ACJY C48

Taeheun, for the man’s benefit, showered Kwon Yeonjun, who was pretty, with compliments, and even told blatant lies to the youth president, who had nothing commendable about him, saying things like, “You’re so dependable,” and “That belly is a sign of character.” The man remained indifferent.

Throughout the conversation, Kwon Yeonjun’s gaze, as often as Taeheun’s, lingered on the man before moving away. Strangely, Kwon Yeonjun kept bothering him.

As soon as the man’s glass was empty, Taeheun immediately refilled it to the brim.

“Drink.”

He tossed out the words with a spiteful tone, and the man looked at him quizzically. But without asking why, he downed the makgeolli in one gulp. Taeheun held a piece of pajeon to the man’s mouth. The man turned his head away, but his chopsticks followed.

“Eat.”

His words were still sharp. The man gulped, looking bewildered, then opened his mouth and ate the pajeon.

“Am I handsome?”

Frustrated, he asked bluntly. The man’s face was still full of questions, but he soon answered yes.

“You’re handsome.”

The man confirmed.

“Pretty.”

He added in a barely audible voice.

Only then did Taeheun smile. After pouring more alcohol into the man’s glass, he handed him the makgeolli bottle. The man filled Taeheun’s glass to the brim. They clinked their glasses together.

The youth president went to the bathroom, and Kwon Yeonjun was just about to pour more batter into the frying pan.

“Mr. Gibeom is handsome too. Really.”

At Taeheun’s compliment, the man blushed and smiled shyly.

Night deepened. The rain had almost stopped, and the makgeolli ran out. Soju and beer took its place. Kwon Yeonjun and the youth president were getting drunk quickly. The man’s face was quite flushed, indicating he was also getting drunk. Disjointed conversations ensued.

As the alcohol took hold, the serious man disappeared, replaced by one who smiled easily. Kwon Yeonjun, in an uncharacteristic nasal voice, kept clinging to the man. It was an unpleasant sight.

“Wouldn’t it be great if you were like this normally? You talk and laugh so well when you’re drinking, why are you so serious usually? Huh?”

The youth president scolded the man while pouring him a drink. The man grinned and accepted the drink with both hands. His body swayed briefly from side to side.

“Gibeom wasn’t like this when he was young. I never imagined he’d become so quiet.”

The youth president said to Taeheun as if confiding in him.

“What was he like when he was young?”

Taeheun quickly seized the opportunity and asked.

“What was he like? A little rascal. He was small, but he had such a loud voice that you could hear him from a hundred miles away whenever he showed up. He was so polite that all the adults loved him. Well, he was also pretty good at fighting. Even middle schoolers couldn’t beat him.”

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

He glanced at the man. The man just grinned, neither confirming nor denying.

“Right? Anyone who’s met Gibeom recently is surprised when I say this. He was unbelievably mischievous. The village was never quiet.”

Lost in reminiscence, the youth president rambled on about the man’s childhood mishaps.

Most of them were the cute pranks that a boy his age would pull. A smile played on the youth president’s lips. While he talked about the man’s childhood, Kwon Yeonjun, who had been chattering away in a nasal tone, unusually kept his mouth shut and just listened.

Drunk, the man kept giggling. Smiling was fine, but it was unsightly for him to be acting like that in front of everyone.

“Gibeom, was it in 6th grade when you went to Daejeon? He moved to Daejeon with his maternal uncle. Ugh, if it weren’t for that incident… After Gibeom left, the village became as quiet as a mouse. It was so lonely.”

“Oh, come on, hyung. Why are you bringing up something from 20 years ago? Like an old man. And you always complain when the village elders talk about the old days.”

Kwon Yeonjun, who had been listening quietly, stopped the youth president. He reprimanded him with a look. The youth president coughed awkwardly and took a drink.

“What incident 20 years ago?”

Taeheun asked, but the two men, as if they had planned it, ignored him and changed the subject.

Either bring it up or don’t. He grumbled inwardly.

What could have possibly happened in a rural place like this? Taeheun assumed it was probably the story related to the shaman that the youth president had mentioned before. People were surprisingly reluctant to talk about things related to shamanistic beliefs.

“Ugh, I need to use the bathroom. Why do I need to pee so badly?”

The youth president stood up awkwardly.

“Should I grill some squid?”

“Sure. Squid sounds good.”

Kwon Yeonjun asked while looking at Taeheun, but it was the youth president who answered. Kwon Yeonjun also got up and went to the kitchen. Once again, only the man and Taeheun remained.

Taeheun stared intently at the man’s face. There wasn’t a single trace of the mischievous boy he had heard about. The man’s face, flushed from alcohol, didn’t redden further because Taeheun was staring. He just blinked, wondering why he was being stared at.

“Sparrow.”

Taeheun said. The man smiled shyly.

“You look like a sparrow. Really.”

The man’s mouth opened slightly.

“I’m a peacock.”

Taeheun cupped his hands together, then slowly spread his fingers, imitating a peacock spreading its tail. The man grinned, showing his teeth.

“Pretty.”

The man’s eyes sparkled. It was a look of admiration, as if he were really looking at a peacock. Taeheun, in turn, was impressed by the man’s innocent, childlike expression. Perhaps he was even touched. His heart ached.

“I’m not curious about your mischievous days at all, Mr. Gibeom. I like you much better now.”

He winked flirtatiously. The man’s eyes crinkled in a smile.

The youth president returned, and Kwon Yeonjun brought out the grilled squid. Lovers were shouting on the TV. The man, drunk and long past his bedtime, kept nodding off. He kept making eye contact with Kwon Yeonjun, who was stealing glances at the man. Every time they met eyes, Kwon Yeonjun smiled. The plump flesh under his eyes, what they called aegyosal, moved whenever he smiled.

The youth president, almost completely drunk, his eyes gleaming, watched the man dozing against the sliding door. He gave a lewd smile. It was obvious. He was about to start that inevitable conversation that always happened when men got together.

“Gibeom doesn’t like that kind of talk. Even if I bring it up, he doesn’t react, so it just makes me feel awkward. I don’t know why he became like that.”

The youth president was pleased that the man had fallen asleep, and Kwon Yeonjun looked at him with a slightly contemptuous expression, as if he had expected it.

“Yeonjun doesn’t like it either. He pretends to be so proper now that he’s married. But what’s the point when he takes off his wedding ring whenever his wife isn’t around?”

“Hyung, I’ve told you so many times that I don’t like wearing rings.”

“That’s bullshit. Don’t give me that.”

Kwon Yeonjun sighed deeply.

“Mr. Taeheun, don’t believe everything this hyungnim says. He looks tough enough to slaughter a cow, but he’s got a petty mind. He sees everything negatively and holds grudges.”

“Hey, watch your mouth.”

Just when the atmosphere seemed to be getting tense, both of them burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs. It seemed they usually played around like this. It was an all too familiar atmosphere. They would banter like this, then a real fight would start the moment someone’s feelings got hurt by the smallest remark. An atmosphere Taeheun was tiredly familiar with. He poured soju into his glass and downed it in one gulp.

He nudged the soundly sleeping man, just because. The man didn’t budge.

“Manager Kim, how are the Seoul girls? Aren’t they something else?”

Knowing that the “girls” the youth president was referring to weren’t just ordinary women, Taeheun didn’t hesitate to start bragging. He had enough experience to talk about this for an hour or two. In other words, he had seen all sorts of dirty things.

Kwon Yeonjun grumbled, “How tacky, asking such things.”

“Seoul is just a stone’s throw away, and he insists on asking such things. Mr. Taeheun, don’t misunderstand. We’re not hicks like him. Only Gicheol hyung is. He’s incredibly timid. He sings about Seoul women all the time, but he’s too afraid of being ignored to actually go to Seoul. Sigh, what a coward.”

Despite Kwon Yeonjun’s teasing, the youth president didn’t care, simply waiting for Taeheun to continue his story. His drunken face and the bloodshot whites of his eyes were disgusting. Still, Taeheun didn’t lose his smile. Hadn’t he seen this kind of person countless times?

To play along, he started the story again, feigning excitement, and the youth president kept gulping, exclaiming in admiration.

Kwon Yeonjun, who had moved next to the man at some point, kept supporting the man’s head whenever it bobbed forward, and eventually rested the man’s head on his shoulder. He caressed the man’s cheek as if he were his lover. Taeheun’s mood soured instantly.

Glaring, Taeheun filled his glass with soju to the brim.