GBAS 9

Hyunwoo stopped at the end of the path connecting the garden and the beach, and looked out at the middle of the sands.

“…….”

A transparent drop of water, clinging to the surface of the soda can, lost its battle against gravity and rolled down onto the sand.

How much time had passed? The drink, which had been ice-cold when he brought it from his room, was gradually losing its coolness in Hyunwoo’s hand.

What Hyunwoo was looking at was Jooin’s back, faintly visible under a beach umbrella. Staring intently at Jooin’s back, clad in a loose checkered shirt, Hyunwoo weakly lowered his head and murmured with a sigh,

“I’m going crazy…”

Yesterday morning, listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom, Hyunwoo wished all of this was just a dream.

But a wish is just a wish.

No matter how much he slapped his cheeks, which had become hollow overnight, pinched them, or closed and opened his eyes repeatedly, the fragmented scenes of that night remaining in his memory were too vivid to dismiss as a dream.

To make matters worse, he had even witnessed what flowed between Jooin’s legs, making it even more difficult to deny reality.

At first, he was shocked by the fact that he, who had been confident that such a thing wouldn’t happen before marriage, had done such a thing. And after that, he was confused by the fact that the other person wasn’t one of the many girlfriends he had dated, but a man, Baek Jooin.

And now, having gone through all these stages, what tormented Hyunwoo the most was the fact that he hadn’t yet apologized to Jooin.

“You son of a bitch, crazy bastard, piece of trash…”

Even he, the one who had caused this, was this confused by the fact that the other person was a man, so what kind of emotions must Jooin be enduring? He couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Today was the last day of the 2-night, 3-day gathering, and he and Jooin would be leaving this place in a few hours. They had come in different cars, so he would only see Jooin’s face until they reached the port. And if they parted ways like this, he didn’t know when or how he would be able to see him again. Or rather, if he would be able to see him again at all.

If not now, there would be no other chance.

“…….”

There is no other chance.

“…….”

There’s no chance, but…

Hyunwoo’s feet, which had been about to head towards Jooin after steeling his resolve, stopped as if rooted to the spot. Clenching the soda can in his hand, Hyunwoo gritted his teeth and muttered,

“So what are you going to say?”

This was the reason why Hyunwoo had been standing here for twenty minutes, staring at the back of Jooin’s head. No matter how much he thought about it, he didn’t know how to start the conversation.

If the other person had been a woman, if they had been dating, he could have at least said he would take responsibility. Unfortunately, Baek Jooin was a man.

Well, it’s not like he shouldn’t say he’ll take responsibility just because the other person is a stranger and a man. So let’s think about it from the opposite perspective. If he had been subjected to such an act by another man, and that guy suddenly came to him and said he would take responsibility, would he be able to accept that offer positively?

…No? Not at all.

But simply apologizing didn’t sit right with his conscience. Jooin must have already been deeply hurt, and saying that what happened was a mistake wouldn’t sound sincere.

“Ah, my head…”

Hyunwoo, staring at Jooin, clutched his temples and crouched down.

As the old saying goes, it’s better to be the first one to get hit. If only he had knelt down and apologized right then and there, it wouldn’t have become this difficult. Although unintentional, the price of pretending not to know and spending a whole day using his own pain as an excuse was worse than he had imagined.

“I’m going crazy, crazy…”

Just as Hyunwoo, who had been squatting, was getting up again, someone suddenly popped up and asked,

“What is?”

“Ah, you scared me!”

The person who appeared behind Hyunwoo was an older colleague from work who often helped him with his worries, and his mental anchor, nickname NoRetryKeepGoing, Koo Bokyeong.

She had come over because it seemed strange that someone who couldn’t possibly hide was awkwardly standing behind a tree.

“Jeon Hyunwoo, what’s up?”

“…Yes?”

Bokyeong, startled by Hyunwoo’s overreaction, frowned and muttered.

“I’ve been thinking since yesterday, but you’re acting a bit strange.”

This uncanny person. Hyunwoo, startled by Bokyeong’s words, replied with a wary expression.

“Wha, what is?”

“Well, you’ve been sighing with every bite of food since yesterday, and it’s strange. You don’t realize how annoying that is, do you?”

“No, but a person can sigh while living. Saying it’s strange just because of that…”

As Hyunwoo mumbled with a wronged expression, Bokyeong, wiping the expression from her face, looked up at Hyunwoo and said,

“Hyunwoo, do you think I don’t know you?”

“Of course, you wouldn’t know everything…”

Smack!

Hyunwoo, who got slapped on the arm for his unnecessary retort, winced in pain and grimaced.

Bokyeong glared at him and asked again,

“What’s the matter? At this rate, I’m worried the island will sink, not just the floorboards.”

It was about time he confided in her, but what could it be?

“Hmm…”

Narrowing her eyes and observing Hyunwoo, Bokyeong soon nodded as if she understood and asked in a playful tone,

“I heard from Jiwoo that you’re completely blocked up. Is it because of the Guild Master and Lee Yoon?”

“It’s not like that.”

“If it’s not that, then what is it? Hmm… Are you worried you did something stupid while drunk on the first night?”

“Yes?!”

Bokyeong had only mentioned the first night of the gathering, but Hyunwoo, unintentionally hit where it hurt, waved his hands vigorously and stammered,

“No, noona! Wha, wha, what are you talking about?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

Bokyeong chuckled at the sight of Hyunwoo, pale and flustered, and continued,

“I don’t know who played a prank or something, but it’s really not true. I was there until the end, and you didn’t cause any trouble, you know? You drank the penalty drink alone, fine. You did roll around on the lawn a bit because you were drunk… but you were really quiet. Really. Even when we were wrapping things up. Yoon Jinyoung was crawling on all fours, but you walked perfectly fine on your two feet, so it wasn’t hard at all, right?”

Fortunately, what Bokyeong brought up was something he already knew.

I thought I was caught. I panicked for nothing.

Just as he was breathing a sigh of relief, muttering to himself, Bokyeong, whose attention had been momentarily diverted elsewhere, looked back at Hyunwoo and continued,

“You handed Jooin over well, so there weren’t any problems… What?”

Bokyeong’s voice suddenly trailed off.

“You…”

It was because Hyunwoo’s face crumpled strangely as soon as Jooin’s name was mentioned. Convinced that she had the right answer upon seeing Hyunwoo’s pale face, Bokyeong put her hand on her forehead and asked,

“Did you do something to Jooin?!”

👾🎮

In conclusion, Bokyeong’s guess was wrong again.

No, wait. It was true that he had done something to Jooin, so you could say she was half right.

‘Did you say something wrong while drunk? Or did you throw up on Jooin’s stuff or something?’

It was natural for Bokyeong’s guess to remain within this range. Without going beyond the scope of a normal person’s thinking, who would imagine such a thing happening?

Bokyeong worried that Hyunwoo and Jooin’s relationship might become even more awkward than before. At the same time, recalling herself and the other guild members who had become like shrimps caught in a whale fight for no reason in the past, she said in a serious, admonishing tone,

‘You know that if you guys start giving each other the cold shoulder like last time, it’ll only be tiring for us. So try to reach an amicable agreement as much as possible… Okay? I’m asking you nicely.’

He also wanted to reach an amicable agreement as much as possible. But…

“Is that something you can do just because you want to?”

Hyunwoo muttered and looked down at the drink he was holding. The drink, which he had brought along to give Jooin cold because of the hot weather, had long since become lukewarm.

Hyunwoo wiped his hands on his pants, unsure if it was sweat or water, and fixed his gaze on Jooin’s back, which was getting closer.

♩♫♪-

With each step he took, the sound of Jooin’s guitar grew louder. Standing next to the red and white beach umbrella, Hyunwoo took a deep breath and peeked under the shade.

On the mat spread under the large umbrella, several boxes and bags carelessly thrown there by people who had gone swimming were scattered about haphazardly. Amidst them, Jooin sat holding his guitar, eyes closed, repeatedly playing a few bars of a melody.

It was a scene he had seen countless times, but it was always fascinating to see him pick out the correct notes without looking at the fretboard. As he was watching Jooin’s right hand strumming and plucking the strings with dazzling movements in an electric guitar style, the bag slung over Hyunwoo’s shoulder slipped and fell to the ground.

Clatter-

The playing stopped, followed by silence.

“…….”

The wind blowing from the sea ruffled Jooin’s shoulder-length hair. Finally, Jooin opened his eyes and looked towards where the sound had come from. Red, thin lips parted below a pale face.

“…You came?”

He had a surprised expression, as if the words “I didn’t expect you to come” were omitted.