IPSTDS Chapter 46

Chapter 46

What Nahyuk bought from the convenience store was a Choco Pie and a single disposable birthday candle.

It was Kangil’s birthday, after all, so he felt he should at least give him something to blow the candle out on—that was the reason for the sudden purchase.

A real cake would have been better, of course, but there were no bakeries nearby. The convenience store didn’t even have a slice of cake.

Nahyuk stacked the Choco Pies and stuck the candle in, lighting it afterward. Once it was lit, the improvised Choco Pie cake looked surprisingly decent.

Holding the Choco Pie cake, he returned to the table where he and Kangil had been eating.

“Happy birthday.”

He even sang, a little awkwardly and quietly, and Kangil, genuinely surprised, dropped the shrimp he had been holding.

“…!”

“Happy birthday, Kangil.”

“….”

It was the first time Nahyuk had seen that kind of stunned expression on Kangil’s face. Nahyuk watched him with quiet amusement and held the Choco Pie out toward him.

“It doesn’t look great, but it was the best I could find nearby. Hurry and blow it out. The flame’s going to go out.”

“…”

After a brief silence, Kangil finally let out a soft breath and blew out the candle.

Still staring at the Choco Pie, he murmured softly.

“Thanks.”

It was a heartfelt thank you—something almost hard to believe had come from Kangil.

He gave a faint smile, then rubbed his face with his hands like someone trying to sober up. Still avoiding eye contact, he spoke like someone drunk on emotion.

“…This is kinda embarrassing to say, but… I’ve got a lot of mutual friends with Seo Dowoong, you know? There were times when they’d completely overlook my birthday. So it’s been a long time since I properly celebrated it.”

With so many overlaps and constant comparisons, even someone as laid-back as Kangil couldn’t help but be affected by Seo Dowoong.

To Nahyuk, this man who had always seemed so perfect suddenly looked deeply vulnerable, and it tugged at his heart. Before he realized it, he was gently patting Kangil’s head.

“Next time, I’ll get you a real cake and celebrate properly.”

At that, Kangil looked at him. His eyes were strangely heavy and deep as he replied,

“What do I do? I think I want you to celebrate my birthday every year now.”

Nahyuk slowly nodded. It was his way of saying he would.

Though their relationship had started because of the new medicine, Nahyuk genuinely liked spending time with Kangil. He wanted their connection to last a long time.

Kangil smiled gently. That carefree smile looked especially beautiful today.

* * *

Seo Dowoong headed down to the underground parking lot after finishing work. He got into his car and turned on his phone screen.

Despite it being his birthday, not a single message had come in. Even Kim Daon hadn’t reached out.

“…Ha.”

Had he ever spent such a pitiful birthday before?

Of course, Seo Dowoong was not the type to go out of his way to celebrate his own birthday.

But when he used to socialize more often, people would remember and take care of it for him. And even after he got busier with work and began to distance himself from casual friends, there was still one person who consistently remembered.

Just one person.

For the past ten years, only Yoon Noah had meticulously celebrated Seo Dowoong’s birthday.

Sometimes he gave expensive gifts. Other times, he wrote him unnecessarily long letters.

When they were still close, Seo Dowoong had accepted those gifts with gratitude, but after their relationship soured, he began to ignore Noah’s birthday wishes entirely.

He wanted to see how long Noah would endure the cold shoulder.

“…So this is it.”

Yeah. This is what he’d wanted—to have Noah stop caring about him.

It should’ve been a good thing. Then why did he feel so awful?

Was it because the tongue Noah had bitten the night before still hadn’t healed?

Was the sting at the tip of his tongue, sharp and sporadic, making him think of Noah again and again? Would he only be able to stop thinking of him once that pain disappeared completely…?

Before he realized it, he was on the verge of calling Noah.

Seo Dowoong stared silently at the phone screen displaying Noah’s name, then eventually turned the steering wheel.

Before long, he arrived at a private bar not far from his officetel.

The bar, with its classy exterior and rare imported liquors, was the kind of place only the wealthy frequented.

Seo Dowoong often came here alone when he wanted a quiet drink. Tonight, he had come to shake off a discomfort he couldn’t quite explain.

He had just started nursing his drink when people he sometimes ran into at the bar approached and started talking.

“Hey, Seo Dowoong! What brings you here? Haven’t seen you around in ages.”

Had it really been that long?

Now that he thought about it, ever since he got close to Kim Daon, he hadn’t come here much.

Kim Daon didn’t really like this kind of place. He wasn’t familiar with alcohol, and he found the atmosphere too overwhelming.

Seo Dowoong had never tried to force Daon to adapt to his lifestyle. On the contrary, he’d always been the one accommodating Daon.

And yet, Daon hadn’t contacted him at all—not even on his birthday. Whether he’d forgotten or was pretending not to know, it was hard to tell. He didn’t even seem to realize how sincerely Seo Dowoong had treated him.

As those thoughts spun in his head, the men beside him kept chattering.

“Since we ran into each other after so long, let’s have a drink together!”

That’s when Seo Dowoong finally spoke.

“…Get lost.”

But they ignored his warning and kept talking anyway.

“Wait, shouldn’t you be here with Kangil today?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you remember? A few years ago, the two of you used to throw birthday parties here. I’ve got a pretty good memory, you know. Today should be both of your birthdays…”

The guy rummaged through his phone and suddenly let out a loud “Oh!”

“Look at this! It is Kangil’s birthday.”

Their eyes widened as they looked at something on the screen, as if they’d discovered something bizarre.

“And what’s with this shabby Choco Pie cake?”

“…Wait. Isn’t that Yoon Noah in the photo?”

…Yoon Noah?

The moment that name—one that had been clouding his mind all day—was mentioned, Seo Dowoong immediately looked toward them. Before he could even think, his hand moved on its own.

He snatched the phone and looked at what they were seeing.

It was a single photo uploaded to Lee Kangil’s social media.

In the picture, Kangil was smiling brightly in front of a hastily made Choco Pie cake. He had his arm around someone’s shoulders with affectionate ease, and that person wore a bashful expression.

It was Yoon Noah.

Beneath the photo, the caption read:
“Promised to get a real cake next year lol (screenshot for proof).”

“…”

So he didn’t celebrate my birthday, but he celebrated Kangil’s.

Seo Dowoong felt nauseated. A rush of heat surged to his head, and his temples throbbed. He wasn’t angry, exactly—it just felt unbelievably awful.

Before he realized it, he had thrown the glass in his hand to the floor.

The glass shattered violently, and the guys who had been lingering nearby quickly returned to their seats. They sensed the change in his mood.

Seo Dowoong kept drinking after that—glass after glass—trying to smother the tangled bitterness in his chest and the heat in his head.

But no matter how much he drank, even when his vision started to blur, the feeling didn’t go away.

It wasn’t until after midnight that he staggered out of the bar and flagged down a taxi.

And the destination he mumbled without realizing it…

Was Yoon Noah’s mansion.

* * *

After returning home and stepping out of the shower, Nahyuk let out a big yawn. He was exhausted—he’d done more today than he’d expected.

He was thankful, at least, that he hadn’t collapsed like in the original story. In the novel, Yoon Noah had fainted on the day of Seo Dowoong and Lee Kangil’s birthdays.

But Nahyuk hadn’t collapsed at all. Instead, he’d spent time with Kangil until just before midnight and then come home. Kangil, clearly touched by the Choco Pie cake, had even personally seen him home.

As Nahyuk lay down in bed, images of Kangil from earlier floated through his mind. The most vivid memory was the way Kangil had grabbed him—as if it were his own—and moved it without hesitation.

He could still feel the heat of that hand on him. The more he thought about it, the more his lower stomach tightened with a warm tension. Blood rushed downward.

If he thought about it any longer, he’d have to slip his hand inside his pajamas. Nahyuk wrestled with whether he should take care of it himself or try to hold back.

That was when a loud noise interrupted him.

Bang, bang, bang—!

The sound of someone banging on the iron gate echoed even into his room. Startled, Nahyuk jumped up and opened the window beside his bed. The banging grew louder.

“Who could that be? I should check.”

He stepped out of his room and went downstairs. Just then, one of the household staff approached him.

“Young master, it seems you have a visitor. What should we do?”

“Do you know who it is?”

“It’s young master Seo Dowoong.”

The staff didn’t know much about Lee Kangil, but they certainly knew Seo Dowoong. For the past several years, Yoon Noah had chased after Seo Dowoong constantly.

Even so, Nahyuk found it hard to believe that Seo Dowoong would be pounding on his gate after midnight.

What kind of person would do that unless they’d lost their mind?

Still, thinking he should at least try to calm him down, Nahyuk headed outside.