By Zephyria “Wh-what are you saying, hyung? Such scary things?”
“Who said I’d do it with you? I’m just speaking metaphorically.”
“Don’t even say it! I feel like Joo-ho hyung will be strangling me from behind.”
Rubbing his arms, Jung-ho excused himself to go to the bathroom. As soon as he closed the bathroom door, Song Hyun-soo’s gaze involuntarily drifted back to his phone on the table.
Even on the way here, there hadn’t been a single call or message from Yoon Joo-ho. He told himself he’d just say he was flustered because Yoon Joo-ho suddenly brought up something he was trying to hide, but even with that excuse, he still wouldn’t let it slide… but he really wouldn’t call at all??
“When did I ever say I loved you?”
He was furious at himself for waiting for a call even after hearing words like that. If he called, what? Would he answer? If he asked where he was, would he immediately tell him and rush out?
He didn’t want to wait any longer, so he turned off his phone.
He didn’t want to think about anything. He didn’t want to get hurt. And right now, he didn’t want to understand Yoon Joo-ho. Right now, he just wanted to dwell on how angry he was because of that guy.
He drank all fifteen cans of beer he had bought to Jung-ho’s place. Of those, Song Hyun-soo probably drank at least ten.
Waking up around noon the next day, clutching his head with a hangover, reality hit him.
Even in this situation, he had to go to work for ‘Jessica,’ and starting Wednesday, he had to resume filming. It was all well and good to have bravely stormed out of the house with nothing, but he also had to solve the problem of not even having clean underwear or socks to change into. It felt like the realization that he had to clean up the mess he’d made by flipping the table in anger.
But even if something worse than breaking up with Yoon Joo-ho happened, he wouldn’t ruin
Quietly leaving the house so as not to wake the still sleeping Jung-ho, he turned on his phone at the stair landing. As expected, there were no missed calls. Now, he could only laugh. Yeah, go ahead, Yoon Joo-ho. You’re not the only one with a temper.
He ran his hands over his face a couple of times to compose himself and called Director Bang.
“Director. Hello. Are you free to talk for a moment?”
[Of course, Hyun-soo. What’s wrong?]
“It’s shameless, but… could I ask for one favor?”
■■■
Director Bang entered the apartment and, as usual, went to Monroe’s room first.
“Monroe, Uncle’s here.”
The creature, who had been playing with Song Hyun-soo’s rabbit slippers, perked up its ears at Director Bang’s voice and looked towards him. Then, with surprising feline speed, it darted over and clung to his calf. Director Bang bent down and sat, stroking the creature in its favorite spots with a pleased expression.
“Oh, my good boy. Did your dads fight yesterday?”
Meow. Hiss. Meow?
As if to tattle to Director Bang about the situation at the time, the creature chirped away earnestly in a voice still childish.
“Is that so? Right? Joo-ho’s Dad was wrong, wasn’t he? He didn’t even try to stop Hyun-soo’s Dad when he left? I can guess, that bastard.”
I thought they were getting along, but he couldn’t help himself again…
Director Bang let out a deep sigh and stood up, holding Monroe. He tried to leave the room with the creature, but Monroe twisted and leaped from Director Bang’s arms. Then, it ran to its spot by the window and hid. The creature had been coming out to the living room to play often lately. Perhaps yesterday’s events had made it anxious. Just in case, he left the door open and headed for the living room.
“What is all this? This damn kid.”
I heard he went out drinking at Seohae’s Bar. It seemed he had brought people back to the house too. The remnants of a drinking party were scattered messily across the large dining table in the living room.
“To think it would fall apart like this if I were gone for just one day…”
The entrance to the Master Zone, which had been wide open while Song Hyun-soo was staying, was now firmly shut as before. Director Bang opened the door with his fingerprint. Clothes, carelessly discarded, were strewn everywhere between the dressing room and the bedroom.
The bedroom, with its double layer of blackout blinds and curtains, felt like the middle of the night.
As he approached Yoon Joo-ho, who was sleeping under the poster of A Better Tomorrow, a strong smell of alcohol wafted out. It felt like the past, like the time before Song Hyun-soo existed in Yoon Joo-ho’s life.
Director Bang scowled and pulled the blanket away.
“What are you doing sleeping it off after drinking like you’ve done something right?”
“Aish, what the…”
Yoon Joo-ho, startled by the sudden attack, lifted his head, recognized Director Bang’s face, and turned away. He then pulled a pillow from beside him and covered his head with it, pressing down.
“Aren’t you getting up? It’s already afternoon.”
“I haven’t slept long. Leave me alone.”
“What time did you stop drinking? You said you left Seohae’s Bar at 6 AM. If you drank until then, why did you drink more when you got home?”
“To sleep! I drank to sleep. Is that enough?”
Because he was pressing the pillow over his head, Yoon Joo-ho’s voice sounded like a shout from a cave. If only he had held onto Song Hyun-soo instead of guzzling alcohol just to get some sleep. What had been done to hurt him so deeply that even someone who seemed like they would never leave was driven away?
Director Bang felt like he was burning up inside as he looked at Yoon Joo-ho’s curled-up side profile.
“What happened between you and Hyun-soo?”
“…”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had gone quiet, asked from under the pillow.
“How would I know that?”
“Hyun-soo called me.”
Yoon Joo-ho threw off the pillow and sat up, his eyes clear of sleep as he pressed Director Bang.
“Where is that bastard now?”
“Are you curious? Worried?”
“Who said I was curious?”
“If you’re not curious? Are you going to chase after him and fight more? Why are you curious when you’re the one who drove him away?”
“Song Hyun-soo said that? That I drove him away?”
“Would Hyun-soo say something like that?”
“You said he called you to talk about last night.”
Yoon Joo-ho got out of bed and picked up a pack of cigarettes.
“Yes, he called earlier. Do you know how surprised I was?”
Turning sideways, with the filter in his mouth, Yoon Joo-ho asked casually as he pulled the wheel of the lighter.
“…Was he crying?”
“So what if he was crying? Who made him cry, do you care about that?”
“…”
Yoon Joo-ho silently gripped the lighter’s wheel again.
“Far from crying, he told me a list of things he needed to take. Very specifically.”
But in the end, he couldn’t light the cigarette. Holding the cigarette in his hand, he turned to Director Bang, his brow deeply furrowed. With narrowed eyes, he asked again as if to confirm what he had heard.
“What… list?”
“He needs clothes to wear right away. He said he’d take the rest of his things once he found a place. What happened, exactly?”
As if he couldn’t believe it, Yoon Joo-ho chuckled several times, rolling his tongue against the inside of his cheek. Then, he crumpled the cigarette he was holding in his hand and shoved it somewhere on the side table, and left the bedroom with large strides, barefoot without slippers. Director Bang followed him.
Yoon Joo-ho, wearing only pajama pants, went to the kitchen, took out a bottle of water, and drank it down in large gulps while standing there, without pouring it into a cup. Director Bang, standing beyond the island counter, watched him with a worried expression and sighed.
“What really happened? Hyun-soo didn’t tell me that much.”
Yoon Joo-ho pulled his lips away from the water bottle and glared at Director Bang, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“You said Song Hyun-soo was out because he was close with Jung Ji-in. You said that.”
“That was before I knew Hyun-soo would be this special to you.”
“Who’s special?”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had come to the opposite side of the island counter and put down the water bottle, suddenly lost his temper. Director Bang reached out and pointed to the Master Zone behind him.
“Yoon Joo-ho. You brought Hyun-soo into that room and into the house. If that’s not special, what is it? Don’t be stubborn about the wrong things.”
“I guess I was temporarily blinded by the romance. What wouldn’t you do when you’re infatuated?”
“You? I’ve never seen Yoon Joo-ho blinded by romance.”
Yoon Joo-ho glared at Director Bang and backed away. Then, as if escaping the question, he walked towards the coffee machine and chose a capsule. In front of the machine, which made a rather noisy sound, Yoon Joo-ho stared intently at the thinly falling stream of coffee. Then he muttered.
“I found out.”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“About the Jung Ji-in situation. I found out.”
“…”
Even after the coffee was made and the machine fell silent, Yoon Joo-ho stood in front of it, staring intently at the machine.
“I thought if I just shut everyone up, it would be fine. But that wasn’t enough.”
I should have made him throw away all his remaining belongings. I should have. — Yoon Joo-ho muttered to himself, gnashing his teeth as if his lips would split.