By Zephyria 
Park Hae-jun tilted his head in confusion.
I made him take such a vow? No, I didn’t.
“Tell me in detail, Lee A-gon. When did I make you do that?”
“In the basement of the collapsed building. When it was just the two of us. That’s where we made our vows.”
Lee A-gon’s face changed to happiness as he recalled that time.
“Lee A-gon only likes Park Park Hae-jun. Lee A-gon only wants to continue with Park Hae-jun. We’re a team. We’re best friends. Lee A-gon will never betray Park Hae-jun. That’s the vow you made me take.”
Park Hae-jun, who had been unable to understand what Lee A-gon was talking about, suddenly opened his mouth. A long-buried memory slowly resurfaced. The building shaking, falling through the collapsing floor. How he had trembled in fear with Lee A-gon there. How he had hypnotized him. And how the content of that hypnosis matched exactly what Lee A-gon was now calling a vow.
But that wasn’t anything like a vow. It was just hypnosis.
And not even proper hypnosis, just something a child had done carelessly. It wasn’t done properly, and the content was a mess.
Why was Lee A-gon bringing this up now? And calling it a vow, no less. I never made him take any kind of vow.
Park Hae-jun’s expression became strange. A thought had occurred to him, but it wasn’t yet fully formed, leaving him unable to grasp it. Just then, a staff member came over to say the director was looking for Lee A-gon.
“Hyung, I’ll be back after work.”
“Lee A-gon, I have something to say…”
“I’ll be right back.”
Lee A-gon followed the staff member. Park Hae-jun was left behind, awkwardly raising his hand as he watched them walk away.
∞ ∞ ∞
“It’s exactly as I said. There’s nothing more to explain. I’m just following the vow you made me take.”
“No, I never made you take any vow. And it wasn’t a vow, it was hypnosis!”
Park Hae-jun slammed both hands on the table and stood up abruptly. As his voice rose, Lee A-gon’s expression turned startled.
“Oh, I’m not angry. I’m sorry for raising my voice. Don’t be scared. I’m sorry.”
Seeing Lee A-gon’s trembling eyes, Park Hae-jun showed his open palms. The table creaked. This table was one that Lee A-gon had broken, now wrapped tightly with packing tape. Even when left alone, it would occasionally wobble, spilling soup. Park Hae-jun carefully pulled his chair forward, mindful not to make the table legs collapse.
“Let me say it again. You’re mistaken in thinking that I, your hyung, made you take a vow?”
“It’s not a mistake. It was a vow.”
“Anyway. You’re saying you still remember that hypnosis?”
“Yes.”
Park Hae-jun sighed. They were repeating this conversation for the third time. Once at the filming location, once on the way home, and now for the third time.
All three times, Lee A-gon repeated the same thing, “You made me take a vow of love. You told me never to betray you. I only kept that vow.”
“Let me say it again, I never made you take any kind of love vow. It was hypnosis, and not even proper hypnosis at that. So forget about it now.”
He didn’t know why Lee A-gon had mistaken that hypnosis for a love vow, but it needed to end.
After pondering Park Hae-jun’s words, Lee A-gon asked, “Then why did you hypnotize me?”
Park Hae-jun answered frankly. “Well… Because I wanted to be closest friends with you.”
“Why did you want to be closest friends with me?”
“Because I didn’t like you being close with Seo Ji-hoon.”
“Why?”
“……”
“Why did you dislike me being close with other people?”
Park Hae-jun couldn’t explain.
I heard the director say that the kid who was closest friends with you would be sent to the extension. So I deliberately approached you. If you became closer with another friend, I wouldn’t be able to go to the extension.
But that was difficult to say. Especially now that their relationship had become so strange. If he told the truth about that day, Lee A-gon would be hurt.
And as Park Hae-jun kept his mouth shut, Lee A-gon made up his own story.
With an ecstatic face, he asked, “Were you jealous, hyung?”
“No.”
“Did you hate it so much that I was close with Seo Ji-hun?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Don’t worry, hyung. I had no intention of being close with anyone else then or now. I don’t care about anyone else. Even if the world were to end this moment, I only need you.”
Lee A-gon’s eyes lit up as he sat down at Park Hae-jun’s feet.
“I wouldn’t care if everyone I met at today’s filming died, not just Seo Ji-hun. I only need you to be safe. If anyone tries to interfere with that, I’ll definitely kill them. And I’ll continue living with you.”
Lee A-gon rested his cheek against the back of Park Hae-jun’s hand, who was left speechless. He was like a puppy seeking its owner’s affection.
“Hyung, you know, I already consider myself a married man emotionally.”
“A married man?”
“Yes. Because I will continue to love only you, live only with you, and have children with you.”
How is that any different from being a married man?
Lee A-gon said, “There’s no one else in my life. It’s the same for your life. Since I was eight years old, there’s only been you for me. I don’t like anyone else. I didn’t betray you. I kept my vow. It’s your turn now.”
At that moment, a hypothesis formed in Park Hae-jun’s mind. It was absurd, but the moment he considered it, all his questions were resolved.
“So all this time, your rejection of other assistants was because of that promise?”
“Probably.”
After thinking for a moment, Lee A-gon nodded. “Whenever someone else tried to assist me, it always felt terrible. I didn’t even want them to touch me.”
“You didn’t even want them to touch you? Then how do you act?”
“Acting is fine. I need to act so I can earn a lot of money to provide well for you and our baby. It’s different when other assistants do those things with me. That’s betrayal. You told me not to betray you.”
A fierce hostility that Park Hae-jun had never seen before flashed across Lee A-gon’s face and then disappeared.
He spoke to Park Hae-jun again with a docile expression, “It’s only you. You’re the only one I’ve been comfortable with when our flesh touched for assistance. Hyung, I’ve kept that vow all this time. I’m your best friend, I only want to be with you, and I will never betray you.”
The back of Park Hae-jun’s head throbbed as if he’d been struck. He had a vision of a pebble he’d thrown turning into a snowball rolling down a cliff.
“Lee A-gon. That wasn’t a vow. It was just… a game. You don’t need to be bound by those words anymore. You…”
“No, hyung.” Lee A-gon hugged Park Hae-jun’s knees and laid his face on his thigh. “I don’t want other assistants. I won’t let anyone but you assist me in the future either.”
“Only you can touch me, sleep with me, and heal me.”
“Hyung. I kept my promise.”
“Haah.” Park Hae-jun sighed and rubbed his face.
Something impossible had happened. It was unbelievable, but it seemed the hypnosis he had performed was still affecting Lee A-gon.
Park Hae-jun remembered clearly how terrible Lee A-gon’s condition had been. Dirty fingernails. Blackened bare feet. A body so thin you could count his ribs and a parched face with eczema. He had suffered terribly until adulthood, never receiving proper assistance.
Because of him. Because of that stupid, thoughtless hypnosis he had performed.
“I’m sorry.” Park Hae-jun apologized sincerely, “Because of me, you suffered for such a long time…”
“It’s okay. It was painful, but in the end, you found me. You came back to me. So I’m fine. It’s all in the past anyway.”
Unable to contain the rising emotion, he suddenly stood up and embraced Park Hae-jun so tightly it was almost crushing.
Then he said in a voice drenched with happiness, “Now we’ll be together forever.”
“……”
Park Hae-jun buried his face in Lee A-gon’s shoulder. Unlike Lee A-gon, his heart felt unbearably heavy.
He had thought it strange. Why Lee A-gon couldn’t accept other assistants?’ ‘Why it had to be him and no one else?
Now he knew the reason. It was because of that stupid hypnosis he had performed.
The hypnosis he thought had failed had actually worked so well that it had ruined Lee A-gon’s life. Lee A-gon even believed his words had been a vow of love.
Park Hae-jun felt something indescribable. After a moment, he realized it was guilt. The image of Lee A-gon when they reunited kept flashing in his mind. Lee A-gon in ragged clothes, severely emaciated, curled up in a cold, dark place.
I have to fix this.
He felt a heavy responsibility. He never dreamed that his foolish action would ruin someone’s life like this. Rebuilding that life now was not just for himself but for Lee A-gon as well.
Leaving would come after that. As Park Hae-jun stroked Lee A-gon’s head, he made a promise. To break the hypnosis that had been cast on him and restore his life to what it should have been. Without fail.