#48

“Director Kim, be prepared to stay up all night. Whenever Yong-jun drinks at home, it’s always like that. Ki-beom has no work tomorrow, so he’ll be staying up with us for the first time in a while.”

“Does Ki-beom have days off?”

“Sometimes. It’s as rare as a bean in a drought.”

The youth association president smirked.

Thanks to the sound of the rain, the man wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation between him and the youth association president. It felt uncomfortable, as if they were talking behind his back.

The youth association president naturally shared an umbrella with Tae-heun. Being short, he stood close to Tae-heun’s arm to avoid getting wet. Instead, he handed the umbrella he was holding to the man.

“Ki-beom limps, so it’s a bit awkward to share an umbrella.”

The youth association president lowered his voice.

“Then he should use it alone.”

“That doesn’t fit me either,” Tae-heun said.

“Huh?”

“There’s a big height difference.”

At Tae-heun’s words, the youth association president simply responded, “Is that so?”

“You’ll have to use it alone next time.”

He pushed the youth association president away from his arm.

Whether he was oblivious or just too precious about his own body, the youth association president clung back to Tae-heun. Although he wanted to push him away, one never knows how things will turn out. Didn’t they say even a worm can roll? Tae-heun instinctively calculated that getting angry at him wouldn’t be worth it. So he left Choi Gi-cheol as he was.

“Where are you going?”

The youth association president turned down a side street.

“To Yong-jun’s.”

“Isn’t that that house over there?”

Tae-heun pointed to the huge country house visible from afar.

“Oh. That’s where Yong-jun’s parents live, and Yong-jun has been living elsewhere since he got married.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Right now, his wife is at her parents’ house, so Yong-jun is eating and sleeping at his parents’ place. She went to give birth, I think she’s eight months along.”

There was envy in the youth association president’s expression.

“Yong-jun got married, huh?”

“Yeah. Last year.”

The youth association president smacked his lips.

Tae-heun checked to see if the man was following along by turning his head occasionally. The umbrella made it hard to see the man’s face. Whenever he tried to lift the umbrella even a little, the youth association president would grab his arm and pull it down. He didn’t like walking so closely, and it annoyed him that the youth association president was leaning his weight on him.

Fortunately, the distance wasn’t far. Unlike the country house where his parents lived, Kwon Yong-jun’s newlywed home was ordinary. The single-story house made of bricks could be entered through the front door or the sliding door. In the cemented yard, there was a flat surface covered with a mat, but it was wet and puddled from the rain.

Kwon Yong-jun had set up a table for drinks in the living room. Pancakes were being cooked on the kitchen stove. As they pushed the sliding door and stepped into the living room, Kwon Yong-jun turned around.

“Why did you come so late? The pancakes must be cold.”

He scolded the man.

The pancakes and kimchi pancakes that had been cooked earlier were already on the table. There were two bowls of batter on the dining table, but flour was scattered everywhere, making a mess.

Kwon Yong-jun came over with the frying pan, tossed the pancakes onto a plate, and went back to the kitchen. The sound of batter being poured could be heard, and soon Kwon Yong-jun returned and sat down across from them. With four adult men sitting together, the already small living room felt cramped.

Tae-heun examined Kwon Yong-jun’s fingers. As expected, there was no wedding ring. There was a faint mark where a ring had been, but he had never seen him wear one since they met. Yet he was married, newlywed, and his wife was pregnant.

What a funny guy.

He chuckled and accepted the cup of makgeolli offered by the youth association president.

“Cheers! Let’s see who can drink the most!”

At the youth association president’s lead, Tae-heun, Kwon Yong-jun, and the man shouted cheers. The four of them emptied their cups in one go. The youngest, Tae-heun, filled each of their empty cups with makgeolli.

“How long has it been? It’s nice with the rain.”

“This isn’t enough. We need to pour more. It just makes it hotter. Right, Ki-beom?”

“Yeah. This won’t do at all.”

Earlier, it seemed like it was pouring, but now the rain was just drizzling. The man looked at the falling rain with a disappointed expression. As if it were his own.

“What about Ji-hye?”

Tae-heun asked the man.

“She’s with So-jin.”

“Are they really that close?”

Kwon Yong-jun interjected.

“They can’t be apart for even a moment. It’s even more so these days, right?”

In response to Kwon Yong-jun’s question, the man answered, “Yeah.”

“By the way, Ji-hye was really upset that you went to Seoul without telling her, Tae-heun. Did you hear about that?”

Kwon Yong-jun turned to Tae-heun as he spoke. The man sitting next to him raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Really? That Ji-hye, she pretended not to care in front of me, but she actually likes me.”

At Tae-heun’s words, the youth association president and Kwon Yong-jun laughed. The man felt embarrassed as if it were his own business.

“Not just Ji-hye. So-jin hasn’t stopped talking about you since she last saw you.”

“Speaking of which, Director Kim is quite a character. I was really surprised when I first saw him.”

The youth association president nudged Tae-heun with his elbow. He sent a secretive smile and scanned Tae-heun with his glistening eyes. Damn it. This feels awful.

“Hyung, if we’re talking about good looks, Ki-beom is better than me.”

At Tae-heun’s words, Kwon Yong-jun quietly agreed, “Yeah, that’s true.”

“Come on, compare properly. It’s not that Ki-beom is ugly, but honestly, compared to Director Kim, he’s just average. Director Kim, how should I put it, is flashy. If we were to compare, Ki-beom is a sparrow, and Director Kim is a peacock.”

“A peacock? Now that you mention it, that does seem fitting.”

Kwon Yong-jun chimed in.

“This might sound a bit harsh, but if Director Kim had set his mind to it, he could have easily made it in the entertainment industry. Don’t you think so, Yong-jun?”

“Hey, what are you talking about? If he was doing well, why would he go into the entertainment industry? Tae-heun understands. My brother really likes that kind of stuff.”

After giving the youth association president a hard time, Kwon Yong-jun apologized instead. He hadn’t drunk enough to be tipsy, but he was unusually friendly.

“It’s fine. I hear that often anyway.”

He didn’t feel offended at all by the comment about the entertainment industry. Instead, he was angry about the remark that he was average. Where do they get off calling him average? They should look at their own faces before talking. While cursing inwardly, he glanced at the man.

Maybe it was because they called him a sparrow, but he really did look like one. His soft brown skin and his pitch-black eyes somehow resembled a sparrow. The man was handsome, but his delicate features gave him a youthful charm. A big sparrow, indeed. He smiled subtly.

The conversation continued about Tae-heun’s appearance. The man, indifferent, slowly played with his chopsticks without interrupting the conversation. He had known for a while that he didn’t like talking about himself, but it was frustrating that he didn’t even throw in a compliment during a conversation where Tae-heun was the main character. Would it hurt to at least agree? He felt a bit offended.

He complimented the pretty-looking Kwon Yong-jun, and even threw in some flattering lies about the youth association president, saying he was dependable and that his belly was a sign of character. The man remained indifferent. Throughout the conversation, just as much as Tae-heun, Kwon Yong-jun’s gaze frequently lingered on the man before disappearing.

As soon as the man’s cup was empty, Tae-heun immediately filled it again.

“Drink up.”

When he threw out a sarcastic remark, the man looked at him with a puzzled expression. But without asking why, he gulped down the makgeolli. Tae-heun brought a pancake to the man’s mouth. The man bit into it, but the chopsticks followed.

“Eat.”

His words still came out awkwardly. The man, looking confused, swallowed hard and opened his mouth to accept the pancake.

“Am I handsome?”

As if digging a well, he suddenly asked. The man still looked puzzled, but soon replied affirmatively.

“You are handsome.”

The man gave a definite answer.

“And pretty.”

He added in a soft voice.

Only then did Tae-heun smile. After pouring more alcohol into the man’s cup, he passed the makgeolli bottle to him. The man filled Tae-heun’s cup to the brim. They clinked their cups together.

The youth association president had gone to the bathroom, and Kwon Yong-jun was just about to pour batter into the frying pan.

“Ki-beom is handsome too. Really.”

At Tae-heun’s compliment, the man shyly smiled and blushed.

The night grew deep. The rain had almost stopped, and the makgeolli was gone. The place was now filled with soju and beer. Kwon Yong-jun and the youth association president quickly became drunk. The man’s face was also quite flushed, suggesting he was tipsy. A disjointed conversation continued.

As the alcohol took effect, the serious man disappeared, transforming into a cheerful one. Kwon Yong-jun made a nasal sound he had never made before and playfully nudged the man. It was an unpleasant sight.

“Wouldn’t it be great if you were like this all the time? You talk and laugh so well when you drink, but why are you so serious normally? Huh?”

The youth association president poured the man more alcohol while teasing him. The man grinned widely and accepted the drink with both hands. His body swayed slightly from side to side.

“When Ki-beom was younger, he wasn’t like this. I never imagined he would become so taciturn.”

The youth association president said to Tae-heun.

“What was he like when he was younger?”

Tae-heun quickly asked.

“What was he like? He was a little troublemaker. Even though he was small, his voice was so loud that you could hear him from a hundred miles away whenever Ki-beom showed up. He was so polite that the adults loved him. Well, he was good at fighting too. I bet even middle school kids couldn’t handle him.”

“Really? He doesn’t seem like that at all.”

Tae-heun looked back at the man. The man just smiled widely, neither affirming nor denying.

“Right? People who have only recently met Ki-beom are always surprised when I say this. He was really mischievous; you wouldn’t believe it. There was never a quiet day in the village.”

Lost in reminiscence, the youth association president began to spill stories of the man’s past mistakes.

Most of them were cute pranks that a boy his age would do. A smile lingered on the youth association president’s lips. Kwon Yong-jun, who usually chattered away with a nasal voice, surprisingly kept quiet and just listened.