PAO 66

“It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen you on a swing.”

Memories of playing together at the playground when they were young came flooding back.

Perhaps because they had hung out since they were babies, he had not only seen Junghoo’s crazy side. There had been times when he was rather cute, adorable, and lovable. Back then, his baby fat was quite full, so his jawline wasn’t as sharp as it was now.

‘Yours is special. I’m saying I want to eat it after your mouth has touched it, you know? That’s an indirect kiss. I’ll eat your lips later.’

‘We have to sleep together when we get married. Of course, we’ll have to sleep together even before we get married. You’ll be sleeping stark naked every night.’

At the memories of his younger days that popped into his head, Seowon’s placid smile vanished.

How could he have thought that a kid who was cute, adorable, and lovable, but also nuts, was just innocently naive?

Anyway, seeing Junghoo stick his feet straight out in front of him, Seowon spoke again.

“Swing gently so the chains don’t break, and then get off.”

“It’s fun since it’s been a while.”

Riding it once was awkward, but once he started, Junghoo adapted quickly. He even leaned back and then pulled himself forward, trying to go higher than Han Jihun. Not wanting to lose, Han Jihun copied him, and the two of them ended up swinging quite high.

Seowon, who naturally ended up looking at Junghoo’s back as it rose into the air, clicked his tongue.

“Don’t think about beating a child.”

The wind Junghoo was creating messed up his hair, poking him in the eye and causing one to close. He tried to keep stopping the overheated competition, but Junghoo didn’t listen to Seowon at all.

“I’m going to win at everything.”

…So why are you trying to beat a child?

A swing might be one of the playground toys that children are best at riding, but perhaps because the force an adult can generate can’t be ignored, Han Jihun eventually lost.

“Tsk.”

At Han Jihun’s signal of surrender, Junghoo quickly steadied the swing. Seowon was dumbfounded by the relieved expression on his face and asked Junghoo.

“Are you happy?”

“It’s not bad.”

Junghoo responded honestly.

“He approached you, so he should get a taste of this bitterness.”

“Me?”

Seowon frowned as if he had just heard something strange. He mulled over what Yoo Junghoo was saying right now, then spoke with a ‘no way’ kind of feeling.

“Did you see Jihun talking to me?”

“You shouldn’t approach a child you don’t know so casually. It’s dangerous.”

“Who is?”

Usually, in a situation like this, the child would be the one in danger, but strangely, that didn’t seem to be the case with Junghoo.

“Han Seowon.”

Of course. I knew it.

As much as Seowon was disgusted, the expression on Han Jihun’s face was also a sight to behold.

“You’re childish for a grown-up.”

As if to compensate for losing on the swing, he tried to beat Junghoo with words. The formal language he had been using with Seowon also disappeared.

“If you look closely, grown-ups are kids too.”

Junghoo accepted Han Jihun’s provocation with a smile. He even used his large frame to look down at Han Jihun.

“They get jealous and pout, too.”

Seowon wondered if he had to keep listening to Junghoo openly say that he was more of a child than an actual child.

“Why would a grown-up get jealous and pout?”

Han Jihun retorted that what Junghoo was saying was strange, but…

“All grown-ups in love are like that.”

Junghoo answered as if he had been waiting for that question and smiled brightly. Seeing Junghoo’s side profile, Seowon was horrified and pulled his upper body back.

Why does mentioning love feel so disgustingly cheesy and unpleasant?

Seowon rubbed his right arm, which had broken out in goosebumps, and then got up from his seat. If he stayed here any longer, the goosebumps wouldn’t go away.

Han Jihun, who was watching him, suddenly said.

“Are you both grown-ups in love?”

Seowon froze in the exact posture he was in while rubbing his arm. Cheesy words from Junghoo alone were enough, but Han Jihun was adding to it.

“That… The thing is, ‘love’ isn’t an emotion that can be defined so easily.”

It was a commonly used word, but to him, it didn’t resonate that much. That is to say, if someone simply asked if he liked him, he could answer yes, but bringing up love felt like a heavy and deep topic, on the level of sacrificing one’s life.

Even though he had already risked getting swept up by Junghoo’s pheromones, Seowon couldn’t say it easily, as if he had forgotten everything.

So Han Jihun changed the question.

“Then what is your relationship?”

It was a question that seemed to say, ‘The answer is already set as a couple in love, so why don’t you just say it?’

But this time, too, Seowon gave a different answer.

“Closer than friends.”

Junghoo, who had been watching with his mouth shut, had a thoughtful look on his face. It would have been better if he had acted displeased, so he could have retorted, but he didn’t.

“I had fun today. Goodbye.”

Seowon said his goodbyes to Han Jihun and turned to leave first. He didn’t care whether Junghoo’s butt was still stuck in the swing or not.

After Seowon left the playground and the two were left alone, Junghoo, still sitting on the swing, turned to look at Han Jihun.

“Your acting has improved a lot, our Jihun.”

“Of course.”

Han Jihun replied as if it were no big deal and held out his hand. A bill was placed on top of that small palm. Han Jihun checked how much it was and nodded, seeming satisfied.

“Not bad for an allowance.”

As he was putting the bill in his pocket, Yoo Taeha soon appeared from not far away.

“Ah, I’m still not sober. This is driving me crazy.”

Han Jihun stood up as if pleased to see Yoo Taeha shaking his head, and ran over to him.

“Uncle.”

“Were you having fun?”

“Well, it wasn’t bad.”

The smiling face of Han Jihun as he looked at Yoo Taeha resembled him in some way.

“Your noona is looking for you. Let’s go.”

Han Jihun was Yoo Taeha’s nephew. Han Jihun, who had come to the villa with his mom for school break, met Yoo Taeha, and on their way to the playground, he happened to make eye contact with Junghoo and received a message to strike up a conversation with Seowon.

“This is why you can’t deny blood ties.”

Yoo Taeha, who had been watching everything from a distance, clicked his tongue.

Junghoo for dragging Han Jihun into it, and Han Jihun for jumping in because it seemed fun.

“You could just push Sung Hangyeol away, why go to all the trouble…”

Yoo Taeha’s brain couldn’t understand it from A to Z, but Junghoo proudly shook his head as if that wasn’t the case.

“Seowon came to get me. That’s what’s important.”

“And I was the one who helped make that happen.”

Junghoo and Han Jihun were perfectly in sync.

“By the way, when are you going to introduce me to that hyung?”

Han Jihun couldn’t wait and pointed at Seowon, who had gone into a store and was buying various things. Han Jihun was born the year Junghoo and Seowon broke up, so he had never been able to formally introduce them until now.

“Soon.”

Junghoo said as he walked toward Seowon, who was coming out of the store.

Once Junghoo was gone, Han Jihun hurried Yoo Taeha.

“Uncle, let’s go now, too.”

Yoo Taeha was about to nod but then clutched his head, which felt like it was about to split open. He still wasn’t sober, so coming out here felt like death.

“I’m already having a hard time cleaning up after him, why did you have to call me too?”

Didn’t you come out with your noona?

“We should probably start heading back now…”

Seowon trailed off, looking in the direction of the villa. He had come down on Junghoo’s back, and it didn’t seem like he’d be able to walk up with much energy either.

“Why are villas always in the mountains?”

A person’s heart is so fickle; he had liked it when he first got there because it felt like being in nature, but now that he had to go up, he was complaining that it was hard.

He could get a car this time, but…

“It’s not like the car can go all the way up, either.”

As Seowon continued to mutter to himself, Junghoo, who had been listening quietly until now, turned his body to meet his eyes.

“What do you want to do?”

It seems like it’s time to decide.

“If I say let’s go, will you go?”

“Yeah. I’ll carry you on my back.”

“If I say I’m not going, you won’t go?”

“If I’m with you, I can even sleep on the street.”

“Love is a scary thing. You’re even prepared to have your face get paralyzed from the cold?”

As Seowon clapped silently, as if finding it amazing, Junghoo raised just one corner of his mouth slightly.

“Am I praiseworthy? Then love me a little.”

“Saying I love you just because you’re praiseworthy is a bit… Besides, even if we don’t go to the villa, we can just go somewhere else, what do you mean, the street?”

Seowon pointed out the reality without mercy. An emotional confession attack, taking advantage of the opportunity while they were worrying about where to sleep, my my…

“Let’s go to the villa tomorrow. Instead, should we sleep over there tonight?”

Seowon pointed to a building he had noticed earlier, and Junghoo followed his finger with his gaze to check, then narrowed his eyes.

“A motel?”

There were hotels just a little further away, so why specifically…

He wasn’t particularly picky about where he slept, but Junghoo, who wanted to give Seowon only the best things, looked reluctant.

“They say there’s a rotating bed there.”