SWAP 60

In response to Saheon’s fluid argument, Seoul had no choice but to stand there for a few seconds with a look of utter speechlessness. Naturally, it wasn’t in a positive sense; he felt overwhelmed, not knowing where to even begin crossing out the logic with a red pen. He was stunned because there were mountains of points to nitpick, but since he couldn’t let it slide, he decided to just cross out the whole thing. Looking at him, Saheon was more merciless toward himself than anyone else.

“Seo Saheon. How many times do I have to tell you that you’re perfectly fine?”

“You’re the only person who says that to me.”

As if you have no one else…

Seoul’s eyes narrowed with disbelief.

Since they were close enough to know each other’s social circles inside out, he knew that was a lie. Even though his physique had grown significantly, Seo Saheon was still a beloved youngest son. Seoul knew this because he had watched those various forms of affection from the side for a long time.

“What do you mean you have no one? Do you know how many people cherish you? You built a great career in a short time and made it all the way here, yet you’re doing that again. That’s a huge deal. You’re doing well enough, so don’t worry. Okay?”

“…….”

“And it’s better for everyone to know the good things. What’s the point if I’m the only one who knows? I want people to like you. I know it might be my own greed, but… I just hate it when you’re misunderstood. I’d rather you only hear good things if possible.”

No matter how hard a rock is, if it is struck without rest, a mark is bound to remain. Even for Saheon, who claimed not to care about the gaze of others, there could come a day when that shallowly carved dent might throb.

Because he knew of such nights, Seoul spoke with sincerity. Saheon, who had been staring at Seoul in silence, asked quietly.

“Even if I say it doesn’t matter?”

“…….”

“Fine.”

Buzz.

Just in time, the pager placed on the table began to vibrate. Saheon snatched it as if he had been waiting for it and headed to the counter, leaving Seoul alone to feel complicated once again.

He knew he was being meddlesome.

However, when it came to Saheon, it was hard to control himself, as if his internal locks were rattling loose. He was tapping his fingernails together, suppressing the desire to make everything turn out well and have Saheon walk only on the safest paths.

Before he knew it, Saheon returned to the table, placed an iced americano in front of Seoul, and lightly touched his hand.

Startled back to reality, Seoul wrapped both hands around the glass, and Saheon sat down across from him without a word.

When a sudden silence followed, Seoul felt unnecessarily awkward and pulled his glass closer to take a sip of coffee. Glancing forward, he saw Saheon moving his fingers across his phone screen. This was behavior he rarely engaged in when they were together.

Is he mad?

For a moment, Seoul felt self-conscious and just toyed with the smooth glass.

Saheon, putting down his phone, suddenly picked up the action cam that had been rolling on the table. Because Seoul had practically thrown it down in horror at Saheon’s “Book of the Dead” comment, the angle was pointing toward the ceiling. Saheon turned it toward them, unfolded the handle, and set it on the table. The faces of Seoul and Saheon were captured simultaneously.

Seoul, not knowing what he was doing, stared blankly before surreptitiously avoiding the lens and leaning his upper body back. Saheon, looking as if he were verifying something, lifted his phone.

Then, as if he had been waiting, he began to read something.

“Title. Seoul. Our cafe went to college this year.”

“……?”

The sentence was beyond random; it was nonsensical. A cafe went to college? Seoul, who didn’t even know the famous “Waffle University” meme, could only look bewildered as the words felt like total nonsense.

Normally, he would have asked, “What are you reading?” but because he was feeling strangely cautious, he couldn’t speak and just hesitantly pulled at his glass. Feeling parched, he took a gulp of cold coffee through the straw, but Saheon immediately began reading the next part.

“How are you? It’s an afternoon where I wish it were a lie that time flows just fine even while I’m making a fuss and crying for only you every day. You aren’t here today either, but the fan cafe has already turned twenty. They say kids grow up in the blink of an eye, and our cafe was the same.”

“Pffft…!”

The coffee going down his esophagus suddenly got stuck. Seoul, who managed to swallow it down with effort since he couldn’t spit it out, looked at Saheon with an expression of utter disbelief. No, so right now. Is that… oblivious to Seoul’s inner turmoil, Saheon continued reading the next part without changing his expression.

“But don’t worry. Thanks to our Seoul working like an ox, our cafe got a scholarship and went to college. Although I attended the last premiere….”

“What… cough, what are you reading!”

Seoul, finally coming to his senses, straightened his body from where he had leaned back and quickly blocked Saheon’s phone screen with his palm. He never imagined Saheon would actually read posts from his fan cafe. Startled to the point that the back of his neck turned red, Seoul suppressed his light coughing and applied strength to his hand.

He tried to snatch it away, but it wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t like they were arm wrestling, but even as he struggled and pulled, it was useless. Meanwhile, Saheon stretched out his left hand and moved the coffee glass that had been in front of Seoul over to his own side. Seeing that made Seoul even more annoyed, and as he glared with sharp eyes, Saheon calmly shrugged and spoke.

“I’m reading posts from your fan cafe?”

“I’m asking why you’re suddenly reading that…!”

“I told you. If you get upset over stuff like that again, I’m going to scrape every post from your fan cafe and read them aloud in front of you. You’re too scared to even enter places like this anyway. I have to be the one to read them to you.”

Only then did Seoul recall the promise made some time ago, and he shook his head with a look of dismay. He had brushed it off as a joke and didn’t give it another thought, but his heart was pounding because he didn’t realize Saheon would actually do it. Since Saheon looked ready to pull his hand away and read the next sentence at any moment, Seoul spoke up urgently. His voice was almost a crawl.

“Fine. I won’t do it. I won’t be like that….”

Saheon, having finally obtained the answer he wanted, slowly released his strength. Unlike earlier when he was as immovable as a rock, he allowed himself to be pulled, and his arm holding the phone was drawn forward. Saheon naturally leaned his upper body over the table, and Seoul confiscated the phone before he could even see it.

Only after turning off the brightly lit screen and hiding it in his back pocket did Seoul finally feel relieved. He looked up sharply and saw Saheon’s hand still holding his own left hand.

“Let go.”

“You’re the one who pulled me.”

“…….”

After the immediate fire was extinguished, his head cleared up a bit. Wait, but did I search my name? Did I look at YouTube? Thinking about it, this felt a bit different from the promise they made back then, and a sense of injustice belatedly set in.

Filled with resentment, Seoul’s eyes naturally sharpened as he glared slightly at Saheon. Since he knew Saheon might resort to more stubbornness if he spoke, he just offered a timid protest.

Saheon, who had been observing Seoul intently while resting his chin on his hand, finally nudged the camera angle. It was because he didn’t particularly want to show the world Lee Seoul huffing with a red neck. Turning the angle so only his own face was captured, Saheon asked in a voice laced with amusement.

“Why are you glaring at me when you’re the one who didn’t keep the promise? Are you pretending I’m scary again?”

“…I’ve finished my coffee, so let’s go home now.”

“Earlier you said let’s stay here until the sun goes down.”

That was before Seo Saheon became so obnoxious. Because it was even more annoying that he was asking when he clearly knew the answer, Seoul spoke like a sigh.

“I can’t order dessert.”

“I’ll eat it.”

“…….”

“Go order as much as you’re annoyed.”

……Those words touched a streak of stubbornness in Seoul that usually remained dormant. Wondering if Saheon said that thinking he couldn’t do it, Seoul got up from his seat, snatched the card, and headed to the counter. He ordered a piece of the sweetest-looking chocolate tiramisu, a brownie topped with a whole scoop of ice cream, and a macaron set filled with every kind of sugar imaginable. After a while, he belatedly came to his senses at the feast of desserts filling the table.

What on earth did I do.

He stared at the table with a face already weary before even eating, but Saheon, picking up a fork without a word, took a large scoop of the cloyingly sweet tiramisu.

Saheon was someone who usually didn’t consume caffeine at all. Since he started demolishing the desserts despite having only ordered a single tea bag for a drink, it was now Seoul who was in a panic. He tried to fuss, saying “you don’t have to eat it” and “stop eating,” but because Saheon kept moving his fork, Seoul eventually ate three macarons in his place and “died” a heroic death.

Thanks to that, when the two returned home late in the evening, they declared they wouldn’t eat dinner. Saheon, while applying plenty of Vaseline to the hands of Seoul—who was lying in bed with an upset stomach—asked in passing.

“But Seoul. Is that the only thing you’re upset about?”

What did he mean?

While he was racking his brain to understand the meaning, a wave of sleepiness quickly overcame him.

And so, Seoul fell asleep that day without even knowing the fact that he hadn’t been exchanged.