YHP 60

The bug zapper under the convenience store sign flickered intermittently. Whenever lost insects occasionally passed beneath it, there was a “pop” sound of something bursting.

Jeong-in sat at a table set up outside the convenience store, watching Ho-jin through the glass wall. He was still reluctantly adding water to cup noodles with a face that said he really didn’t want to do this.

When Jeong-in said it would be difficult to go into the convenience store with the IV drip and asked him to just buy one cup of instant noodles, Ho-jin had pleaded desperately until the end, asking if he couldn’t eat kimbap instead. However, the winner was ultimately Jeong-in. When Jeong-in wouldn’t budge, he made a tearful face and earnestly begged him to eat just one bite before reluctantly going.

“I don’t know why he worries so much…”

Though they had spoken in roundabout ways, they were still people who had discussed sex. But perhaps because they didn’t have any particular feelings for each other, his heart was now much more at ease compared to when he had stayed up all night surprised at imagining kissing him.

Of course, since saying he should seriously consider a night with him, Ho-jin hadn’t brought up anything related to that topic. He just took care of Jeong-in with the same attitude as usual, as if nothing had happened.

“What a real fool.”

Kind to everyone, foolishly good-natured. He’s someone who can’t leave even a single light bulb scattered around a theme park alone and has to fix it, so with that good nature, there’s no way he could just pass by someone else’s pain.

Even how he made just instant noodles was so very Yoo Ho-jin-like – after filling it with water, he organized all the water droplets around the water purifier before leaving his spot.

How can he be so gentle and sincere in everything? Watching Ho-jin for a while, Jeong-in chuckled. Soon Ho-jin came out of the convenience store dangling a pack of small kimchi along with the cup noodles and sat down in front of Jeong-in.

“Do you really have to eat this?”

Ho-jin asked once more.

“Please think about it one more time. Environmental hormones are so bad, and your body must have been under a lot of stress today…”

“I’m really okay now.”

It wasn’t a lie. While taking a light walk with Ho-jin, his condition had improved dramatically as if he had never been in pain, and now he even questioned whether this had really been something to be rushed to the emergency room for.

“You really, really should only eat a little bit.”

“It’s fine.”

Jeong-in ignored him and broke the chopsticks. Then when he tore off the thin lid, steam trapped in the styrofoam bowl spread out, giving off a savory and spicy smell.

“There are so many other things, why cup noodles of all things?”

“It’s delicious.”

At his grumbling until the end, Jeong-in stirred the noodles as if to show him.

“I once ate only this every day for two months.”

“What?”

Ho-jin’s mouth fell open.

“You ate only cup noodles for two months?”

“Yeah.”

It was around the spring when he was eighteen. It was when he particularly wanted to build walls with others, and while looking for a housekeeper who didn’t use Korean or English because he didn’t want to talk to anyone, he connected with an aunt from Armenia. She was a really kind person and later they became quite close, exchanging simple small talk mixing hand gestures, but unfortunately the food she made didn’t suit Jeong-in’s taste.

“Well… to be exact, I didn’t have a choice.”

Though he couldn’t show it because he felt sorry, Jeong-in was sick and tired of the cheese and meat that came out every day with only the type changed. Then by chance, he stopped by a mart run by a Korean and picked up a cup of instant noodles, and from that day he ate only cup noodles like an addict for two months until he got sick of it.

When he was in Korea, he thought it was just unnecessarily stimulating food and didn’t particularly like it, but still being Korean, when he actually lived across the water, it couldn’t have tasted better. And even when dropped into an unfamiliar world, when looking at packaging with familiar letters, sometimes still.

No, actually every day. He could remember and recall the faces he missed.

“…Please pour some here, it’s hot.”

“Thanks.”

Ho-jin neatly folded the paper lid into a cup shape and held it out. Jeong-in began eating the cup noodles, blowing on them. It tasted exactly as he remembered.

“But, hyung.”

“Mm?”

He looked up while chewing hot noodles.

“I… know how to make Korean, Chinese, Western, and Japanese food.”

It was really out of the blue.

“I can learn any other country’s cuisine if you just tell me.”

Wondering what he was trying to say with such a preamble unless he suddenly wanted to show off his cooking skills, when Jeong-in looked at him briefly, Ho-jin added in a trailing voice.

“If you keep being friends with me… I can give you many other choices besides cup noodles.”

“Wh-what are you saying? If you like cooking that much, you should have become a chef instead of a swimmer.”

His face felt hot. Jeong-in put down his chopsticks with a sound and drank the cup noodle broth. Ho-jin tapped his toes on the ground and lowered his head.

“It’s not that I like cooking…”

That’s when it happened. An insect landed on his hair.

“Ho-jin, wait a moment.”

Jeong-in reached toward him with his cheek full of noodles.

The bug zapper that had been flickering irregularly went out for a moment. When Jeong-in’s fingertips touched his hair, Ho-jin looked up.

Star-like light flickered over his dark, gentle eyes, “Yes?”

The light came back on.

“……”

An insect met its fate with a “pop” sound.

Not knowing it would eventually burn to death, just foolishly rushing toward the pretty light pouring out ahead.

“…There was a bug.”

“Thank you.”

Jeong-in quickly moved his awkwardly floating hand to brush off Ho-jin’s hair. And Ho-jin smiled looking at Jeong-in with his cheeks puffed up.

“Come to think of it, hyung, you really look a lot like your father. You must hear this a lot, right?”

“Yeah, everyone who sees me says that. But…”

It was the moment he was about to say he also looked a lot like his uncle.

Won-kyung’s voice saying Jeonghun was coming to the hospital suddenly flashed through his mind.

“…Gasp.”

Jeong-in jumped up from his seat.

“You go home now.”

Jeonghun was sometimes scary in how sensitive he was to pheromones. Moreover, today – though it was completely natural since Jeong-in had suddenly been hospitalized – he didn’t seem to be in a very good mood either.

Even though he was an Alpha himself, he hated Alphas so much that even before the incident, except for Hyojun, he had said until Jeong-in’s ears were sick of it that he should avoid associating with Alphas as much as possible. So if he got caught hanging around with a dominant Alpha in this state, innocent Ho-jin might get caught in the crossfire.

Wondering if Ho-jin’s scent might have somehow rubbed off in that brief time, Jeong-in began frantically shaking off his whole body while sniffing here and there at his clothes.

“Why are you suddenly doing that? I have plenty of time.”

“I’m tired now. I want to go in and sleep.”

When Jeong-in said he was tired, Ho-jin immediately began cleaning the table. The table was clean in an instant, and now it was really time to part.

“I’ll walk you back.”

It was a situation where they could just finish with a clean goodbye and part ways.

“No, I’ll go by myself. I have to go alone.”

But neither of them took the first step.

Jeong-in thought it was probably because he felt a bit sorry about the half-eaten cup noodles. Still, since he didn’t know when Jeonghun might barge in, he needed to go up soon.

“Then…”

It was the moment when Jeong-in, who had been standing blankly, was about to say goodbye.

“Hyung, could I sometimes call you even when nothing’s happening?”

It was an unusually somewhat urgent voice. Ho-jin asked.