PSY CH 24

“What’s up?”

He walked over, his hands shoved into his pockets, moving as if dancing around. He was smiling widely, as if something good had happened.

“What are you doing?”

Dohyun shot back the question. Hangyeol casually responded with an “Ah.”

“I went to the pawn shop to drop off something.”

“Something?”

“Yeah. You know, I got my card stolen. So, this Hangyeol is broke as hell right now~” 

“Stop bullshitting.”

Even if his card was stolen, there was no way he was so short on cash that he had to pawn something immediately. Hangyeol’s parents ran a seafood restaurant at the fish market, and it was famous enough that people came from other areas on weekends.

When Dohyun didn’t buy it, just as expected, Hangyeol awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well, I also went to apologize, you know.” 

Dohyun’s eyebrow twitched. Hangyeol glanced at the pawn shop before coming closer.

“You know what, Hwangdo?”

Then, he lowered his voice and whispered. 

“I get scolded by that hyung.” 

“…Scolded?”

“Yeah. He told me, ‘Why are you apologizing to me? If you’re going to apologize, go to Lee Arin.’” 

“So?”

“Huh?”

“Are you going to apologize?”

Hangyeol stayed silent for a moment, his expression awkward. Then, shrugging his shoulders, he answered in his usual light tone.

“I guess I will.”

If it had been the old him, he would’ve said, “Why should I?” and acted shamelessly. But Hangyeol didn’t do that. 

Not only did he decide to apologize, but now he even planned to apologize to Lee Arin as well, just like Jooyoung said. Considering how he usually blatantly ignored Arin, Hangyeol now acted as if he were a completely different person. Dohyun couldn’t understand this side of Hangyeol at all.

He wanted to ask why, but his pride stopped him from speaking.

“How should I meet Arin? Should I go to the karaoke bar or something?”

What the hell was so great about Jooyoung that Hangyeol was doing something like this?

They weren’t even that close…

“But if she doesn’t accept the apology… no, wait. What matters is that I try, right? Isn’t that right, Hwangdo?”

Hangyeol’s incessant chatter eventually faded into silence at some point. Dohyun pulled off his work gloves with his teeth and stared at the pawn shop, as if all the problems in the world could be solved there. 

***

Originally, Hangyeol often lingered around the arcade like it was his home, but recently, that frequency had been especially high. Dohyun didn’t take long to figure out the reason. 

“Ah, this is it. Hyung, check this out.” 

He had stepped out briefly for a smoke. Hangyeol, who had been at the arcade just a while ago, was now sitting by the building’s railing, leaning against it. And next to him was Jooyoung. 

Not only were they standing close to each other, but they were both looking at Hangyeol’s phone together. Ever since apologizing to Arin, Hangyeol had been going in and out of the pawn shop… 

Hangyeol had really apologized to Arin. After making several pointless trips to the karaoke bar because Arin kept not showing up for work, he finally ran into him on his way to the pawnshop and was able to apologize at last. Even as Hangyeol spoke excitedly, Dohyun’s mood only sank lower. It was a shift in emotion he couldn’t quite understand himself.

“…”

Dohyun stared at Jooyoung. Although there had been some unpleasant incidents in the middle, their positions hadn’t completely turned upside down yet. He had Jooyoung’s weakness, and Dohyun could wield it as he wished.

So, even if the two got closer, it still had nothing to do with hi—

“Hyung, have you been there?”

“Yeah, I’ve been.”

“Ah, that’s so unfair. It’ll take me years to get there.”

“They say a store’s opening in Busan soon, maybe check it out.”

At the gentle tone of Jooyoung’s voice, Dohyun stiffened. He blankly stared at Jooyoung while holding the cigarette pack.

Did he just speak informally?

“But the taste’s not worth waiting for.”

“Really? It looks so delicious!”

That wasn’t all. Jooyoung’s face was softer than ever. Though his expression was neutral, it wasn’t tense like before. It resembled how he acted when he was around Arin.

Dohyun’s chest tightened, sinking.

“Ah, it’s Hwangdo.”

Hangyeol spotted him and called out. Jooyoung’s gaze shifted toward Dohyun as well. Feeling like he was being carefully observed, Dohyun immediately averted his eyes as if he hadn’t seen them. He tapped the cigarette pack with his palm and turned his back to them casually.

Before long, Hangyeol showed up. By the time Dohyun glanced around, Jooyoung had already disappeared. As Hangyeol approached, Dohyun tightened his grip around the now-crumpled cigarette pack and spoke up.

“What’s going on?”

“Huh?”

Dohyun pointed with his chin toward the spot where Jooyoung had been. Only then did Hangyeol nod and grin.

“We just got a little closer.”

Dohyun was at a loss for words. The fact that the person they were talking about was Jooyoung left him even more speechless.

Dohyun angrily pulled a cigarette from the crumpled pack. With a sharp click, he spun the lighter wheel, and a long flame flickered to life. He quickly lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.

“…You got closer?”

“Yep!”

Hangyeol nodded vigorously, a wide smile spreading across his face.

“I thought he’d be prickly, but his personality’s actually pretty good.”

“…”

“And he’s fun!”

“Fun, huh…”

Dohyun’s voice sounded more like a sneer, but Hangyeol didn’t catch it. He suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” and made a pouty face.

“I plan to ask for his number but I forgot again!”

“…

“Then, I should ask him next time~”

He playfully shook his head side to side, speaking in a sing-song voice, and it made Dohyun even more irritated.

“Do you even know who he is?”

“Eh?”

“…”

“Jooyoung-i^[1] hyung?”

It was funny hearing Hangyeol call him “Jooyoung-i hyung” like they were close. Dohyun flicked the ash off his cigarette and stared at the building across the street, as if trying to burn a hole through it with his gaze.

“What’s wrong with hyung?”

“…”

“What’s the matter? Tell me, what’s the matter?”

Hangyeol shoved his hands into his pockets and paced back and forth, his feet tapping impatiently. He looked like he was dying of curiosity. For a moment, Dohyun nearly said something like about the possibility that Jooyoung had a criminal record, or how it was obvious he’d come down here to run away from something.

He quickly put the cigarette to his mouth to distract himself and tamped down the impulse. Jooyoung’s secrets were his alone to know. Only then could those secrets be used as leverage. He almost made a huge mistake.

“…It’s obvious if he’s only hanging around with Arin.”

Instead, he brought up Arin’s name. 

“Uh…I saw them together. He was just treating her like a little sister.”

Hangyeol spoke casually as if it didn’t matter. Dohyun flicked away the short cigarette and turned to leave. 

“Do whatever you want, then.”

He responded irritably, flinging open the door to the arcade. He felt Hangyeol trailing behind, but he ignored it. 

“Hwangdo, Hwangdo. There’s something going on with you and Jooyoung-i hyung, right?”

Hangyeol leaned his arm against the counter and tilted his head, asking subtly. He seemed convinced that Dohyun’s suspicious behavior was because of something going on between him and Jooyoung. But Dohyun remained silent, keeping his lips tightly sealed.

“Tch, what is it…”

“…”

“Hmm? What is it? Tell me, what is it~?”

Hangyeol placed his hands on the counter and started moving his body back and forth, fidgeting like a child. It was annoying, but Dohyun didn’t want to show his frustration, knowing that it would just make it seem like he had something going on with Jooyoung. So he completely avoided looking in his direction.

As Hangyeol slumped his shoulders, seemingly deflated, he suddenly brightened up. He took his hands off the counter and slowly stepped backward, grinning like a mischievous child.

“Then maybe I should ask Jooyoung-i hyung?”

Dohyun’s hand, which was holding the mouse, flinched.

“Ask him, then.”

“Okay~”

Hangyeol pivoted on his right foot and spun around, heading out of the arcade. As soon as he did, Dohyun angrily threw the mouse down.

“…Damn it!”

His insides were boiling.

But it didn’t matter. Jooyoung wouldn’t say a word. Jooyoung was always like that by nature. Cold, indifferent to others, to the point that it could be hurtful.

It was when they were 10 years old. His grandfather, who had always been indifferent to him, surprisingly brought up his birthday one year, asking if he wanted to invite friends over.

The first thing that came to mind was, of course, Jooyoung. He was the one who showed him the specialness of a birthday that no one else had cared about. Receiving a birthday present, singing a song, and blowing out the candles—he did all of that for the first time with Jooyoung.

He immediately made plans, and his grandfather really did order as much pizza and chicken as he wanted for his birthday. Although after that his grandfather left the house again to gamble, Dohyun didn’t feel lonely. Because he was going to spend his birthday with Jooyoung.

Except Jooyoung never showed up. The food grew cold, and the cola lost its fizz. Until then, Dohyun was the only one sitting at the birthday table. Normally, he would have been crazy about pizza, but the one slice he ate that day tasted like chewing dry paper—he couldn’t feel any flavor at all.

The next day, when Jooyoung came first and handed over the birthday gift, Dohyun asked him. Why hadn’t he come? He had waited for so long.

“I went to another friend’s birthday.”

Jooyoung said it casually, without even an apology.

It was always like this. If there were others involved, Jooyoung naturally put Dohyun on the back burner. People don’t apologize for things that are just a given.

“…Sigh.”

A bitter smile escaped Dohyun as a childhood memory suddenly resurfaced.

Without thinking, he went to the storage area behind the counter. When he opened the refrigerator door, he saw a convenience store bag with a yellowish tint. The hangover remedies and electrolyte drink were still there, just as he had received them.

He reached out and grabbed the hangover remedy. Without a hint of hesitation, he downed it. Then, Dohyun threw the empty bottle into the trash can with an irritated motion.