HYUNG 73

I scanned the four-time exam taker from head to toe, let out a smirk, and brushed past him. My policy is to ignore and not pay mind to strange people, but I was so angry I couldn’t help myself. It was such childish behavior, but it was already too late. Moreover, the rumor that Ham Dowon had been caught kissing a man in the practical room was bothering me so much I was on the verge of going crazy, making it hard to think about anything else. If it was a man who had been classmates with Ham Dowon since elementary, middle, and high school, I had just met him barely an hour ago.

You said I was your first love! You said it was your first kiss! I felt wronged, but I couldn’t press him for answers. Not only did I have no way of knowing the truth of that rumor, but even if it were true, I—who had more dating experience than Ham Dowon—couldn’t exactly get angry over something from the past. …Still, I don’t stay friends with my ex-girlfriends! But Ham Dowon is friends with that Han Min! And he’s meeting him today, too! No, there’s no evidence the two of them are in that kind of relationship, and it could just be a false rumor… But would there be smoke without a fire? Well, sometimes there is… My head was a mess the entire time.

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹

The exam taker’s words are all nonsense; they can’t possibly be true. There’s no way that naive Ham Dowon would have done that.

That was the conclusion I reached after thinking about it all night. Even so, there was a part of me that didn’t feel quite settled. I kept feeling sudden flashes of anxiety and irritation. However, I did my best not to show it. Since it was likely a false rumor, there was no need to bring it up and hurt Ham Dowon’s feelings for nothing.

“What do you want to eat for dinner?”

I asked while we washed our hands together after class. Since we usually ate lunch and dinner together. But Ham Dowon’s expression was strange.

“Ah, dinner…”

“Why?”

“I have plans. A friend is supposed to come meet me near here.”

“…That friend from yesterday?”

“Yes. Han Min.”

…Is it really just a false rumor? Since Ham Dowon likes me, it’s not that he’s not gay. He truly might not have gone as far as kissing, but something could have happened. It was a period of boiling adolescence, after all. Right. It could have happened… Even if the rumor is true, it was just one kiss, so what’s the big deal.

“How did you… get close with that friend?”

Even so, I couldn’t help but be bothered by it. I asked in a tone that suggested it had just occurred to me while I wiped my hands on a paper towel. Ham Dowon, seen in the mirror as our eyes briefly met, blinked once and then said calmly.

“I think it was in the first grade of elementary school… He beat up a boy in our class, and apparently, I was passing by that area. Even though our eyes definitely met, I didn’t tattle, so he said I had loyalty and was the first to suggest we become friends. I said no, but he kept following me around, and as we ended up hanging out together, we stayed together all the way through high school.”

“In the first grade… he beat someone up?”

“Yes. That guy Han Min had long hair when he was little, you see? He’d go around with pigtails or braids, and he often wore skirts or things with lace. He really loves flashy things. But the boy who got hit said he was like a pervert and teased him too excessively, so he couldn’t take it and beat him up.”

“That’s just, well, how it was.” Ham Dowon finished with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Ah… I see…”

“He’s not that violent now! Since then, he’s gone to psychiatry and received counseling. He takes his medicine well, too. That guy doesn’t drink a single drop of alcohol.”

Ham Dowon waved his hand and defended him diligently, since he was his friend after all. Water droplets and soap bubbles splashed slightly onto the mirror.

“Anyway, because of that… I’m seeing him, so I can’t eat dinner with you, hyung.”

“…You must be quite close. Seeing him two days in a row. Understood. Have fun.”

“Hyung!”

At the moment I was about to turn my back after tossing the soaking wet paper towel into the trash can, Ham Dowon called me. My eyes met Ham Dowon’s in the mirror, and then my gaze landed on Ham Dowon’s hand as he turned his body toward me.

“Heart!”

A thin film of soap had formed inside Ham Dowon’s fingers, which were in the shape of a heart. Ham Dowon giggled and then, whoosh! He blew on that soap film. However, a soap bubble didn’t form as expected. It just went pop! and burst.

“Aw, it’s not working.”

“You’re not a child.”

“But hyung, you like children. Because they’re cute.”

Ham Dowon rubbed his soapy fingers and this time made a loop with his thumb and index finger. Then he tried blowing between them again, but as expected, no soap bubble formed.

“That’s just because they’re kids, so they’re cute. How could I date a child?”

“Then am I not cute? I want to be adored by hyung.”

“…Since you are cute, you don’t have to act childishly like a kid.”

“I wasn’t specifically trying to do that, just a joke. It’s fun. Hyung, this is a heart too!”

This time, Ham Dowon made a small finger heart with his thumb and index finger. Then he briefly closed one eye in a wink. That sight was so undeniably lovely that I let out a chuckle, but Ham Dowon made a surprised expression, then ducked his bright red face and plunged his hands into the cold water.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“No, it’s not that… Hyung, your smile is just too pretty. My heart is fluttering like crazy. Is this what it feels like to have Cupid’s arrow stuck in your heart?”

“…Right. Have a delicious dinner with your friend.”

Ham Dowon even clutched his chest with his wet hands. In the midst of that, the way he made sure to turn off the faucet properly was so like Ham Dowon. The concern I felt from being momentarily surprised felt like a complete waste.

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹

I stayed in the studio and painted diligently. I had to work steadily on the tasks that had piled up. I was drawing Ham Dowon’s face with great focus, but when I stepped back to look at the overall painting, no matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t good. It couldn’t even reach the toes of the actual Ham Dowon. Ham Dowon is pretty, but the painting isn’t as pretty as he is.

“…I miss him.”

I toyed with the phone I’d put in my apron pocket. It was around 9 o’clock, so I didn’t know what he might be doing. Is he drinking with his friend? Ah, he said that friend doesn’t drink alcohol. Then did they go to a cafe? Or is he at home… After thinking about Ham Dowon for a long time, I took out my phone. There was white paint on the screen, so I rubbed it clean before stepping out of the studio to make a call.

Ring, ring… The dry dialing tone continued. Even though only a few seconds had passed, I felt unnecessarily anxious and tapped the floor with the toe of my shoe. And tap, tap, tap… Only after I had tapped several times did the other person pick up the phone with a click.

“Ham Dowon.”

— Dowon went to the bathroom just now. Hyung, we meet again! Ah, since it’s a phone call, is it not “meeting”?

A high-pitched, clear voice was heard. It was that man I saw yesterday, Han Min.

“…Then I’ll call back later.”

— Hyung, you can speak informally. I’m Dowon’s friend. Or we can both just drop the formalities. I make friends regardless of age. Can I just call you by your name? If you hate it, there’s nothing I can do. Ham Dowon is super drunk; do you want to come pick him up? Or I could take him, but he’s much bigger than me, so I think we’d have to go to a nearby motel or hotel. I don’t think I can take him all the way home. Do you know a good place? I’m almost a stranger to this area.

The man chuckled slightly. I don’t know what was so funny. I was offended. A motel or hotel with Ham Dowon—even I hadn’t been to one. No matter how long they’d been friends, my stomach was in knots. Furthermore, he was the man who was rumored to be dating Ham Dowon. I gripped the phone tightly with force.

“Where are you.”

— Just a moment here… Ah, the name of the shop is…

“I’ll search for it and go, so I’m hanging up.”

I cut him off and hung up before the sentence was even finished. …I’m really childish. I shouldn’t act like this. But heat was rising to my head and I couldn’t stand it. I found the pub where Ham Dowon and his friend were supposed to be using a map app, packed my coat and bag, and ran straight there. It was a pub mimicking a British style, and since it was on the second floor, it was hard to find, so I only arrived after wandering around quite a bit.

I finally found them after practically scouring the inside of the shop. They were in the most secluded corner behind a pillar, so they hadn’t been easily visible. Ham Dowon’s friend, Han Min, had bleached hair with some pins in it and was wearing a fluttering yellow blouse. Anyone watching would have thought they were a heterosexual couple on a date.

“Oh, hyung, hi! It looks like you came in quite a hurry? You’re even wearing your apron.”