YHP 43
by Cherry“Oh….”
Unfortunately, today’s meeting with Jeong-in was going to end like this. The training at the school swimming pool was the day after tomorrow, and until then, he thought he would only be able to see him when he brought him food if he was lucky.
“But today is not the day we promised.”
“What does that matter?”
But Jeong-in was already in the passenger seat and had even fastened his seat belt.
“Will you stay with me?”
“Yeah.”
Anyway, it was a gain. Ho-jin readily answered, “Yes, sir,” and returned to the driver’s seat.
“But, can we eat first?”
“Do as you please.”
As soon as he got permission, he started the engine. Recalling the location of the restaurant he had found in advance in case he ever had a meal with Jeong-in, he slowly pulled out onto the road.
It seemed like the rush hour for the end of the workday was just beginning. As soon as he got onto the main road, the traffic volume increased dramatically, and the cars stopped at every block. He was driving as carefully as possible, paying attention to Jeong-in,
“When is your next competition?”
Jeong-in asked. Ho-jin looked back at him as he lightly stepped on the brakes and stopped in front of the stop line.
“Well. I don’t have any scheduled events yet.”
“When is the closest competition?”
“Um…. There’s a small competition in mid-April.”
At that, Jeong-in, who had been looking out the car window, turned his head.
“Could you possibly go to that?”
It was an unexpected question.
“Why?”
Jeong-in paused for a moment to choose his words.
“I wish I could see you do it properly once.”
“Ah…”
It was the first time Jeong-in had ever said he wanted something from Ho-jin.
But he couldn’t immediately say he would. He had been agonizing over it for countless days, but he still couldn’t bring himself to compete. While Ho-jin hesitated, the traffic light changed. Looking out at the road that was beginning to fill up, Ho-jin imagined his life after declaring his participation.
In fact, he was a little late. He had been consistently working on his body, but if he was really going to prepare for the competition, he should have started pace training at least a week ago. So, probably the moment he said he would compete, a schedule would begin to make up for the lost time. At least until the competition, he would have to manage his diet strictly every day and spend most of his time exercising.
“Do you just not want to go out, or is there some other unavoidable reason?”
It was simultaneous with the clear voice. The red light came on again. A long silence followed the pointed question. Ho-jin slowly exhaled and looked into the emotions within him.
“…I don’t know.”
It was like opening a box in the corner of a neatly organized room.
“I’m….”
He knew full well that a strand of yarn, from who knows where, was rolling around the room whenever it had the chance, but he acted like there was no problem, that he could control everything himself. Believing that, he picked up each strand whenever he saw them and pushed them into the square box.
And now Jeong-in was telling Ho-jin to open that box.
Without resisting, Ho-jin scratched the surface of the emotions stacked neatly in the box. Then, the letters he had covered up without even realizing it clearly revealed themselves. As if possessed, he read along with it.
“…I think I don’t want to.”
It was a word he had never uttered out loud, not even for a single moment.
“Why don’t you want to?”
“Just….”
He tried to think of a reason, groping for words. But it wasn’t easy because he had never even considered it. Ho-jin struggled for a long time to express the emotions swirling in his chest in words,
“…Because it’s hard.”
He uttered words he had never said anywhere before.
“…….”
Jeong-in didn’t say anything. He was just looking at Ho-jin with calm eyes.
“…It sounds like a luxury, there are so many people who are giving their all and working hard even at this moment.”
The silence was somehow comforting.
No matter what he said, it felt like Jeong-in wouldn’t make any judgments. He wouldn’t scold him for being wrong, or turn away with a disappointed look. He would just watch this moment as always, with a firm and upright gaze, with a slightly indifferent kindness.
“Even though I know that well, sometimes… it feels hard.”
Ho-jin smiled awkwardly.
“Then rest.”
Jeong-in’s voice was clear.
“How many days a week do you rest now?”
“Ah…. I do a little less on weekends, but.”
“Are there any days when you don’t exercise at all?”
“There aren’t any days like that.”
Then Jeong-in sighed.
“Since when has it been like that?”
“Um….”
He tried hard to remember, but he didn’t seem to have taken a whole day off in the last year or two. Strictly speaking, these days, when he only did simple personal training, were the most relaxed.
“Then don’t do anything at all tomorrow.”
“Yes?”
“Unless someone’s going to chase you down and stab you in the neck for missing a day, take everything off the schedule for tomorrow.”
He thought about tomorrow’s schedule. He would do morning training at the gym near the school, and after all the classes he took with Jeong-in were over, he would stop by the center to do strength training with the trainer, and finish with personal aquatic training. Even if he skipped a day, it didn’t seem like he would be seeing blood, as Jeong-in said.
“Then what should I do?”
“Whatever you want to do.”
Whatever he wanted to do. Turning the steering wheel sharply, Ho-jin vaguely imagined what tomorrow would be like.
“…I’ll think about it.”
Nothing came to mind. It was just dark.
The place they finally arrived at was a quiet restaurant.
“Can I pick out Hyung’s food for him?”
“Yeah.”
While Ho-jin placed a simple order, Jeong-in looked around. The open interior and even the lighting were perfect, making his eyes comfortable without anything special. But it didn’t seem like a place where two men would come just to grab a meal.
Glancing at the hall filled with people who were clearly on dates, Jeong-in nibbled on the bread that came out as an appetizer.
“What are you going to do tomorrow, Hyung?”
“I don’t know. I’ll probably just sleep at home after class.”
As soon as the basket was empty, the soup came out. Jeong-in slightly turned over the napkin and took out the shiny cutlery. Ho-jin suddenly asked.
“Then…. Can Hyung play with me?”
“What?”
“I don’t really know what to do by myself.”
Only stirring the soup, Ho-jin smiled bitterly.
“I think if I rest well tomorrow, I’ll be able to let go of a lot of the pressure….”
“…….”
“It would be more comfortable for me to do even a simple workout than to be alone, but then it would end up being the same as usual, so it wouldn’t mean much.”
Only the sound of silverware clinking was faint. Jeong-in quietly looked at him.
The thought that it might be some kind of trick briefly crossed his mind, but it seemed like this person might really do that. Like they say, someone who’s eaten meat knows how to eat it well, you have to have let go of a whole day to be able to do anything.
“What are you going to do with me?”
The main dish, which had appeared before he knew it, was ravioli. The soft and heavy scent unique to cream dishes and the pungent scent of truffle oil were harmoniously mixed. Stirring the dish, he asked.
“You don’t even know how to play alone. Do you have any special ideas for what to do with me?”
“Ah, um. I want to see a movie, take a walk, and go to a cafe….”
“Those are all things you can do by yourself. You can do that tomorrow.”
He took a bite of the simple ravioli. The ricotta cheese, packed tightly inside the thin skin, rose up and caught the slightly bland first taste, and the mushrooms were thickly sliced, maintaining moisture and providing a chewy texture. Pushing the Grana Padano cheese, which was placed on top like a topping, into the rich sauce, it quickly melted and added weight to the aroma. Overall, it was a very heavy yet luxurious taste. If he had come with someone who liked alcohol, it would have been nice to have a light glass of champagne.
While he was thinking that, Ho-jin suddenly said.
“I, I also wanted to go to an amusement park.”
It was a voice as if he was making some kind of huge decision. Jeong-in glanced up.
“I haven’t been there since the elementary school picnic. I started my career as a player right away from middle school…. But it’s not fun to go and play alone.”
He’s really asking for a lot.
“Can’t you do anything else?”
Ho-jin nodded like crazy at the sullen question.
“Yes, it’s my wish. I had a chance to go once in high school, but I couldn’t go because a competition was scheduled at that time. I was really upset, very much. How upset I was….”
“…Okay, okay, stop it.”
It was like a freight truck on a highway at dawn.
“You really want to go to a place like that? Think about other things.”
Thinking about Grandfather’s building, he had to do whatever Yoo Ho-jin wanted him to do. Ho-jin seemed to be experiencing some kind of burnout, and maybe tomorrow might be a surprisingly important turning point. But he didn’t really like crowded and noisy places like theme parks, so it was difficult to say yes easily.
“I really, really want to go.”
Ho-jin was just looking at him with sparkling eyes.
“…Okay.”
He nodded helplessly. Then Ho-jin suddenly covered his mouth with one hand. He closed his eyes tightly as if something was uncomfortable, and after pausing for a moment, he sighed and smiled brightly.
“I’ll be able to fulfill my wish thanks to Hyung.”
“…….”
Somehow, he felt strangely uneasy. Sipping sparkling water, Jeong-in glared at him with suspicious eyes. Anyway, it seemed like Ho-jin was finishing his meal. As if he had deliberately matched it, almost at the same time as Jeong-in put down his spoon, he emptied a plate of ravioli and inserted his credit card into the bill folder without Jeong-in’s permission.
“Act with some class.”
Naturally taking the bill from him, Jeong-in put his card on the table and took out his own card instead.
“Hyung, I’ll pay. I was the one who suggested we come.”
“Think of it as a bribe.”
Tucking the tip in with the card and winking at the server in charge, he approached quickly and took the bill.
“I won’t force you if it’s really hard. But….”
He continued, fixing his gaze on the back of the departing waiter.
“If you think it’s okay, please consider participating in the April competition.”