World Chapter 10.9 - Daybreak, 24 Hours of the Event

It was because of those words that his face kept contorting.

They had spouted all sorts of suspicious claims about being “cousins” or “knowing each other well,” but in reality, they were lovers who couldn’t bear to be apart.

Lovers—honestly, it left him speechless.

“You can’t! I told you, you can’t just barge in like this. Hey, look here!”

Beyond the door that swung wide open, the secretary shouted fussily while grabbing someone’s arm. The person pulling his arm free from the secretary’s grip and dusting off his wrinkled jacket was Hanse. Straightening his clothes, Hanse gave a hand greeting and spoke.

“Hey, why are you ignoring my calls?”

Boram snapped his head away. You use a guy, play him like a toy, and then even land a punch?

Feeling strangely enraged, Boram had been ignoring Hanse’s persistent attempts to contact him ever since that day.

Sangyeol saw Hanse and bowed deeply at the waist.

“Have you arrived, Hanse Hyung?”

“Who’s your Hyung?”

“Don’t be shy. I’ll go bring some tea then.”

Completely unfazed by Hanse’s sharp words, Sangyeol bowed once more and stepped outside.

Boram turned his chair away entirely, not wanting to see his face. As if finding it absurd, Hanse walked over to the desk, faced Boram, and said while looking down at him.

“What’s with you? Are you still sulking?”

“Who said anything about sulking? Watch your mouth, Kim Hanse.”

“You’re definitely sulking. Why, are you still bitter about being used?”

“Let’s just not talk.”

“Let’s go. I’ll buy you dinner.”

“I’m not eating.”

“Why are you being so petty? Do you think it was easy to convince the higher-ups to give you an Exemplary Citizen plaque while taking down Hong Mingu without even touching a hair on your head? I worked up such a sweat trying to persuade them…”

“Fine. We’re going, okay?”

Fed up with Hanse rambling on about his own achievements, Boram had no choice but to stand up. Seeing Sangyeol coming back in while politely holding a teacup on a tray, Hanse said.

“You come too.”

The place Hanse dragged Boram and Sangyeol to was the same street stall where they had shared drinks on his release day.

Boram’s face twitched as he grumbled.

“Is this all ‘buying dinner’ amounts to?”

“I think this place is the most delicious.”

“Coming to a street stall once in a while is atmospheric and nice, Hyung.”

Boram glared sharply at Sangyeol for siding with Hanse. Sangyeol flinched and bowed his head.

They had ordered udon, soju, and snacks and were just about to eat. Hanse looked toward a certain direction and gestured. When they turned their heads, they saw Hyunwoo.

“Is your tutoring over?”

“Yeah. Oh, hello.”

After nodding to Hanse, Hyunwoo offered a polite greeting toward Boram and Sangyeol. Sangyeol stood up abruptly and accepted the greeting respectfully.

Boram looked at Hyunwoo with an indifferent expression. With those transparent eyes that made him fearful because he couldn’t fathom the depths of his true identity, Hyunwoo flashed a smile toward Boram.

Hanse patted the seat next to him.

“How was it today?”

“The same as usual. He keeps swearing at the problems, so I can’t give him anything difficult. I feel like my ears are rotting.”

“I heard his grades went up a bit, though.”

“Yeah. His school record tier improved a lot.”

Hyunwoo smiles brightly as if Boram weren’t there. Hanse strokes the head of the proud Hyunwoo; Boram watches Hanse; and Sangyeol watches Boram watching Hanse.

The more they drank and the more they talked, Boram felt the unidentifiable hostility toward Hyunwoo melting away like snow. With his pure smile, Hyunwoo was a kid you couldn’t hate or turn into an enemy. He was soothing a sense of regret, as if Hanse had been stolen by Hyunwoo.

He was the first man Boram had ever wanted to open his heart to, but that man already had something more precious than his own life.

Boram downed his drinks one after another as the mood struck him. Sangyeol didn’t know what to do; he was restless as he watched Boram binge-drink, holding snacks to his mouth and making him drink broth. Eventually, Hanse had to say something.

“Drink in moderation.”

“Mind your own business. Take care of your own body.”

“Why, are you going to shank me in the gut?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

At Hanse’s teasing, Boram furrowed his brow and gulped down another shot of soju. At the same time, he wobbled.

Fearing he might fall, Sangyeol flew like the wind to support him with his massive body. Leaning on Sangyeol, Boram looked at Hyunwoo. Hyunwoo, smiling at Hanse, was blushing with a shy smile he hadn’t shown before.

“…They did it.”

At Boram’s small mutter, Sangyeol carefully wrapped an arm around his shoulder and asked.

“Pardon? Did what, Hyung?”

Leaning against his shoulder, Boram turned his gaze to Sangyeol and whispered into his ear with an expression strangely loosened by the alcohol.

“Sex.”

“Whaaat?!”

“Look at you getting surprised.”

Boram let out a smirk and patted Sangyeol’s shoulder. Sangyeol, startled as if someone had flicked his heart, swallowed hard while staring at Boram’s lips that had just uttered the word “sex.”

Ah, my elegant and beautiful Hyung.

“Hyung, please stop. You are very drunk.”

“Leave me be, I want to be drunk.”

“Hyung.”

Watching Boram down glasses of soju recklessly, Sangyeol tried to stop him with a nervous heart.

Hyunwoo and Sangyeol, who were relatively sober, walked while supporting Hanse and Boram, who were heavily intoxicated from the street stall.

Hyunwoo took Hanse, bowed politely, and left in a taxi.

Sangyeol put his arm around the waist of the limp, drunken Boram and caught a taxi. Upon arriving at the hotel, he got into the elevator with Boram on his back. With his head drooping, Boram didn’t seem like his usual sharp and cold self. He mumbled and muttered while clinging tightly to Sangyeol’s neck.

Sangyeol entered the dark room and bent his knees to lay him down on the sofa, but his center of gravity wobbled, and they collapsed just like that.

Pressed under Sangyeol’s weight, Boram’s consciousness flickered back for a moment.

“Hyung! Are you okay! For me to crush you like this! This is unthinkable.”

Boram carefully embraced Sangyeol, who had fallen on top of him and was trying to stand up urgently. Sangyeol froze and stopped in an awkward posture.

“Hyung?”

“Let’s just stay like this for a moment.”

“Pardon? W—what do you…”

“I’m human too… and I miss human warmth.”

“…”

Even the usually talkative Sangyeol couldn’t offer any response to those words. Sangyeol ended up leaning his cheek against Boram’s chest. The sound of the heartbeat, pulsing in a regular and calm rhythm, soaked into his ears faintly.

Boram stroked Sangyeol’s hair and tried wearing that same smile Hyunwoo had made.

“It’s warm.”

“Don’t I naturally have a lot of body heat, Hyung?”

“Lie down.”

“Pardon?”

“Let’s lie down together.”

Tossing his jacket aside, Boram pulled Sangyeol down and leaned against him. Unable to move an inch, Sangyeol lay stiffly in a formal posture. As he stared blankly at the ceiling, Boram began to snore softly.

So this is Hyung’s drunken habit.

Sangyeol swallowed hard.

That’s right. Truly, this is a wonderful way to be a mean drunk. I could handle this kind of drunken behavior every day.

It seemed as though sleep would not come for the rest of the night.

The heavy noise of the city coiled around them.

Boram opened his eyes as he felt a warm sensation. It didn’t feel so bad to be tucked snugly against something. No, far from being bad, it felt so comfortable and affectionate that he didn’t want to leave.

Yes, comfortable and affectionate… the scent of human flesh. Flesh… scent?!

He jerked his upper body up, and seeing his own stark-naked body, he yanked the sheet over himself. Sangyeol, who was also stark naked, turned his body away from the sudden rush of cold. Boram stared at Sangyeol with eyes full of horror, his expression gradually hardening into a cold mask.

“Han Sangyeol.”

“…Yes, hyung-nim.”

“Han Sangyeol.”

“Hyung-nim… Our elegant and beautiful hyung-nim. I respect you… Mm…”

“Han Sangyeol!”

“Yes! Did you call!”

Sangyeol sat up, startled and terrified. He gazed at Boram’s bare upper body with a still-dazed look, but before he had a chance to think or weigh the situation, he was struck in the stomach by a kick from Boram; he fell backward just like that with a loud thud and a crash. Only then did he face this staggering situation where he was stark naked and even the hyung-nim he respected was stark naked.

Flipping over and kneeling in a formal posture, Sangyeol lowered his head as if asking to be killed.

“Hyung-nim! I am sorry!”

“You bastard… You, right now, this is…”

Sangyeol remembered how last night he had struggled because of Boram, who kept stripping off all his clothes while saying he was hot from the alcohol. The drunk Boram had simply said, “Take them off,” and then proceeded to frantically strip Sangyeol’s clothes off as well.

They had fallen asleep in that state… and so…

“Hyung-nim, please do not misunderstand. Nothing happened.”

“You’re saying this is ‘nothing’?!”

“Please kill me!”

Even though it wasn’t his fault, Sangyeol begged, slamming his forehead against the floor with a thud.

“Get out, get out! Get lost!”

“Hyung-nim! I am sorry. I am a man who deserves to die!”

“I told you to get out!”

“I will take responsibility.”

“Take responsibility for what?!”

“I… for hyung-nim…”

“You bastard! Won’t you get out this instant!”

Looking at Boram, who was shouting with a fierce, bloodthirsty aura, Sangyeol stood up naked.

Sangyeol covered only his groin with the clothes scattered on the floor and slipped out of the hotel room.

He stood dazed in front of the door. Sangyeol’s expression became vacant as he recalled the sensation that had touched his body. A hotel maid looked at Sangyeol as if he were a madman and passed by with a great fuss.

As a man, I must take responsibility.

Sangyeol suddenly put on a solemn expression and went back into the hotel room. Simultaneously, the sound of something breaking rang out with a loud crash, followed by Sangyeol’s scream. The boisterous noise died down in an instant. A silence so deep that not even the sound of breathing could be heard—let alone any noise—filled the hotel hallway.

Hanse, who had drunk with Boram the night before until his memory cut out, woke up early in the morning at Hyunwoo’s prodding.

It was a comfortable holiday for the first time in a long while. Through his sunglasses, Hanse was watching Hyunwoo, who was lying face down on a mat with his upper body bare, as if he were sunbathing at the beach.

Claiming he needed to get some sun, Hyunwoo had dragged him out to a secluded park and promptly stripped off his shirt, diligently photosynthesizing without any regard for the gaze of others. “Hyung, you take yours off too, hurry.” He was even tempting him with such cute and bold words. Pulling his gaze away from Hyunwoo, who was lying prone and reading a book, Hanse lay down on the mat and closed his eyes.

Hanse couldn’t even remember how long it had been since he had basked in the sun like this. With his hand, he felt the soft new sprouts growing on the ground.

Ah, it’s summer now.

Hyunwoo approached Hanse, who was enjoying the sunbath.

“Hyung, are you sleeping?”

“Yeah.”

“Aren’t you hot?”

“Not really.”

Hyunwoo sat up, popped open a canned drink he had prepared, and took a sip. He held the remainder to Hanse’s lips. A breeze blew by, ruffling the hair of both men. Hanse also raised his upper body and drank. The relaxed and languid feeling was good. The cool blowing wind swept across Hyunwoo’s bare body.

Watching Hyunwoo quietly inhale the scent of the forest, Hanse suddenly asked with a smiling face, as if he had thought of something amusing.

“Hyunwoo, do you know why hyung is so handsome and well-built?”

“What?”

“I asked if you know the reason why I am so handsome and well-built.”

“I don’t know…”

Hyunwoo trailed off, thinking that Hanse was saying something random today. With a playful smile, Hanse continued.

“Tell me the reason.”

“Hyung, do you think you’re handsome?”

“You don’t think so?”

“As for me…, I think so. But try learning a bit about modesty.”

“Give modesty to the dogs. Just tell me the reason why I am so handsome and well-built.”

Giving it to the dogs? Hyunwoo felt a surge of annoyance at the rough language and responded in a tone one notch higher.

“Why are you asking me that? How should I know?”

Tsk tsk, Hanse clicked his tongue. Hanse, who had been lying down, sat up and moved closer to Hyunwoo.

“You dummy, it’s because of you.”

“Why are you pinning it on me? No, not pinning it on me, but why is that because of me? Why am I a dummy?”

Hanse stealthily placed his hand on Hyunwoo’s bare shoulder.

“Hyunwoo, you know peacocks, right? Peacocks.”

“I know peacocks. But what about it.”

“You know how flashy male peacocks are. When they spread their tails like this, it’s like a folding screen, a folding screen.”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t know that? What does that have to do with hyung being handsome and well-built? And why is that because of me?”

“Why do you think that male peacock became so impressive? Isn’t it to look good for his lover? He’s horny but his lover won’t look at him, so he primps himself like this and acts charming to ask her to look at him, and then he mutated like that and reached the state he’s in today.”

Hyunwoo went “Hmm,” looking at Hanse’s hand, which was wrapping around his shoulder as he moved closer and closer.

“So you’re saying hyung is handsome like that because of me? Not because of the Professor?”

“You dummy, it’s not that, it’s that it’s only natural for me to be this impressive.”

“…How does that become natural? You said you became handsome because you wanted to look good to me?”

At Hyunwoo’s words, Hanse whispered low in his ear. He moved the hand that had been covering the shoulder down to wrap around the waist. The skin was soft from basking in the sun. Hanse spoke while stroking Hyunwoo’s waist and stomach with his hand.

“So it’s natural that I am impressive, and it means we are destiny.”

“…”

Listening to it, that is how the logic went.

If it were natural for Hanse to be handsome, and if that was because of him, then as he said, their meeting was destiny.

Hyunwoo thought it was an interesting idea. While watching Hyunwoo think deeply, the face behind the sunglasses was smiling. Even though it was a joke and teasing words, Hyunwoo was serious like this sometimes.

Hyunwoo, having grasped the intent behind the smile, pouted his lips toward Hanse.

“Hyung, I think you’re becoming more and more sly.”

“Look at the flush on your face. Before we are destiny, the important thing is that it is my destiny to be handsome, got it?”

“He always acts like that right when things are going well.”