Vol 5 Ch 7

After Wooyeon left on the day of the funeral, Inseop stood on the stairs for a long time.

 

[Peter.]

 

Aaron called him with a serious face. Just as he was about to speak, their parents opened the door. After that, relatives also came in. That evening, they had a family dinner to commemorate their grandmother. It wasn’t until late at night that everyone went home, and Inseop went back to his room. While debating whether to call Wooyeon, he heard a knock.

 

[Come in, Aaron.]

 

[How did you know?]

 

Aaron opened the door. Inseop tapped the bed for him to sit next to him. Aaron smiled and sat down.

 

[Sorry for coming so late. You must be tired.]

 

[Not really. Are you okay?]

 

Instead of answering, Aaron ruffled Inseop’s hair. At the playful touch, Inseop chuckled softly. It felt like he was back home, with his younger brother’s playful antics.

 

[I have something to tell you.]

 

[Yeah?]

 

Aaron, who had been hesitating, finally spoke with determination.

 

[That person. Wooyeon.]

 

He thought he had come. Wooyeon’s reaction wasn’t that of an ordinary person. Inseop nodded silently.

 

[…I know you will handle it, but I hope you don’t get too close to that person.]

 

Aaron cautiously revealed his intentions.

 

[I don’t know much about that person, but he’s not normal. Such remarks…]

 

[Aaron.]

 

Inseop called his brother’s name.

 

Unlike himself, who had often been teased or bullied by the neighborhood kids when he was young, Aaron was a popular top student. He was good at studying, sports, well-mannered, and kind.

 

Whenever Aaron got angry, it was always about Peter. Aaron protected his older brother like he was the younger brother. He had fought with the kids who teased his brother, hitting them with his fists multiple times.

 

[I’m always grateful to you. Really.]

 

[…..Peter.]

 

[Every time I got into trouble or got teased, you went and fought for me. And then we got scolded by our parents because I didn’t tell them properly.]

 

Inseop chuckled at the memory. While Aaron received punishment, he stubbornly insisted on sharing the punishment. Then the two of them always went to the nearby milkshake shop and bought milkshakes and fries. Inseop called Aaron’s name.

 

[Now, you don’t have to fight for me anymore.]

 

A smile flickered in Inseop’s large eyes.

 

[I can handle it. I want to.]

 

In the soft and firm words, Aaron realized that he couldn’t sway his brother’s intentions. Despite looking fragile, he knew better than anyone that his brother had a strong will, having grown up together all their lives.

 

[…Alright.]

 

Aaron responded with a sigh.

 

[By the way, what about Yoon Areum? Wasn’t everything going well?]

 

During the meal, the relationship between the two of them was nothing more or less than friends.

 

[I don’t know.]

 

Aaron muttered awkwardly, then grasped his head and spilled out his relationship troubles. As he left the room late at night, Aaron bid Inseop goodnight and left a remark that he still didn’t like that person.

 

“…Don’t you like Aaron?”

 

“I fucking hate him.”

 

Wooyeon laughed unabashedly, revealing his true feelings. While the other siblings simply ignored him, Wooyeon seemed particularly hostile to Aaron.

 

“You don’t have to apologize. Aaron feels the same way.”

 

It was the same for Aaron. Unlike the other twin siblings, Aaron especially disliked Wooyeon. He didn’t want to create an uncomfortable situation by making them meet for no reason.

 

“I’m not apologizing because I like that bastard….”

 

Wooyeon brushed his cheek with his large hand. With a slightly embarrassed look, he continued, looking down.

 

” …I was worried about you.”

 

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Inseop. I’m just a fucking asshole. …I’m sorry.”

 

He was a pathetic piece of trash who rejected even the taste of mourning for his lover’s family. Even after revealing his hateful side for a moment, instead of taking pity on him, Inseop found himself apologizing and seeking his own fault. He couldn’t follow the suffocating kindness, but he had to at least show some courtesy.

 

“I’ll apologize in person.”

 

Wooyeon said as he pulled Inseop’s hand and kissed him.

 

“…Thank you.”

 

“Thank you, my a*s. It’s a miracle you didn’t dump a bastard like me.”

 

Inseop chuckled at the playful tone. Wooyeon tilted his head slightly and asked, “Are you going to take the chance now?”

 

“Yeah, I am.”

 

Wooyeon kissed Inseop’s hand again, then said, “That was the last chance. So, take responsibility and live with me.”

 

Wooyeon gnawed on Inseop’s ring finger playfully. The prints left on his white fingers caught his eye.

 

“..Yes. I will.”

 

“It sounds like a promise.”

 

Wooyeon looked at Inseop with a long smile in his eyes.

 

“By the way, was it like that back then too?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Wandering around in the middle of the night, dressed so provocatively, and that too, alone with a girl?”

 

Wooyeon asked, pulling at Inseop’s pajama neckline with his fingers. Inseop’s nipple was visible through the loose pajamas.

 

“No, it wasn’t like that. I went out wearing proper clothes back then. This time, it was really urgent…”

 

Inseop hurriedly replied, pulling at his pajamas. He hadn’t even thought about grabbing a coat before going out, fearing Wooyeon might just leave without him.

 

“Wandering around in the middle of the night, all dolled up secretly without your parents knowing, where were you going?”

 

“Just… here and there…”

 

Wooyeon persistently asked where exactly “here and there” were.

 

“We sometimes went to see late-night movies, or to the donut shop on 4th Street corner, which stays open late, to have donuts and ice cream, and also…”

 

“And also?”

 

Wooyeon’s smile deepened. He looked at his rude and adorable partner, believing firmly that he wouldn’t be jealous of a dead woman.

 

“Oh, right.”

 

Inseop suddenly remembered something and blurted it out.

 

“Around this time, there’s a county fair nearby, and we went there too.”

 

“The county fair?”

 

“Yeah, it’s quite big. Did you also go, Mr. Wooyeon?”

 

“Hmm, a few times.”

 

“My family used to go a few times when I was young, but going with friends was the first time, so I was really nervous.”

 

The county fair was basically a local festival. It sold crude handmade goods, allowed people to ride smelly animals, and had flashy old-fashioned amusement rides. In short, it was a place that Wooyeon would detest. Although the girls had dragged him there a few times, he found it boring every time.

 

“Did you have fun when you went?”

 

“No, we couldn’t even get in, so we came back.”

 

“Why?”

 

“We bumped into a group of girls at the entrance, and because they accidentally got ice cream on Jenny’s clothes… It was Jenny’s favorite outfit.”

 

Inseop recalled Jenny, who was excitedly wearing her most cherished outfit like a child. She had a tearful face when her blouse became smeared with ice cream.

 

“So we just came back. If I had insisted on going in at the time, it would have been better.”

 

“We’ll come back next year. That’s what I said to Jenny, who was crying in anger. It was the last day of the fair. But we never got the chance to go back there again.”

 

“…I regret that a little.”

 

Inseop faintly smiled. Wooyeon thought for a moment with a hmm, then reached out and fastened the seatbelt on the passenger side.

 

“Why…?”

 

“You climbed through the window in pajamas, so you shouldn’t leave anything to regret.”

 

Wooyeon started the engine and drove off. When Inseop asked where they were going, Wooyeon grabbed the steering wheel tightly and said, “Hold on,” as he accelerated. With a swoosh, Inseop held onto the seatbelt with both hands as the speedometer rose rapidly.