He parked his car in a nearby parking lot and entered the promenade full of cherry blossoms and forsythia. Even though it was early in the morning, I often saw a couple with a stroller or a couple taking pictures.
“Don’t walk too much, you must be tired wearing a suit and formal shoes… let’s go just to the front.”
“Do whatever you feel like.”
“Next time, wear comfortable clothes.”
I looked at Yeon Seon-woo’s face for a while, who naturally promised the future.
“Are you not hungry?”
“It’s okay.”
Across the brightly blooming forsythia, Seongnaecheon Stream with the blue sky was visible. I walked along the waterway with Yeon Seon-woo.
“It’s exam period these days.”
As I quietly followed him, the guy who smiled as if he was in a good mood opened his mouth first.
“I studied hard, but my head hurts. I wanted to endure it by going on a date with Hyungnim.”
“Don’t study too hard.” (네가 무슨 공부를 열심히 해)
“Ooh? This is upsetting. I have a really good brain and I study hard, so my grades are amazing.”
“How can I believe a guy who goes to and from the bar every day?”
“How can a person study all day long? There is also time to take a break.”
“……”
When Yeon Seon-woo came, he stayed by my side until 2 a.m., and then went back. In terms of time, five hours was a light fill, but wasn’t it too long for a break?
“What is that expression?”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
“I think you look at me pathetically now.”
“That can’t be. You mistake…”
I averted my gaze and coughed in vain.
I didn’t think it was pathetic, but… I heard that college students were very busy and had a lot to study, but I was worried because he was just playing around. He didn’t even get along with his peers, and he kept visiting the gangster.
It was still difficult to understand why Yeon Seon-woo was taking such good care of himself. Did he just want a hyung with a big age gap?
‘Hyung but he said he had one older sister.’ (형제는 누나 한 명 있다고 했지)
I wasn’t confident I could play the role properly if it was what brother or uncle he wanted me to be. First of all, I didn’t have a family left, and I had never had a brother in my life.
“The weather is really nice. It’s a good time to come, right?”
Yeon Seon-woo, who walked one step ahead and smiled at me, was as warm as the spring sunlight. Looking at it, I tilted my head.
What if… what if he didn’t have friends? What if there was no one who cared enough to bring such an uninteresting man to see the flowers?
‘He isn’t going to be bullied, right?’
Were college students bullied? They’re not children, they’re adults, but bullying…
I was wondering if it could be, but somehow my chest stinged. Come to think of it, I heard that it was difficult to make friends with a rich child.
When I thought of the first meeting, Yeon Seon-woo was definitely from a family with a lot of money, and he had a sensitive personality…
“Hyungnim?”
“Oh?”
“What is it? All of a sudden, you stand blankly.”
I was imagining Yeon Seon-woo eating alone like an abandoned puppy, but I woke up belatedly.
“Are you very tired?”
“…no, it’s okay.”
Rather, I was dazzled by the imagination I had just had. I shook my head to mean not to worry about it, but the dark eyes of the guy who looked at me began to show an apologetic look.
What if I dragged him around and regretted it now? (멋대로 끌고 와 놓고 이제 와서 후회하면 어쩌냐)
I was about to say that it was really okay, but an unfamiliar voice intervened between me and Yeon Seon-woo.
“Excuse me…”
Those who hesitated and approached were two women, tall enough to not even reach my shoulders. One of the two who came out with her cell phone in hand and looked at Yeon Seon-woo asked with a recalled face.
“If, if that’s okay with you, could you take a picture for me?”
Picture? Losing confidence with just the words, I gave Yeon Seon-woo a glance to take care of it.
“All right.”
Unlike when the guy looked at me, he picked up the cell phone with an annoyed expression on his face. Thank you! The two women, who had forgotten their nervousness and answered cheerfully, ran under the cherry tree with a smile and folded their arms.
“I’m taking it.”
Yeon Seon-woo, who got down on one knee and lowered his height, started taking pictures. I took a step back and watched them pose in various poses to the sound of clicks, clicks, and clicks.
“Oh my, it’s so well taken!”
“You are good at it.”
After receiving the phone back and checking the result, the two gave praise to Yeon Seon-woo with two thumbs up.
“Then I will ask you for one favor.”
Yeon Seon-woo, who had been staring at them with a strange smile, this time, held out his cell phone and pulled my waist.
“This time, please take a picture of us.”
“Oh, all right!”
“She’s really good at taking pictures.”
“Wait…!”
What do you mean, taking pictures. Yeon Seon-woo, who forcibly pulled me under the cherry tree, put his arms around my shoulders and smiled.
“Since we came here, we have to take at least one picture. It would be bad if not.”
“No, I don’t like taking pictures…”
“I’m taking it~!”
“Hyung. You have to look ahead.”
“Kimchi~!”
I was embarrassed and eagerly expressed my dislike of it, but it wasn’t accepted by anyone. The woman handed the cell phone over and started taking pictures in an incredibly amazing pose.
“Maybe it’s because you’re both handsome, the pictures came out really well!”
“That’s right. It’s like a pictorial. Are you two models?”
“I’m an ordinary person. Thank you.”
All of my energy was sucked into the photo shoot, and I exhaled a weary breath. Yeon Seon-woo, who got the cell phone back, opened the gallery as soon as the women left and checked the pictures.
“Wa, Hyungnim. Look at this.”
Yeon Seon-woo, who was flipping through the pictures, came close to me with his eyes twinkling.
“They shoot well, and it’s not that bad. Right?”
A picture popped up all over the phone screen. I saw Yeon Seon-woo smiling brightly at me through the moderately scattered cherry blossom petals, and me smiling at such a guy.
“……”
Did I smile when she took the picture? I couldn’t remember anything other than embarrassing memories.
Compared to Yeon Seon-woo, who was in a good mood, I looked so stupid. I thought it would be better to delete it, but Yeon Seon-woo murmured once more that he really liked this picture.
“Um, it’s really good…”
“I don’t like it.”
“All the other pictures are good, but this one is the best. I’ll send you a picture, Hyung.”
You don’t have to send it to me… The word wasn’t brought out. I didn’t want to hurt the feelings of the happy guy.
“Let’s walk a little bit more and go back.”
Yeon Seon-woo hummed as he walked. The children next to us jokingly passed us by.
Swaaa, only the cherry blossom trees on either side of the road shook finely in the strong wind, and the cherry blossom petals flew like snow. In between, I could see Yeon Seon-woo, who was looking at me.
His hair, fluttering in the sunlight, shone like gold. He reached out his hand to me and gently stroked my forehead.
“There are cherry petals stuck here.”
I looked at Yeon Seon-woo, blinked my eyes, and lowered my face. The little pink cherry blossom petals he had caught fluttered continuously.
* * *
“Is this the right place?”
“Oh.”
After the flower viewing, Yeon Seon-woo took me to the house as promised. A steep staircase appeared at the end of a narrow alleyway that was barely wide enough for a car to enter.
Yeon Seon-woo, who got out of the car after me, asked in a tired voice.
“Your house isn’t up there, is it?”
“That’s right.”
“Pardon?”
When I responded calmly, the guy was bewildered and looked at the stairs alternately.
“No, why? You even have a store.”
“It’s not mine. I am just a caretaker.”
“I’m sorry, but really. The business is going well, but you’ll get a lot of money, right.”
“Money…”
I put my hand in my pants pocket and stood crookedly, thinking.
Of course, I got it, but it was useless. Whatever I needed, the man would save it for me.
I didn’t want to go into detail about this part. So instead, I changed the subject.
“Why? Are you disappointed because I don’t have anything?”
When I asked without hiding my playfulness, Yeon Seon-woo also narrowed his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth.
“Why am I disappointed? Rather, it’s good.”
“What’s good?”
“I have a lot of things. Hyungnim, would you like to live with me?”
“Oh, boy.”
I couldn’t keep being swayed by him. Yeon Seon-woo, approaching from the side, leaned his upper body against his car and folded his arms.
“You’re laughing at me. I’m serious.”
“Do you believe me that you want to live with me? I could run away with all your household items.”
“Wa. Please do that for me, ung?”
“Forget it. It’s a little shabby, but I like it here.”
It was a place I had lived my whole life. Of course, if I said that there was nothing inconvenient, it wasn’t…
“It’s a single room, so it’s small, but it has everything I need.”
“……”
“It’s just a place to sleep anyway.”
Even if I wanted to move, the past was holding back my ankles. Yeon Seon-woo, who had listened to me with a strange expression, raised his head once more and stared at the shacks on the stairs.
“Then I will go too.”
“What?”
“You took me all the way here, but you’re not telling me to just go, right? No manners… please give me coffee at least.”
This child? I checked the time on my watch. It was past 9 in the morning and it was getting close to 10.
“What kind of coffee is it, after you said it would take one hour and held me for three hours.”
“Did I say that? Anyway, playing with Hyungnim is so much fun that I don’t know how time flies.”
“Stop talking nonsense and go. There is no such thing as coffee.”
“You just said you have everything here.”
“Do you have a conscience…”
Uuung—
Just as I was about to say something to Yeon Seon-woo’s actions that kept holding on to me today, I heard the sound of his cellphone vibrating. Yeon Seon-woo pulled out his cell phone from his denim jacket pocket, frowned, and pressed the reject button.
“Didn’t you get a call? You can take it.”
“No. If there is no coffee, even ramyeon…”
Uung—
Yeon Seon-woo’s attempt to resume the interrupted story with a smile was broken by the second vibrating sound. The guy who uttered a low swear word finally answered the phone.
“Ah, let me alone!”
[Why are you annoyed as soon as you receive it? Who’s going to be annoyed now?]
“Take a hint. I just pressed reject on the call.”
[Do you think that I did it because I wanted to call you? Where are you?]
A sharp female voice even reached me. Yeon Seon-woo quietly turned his back and answered in a low voice.
“You know what to do. Don’t pay attention to me.”
[If you don’t want attention, you should have done it well. There are two hours left until lunch, where and what are you doing?]
“Before that, I’ll go on my own.”
[You have to change clothes too. To make Dad angry again on a good day…]
“I don’t care, whether that man is angry or not…”
[Are you really going this way? Where are you? Did you go to that bar again…]
Ttuk.
Yeon Seon-woo hung up the phone abruptly. Then he looked at me like a dog who had made a mistake.
“…I think I have to go because something came up, Hyungnim.”
“Whatever.”
“I will eat ramyeon next time.”
“I never said I would give it to you.”
“At times like this, can’t you just say you get it? You’re really cheap.” (진짜 치사하다니까)
Yeon Seon-woo, who pouted his lips and grumbled, sat in the driver’s seat and lowered his car window.
“I’m going.”
“You don’t have to say it twice.”
“Yeees…”
The guy, who had withered quickly with just one phone call, nodded his head helplessly. Seeing the gentle eyes looking up at me, I lightly stroked Yeon Seon-woo’s hair and smiled.
“I’ll buy you some ramyeon.”
“……”
Yeon Seon-woo blinked twice with a surprised face. Then, the white nape of the neck and cheeks were dyed red in an instant.
“…this, you’re doing it on purpose…”
“What again?”
“I’m the only one who’s struggling, really. It’s unfair…”
The guy, who had expressed an unknown lament, shot back sharply and started the car.
“See you later tonight.”
I guess he would come to play again. That being said, why did he not want to go there like that… I stood still and sighed as I watched the car move away.
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