PSY CH 25

From the TV mounted on the wall, a daily drama—famous for being a popular actor’s first comeback after marriage—was playing. No one was really watching, but the room was so quiet that they had just left it on for background noise. 

Dohyun crouched in front of the fridge. He was organizing boxes that hadn’t been opened yet. Apparently, someone had visited during the day, and there were a lot of drinks. When he opened the fridge, a faint chill brushed past him. The hospital’s ever-present scent, which lingered at the tip of his nose, dispersed for a moment.

“Did you meet Young-i?”

Jungseop, who was sitting hunched over with his legs dangling off the bed, asked. Dohyun flinched. 

“I did.”

He answered casually while stacking the drinks neatly inside the fridge.

“How was it?”

“…What do you mean, how was it?”

“He’s still the same, huh?”

Dohyun gripped the bottle in his hand tightly. The orange liquid inside sloshed around. He stared at it for a moment, then spoke in a sullen tone.

“Don’t send anything through him again.”

He was talking about the time Jungseop had sent some allowance money through Jooyoung. Jungseop chuckled. 

“I figured your shy ass wouldn’t let you talk to him first.”

“It’s not that.”

“I know, I know.”

“…”

“So, did you get a bit closer with Young?”

“Ah, kinda.”

Clack. Dohyun irritably set the bottle down. Under the orange-tinted light, the drinks were messily arranged. There were still unopened boxes left, but the fridge was already out of space. Jungseop was well-liked, so many people came to visit him.

“You always go on and on about Jooyoung this, Jooyoung that, and now you’re telling me you didn’t even get close?”

“Sigh…”

Dohyun dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck. For some reason, the image of Jooyoung chatting easily with Hangyeol came to mind.

“…There’s nothing to get close or not close about.” 

“…”

“It’s been years since we’ve seen each other anyway.” 

Dohyun shut the fridge door and stood up. When he turned to Jungseop with a frown, the older man held up his cup. It took Dohyun a second to realize he had been on his way to fetch water. An empty bottle sat alone on top of the fridge. 

“…Ah.”

“Ain’t no one else out there as forgetful as you.”

Jungseop laughed as he set the cup down on his thigh. With an annoyed sigh, Dohyun ran a hand through his hair, grabbed the bottle, and left the hospital room. When he returned with it filled, Jungseop had turned slightly to look at the sky, glowing in the sunset. The dreary monsoon had finally ended, and the sky these days was clear like autumn.

Dohyun poured water into the cup and set the bottle down. Then he dropped himself onto the empty bed across from Jungseop. His hands, placed between his legs, repeatedly intertwined and came apart. He followed Jungseop’s gaze out the window before suddenly asking.

“…Why did he come down from Seoul, anyway?”

At the low question, Jungseop stopped mid-sip and slowly turned his body.

“He said he quit his job and was taking a short break.”

The old man stared blankly at the TV as if deep in thought. His wrinkled, rough hand slowly swept across the bed.

“That’s what Young’s mom told me…” 

“…”

“Well, I’m sure he’s got his own reasons. I didn’t ask him myself.”

Dohyun’s lips twisted with bitterness. Reasons, huh…

Thinking about how desperately Jooyoung had clung to him, the situation must have gone far beyond something as vague as having unspeakable reasons. And yet Jungseop, knowing nothing, still pitied him.

“A kid used to living in Seoul, suddenly coming all the way here—it must be tough, right?”

As Jungseop clicked his tongue, Dohyun let out a snort. Jungseop blinked in surprise, eyes wide.

“Why? Did something happen between you two?”

Dohyun picked at a hangnail and muttered. 

“Nothing happened.”

But Jungseop wore a face that said he more or less understood what was going on.

“Even if Young makes you feel a bit hurt, you should try to understand him.”

“…”

“He’s just sensitive, but he’s got a good heart.”

“He’s not kind. You’re the only one who thinks that, Grandpa.”

At Dohyun’s sullen words, Jungseop chuckled.

“Didn’t you used to say he looked like an angel when you two were little?”

Dohyun’s expression twisted instantly.

“That was…!”

“…”

“I only said that ‘cause of his face. His personality was fucking awful, even back then.”

Despite the foul language, Jungseop didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he just laughed heartily and looked at Dohyun.

“What the hell is so kind about him…”

Dohyun grumbled and turned his gaze away. The sunset splashed across the window like spilled paint. It was a completely different color from Jooyoung’s eyes, yet somehow, he thought of him again. 

His chest felt heavy, like something was stuck in his throat.

***

After hanging up with his mom, Jooyoung checked the calendar. The one his grandfather used was stained with smudges and pen marks pressed deep into the paper. He marked the date his mom had mentioned and flipped through a few pages absentmindedly. The last page wasn’t December—it was January.

“…”

The paper slipped through his fingers. Even when January came, Jooyoung would still be here because he had more time left than that. 

To shake off the gloom settling in, Jooyoung decided to organize the things Aunt Sooeun had dropped off earlier. The shopping bag, stamped with an insurance company logo, was stuffed with various types of tissues.

“Young, you… You’re not in that kind of relationship with Arin, are you?”

Sooeun had launched straight into the topic the moment she walked into the pawn shop. Claiming she had something to give him was clearly just an excuse. 

“Your grandpa’s already not doing well, so don’t go adding to his worries. You have any idea how rough a man’s life can get if he ends up with the wrong woman?”

She then proceeded to share the aftermath of that day’s incident without Jooyoung even asking.

Apparently, after all that drama, the couple had gone on living together just fine—Sooeun said you indeed can’t underestimate a lifetime of shared history. The man had started frequenting another karaoke bar, and the woman would occasionally spit in front of Viking Karaoke, but that was it.

“Be careful. Seriously, be careful. Got it?”

She’d repeated herself even as she was leaving, but Jooyoung, lost in his own thoughts, hadn’t really listened. What struck him as strange was how it felt like Arin was the only one whose life had actually changed. 

Since that day, Arin hasn’t stepped outside except to go to and from work. She said she couldn’t stand the gossiping neighbors—especially the woman who ran the nearby foot spa, always hanging around during the day and giving her a bad vibe.

Although she said it was more like avoiding shit not out of fear, but because it was disgusting, there was no way her heart was truly at ease—not when she couldn’t even walk outside comfortably.

“…”

Jooyoung leaned his left cheek against his knees, drawn up tightly to his chest. The new fan he’d bought just days ago swung gently from side to side, sending cool air across the room. His hair fluttered softly in the breeze, but the heaviness in his chest wouldn’t lift. Really, this wasn’t the time to be worrying about Arin.

Lately, Dohyun had been acting strangely. Since that day, he’d stopped threatening Jooyoung altogether. 

At times, his eyes would linger on Jooyoung with a look that bordered on scrutiny—enough to startle him—but more often than not, he passed by as if Jooyoung were a stranger. The unpredictability alone was enough to keep Jooyoung on edge. Not knowing his intentions made it even worse. Every time they crossed paths, Jooyoung had to brace himself due to the tension.

“This is why you shouldn’t live your life with sins hanging over you…”

He hadn’t forgotten the shame he felt that day—the feeling of shrinking into nothing in front of someone who had once chased him around so desperately and had loved him with blind devotion.

It was pathetic. Utterly pathetic.

“Sigh…”

What could Dohyun be thinking now?

His mind was a tangle of knots. Should he approach him first, beg him, promise him anything, everything, just to keep him from reporting him? Or should he do nothing and keep watching, waiting for a sign? There was no answer for this.

Bzzz—

The phone he left on the desk vibrated. Jooyoung slowly uncurled from the floor and stood. It was a text from Seoah. Ever since she’d reached out first, she’d been messaging him once or twice a week. Usually, it was complaints about work or playful grumbling about when he was coming back to Seoul. Jooyoung would respond just enough to keep the conversation going. So, he assumed today’s message would be the same.

But his assumption shattered in an instant.

[He’s back!!]

“…Ah.”

The moment he read it, Jooyoung realized—there was another problem he’d left behind in Seoul.