Irresponsibility Chapter 4.7

Joo Yeoun suddenly looked at the table. Come to think of it, he hadn’t opened the snack bag, nor had he touched the individually wrapped cookies placed on the tray, and he knew nothing about the sausages skewered on the chopsticks. Now that he thought about it, Baek Geonhyuk had also opened and handed him the second can of beer.

Everything was there if he just reached out his hand while focused on the movie.

“……”

This isn’t right. Baek Geonhyuk is too nice to him.

“What should we do starting tomorrow.”

It would probably be best to stop playing games too. Joo Yeoun didn’t look at Baek Geonhyuk rummaging through a drawer, and just drank his beer as if he wasn’t interested.

“Space?”

“……”

His eyes darted.

“Looks like it’s about riding a spaceship and dodging meteors and stuff.”

…That sounds fun.

“Yeoun-ah. Have you tried this kind of thing before?”

“Yeah….”

Nothing major will change just because we play a few games together, right?

*

Starting today, he took out and wore a short-sleeved shirt. Since it was Baek Geonhyuk’s t-shirt, the sleeves came down to his elbows, but it was much more comfortable to move around in than a long-sleeved one. He should have taken it out and worn it sooner.

In the morning, Baek Geonhyuk had made a comment upon seeing him.

‘You look like a kid.’

He wasn’t teasing; it was a tone of genuinely stating an observation.

Joo Yeoun glanced at the shoulder line that dropped far down and the sleeves that covered down to his elbows. When he tidily rolled up the sleeves, it looked much better.

Yeoun, sitting on the sofa, glanced at the sliding door. After waiting for some time, the doctor came in through that door.

“Hello.”

“…Ah, hello.”

His words trailed off.

Recently, Baek Geonhyuk had always been by his side during physical therapy, but today he had to greet the doctor alone without him. It felt a little awkward, but he had originally been more comfortable with the doctor than with Baek Geonhyuk.

“I heard your hand was bothering you?”

“Yes….”

It was a type of physical therapy he had received before, so he wasn’t nervous. It also seemed more comfortable without someone constantly meddling from the side.

“Mr. Joo Yeoun. By any chance, are you having a hard time because of the Team Leader?”

At the sudden words, Yeoun tore his gaze from his hand and lifted his head. The doctor had a slightly troubled expression.

“It’s alright if you don’t force yourself to hang out with him. It’s not that the Team Leader has bad intentions, but Mr. Joo Yeoun’s peace of mind is the most important thing.”

Was I forcing myself to hang out with him…? Was I uncomfortable?

“Gosh. A joke is only a joke if both people enjoy it. Why lie about your age and make someone uncomfortable. Really.”

“Geonhyuk is k, kind.”

Joo Yeoun was surprised at himself for blurting out the words.

But the doctor also looked surprised. He looked a little scary, as if his eyes were about to pop out, but he soon waved his hands and said.

“I’m sorry. It was just so cringe-worthy….”

The doctor rubbed his arm vigorously. He really had goosebumps on his skin.

He didn’t know which part was cringe-worthy. He didn’t know why he didn’t believe him, but Baek Geonhyuk was really treating him well. To the point where it was burdensome because he was too nice.

Of course, there were times when he was annoying, but not to the extent of hearing something like that from the doctor.

“No, it’s because you said ‘Geonhyuk.’”

“Ah.”

So that was it. Joo Yeoun darted his eyes to the side. Speaking informally had become so natural that he wasn’t even conscious of it anymore. He was used to saying ‘hey,’ and ‘you,’ and recently he had even told him not to talk bullshit.

“This might sound a bit strange, but.”

The doctor began to speak hesitantly. He had a face that looked like he was about to tell a secret or something serious, so Yeoun also became a little tense.

The doctor, who had glanced behind him, soon lowered his voice and said.

“The Team Leader is a boomer.”

“……”

“He’s extremely particular about hierarchy, even with a one-year age difference.”

“……”

“Anyway. It’s just surprising.”

“Yes….”

Joo Yeoun answered in a small voice. It seemed that both Baek Geonhyuk and the doctor had a bit of a silly side to them.

After the doctor left, Yeoun vacuumed.

Now, it wasn’t cold even when he opened the windows wide while cleaning. In fact, he felt a little hot, so as soon as he finished cleaning, he took out some juice from the refrigerator and drank it. Sticking a straw in and immediately putting it to his mouth, Yeoun looked inside the refrigerator. Three of the ten spots in the row of juice were empty. He had drunk them all.

Previously, he had wondered if Baek Geonhyuk had a pathologically obsessive personality about organization, but it didn’t seem to be the case. It was burdensome that he knew, as if by magic, what he had touched, but that seemed to be all. He only lined them up when he first organized them, and after that, he left them as they were even if Yeoun touched them and messed them up. It was a relief that he wasn’t a very tiring type to live with.

In fact, he might be a very good roommate. Yeoun also did a little cleaning when he was not around, but only to the extent that it wasn’t strenuous, so it wasn’t even half of half of what Baek Geonhyuk did.

Baek Geonhyuk also did all the grocery shopping….

But, since he was the one trapped here, that was only natural. Anyway, contractually, he was the victim. Joo Yeoun reminded himself of the confident attitude he had recently forgotten.

However, that evening when Baek Geonhyuk came in with a box of groceries, he felt like he had to do something, so he kept hovering around him. When he hesitantly bent his knees to sit and help with the organizing, a large hand lightly pressed his head and moved away.

“I have something to give you.”

When he looked up, Baek Geonhyuk was smiling enigmatically and put his hand in his pocket. What would come out? He was watching with a guarded expression, but what he took out of his pocket was a piece of paper. An A4 sheet folded twice.

He unfolded it and held it out, saying, “Here.”

When he took it, it was a photo. A photo of a kitten with black markings. It was a cat with exceptionally large eyes.

As he was staring at the photo, wondering why he was suddenly giving him this, a low voice burrowed into his ear.

“A wildcat kitten.”

“……”

“They look alike, don’t they.”

It was a waste of ink. Was it something worth printing out and bringing?

Joo Yeoun raised his head and looked at Baek Geonhyuk’s face. Even at his look of exasperation, Baek Geonhyuk nodded and said, “Ah, now that you’re sitting like that, you really look alike.”

“The color is a little different since it’s not white.”

“……”

“Are your eyes a bit bigger, maybe?”

Baek Geonhyuk took the photo again and held it next to Joo Yeoun’s face to compare.

“Is this f, fun for you.”

“A little?”

Baek Geonhyuk answered nonchalantly and raised the corners of his mouth. That look was so annoying that Joo Yeoun blurted out.

“You look like a b, bear.”

“A bear?”

A black one…. When he added that, Baek Geonhyuk burst out laughing.

In reality, Baek Geonhyuk resembled a slightly more agile animal. Something like a wolf or a leopard. But that seemed too much like a compliment, so he decided to just think it to himself.

Joo Yeoun ignored the chuckling Baek Geonhyuk and took the groceries out of the box, holding a full armful.

“The bear will do it. Leave it.”

“……”

Yeoun looked at Baek Geonhyuk with a glare and stood in front of the refrigerator. Since his arms were full of groceries, he opened the refrigerator door with some difficulty and took them out one by one, putting them in the fridge.

But then, a bottle of juice slipped from his arm and fell. He gasped and looked down, but a large hand snatched the falling juice, smack. It was a stable catch, as if there was a magnet in his palm.

Joo Yeoun raised his head with wide eyes. When their eyes met, Baek Geonhyuk said leisurely.

“Pretty agile for a bear, right?”

“……”

“Give them here.” His voice was laced with laughter.

The large hands easily took what Yeoun had been struggling to hold. Yeoun stared blankly at the hands organizing everything neatly in a row, then bent down and pushed the box toward the refrigerator.

At the sound of it sliding over, Baek Geonhyuk, who had looked over, discovered the round back of his head. His hand immediately landed there. Even when Joo Yeoun straightened up, it didn’t move away but followed. With his hand resting on the small head, Baek Geonhyuk stared intently at Joo Yeoun’s face.

“You’re not surprised.”

He said, and then smiled gently.

“…I, I don’t get surprised b, by things like this.”

“Is that so.”

A smile lingered on his face for a while after he nodded.

While Baek Geonhyuk was preparing dinner, Joo Yeoun watched TV on the sofa and only sat at the dining table when he was called. And he thought as he looked at the spoon, chopsticks, and water placed in front of him.

He’s not a boomer.

“Did you have a good physical therapy session?”

Yeoun nodded as he picked up his spoon.

“Without me?”

“What does that have to do with….”

When he glanced at him, Baek Geonhyuk let out a small laugh.

“The doctor didn’t bother you, did he?”

“O, of course not….”

The only one who bothered him was Baek Geonhyuk.

“It must have been awkward without me.”

“It wasn’t. We, we talked a lot.”

“With the doctor?”

Joo Yeoun suddenly stared intently at Baek Geonhyuk. For some time now, he had been a little strange whenever the doctor was involved.

“The doctor’s name is I, Hye, Hyeonkyu, right?”

Come to think of it, Baek Geonhyuk never said the doctor’s name in front of him, always referring to him only as ‘the doctor’. That’s why he had even thought that his name might be confidential.