HPK 73

Even though he practically lifted his suitcase as he ran onto the subway platform, the platform screen doors closed right in front of his eyes as if to mock him.

“Haa, haa…”

He blankly followed the rear of the subway as it pulled away with a loud roar. Without even a moment to wipe the sweat that had formed on his forehead, Wooseung sent a text message first.

[missed subway, might be 5 mins late ㅜㅜ]

Fortunately, a reply came from Hyojun saying that his lesson had also ended late, so he would be late too. He let out a sigh and pulled his suitcase back with him.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

[President]

He thought it might be Hyojun, but the name that appeared on the screen was Taejung.

He was going to answer it anyway, but he found himself hesitating for no reason. Wooseung felt the damp, sticky air brush against the nape of his neck and looked around his surroundings. After moving to a spot where there were no people, he pressed the call button.

—Where are you?

As soon as he answered the call, Taejung bluntly asked where he was.

“Ah, I’m still in Daejeon.”

—Why?

“Well…”

Because he had to lie, anxiety gnawed at his heart, making it pound loudly. Thump, thump.

“Grandma, my grandmother asked me to stay one more day. So about that… is it okay if I go tomorrow?”

Just in case the subway announcement could be heard through the phone, he also didn’t forget to cover his mouth with his hand.

“When I arrive in Seoul, I’ll go straight there without stopping by my place.”

—…

“I don’t think I can make it today… I’m sorry.”

Taejung remained silent for a while. Just as the lengthening silence was beginning to choke him, the call suddenly disconnected. He was debating whether he should call back when, right on cue, an announcement that the subway was arriving rang out. In the end, he gave up, grabbed his suitcase, and went to stand where the line was shorter. The suitcase was heavy, filled with the summer clothes Yejin had asked for.

[The safety doors are opening.]

As the platform screen doors opened, people poured out in a rush. Fortunately, there was an empty seat, so he was able to sit down. Wooseung took out his phone and sent a text to Yejin, telling her he had just arrived in Seoul.

“…”

Although he had lied to Taejung that he was in Daejeon, he was, in fact, already in Seoul.

Separate from the uneasy feeling in his heart, he also felt that it was unavoidable. This was because Taejung rarely allowed him any personal time. Even going to Daejeon required explaining the reason several times before he finally received permission.

While he was relieved by the permission he had barely obtained, on the other hand, he wondered why Taejung was tying him down like this. There was no other way to explain it besides obsession.

[It’s like he came to keep tabs on his girlfriend lol]

Recalling Hyojun’s text from a long time ago, Wooseung slowly rubbed his brow.

He had a certain naivety that came from a lack of experience due to his impoverished life, but he wasn’t a fool who knew nothing. He was old enough to have liked someone and to have been in a heart-fluttering relationship where the feelings were mutual. Although it didn’t last long due to hitting a wall of reality, he didn’t think that time necessarily improved the quality of experience.

So, Wooseung thought that with a little observation, he would be able to quickly define Taejung’s inner thoughts. But that was a clear misjudgment.

‘President, here are the card and the receipts.’

That day, Wooseung had brought the card and a bundle of receipts from home. Most of them were for payments of 10,000 or 20,000 won, and the last receipt was stamped with 550,000 won. With the nerve treatment finished and the crown put on, the long, drawn-out cavity treatment was completely over.

‘Completely over?’

After a short silence, Taejung asked with a blank expression.

‘Yes, it’s all finished.’

‘Okay.’

He left the receipts and only took the card. The card that slipped out from between his fingers left a cool sensation.

“…”

It was quite funny looking back, but in that moment, Wooseung was a little flustered. Without knowing what he himself had been expecting, he just stared blankly at Taejung’s back as he turned away.

The Taejung who had gotten angry with a flushed face was gone, and the original him, who was sly, flippant, and whose inner thoughts were impossible to read, had returned. But was it just his imagination? Around the time he started to think that, he would again confuse people with behavior that could only be described as obsessive.

Sometimes he was clear, and at other times, he was ambiguous. It probably wasn’t intentional, but Taejung seemed like a person determined not to give Wooseung any certainty.

♡

The afternoon cafe was quiet. The sun, filtered through the window, offered a gentle warmth, and a pleasantly cool air flowed through the interior. Amidst the people, each looking at their books, laptops, and phones, Wooseung waited for Hyojun.

“Hyung!”

Before long, Hyojun appeared. He quickly spotted Wooseung and waved his hand happily.

“Wow, it’s so hot.”

He was dressed as lightly as the weather had become noticeably hotter, but despite that, the beaming sunlight must have been more intense, as beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and the nape of his neck. As soon as he sat down opposite him, he pulled out a couple of napkins and pressed them firmly against his forehead to wipe it.

“Ah, hyung, why did you order already? I said I would buy it for you!”

Seeing the drink placed in front of Wooseung, Hyojun grumbled, saying he should have waited a little.

“What about dessert? You’re not going to eat anything?”

“Uh… cake?”

“What kind of cake?”

When he said whipped cream would be fine, Hyojun said he would go order and got up from his seat. Every time he flapped the hem of his clothes, the scent of the perfume he had sprayed wafted through the air. Soon, Hyojun returned, holding a tray with a cake and a drink in one hand. Still feeling hot, he was continuously fanning himself with his hand even then.

“What’s with the suitcase?”

He asked, glancing at the suitcase placed next to Wooseung’s right leg.

“I went to my parents’ house to pick up some of my sister’s clothes.”

“Ah, right. You said you went to Daejeon. Haa, still, I’m glad I got to see you, hyung, before I leave the country.”

He laughed, adding that he’d been so busy lately that he kept forgetting things.

“You said you’re leaving next week, right?”

“Yes. I’m going crazy because of it. No, but hyung, why are you so busy?”

Hyojun said it was hard to see his face even once, and while he was busy himself, he asked what on earth was going on with him.

“Well…”

Wooseung himself had never dreamed it would become this difficult to meet Hyojun, so he had nothing to say for himself even if he had ten mouths. What’s more, he had been the one to suggest meeting up first, only to cancel the appointment a total of three times. Because it was Hyojun, he let it slide; if it had been Jaemin, he would have been sworn at.

Naturally, it was not his will that made him keep canceling their plans.

‘So you’re going out now?’

‘…Yes. We’re supposed to meet at 3.’

‘Cancel it.’

That was Taejung’s reaction when he said he was going out for a bit to meet Hyojun. The first time, he let it go, thinking he was just in a bad mood, but he didn’t know he would react like that the second and third times as well. In the end, he ended up lying like this to meet Hyojun.

“Are you preparing for something separately, hyung? Are you planning to quit the shop?”

“Huh? No.”

“Then? You called the President and left that time, and you’ve been canceling our plans ever since. Even though you were the one who suggested we meet up first.”

It seemed he was quite upset that their meetings kept falling through. To the grumbling Hyojun, Wooseung apologized repeatedly.

“What’s the reason for it? Ah, you said you had something you wanted to ask me. What’s that about?”

“Ah, it’s nothing much.”

Hyojun put the straw in his mouth and gestured with his chin to tell him to hurry up and say it.

“It’s really not a big deal…”

“Ah, what is it?”

As he kept beating around the bush and couldn’t get to the point, Hyojun started to rush him. Still, when Wooseung didn’t open his mouth, he checked the time and urged, “You have 30 minutes left, hyung. You know I just came out for a bit.”

Finally, Wooseung gulped and managed to open his mouth.

“Hyojun, have you ever been a sponsor?”

“Huh?”

It must have been a random question, as Hyojun looked surprised.

“A sponsor? You’re asking if I’ve been a sponsor?”

“Hey, speak quietly…”

“Ah, sorry, sorry.”

At the warning to lower his voice, Hyojun looked around his surroundings and then leaned his upper body close to the table.

“Why? Is the President asking you to be a sponsor? But weren’t you already doing it?”

“…It’s just that the President’s behavior is a bit strange.”

“…”

“I’ve never done that sponsor thing, so I have no idea if this is how it’s normally supposed to be or not…”

“His behavior is strange? Give me some examples. I can’t tell just from you saying that.”

Wooseung left out a few of Taejung’s actions that were too strange and gave examples of only the ones that were a little strange. Things like him checking his phone every day, sometimes pointing at a name in his contacts and asking who it was, and unilaterally making him cancel personal appointments, just that much.

“Hmm.”

Hyojun, who seemed to be listening with a serious face, suddenly straightened his back, which he had been leaning forward.

“The President— hyung.”

And then, he casually said something that was like a bolt from the blue.