TWYW C11

The screening time, a little over two hours, ended, and as the credits rolled over a black background, the lights came on one by one. Yuhyeon and Gyeoul didn’t get up right away and waited until all the credits had finished rolling. When watching movies, Gyeoul always made sure to check the names of the people in the credits. However, since most people usually don’t watch the entire credits unless there’s a post-credits scene, it was a bit strange that Yuhyeon was staying in his seat with him.

Finally, only a black screen filled the screen, and the two stood up at the same time. Gyeoul followed Yuhyeon, who was the first to descend the stairs, and exited the movie theater.

“Did you finish all the popcorn?”

At Yuhyeon’s question, he looked down at the popcorn box in his hand and saw that about half of it was empty.

“Yes. I ate it all.”

Yuhyeon took the popcorn box from Gyeoul’s hand, threw it in a nearby trash can, and approached the elevator. Gyeoul followed him down to the parking lot, got into the passenger seat again, and fastened his seatbelt.

“Lee Gyeoul.”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

“……What about?”

“Why the long face. Didn’t you like the movie?”

“No…… Yes…… No……”

It seemed Yuhyeon had noticed Gyeoul’s slightly subdued mood.

“You said anything was fine.”

Because he had clearly said those words, Gyeoul couldn’t bring himself to complain about the movie and kept his mouth shut.

“What was so wrong with it that you even look depressed.”

“……”

“It’s okay, so don’t worry about my reaction and just say it.”

“I…… I don’t like open endings. I like a clear happy ending.”

He thought the movie was a simple action film. But the movie’s ending had the protagonist sending his beloved lover far away instead of saving the world, and it concluded ambiguously, not making it clear whether he reunites with her at the end of the film. But in fact, most of the audience would probably think the protagonist did not reunite with her.

“I guess they wanted to leave the interpretation up to the audience.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be nice if it ended clearly with ‘and the protagonist lived happily ever after’?”

Is it because I don’t feel like my own life is happy.

When Gyeoul wrote, he always finished any story with a happy ending. That’s why he always had to hear that his endings were cliché during workshop sessions.

“So you’re sulking?”

“I’m not sulking. It’s just my thoughts on the movie……”

Yuhyeon gave a small laugh at Gyeoul’s words.

“Then just think that the protagonist you’re thinking of is living happily.”

“What’s the point if I’m the only one who thinks that. It might not be true.”

“I’ll think so too. Two is better than one, isn’t it.”

Gyeoul felt as if Yuhyeon was taking his side, and the corners of his mouth 괜히 threatened to curl up.

“But what if someone says that’s not it?”

“Then call me. I’ll argue back for you.”

“……What is that.”

“So you don’t want me to take your side?”

“No.”

Fearing Yuhyeon might change his mind in an instant, Gyeoul answered honestly this time.

“Then cheer up now and let’s go eat.”

“I was in a good mood to begin with.”

“Should I not take your side.”

“……I’ll cheer up now……”

At Gyeoul’s answer, Yuhyeon drew a pleasant smile on his lips, changed gears, and started the car. As his car left the basement and rose onto the road, the outside was already dark, and only the streetlights brightly illuminated the streets.

“Is there anything you can’t eat?”

“No…… probably.”

“What do you mean, probably.”

“It’s just, I’ve only ever eaten the same things, so I don’t really know.”

When he was younger, he at least grew up eating home-cooked meals made by the housekeeper, but after entering middle school, apart from school lunches, he mostly got by on convenience store food. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had eaten out with his adoptive parents. So it was no exaggeration to say that Gyeoul grew up eating only school lunches and cheap food from convenience stores.

“Have you tried sashimi or sushi?”

“I haven’t, so I don’t know.”

“When you eat out with your family, what do you usually go for?”

“……We don’t eat out……”

Did I answer too honestly. It felt like Gyeoul’s family, who didn’t eat out, would seem strange in Yuhyeon’s eyes. Moreover, since their families knew each other, he felt like he had let slip an unnecessary mistake, and in his anxiety, he picked at the skin on his thumbnail.

“Lee Gyeoul. Hand.”

At the sound of Yuhyeon’s voice calling him, Gyeoul unconsciously stopped the gesture of picking at his thumbnail.

“You have a lot of bad habits.”

Gyeoul glanced around furtively and lightly rubbed the reddened area near his nail. In the meantime, Yuhyeon’s car stopped in front of a sushi restaurant. Thanks to his parents, who were very sensitive to smells, Gyeoul had barely ever seen fish dishes, including raw food. Yuhyeon opened the restaurant door with familiarity, as if he had been here many times before. Gyeoul followed him inside, was guided by a staff member, and sat across from Yuhyeon.

“What do you want to try?”

Gyeoul looked at the pictures on the menu and pointed to a sushi set made with various colorful types of fish. Yuhyeon ordered the same thing, and while Gyeoul was quietly looking around the restaurant, the ordered dishes were placed on the table.

“If you can’t eat it, tell me. We can just order another dish.”

Gyeoul, who had nodded, picked up a piece of sushi covered with white fish meat, dipped it lightly in soy sauce mixed with wasabi, and brought it to his mouth. Before Gyeoul could properly taste the sushi he was trying for the first time, he already felt a sense of rejection from the mushy texture. Still, he chewed it thoroughly to the end and barely managed to swallow it down his throat, then picked up the cup next to him and swallowed the water as if rinsing his mouth.

“Order something else.”

Yuhyeon, who had seen Gyeoul’s reaction, held out the menu.

“I’ll try just one more.”

This time, Gyeoul picked up a piece of sushi topped with pinkish fish meat and put it in his mouth. The texture of this one suited his palate even less, and he swallowed it whole without chewing much.

“Why are you forcing yourself to eat.”

Yuhyeon pushed a glass of water closer to Gyeoul. Gyeoul immediately drained the glass of water.

“You eat tonkatsu, right?”

“……Yes.”

Yuhyeon called the staff again and ordered a tonkatsu dish. Then he placed the egg sushi from his own plate onto Gyeoul’s plate.

“This is egg, so it should be fine.”

Gyeoul put the sushi, an egg roll wrapped in seaweed that Yuhyeon had given him, into his mouth. It was a little sweet, but it was a taste Gyeoul could still eat. And only after eating the cooked shrimp sushi that Yuhyeon handed him again was the tonkatsu placed on the table. Yuhyeon pushed aside the sushi plate in front of Gyeoul and placed the tonkatsu plate in its place. Gyeoul picked up a piece of the pre-cut tonkatsu and placed it on Yuhyeon’s plate.

“……You eat too, sunbae.”

Feeling 괜히 embarrassed to make eye contact, Gyeoul lowered his head and took a bite of tonkatsu.

“What are you so shy about. It’s cute.”

At Yuhyeon’s words, Gyeoul swiftly touched his reddened ears, put another piece of tonkatsu in his mouth, and chewed. After briefly finishing the meal with Yuhyeon, they opened the restaurant door and came out.

“Sunbae, um…… the money…… I’ll……”

“It’s fine. Just follow me.”