JADE 47

“Toledo has been famous for weapons made in its blacksmithies since long ago, I hear.”

Looking at the swords lining the street, I even had the thought of buying one and stabbing Kwon Joowan with it. My mental health had already hit rock bottom.

Jin Sejun wanted to be alone, but instead of getting lost with his friends, Kwon Joowan kept sticking to him, so as soon as they got free time, he entered a cafe.

He was munching on the pastry he got as a tea food, its texture strangely like a traditional Korean confection and quite unique, when Kwon Joowan pushed his own portion toward Jin Sejun.

“I don’t really eat sweets.”

He doesn’t really eat sweets, but he ate tanghulu just fine. What was it then, a tasty and sweet kiss? Jin Sejun couldn’t remember exactly what Kwon Joowan had said at the time, but the feeling that it was incredibly cheesy and the situation was hilarious remained.

“Have you tried this before?”

“Ah, yes. It’s called marzipan….”

“You know it well. Have you been to Spain before?”

“I have. A very long time ago…. I didn’t try marzipan back then, but someone gave it to me as a gift a few years ago.”

“I see.”

Jin Sejun downed the rest of his coffee and stood up right away.

“You don’t have to worry about me. You can go to Mr. Garam. I’ll look around on my own and come back.”

“Mr. Sejun.”

Kwon Joowan put down his half-finished coffee, then, as if to save face, called the waiter and paid. In that gap, Jin Sejun succeeded in blending into the teeming crowd.

He had to do this once in a while—look at nothing and think of nothing—to be able to endure. Still, it was a relief that the itinerary was almost over.

‘Should I at least buy a magnet?’

He had been swept away aimlessly by the crowd and entered a souvenir shop. It was the moment he put his hand into his hip pack.

A strange, unsettling feeling swept through his entire body.

“Huh…?”

Even before he unzipped it, the mouth of the bag was already wide open.

Fortunately, his phone and passport, which were in his pants pocket, were safe, but his bifold wallet had been completely stolen. In it were the cash from the envelope Chae Yoonmi had handed him while dropping him off at the airport, and his cards too.

Jin Sejun returned the item he was about to buy to its place and slowly walked back out. Seeing as there was no possibility he could have dropped it, he calmly went to a quiet place and canceled his cards first.

‘It’s a good thing I still have my passport and phone.’

The tour guide had warned them multiple times that if their passport got stolen, getting it reissued would be a real hassle since their departure was scheduled around a weekend.

Because it was a package tour, being without money until the return flight wouldn’t be a problem except for duty-free or souvenir shopping, and the money Chae Yoonmi had given him wasn’t a huge amount for Jin Sejun’s income.

But the thought that some pickpocket organization had gobbled up the spending money his sister-in-law, who was like an older sister to him, had so thoughtfully given him, felt bad. No, honestly, it was more than just bad.

To have heard about pickpockets so many times and still walk around absent-mindedly like an idiot…. Jin Youngjun had even told him to be sure to use an anti-theft strap.

Though it’s said that it’s not the victim’s fault in cases of theft and fraud, after having it happen to him when he’d been warned so emphatically to be careful, it was also true that he was embarrassed. He could even imagine the faces of the people who would ask what happened and worry about him, so he decided to just pretend nothing had happened.

He wouldn’t tell anyone, not even his sister-in-law. As for souvenirs, he could always order them online, so he just had to order them quickly after returning to Korea.

As he sat on the bus at the scheduled time, his stomach, which had been queasy, now began to ache with sharp pains. Kwon Joowan, who had just returned, spoke to him.

“Are you okay? Your face is completely white.”

“I use a shade 21 cushion foundation, you know.”

“I guess it’s nothing serious, then.”

To hide his feelings, Jin Sejun looked out the window and searched for and read through posts by people who had been pickpocketed while traveling.

Right, how lucky is it that my phone and passport are safe? If this was the worst trip ever, Kwon Joowan would be a bigger reason for it than being pickpocketed.

“Did you have fun?”

At the bright, informal words he suddenly heard, Jin Sejun lifted his head. Eun Garam, who had boarded through the back door of the bus with his mother, was handing a large bundle to Kwon Joowan.

“It’s called marzipan, they say it’s a traditional pastry from Toledo.”

“Ah, thanks.”

When did they decide to drop the formalities? They must have gone around separately here, but it seemed they’d had a chance to get closer again in the meantime. Jin Sejun briefly stared at Kwon Joowan, who claimed not to have a taste for sweets yet accepted the pastry the size of Eun Garam’s head, before closing his eyes.

He was in a bad mood….

Even though he was a working adult, and one in a profession that dealt with people at that, it was completely impossible to refresh himself. Seeing self-loathing begin to rear its head, he thought this might be his true nature. When a problem arose, instead of getting out of it with energy like the usual Jin Sejun, he would turn into a wreck.

The first time he remembered becoming a wreck was in college, when the person he liked didn’t just reject him but treated him like a rival in love and hated him. The second time was when he found out his pheromones were ruined. The third time was because of Kwon Joowan, and it looked like the fourth time would also be because of Kwon Joowan.

He was still okay for now. If he could smile and chat normally, return to Korea quietly, and hole himself up before doing something strange, he would be able to suffer through it without showing his shameful side to others.

At dinner, a bottle of wine was placed on each table as a gift from the travel agency.

“Didn’t you drink a lot at lunch too? Mr. Sejun, I feel like you’re spending this trip like a drunk.”

Kwon Joowan tried to dissuade him with a concerned look, but it just sounded annoying.

“You drink with your friends every night. Can’t I even drink by myself?”

“That’s not it….”

The table was a four-seater, and since they were a party of two, they ended up sharing a table with a newlywed couple, which made the atmosphere a little strange. Still, it was a relief that they were separated from Eun Garam and his mother this time.

To be searching for a silver lining at every single moment, this trip really is ruined. Thinking so, Jin Sejun unbuttoned his stuffy shirt, and Kwon Joowan immediately pulled him to his feet.

“I haven’t finished drinking.”

At some point, as he was being dragged out distractedly, he felt the cool evening breeze. Jin Sejun realized that the scent faintly tickling the tip of his nose was the perfume Kwon Joowan had sprayed on, and he rubbed his cheek against his chest before pushing him away, as quick as a flip of the hand, and standing up straight.

Kwon Joowan grabbed Jin Sejun’s shoulders.

“Let’s drink at the hotel instead. Stop drinking here.”

“But I don’t have any money.”

“I’ll pay.”

“Ooh~.”

Jin Sejun clapped his hands, clap clap, then abruptly turned to look at Kwon Joowan. He was repeatedly extending and retracting his hand, as if he wanted to re-button the button Jin Sejun had undone.

“But… will you not run away this time?”

“Pardon?”

“When we drink alone and go back to the same room, you run away, Kwon Joowan. Hahahaha.”

“……”

“Hahaha….”

As he stood in the outside air, the cheerfulness that had come with his intoxication quickly faded. Jin Sejun let out about three deep sighs and obediently got on the bus. A moment later, the people who had finished their meal also returned to the bus one by one.

“Mr. Sejun, did you drink that much?”

“The troubles you can soothe with alcohol are the most trivial ones of all.”

Please, just mind your own business! Jin Sejun resisted the urge to shout that and just smiled and shook his head. He had made a bit of a scene at the dinner table, but they would be returning to Korea after just one more night’s sleep. As he looked at the streetlights lit up outside, his eyes slowly closed.

The hotel was close, so he woke up quickly. Enveloped in a mood much more gloomy than before he had closed his eyes, Jin Sejun shoved the tour guide receiver and other things into his empty hip pack. The space felt so roomy with just one wallet gone.

Having become much more timid, Jin Sejun stood in a corner of the lobby as soon as he got his suitcase down and waited for Kwon Joowan to get the key. The moment he stepped one foot into the hotel room, Jin Sejun looked back at Kwon Joowan.

“I guess you didn’t make separate plans for drinks today?”

“We agreed that I would drink with you, Mr. Sejun.”

“I’m fine, so go on and have fun. I don’t have room for any more alcohol.”

“I told you I’m not going.”

“Ah, does it not matter because you’re going to meet up in Korea?”

Right, he had faintly heard them making plans to meet, with that beta included. At that time, Jin Sejun had been buying a drink for Eun Garam’s mother because she said she was thirsty. Looking back, the picture was a bit strange.

“Drink with me. I won’t run away.”

“You should run away. Stop sticking to me. Thanks to you, the trip I was looking forward to is completely ruined.”

If he had to pick out the lie in what he just spat out, it would be ‘looking forward to’. He started to wonder if he had been acting so immaturely that Kwon Joowan had to be this concerned, so this time he also wanted to make sure Kwon Joowan had a drink with Eun Garam alone.

Where did this capriciousness come from? Just as Jin Sejun was about to push Kwon Joowan to make him leave again, Kwon Joowan forcibly handed him a water bottle.

“Drink some. Let’s drink and talk.”

Jin Sejun took the water bottle but started prattling on without even bringing it to his lips.

“You of all people should know what it was like when you blocked me and ghosted me.”

“Mr. Sejun.”

“I quit the academy after telling only the director for a similar reason, to avoid seeing you. So would I be happy or not, running into you here? It’s fucking awful, is what it is.”

“I’m sorry about that. For now, just take a sip and let’s talk….”

“Running away is your specialty, so what kind of nonsense are you spouting now? Are you saying this without knowing whose fault it is that I’m binge drinking? For now, just disappear from my sight.”

“Here, open your mouth.”

“You two seemed to be getting along well with that omega. Should I switch rooms with him for you? His mother seemed to be comfortable with me too.”

“…Don’t tell me you’re interested in Mr. Garam’s mother….”

“Ah, fuck. Give it here. I’ll just drink it myself.”

Snatching the water bottle, Jin Sejun walked toward the bed and tilted his head back with gusto. But about five seconds later, thanks to a drop of water going down his windpipe, he was coughing unsightly, bent over like a shrimp.

If it were just coughing, it would have been one thing, but when he tried to breathe, it was as if there was only one tiny hole in his completely blocked windpipe, and only a gasping sound came out. As this repeated, a sense of fear gradually crept in. He was at a prime age to die from any cause, but ‘Died from choking on water while throwing a fit at Kwon Joowan’ was just too much.

It felt like if he threw up whatever was stuck in the middle, his entire dinner would come up with it, so he rushed to the bathroom. It was the moment he knelt before the toilet.

Kwon Joowan, who until a moment ago had been watching Jin Sejun for a short while as if to say, ‘what the hell is with this bastard,’ wrapped his arms firmly around his torso from behind.