By Zephyria 
Yi-ho’s awkwardness grew a bit more as he entered the living room. Min-gyu had always kept the house tidy, but as someone who spent most of his time away from home, there had been a certain bleakness to the place. Today, however, there were pretty wave-patterned cushions and a summer rug near the sofa that he hadn’t seen before. A vase sat in the center of the dining table, where the two of them often shared drinks. And a strange, sweet scent lingered in the air.
“Give me what you bought, Darling.”
…Still, the strangest thing of all was Cha Min-gyu, who was practically glowing on his own. As Yi-ho handed over the bag of takeout, a question suddenly popped into his head.
“Ah, Min-gyu, isn’t your front door password OOOO12?”
“I changed it.”
“Why?”
“Song-i, I can’t go back to the way things were.”
“……?”
“I realized that after you moved back to the house next door.”
Having said his piece, Min-gyu turned away primly and headed toward the kitchen.
After opening the plastic packaging to check the contents, he took out a wok and placed it on the induction stove. The slightly cooled stir-fried tripe regained its gloss and savory aroma under the hands of Cha Min-gyu, who was dressed in a date-ready look. Watching his back, Yi-ho asked belatedly.
“No, why…? Why can’t we go back to the way things were?”
“Actually, I had a nightmare last night.”
Suddenly? No way….
“What kind of dream makes you change your password…?”
Min-gyu let out a trembling sigh as he stir-fried the tripe.
“You came to visit me out of the blue in the middle of the night and woke me up, but I hadn’t washed the day before and my beard had grown in thick and black.”
“Uh….”
“It was horrific, truly.”
Unable to understand Min-gyu’s logic, Yi-ho muttered.
“I’ve already seen you like that a few times.”
Of course, since Min-gyu woke up much earlier than Yi-ho and was a stickler for cleanliness, such a sight wasn’t common. But it had definitely happened a few times when they were younger, or when they had drunk themselves into a stupor, or when they had exhausted themselves swimming in the ocean on a trip.
“Do you think then and now are the same? I can’t bring myself to show that side of me to my lover, even if it kills me.”
His absurd claim was surprisingly firm. Yi-ho tried to understand his reasoning, but it only left him feeling dissatisfied. After their relationship changed, Yi-ho had stayed in this house for about another week. During all that time, whether by choice or circumstance, he had always fallen asleep before Min-gyu and woken up after him.
“You’ve already seen me wake up from sleep plenty of times, haven’t you?”
“Song-i is….”
Min-gyu shifted his gaze from the induction stove and briefly looked at Yi-ho’s current state. A state that didn’t show a single shred of consciousness regarding his lover’s appearance…. Mercifully, he didn’t continue the thought and let it slide.
Shaking the wok skillfully, Min-gyu plated the perfectly heated stir-fried tripe on a large, beautiful plate and placed it in the center of the table. It was a plate he had never seen before, with edges that waved like a fish’s fin.
Then, Min-gyu set the cutlery down in front of Yi-ho. The utensils, which looked like something from a fine tableware exhibition, were also a first.
“What is this now?”
“I bought them new. Let’s eat.”
Yi-ho sat down, still carrying the bewildered feeling that had started at the front door. Min-gyu had always been neat with his chopsticks, but today, he added a bit more… moving the tips of the chopsticks with a prim air. The chopsticks reached out to the plate and picked up a piece of tripe near him.
Pop.
A clove of garlic tucked inside the tripe popped out like a hatching egg. Min-gyu tapped the piece of tripe against the edge of the plate and put it in his mouth.
The tripe Yi-ho had bought was famous for having whole garlic cloves inside, meant to be eaten together. When Min-gyu took the first bite after removing the garlic, Yi-ho thought his chopsticks had just slipped, but the second time was the same. He popped the round garlic out and, after shaking off the sauce, neatly put only the tripe in his mouth.
“…Why? Is it too spicy?”
It wasn’t that at all…. At that, Min-gyu put down his chopsticks and cupped his cheek.
“I’m a bit reluctant to eat garlic and perilla powder in front of my lover….”
“…….”
“It’s because I’m very shy. Song-i, please enjoy your meal.”
The late-night snack time ended as if he were under a spell, without him ever figuring out why that guy… was acting like that, and Yi-ho returned home as if his soul had left his body.
Looking in the mirror by the front door, he finally noticed the stretched-out collar of his t-shirt and the pilling all over his shorts. Yi-ho stripped off the clothes and piled them by the door. He planned to throw them in the clothing collection bin on his way to work tomorrow. It was a farewell to the Korea University Computer Science department t-shirt he had worn for about ten years.
∗ ∗ ∗
The next morning, Yi-ho extended his preparation time for work by 30 minutes. First, instead of just letting his hair air-dry, he dried it completely and styled it with wax. Then, he pulled out a summer shirt that had been shoved away since he had it dry-cleaned last year and beige pants he had avoided because the color was too bright, and carefully chose a belt and watch.
He felt strange looking at himself in the mirror. Yi-ho felt a surge of confidence.
For someone who always dressed up, a little extra effort doesn’t result in a noticeable change. Even yesterday, Min-gyu was among the best dressed by office standards, but people just thought, ‘He put in a bit more effort today,’ and left it at that.
But what if it was someone who lived in slovenliness every day? The abyss of the development team? For Song Yi-ho, for whom simply having some color in his wardrobe was a revolution akin to evolution, it was a different story.
Although he dressed up to confidently show himself to Min-gyu, he felt a bit shy about standing before his fellow development team members. He didn’t care if they branded him a traitor. He was in a relationship, after all. Yi-ho arrived at the company with a determined heart.
Soon after, he screamed internally.
‘Cha Min-gyu, you crazy bastard.’
Yi-ho stared openly at Min-gyu, but his gaze wasn’t strange at all. Because every single person was staring at Min-gyu as he walked….
Some crazy Team Leader showed up to work in a three-piece suit, and it turns out he’s my lover.
If he posted this on the anonymous employee board, it would definitely become a trending post for days.
And of all things, the partitions had all been removed, meaning he could hear all the whispering from across the floor. Wow, Team Leader Cha was already handsome, but since he dressed up so intensely, I really can’t take my eyes off him. I thought he was a model when he walked in earlier. Did you know he’s wearing a tie pin and cufflinks? I thought he was the Chairman’s hidden youngest son…. What’s the occasion today? A blind date?
Thanks to the peacock who had spread his tail feathers before everyone, Yi-ho was, at best, a rooster who had just scrubbed his comb clean. Even the development team was so mesmerized by Min-gyu’s appearance that they didn’t even notice Yi-ho’s change….
There was no way such a Cha Min-gyu wouldn’t catch Department Head Gye’s eye.
However, no matter how much of a boomer the Department Head was, he couldn’t criticize someone for wearing a sharp suit by asking why his attire was so conspicuous.
“Team Leader Cha, did you get a lover or something?”
In other words, this was a roundabout way of mocking him. However, Min-gyu faced the Department Head with a bright smile that should have been impossible to give a superior.
“Ah, dear. Does my happiness show that much?”
“…….”
“That’s right. I’ve started dating. What you told me at the last company dinner was correct, Department Head. A man must date for sunlight to enter his life. Your insight into life is truly impressive.”
“Uh, uh….”
“I will follow your lead and strive even further.”
Department Head Gye returned to an expression that said, ‘I did say something like that back then, but I didn’t want him to be this happy….’
“Wow, Min-gyu, are you really dating?”
This time, the marketing team members were in an uproar. Yi-ho hoped some righteous person would shout, ‘Let’s be quiet! Aren’t we in the middle of work!’ but everyone was listening intently to Min-gyu.
“Yes. I have a lover.”
“Wow, whoa. What kind of person are they? Do you have a photo?”
“I can’t show you a photo, but they are pretty, cute, and sexy.”
Yi-ho wanted to run out of the company crying.
“How did you meet?”
“We’ve known each other for a long time, but we circled around each other and finally connected.”
“Those kinds of relationships usually lead to marriage quickly!”
“Ah, really? In that case, I’ll let you hear some good news before it’s too late.”
Even Yi-ho, who had mentioned Amsterdam dozens, hundreds of times in his head, was amazed by his brazenness.
“Wow… Min-gyu is really in the early stages of dating. He’s completely fallen for them…. Completely fallen.”
“How many days has it been?”
“Hmm. Has it only been three weeks?”
“Oh, but if you go around talking about marriage on your own, your lover will scold you.”
“Oh, I just like them so much that I… It’s fine. I’m confident in my ability to beg for forgiveness from a lover who’s angry.”
The peacock in question showed himself off to the entire office. To the point where even the photocopier seemed to spit out prints on its own just to announce that Cha Min-gyu had a lover. Then, leaving his spot where the marketing team members were, he sat down next to Yi-ho, placing his tablet down.
Yi-ho growled with all his heart.
“Get awa—”
The pathetic threat, of course, didn’t reach him.
“Good morning, Team Leader Song.”
“I’m not [in a good mood].”
“Oh dear. Shall we work together anyway?”
“…….”
Do whatever you want. However, Min-gyu, who suggested they work together, didn’t even think about opening his tablet and just stared at Yi-ho. Only when Yi-ho looked back did he bring up the main point.
“I heard a lot of compliments today about how I came in looking pretty….”
Min-gyu trailed off, looking at Yi-ho with expectant eyes. Well, he was handsome—insanely handsome. But what did he want him to do about it….
Normally, he might have ignored him and turned his head. That is, if they were the ‘normal’ two people from before they started dating.
But a phrase Min-gyu had been whining about recently suddenly came to mind. Asking if he finally believed in his feelings…. If he ignored him here, he became a little afraid of what would happen once they got home.
Min-gyu was still looking at Yi-ho, resting his chin on his hand.
“Um…, yes. It suits you.”
“Should I keep dressing like this?”
“…I think it would be hard for you to prepare every morning.”
“It’s worth it if my lover thinks I look pretty.”
Yi-ho’s pupils trembled. Is it okay to say things like that at work? As if mocking his tension, a fluid sentence was added.
“Team Leader Song and I have polar opposite tastes. If I look pretty even in Team Leader Song’s eyes, I must look pretty to everyone in the world.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Today’s Cha Min-gyu was the kind of appearance that, if Yi-ho had been a judge, would have earned a perfect score and a standing ovation. But separately from that.
“But, your lover would probably want Team Leader Cha to prepare leisurely and comfortably in the morning….”
Having finished his sentence, Yi-ho felt a sudden wave of embarrassment and pretended to concentrate by pressing his nose against the screen. Nevertheless, he could hear the sound of laughter quite clearly beside him.
“Team Leader Song is going to be a good lover.”