GBAS 59

“I’m sorry. I’m a bit shy around new people.”

At Hyunwoo’s answer, Namyoung’s eyes went wide as he said.

“You, you don’t seem like that at all? I just thought you were a total social butterfly-.”

“Dude! Read the room. He’s saying he doesn’t like you.”

“Mr. Hyunwoo, how many KakaoTalk friends do you have? Just tell me that.”

Undeterred by Taeil’s nagging, Namyoung even stood up from his seat, reached his arms out towards Hyunwoo, and waved them around wildly.

“Why. I don’t want to. Mr. Hyunwoo, be my friend!”

He was saying that if Hyunwoo didn’t shake his hand, he would come and grab it himself.

‘A person who looks perfectly fine on the outside…….’

A handshake, whatever. It was while he was muttering to himself and timing the moment to take Namyoung’s hand. Suddenly, Hyunwoo looked across the table and furrowed his brows noticeably.

Jooin, who was sitting with his chin propped on the table, chuckled at Namyoung. A pointless sense of stubbornness arose.

“Ah, hurry up and shake it!”

“Jihwan, take care of him.”

He stood his ground, unfazed by the hand waving in front of him. Just then, a welcome phone call came.

Bzzzz- Bzzzz-

Thanks to the phone ringing on the table with its screen clearly visible, everyone in the room fell silent as if on cue. The caller was Han Jiwoo.

“Uh, I need to take this call for a moment.”

“See? See? Mr. Hyunwoo, it’s obvious he has a lot of friends, right? I told you s-, mph!”

“Yes, yes, go ahead. Namyoung, would you please shut up.”

Subdued by Jihwan, Namyoung finally sat his butt down. Seizing the opportunity, Hyunwoo stood up with his phone and walked quickly towards the restaurant entrance.

“One shot!”

A playful voice was heard from behind him as he left the restaurant.

Screeech-

As he opened the sliding door of the old restaurant and stepped out, he saw the streets filled with people. They were people trying to enjoy the last of the summer nights.

Anxious not to miss the call, Hyunwoo swiped the screen to answer, put the phone to his ear, and said.

“Hello?”

[Hey, what are you up to?]

“I’m out. Just meeting some people I know.”

At Hyunwoo’s words, Jiwoo went ‘ooh’ in admiration and then continued.

[And here I was. I thought you were laying low because of that post. Glad to hear you’re not.]

He had forgotten about it for a moment. As soon as he heard Jiwoo’s words, the posts he had seen during the day flashed before his eyes. He shouldn’t have even brought it up. Hyunwoo, scrunching up his face, sat down on a bench placed along the restaurant wall and asked.

“Is that all?”

[Ah, ah. Right. Did you go to the academic affairs office today?]

Academic affairs? He had. He went to the office to submit some documents, got caught by his professor, and even went up to his lab.

“Yeah. I went to Professor Choi’s lab, why?”

After Hyunwoo asked, Jiwoo hesitated for a moment before answering.

[Well, I think Jaeyoung saw you. She asked me if you were really back at school.]

It was a name he hadn’t heard in a long time.

“What did she say.”

[Just asking how you’re doing these days, you know.]

Gil Jaeyoung was a friend he had met at the freshman orientation and dated. Had it been about three years since they broke up? Since their majors were different, he had barely seen her after they broke up, so it was hard to recall her face.

Sensing doubt in Hyunwoo’s silence, Jiwoo pounced like a hyena and started nagging.

[I’m saying this just in case. Don’t you go leading someone on again when you have no feelings for them, okay? It’ll be hurtful for the other person, but you’ll get tired too. You know that, right?]

He was saying the same things over and over again. It was getting on his nerves.

“That won’t happen anymore.”

[Oh? What’s this, Jeon Hyunwoo?]

It was the literal truth. Now it wasn’t a mistake, but a conscious choice. Having slept with Baek Jooin, there was no time to be looking elsewhere in the first place.

‘…….’

Ah, thinking of Baek Jooin made him feel upset again. He remembered Cheon Namyoung, who had naturally put his arm around his shoulder. He felt like he had lost his appetite before he even had a bite of food.

Having found something to pick on, Jiwoo chattered on in a voice that seemed several times more excited than when he first answered the phone.

[If you say ‘anymore,’ sir? If you’re saying you used to but not ‘anymore,’ could it be that you’ve recently had some kind of change of heart? I’m reaaally curious about that story, you know?]

Seeing him talk nonstop, it seemed he also knew it was about time to end the call. Thanks to that, Hyunwoo could speak without guilt.

“Whatever. I’m hanging up.”

[Hey!]

Hyunwoo shoved his phone into his pocket, stood up, and twisted his waist. He had been tense all evening, surrounded by strangers, and his whole body felt stiff.

“If I knew I’d have to see that, I would’ve just stayed home and played games.”

Go board, 0 and 1, silver, northeast, and carrots.

What was the point of a horoscope? He felt incredibly ridiculous for wearing every silver accessory he owned.

He was walking towards the restaurant entrance to head back in.

Screeech-

The restaurant door opened without him even touching it, and from inside, Baek Jooin appeared.

“Oh?”

Jooin glanced back inside the restaurant and then snatched Hyunwoo’s wrist. Then he said, as if whispering.

“Hold on.”

He followed as if bewitched to the place where Hyunwoo had been sitting just a moment ago.

Jooin sat on the bench and tapped the cigarette pack he had brought out in his palm. People passing by on the street started to glance at the two of them.

After a short pause, Jooin looked up at Hyunwoo and asked.

“How were the guys?”

Hyunwoo answered right away.

“You all seemed really close. It was fun, like watching high school students.”

He lied without batting an eye. As Hyunwoo finished speaking and nodded, Jooin asked again.

“……Really?”

“It’s not often you have friends for that long. Maybe that’s why. It was nice to see.”

“I see.”

Since he had already started bluffing, he added another cool-sounding remark, and Jooin dropped his gaze to his own palm.

Jooin, who was tapping the cigarette pack to a beat as if lost in thought, suddenly lifted his head, made eye contact with Hyunwoo, and asked.

“But why the long face?”

“……What?”

“You looked like you weren’t having any fun at all, so I came out because I was worried. But hearing you say it was fun makes it even stranger.”

The slowly spoken words sent a shiver down his spine.

Jooin, who had been studying Hyunwoo’s expression the whole time he was talking, flipped open the lid of the cigarette pack and continued.

“I’m asking just in case.”

Removing the paper packaging and taking out a cigarette, Jooin put it to his lips and looked up at Hyunwoo.

“You and I. What are we?”

What are you and I.

It was a topic that would have made him blush instantly at any other time, but Jooin’s expression as he posed the question was unusually serious. The tense atmosphere even made him feel as if he had been handed a bomb with a lit fuse.

“Me and, you, hyung?”

His own expression hardening, Hyunwoo asked back, and Jooin slowly nodded. Jooin’s sharp eyes pricked at his skin, as if telling him to hurry up and say it.

What are we?

Dozens of words swirled in Hyunwoo’s mind as he pondered. He thought for a long time, but it was extremely difficult to find the right one.

In the end, unable to find an answer, Hyunwoo opened his mouth.

“I don’t, know.”

At Hyunwoo’s answer, Jooin nodded again. The cigarette at the corner of his lips was already lit.

Jooin, holding the cigarette between his index and middle fingers, took a deep breath, exhaled, and then said.

“You wouldn’t know. Because we’re nothing.”

“…….”

“You remember what I said about not taking responsibility, right?”

When he nodded, Jooin looked into the distance and continued.

“I can sleep with you sometimes. Kisses too, if you want. Everything else will be pretty much the same as usual. But nothing more than that.”

“…….”

“You don’t need to worry about every little thing as if you’re my boyfriend, and don’t even think about interfering with how I get along with other people.”

Finishing the sentence, Jooin took another drag from his cigarette and slowly exhaled.

Then he looked up at Hyunwoo with emotionless eyes and said.

“Instead, if you don’t like it, you end it.”

It was an irresponsible statement, one that perfectly suited his declaration.

Hyunwoo, who had been standing still, mulling over Jooin’s words while the cigarette in his hand burned down, asked a belated question.

“Why are you being like this?”

Jooin delivered his answer quickly, like someone who had said the same thing countless times.

“Because I hate it when people worry about me. That’s all.”

“……Ha.”

“If you don’t like it, then let’s stop.”

Finally unable to hold it in, Hyunwoo let out a dry laugh and pulled off all the bracelets from his wrist, shoving them into his pocket. He then took off all his rings as well, looked at Jooin with resentful eyes, and said.

“Says who. I’m going in first.”

Hyunwoo turned away before Jooin could turn his head and walked away quickly. Behind his steps filled with indignation, came the voice of Baek Jooin.

“For the record, Cheon Namyoung is just a friend. You seemed to care.”

Hyunwoo’s face turned bright red with fury.