DEARG Ch 16

That’s good enough.

As if to prove those words, Kang Seokwon observes Jo Jihyun with no opening left. The wind blew. Kang Seokwon neatly arranges Jo Jihyun’s scattering hair. It was hair that would soon become a mess again. If he could ever return, may it be this very moment. Jo Jihyun wished and wished desperately.

“Shall we go down?”

Due to the humidity in the air, both of their shoulders were already soaked. Jo Jihyun nodded his head.

Just then, the moon revealed itself through the clouds pushed away by the wind. Like a beautiful fingernail neatly clipped and pasted on, Jo Jihyun was momentarily captivated by the slender stream of light. Watching the movement of the long eyelashes casting a shadow, Kang Seokwon quietly swallows a sigh.

“Why are you doing that?”

Jo Jihyun raised his eyes slightly as if puzzled. Kang Seokwon’s gaze shifts to the moon.

“The moon,”

is so beautiful.

The bluntly added words that followed pierce his chest like fragments.

It brings to mind the anecdote of Natsume Soseki, who, unable to translate the words ‘I love you’ into the language of his time, replaced them with ‘the moon is so beautiful.’ It was a heart that could be fully conveyed to the other person by just saying that.

The moon is so beautiful.

The man’s sincerity is carried entirely in that one phrase.

“Come down carefully.”

Kang Seokwon says, leading the way down the stairs. Because of the shoes that didn’t fit, he had to descend slowly, one step at a time.

“I’ll buy you shoes tomorrow.”

The moment he was about to say it was okay, his shoe slipped off, and he tumbled forward. When he lifted his head, he was in Kang Seokwon’s arms.

“Are you okay?”

Jo Jihyun nodded his head in a flurry. Kang Seokwon loosens his grip on the arms holding him. At the unexpected touch of Kang Seokwon’s warmth, Jo Jihyun couldn’t come to his senses. He couldn’t even remember how he got down the stairs.

It was only after closing the front door and stepping inside that Jo Jihyun realized where he was standing.

“You go to sleep.”

Kang Seokwon said so without taking off his shoes.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll go for a walk around.”

It was far too early to go for a jog. He knew why Kang Seokwon was trying to go outside. It was to cool down even a little of the emotions he couldn’t suppress.

“The sun hasn’t even risen.”

“It’s okay.”

Jo Jihyun clutched the hem of his clothes. Kang Seokwon faintly knits his brows as if troubled.

“It’s because I think things will get difficult if I stay here.”

He mutters to himself, stroking his chin. Kang Seokwon pulls Jo Jihyun’s hand away and opens the front door.

“It’s okay.”

Kang Seokwon turns his head.

“Even if it gets difficult, ……no, it won’t be difficult. Not at all.”

At Jo Jihyun’s words, Kang Seokwon’s expression freezes. The front door closes. Jihyun-ah, he calls Jo Jihyun’s name softly.

“What do you mean by that?”

Worried that he might misunderstand, the man waits for the other’s intention to be clearly revealed.

“I want to be with you.”

If only I can see you for one more day.

“So……”

The man’s patience wasn’t long enough to wait for the rest of the sentence. Kang Seokwon leans his body against the wall while holding Jo Jihyun in his arms. After firmly cornering him so he couldn’t escape anywhere, he kisses him roughly. Urgently s**king on lips, taking off shoes, taking off clothes.

“Jihyun-ah.”

Through ragged breaths, Kang Seokwon calls him. Jo Jihyun lifts his eyes and responds to his call.

“If you’re going to stop, tell me now.”

Because I don’t think I can stop myself.

The man continues speaking, on the verge of exploding at any moment. Instead of answering, Jo Jihyun pulls his neck closer and kisses him. The conversation ended there. At their feet, their clothes were stripped away. Kang Seokwon grabs Jo Jihyun’s b**tocks and sits him on his thigh. Their fully swollen g**itals touched. Ah, at the bursting m**n, Kang Seokwon becomes aroused like a beast. His hard, thick thighs rubbed between Jo Jihyun’s legs. With his head feeling like it would burn up from excitement, Jo Jihyun suddenly becomes frightened and grabs Kang Seokwon’s arm. Kang Seokwon lowers his head and presses their lips together again. His tongue rampages through the heated mouth. He s**ked and l**ked his lips. Everything was a mess. They acted as instinct commanded, without order or procedure. Jo Jihyun’s underwear, which hadn’t been pulled down yet, became w**. The man’s large hand grips Jo Jihyun’s g**itals through the underwear. Ah, Jo Jihyun arches his back, but the wall at his back allowed no room to retreat. Through the thin underwear, he could feel the man’s firm knuckles. Eung, eung, as if to swallow the m**ns, Kang Seokwon changed angles over and over, s**king on Jo Jihyun’s lips. While they were kissing, Jo Jihyun finally came in Kang Seokwon’s hand. S**en trickled down from under his underwear. At the evidence of c**max, the man became aroused as if in heat. He lifts Jo Jihyun up in a flash and lays him on the blanket. Jo Jihyun lets out short breaths as he looks up at Kang Seokwon. His lofty and beautiful face is drenched in l**t.

Kang Seokwon bends down and kisses Jo Jihyun’s cheek. An indescribable ecstasy settles in his eyes. His deep emotions flood in like water. It was suffocating. Jo Jihyun pulls Kang Seokwon closer and presses their lips together again. Kang Seokwon’s g**itals touch his thigh. Because of their size difference, it was so difficult that he would lose his breath every time Kang Seokwon moved. Still, it was good. He wanted Kang Seokwon to lean everything on him completely. Jo Jihyun rubbed his body against his g**itals. He wanted to do everything for him. At that small gesture, Kang Seokwon loses his reason and grabs Jo Jihyun’s thighs, spreading them open. With their two g**itals pressed together, Kang Seokwon added his weight and rubbed. Below, he felt a tingling sensation.

“Jo Jihyun……”

As if in response to his call, Jo Jihyun tightens his hold on the arms embracing him. Kang Seokwon’s breathing becomes ragged. The heat touched the nape of his neck. The g**itals gripped by the man’s large hand made a w**, squelching sound. His body heats up. Jo Jihyun holds onto Kang Seokwon’s shoulders. Kang Seokwon charged at him like a beast that had lost its reason. It felt as if his own g**itals were being violated by the thick one. His slender body was shaken about indiscriminately. Kang Seokwon thrust his hips while moving his hand. He was so crushed by the large frame that it was hard enough to make him feel faint, but Jo Jihyun desperately held onto Kang Seokwon. He kissed Kang Seokwon’s cheek, his shoulder, his forehead, wherever he could reach. As if answering the call, Kang Seokwon held Jo Jihyun as if to break him.

Finally.

“――, ――.”

It pours out, full to the point of overflowing. S**en, whose it is unknown, mixes together.

Jo Jihyun gasped for breath raggedly. Kang Seokwon sits up and checks on Jo Jihyun. Jo Jihyun, with his body gone limp, smiled weakly. He wanted to tell him he was okay, but he didn’t have the strength to lift a single finger. His physical condition hadn’t fully recovered, but the difference in their builds was too great to begin with. Enduring Kang Seokwon’s weight was all he could manage.

Kang Seokwon clutches Jo Jihyun’s hair, soaked with sweat, and kisses it. Jihyun-ah, a trace of heat is mixed in the tone of his call. The piece of flesh that had already regained its shape touched the area near his thigh. Jo Jihyun, lacking strength, slowly spreads his legs, which were trembling minutely. Seeing that, Kang Seokwon grits his teeth.

“Stay still.”

Even the voice saying that is hoarse from suppressing desire. Kang Seokwon bends down and presses his nose to the nape of Jo Jihyun’s neck. Taking a deep breath, he begins to stroke his own enraged g**itals. Kang Seokwon called Jo Jihyun’s name. Jihyun-ah, Jihyun-ah. At that call, as if dreaming, Jo Jihyun’s chest feels tight.

“Jihyun-ah.”

It was a strange feeling. It sounded several times more affectionate than before. The moment he looks into Kang Seokwon’s eyes, he realizes why. It’s the present. All these emotions he is feeling now are in the present progressive tense, and therefore, are much deeper.

Kang Seokwon pressed his nose to Jo Jihyun’s slender nape, inhaling his scent deeply as he masturbated. Sweat flowed from Kang Seokwon’s body. Every time he stroked his lower body, a drop or two of sweat fell onto Jo Jihyun. At the overwhelming scent of a male, Jo Jihyun’s toes tingled. With his gaze, the man violated Jo Jihyun. Jo Jihyun lay limp on the floor, receiving the man’s breathing with his entire body. It felt as if his stomach was being filled up. It felt like a thick member that had never entered was invading him. He felt the illusion of a tight, tingling sensation below.

Jo Jihyun closed his eyes and bit his lip.

At that moment.

“――.”

The man’s s**en is sprayed. He strokes his member as if to squeeze out the very last drop. Kang Seokwon narrows his eyes and looks down at the white, n**ed body stained with his s**en. Then he bends down and kisses him. Softly s**king on his lips, the man brings his hand back to his g**in. As if he couldn’t believe the existence before his eyes, he tasted Jo Jihyun with his lips and tongue, checked his scent with his nose, and traced his form with his hands. The man was fully aroused by Jo Jihyun’s presence.

Kang Seokwon e**culated several times onto Jo Jihyun’s limp body.

With a warmly soaked towel, the man meticulously wiped his body clean, even between his fingers and toes. Careful not to wake him, so very careful, Jo Jihyun liked the sight of that large hand moving, so he closed his eyes and quietly entrusted his body to him. Then, he suddenly falls asleep. When he wakes from sleep, Kang Seokwon was there. When their eyes met, he would kiss him without fail. The lips pressing together would quickly reach ecstasy. When his body grew hot, the man couldn’t hide his excitement. He reached c**max several times. He didn’t know how much time had passed. There was no time to get dressed. They fell asleep on the blanket, practically n**ed, holding each other. They ate, slept, and made love. It was the life of beasts. Without need for reason, logic, or anything else. After spending several days like that, Jo Jihyun returned home. When he opened the front door and stepped inside, his mother greeted him nonchalantly. You’re back. Her tone was like she was addressing a son who had returned after a few hours of studying. It wasn’t particularly surprising. Jo Jihyun calmly spoke to his mother. He said that the cram school didn’t fit his study method, that he didn’t go because it felt like a waste of money, and that’s why he had saved it all without touching a single won, but that he could still do it. Wouldn’t it be better if my grades went up without the help of a cram school. At those added words, his mother’s face lit up. She had unerringly seized the point that would save her face. That’s right, everyone wouldn’t believe it if they heard you got that national percentage without even going to a cram school. But that’s the truth, isn’t it. My son is truly amazing. All the words she spoke were sincere. In those moments that fulfilled her own satisfaction, she expressed her love completely. I’ll be studying on my own from now on, so I don’t need the cram school fees. At Jo Jihyun’s words, she smiled as if she had been waiting for them, Yes, it can’t be helped, then.

He went to the convenience store. Jo Jihyun bowed his head in front of the fuming manager. He apologized sincerely, saying he was sorry for not being in contact due to an accident, that he would make sure it never happened again, and that if the manager wished, he would work without pay for the period he missed. The manager, who had been flying into a rage at first, eventually smacked his lips at Jo Jihyun’s repeated apologies and asked, So when can you start? In the end, he started his part-time job at the convenience store again. It turned out the manager had been filling in for all the missed hours himself because there were no other applicants. While saying he would just pay him for the hours he worked, the manager asked if he could perhaps extend his hours during the vacation. Jo Jihyun nodded his head. It was a good thing. He had to save up even a little more money.

In the morning, he went to the library to study, and from 4 PM to 10 PM, he worked. Kang Seokwon, after finishing his workout, would come and wait for Jo Jihyun to finish. On their way home together, the two would talk about this and that. Since both of them were not very talkative, the time spent in silence was overwhelmingly longer than the time spent talking. But it didn’t matter. Every minute, every second with him was precious. That was enough. Even if it ends someday, even if a day comes when he has to withdraw from Kang Seokwon’s life, he thought that for now, this was enough. However, he vowed to never make a choice that would ruin Kang Seokwon’s life. The act of leaving him without a word, that would not happen.

“How was today?”

Kang Seokwon asks as they walk down the hill. He always checked on his daily routine. He was always curious about his unremarkable, ordinary days.

“It was similar.”

Jo Jihyun thought for a moment before adding, I received a letter. Kang Seokwon’s mouth sets firmly. He had witnessed a similar incident firsthand before.

“I rejected it. Said I was seeing someone.”

I see, Kang Seokwon replies. Sensing a slight hint of displeasure, Jo Jihyun swallowed a laugh.

“Because this time, I really am.”

Kang Seokwon stops walking abruptly. Jo Jihyun lifts his head. He pulls him by the wrist into a deserted alley. He pulls him into an embrace and kisses him. Surprised, Jo Jihyun froze for a moment but soon parted his lips to match Kang Seokwon’s. He could hear the sound of their soft lips meeting and parting. Their lips would move apart only to press together again and again. Just when his vision was growing hazy from lack of breath, Kang Seokwon loosens the hand holding Jo Jihyun’s neck. Kang Seokwon’s gaze is fixed on Jo Jihyun. Even while holding him, he feels an endless, unfulfilled craving. He is tormented, not knowing what to do with how lovely he is.

“Tomorrow……”

They were at a distance where their lips could touch precariously. Yeah, Kang Seokwon responds.

“Tomorrow, since it’s the weekend, …….”

On weekends, he mostly stayed at Kang Seokwon’s studio apartment. From morning till night. They spent all their time together.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

Kang Seokwon liked to cook for Jo Jihyun himself. Jo Jihyun also liked the food he made. It wasn’t anything grand, but to him, it was special. Like the barley tea he had boiled on the first day he went to his house.

“Omelet rice, can you make it?”

Kang Seokwon nods his head.

“I’ll make it for you.”

He replied, kissing Jo Jihyun’s forehead. They leave the alley and start walking again.

“I should have learned to cook too.”

“Why.”

“I’m sorry for always just receiving food.”

Even after eating, Kang Seokwon wouldn’t even let Jo Jihyun do the dishes. Even if Jo Jihyun offered to do it, he made sure not a single drop of water touched his hands.

“You can receive more.”

“You’ll spoil me, really.”

Kang Seokwon pulls his lips into a pleasant smile.

“You’ve still got a long way to go for that.”

That one phrase makes his heart ache.

The time the two had spent together was not very long. He had left Korea around the end of autumn. Although the order and timing of events were jumbled, they flowed in a somewhat similar stream. It felt as if he could not escape.

“Why.”

Noticing Jo Jihyun’s expression suddenly darken, Kang Seokwon asked.

“Because it’s a waste.”

At the words muttered like a sigh, Kang Seokwon tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“Because this time will not come back again.”

Kang Seokwon lightly messes up Jo Jihyun’s hair. Jo Jihyun gave a weak smile. He hoped he would take it as a comment thrown out of context.

They arrived at the bus stop and took the same bus. Kang Seokwon was supposed to get off first, but he always went with Jo Jihyun to his stop and then took the bus back. He didn’t go all the way to his house. You don’t have to walk me to my door. When he had said that, Kang Seokwon might have been hurt. Because he had deliberately used the coldest voice possible. Kang Seokwon had replied that he would do so without even asking for a reason.

Jo Jihyun, seated, opened the window a little. The night bus had its own unique atmosphere. The lights and the night breeze that brushed past the window made his spirits flutter.

He always used his spare time on the bus or subway with a vocabulary book, but when he was with Kang Seokwon, he didn’t take anything out. He wanted to devote all his time entirely to him.

“You’re right.”

At Kang Seokwon’s sudden words, Jo Jihyun turned his head. A look of pity was in his eyes as he looked at him.

“It’s a waste.”

Jo Jihyun blinked. Only after a little while did he understand the meaning of his words. Their gazes tangled in mid-air. In that moment, as if the continuity of time had been broken, everything stops. Thoughts, breath, even emotions.

In the end, only the two of them remain.

That day, they ended up passing their stop and had to walk for two more stops.

They were days that would never return.

Jo Jihyun.

At the low voice calling him, Jo Jihyun was startled and lifted his head. Kang Seokwon was standing there. He gestures with his hand to go outside. Looking at the clock, it was about time to pack up and leave. Jo Jihyun put his books in his bag and stood up, following Kang Seokwon.

“What brings you here?”

Sometimes, on days when Kang Seokwon didn’t have training, they would meet for lunch in the library basement or nearby, but it was rare for him to show up unannounced like this.

“It’s raining.”

He replies curtly, pointing out the window.

“Don’t you have training?”

“……”

Kang Seokwon doesn’t answer. Though neither of them says it, after they realized they were both quick to catch on, they chose to keep their mouths shut instead of lying.

“Aren’t you going to get in trouble if you keep skipping like this?”

Maybe, Kang Seokwon retorts, opening an umbrella. A late summer rain was pouring down with enough force to pierce the ground. After just a few steps, Jo Jihyun’s clothes were soaked by the downpour. One umbrella was impossible, no matter what.

“Closer.”

At Kang Seokwon’s voice, Jo Jihyun moved right up next to him. Their shoulders touched. In the air was mixed the fresh grassy smell unique to summer. He doesn’t mention that he saw the weather forecast this morning and has an umbrella in his bag.

It was about a ten-minute walk from the library to the convenience store. He deliberately came to study at the library near the convenience store.

“Vacation ends next week.”

Kang Seokwon says with a hint of regret. The summer vacation was coming to an end. Jo Jihyun called out to him, Hey.

“Why?”

“Do you happen to have time this weekend?”

Kang Seokwon nods his head with an expression that says he’s asking the obvious. Their weekends belonged to each other. Even without making plans, neither of them ever scheduled anything else on weekends.

“Could I ask you for a favor?”

“Yeah.”

Kang Seokwon carefully observed Jo Jihyun’s face as he hesitated, choosing his words.

“I would like you to go to Jeju Island with me.”

“Jeju Island?”

Like a boxer hit with an unexpected attack, Kang Seokwon’s eyes fly open.

“Yes.”

Jo Jihyun added in a slightly shy tone. Because I want to go.

“Come to think of it, you didn’t go on the school trip, did you.”

Alright, Kang Seokwon replies lightly.

“We’ll have to buy plane tickets first.”

“I’ll book them.”

Kang Seokwon raises an eyebrow askew. A hint of displeasure clouds his eyes.

“I’m always just receiving things, but I haven’t given you anything.”

“It’s fine.”

“I want to give you something too.”

Jo Jihyun stops walking.

“I want to do something for you, too. I don’t want to only receive.”

He wanted to give a gift to Kang Seokwon. So that when he looks back on it someday, it can remain as a good memory. With the part-time pay he would receive by the end of today, he could roughly calculate the cost for their round-trip airfare and travel expenses. He would end up using all the money he had earned so far, but he didn’t feel it was a waste in the slightest.

“Please.”

Jo Jihyun bowed his head. Kang Seokwon puckered his lips, looking perplexed.

“Why are you bowing your head over something like this?”

“There is one more thing I must ask you to understand.”

“What is it.”

Kang Seokwon urged him on for the next words, as if intrigued.

“We plan to make it a day trip.”

With the money he had, accommodation was out of the question, and besides, he couldn’t bring himself to tell his parents he would be staying overnight. At Jo Jihyun’s words, Kang Seokwon let out a short burst of laughter.

“Are you serious? About that?”

He nodded his head ever so slightly.

“Sometimes, you……”

Kang Seokwon’s voice dissolves like laughter.

“I have no idea what you’re thinking.”

Jo Jihyun rubbed his flushed face with the back of his hand. Kang Seokwon cupped his cheek and made him meet his eyes. Their lips touched lightly before pulling away. There was no one on the street in the pouring, torrential rain.

“Let’s go, anywhere.”

The moment Kang Seokwon said that, it really felt like they could go anywhere. He righted the umbrella and they started walking again. By the time they arrived at the convenience store, both of their clothes were completely soaked.

“Jihyun, you’re here early. Ah, you’re here?”

Kim Soojung was greeting Jo Jihyun when she acknowledged the man who followed him in. The people working the shifts before and after Jo Jihyun all naturally came to know Kang Seokwon. He was the kind of person who drew your gaze even if you just passed him on the street.

Kang Seokwon also gave a short nod.

“I’ll go change my clothes and be right back.”

Jo Jihyun went into the storage room. Kim Soojung kept stealing glances at Kang Seokwon, then said, Um, and struck up a conversation.

“My younger brother is a fan of yours, Kang Seokwon. So when I told him you come to the convenience store where I work often, he didn’t believe me.”

“Yes.”

“That kid doesn’t believe a word I say. I’m the same way, but anyway, so because of that……”

Jo Jihyun came out after changing his clothes.

“Wow, you changed fast.”

Kim Soojung says, looking at Jo Jihyun as if impressed. Jo Jihyun, with a blank face, opened the POS and began to check the cash balance.

“Jihyun-ah, I deposited the money that piled up there into the safe, and there weren’t many customers today, so you should be able to count it quickly.”

“Yes. I understand.”

While Jo Jihyun counted the money, Kim Soojung turned her gaze back to Kang Seokwon.

“To continue what I was saying earlier, would it be okay to take just one picture? I want to show off to my brother.”

The sound of a coin dropping to the floor was heard. Jo Jihyun bent down and picked up the fallen coin.

“Just one would be enough.”

Kim Soojung says, showing her index finger with a coquettish smile.

“I don’t like it.”

When the firm refusal came back, Kim Soojung asked back, Excuse me?

“Taking pictures, I don’t like it.”

After saying that, Kang Seokwon apologized, saying, I’m sorry, but he didn’t look particularly sorry. Kim Soojung scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed.

“I’ve finished checking the cash. You’ve worked hard.”

When Jo Jihyun spoke, Kim Soojung smiles, Oh, you have?

“Aren’t you late for your cram school?”

“Ah, right. I’ll see you later then. See you next time.”

As she ran out, only the sound of the bell echoed in the convenience store.

“Aren’t you leaving?”

“When the rain lets up a bit.”

Kang Seokwon took out a bottle of water. Jo Jihyun rang him up and tidied up the area around the counter. Kim Soojung had a bright and easygoing personality, but she wasn’t someone who kept her surroundings neat.

“Jo Jihyun.”

The moment Jo Jihyun lifted his head, click, the sound of a camera shutter was heard.

“……, did you just take a picture of me?”

“Yeah.”

Jo Jihyun’s eyes widened. Then, he puckered his lips and said, I don’t like having my picture taken either.

He had a fair number of pictures from his childhood. His mother at the time was young and beautiful. But at some point, unable to bear her own aging appearance, she stopped taking pictures. Naturally, she didn’t take pictures of her son either. Jo Jihyun also naturally became reluctant to have his picture taken.

“Could you please delete it?”

Kang Seokwon checks the photo on his phone screen and then, Hmm, sinks into thought. When he had to take ID photos out of necessity, he always stared at the camera lens with a blank expression. He would get nervous and awkward in front of a camera lens.

“It probably came out weird.”

Kang Seokwon says, No, shaking his head and putting the phone in his pocket.

“Only I will look at it.”

His tone was as if he were vowing to protect a precious jewel. Jo Jihyun rubbed his heated nape and averted his gaze. He could never win against Kang Seokwon.

“It’s showing no signs of stopping.”

Kang Seokwon drinks the water in one go and throws the empty bottle into the trash can.

“I’ll come pick you up later.”

Jo Jihyun nodded his head. I’m leaving, Kang Seokwon said, and left the convenience store.

Come to think of it, he didn’t have a single picture of Kang Seokwon either. At that time, he hadn’t even thought of sharing one. Memories had their limits. He thought that next time, he should take one too.

Then, suddenly, Jo Jihyun smiled bitterly. It felt like he was preparing for the end, like a terminally ill patient counting their remaining days.

The sound of the rain cooled the humid air of late summer.

To catch the bus to the airport, the two met at dawn. Jo Jihyun kept rubbing his slightly swollen eyes with the back of his hand. He had stayed up all night with his eyes open. He couldn’t fall asleep, worried that it might pour rain like that time and the plane wouldn’t be able to take off.

“Sleep if you’re sleepy. It’s a long way to the airport.”

Jo Jihyun nodded his head. Though exhaustion washed over him, he couldn’t fall asleep on the bus either. Jo Jihyun kept his gaze fixed out the window and endured the journey to the airport with dry eyes. When they arrived at the airport, they had no luggage to check, and since it was early, the check-in process was finished quickly. While waiting to board the plane, Jo Jihyun again looked out the window.

“Why?”

Kang Seokwon asks, having noticed that Jo Jihyun had been looking only out the window since a while ago.

“I was just thinking it’s a relief.”

“What is.”

“The weather.”

Kang Seokwon looked up at the sky as if asking what he meant. The sky, with its low-hanging clouds, was so overcast it looked like it could rain at any moment.

“It doesn’t seem like particularly good weather.”

“But the plane is taking off. That’s all that matters.”

Even while sitting in the chair, Jo Jihyun anxiously checked the sky several times. Fortunately, boarding also proceeded without any problems. It was only at the moment the plane took off from the runway that Jo Jihyun let out a sigh of relief. Kang Seokwon, sitting next to him, gazed at Jo Jihyun intently before speaking.

“You couldn’t sleep because you were worried about that?”

It seemed he had guessed from his swollen eyes. Jo Jihyun, looking a little embarrassed, replied, Yes.

He remembers the day he saw the sea for the first time in his life. Murky water mixed with debris was pushed by the fierce wind, soaking the sand. The sight, neither beautiful nor special, he can recall in vivid detail, as if it were happening right now. The smell of that day, the temperature, the wind, the warmth of the man that had brushed against him so precariously. Among the countless days in his memory, it is the happiest moment. Whenever he heard the sound of rain, he always thought of that day. That night, Kang Seokwon had promised him. That they would be together after six seasons had passed. He couldn’t keep that promise. The promise to go to Jeju Island next time was the same.

But this time, for sure,

“I’m glad. That I can keep the promise.”

Kang Seokwon lightly taps Jo Jihyun’s cheek with his finger.

“Get some sleep.”

Jo Jihyun closed his eyes in relief. As soon as the tension loosened, he fell asleep in an instant. When he opened his eyes, they were already at Jeju Airport.

“Is there anywhere you want to go?”

Kang Seokwon asked as they came out of the airport. Jo Jihyun took a printout from his bag and held it out.

“I did some research.”

Seeing that he had organized it neatly and systematically with photos attached, as if writing a report, Kang Seokwon’s lips loosen into a smile.

“So this is how you get first place in the whole school.”

Jo Jihyun blinked. He had no memory of telling him such a thing. I saw your name on the bulletin board, Kang Seokwon continues.

“It was easy to find.”

I was curious. What place you’d be this time. How hard you must have worked. Just those kinds of trivial things.

The words that the Kang Seokwon from his memory had said are overlaid onto the present Kang Seokwon.

Is the past Kang Seokwon and the present Kang Seokwon the same person?

After reading a book he had recently borrowed from the library about parallel universe theory, such questions had multiplied. Whether he had come to the past, or if he had fallen into a completely different dimension.

Kang Seokwon’s eyes narrow as he reads the paper. He looks to be in a good mood. His gaze is inadvertently stolen by the line of his lips that connects to his straight nose bridge.

“So, where should we go?”

Kang Seokwon asks, flipping the paper over.

“Anywhere is fine.”

“There’s no such place as anywhere.”

At the slightly playful tone, Jo Jihyun swallowed a laugh. He might never find the answer to his question. What was certain was the fact that he was bound to like Kang Seokwon.

They ate noodles at a noodle shop near the airport and took a bus. The scenery passing by the bus window was quite exotic. Trees that couldn’t be seen in Seoul lined the road.

Kang Seokwon looked at Jo Jihyun’s side profile, his eyes unable to leave the window. Unlike his usual calm demeanor, a somewhat excited look was showing.

“You must have been very disappointed you couldn’t go on the school trip.”

“What? No, that’s not it.”

Jo Jihyun shifts his gaze evasively, looking a little flustered. His long eyelashes move, brushing together softly.

“It’s good because I came with you.”

Jo Jihyun’s voice was cold and distinct. He would often push things away, distinguishing between what was related to him and what was not. Kang Seokwon clearly knows the moments when the boundary in that voice crumbles and emotion is carried in it. The moments when the air scatters lovingly in an instant,

“And also, this is my first time traveling.”

like now.

Me too, Kang Seokwon replies, then pulls his lips into a smile. Jo Jihyun smiles back before turning his gaze to the window again.

Kang Seokwon took Jo Jihyun’s hand. Jo Jihyun turns to look, startled. On the rattling bus, besides the two of them, there was only one older woman. Kang Seokwon propped his chin on his hand and looked out the window, pretending not to notice Jo Jihyun’s gaze. Jo Jihyun tried to pull his hand away, but he couldn’t overcome the strength of his grip to begin with. Later, even the one passenger got off, leaving only the two of them on the bus. In the end, they went all the way to their destination holding hands.

The bus dropped the two of them off at a beach.

At Jo Jihyun’s words that he wanted to see the sea, they had chosen a beach near the airport as their destination. As soon as they got off the bus, a tremendous wind hit them. The salt-laden wind had a different weight from what one felt in the city.

Jo Jihyun looked at the sea, squinting his eyes slightly. An endless sea of gloomy, grayish-blue light unfolds. The low sky and the horizon meet. The water wasn’t very clear because of the entirely overcast sky.

“How is it.”

Kang Seokwon asked for his impression.

“It’s nothing special.”

Jo Jihyun replied.

He had thought it would be some special scenery. He had vaguely imagined a transparent sea and sky as if paint had been dissolved in them. He had thought a magnificent view, as if drawn in a picture, would unfold.

“It’s because the weather is like this.”

Kang Seokwon chimed in on Jo Jihyun’s words.

The strong wind caused fierce waves that stirred up the sediment settled at the bottom. It wasn’t particularly different from the murky sea the two of them had seen that day.

And yet,

“I like it.”

Jo Jihyun muttered as if to himself.

A feeling of pride wells up. He is happy in the present, being with Kang Seokwon. The salty sea breeze, the sand breaking under the waves, this moment he is standing on with him, it is so good it’s indescribable.

“I’m so glad we came……”

Jo Jihyun cannot continue his sentence.

He is faced with a boy in love. In his calm gaze is carried the deep emotion of someone who had searched for a person who had not sent a single word of news for several years.

Is it okay to call something like this love?

This heavy emotion, that makes his chest hurt so much he can’t breathe just from thinking about it, that makes him fret, that makes his whole body tingle as if all his nerves are being pressed down.

Jo Jihyun. He calls his name. It was a name that had been a lifelong source of teasing. He never thought he would be able to like it. But his call is special. An emotion that cannot be expressed by anything else is full within it. The name called by Kang Seokwon is a very private whisper.

“I like you.”

With difficulty, as if swallowing hot iron, he utters one phrase. It is a short, simple phrase, as if no other expression is needed.

Jo Jihyun gives a small nod. He knows he should answer, but his lips tremble and the words don’t come out. Kang Seokwon waits for Jo Jihyun’s answer with ample patience.

“I……, feel the same way.”

It was a terribly uncool answer. But as if that was enough, Kang Seokwon slowly closes and opens his eyes.

“Come here.”

Kang Seokwon extends his arms.

Jihyun-ah, come here.

It’s okay if you never see me again.

With what kind of heart did he hold out his hand that day? Jo Jihyun approaches Kang Seokwon and embraces him.

“Good job.”

The man says, as one would to a small child who has taken his first steps. Every time Kang Seokwon treated him kindly, Jo Jihyun felt like a child receiving the love of ordinary parents.

Kang Seokwon turns his body to block the sea breeze from directly hitting him, then lightly kisses Jo Jihyun’s forehead.

They walked on the beach. Their feet sank into the sand, and soon the insides of their shoes were full of dirt, but they kept walking. They found a nearby café, bought coffee, drank it, and then walked again.

“What time is the flight?”

“7 o’clock.”

Kang Seokwon checked the time. Considering the distance to the airport and the check-in time, they had to start heading back soon. Both of them knew this but didn’t say it out loud.

“Thank you.”

“For what.”

“For everything.”

Jo Jihyun looks up at Kang Seokwon.

“……I told you I’d pay you back someday.”

Hmm? Kang Seokwon asks back.

“I still have a long way to go to pay you back for all the meals I’ve received.”

The corners of Kang Seokwon’s eyes curve.

“Right.”

Kang Seokwon takes Jo Jihyun’s hand and puts it in his own pocket. Shall we go now? he asks. Jo Jihyun nodded his head.

“I’ll go home early tomorrow.”

It was the last weekend before the vacation ended.

“And, um, ……I have something to ask you.”

“What is it.”

Jo Jihyun says, Um, and bites his lip then releases it. Kang Seokwon knows it’s a habit he has before bringing up something difficult. While choosing his words, his gaze moves downward. That trivial, small gesture, is so unbearably lovely that Kang Seokwon silently watches Jo Jihyun’s hesitation.

“I don’t know what you’ll think, but,”

That was as far as he got. Drip, drop, raindrops falling on his face confined the surroundings in the blink of an eye.

Kang Seokwon took Jo Jihyun’s hand and ran to the awning of a nearby café. Jo Jihyun looked up at the sky with an anxious expression and asked, It will stop, right? But even after a long while, the rain showed no signs of stopping; instead, the downpour grew stronger. Kang Seokwon glanced up at the sky and narrowed his eyes.

“What should we do?”

“We have to go to the airport first.”

Fortunately, a bus stop was visible not too far across the street. Kang Seokwon ran to the stop, shielding Jo Jihyun as much as possible to keep him from getting w**. Even though they only had to cross a two-lane road, both of their clothes were quickly soaked. After waiting for about ten minutes, the bus arrived. It was an hour’s ride to the airport. They had plenty of time.

The problem was,

“What do we do?”

Jo Jihyun asked, looking at the rain pouring so heavily that the outside of the window was barely visible.

“It will stop.”

However, the closer they got to the airport, the worse the situation became. As soon as they got off at the airport, Jo Jihyun realized the gravity of the situation. The people lined up at every airline counter were all shouting with consistently angry faces.

“Stay here.”

Kang Seokwon went to the counter of the airline they had flown with. Several employees were bowing their heads to inquiring passengers. Kang Seokwon had a short conversation with an employee and came right back.

“The flight is delayed, but they said there’s a possibility of cancellation.”

At the word ‘cancellation,’ Jo Jihyun’s eyes widened.

“Let’s wait for now. Sudden rain can also stop suddenly.”

Kang Seokwon said calmly, pointing to an empty chair in the corner. The two of them went and sat in the chairs. The combination of w** clothes and the air conditioning easily sapped their body heat. Jo Jihyun rubs his arms and bites his lip, then lets it go. Wait here, Kang Seokwon said, and stood up from his seat. He disappeared somewhere and came back with a small blanket.

“Where did you get this.”

“I bought it, at the convenience store.”