By Zephyria 
“…This place is delicious.”
“Goodness, I know you’re just like your father—you’ll eat anything that goes into your mouth.”
Cha Min-gyu said it was delicious…. Then it was definitely a verified hotspot. Min-gyu was a big eater, but if something tasted bad, he would put his utensils down immediately and look for another restaurant. This place was one of the few they had shortlisted for frequent delivery.
“Huh? They really do a great job here.”
His mother’s eyes widened as she took a bite of the mixed jajangmyeon. As Yi-ho, who had chosen jjamppong, slowly loosened the noodles in the broth, a low voice called out.
“Yi-ho.”
“Yeah.”
“You graduated from a good school, got into a good company, and settled in well. As for your looks, you took only the best traits from your mom and dad.”
“…….”
There was no way he didn’t know where this was heading. In fact, this was exactly why he had sent a distress text to Min-gyu.
“It’s been a few years since your father passed, and I’m feeling lonely, so I want to see a new family member.”
“…Uh, I guess that makes sense.”
“When exactly are you free? There’s a line of people at church asking me to introduce them to you.”
Yi-ho lowered his head as if burying his nose in the jjamppong bowl and slurped the noodles. “Look at him, just staring blankly and letting it go in one ear and out the other,” came a sigh of lament.
But it couldn’t be helped.
From the moment he realized his unrequited love for Cha Min-gyu, Yi-ho had stopped classifying himself as an ‘entity capable of marriage in Korea.’ That had become a fixed premise over the years.
Seeing as he no longer felt sexually attracted to the opposite sex at some point, he presumed his identity had gradually solidified as gay. Even so, the only man he was attracted to was Cha Min-gyu…. Regardless, after going through an abnormal process of unrequited love, it was clear he was in a state where marriage was difficult.
‘Mom, if you put a decimal into an integer variable, it causes an error….’
Yi-ho silently bit off the end of a fried dumpling again.
“Ugh, just look at the photo. She’s a young lady who plays the violin accompaniment, and she’s very polite to her elders.”
“No, I told you I’m fine….”
“Just take a look.”
Just as he was wondering how to stop his mother, who was opening her leather flip case and scrolling through her photo album, the sound of the door lock unlocking echoed from the entrance.
“Yi-ho, is someone coming? What, did you have someone hidden away?”
“Uh….”
Only three people knew the password to this house. The homeowner Song Yi-ho, Song Yi-ho’s mother, and the man who lived right next door….
“Mother, your daughter-in-law is here!”
Min-gyu made a noisy entrance, pushing the door open. He was still in his suit, looking as if he had come straight from work. Seeing the two of them, he entered with a smile like a salesman.
“Yi-ho told me you were here, so I came to say hello. Were you in the middle of a meal?”
“Yes, come in. The daughter-in-law who lives with my messy son.”
His mother took Min-gyu’s ‘daughter-in-law’ comment as a joke between close acquaintances. Of course, the intention of the speaker, Min-gyu, was likely no different.
“Ah, it’s finally been revealed that our Yi-ho throws his laundry everywhere and doesn’t clear out food from the fridge until it’s expired. Please scold him, Mother. What you saw was just me cleaning it all up once because I couldn’t stand it. Yi-ho just won’t listen to me.”
“No wonder the fridge looked fine. You have a friend living right next door, yet you’re an embarrassment to the neighborhood!”
“Ack….”
Yi-ho, who had become the weakest link in the room, was mercilessly smacked on the back. He had been so confused by Min-gyu’s joke that he hadn’t even managed to defend himself.
“I’m always indebted to you, Min-gyu. The delivery just arrived; if you’re okay with it, would you like to join us? Yi-ho ordered too much, so the fried rice is brand new and unopened.”
“Mom, he just came back from overtime and might be tired—”
“I’d love to. Thank you for the meal. Ah, you ordered from here. This place is like a hidden treasure in this neighborhood, Mother.”
“I was just thinking it’s really delicious.”
“If it’s received Mother’s approval, then we can keep trusting this place from now on.”
In a scene where it was unclear who whose mother was, Yi-ho quietly swallowed his noodles. Then, his eyes met Min-gyu’s. A mischievous smile, with a slight crinkle of the nose, approached him.
What is it, why is he smiling like that? My heart is racing so much I can’t digest my food.
“Min-gyu, don’t you have any thoughts about marriage?”
And then, the mother turned the predatory hand she had extended toward Yi-ho toward Min-gyu.
“Mother, does one get married alone?”
…Ah, that’s a great answer. He quietly noted in his head to answer like that if someone other than his mom asked him later. Though he couldn’t guarantee it would have the same sly effect as it did when Min-gyu said it.
“Setting my son aside, I wonder why a handsome and well-spoken young man like Min-gyu doesn’t have a partner. Min-gyu, would you like an introduction? There’s a young lady who plays the violin at church….”
“Mom, stop. Stop.”
Yi-ho blocked the phone before it could reach Min-gyu. Min-gyu, who was munching on fried rice, silently scanned Yi-ho’s expression.
“Why are you interfering even when I’m trying to introduce Min-gyu to someone?”
“…Min-gyu’s grandparents are Buddhist.”
“Oh, really? That would be troublesome if the religions don’t match…. This family is very devoutly Christian, after all….”
Fortunately, his mother accepted this and backed off. The corners of Min-gyu’s mouth curled up slightly as he looked at Yi-ho.
“Yi-ho.”
Hearing his name called properly, Yi-ho blinked and turned his head. Ah, right, he couldn’t call him Song-i or Song-i Song-i in front of his mom.
“Uh…, yeah?”
At that, Min-gyu’s dimples deepened.
“Isn’t it so fun that the two of us live right next door to each other?”
Of course, every day was thrilling to the point that his heart ached. He wasn’t sure if ‘fun’ was the right word for it, though.
“Yeah….”
“That’s probably why our thoughts of marriage have completely vanished, Mother. We hang out when we’re off, we comfort each other after grueling overtime, and we do everything together.”
“Sigh… well, that’s nice too. You’re still young…. But do you still have that much overtime?”
“Exactly, Mother. Please call the company. Actually, the real reason we can’t think about marriage is the company.”
“Give me the number, this ajumma will give them a piece of her mind!”
“Ah, as expected, Mother is the most reliable.”
Thanks to that, the dinner became more lively. Relief returned to the face of the mother, who had been worried about how her unreliable son was getting along after leaving home.
As the meal ended, the mother sat on the sofa, unable to resist the insistence to just stay put. After watching Yi-ho and Min-gyu clean up for a moment, she picked up her bag.
“Well, I’m leaving now. Make sure to lock the door.”
Yi-ho, holding a stack of plastic containers, hurried into the living room.
“What do you mean you’re leaving? Of course you’re taking my car. Just wait a second.”
“It’s fine. It’s not even that late. I can take the subway.”
“If we let Mother go like that, neither Yi-ho nor I will be able to do anything until she arrives. I want to hitch a ride for a night drive too, so please come with us. Yes?”
Min-gyu settled the matter instantly—something that would have normally involved a long argument with his mother—and even grabbed the car keys from Yi-ho’s coat to hand them to the owner.
Yi-ho’s mother had closed down the Mok-dong rice cake shop, sold the building, and got a small apartment nearby. When Yi-ho suggested she move near him or try living somewhere with fresher air, she refused, saying all the friends she had made over a lifetime were here.
A large private cafe had now taken the place where the Mok-dong rice cake shop once stood. It had expanded into a two-story space, including where the three families used to live, and everything had changed except for the building’s frame. Whenever she passed the stark white building, her gaze would naturally drift toward the window.
“In our later years, we should have avoided sweating in front of the steamer and instead remodeled it prettily to learn and sell brunch or whatever that is.”
“…….”
Yi-ho lacked the eloquence to comfort this regret.
“Mother, if you had done that, the neighborhood would have been in an uproar. There were so many people who loved Yi-ho’s rice cakes. I lived my whole life without eating rice cakes, but after tasting the ones Yi-ho gave me, I woke up to the taste of them. The problem is that since then, my palate has become too refined, so I can’t just eat any rice cake. Yi-ho, you saw it too, right? How I didn’t eat the wedding return gift rice cakes today and gave them to someone else.”
“Uh….”
The voice coming from the passenger seat pulled the mother’s attention back into the car and brought a smile to her lips.
“Min-gyu is such a smooth talker. I bet there isn’t a single person who dislikes him.”
“I’m only like this to people I like. Like you, Mother, or Yi-ho.”
For a moment, Yi-ho’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. It was a flutter of excitement that came even in such a superficial situation. The car drove slowly through the alley and entered the apartment complex.
While the mother gathered her bag, Min-gyu unbuckled his belt, got out of the passenger seat, and opened the rear door for her. The mother’s eyes widened at the treatment she was receiving for the first time in her life.
“Oh my… this is really something. Haha…. Min-gyu, you really must get married.”
Min-gyu went a step further, escorting the mother to the entrance and waiting for the elevator to arrive before returning to the passenger seat. Yi-ho, who could only wave to his mother since he couldn’t leave the driver’s seat, was also half-dazed by the fluid sequence of motions. Soon, the figure casting a long shadow in front of the apartment entrance approached the car.
“I made sure to see the elevator stop on the 3rd floor. Let’s go home.”
“Uh….”
Yi-ho let Min-gyu in and backed the car out. He knew Cha Min-gyu could manipulate people with words. But this was the first time he had witnessed the true nature of his courtesy and manners toward someone other than a friend… toward someone classified as an adult.
Yi-ho knew that Min-gyu had had several girlfriends. And he knew the reason why he hadn’t been able to find someone to date for several years now.
Was Cha Min-gyu’s dating like this? Filled with seamless consideration….
The car stopped at the stop line in front of a red light. Min-gyu, who was flipping through his phone, spoke.
“Song-i Song-i. Want to have a late-night snack when we get in? My stomach is empty again.”
A single serving of fried rice wouldn’t have been enough for Cha Min-gyu’s appetite. One more thing was added to the emotions that had been subtly growing in volume.
“Song-i, is there anything you want to eat?”
“…Order it through a delivery app when we get in. I’ll pay since you worked hard taking care of my mom.”
“Why bother with that. You’re the one who suffered more.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, it seems Mother keeps wishing for your marriage. But you don’t really have any thoughts on it.”
That’s right. Marriage in Korea.
Maybe in the Netherlands, the US, or New Zealand….
“Cha Min-gyu.”
“Hmm?”
Min-gyu didn’t take his eyes off the phone, but he rested his arm on the driver’s seat backrest as if to signal that he was listening intently. Perhaps because his shoulders were broad, it didn’t seem like an uncomfortable posture at all.
There was something he wanted to ask.
To make it a natural question, Yi-ho had to moisten his mouth. Fortunately, he was usually lacking in eloquence, so Min-gyu probably wouldn’t notice even if he spoke awkwardly.
“What about… you.”
“What about me?”
“Do you have any thoughts about marriage?”
“I wonder.”
“What do you mean, ‘I wonder’?”
“I say ‘I wonder’ because I don’t have any thoughts about it.”
The phone screen, which had the delivery app open, turned black. The light source reflecting Min-gyu’s face disappeared.
In the darkness where his expression was unreadable, a hand reached out and brushed the short hair in front of his ear. The trajectory where his hand passed felt hot, as if a heating element had touched him.
“You’re very interested in my love life lately, our Song-i. Even though you’re not going to date me.”