CI 2.1

Just making eye contact with Won Hee-yeon made Son Yeo-il feel a strange dizziness wash over him right then. He had no intention of letting him in, but somehow he had already passed through the entryway of his apartment and was inside his room.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m asking.”

Son Yeo-il hesitantly stepped back, but Won Hee-yeon approached him one step at a time. His eyes reflected a mesmerizing confidence and an electric energy. His breathing gradually quickened due to the tension in the room. As his back hit the wall while retreating, Son Yeo-il drew in a sharp breath.

“Why did you come here?”

“That too…why ask when you already know?”

Whatever it was, Son Yeo-il wanted to remain ignorant even if he had an idea of what was going on. He wanted to run away from everything between him and Won Hee-yeon. But neither his body nor his mind had anywhere else to retreat.

Won Hee-yeon moved closer until there was no space left between them. His firm thigh pushed between Son Yeo-il’s knees. The twitching muscles and warm body temperature felt strangely vivid.

“Hm, uh…we shouldn’t do this.”

Son Yeo-il whispered seriously, but Won Hee-yeon looked straight into his eyes and smirked.

“What are you so afraid of?”

At the sound of his voice, Son Yeo-il realized that his frozen heart had been afraid of something all along.

Maybe it was entirely normal to be curious about someone else’s body. Maybe it was okay for your walls to loosen up a bit. Even as he tried to soften his heart, somewhere in his mind a voice held him back saying, “You’ll get in big trouble again,” and the identity of that voice was fear itself.

“I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid of someone like you at all.”

His stubborn mumbling actually meant he was terrified. As if to acknowledge this, Won Hee-yeon wrapped one arm around his waist.

“That’s right. You don’t need to be afraid of me.”

Was it true? Would this person be different? Doubt, expectation, confusion, and hope mixed rapidly in his heart. Son Yeo-il’s heartbeat became uncontrollably fast. His shallow breathing caused dizziness and his head felt lighter than air.

His knees had already given way. As Won Hee-yeon pulled his arm tight around him, Son Yeo-il’s body sank into his vast embrace. His nape suddenly burned with an embarrassing yet sweet sensation.

This isn’t right. Really, if we do this…

Even while thinking this, Son Yeo-il’s fingertips hovered in the air, almost touching Won Hee-yeon’s chest. As if removing even his last bit of hesitation, Won Hee-yeon took his hand and kissed his fingertips one by one.

How long it took from their eyes meeting until their lips touched, and who initiated the kiss first was unclear. Body temperatures mingled chaotically, skin rubbed against skin, and immature excitement was rapidly blooming when Son Yeo-il—

“Gasp…!”

He woke up in bed with a short cry. It was already disorienting enough to have had such an absurd dream, but when he shifted his body, the damp sensation in his lower half was even more embarrassing.

No way. What is this…?

None of this made any sense. Won Hee-yeon appearing in his dream, the random content of the dream, and furthermore, having a wet dream, something he hadn’t experienced since early puberty.

Even so, it didn’t even seem like that erotic of a dream.

Trying to recall what kind of dream would cause this, Son Yeo-il decided to let it go. If the last fragments of the hazy dream were to come back clearly, it would be even more troublesome.

As he pathetically washed his underwear in the bathroom, his head began to throb. It felt like some cruel joke that he had an appointment today with the very person who had appeared in his dream.

Well, it’s not just today—I’ve been seeing him every day lately. And today we’re even going shopping. But are there any good places to buy formal wear in Yongju City?

It would take over an hour by car to reach the neighboring city with proper shopping malls. While wondering if they would have to travel far again, which felt burdensome, Son Yeo-il furrowed his brow at a sudden thought that just occurred to him.

Surely he’s not planning to take me to some shop where he’s a regular customer?

Imagining himself in a gangster shirt made him worried yet also brought out a laugh. Since it would be ungrateful to be picky about receiving a gift, he decided that if he bought him some colorful silk shirt, he would accept it without complaint and just use it as pajamas as he prepared to go out.

He had thought Won Hee-yeon might knock on his wall or door first thing in the morning, but surprisingly it was quiet all around. As it was approaching their appointment time, he looked out the window just in case and, with perfect timing, saw a black foreign car approaching from the alley.

Ah, is that the car from when we visited Mom? Or a different one?

It was confusing since he changed cars so often, but Won Hee-yeon seemed to be the only person in this neighborhood who would drive such a car. It appeared he hadn’t slept in the studio apartment last night but had returned to his own home. At least his conscience felt a bit less guilty knowing he hadn’t dreamed that strange dream with that particular someone on the other side of the wall.

No. It wasn’t even that strange of a dream. Ah…just stop thinking about it.

When Son Yeo-il left his room and came down to the front of the building, the black car had also stopped in front. As the driver’s door opened and a large shadow stepped out, Son Yeo-il couldn’t believe his eyes.

The person who got out of the car was a tall, handsome man in a perfect suit whose face seemed to shine. Since such a face couldn’t possibly exist elsewhere in Yongju, or even in South Korea, it was definitely Won Hee-yeon. But…

He’s wearing normal clothes?

Son Yeo-il suppressed the urge to rub his eyes vigorously. In fact, Won Hee-yeon’s outfit hadn’t changed that much. He often wore slacks and jackets anyway—he had simply replaced the colorful shirts he persistently wore with a regular dress shirt and added a slim tie to the whole ensemble.

That was all, yet it made him look completely different, which was amazing. His pomade hairstyle, which normally looked like a “gangster haircut,” now resembled a red carpet styling, and even his gaze and movements exuded an elegant atmosphere.

“Did you sleep well?”

Hearing him speak confirmed it was indeed Won Hee-yeon, but he still couldn’t calm down. Trying to control his heart, which was not just surprised but starting to flutter, Son Yeo-il immediately got into the passenger seat.

“Hmm. Judging by your lack of response, you must not have slept well. Did you have bad dreams?”

When he directly mentioned dreams, Son Yeo-il’s face turned beet red. Feeling like he would get completely entangled if the conversation went in that direction, he quickly changed the subject.

“No. Where are we going today?”

“Just wait and see. I’ll take you to a place I know well. Since it’s our Son Yeo-il’s first time buying clothes, we can’t just go anywhere.”

He wondered if they were really going to some “gangster clothing specialist,” but half of his attention was focused on Won Hee-yeon in his perfect suit, leaving him no time to think more about their destination.

Even after the car started moving, Son Yeo-il kept glancing at his face, and though Won Hee-yeon initially just drove silently, he eventually burst out laughing.

“I was trying to pretend not to notice, but I can’t take it anymore. Oh my, if you keep staring like that, your wife’s face will wear out. What will you do then?”

“What? When did I…?”

He should have denied it better. Even to his own ears, his startled response sounded too awkward. Won Hee-yeon replied with a good-natured grin.

“Your reaction is extremely good. Hmm? I guess I should dress like this every day from now on.”

“No. That’s…not allowed.”

The last answer was sincere. If Won Hee-yeon appeared dressed like this every day, his heart would instantly turn to mush. Son Yeo-il turned his face away from Won Hee-yeon, trying to cool down his hot face. Opening the passenger window to let in a fresh breeze, the car soon after merged onto the highway toward Seoul. While wondering why they needed to go all the way to Seoul to buy clothes as if he were some sort of celebrity, Won Hee-yeon started playing music through the car speakers.

Today, without fail, it was the 15-year-old K-pop playlist mixed by Yongju City’s DJ. The bouncy beat gave him a strange sense of comfort. Whether it was because the familiar songs helped contain his almost-fluttering heart, or because he had now grown accustomed to the “Won Hee-yeon vibe,” was totally uncertain.

The journey to Seoul was both long and short. When Won Hee-yeon pulled the car into the department store’s valet parking line, people in formal attire came up and opened the passenger door. Confused because of Won Hee-yeon’s particular background, Son Yeo-il lowered his voice and asked.

“Those people right now, they’re department store employees, right? Not Boss Won’s ‘brothers,’ right?”

Won Hee-yeon led Son Yeo-il inside the department store, chuckling as if he found the other man’s question amusing.

“Well, what do they look like to you, honey?”

“Um, they do look like employees…”

Though thinking he must appear naive, Son Yeo-il kept looking around. Bypassing the stores lined up at the front, Won Hee-yeon and Son Yeo-il followed an employee toward a less crowded area inside.

After passing through a spacious lounge, they entered a cozy personal shopping room with soft sofas and a table with refreshments. Though Son Yeo-il sat on the sofa as instructed, he continued to feel bewildered. While he hadn’t visited department stores often, this clearly wasn’t a typical brand name store.

“What kind of place is this?”

After requesting hot coffee from the employee offering beverages, Son Yeo-il whispered another question. Won Hee-yeon picked up a macaron from the table and whispered back in an even lower voice than Son Yeo-il’s.

“You see, if a guy like me wanders around a department store in broad daylight, decent citizens would be terrified. So they isolate me in places like this to let me shop.”

Huh? Surely not. Though he knew what he was saying was nonsense, his voice was so serious and he had been feeling intimidated from the beginning, so Son Yeo-il decided to put on an intrigued expression. Only after noticing Won Hee-yeon’s subtly twitching cheekbones did he realize he’d been fooled.

“Oh, really…!”

“Thank you for visiting, Boss Won. It’s been a while.”

Just as Son Yeo-il’s eyes were narrowing, an employee in formal attire with neatly tied-up hair approached and greeted Won Hee-yeon. The respectful yet friendly attitude made Son Yeo-il feel intimidated again, but Won Hee-yeon responded as if accustomed to such treatment, continuing to munch on his macaron as if this type of attention was nothing.

“Mmm, Manager, hope you’ve been well.”

“I have been, thanks to you. You’ve been away for quite some time; everyone’s been waiting for your visit.”

“I’ve been busy lately. Personally, you know, youth’s…ugh!”

As Won Hee-yeon started to wink suggestively in his direction, implying he’d been “busy dating,” Son Yeo-il urgently poked him in the side. Though his muscles were too thick to feel much, Won Hee-yeon let out an exaggerated groan and pretended to be in pain.

“Are you alright? Is there any discomfort…?”

At the manager’s concerned question, Son Yeo-il wore a flustered expression. Won Hee-yeon suddenly switched his expression to a smile, waving his half-eaten macaron as if saying “Ta-da.”

“Oh my, the macaron tastes so amazing that I was startled. The flavor is just perfect.”

“I’m glad you like it. We prepared some for you to take home, so I’ll make sure to set aside an extra box.”

“Our manager’s sense is always first-class. But what about the clothes? Aren’t they ready yet?”

“We’ve listed all the products you mentioned, but the size notes were quite different from your usual ones, so our staff was worried there might have been a mistake. We’re planning to confirm one last time before setting up. Is this information correct?”

When the manager showed the file she was holding, Won Hee-yeon nodded and politely gestured with both hands toward Son Yeo-il.

“That’s right. Today I didn’t come to look at clothes for myself but to give this person a gift. This is a precious person, so please show them only the best.”

“Ah, I see. We’ll take good care of you, customer.”

The manager approached Son Yeo-il and asked if he had any preferred brands, materials, or colors. Having only ever bought clothes based on price and discount rates, Son Yeo-il gave vague answers without really knowing much.

After finishing her notes, the manager began setting up the products. Son Yeo-il thought he heard her quietly instructing another employee to “remove all printed shirts,” and then several people began bringing clothes with coordinated movements to display them on one side of the wall.

Though lacking knowledge, Son Yeo-il was perceptive enough to understand the situation now. He raised his finger again to press more deeply into the same spot on Won Hee-yeon’s side that he had poked earlier, giving him a sideways glance.

“Boss Won, this is VIP service or something, right? That’s why we were guided separately to this area, right?”

“Hmm? How did you know? I always said our Son Yeo-il was exceptionally smart.”

Having been genuinely fooled for a few seconds, Son Yeo-il put on a more serious face out of embarrassment.

“Come on, does that even make sense? Shopping in isolation because people might be scared? You don’t look scary at all.”

As he chattered away, Son Yeo-il thought to himself, Wait a minute? When he first saw Won Hee-yeon, he thought he was definitely handsome but looked scary when expressionless. His intimidating physique and piercing gaze were still the same, so why didn’t he seem frightening anymore?

Won Hee-yeon’s eyes opened wide briefly in surprise, then curved into gentle arcs. It was puzzling why someone from a gangster background would be pleased to hear that someone wasn’t afraid of him.

“That’s right. If my husband says so, then that’s how it is. You’re absolutely right. They bring me to places like this because I’ve spent a lot of money here.”

While wondering if those flashy shirts he had assumed came from some “gangsterclothes.com” bulk purchase were actually Vers*ce and Dolce & G*bbana, Won Hee-yeon continued with even more exaggerated banter than usual.

“All this Won Won Hee-yeon has left is money. With money piling up, I occasionally need to come to places like this and spend lavishly so the money at the bottom can breathe, and you know, stimulate the domestic economy.”

His sudden mention of the domestic economy made him wonder what he was trying to get at, when Won Hee-yeon casually put his arm around Son Yeo-il’s shoulder, patted his opposite shoulder, and pointed to the wall opposite where the product display had been completed.

“So, Son Yeo-il. Today, just accept whatever I buy for you. Got it?”

Looking ahead, Son Yeo-il drew in a short breath. He had clearly come today to receive one formal suit, but somehow the personal shopping room was now filled with everything from jeans to padded jackets, all in Son Yeo-il’s size.