TWYW C25

A darker tension than ever before hung over Gyeoul’s face. Going out with his parents was a rare occurrence, something he could count on one hand. On top of that, he had just been hearing his mother’s earnest pleas, even up to today, the day of the appointment, stressing how important this occasion was. While wearing a hoodie and jeans was his daily routine, he took a shirt out of his closet for the first time in a long while. The button fastened tightly up to his neck felt as suffocating as Gyeoul’s reality, but he had no choice but to wear the uncomfortable clothes and go downstairs, following his mother’s words about having to be well-dressed.

Fearing he would surely be cursed at if he got ready later than his father, Gyeoul finished preparing to leave early and waited for his foster parents. And his father, whom he hadn’t seen face-to-face in a long time, opened the bedroom door and appeared. Sweat was seeping from Gyeoul’s two hands, clasped together in tension.

Fortunately, his father only glanced at Gyeoul once before putting on his shoes at the entrance and leaving the house without a word. Gyeoul got into the car driven by his father’s executive assistant, along with his mother who followed behind. Gyeoul, tense with the thought that even the sound of his breathing might bother his father’s eyes, quietly looked out the window. As Gyeoul’s gaze was fixed on the cars passing on the road, the words “Loum’s eldest son” drifted into his ears.

“It’s practically the first time seeing the third wife today.”

“That family is a real mess, too.”

Gyeoul’s mind naturally recalled the time he visited Yuhyeon’s family home. She had seemed a bit young to be Yuhyeon’s mother, but he had just assumed she had married early.

So what, what’s so important about that.

While Gyeoul let the words his parents were exchanging about Yuhyeon’s family go in one ear and out the other, the car had already stopped in front of the appointed place. The place he followed his parents into was a restaurant inside a hotel. When they were guided into a private room, a space that looked luxurious at first glance with a large table appeared.

Apart from being nervous in many ways about going out with his parents, it was true that a part of Gyeoul’s heart was secretly fluttering at the thought of meeting Yuhyeon today. Gyeoul hadn’t met Yuhyeon even once since that day. He had agonized countless times every night, phone in front of him, wondering if he should contact Yuhyeon, but he couldn’t think of any reason to talk to him, so in the end, he couldn’t even send a single message. Gyeoul felt like he was in a dead-end alley, wondering if he really needed to go somewhere and study up on dating.

“Lee Gyeoul.”

“…Yes?”

Gyeoul, who was lost in thought, lifted his head at his father’s sudden question.

“You have to do well today.”

Just as he heard from his father the same words he had heard countless times from his mother, the door opened and Yuhyeon’s family appeared. Gyeoul, who had been sitting, stood up and bowed his head in a more polite manner than ever before. And immediately, Gyeoul’s gaze stopped on Yuhyeon’s face. It was natural for Gyeoul to be captivated by Yuhyeon’s appearance, more dressed up than usual. However, given the setting, he couldn’t just stare at his face. Gyeoul tried hard to compose his expression and sat down again with a face full of courtesy, following his parents.

“Thanks to you, Yuho’s grades have improved a lot. Thank you.”

“Not at all. I’m more grateful that Yuho is so smart and follows along so well.”

The whole time Gyeoul was answering, he could feel Yuhyeon’s gaze fixed on his face. Perhaps it was because this was the first time he had seen such a polite side of him. For Yuhyeon, who had nagged him several times to speak prettily, it must be quite unfamiliar to hear Gyeoul speak in such a gentle tone.

“I’m so glad that our Gyeoul was of help.”

Our Gyeoul.

Gyeoul almost burst out laughing at the term his father, who had never once used it, called him. Was this what he meant by telling him to do well over and over again? His father, to whom appearances were important, was playing the part of a warm and harmonious father-son relationship better than anyone.

While greetings were being exchanged between the two families, the ordered food was brought to the table. The food didn’t go down well in the uncomfortable setting, but Gyeoul couldn’t ruin the atmosphere, so he forced himself to start with the salad and began to eat a little at a time.

“I think I heard that you go to the same university as Yuhyeon.”

“Ah, yes. I heard that he is a sunbae-nim from my school.”

At Gyeoul’s respectful use of “sunbae-nim,” the corner of Yuhyeon’s mouth went up, which Gyeoul caught a glimpse of. It seemed he would probably be teased later for how ridiculous he must look in Yuhyeon’s eyes right now. However, unlike Gyeoul who was being extremely polite, Yuhyeon sat with a quite cynical demeanor. When someone spoke to him, he would only give a very simple answer, and it was clear to anyone that he did not want to be part of this gathering.

“Don’t you have much of an appetite? It seems you’re not eating well.”

“What? Ah, no. I’m just a bit of a slow eater… I’m enjoying the meal.”

Ever since the dinner appointment with Yuhyeon’s family was made, Gyeoul had actually lost his appetite and had been skipping meals for the past few days. The reason was, of course, the fact that he had to spend time with his parents. It might seem like nothing to others, but for Gyeoul, it was an immense stressor.

It was obvious that his father would find some small fault and take out his anger on Gyeoul later. Even now, his father’s sharp gaze quickly swept over Gyeoul and passed. Gyeoul, growing increasingly soaked in tension, rubbed his sweaty hands on his thighs and ate more diligently than usual. Of course, on the outside, he would appear to be eating naturally, not gobbling his food, but in reality, he was stuffing food into his upset stomach as if he had indigestion.

Gyeoul didn’t even know how he managed to finish dinner. The meal ended with him enveloped in tension from a single sharp glance from his father. Gyeoul cleaned his plate, even the dessert, and then stood up with everyone to leave the restaurant.

“Father, I’ve met a junior from the same school, so we’ll talk a bit more before heading in. Is that okay?”

At the end of his sentence, Yuhyeon shifted his gaze to Gyeoul’s father. Naturally, words of affirmation flowed from his father’s mouth, and Gyeoul, with a bewildered face, watched his family leave first as his wrist was grabbed by Yuhyeon and he was seated on a chair in the hotel lobby.

“Wait here.”

Before Gyeoul could even ask Yuhyeon what was going on, he turned around and approached the hotel lobby front desk. When Yuhyeon returned to Gyeoul, he was holding a card key in his hand. Yuhyeon grabbed Gyeoul’s wrist, pulled him up from his seat, and approached the elevator.

“Sunbae, where are you going?”

Yuhyeon said nothing, got on the elevator that arrived at the lobby, and pressed the button for a high floor. He still stood there, holding Gyeoul’s wrist, without any response. Gyeoul stared at Yuhyeon’s face as if appreciating a work of art. Although it was obvious that Yuhyeon could feel his gaze, he didn’t turn his head once, got off the stopped elevator, walked to a room door, opened it, and went inside. Naturally, Gyeoul, who was led by his hand, could only look at Yuhyeon with a still bewildered face. Then, before Gyeoul could even look around the room, Yuhyeon pulled the wrist he was still holding and led him to the bathroom.

“Sunbae?”

“You’re not feeling well. Throw up and come out. Or do you want to go to the hospital right away?”

Gyeoul had been tense all day and had forced himself to eat dinner despite having no appetite, so his stomach had been in a terrible state for a while. He had considered excusing himself for a moment during the meal, but he didn’t know what his father would say, so he had no choice but to stay seated. The food he had forced down had finally made him sick, but he was trying to endure it somehow until he got home. Then, he was taken aback by Yuhyeon’s sudden suggestion to talk with him before leaving, but he didn’t want to refuse, so he was barely holding back his upset stomach.

Since when had Yuhyeon noticed my condition?

“The hospital is fine…”

“Should I pat your back?”

“N-no. I’ll handle it myself.”

Unable to show such an unseemly sight in front of him, Gyeoul pushed Yuhyeon, who was standing in front of the bathroom, out and closed the door. Yuhyeon, who let himself be pushed out obediently, said he would be out for a moment, and the sound of him leaving the room was heard. And Gyeoul immediately began to throw up all the food that had been sitting heavily in his stomach. He couldn’t leave the bathroom for a long time, wondering how he had managed to hold it in until now.

Gyeoul washed his face and thoroughly cleaned his mouth with the toothbrush provided in the hotel bathroom before opening the door. The room was silent, as if Yuhyeon hadn’t returned yet. Only then did Gyeoul begin to look around, and even a quick glance made him think that Yuhyeon must have paid a lot for it.

The room on a high floor had a large floor-to-ceiling window that offered a panoramic view of Seoul’s night scenery. While Gyeoul was momentarily lost in the view outside, the door opened and Yuhyeon came in. He walked over to Gyeoul, who was standing by the window, and placed water and medicine in his hand.

“I’m fine now…”

“Do you want to go to the hospital?”

Yuhyeon’s face looked as if he was ready to go to the hospital right now, so Gyeoul put the medicine in his hand into his mouth and swallowed it with water.

“Why did you force yourself to eat then.”

“I didn’t force myself to eat…”

“There you go being stubborn again.”

At Yuhyeon’s words, Gyeoul’s mouth clamped shut. A wave of embarrassment washed over him, and he couldn’t look Yuhyeon in the eye.

“But… Sunbae, why did you rent such a nice room? We could have just gone home…”

“Is it a habit of yours to say things you don’t mean?”

“Then should I say, ‘Wow, I didn’t want to go home, this is great! But you should have rented a bigger room’?”

“I also thought the room was a bit small. They said it was a suite.”

What is he talking about. Fuck.

Gyeoul could only move his lips at Yuhyeon’s seemingly serious words.

“You’re finally making eye contact.”

Just as Yuhyeon said, Gyeoul was finally making eye contact. It seemed to be due to the tension from the uncomfortable dinner.

“Lie down. You still don’t look well.”

“Then what about you, Sunbae? Are you going home?”

In fact, as Yuhyeon said, Gyeoul was still not in good condition. It seemed he had a bad case of indigestion, as his stomach still felt tight and stuffy. Moreover, the thought that he might have to face his parents if he went back home made him want to stay here a little longer. But that didn’t mean he wanted to be left alone in this spacious place.