Irresponsibility Chapter 3.7

At those words, Yeoun belatedly understood the doctor’s reaction. It seemed he was a little surprised that he had decided to drop formalities with Baek Geonhyuk. What was the big deal about that.

“We de, decided to drop formalities beca, because there’s a one-year age difference.”

“Pardon? A one-year difference with whom?”

The doctor made a bewildered expression.

“Wi, with Baek Geonhyuk….”

In the middle of answering, an unknown anxiety suddenly washed over him. Joo Yeoun quickly turned his head and looked up at Baek Geonhyuk. He had an indifferent expression.

“Mr. Joo Yeoun….”

At the voice he heard then, Joo Yeoun looked at the doctor.

“The team leader is one year different from me. And I’m thirty-one.”

What…? Words like a whisper flowed out. Joo Yeoun, who was staring blankly at the doctor’s face that suddenly looked mature, soon had his eyes grow as wide as saucers. The doctor, looking pitifully at his frozen form, furrowed his brow.

“Team leader, did you lie about your age?”

“I didn’t lie.”

Baek Geonhyuk answered nonchalantly. Since he had never said he was twenty-four with his own mouth, it wasn’t a lie. But when he met Joo Yeoun’s gaze asking for an explanation, he felt troubled.

“A, are you really th, thirty-two? No, you’re not. I sa, saw it….”

His pale eyes couldn’t find a place to rest and darted here and there. He was so flustered that the corners of his eyes even turned red.

“You must have seen the number wrong.”

At the sight of the small face gradually crumpling, Baek Geonhyuk said, looking vaguely into the air.

“Well… does age matter?”

“Pardon?”

Lee Hyungyu asked back as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have. The person who cared most about age and rank was Baek Geonhyuk. Now that he was out in society, he had tried to be a little more comfortable with Baek Geonhyuk because of their one-year age difference, but hadn’t he given him a scary, stern look every time?

But Baek Geonhyuk spoke without even looking at the dumbfounded Lee Hyungyu.

“Don’t worry about it, Yeoun-ah.”

“……”

Joo Yeoun pressed his lips together firmly and his shoulders heaved. His breathing became a little rough. Setting aside the fact that his heart sank at the fact that he had been talking informally and saying “hey, hey” to someone nine years older, he was momentarily choked up with emotion at the fact that Baek Geonhyuk had deliberately hidden it and teased him. So he glared up at him.

“Th, that’s right. If we decided to be friends, th, then we’re friends.”

Joo Yeoun hammered the nail in for him, who looked surprised by his own words.

“R, right. Geonhyuk-ah.”

“Yes, Yeoun-ah.”

He had thought he would be a little more flustered, but Baek Geonhyuk answered with a smile. It was a gentle smile without any playfulness. Yeoun flinched a little at that, but he managed to compose his expression.

“Pardon…?”

Instead, the doctor seemed more flustered. No, you two, why…. Team leader, are you, are you both okay? Lee Hyungyu, spitting out his words stutteringly, looked back and forth between Baek Geonhyuk and Joo Yeoun. After doing that for a while, he suddenly asked, his eyes flashing.

“Then should we all be friends?”

Baek Geonhyuk, who had slightly raised his eyebrows, looked down at Lee Hyungyu. Then, as if to block him, he stood in front of him and said.

“Yeoun-ah. Then we’ll be going.”

“Okay….”

Yeoun deliberately answered as if he were nonchalant. Because of that answer, he witnessed Baek Geonhyuk raise the corners of his mouth, so he made an effort to control his expression.

Baek Geonhyuk placed a hand on the doctor’s shoulder and started walking. The doctor, with one shoulder pushed up, followed him with a narrow stride.

“Aahk, no. Team leader, just a moment.”

Soon the sliding door closed, and the conversation could be heard faintly from beyond the door. It was mostly the doctor’s voice.

Yes. I’m sorry. I will correct it.

Joo Yeoun stood still, watching the door, and when the voices could no longer be heard, he returned to his room. Click, after closing the door, a long sigh flowed out.

He had lashed out strongly in a moment of anger, but as soon as Baek Geonhyuk left, he regretted it. He had been too rude to someone much older.

“Haa….”

Joo Yeoun covered his face and lay down on the bed as if collapsing.

I thought something was strange. It was suspicious that he smiled every time I spoke. Why didn’t I notice sooner.

Although I was surprised because Baek Geonhyuk had suddenly spoken to me, I was sure I had seen the year of birth correctly. Could I have seen the serial number? Whatever it was, it seems I had seen it completely wrong.

And Baek Geonhyuk knew that but brazenly pretended to be twenty-four.

“……”

The hand covering his face lowered slightly. The eyes that peeked out between his fingers blinked several times.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like he hadn’t done anything wrong. Wasn’t he deceived and made fun of? The one who had played the prank was Baek Geonhyuk.

Joo Yeoun soon closed his mouth firmly and his eyes shone.

I will never use honorifics to Baek Geonhyuk. It was karma for playing such a prank. Let him keep hearing “hey, you” from a nine-year-old kid.

Joo Yeoun, who had made up his mind, was still huffing and puffing occasionally until that evening.

But when he actually saw Baek Geonhyuk’s face when he came in that evening, his upper and lower lips stuck together. It wasn’t that he had spoken informally before because he thought he looked young, but now that he knew his real age, it became even more difficult. How could he have thought he was twenty-four. No matter how you looked at it, his vibe was not that of a 20-something.

Joo Yeoun, who was standing in the hallway watching Baek Geonhyuk enter the kitchen, stealthily moved his feet. When he stood behind him as he was drinking water, Baek Geonhyuk turned his head. Joo Yeoun looked up at him and held out his hand.

“Yo, your ID, for a moment….”

The end of his sentence trailed off vaguely.

“Yours?”

Baek Geonhyuk looked at the pale face that was shaking its head. He glanced for a moment at the flushed cheeks, the firmly closed lips, and the palm held out to him, then he put his hand in his back pocket.

When he took out his driver’s license from his wallet and handed it over, a pale hand grabbed the edge and took it. Joo Yeoun often acted as if it would be a big deal if he touched him.

Baek Geonhyuk stuck his hand, which felt strangely empty, into his pocket and looked down. Joo Yeoun had his head bowed deeply, looking at the ID. Because of that, his pale nape was clearly exposed. His gaze slid down the prominent vertebrae, and at the small mumble of “It’s real,” he turned his head.

Baek Geonhyuk looked down at the driver’s license that Joo Yeoun was holding with both hands. In a way, how could one make such a mistake. When he looked at it, it was hard to come up with a value of twenty-four no matter how he looked at it.

He was looking intently, when Joo Yeoun quickly turned his head and looked up at him. His gaze was quite fierce.

“Wh, why did you d, deceiv…e me?”

Though his tone was a little awkward.

“I didn’t deceive you.”

“Y, y, you deceived me.”

“I didn’t say I was twenty-four.”

At Baek Geonhyuk’s calm words, Joo Yeoun was momentarily at a loss for words.

‘But ar, are you twenty-four?’

‘…Me?’

‘Then th, there’s only a one-year difference.’

‘That’s right. If he’s twenty-four.’

Recalling the past conversation, it was certain that he had never said his age with his own mouth. He had just watched him speak, and only suggested that they be friends.

So, strictly speaking, it wasn’t deceiving… but it wasn’t not deceiving either.

Joo Yeoun bit his lip and his eyes darted around. Then he looked straight up at Baek Geonhyuk and said.

“I’m r, really not going to use h, honorifics.”

“Okay.”

“You, you told me to.”

“That’s right.”

Because every answer that came back was so ready, Yeoun quickly lost his steam too. He relaxed the fierceness in his eyes, caught his breath, and then belatedly realized that their distance was very close.

Startled, Joo Yeoun took a step back. Baek Geonhyuk, who had been looking for a moment at the feet that were moving away as if they had been burned, raised his head and said.

“In foreign countries, they all call each other by name regardless of age, so what’s the big deal.”

This is Korea.

At Joo Yeoun’s blank stare, Baek Geonhyuk, as if he had also felt something, took the ID and feigned ignorance. The photo is a bit old, this one. As he was rambling on about things like maybe he should change the photo, he suddenly asked.

“But did I look like I was twenty-four to you?”

A hint of laughter was mixed in his eyes that shone with curiosity. It was him subtly teasing him again while pretending not to.

So Joo Yeoun left one remark and turned away.

“Y, you look like you’re thirty-four….”

As soon as he had taken a few hurried steps, the sound of laughter was heard from behind. Leaving behind the loud laughter that seemed to fill the kitchen, Joo Yeoun slipped into his room. As he closed the door, a sigh of relief flowed out. He had expected him not to follow, but his heart was pounding as if he had been chased.

*

After knowing his age, informal speech became even more difficult, but as he kept repeating it, it gradually became familiar.

Of course, it required constant effort. Every time he spoke awkwardly, he witnessed a face trying to hold back laughter, which made him think he had to become natural quickly.

So now, except for the way he addressed him, the speech itself was quite comfortable.

“I h, have something to say.”

Joo Yeoun opened his mouth after hovering behind Baek Geonhyuk, who was doing the dishes.

“I wo, won’t run away a, anymore, so….”

Swoooosh—. The large back didn’t budge, perhaps because he couldn’t hear due to the sound of the water.

The pale feet standing one step behind fidgeted. He could have gone closer to talk, but his feet wouldn’t move. Even though he knew Baek Geonhyuk wouldn’t touch him, he felt a sense of rejection at getting closer than a certain distance.

Joo Yeoun hesitated and opened his mouth again.

“…Ge, Geonhyuk-ah.”

Stop. The sound of the water stopped.

“Yes, what is it?”

Baek Geonhyuk immediately turned around. His face was indifferent, but Joo Yeoun wasn’t fooled.

“Y, you heard me.”

“I couldn’t hear because of the water. What did you have to say?”

You said you couldn’t hear. When Joo Yeoun looked up resentfully, Baek Geonhyuk’s mouth twitched.

“What.”

His voice was mixed with laughter.

“…C, C.”

“TV?”