VDN Ch 36

As they walked down the alley, they eagerly caught up on conversations they hadn’t had in a while. Se-han explained in detail about a cartoon series that is popular these days. It was about the white puppy doll attached to his yellow backpack that Nam-woon had fixed for him.

“My puppy in the ring on my backpack is named Dal-kong.”

“Oh, really?”

“Bulk-kong, Alk-kong and Dal-kong are all family, and if you put their ring on your finger, your wish will come true.”

“Really?”

“I want to find the Bulk-kong and Alk-kong dolls too, but I haven’t found them yet.”

“Really?”

“Hyung, are you listening to me?”

“Really?”

When Nam-woon kept repeating the same phrase, Se-han shouted loudly, “Wooni Hyung!” Nam-woon immediately regained his focus with Se-han’s loud voice and told him,

“Let’s look for Alk-kong together later.”

“Okay!”

Dinner that night was tuna kimchi rice balls. They laid out the ingredients on a small table and made rice balls together. After eating, Nam-woon did the dishes, while Seo-oh and Se-han put the dishes away.

When Seo-oh and Nam-woon spread out the blankets on the floor, Se-han playfully threw pillows on them. After tossing Nam-woon’s pillow onto the blanket, Se-han said,

“Because Wooni Hyung didn’t come often, I hugged your pillow like this when I slept.”

Nam-woon’s pink floral pillow was wedged between Se-han’s legs. Se-han giggled mischievously at Nam-woon. Nam-woon threatened to wedge Se-han’s teddy bear friend, Andol, between his legs if he didn’t give back the pillow, so Se-han quickly handed it over.

“Se-han, go brush your teeth. Hyung will too.”

At Seo-oh’s words, Se-han got up without a fuss. Nam-woon followed Se-han to the bathroom. Oh, but I didn’t bring my toothbrush.

Se-han clumsily took out his child-sized toothbrush from the toothbrush case attached to the bathroom mirror. Nam-woon glanced at the mirror and paused. Three toothbrush cases were lined up side by side. As Se-han squeezed out the toothpaste, he said,

“Wooni Hyung, your toothbrush is the pink one here.”

Se-han took out the toothbrush from the pink case and handed it to Nam-woon. It was the toothbrush Nam-woon had used while staying at Seo-oh’s house. Nam-woon’s gaze lingered on the three toothbrush cases stuck to the mirror for a while, and Se-han, with a mouth full of foam, spoke up.

“If you don’t like the color, we can go to the supermarket and pick a new one to stick here!”

Se-han’s tiny index finger pointed to the spot where the pink case was attached between the blue and yellow ones.

“This is where Wooni Hyung’s toothbrush belongs!”

Nam-woon stood still, feeling a flutter in his heart, and Se-han looked at him curiously.

“Hyung?”

Nam-woon smiled slightly at Se-han, whose mouth was covered in white foam.

“Adult toothpaste is too spicy, so lend me your toothpaste.”

Se-han nodded and handed Nam-woon the strawberry-flavored toothpaste he had been using since kindergarten.

***

“Then, I’ll start.”

“Okay!”

“Errand!”

“…d…ugh”

Se-han thought for a while, then felt him turn his head. His small voice asked for help, “Hyung.” But a word starting with ‘rum’ would be difficult for Seo-oh to handle as well.

“Let’s do it again.”

Se-han said, and Nam-woon pretended to ponder before responding.

“Hmm, then bowl!”

“Bowl…”

Se-han looked at Seo-oh again. Seo-oh called Nam-woon softly.

“Seok Nam-woon.”

“Why don’t you call him Hyung?”

Se-han asked innocently, and Seo-oh belatedly added, “…Hyung.” Nam-woon quickly passed the turn to Se-han.

“Ah, I can’t think of anything. Se-han, you start this time.”

“Okay. Then poop!”

Uh. Nam-woon was taken aback for a moment. Nam-woon said “poop hole,” and then “eat” and “tiger” followed. The three played the word game for about fifteen minutes until Se-han’s breathing became heavy, and they ended the game.

Listening quietly to the whirring fan and the sound of crickets, Seo-oh stood up on his feet.

“Aren’t you going to bed?”

“Let me just finish this.”

Seo-oh moved to the corner, unfolded a low table and switched on a yellow desk-lamp. As Nam-woon watched him open his laptop, he sat up too, rummaging in a black plastic bag and pulling out the new sweats he’d bought. The pair he was wearing was useless now. The waistband had stretched after Seo-oh yanked on them earlier.

Since it was said to be the clothes that kids these days wear, he bought the top as well while he was at it. When Nam-woon took out the clothes, Seo-oh asked,

“What’s that?”

“Sweats. I’m changing.”

Nam-woon started to pull down his pants but then hesitated. Ah, I’m wearing this underwear again. Seeing the underwear with 5,000 won bills on them, Nam-woon quietly headed to the bathroom. Just in case.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“…I don’t think those fit.”

Seeing Nam-woon come out with changed clothes, Seo-oh lowered his head.

I don’t know where he bought it, but the top was so big that even a slight bend revealed his collarbone, chest, and nipples. The pants were wide but so short his thighs would pop out the second he sat down.

Where did he even buy that? Seok Nam-woon would never wear sweats like those.

Nam-woon, with a puzzled look, said,

“This? Fits fine. Why?”

“It’s way too big.”

“It’s supposed to be oversized. The shop owner said so.”

“Where’d you buy it?”

“Haengwon Market.”

However Nam-woon dressed was none of his concern, yet Seo-oh couldn’t focus on his assignment at all; that wide-open outfit reminded him of the dream from the other night.

Seo-oh abruptly stood up and started rummaging through the bottom shelf of his closet. After a moment, he handed Nam-woon a piece of clothing he had pulled out from the depths of his closet.

“Put these on.”

“Why? Is it that bad?”

“Yes.”

At that firm tone, Nam-woon reluctantly took the clothes and awkwardly stood up. Then he lifted the hem of his top.

“……!”

In the blink of an eye, a feast of flesh spread out before his eyes. Nam-woon’s two nipples were clearly visible to his eye. Seo-oh hurriedly lowered his gaze and shouted,

“Change in the bathroom!”

“Hmmn…”

At the sound of his voice, Se-han stirred under the covers. Nam-woon pursed his lips and lowered his voice.

“Is my body that hard to look at…?”

“Yeah. Bathroom. Now.”

Nam-woon put down the clothes he was holding and headed to the bathroom with his clothes in hand. The sound of him saying something could be heard from inside, but Seo-oh didn’t have time to care about that. He felt his whole body temperature rise at once, so he stuck his face in the fan that was spinning wildly.

Nam-woon came out of the bathroom again. Seo-oh checked his outfit and again failed to manage his expression.

“But isn’t that too small for you? It fits me perfectly.”

That’s because it was the gym uniform he wore comfortably in high school. Seo-oh’s height had grown even after he became a college student, so he could no longer fit in his old clothes. It was a gym uniform that he had kept because it was a shame to throw away. Seeing Nam-woon in the clothes he had worn a few years ago was…stimulating.

What’s wrong with me? Am I sick?

Seo-oh patted his pounding chest once with his palm and said it calmly.

“They’re from when I was in high school.”

Nam-woon nodded as if he understood and then suddenly said.

“You’re still growing?”

“Not sure. But when I compared my height to what I was two years ago and last year, I was taller.”

Nam-woon, who wasn’t short himself, looked at Seo-oh’s shoulders and build and showed a look of envy. Seo-oh couldn’t have even imagined this expression before. The Seok Nam-woon of these days was honest with himself.

Approaching Seo-oh, Nam-woon plopped down next to him and said.

“Got much left?”

“Just a bit.”

“What is it?”

“Presentation prep.”

Nam-woon, who had been staring at the laptop, looked up at Seo-oh awkwardly.

“Looks hard. I don’t get any of it.”

“It’s not hard at all. You pick things up fast.”

At that moment, Se-han turned over once more, mumbling something. Then, Nam-woon suddenly closed the distance, put his lips near Seo-oh’s ear, and whispered. Looking at it now, Nam-woon had only changed his top, not his pants, so his bare leg slapped against Seo-oh’s thigh.

“I’ve forgotten all about this stuff. Do you think I could learn it quickly if I tried?”

“……”

Nam-woon smelled like the body wash he used. His voice and breath, transmitted through Seo-oh’s ear, seemed to flow into Seo-oh. Seo-oh stiffened his body and barely managed to speak.

“It’s true you’re a bit slow, but this is easy.”

“What?”

Seo-oh gulped as Nam-woon suddenly wrapped his arm around his neck. The soft but firm skin touched Seo-oh’s skin. Seo-oh hurriedly pushed him away and was about to tell him to stop, but seeing the smile on Nam-woon’s face, he stopped.

“I barely studied in high school, so I really don’t know any of this.

“…That’s why you should have attended school properly. Do you know how much I suffered because of you?”

Although Nam-woon and Seo-oh went to different high schools, the Chairman demanded that Seo-oh, who was younger than Nam-woon, teach him, who was struggling with his grades. It was always a hassle to refuse the request of the boss who employed his father.

Nam-woon replied nonchalantly, as if he didn’t remember anything.

“What was there for you to suffer from? I dropped out halfway.”

Seo-oh looked at Nam-woon with surprised eyes at the mention of dropping out.