By Zephyria 
Kwon Kang-hee was, in some ways, a very narrow-minded man, though it didn’t show much on the surface, so not many people knew.
He was a man with a generally good reputation.
However, saying it just like that is somewhat misleading.
He was a man with a good reputation ‘among those around him.’
His work was rough, his expression and build were not gentle, and he was a man of few words. Therefore, almost everyone who saw him for the first time or didn’t know him well found him intimidating. However, among those who had known him for a long time and become close to him, no one spoke ill of him.
As a friend, he was a very decent man. He never meddled in a friend’s affairs beyond a reasonable limit, but if a friend fell into hardship, he would cast everything aside to help with all his heart. He was broad-minded, possessed a quiet kindness, and was flexible. Moreover, with his intelligence and excellent capability in handling business, he was flawless both publicly and privately. If one had to nitpick, perhaps it was only that his profession was not exactly honorable. However, in reality, most people who were close enough to be called his friends knew what he did, and once that was established, his job ceased to be an issue. Among his friends and colleagues, he was regarded as a very reliable and cool person, and in truth, it was a fact.
Nevertheless, though not many people actually knew it, he was incredibly petty in one specific regard. He never tried to hide this petty side of himself. On the contrary, in situations where that side needed to be revealed, he displayed it without hesitation. Still, very few people knew he had such a petty streak, simply because that aspect was extremely limited.
Only in matters involving Yoon Jun-young was he utterly petty.
Regardless of the reason why it became so, that trait became even more apparent after the wedding was called off on the day of the ceremony and Yoon Jun-young ended up by Kwon Kang-hee’s side. Until then, even if someone spoke insolently to Yoon Jun-young or treated him roughly, Kang-hee wouldn’t step in unless it crossed a certain line. He would simply send a displeased gaze from behind in silence. But once Yoon Jun-young stayed by his side, as if there were no longer any obstacles in his way, he revealed his petty nature without reserve.
Fortunately, even though he didn’t try to hide this side of himself when it came to Yoon Jun-young, it didn’t stand out too glaringly. Those who didn’t know him well didn’t pay attention to Yoon Jun-young, and those who knew him well didn’t dare touch Yoon Jun-young in the first place. Thus, there was rarely a need for him to intentionally display his narrow-mindedness regarding Yoon Jun-young.
However, the day finally came for Kwon Kang-hee to reveal that pettiness.
The opponent was Jang Ui-geon, a man who ranked among the top—alongside Yoon Jun-young—in terms of closeness to Kwon Kang-hee.
Kwon Kang-hee was a man who loved his friends, and therefore, he did his best to avoid conflicts with Jang Ui-geon. Even if a reason to fight arose, he generally avoided it.
Furthermore, he felt a certain amount of gratitude and apology toward Jang Ui-geon.
Kwon Kang-hee was not unaware of the feelings Jang Ui-geon harbored for Yoon Jun-young. Moreover, Jang Ui-geon was the very person who had helped Yoon Jun-young and Kwon Kang-hee be together despite those circumstances.
Therefore, while it would be a lie to say he didn’t keep a wary eye on Jang Ui-geon in a petty corner of his heart, Kwon Kang-hee always reminded himself to avoid fighting with him. He believed there would be no reason to fight. Unless they clashed over Yoon Jun-young, they wouldn’t fight, and as far as Kwon Kang-hee knew, the friend he had known for over twenty years, Jang Ui-geon, was not the type of man to suddenly reach out to Yoon Jun-young so late in the game.
Thus, he believed without a doubt that he would never have a reason to fight with Jang Ui-geon.
If only Yoon Jun-young hadn’t been hit by Jang Ui-geon.
At first, he couldn’t believe it.
Even when Jang Ui-geon suddenly burst into Kwon Kang-hee’s office in the middle of the night, mentioning that bright young man’s name while swinging his fists at Kwon Kang-hee, it was absurd and baffling, but it hadn’t yet reached the level of an unbelievable situation.
For some reason, Jang Ui-geon was rarely so out of it, and while Kwon Kang-hee had never been intimidated or cowed by anyone, he knew it was wiser for both parties not to fight Jang Ui-geon when he was in such a state. Over twenty years, he had learned that this friend, who usually laughed cheerfully and got along well with everyone, became extremely difficult to deal with on the very rare occasions he snapped. (In truth, he had witnessed the man snap only a couple of times over all those years.)
Moreover, for some reason, Kwon Kang-hee could tolerate taking a few hits without cause if it was from Jang Ui-geon and no one else. So, even as Jang Ui-geon rambled about that bright young man—who, in Kwon Kang-hee’s eyes, had been loitering around Yoon Jun-young lately using gopchang as bait—saying things Kwon Kang-hee couldn’t quite understand before swinging his fists and leaving, Kwon Kang-hee wasn’t particularly angry. He was just slightly bewildered and confused.
The problem, however, was that after leaving, Jang Ui-geon had swung his fist at Yoon Jun-young.
At first, he couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t imagine that Jang Ui-geon, of all people, would hit Yoon Jun-young. He was a man who had known and harbored feelings for Yoon Jun-young even longer than Kwon Kang-hee had. But in reality, Yoon Jun-young’s face was swollen and bruised, and the testimonies of the men standing guard in front of the building, who had seen the whole thing, were unanimous: Jang Ui-geon had hit Yoon Jun-young. Even then, unable to believe it, he asked Yoon Jun-young if Jang Ui-geon had really done that—and only after seeing the attitude of “what does it matter?” in the response did Kwon Kang-hee have no choice but to accept the fact that Jang Ui-geon had hit Yoon Jun-young.
It was truly troublesome.
He was furious to the point that if Jang Ui-geon were before him, he wanted to grab him by the collar immediately, but when he cooled his head and thought about it, although he was still angry, Jang Ui-geon was still their friend, and he didn’t want to fight. Moreover, if Kwon Kang-hee fought with Jang Ui-geon for such a reason, Yoon Jun-young would certainly not look upon it kindly. …Actually, that was what bothered him the most.
So, Kwon Kang-hee decided to set the matter aside for now without demanding a detailed explanation from Jang Ui-geon. He simply marked it with a single asterisk in his petty heart.
However, while one can overlook something once, one cannot overlook it twice. Moreover, the second time happened right before Kwon Kang-hee’s eyes, even if no fists were exchanged. And it was less than two days after Yoon Jun-young had been hit.
That day, the two of them were enjoying a rare, leisurely morning. Unlike Kwon Kang-hee, who usually exercised in the morning and spent time reading newspapers or books at home before leaving around noon, Yoon Jun-young usually left immediately after breakfast almost every day. Through Yoon Jun-young, Kwon Kang-hee had learned that being a university lecturer was surprisingly busy and required a lot of preparation.
Thus, unless it was a holiday, it was rare for them to share a relaxed morning, but that day was exceptionally leisurely. Yoon Jun-young had said he could leave in the afternoon because classes were canceled for the school festival, and the two of them were sitting side-by-side in the living room, drinking coffee and chatting.
Kwon Kang-hee was in a very good mood. Time spent together like this with Yoon Jun-young didn’t come often, and it was especially so because they had both been particularly busy lately, meaning it had been a long time since they’d spent time together in such a relaxed mood. As he set down his coffee, Kwon Kang-hee kissed Yoon Jun-young, and while Yoon Jun-young would usually just accept a kiss and then mention being busy or lacking time, on this day, perhaps because his heart had opened up in the leisurely atmosphere, he responded actively.
It was just as they were feeling the signs of spending a dense and passionate time together for the first time in a while.
In the midst of such a precious moment, Jang Ui-geon burst in without warning.
Heavens know what kind of life he had been leading lately, but Jang Ui-geon still seemed to have snapped. At a glance, he looked perfectly calm and normal, but there was something slightly off about his eyes. Having burst into Kwon Kang-hee’s house with a face that had become utterly haggard over a day or two, Jang Ui-geon stepped inside with his shoes on and stood firmly before Yoon Jun-young, opening his mouth with a sharp edge.
“Give me Chi-young.”
At those words, Kwon Kang-hee, whose rare moment had been interrupted, as well as Yoon Jun-young, the subject of the request, looked at Jang Ui-geon with faces of utter confusion before frowning.
“Why are you looking for Chi-young here?”
“He’s not at home. The shop isn’t open. No matter where I look, he’s not there. He must be uncomfortable… I can’t think of anywhere else but here. Give him to me.”
“…Are you actually going to get angry if Chi-young comes out of here, by any chance?”
As Yoon Jun-young spoke with narrowed eyes, Jang Ui-geon’s eyebrows seemed to twitch.
“So he was here after all?”
A smirk, like a sigh of a laugh, carried the aura of someone who would seize the person they were looking for the moment they were found.
“Where is he?” Jang Ui-geon looked around and immediately flung open the nearest door. It was the study. Of course, Seo Chi-young, who had never even visited Kwon Kang-hee’s house, couldn’t possibly be there, and Jang Ui-geon walked toward the master bedroom door next. Just as Kwon Kang-hee, who had been watching the situation unfold, finally frowned and stood up, saying, “Jang Ui-geon. What do you think you’re doing here,” Yoon Jun-young spoke calmly between them.
“Chi-young isn’t here. He’s not even in Seoul right now. He’ll probably be back this evening.”
For a moment, Jang Ui-geon froze. The gaze he slowly turned toward Yoon Jun-young was frighteningly fierce.
“What?”
“It’s his mother’s 60th birthday, so he went to the countryside. That’s why he said the shop would be closed. …Though it’ll probably stay closed from now on anyway. But he said he’d come back up this evening. I don’t know exactly what time.”
As Yoon Jun-young spoke, Jang Ui-geon, who had been glaring at him with that fierce gaze, muttered bitterly in a highly displeased tone, “You certainly know a lot about that.” It was as if his stomach turned because Yoon Jun-young knew something he didn’t. However, having learned the whereabouts of the person he was seeking, Jang Ui-geon softened his menacing aura—which he had brought upon entering the house—just a tiny bit and turned around as if his business was done.
“But why are you looking for Chi-young?”
“…It’s none of your business. …And from now on, don’t bother Chi-young.”
When Yoon Jun-young asked this to Jang Ui-geon’s back, Jang Ui-geon paused and left a sharp warning in a voice that sounded as if it came from hell before turning away. And just as abruptly as he had entered, he left.
A silence lingered in the room for a moment.
“Why has that bastard been so snapped since the night before yesterday?”
“He looked like he was about to kill someone. …I wonder if Chi-young is okay.”
As they exchanged these words, Kwon Kang-hee felt as if he had chewed on a bitter root. Glancing at Yoon Jun-young, he tried to slowly reach out again, but the atmosphere had already been completely shattered. Yoon Jun-young, sitting with a frown, brushed off Kwon Kang-hee’s subtle touch and stood up, saying he should try calling Seo Chi-young, and after a few dozen seconds, his frown deepened as he said he couldn’t reach him.
In such a situation, there was no way the dense and leisurely atmosphere from just before Jang Ui-geon’s intrusion could be revived. It was impossible for Kwon Kang-hee’s mood not to sour. For Kwon Kang-hee, who was already extremely petty regarding anything involving Yoon Jun-young, Jang Ui-geon—who had hit Yoon Jun-young the night before yesterday—had essentially dealt another decisive blow in a day and a half before vanishing. Thus, Kwon Kang-hee, who was by no means broad-minded, found his stomach twisting toward Jang Ui-geon.
A few days later, an apology arrived from Jang Ui-geon. Jang Ui-geon, who had been shaken to the point of being slightly dangerous after snapping for the first time in a long while, had returned to his usual self by the time they met the following week, though he looked a bit gaunt. He offered a deep apology to Kwon Kang-hee and Yoon Jun-young, saying, “I’m truly sorry about then.”
Although Kwon Kang-hee was very petty in one specific aspect, he was widely known to be a very broad-minded and generous person in all other regards. There was no reason not to accept a friend’s apology. Moreover, the person was Jang Ui-geon, whom Kwon Kang-hee regarded as a lifelong friend.
Kwon Kang-hee remained silent for a moment but then nodded generously and accepted the apology. The same went for Yoon Jun-young, who was not particularly petty to begin with and not the type to harbor resentment.
Thus, the matter was settled for the time being, and their friendship seemed to be safely preserved, just as before.
No, from a certain perspective, it actually worked out better for Kwon Kang-hee. Since all of Jang Ui-geon’s affection—not friendship—had shifted to that bright young man, Seo Chi-young, there was no longer any need to feel uncomfortable or anxious regarding Yoon Jun-young.
But nevertheless.
Separate from accepting Jang Ui-geon’s apology and maintaining their friendship as before.
Kwon Kang-hee had pettily carved a grudge against Jang Ui-geon into his heart: one asterisk for hitting Yoon Jun-young, and two asterisks for interrupting a rare good time with Yoon Jun-young. However, agreeing with Yoon Jun-young in that he didn’t like harboring grudges for long, Kwon Kang-hee pondered how to effectively settle this score.
That night, Jang Ui-geon was in a foul mood. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he felt an unpleasant sensation.
That night, Yoon Jun-young visited Seo Chi-young’s shop late. He happily announced that his thesis had finally been passed and that he would be more free now, and added with even more joy that he would be able to come eat gopchang more often. Seo Chi-young shared in the joy of the good news, and although it was past the time to close the shop and the customers had all left, he kept the shop open and stir-fried gopchang for Yoon Jun-young.
Kwon Kang-hee, who always followed wherever Yoon Jun-young went unless something unusual happened, was also there, sitting with them. Since the news that Yoon Jun-young would be free was an incomparable piece of good news for Kwon Kang-hee as well, he too was happily drinking.
And in the midst of this, Jang Ui-geon…
At first, Jang Ui-geon had been eating and drinking joyfully with his friends.
But for some reason, he felt increasingly uncomfortable, and he became quieter. In contrast, Kwon Kang-hee was subtly more talkative than usual. Usually, he remained taciturn even when drunk, but today, perhaps because he was in a very good mood or had something else on his mind, he was about 20 to 30 percent more talkative than usual—though it wasn’t a huge difference. It was because he was drunk. Meanwhile, his gaze lingered on Seo Chi-young for a very long time, and that bothered Jang Ui-geon.
Why was Kwon Kang-hee staring at Seo Chi-young so intently? More often and more piercingly than usual.
Jang Ui-geon didn’t like it.
Of course, it never occurred to him that Kwon Kang-hee would leave Yoon Jun-young to make a move on Seo Chi-young. But separate from that, a drunk Kwon Kang-hee could be dangerous at times. He was especially dangerous when he had something bottled up inside.
Jang Ui-geon knew that he was petty in a very limited aspect. And he knew that he had recently hit that limited aspect head-on. So, separate from the fact that his apology was accepted and they were getting along as before, he had been worrying about how to handle the fact that the other man’s stomach was undoubtedly twisted. However, as time passed and memories faded, that worry had been gradually resolving itself.
But now.
His twisted stomach hadn’t even fully unraveled yet, and he was heavily intoxicated. This was not a good sign.
In the middle of this, Kwon Kang-hee suddenly let out a low laugh while looking at Seo Chi-young, who had mostly been listening to their stories, only exchanging a few words here and there. Jang Ui-geon, who had been watching him with an anxious eye, abruptly asked, “Why are you laughing?”
“No, it’s just that I think I understand why you like Chi-young.”
At that voice, speaking with a casual smile, Jang Ui-geon frowned even more. The signs were bad, very bad. Kwon Kang-hee was not the type of guy to make mistakes just because he had been drinking. If anything, he might use it as an excuse to do something sinister.
“What did you like about Ui-geon?”
When Kwon Kang-hee asked Seo Chi-young with a smile, Jang Ui-geon’s bad premonition deepened. However, he didn’t stop Kwon Kang-hee, because the question sounded incredibly sweet in Jang Ui-geon’s ears. He, too, really wanted to hear such an answer.
Seo Chi-young seemed flustered when Kwon Kang-hee’s question suddenly flew his way. He looked at Kwon Kang-hee, then at Jang Ui-geon, then at Yoon Jun-young, struggling for words; however, being the diligent Seo Chi-young who always tried to answer sincerely whenever someone asked him something, he spoke haltingly.
“Uh… just… he’s… my first loves.”
Watching Seo Chi-young’s face turn hot the moment he spoke, Jang Ui-geon felt a sudden pang in his chest. He wanted to shower that red face with kisses right this instant. Since the omens were bad anyway, Jang Ui-geon secretly thought he should hurry these guys away so he and Chi-young could spend some comfortable and pleasant time alone.
“First loves, huh… It’s not easy to end up with your first love, so that’s nice. …Then, Chi-young, you probably haven’t slept with many other people.”
At Kwon Kang-hee’s slow, smiling remark, Jang Ui-geon froze. Seo Chi-young froze as well. Yoon Jun-young looked at Kwon Kang-hee with a face that seemed to ask if he’d had too much to drink to be asking such random things.
“…Pardon? …Uh… yes, well, not… not really.”
Perhaps because it was so strange for the usually taciturn Kwon Kang-hee to ask such a thing, Seo Chi-young blinked in bewilderment, yet answered faithfully.
And at that very moment.
Clunk. A bad premonition washed over him all at once, and just a step ahead of Jang Ui-geon, who was about to shout “Wait—”, Kwon Kang-hee opened his mouth and said, “Is that so?”
“That’s a shame… Ui-geon is really bad at that.”
“What?”
“This guy is incredibly clumsy in bed. I’ve never seen anyone who was properly satisfied after doing it with him… Ah, but I suppose it’s a relief in its own way. If Chi-young hasn’t done it with many others, he won’t have a standard for comparison. He can just live thinking that this level is probably fine.”
As Kwon Kang-hee smiled sweetly, wishing them a long and happy life together, Jang Ui-geon stared at him with wide eyes, feeling as if a bolt of lightning had struck him from the blue. For a moment, he was frozen like a stone statue, unable to speak. Seo Chi-young, blinking with a look of slight confusion, didn’t feel particularly disappointed in himself, but instead glanced at Jang Ui-geon with concern. Only upon receiving that gaze did Jang Ui-geon snap back to his senses.
“Hey, Kwon Kang-hee! You bastard, why are you slandering me!! It’s not true, Chi-young! I’m good at it! Every single person who slept with me begged to do it again, absolutely every single one!”
“…Uh… yes… I-I’m fine. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Facing Seo Chi-young, who responded haltingly while looking at him with pitying eyes, Jang Ui-geon thought that this was exactly what it felt like to go crazy.
“I’m telling you, I’m really good! Even if you compared me to thousands or tens of thousands of other guys, I’d be—no, no way, absolutely not! …The reason I’m saying don’t compare me isn’t because I’m clumsy or bad; I’m confident regardless of who I’m compared to in that regard, but still, never even think about comparing me to another guy! …Hey, Kwon Kang-hee, you!!”
Jang Ui-geon had never once thought his masculinity was inferior to anyone else’s and was overflowing with confidence in that area, but there was no way to prove it. He absolutely could not give Seo Chi-young the opportunity to be with others just to provide the realization, ‘Ah, I see, this person was actually on the better side.’
While Jang Ui-geon tore at his hair in agony because he had no way to prove it, Kwon Kang-hee downed the remaining half of the alcohol in his glass and patted Yoon Jun-young on the shoulder. He suggested that it was getting late and they should probably head out.
Yoon Jun-young, who had been watching the situation unfold with his arms crossed, narrowed his eyes. He muttered, “Chi-young is the only one who’s going to suffer tonight; why did you do that, you poor thing,” yet he obediently stood up to follow Kwon Kang-hee. In truth, Yoon Jun-young also harbored a tiny bit of resentment toward Jang Ui-geon for having beaten up Kwon Kang-hee, so he decided to clear that grudge with this.
“I see, I think I was wrong about Chi-young,” Kwon Kang-hee replied, though he didn’t actually feel very sorry. The narrow-minded Kwon Kang-hee had also harbored a subtle grudge against Seo Chi-young, who had called out Jang Ui-geon every time Yoon Jun-young came to this shop, claiming he was taking Jang Ui-geon’s side. Moreover, there was no way he could look kindly upon Seo Chi-young, who monopolized Yoon Jun-young’s love just by being good at stir-frying tripe.
Ah, today was a very rewarding day.
Kwon Kang-hee smiled broadly as he left the place with Yoon Jun-young. With this, he felt he had washed away some of his resentment toward Jang Ui-geon and that this was a perfectly appropriate treatment for Seo Chi-young as a warning.
Leaving a generic parting word—that they would contact them again later, and that they should leave now since it was late and they felt the alcohol kicking in—Kwon Kang-hee and Yoon Jun-young set off for home with light steps.
And as for Seo Chi-young and Jang Ui-geon, who were left behind.
Seo Chi-young, who said several times with a troubled face, “Um, I’m okay. It really doesn’t matter to me,” and Jang Ui-geon, who tore at his hair because the more he spoke, the less credible he sounded, saying, “I’m really in the top 1%. You must never try to compare me with another guy, but what I’m saying is the truth.”
Seo Chi-young, who wasn’t entirely without sin but was, if anything, a slight match for the situation, and Jang Ui-geon, who had committed sins so he couldn’t be entirely wronged, yet whose heart was burning black from the bitter wound to his unprovable pride.
They were truly plunged into a night of hardship and agony, feeling as if they had been struck by a bolt of lightning in the middle of the night.
Fin.