TLT 36

I picked up my phone to check the notifications. Still no contact from Kwon Yi-tae. I wish he’d hurry up and settle things.

Of course, it hasn’t even been a week, but by now, he should be getting around to contacting me. The contract isn’t exactly favorable to only one side. If I don’t hear from him by today, I’ll have to call him myself. Tomorrow’s the weekend, after all. Dragging things out only complicates matters. I should finish it as soon as I can.

Ding. The elevator doors opened, revealing a car more than half full. I squeezed myself in, and familiar faces came into view. I stood naturally beside them, and they started talking to me.

“You finished that already?”

“I told you not to give me such tight deadlines. Our team is working themselves to tears right now.”

“Aren’t you crying?”

“I’m different.”

“Wow, confidence. There’s a widespread rumor among your colleagues that you broke up. Is it true?”

“Introduce me to someone nice if you know anyone.”

“If you’re okay with an office romance, anytime. There are a few of your colleagues who like you, you know?”

I exchanged small talk while watching the numbers decrease. As always, the rumors spread fast. I thought I’d only told a few close friends that I had plans. Quite a few people were subtly asking me about my breakup. Well, it’s not like I was hiding it, so I said it was true… and the rumor has already spread. What a scary organization.

I also exchanged greetings with people I vaguely recognized. I figured that all the company employees who knew me would hear the news from this conversation. With the sound of keyboards clicking rapidly, the news would spread throughout the company in a matter of minutes. Having the conversation in a space where anyone could eavesdrop was a misstep.

I got off on the first floor since I didn’t bring my car. My house was close, so there was no need to drive.

It wasn’t like I had to prepare anything extravagant for the housewarming. I ordered a salmon yukhoe and sashimi set through an app right before leaving work. Hyeon-seong would take care of bringing more of the alcohol I wanted to drink.

It was just a little strange to invite someone to my house. When I lived with Kwon Yi-tae, I couldn’t invite friends over. It was out of consideration for Kwon Yi-tae, who didn’t really like meeting people. If I wanted to, I could just go out and meet them. It wasn’t a big deal.

I was nervous for no reason. Entertaining always felt like that. No matter how close the friend, it was something that could be judged. The cleanliness of the house, the interior, and other things. Who wants to receive a bad evaluation?

Jju-kku

[Where]

[Wherewherewherewherewherewherewherewhere???????When are you coming when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when when 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[Arriving soon. You?]

As soon as I pressed send, I got a reply.

Jju-kku

[Me? Of course, I haven’t left the office yet. Just asking lol]

[Prepare something expensive. Starving]

[Got lots of fun-ny stories prepared for today so look forward to it lol]

[Oh but]

[Your story will probably be the most fun lol]

I felt suffocated just looking at the chat. I gave up replying to him and hurried home.

Like Hyeon-seong said, I had a lot to talk about with him. It had been a while since we’d seen each other. I wondered why we hadn’t seen each other more often. Meeting people was quite enjoyable.

I was keenly aware of that fact now.

∗ ∗ ∗

“So. What did that bastard say? Did he say he’d break up with you? If he’s human, he should.”

Hyeon-seong, in his suit, asked in a serious voice. Shibal. The small curse he muttered reached my ears. I offered him clothes to change into, but he stubbornly refused, and he still looked uncomfortable. Should I bring them to him now? We’re about the same size.

He roughly pulled down his tie and undid a button, looking uncomfortable. A deep sigh reached me.

“We’re going to write a contract.”

“I’ll come with you to get it notarized. I’ll tell Attorney Yoo in advance.”

“Okay. But watching you is making me feel sick. Change into something comfortable. I’ll get you some clothes.”

“…No.”

The glass in front of him quickly emptied. Hyeon-seong was running ahead all by himself, as if he was busy with something. Liquid he hadn’t managed to swallow flowed down his neck. He wiped under his chin with the back of his hand.

Look at him, being so stubborn. A bull would want to be his friend. I clicked my tongue inwardly. The heated floor warmed the air. I slowly emptied my glass as well.

I picked up a large piece of sliced salmon. The salmon, with its red color and sheen, was thick. As soon as I put it in my mouth, it melted and a savory flavor rose. Even the texture was chewy, making it the perfect snack with alcohol. Mmm. An exclamation of admiration popped out on its own.

“Why not? You’re staying here tonight, aren’t you?”

I poured soju into the empty glass. He was running like someone who had made up his mind. Hyeon-seong undid the second button, as if he was hot. He seemed flushed.

“I don’t sleep at pushovers’ houses.”

“…You’ve probably seen people worse than me. You’re a divorce lawyer, after all.”

“No. Do you think it’s common to give away this much to a guilty spouse… no, a guilty common-law spouse, when you can’t even squeeze more out of them? And to even get kicked out of the house like a fool.”

“……”

“Gyeoul, what are you doing, leaving me behind?”

“……”

“Didn’t you think of me? Why didn’t you tell me you were going through such fucked up things?”

Hyeon-seong slowly poured out his words without showing any signs of excitement. If I argued that I wasn’t kicked out, I’d definitely get yelled at a lot more. He wasn’t this scary in the old days… I couldn’t say anything and just wet my lips with alcohol. The sweet and bitter alcohol clung to my tongue.

“…Sorry.”

“So when are you going to write the contract?”

“……Not yet……”

Ha. A short, hollow laugh came back like an answer. I folded my hands politely like a scolded child. If I said I forgot to set a date to meet again because of the dopamine rush… of course, that wouldn’t do. I had to stop digging my own grave before Hyeon-seong’s languid eyes became even sharper than they were now.

Hyeon-seong called me gently.

“Choi Gyeoul.”

“Yeah……”

“Let Hyung spank your butt a little.”

He said it without changing his expression. Watching him slowly roll up his sleeves, I subtly moved my body back. He didn’t used to be like this, but after becoming an adult, it was strangely difficult to approach Hyeon-seong. That’s why I wanted to see all three of us…

The house was a completely enclosed space, so the heavy air was felt even more strongly. Hyeon-seong still spoke as friendly as before in chat, but in reality, the atmosphere was very different.

Something… had changed quite a bit.

I couldn’t feel this kind of tension in the old days. I swallowed hard. It felt like I was really going to get my butt spanked.

“So even now… I told you.”

“You want praise for making a mess of things like this?”

“……No. Sorry.”

I’m not someone who gets easily intimidated anywhere else. Hyeon-seong’s pressure was beyond imagination. It was the first time he’d gotten this angry, so I was honestly flustered. Anyway, we did break up.

Hyeon-seong didn’t like Yi-tae from the start. No sense of responsibility, no nothing… but he said he valued his pure heart. Now even that was gone.

“You, contact that bastard right now and set a date.”

“Oh, hold on.”

I quickly picked up the phone that was lying face down on the table and dialed the familiar number. My hand moved easily without deliberately memorizing it. “Speakerphone,” Hyeon-seong said. I quickly pressed the button again. I’m older than him if you go by birthday… I couldn’t bring myself to say that.

Ttururu, ttururu.

It only rang twice.

……Gyeoul……?

My name was heard through the speaker in a very cracked voice. It was a voice full of uncertainty and anxiety, somewhere without conviction.

I don’t know what’s going on, but it sounded good.

Kwon Yi-tae’s urgent voice filled the officetel.

“……Oh, hi?”

I felt even more awkward knowing that Hyeon-seong was listening next to me. I felt like I had talked to my other exes without any problems. Now that I thought we were nothing, it felt subtly unfamiliar. We went from friends to lovers and finally became strangers.

I was going to just say what I needed to say and hang up… I couldn’t tell if it was because I was drunk from the awkward greeting, or if it was because he was uncomfortable.

……Why aren’t you coming home…? Where are you staying? Your things, even the stones you cherished… are still all here… you have nowhere to go either……

I could clearly feel him rambling even though we were in different spaces. I looked at Hyeon-seong without realizing it. His eyebrows were subtly raised as he glared at the phone on the table.

I swept the hair that was annoyingly hanging down to my eyes back. The split ends fell back down on my forehead. Hoo. I blew air to the side to blow the rest away.

“Kwon Yi-tae. Are you drunk by any chance?”