WYK 33

Beyond the car window, the glittering lights of the Han River were shining brightly. Jeong-yoon stared blankly at the scenery outside the car window and gently rubbed his forearm. Suddenly, a shiver ran down his spine. Remembering Chae-heon’s gaze from earlier made him strangely tense again.

Chae-heon, who was driving next to him, casually pressed the seat heating button.

Jeong-yoon glanced at Chae-heon’s profile as he drove. It wasn’t because it was cold.

Jeong-yoon turned his gaze again and stared out the car window. Earlier, he even brought Jeong-yoon a bottle of water as he was swallowing his saliva… But now, it seemed Chae-heon could see everything, even though he was driving and supposed to be looking ahead.

Now, Jeong-yoon was in Chae-heon’s car and was heading home.

After leaving a mark on his neck on the bench, Chae-heon smiled coldly and asked, ‘Do you remember now?’ When Jeong-yoon became flustered, he swiftly responded with a smiling expression.

‘Let’s go back first. I’ll take you there.’

… Does Kang Chae-heon have a dual personality? While thinking this, Jeong-yoon still followed Chae-heon faithfully. Before he knew it, he was sitting quietly in Chae-heon’s car, and soon Chae-heon, who had bowed his head, neatly fastened the seatbelt for safety.

‘How did I end up here?’

Jeong-yoon was filled with inexplicable doubts. Trying to find something logical in this situation seemed absurd. After all, biting his neck in the first place was very illogical.

Shivering slightly from the chilly air penetrating his body, Jeong-yoon was lost in thought again. Why was this happening? It was incomprehensible. At first, he thought maybe Chae-heon wanted to make him angry by reminding him of that day, but seeing his kind demeanor, it didn’t seem like it.

Jeong-yoon absentmindedly fiddled with the seatbelt Chae-heon had fastened. There was a pleasant scent emanating from Chae-heon, who leaned forward toward him. His smooth forehead and eyelashes in front of him were very beautiful.

So, strangely, his heart fluttered again. Each action of Kang Chae-heon’s only made his heart race, leading to a self-deprecating laugh.

The inside of the car was quiet, with only quiet music playing and no conversation. Jeong-yoon looked at the neon signs spreading across the glass window and closed his eyes quietly. The sound of a horn outside rang loudly and then disappeared. As if warning of something.

***

The place they arrived a little while later was not in front of Jeong-yoon’s apartment. It was a quiet park parking lot near his apartment that Jeong-yoon passed through every time he got home from school when he was in high school.

Perhaps because it was night, there were only a few cars parked by and no one around. When they reached the last intersection before heading home, instead of turning right, they turned left. It seemed they were coming to this park with a lake.

Chae-heon parked his car under a large tree. It was a dark place where the shadow of the moon fell. Soon the engine turned off and the door was locked.

Did they come here to have a conversation? Suddenly, Jeong-yoon felt suffocated.

Chae-heon rolled down the window, and even the soft music playing in the car was turned off.

Through the half-open window, unfamiliar sounds drifted in. Perhaps the season was changing. The sound of cicadas and the cool night air were quite refreshing. Despite the tension of the moment, this autumn night atmosphere would have made one feel good enough to close their eyes.

A sound was heard from the lake far away. It seemed like a big fish jumping out of the water and then sinking back down. That sound was like a signal.

Jeong-yoon bit his lip and turned his head towards Chae-heon. If they were going to start, he would do it first. It was time for judgment.

“Kang Chae-heon. I’m not sure what you remember and how, but it might be awkward if there are any misunderstandings.”

Chae-heon’s eyes landed on Jeong-yoon’s quivering lips. Jeong-yoon licked his lower lip out of nervousness and spoke again with a determined expression.

“It wasn’t my fault that day. All I did was walk you home when you were drunk. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance that I was there when you went into the bathroom drunk… It was just bad timing. Then I went inside to borrow some money… and somehow saw your face… and the situation-“

“Jeong-yoon-ah. I understand.”

As Jeong-yoon’s excuses became longer, Chae-heon silently watched him before finally interrupting.

Jeong-yoon secretly let out a sigh. He had been out of breath from pouring out his words. His desperate and urgent excuses were pathetic but unavoidable. If Chae-heon misunderstood and thought he had made advances, what would he do? Revealing his feelings was also something that must never happen.

Jeong-yoon briefly glanced at Chae-heon’s expression. There seemed to be no disdain or disgust in his gaze. That was a relief. Jeong-yoon opened his mouth again.

“Anyway, I’m sorry for going into your house without permission. I should have just gone home…”

“It’s because I’m drunk, but I’m actually grateful.”

His kind response relieved the tension on Jeong-yoon’s shoulders.

“… I’m also sorry for giving you an unpleasant look.”

He hesitantly apologized again. Even if he hadn’t stared at Chae-heon inappropriately while sitting close to him, if Chae-heon had misunderstood and dragged him to bed, it wouldn’t have happened. It was also his fault.

As he recalled that day, a sudden surge of heat rose in his chest. So, without mentioning the actual act from that day, he could only vaguely allude to the fact that he had stared at him.

Chae-heon chuckled softly.

“You could have stared, why apologize for that?”

“Um… Well…”

His ears were tickled by Chae-heon’s sweet tone. Jeong-yoon scratched his earlobe and sighed in relief. He had been afraid that things might take an unpleasant turn, but fortunately, it didn’t seem so. And with that realization, even a faint smile emerged.

To be honest, he was even scared when Chae-heon had done that earlier. When he said, ‘Do you remember?’ and gave him a cold look, Jeong-yoon even flinched. He thought Chae-heon was going to hit him, saying, ‘This situation happened because you were acting carelessly.’ Of course, even though it wasn’t his fault, blaming others is human nature. And he thought Chae-heon, being human, might easily do that.

But it seemed they would smoothly pass over this. It was fortunate.

Jeong-yoon murmured, looking down at his own fingers.

“I’m glad there was no misunderstanding. In fact, we were both quite drunk that night. Making mistakes while drunk is common…”

It was a light remark to conclude that day’s events. It was a sentence Jeong-yoon had practiced a hundred times in his mind, so it came out well. It was something he kept repeating over and over again, thinking of how he would respond when Chae-heon grabbed him by the collar and got angry.

After finishing his words, Jeong-yoon smiled and turned his head. However, instead of encountering Chae-heon’s affectionate expression, he faced Chae-heon, who was looking at him with a cold gaze again.

“Do you act like this when you’re drunk with other people too?”

“What?”

“Do you do that with other people?”

Chae-heon asked with a slightly tilted head, his voice sounding low as if he was gritting his teeth.

By that time, Jeong-yoon was in a cold sweat at Chae-heon’s reaction. Who is Kang Chae-heon, really? Despite knowing him for years, Jeong-yoon had never realized his emotions could change so drastically. He thought he knew him better than anyone, but now it seemed like he knew him less than anyone. Just when he seemed affectionate and kind, he would turn cold again, calmly conversing only to suddenly become hostile. He had no idea how he should react.

The atmosphere in front of Kang Chae-heon was so scary that Jeong-yoon hurriedly made an excuse again.

“Do I act like this when I’m drunk with others too? Am I crazy? It was the first time. It was impulsive because your place had a good atmosphere and it was dark that day… But why do I have to make excuses like this?”

As he spoke, he became slightly irritated. Frankly, in such a situation, wouldn’t it be fair to consider it a mutual fault? No, not at all. If there was blame, it would be 80% Chae-heon’s and 20% his own. Yet, since earlier, he felt unfairly guilty, as if he were the only sinner. Was it because the one who falls in love is always the loser?

But just as he was about to let out his irritation, Chae-heon smiled warmly again, shutting his mouth. It was like he was enchanted by that smile. Yet, he couldn’t help but think.

‘Kang Chae-heon seems a bit crazy.’

The guy who was just scowling a moment ago was now smiling like a wildflower in a field. What kind of extremes could a person have? Wasn’t this indicative of some problem with emotional regulation? But still, it was impressive. It was like something out of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

Chae-heon tapped the steering wheel with his fingertips as if he were thinking about something. Then, he turned his gaze towards Jeong-yoon and slightly tilted his head.

“So, what about now?”

“What?”

“You said it was because my place had a good atmosphere and was dark. It’s still dark now.”

“…Huh?”

He could only respond with a foolish question to the incomprehensible words.

Chae-heon rolled up both windows. The car, which had previously been filled with the sounds of leaves rustling in the wind and cicadas chirping, was now engulfed in a stifling silence once again.

Sheet. There was a sound of something loosening in the darkness. Jeong-yoon’s hands trembled. It seemed like that small noise was some kind of signal.

Chae-heon unbuckled his seat belt and leaned his upper body towards Jeong-yoon. A dark shadow fell over Jeong-yoon’s body.

“Don’t you feel that way now?”

A subdued voice rang out. It was a tone that seemed to gently probe into one’s inner thoughts.

Chae-heon gently cupped Jeong-yoon’s cheek. Startled, Jeong-yoon drew in a sharp breath and instinctively recoiled. However, with the chair firmly supporting his back, he couldn’t move away at all. Instead, he found himself drawn closer to Chae-heon.

His warm palm covered Jeong-yoon’s face, and his fingertips lightly brushed against his ear. His fingertips trembled slightly.

Soon, the back of Jeong-yoon’s chair fell backward, and without a moment to refuse, their lips overlapped.

Chae-heon’s warm and soft lips nibbled and licked Jeong-yoon’s lower lip before leisurely tracing his upper lip with his tongue. When Jeong-yoon opened his eyes wide in surprise, he saw Kang Chae-heon’s neat and beautiful eyelashes. It was a very unrealistic sight.

Jeong-yoon placed his palm on the chest of the man who seemed to pounce on him. At first, he was startled and tried to push him away, but when Chae-heon parted his lips and pushed his tongue into the gap, he just held on to it. He felt numb all the way down to his toes and had chills all the way to the top of his head. He couldn’t bring himself to push Chae-heon away due to the ecstatic feeling.

Jeong-yoon could feel Chae-heon’s heartbeat under his palm. Just like his own chest was thumping wildly, Chae-heon’s heart was doing the same.