Ire, who was trying to escape, was grabbed by the scruff of his neck. As soon as he was dragged to the sofa and sat down, Captain Kim Ha-yoon mixed something in a white porcelain cup and handed it to him. He took a seat at a distance where their thighs almost touched. When Ire tried to move to the side because he was uncomfortable, Captain Kim Ha-yoon pressed down on his shoulder this time and made him sit back down.
“Drink.”
“…”
“It’s honey tea. It’s good for hangovers.”
Ire thanked him, picked up the cup, and brought it to his lips. Unlike how he had been threatening him just a moment ago, he was being kind again. Not knowing when or how he would change, Ire watched him carefully as he drank the tea, which had a sweet fragrance. Honey was something that was hard to get even with money in District B.
“Is the necklace you lost similar to this?”
Captain Kim Ha-yoon asked, shaking the necklace in front of his eyes. Ire had retorted fiercely, but it was surprisingly identical to his. However, the problem was that it was a common design, as Captain Kim Ha-yoon had said.
“It was a gift from Matteo…”
“Oh, dear. That must be upsetting.”
Even though he said that, his face showed no sympathy at all.
“Should I give you this one, at least?”
Ire didn’t particularly want to receive something that wasn’t his. As soon as he shook his head, Captain Kim Ha-yoon turned and moved his body very close. He could feel his breath clearly at a distance where his nose almost touched his cheek, which was very uncomfortable. Without realizing it, Ire frowned and tried to move his body to the other side, but Captain Kim Ha-yoon chuckled.
“You have to keep your promises.”
“W-What promise?”
“You just said it. If this necklace isn’t yours, you’d do whatever I told you to do.”
Ire almost spat out the honey tea he was drinking.
“I said that in a fit of anger… And I didn’t bring it up first. Captain asked me, and I answered.”
“Are you going to deny it?”
“No… that’s not it. Um, can’t we talk while standing apart?”
When Ire moved his shoulder to push him away, Captain Kim Ha-yoon leaned his arm on the sofa, rested his chin on it, and stared intently at him. Then, he touched his hair with his hand and tucked it behind his ear. Ire’s body flinched as his touch reached his earlobe.
Why is he suddenly like this? Is he crazy?
Ire glanced at Captain Kim Ha-yoon with a nervous expression.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“A promise is a promise.”
“…”
“A man has to take responsibility for what he says.”
“…”
His hand now gently caressed his cheek. Ire felt nervous and his body was heating up. He knew this feeling well. Even if he was young, he wasn’t a clueless idiot. Confused by the sudden emotion, Captain Kim Ha-yoon brought his face even closer.
“Smile.”
Ire asked back with a blank expression. “Huh?”
“Smile for me. Make me feel good. Then I’ll forget about it.”
“…”
“Is it difficult?”
He had no idea why he was suddenly being asked to smile. But an even bigger problem was that Captain Kim Ha-yoon’s face was only a hand’s breadth away if he just turned his head. Why was he so nervous about that? His hand had now moved to the back of his neck. Ire unknowingly bit his lower lip at the touch that pressed his neck without hurting him.
“You’re nervous?”
Ire removed the hand that was sticking to his neck.
“It’s because you’re making strange requests…”
“Is asking you to smile strange? It’s not like I’m telling you to take off your clothes and show me your dick.”
The absurd suggestion he had made when they first met came to mind, and his face naturally contorted.
“Quickly, huh?”
Now he was sticking close, resting his face on his shoulder. It felt like he was acting cute, which gave him the creeps in a different way. Ire steeled his heart, thinking that if he left him alone, he would continue to pester and embarrass him, and turned his head to face Captain Kim Ha-yoon.
The face he saw right in front of him was dazzlingly handsome. His skin was white and smooth, unlike someone his age, and his long eyelashes fluttered like butterflies whenever he blinked because he had double eyelids. He thought he was handsome but beautiful.
Of course, his personality didn’t even come close to matching his face.
Seeing the corners of his mouth rising coolly, Ire tried to smile along.
“What are you doing?”
His cheeks trembled as he tried to force a smile, and Captain Kim Ha-yoon let out a sigh mixed with annoyance.
“I told you to smile, not to make me laugh.”
“I’m t-trying to.”
“Again. I don’t like it.”
“…”
“Don’t want to eat breakfast?”
Ire squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to smile properly this time, but it still wasn’t easy. He wasn’t a very smiley person to begin with, and even less so if he wasn’t close to someone. Besides, being told to smile while he was nervous was like torture.
“Again.”
At the repeated demands, Ire unknowingly opened his eyes wide like a flounder. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t help but think that Captain Kim Ha-yoon was picking a fight with him. Otherwise, why would he be forcing him to smile from the morning?
As he cursed inwardly, Captain Kim Ha-yoon straightened up and waved his hand.
“Okay. Forget it.”
Thank goodness. Had he finally given up?
“I’ll make you do something else later.”
“…”
He was speechless. After making fun of him by telling him to smile. He stared at him in disbelief, and Captain Kim Ha-yoon took off his shirt and threw it off. As he stretched languidly, his muscles writhed as if they were alive. He leisurely went into the bathroom, and Ire, left alone, stared at the bathroom door with a dumbfounded expression.
“Haa, that…”
The words “crazy bastard” came up to his throat, but he swallowed them down in the end. He jumped up from his seat, but still, he finished the honey water because it was a waste. He opened the door and walked along the hallway, and Park Mu-jin was walking towards him in the distance.
Park Mu-jin grinned as soon as he saw Ire.
He had lost two front teeth, but they looked fine, as if they had been treated in the meantime.
“Hey, Hybrid. Why are you coming out of there? Are you two really something?”
Park Mu-jin pounded his fist into his palm. Ire didn’t want to argue from the morning, so he tried to pass by, but Park Mu-jin finally provoked him.
“You must be getting a lot of love?”
Ire turned around and approached Park Mu-jin right in front of his nose.
“What do you want to say?”
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to pick a fight.”
“……?”
He looked to the left and right of the hallway and lowered his voice.
“You know, why do you think you’re here?”
He didn’t know what kind of bullshit that was. Of course, it was because Captain Kim Ha-yoon had brought him here.
“Have you ever wondered why it had to be you out of all the guys who fight in District B?”
“Because I’m the best fighter.”
Park Mu-jin burst out laughing, and Ire was a little embarrassed even after saying it. In fact, he hadn’t fought everyone, so there could be people stronger than him. But if he took back his words, his pride would be hurt.
Park Mu-jin looked around to make sure no one was there and then got to the point.
“My father is on the committee. You’ve seen him before, right? Chairman, well, Captain Kim Ha-yoon’s father, is a close friend.”
“So? Did you call me to brag about your father?”
“I’ve heard something about you…”
He stopped talking and shook his head.
“Never mind. This isn’t something we can talk about here anyway.”
Ire grabbed Park Mu-jin by the collar. This bastard. He wasn’t kidding.
“Woah, don’t do this. If you fight again, it won’t end with just detention.”
“……”
“You don’t want to be kicked back to District B, do you?”
When Ire glared at him with gritted teeth, Park Mu-jin let go of Ire’s hand and grinned. Then he handed him a small piece of paper. The paper, which read ‘Oasis’, had a phone number and a simple map drawn on it.
“If you want to know, come there anytime. Alone.”
Before he could ask anything more, Park Mu-jin waved his hand and turned away. His eyes were certain that Ire would come. As if denying that, he crumpled the paper in his hand mercilessly. After all, that guy was only thinking about screwing him over, so there was no point in getting involved.
He threw the crumpled paper into the trash can without regret and walked towards the room he had been staying in.
“The trainees have departed. Let’s go too. The helicopter will arrive in 10 minutes.”
At Kim Do-cheol’s words, Captain Kim Ha-yoon silently looked out the window. He could see the trainees lining up to board the ship. Ire was among them. He turned around and picked up his coat, and Kim Do-cheol came to his side and subtly probed.
“Why are you so down? Since this morning?”
“……”
“What’s wrong?”
What’s wrong…
He rolled his tongue in his mouth. There wasn’t really anything special. He had been feeling fine until yesterday. Until Ire called out Matteo’s name while drunk. Why did that twist his insides so much? On top of that, he was audacious and detestable for barging in from the morning to find his necklace and getting angry.
“I was so nice to him, and all he had to do was smile, goddamn it.”
“Huh?”
Before Kim Do-cheol could ask anything more, Captain Kim Ha-yoon grabbed the necklace around his neck, shoved it into his pants pocket, and came outside. All the trainees had left, and the helicopter that had just arrived was preparing to land in the open space.