By Zephyria 
“I broke up with Gyun-woo Hyung.”
Choi Hwan, who had burst into the home theater while I was watching a fun movie, suddenly said this. Yeon-rok’s hand, which was eating popcorn, stopped, but he wasn’t surprised. Somehow, Moon Kyeon-woo was being sentimental alone a few days ago…….
“Um, can you close the door? I can’t see the screen well because of the light.”
That meant to close the door and leave, but somehow Choi Hwan misunderstood and closed the door and came in and sat down next to me as he pleased.
“What kind of crappy movie are you watching? Watch my movie.”
Then he stole the popcorn and started rattling off his dating history, which Yeon-rok didn’t particularly ask about.
“I guess I can’t help but have different tastes. No matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t want to be topped. Gyun-woo Hyung said that he would be fine with a platonic relationship if that’s what I wanted, but I didn’t like that either. So I just dumped him. Wow, Lee Jun-sung was like this at this time? Do you know that he was two-timing Lua and Kim Se-rim and got caught and got beaten up and bled from his nose?”
It was really TMI that I didn’t want to know from beginning to end…….
“Sigh. What’s the point of having people who match me? I can’t even date. I guess I’m destined to live alone and lonely in this life.”
It was a statement that didn’t consider Yeon-rok as a dating partner at all, but it wasn’t surprising. Looking at him groping around as he pleased again this time, it was almost like he was treating me like a battery or a hot pack, not even being aware that I was his Name partner. Yeon-rok pushed away the hand that was slyly coming into his clothes without permission and replied nonchalantly.
“You break up every time because you date without any romantic feelings from the beginning.”
“Do you really need romantic feelings if you’re Name partners?”
“How did you even act like you were dating?”
Hmm, Choi Hwan sucked on his finger with salty seasoning. He smiled mischievously, sparkling his eyes, and leaned towards Yeon-rok. I was heavy, but I couldn’t be pushed away, so I stiffened and endured, and Choi Hwan raised his handsome lips with a smirk.
“Yeon-rok-ah, you don’t have to experience it to know it.”
The loose atmosphere instantly tightened. Yeon-rok’s wide eyes involuntarily drifted to Choi Hwan’s lips. They seemed particularly well-defined and glossy today.
“So, you’re saying you have to commit murder to act like a murderer?”
The fingers that had been touching his neck tightened, adding a subtle pressure. When Yeon-rok tensed up at this, he bared his teeth in a smile and suddenly bit his cheek. It didn’t hurt, but he was startled.
“Ugh!”
Yeon-rok recoiled, scrubbing his cheek vigorously. Choi Hwan, pushed back, pouted.
“You don’t have to hate it that much to be hurt. Not between us…”
“What is ‘us’?”
“Uh…”
Choi Hwan made a dazed sound, wrinkles forming on his smooth brow as he pondered. After a brief moment of thought, a thoughtless answer popped out.
“My lackey?”
Instead of answering, Yeon-rok swung a cushion from the sofa and beat him soundly. Choi Hwan, knowing that the answer “lackey” was wrong, simply took the hits before quickly running away. Yeon-rok sighed and simply turned off the movie that had been playing silently amidst the chaos. It was almost time for his appointment anyway.
Yeon-rok quickly finished getting ready and headed to the meeting place. Today was the knitting club’s dinner to celebrate Lee Seong-myung’s first completed work. Yeon-rok entered the Korean BBQ restaurant with a bright greeting, but was puzzled.
“The turnout is a bit low today, isn’t it?”
“Oh dear. It seems like we’ve picked the wrong day. I got a call earlier, Mi-young Unni has gastroenteritis, and Hye-jin’s house has a burst pipe, causing her a lot of trouble. And Hee-kyung can’t come because of a family matter.”
Lee Seong-myung, who had been clicking his tongue as he listened to the misfortunes that had befallen the members, soon chuckled with a good-natured face.
“Let’s just enjoy ourselves and have a good meal, just the few of us.”
Although it became a small gathering, the dinner was quite enjoyable. When Yeon-rok tried to pay, he found that someone had already taken care of it. Everyone said to the bewildered Yeon-rok:
“Yeon-rok, things like this are for the adults to pay for.”
“I am an adult…”
“Oh my. With such downy fuzz on your face, what do you mean, an adult.”
Perhaps because the average age was in their fifties, the members treated Yeon-rok like a child. Most of them had children, and those children were about the same age as Yeon-rok, or even older. Yeon-rok felt uneasy about always being treated, so Lee Seong-myung suggested:
“Now that we’re full, shall we all get some exercise? There’s a screen golf place upstairs in this building.”
Everyone readily agreed, except for two people who had to go home early. Yeon-rok didn’t know how to play golf, but fortunately, Lee Seong-myung kindly taught him. Everyone praised him for his athletic ability, so it was more fun than he had expected.
About an hour later, Yeon-rok realized that he and Lee Seong-myung were the only ones left of the group. He was a little disappointed because he liked having a lot of people around.
“Yeon-rok, would you like something to drink?”
Lee Seong-myung, who had been watching Yeon-rok play screen golf with a satisfied expression, suggested casually. Yeon-rok had been treated so much today that he offered to pay, but it was no use this time either.
“You should just say thank you and accept it. So, what would you like to drink?”
“Then, I’ll have an iced Americano, please. I really want to pay…”
Yeon-rok asked for a cool drink, feeling awkward. Soon, a warm ginger tea and a cool Americano arrived. Yeon-rok, who was already thirsty, glanced at it and then tried to get into position to hit the ball. The golf ball flew through the air and collided with the screen with a thud. The result that appeared was not very good, so he tilted his head.
“Is it like this? Like this…?”
He tried to get a feel for it and swung powerfully. But whether it was because he was too eager, or because a sudden, inexplicable chill ran down his spine, his shoes squeaked unpleasantly as they slipped. He lost his balance and his body swayed. The golf club, which had swung around more than it should have, hit the ball with a cheerful sound. Backwards.
“Whoa!”
The man who had been quietly lurking around Yeon-rok after bringing the drinks let out a small cry. He had been paying attention to the golf club, but he had never imagined that the golf ball would fly backwards. The man threw himself to avoid the golf ball flying towards his face. In the process, he fell on Lee Seong-myung, who was sipping his ginger tea and exchanging glances.
“Aaaagh!”
Lee Seong-myung screamed as he spilled the hot ginger tea all over his hand. Yeon-rok, witnessing the chain of accidents caused by his misfortune, also screamed.
“Oh! Are you okay?!”
He quickly rushed over and administered first aid. That is, he poured the iced Americano directly onto Lee Seong-myung’s hand. He grabbed his palm, intending to cool it down quickly, and looked around for something to treat it with.
Lee Seong-myung, who had been such a kind adult until then, slapped Yeon-rok’s hand away painfully and mercilessly. His face was contorted, startling Yeon-rok. Then, his gaze inadvertently turned to his red palm.
“Oh, on your palm…”
There was a pattern that caught his eye in the place where something like a flesh-colored bandage had been half torn off. A tattoo? Or… could it be? It was an unusual shape for a middle-aged man like Lee Seong-myung to have, so Yeon-rok asked hesitantly.
“Are you perhaps a Name Awakened?”
Lee Seong-myung, who had been hastily retracting his hand with a distorted face, paused. A look of contemplation flashed across his face, and then he adjusted his expression and nodded.
“Haha. That’s right. I am a Name Awakened.”
“Oh, really? I guess I don’t have a good eye for it. I had no idea until now.”
“Ah… People can be so bothersome when they find out, so I usually cover it up.”
Yeon-rok nodded innocently, saying that could be the case. It was a good thing it was in a location covered by clothing, or he didn’t know how much the people he worked with would have bothered him when his Name had first awakened.
“By the way, is your hand okay?”
“Oh, it’s fine. Fortunately, the ginger tea wasn’t that hot.”
It doesn’t look fine. His hand looks very red… Lee Seong-myung’s face still looks strangely red… Yeon-rok belatedly remembered the other person who had fallen while trying to avoid the ball and turned around. But there was no one there. He was sure that he had hit him with the golf ball he had sent flying backwards.
“Didn’t I hit someone with the golf ball I hit earlier?”
“Did you? I was so out of it that I don’t really know. And how could a golf ball fly backwards? Hahaha.”
Yeon-rok repeatedly asked if his hand was really okay, and if he needed to go to the hospital, but Lee Seong-myung adamantly refused. He even hit a few golf balls as if to show off. Was it just his imagination that his hand looked even redder? He really looked like he was in pain…
‘Shouldn’t I go home now?’
Yeon-rok was worried because the bad luck that had been quiet lately seemed to be flaring up again. He wouldn’t mind if he was the only one who got hurt, but this time two people had been harmed, so he felt guilty. Yeon-rok fiddled with the golf ball and said,
“I’m going to head home now.”
“Huh? Why? Aren’t you going to play more?”
Lee Seong-myung, who had paused, urged him to play more. When Yeon-rok glanced at his hand, which looked like it had been burned, he subtly turned his body to hide it.
“I’m worried about Darling’s hand, and I feel like I caused a lot of trouble earlier.”
Yeon-rok continued in his mind. And because I might cause even more trouble in the future.