By Zephyria 
“I’ve been caught.”
…I wondered why he was suddenly using formal language. It was likely because those in costume were high-probability company officials.
“No, how did that happen?”
“While protecting Team Leader Song’s defenseless backside outside the furnace…”
“Hey!”
Hearing Yi-ho’s shout, the costumed ghosts actually flinched.
“Gosh, Team Leader Song, why are you screaming? You’ll scare the staff… I mean, the ghosts.”
“…….”
One of the ghosts glanced around tentatively and pointed to the box in Yi-ho’s hand. Yi-ho opened the box as instructed.
“…Between your colleague and the treasure, which will you choose?”
That was written on the top of the box. Yi-ho answered without hesitation.
“I’ll take the treasure.”
“Wow, Team Leader Song, that’s cold. Wait—! Ack! Ack!”
The tallest ghost put Min-gyu in a headlock, while the other two ghosts beat Min-gyu’s body with toy hammers they had been hiding behind their backs. Watching Cha Min-gyu get pummeled was a somewhat satisfying sight. However, seeing him half-tucked into someone’s arms felt slightly unpleasant.
“Alright. I’ll choose my colleague.”
At that, one of the ghosts who had been hammering pointed to the box again and gestured with his hand. It seemed to mean he should unfold the note inside the box.
Inside the note, another strange phrase was written.
[If you show beautiful camaraderie, the ghosts will be touched and vanish.]
“Come this wayyy….”
The ghosts stood Yi-ho and Min-gyu facing each other. Min-gyu, whose hair was a mess from the humiliation(?), looked down at Yi-ho with a dissatisfied gaze.
“Team Leader Song, I didn’t realize you were such a cold and calculating person.”
“You shouldn’t be emotional in your professional life.”
As an argument was about to break out between them, the ghosts glanced at the two with anxious expressions. If they were assigned the role of full-body costumes at a workshop, their rank was obvious. Before the team leaders could make an even more embarrassing scene, the two relaxed their shoulders.
Meanwhile, two ghosts standing facing each other next to Min-gyu and Yi-ho shook hands and looked at them. As if telling them to do the same.
“…….”
“…….”
Their gazes met, feeling a bit more awkward. Yi-ho was the first to reach out his hand.
Min-gyu stared down at that hand. Why are you stalling so childishly? Then, he grabbed the hand firmly. Min-gyu gripped Yi-ho’s hand heavily with his large hand and shook it.
“Let’s get along, Team Leader Song.”
“…Yes.”
However, the ghosts would not pass on to the afterlife with such a shallow friendship. Next, the two ghosts opened their arms, approached each other, and hugged. They didn’t forget to warmly pat each other’s backs. After the deep embrace, they looked back at the two.
“Good grief.”
Min-gyu let out a sigh, opened his arms, and approached Yi-ho. Min-gyu’s broad chest suddenly drew close before Yi-ho’s eyes. Simultaneously, Yi-ho shrank back and stepped away.
“Team Leader Song?”
“…No, that’s a bit…”
That was the limit of Yi-ho’s attempt to act composed.
A hug with the object of his unrequited love. It was nothing short of the ultimate industry reward. But it was too much. This memory would make his heart pound for three days and nights. Moreover, not in a place where company people were present.
“Well, it’s fine. It’s not like you’re wearing out.”
No, I feel like my lifespan is definitely wearing out. Yi-ho hesitated and took two more steps back. Not daring to face Min-gyu, who still had his arms wide open, he looked back at the ghosts in their bright red makeup.
“Um… you ghosts, isn’t this enough? We’ll get along.”
The ghosts looked at each other, wondering ‘What should we do…’, and then jumped in surprise at each other’s appearance. Ha. A sound that was either a sigh or a scoff escaped Min-gyu’s lips.
“Are you trying to negotiate with your hubaes because you can’t even do this one thing?”
“No, it’s not that. …….”
With his arms still open, Min-gyu’s expression was shadowed, clearly revealing his irritation: ‘Song Yi-ho, what are you doing?’
“Team Leader Song.”
“…….”
Min-gyu took a large step forward. In front was Cha Min-gyu, and to the side… were the pitiful young employees sweating bullets.
Eventually, the distance between him and Min-gyu closed. Min-gyu looked down at Yi-ho, who was leaning his waist back in an awkward posture with only his arms extended, and then wrapped both arms around Yi-ho’s back and yanked him in. With a force that seemed to contain some unknown grudge, Yi-ho’s body slammed into his firm chest.
“How many years has it been since we’ve known each other? Let’s get a bit closer, Team Leader Song.”
“Wait, I can’t… breathe…!”
“Since Team Leader Song didn’t hug me back, I think it’s void. Huh? Am I the only one trying to get along right now? Only one of the two ghosts can pass on to the afterlife?”
Yi-ho’s head spun. Min-gyu was wearing a thin t-shirt, and Yi-ho was wearing the same. Through the scraps of fabric that combined to less than 0.5cm, Min-gyu’s body contours were felt too clearly. At this rate, even his heartbeat would be heard. He desperately missed the outer garment Min-gyu had lent him. Why had he thrown it off by the furnace?
His stomach churned. Certain that his heartbeat would be transmitted, he tried to squirm, but Min-gyu did not release his arms. Eventually, as if declaring surrender, Yi-ho patted his back a few times with his palms. Then, as if granting mercy, Min-gyu stepped back. Feeling the blood that had been tightly constricted in his heart suddenly burst through his body, Yi-ho’s feet staggered.
“Is that enough now?”
Min-gyu looked back at the ghosts. The ghosts nodded vigorously, gave two thumbs-up, and pointed toward the way out.
Yi-ho was in no state to say anything, and Min-gyu had also fallen silent, so the two crossed the threshold of the abandoned house in silence.
“Um, Team Leader, wait a moment! This…!”
Looking back, a ghost was running toward them with a cheerful voice that didn’t suit the costume, holding the zip-up hoodie Yi-ho had taken off. The hoodie was safely delivered to Yi-ho.
“Please get home safely….”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work….”
After the awkward parting, once the surroundings became quiet again, Yi-ho tried to return the outer garment after dusting it off. However, Min-gyu snorted and refused to take it.
“Why? Are you not going to get along with me, so you won’t even borrow my clothes? You won’t even hug me, but you’ll share your blood with mosquitoes? Wow, you only hate me. Only me.”
“Ah, why are you being like this?”
“Forget it. I don’t know. I’m not playing with Song-i Song-i.”
Spouting words that didn’t match his mountain-like build, Min-gyu huffed and strode forward. Even though it had become even chillier than before, he seemed to have no intention of taking the clothes back.
As Yi-ho’s steps stopped while he slid his arms into the sleeves, Min-gyu narrowed his stride and glanced back. Yi-ho hurriedly chased after him to close the gap.
Then, Min-gyu began to grumble again, as if wanting to be heard.
“Song-i Song-i has no loyalty to friends, no love.”
“…….”
“Fifteen years and you’ve sucked all the sweetness out, so you’re bored, huh? Huh? The snacks earlier should have been tteokbokki, tteok-ramyeon, and tteokguk. We should have just grilled rows of tteok on the grill.”
“Hey….”
“You were practically hugging and dancing Ganggangsullae with your team members during the day, huh? But you can’t even give a little pat to a friend.”
“No, that was a game, and earlier was….”
But even if he went back to that situation, it was impossible to greedily hug Min-gyu in front of others. Yi-ho did not want his love and emotions to be seen by anyone. Not just the other employees standing there, but not even by the party involved, Cha Min-gyu.
“…Should we just reveal that we’re friends?”
He felt like something terrible would happen if he went through this twice. If he revealed the truth, he wouldn’t be pushed into these situations anymore. It would be better to just reveal they were friends.
“Why, let’s do more. I was damn upset when we first started that.”
It was an unconventional way of speaking, unlike Cha Min-gyu. Yi-ho blinked.
“Huh? Something happened when we started?”
“Ha, Song-i Song-i. You don’t remember?”
“……?”
“Look at this. He really did forget.”
“What is it….”
“You told me, ‘Cha Min-gyu, I have no intention of ruining my human relationships at work, so let’s pretend we don’t know each other at the office.’”
“I did? Not that we should separate public and private life, but I said it like that?”
“Wow, so I’m the only one who almost died of frustration, right now?”
“…?”
Min-gyu crossed his arms and puffed out his chest.
“Back then, rumors were circulating that you stole the spot from those idiots whose promotions to Head of section were delayed! You said you wouldn’t cause me any harm. I was jumping up and down saying what kind of bullshit that was, but you asked me to just do as you said just this once, begging me!”
“Wow…. You have a great memory.”
“How could I forget that?”
Of course, knowing there were many spiteful gazes directed at him when he first joined the company, the context of saying such things to Min-gyu was understandable. Even if he went back to that time, he would likely make a similar choice.
“…Actually, half of the snapping back then was sincere. Song Yi-ho.”
“I was snapping?”
“Yeah. Since you were like this, I did it for a day or two and then gave up out of exhaustion. It wasn’t a situation where I could throw a tantrum at you like I do now.”
“…….”
“You should have just asked for help, you dummy.”
In truth, Yi-ho barely remembered. As Min-gyu said, it was because Yi-ho’s situation had been extremely dire. His father’s sudden cancer diagnosis and the Mok-dong rice cake shop that could no longer be operated. Since they were a comfortable middle-class family, they could hold out for a while with savings, but it was impossible for an only son to remain in the lab in luxury as he had. He informed his professor of the family situation, underwent his graduation review earlier than planned, and prepared for employment.
His unrequited love was an emotion that had hardened over a long time and come to occupy a large part of Yi-ho. Thus, it always sat like a rock protruding above a deep sea. Because it remained in the same place at a constant size without ever changing, it was pushed down the priority list whenever overwhelming waves crashed in. At twenty-eight, his unrequited love had been buried beneath the surface due to the changes in his environment. And when the storm ended and he could look around again, the unrequited love was still in the same place.
It was a relief. That he had been out of it during the moment Min-gyu said he felt cold. If it were now, living in a stable cycle, that action would feel much more painful.
Yi-ho spoke as he walked in step with him.
“If you were upset, let’s go and reveal it now.”
He felt Min-gyu’s obvious gaze on the back of his head. Then, an arm was draped over his shoulder and he was pulled closer.
“Forget it. Why bother. It’s all in the past.”
This was definitely a more familiar gesture than a hug.
When leaving the dojo in high school, with the scent of cheap body wash from the shower room and their half-dry heads bumping into each other.
In college, when they made similar gaps in their schedules to scour the restaurants near the school.
And after starting their professional lives, even after turning thirty, when they joked around, or occasionally, when the other was going through a hard time.
“What, you’re being quiet.”
“…You said you were upset.”
“Are you letting me off because I was upset?”
“It’s not that… no, well. Earlier, the ghosts—no, other people—were staring…”
“Ah. That was the problem? That they were watching right in front of us?”
It wasn’t exactly that… but Yi-ho nodded slightly. And he thought it was a good thing he did. The corners of Min-gyu’s mouth curled up pleasantly. As if all the resentment accumulated today had been washed away.
“Anyway, Song Yi-ho, thirty-three years old and still….”
The hand extending from the arm resting comfortably on his shoulder tapped his chest like a keyboard.
“Well, there were times I wondered what the hell we were doing, but being enemies at work and best friends at home has become fun now. Don’t you think?”
“…….”
“Both you and I are thirty-three; where else in life would you find someone like this?”
Yi-ho let his heart beat about three times before turning his head to look straight at Min-gyu and answering.
“I guess so.”
The surroundings were dark, so Min-gyu’s expression wasn’t clearly visible. As luck would have it, the direction of the sparse streetlights was behind Min-gyu’s back.
With the training center not far off, Min-gyu’s hand slid down his back.
“Let’s go, Team Leader Song.”
Following the smile on Min-gyu’s lips, Yi-ho also let out a faint smile.
“Yes.”
There would still be time left to spend like this, while holding onto his unrequited love.
The brightly lit lights gradually drew closer. The sound of slow footsteps walking at the same pace scattered into the miscellaneous chatter.