each other at some point.

Aging and changing environments. As values shift, drifting apart gradually is natural, but Seo Saheon and Lee Seoul were still by each other’s side even in the middle of their twenty-ninth year.

To others, it might seem like a friendship so tenacious it borders on the peculiar.

They say that if you make even one proper friend in your life, you’ve succeeded, and in that sense, it was safe to say those two had achieved a successful life.

Unfortunately, however, the reality was entirely different.

“…Who’s abandoning who. I’m just saying let’s try living separately now. And even while living separately, we can still see each other, Heon-ah. It’s not like I’m moving to a foreign country.”

“Yeah. But that is abandoning me, Seoul-ah.”

It was already a matter from more than a week ago. Seoul, who had exerted effort to steady a voice that almost trembled at the unexpected subject, explained once more as if persuading him, but it didn’t work at all. On the surface, Saheon was pretending to be lightly grumpy, but Seoul could see the gaze looking his way was cooling down in real-time. Ah, I thought he was giving in easier than expected for some reason…

Should I have been suspicious from the start when he didn’t show much of a reaction to the talk of living separately?

Seoul, who never dreamed Saheon would cause trouble in this manner, tightly clenched the fists he had rested on the sofa. The feeling that he must not back down here was close to an instinct.

“Are you an object, for me to abandon you? Don’t force things that way for nothing. Honestly, you know it was more strange that we lived together until this age. We’ll already be thirty next year, and it’s about time we became independent.”

“Does the world collapse when we turn thirty? I’m going to live with you even when I’m forty.”

“Say something that makes sense.”

“I am. I’m saying it right now.”

“No, you aren’t. Who lives with a friend until they’re over forty?”

“I do.”

“Ha…”

Without any regard for how Seoul felt, he was very articulate. Not that he didn’t know this was all for his own sake. Since they started living together immediately after becoming adults, the time spent in one house alone was already 9 years. It might have been an unavoidable situation back then, but it wasn’t now.

9 years is enough.

No, rather, it was excessively long.

So Seoul wanted to slowly set things right even now. The very first start of that was their mutual independence.

“I’ve made myself clear. No matter what you say, it won’t work this time. I can’t do the variety show either, so stop tormenting the CEO. You should take proper responsibility for the work you’ve taken on.”

He had to stop wavering. To do that, it was necessary to be more firm than usual. Seoul, setting his lips, pronounced his words stiffly on purpose. It was because he had the awareness that he acted particularly soft only toward Saheon.

Did that effort work even a tiny bit?

Saheon, who had been staring intently at Seoul’s tightly shut lips, paused his speech for a moment.

When the guy who used to respond like an AI that spits out an answer the moment you hit Enter went silent, a brief stillness flowed. It was the moment Seoul, who had been opening his eyes in a triangular shape, slightly let his guard down thinking Saheon had finally understood.

“If I take responsibility, will you keep living with me?”

“…….”

He hadn’t understood a damn thing.

At the attitude that didn’t even try, let alone understand, a bit of a “reality hit” even came over him.

It was a few seconds later that Seoul, who had been buffering for a moment like a lagging computer, regained his senses. No, I can’t back down here. Since things mostly ended up slipping away while being indecisive like this, he regained his will by clenching his fists once again.

“No, I won’t live with you. Why do you attach conditions to something you should naturally do?”

“Because I want Lee Seoul to listen while pretending he couldn’t win.”

“…I won’t listen.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why.’ Are you going to keep acting like a child?”

“Hey, guys… let’s not fight…”

“Lee Seoul. If I had really acted like a brat, you would have run away immediately.”

“Why would I run away. If you were really a child, discipline would come first. Do I have to lay you down and slap your butt for you to listen?”

“What?”

“What. …Why are you looking at me like that?”

“CEO.”

The argument that had been pouring down without a 1-second gap ended because of Seo Saheon’s suddenly stiffened expression. Seoul, who had been trying his best not to give in, belatedly asked back, but the target for Saheon, who whipped his head around, was CEO Yeom.

At the sudden summons, Yeom Gangsik also turned his neck with a creak. He had given up on even stopping them due to their childishness that would make an elementary schooler cry… but for some reason, he felt uneasy.

“Lee Seoul is sexually harassing me. Is it possible to sue for this?”

“…….”

Like that would happen.

When the CEO, who didn’t even feel the value of responding, kept his mouth shut, Seoul, who had been dazed, stammered a protest.

“Hey, when did I…”

“Why. You said you’d pull my pants down, lay me across your lap, and hit me with your palm. Is Seoul a pervert? Since when did you have that kind of taste.”

What kind of taste, it was just an idiom meaning he would scold him lightly, but he went a step further with a nonchalant face. Seoul, who had accidentally become a pervert with a unique fetish, let his lips tremble. When, when did I say I’d even pull your pants down…!

“Are you crazy? Even for a frame-up, there’s a limit, what is this,”

“Yeah. I even took my medicine, Seoul-ah. So I’m asking, since when did you have that kind of taste. You have to tell me so I can…”

I couldn’t just listen anymore.

To stop the nonsense pouring out like a bombardment, Seoul decided to use his final resort.

When he pulled the sturdy shoulder toward him, Saheon was pulled over more obediently than expected. When their eye levels became roughly similar, he reached out and—thud—blocked the mouth that was causing trouble, and the surroundings finally became quiet. He felt a gaze like it would pierce his profile, but he tried his best to ignore it.

Even though he usually played mischievous pranks, that was strictly when only the two of them were together.

In a place with another person, he mostly kept his mouth shut, so I couldn’t understand why he was acting like this today of all days.

Just as I was slightly frowning at the feeling of a headache, I made eye contact with CEO Yeom at that moment.

Ah.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“…Um, I’m sorry, CEO. I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

“No, no. Why would you apologize, Seoul-ah.”

In the end, the task of delivering the apology was Seoul’s share once again. Whether he had the awareness that they had fought childishly, his white earlobes were flushed. CEO Yeom, even after witnessing that clearly, waved his hand, deciding to pretend he didn’t notice. At any rate, there was not one single thing Seoul had to apologize for here.

If anyone should do it, it’s that rotten guy.

While swallowing the later words appropriately, he glared at Seo Saheon, but only his own strength drained away. Since he, who was now leaning his cheek halfway on Seoul’s shoulder, seemed to have not a single drop of interest in this side. It was even loathsome how he was acting so quiet and well-behaved as if he quite liked that Seoul was blocking his mouth.

Well… even if I pointed that out, nothing would change.

Since he had already experienced it to a disgusting degree, he clicked his tongue, and Seoul, who was peekingly gauging his reaction, added.

“And thank you for the offer but… a variety show is indeed too much for me. You know, I can’t do anything other than reading a script. I’m not particularly good with words, and I don’t have a fun personality, so even if I appeared, I don’t think I’d be much help to the program.”

“Oh boy…”

What on earth are you talking about, Seoul-ah. CEO Yeom, who felt sincerely frustrated while listening to the reason for refusal, grit his teeth. You’re fun even if you just keep your mouth shut. The people who would wail with gratitude even if we just filmed you reading a book for five hours without a single word and released it are exactly your fans…

However, this too would not be conveyed no matter how much he shouted it.

When he nodded like a sigh, Seoul’s expression finally improved. Although he had raised his voice while being swept up in Saheon’s pace, Lee Seoul originally belonged to the type whose temperament was calm like now.

“I’ll persuade Saheon well. I’m sorry for making you worry for nothing. If there has already been talk with the production crew over there… please make sure to convey my apologies to them as well.”

“Uh-huh, don’t let that weigh on your mind. It was me and that guy being stubborn in the first place, so there’s nothing for you to apologize for, Seoul-ah. Stop saying you’re sorry now, okay?”

“Even so.”

But, can that guy really be persuaded just by being persuaded…? At the instinctive question, CEO Yeom glanced at Seo Saheon, who was now openly leaning on Seoul. The way he lowered his posture and stared only at Seoul caused a headache automatically. Still, compared to the past, he had become close enough to normal that you’d think he’d become a real human, but… as long as Seoul had pulled the card of independence, one never knew.

Ah, what is it. This uneasy premonition.

His spine felt chilled for nothing, so he turned his gaze away.

CEO Yeom, hoping that all of this was just his own groundless worry, requested of Seoul.

“Well… even so, if you change your mind in the middle, tell me? If you say you want to do it, I’ll get you on the show even if I have to lie down in protest. If you have any other hard times, make sure to contact me. Got it?”

“Yes. I will, CEO.”

He answered with a smile, even crinkling the corners of his eyes, but everyone here knew that wouldn’t be the case. While looking at the child who drew jagged lines even toward him, Yeom Gangsik had to barely swallow a sigh that felt like it would pop out continuously.

And exactly four days later.

Upon receiving a phone call, he had to admit that his premonition had hit the mark exactly.