By Zephyria 
It was Gu Hae-bin who answered indifferently. Starting with that, the topic of Park Hyeon-ji’s birthday party came up for a moment. Im Sujin, who had been tilting her head saying she couldn’t remember despite the explanations that followed for a while, soon turned away, asking why it mattered. She wore a bright, friendly smile. Her target, of course, was Yeon-jun, who was standing behind Eun-ha.
“I’m Im Sujin, a friend of his since college.”
At the sociable introduction, Yeon-jun lowered his gaze. It was as if he were seeking permission. After making brief eye contact with Eun-ha, who wore an ambiguous expression, he looked up again to return the greeting. “How did you meet Eun-ha?” At the immediate question, Eun-ha clicked his tongue as if he had been caught and stared into the distance. It felt as though the headache that had subsided was rushing back. While pressing his hand to his forehead and shaking his head slightly, a long, uncontrollable sigh escaped him.
* * *
Whether it was a relief or not, his friends acted as if they would show a mischievous level of interest, but soon tactfully gave them space. They behaved as if they were being considerate of their companion meeting a stranger, and of that stranger as well. Thanks to that, Eun-ha was able to exchange a few words with Yeon-jun while maintaining a sort of screen between them. The reason they only exchanged a few words was that Yeon-jun, conscious of Eun-ha’s companions standing right next to them, thoroughly performed the role of an ‘acquaintance.’
Of course, it was a futile restraint. Everyone except Gu Hae-bin, who already knew, would have intuited the moment they saw his face. That this boy was that person of Lee Eun-ha’s.
Unless one’s intuition converged to zero, anyone would have felt it. What kind of ‘acquaintance’ rushes all the way from Seoul to a hospital in Gapyeong on a weekend morning? And for the mere reason of food poisoning. Even if it had been a critical condition, usually, if someone is just an ‘acquaintance,’ they don’t cast everything aside and fly to another region.
Moreover, the difficult coming-out had happened only yesterday.
It was practically the same as announcing that they were dating.
Yeon-jun, who had no way of knowing such inner workings and purely believed he was in the position of Eun-ha’s acquaintance, did nothing more than fidget with his wrist even after they were left alone. His face clearly revealed the turmoil inside him.
Since it had already been exposed, Eun-ha considered telling him the truth but decided against it. Looking at his incredibly innocent appearance made him want to smile and watch a bit longer, and he also lacked the energy since he had just gone through a grueling ordeal.
Discharge didn’t take very long. After regaining some strength while receiving an IV, it was time to leave the hospital. After a brief discussion with his friends, Eun-ha agreed to skip the lunch they had originally planned. They had intended to go to a famous restaurant they always visited whenever they hung out in this area, but no one, including himself, was in the condition to do so.
And Eun-ha’s original plan to go home in Gu Hae-bin’s car fell through thanks to his friends personally pushing him toward Yeon-jun. They bid him farewell, suggesting that it would be more appropriate for him to go with that person.
In the process, Im Sujin was the one who didn’t bother hiding her excitement, Park Hyeon-ji was the one who saw him off with a semblance of maturity while her eyes were filled with curiosity, and Kim Seon-woo was the one who provided some solace to Eun-ha with his calm demeanor. As for Gu Hae-bin… he didn’t deviate from his usual indifferent and slouchy tone.
“Go on! Let’s grab drinks next time you’re free.”
“Got it.”
“You too, acquaintance. Take care of Eun-ha. He was really too much earlier.”
“What do you mean, ‘take care of’?”
They were exchanging farewells while standing at the edge of the parking lot. Eun-ha grumbled uselessly at Im Sujin’s words. He found it irritating that she was acting as if she were handing her friend over to the friend’s lover.
“It would be great if we could all grab drinks together next time you have time.”
“…Me?”
At Im Sujin’s sudden suggestion, Yeon-jun looked around as if asking if she was speaking to him. As he looked back forward with a slight sense of bewilderment, Im Sujin nodded to him.
“You said you’re Eun-ha’s acquaintance. Then becoming acquaintances with us too is like… a rule on our end? Something like that.”
“What are you talking about? Just go, quickly.”
“Why? It’s only right. That’s how we all became close. We didn’t know each other at first, but we used him as a stepping stone.”
Standing her ground against Eun-ha, who was trying to push her away, Im Sujin continued speaking with a grin until the end. She wasn’t wrong. Ironically, the center of this close-knit group of same-aged friends was Eun-ha, who was the least friendly and social among them. He had met Gu Hae-bin in elementary school, Park Hyeon-ji in middle school, Kim Seon-woo in high school, and Im Sujin in college, and after that, those friends had introduced themselves and developed into friendships on their own.
Still, this was a different case. This boy isn’t just an acquaintance, he’s…
“…Anyway. Just go.”
Eun-ha spoke in a grumpy voice with a sour expression. After Im Sujin laughed, saying she’d stop teasing, the others finished their final goodbyes and left. Finally, they were gone.
“…Sigh.”
In a daze, as if a storm had just swept through, Eun-ha closed his eyes tightly once and then opened them, slowly turning around. He walked toward where Yeon-jun had parked.
And it was immediately after getting into the car that Yeon-jun, who had remained perfectly well-behaved the entire time, broke his composure like a lie and cast a shadow over his face.
What else could he do? Even if it wasn’t intentional, since he was the one who provided the cause, Eun-ha silently reached out to the man who was leaning toward him. He remained still, buried in the embrace that came as the man bent his waist to fold himself into the space. Whining poured into his ear as if it had been waiting for this moment.
“You’re really okay, Hyung…”
“I told you I am.”
“When you suddenly said you were at the hospital, I really…”
“…Yeah. It was surprising.”
“I thought some huge accident had happened…”
“This is my first time experiencing something like this too…”
He tried to calmly soothe him, saying he was really okay and that it wasn’t a big deal, but none of it was effective.
“I’ve been discharged. See?”
No matter how much he tried to calm him down, Yeon-jun only wore an expression of utter anxiety. It felt closer to distrust than anxiety.
‘I said I’m fine, why won’t he believe me…’
Eun-ha felt a slight spark of defiance, but then he suddenly came to his senses and humbled himself as if admitting his sins. Who could he possibly blame?
What had the state of his life been like to him? He maintained trashy living habits, fainted in a movie theater, made all sorts of scenes while drunk, showed a pathetic side again due to worsening insomnia, ate haphazardly or skipped meals entirely, and replaced them with coffee…
On the other hand, Yeon-jun was a human who lived a perfectly upright life. Despite looking like someone who would do all sorts of delinquent and low-life things, he didn’t even know the first letter of rebellion or pleasure-seeking. Although he was occasionally lazy during the semester, he never neglected his duties as a student; he slept and woke up at the same time every day, took supplements he didn’t even need to take, exercised regularly without fail, and of course, ate balanced meals…
A collection of lethargy and lack of motivation. It was obvious how Eun-ha, who lived his life haphazardly and with the utmost lack of sincerity, would appear in his eyes.