Formless Chapter 25

Heewoon opened his wallet and took out the card. His heart thumped fiercely at that simple act.

“Here you go.”

He stared intently as the employee swiped the card through the machine. However, the employee, who had the machine read the card several times, tilted his head.

“Excuse me, this is showing up as a suspended card.”

“…Yes?”

Heewoon asked back with wide eyes.

“I thought it might be a machine error, but I don’t think so. Do you have another card?”

“……”

The employee looked puzzled, watching the frozen Heewoon. Just then, another customer stood behind Heewoon. The employee prompted Heewoon, saying, “Customer?”

“Ah… I’ll pay with cash.”

Heewoon put the card back. His wallet contained two ten-thousand-won bills and one thousand-won bill. This was all the money Heewoon had.

“Yes. Received 20,000 won.”

“…Excuse me. I’ll take this out.”

Heewoon put the chocolate he had placed on the counter back in its spot. The employee didn’t seem to care, but Heewoon’s face burned red.

“That’s 14,800 won, and here is your change, 5,200 won.”

“Thank you for your service.”

Heewoon received the change and fled the supermarket.

What is going on? Why won’t the card work? Is it just that store? His mind was racing the entire walk home.

“Thank you, son.”

“Ung.”

“Oh, right, Heewoon. Haven’t you sent the money yet?”

“…Huh?”

Heewoon, deep in thought, responded a little late.

“Oh dear, this boy. You forgot. Even though you said you’d send it on the 1st.”

“Ah, that. That thing… I’ll send it on the 5th.”

His mother stared intently at Heewoon. Before concern could settle in her eyes, Heewoon quickly spoke.

“The student’s mother said something came up and asked if I could receive it on the 5th. I forgot you mentioned it, Mom, sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’ll talk to them nicely.”

Heewoon turned away from his mother, who was speaking with a smile. He entered his room and sat leaning against the wardrobe. Then he took the card out of his wallet and examined it closely. He checked carefully in case the magnetic strip was damaged, but he couldn’t tell anything by sight.

Why won’t it work? Maybe the machine at that supermarket was faulty.

Heewoon kept thinking only about why the card wouldn’t work. While eating the kimchi fried rice, his expression must have been involuntarily serious, as his mother asked, sounding disappointed, if it didn’t taste good. Only after he told her it was very delicious about three times did his mother seem cheered up.

He cleared the table and washed the dishes. He sat next to his mother watching TV, staring blankly, then ate dinner, and got up at the time he would usually leave for tutoring.

“I’m leaving now.”

“Ung. Good luck, son.”

Heewoon gripped his backpack straps. His heart was beating anxiously.

🧸

Heewoon risked embarrassment and tried a few more times. But each time, he only heard that the card had been suspended.

He couldn’t go home for fear of his mother becoming suspicious, so he stayed at the library until the time his tutoring would have ended. He briefly considered going to the students’ houses, but that would be too much trouble for them.

He had brought assignments, but he couldn’t focus on them. Instead, he kept fidgeting with his phone, debating whether or not to send a message. Did Seo Gangwoo know, or was there some mistake?

In the end, he couldn’t send a message. As he worried, it got too late, and he was afraid Seo Gangwoo would get angry if he contacted him late at night. Even if it weren’t late, he was actually afraid of contacting Seo Gangwoo at all.

He thought it would be better to ask discreetly in a crowded place. For example, in a lecture hall where many people were watching. Since they had class together tomorrow, he wouldn’t have to wait long.

Heewoon, who had barely slept, woke up early in the morning. The money he had withdrawn in case it was used for transportation fees or phone bills now only had 6,200 won left. About two hours earlier than usual, he was walking toward school when a call came from Seo Gangwoo.

Heewoon answered the phone right as it vibrated.

“Hello.”

Perhaps surprised that he answered so quickly, silence briefly flowed through the receiver.

—…Sunbae?

“Ung.”

Heewoon stopped walking and focused on the call. This was the moment he had been thinking about constantly, even while sleeping. As he agonized over what to say to avoid upsetting Seo Gangwoo, he heard unwelcome words.

—I have something to do today, so I’m not going to class. We can’t eat lunch together either, so make sure to eat well.

“Ah….”

Heewoon let out a sound like a sigh.

—Why. Do you miss me?

The voice over the receiver, tinged with laughter, seemed to be in a good mood. So Heewoon parted his lips.

—Ah. I need to hang up now. I’ll contact you later.

But the call was cut off. Heewoon stared blankly at his cell phone. If he called back, Seo Gangwoo would be annoyed, wouldn’t he? He needed to deposit the money tomorrow.

Normally, he would wish for Seo Gangwoo not to contact him, but today he waited anxiously for a call. Even during class, he couldn’t concentrate and kept looking for part-time jobs. However, no matter how much he searched, there was nowhere he could receive such a large sum of money as an advance payment. For now, he had posted ads on tutoring sites, but it wasn’t a problem that could be solved by starting one or two new tutoring jobs.

The contact he was waiting for arrived just as Heewoon was becoming exhausted. Heewoon, who was packing his bag to pretend to go to tutoring after dinner, opened his eyes wide.

[Come this way. Now.]

The address Seo Gangwoo sent was a hotel in Gangnam.

To get to Gangnam from here…

He would have to take the bus twice. That’s 2,600 won. And 2,600 won for the return trip.

“Mom, I’m going to class.”

“Ung. Have a good trip.”

His mother, who was lying down, waved her hand. Heewoon left the house and headed to the bus stop.

This was the card Seo Gangwoo had told him to use. So, if he just mentioned it, it would be solved quickly.

🧸

“Why did you take so long?”

Gangwoo, who opened the door, frowned slightly. He grabbed Heewoon’s arm, who looked guilty and said, “Sorry,” and pulled him into an embrace. Gangwoo’s hand brushed over Heewoon’s head a couple of times as Heewoon stiffened up in tension.

“This morning, did you miss me?”

A soft voice wafted past his ear. Heewoon wiggled the hand caught between Gangwoo and his own body. Should he say yes? Would that make Seo Gangwoo feel better? While he was agonizing, Seo Gangwoo asked subtly:

“Or did you have something you wanted to talk about?”

Heewoon’s eyes widened. Gangwoo chuckled lightly, released Heewoon from his arms, and went toward the sofa. He seemed to have finished showering, as he was wearing a robe.

“Sunbae, would you like something to eat?”

He asked, opening the menu placed on the table. Heewoon, who had been standing blankly by the door, finally walked over slowly.

“I already had dinner.”

“Ah, I see. Then I’ll eat alone. Is that okay?”

“Ung.”

Heewoon watched Gangwoo order room service, clenching and unclenching his fists, unsure what to do. He didn’t have time to glance around the spacious suite room.

The call went on for a long time, given how many things he seemed to be ordering. The moment Gangwoo put down the receiver, Heewoon opened his mouth.

“Excuse me….”

It was quiet, but not so quiet that it couldn’t be heard, but Seo Gangwoo turned his head and looked at the night view as if he hadn’t heard anything. Heewoon moved closer to the L-shaped sofa.

“Listen….”

Again, Seo Gangwoo didn’t respond.

After being ignored twice, all his courage vanished. Heewoon merely tormented the innocent sofa backrest and parted his lips.

“Ah.”

Heewoon realized something and made a small sound.

“Gangwoo.”

“Yes.”

This time, an answer returned. Without time to think how childish it was, words tumbled out anxiously.

“Gangwoo, yesterday….”

Gangwoo, who turned his head and looked up at Heewoon, motioned for him to sit down. Heewoon sat awkwardly on the sofa and continued speaking.

“I tried to use the card you gave me, but it was….”

Heewoon paused. What if Seo Gangwoo misunderstood and got angry when he said it was a suspended card? He worried.

He might lift his hand and ask if He would possibly give him a suspended card, and what did Heewoon take him for. Or maybe he would just take out his general bad mood on him.

“Yes.”

Gangwoo made a gentle sound, indicating he was listening.

“It… they said it was a suspended card….”

Saliva went down the wrong way while he was speaking, making him look foolish. Gangwoo, who was staring intently at Heewoon, nodded his head.

“Ah, I see. I thought it was something serious.”

Heewoon felt slightly relieved hearing the tone that made it sound like nothing. However, the subsequent words made him look stunned.

“Because I suspended it.”

“…Why?”

The question leaked out between his slightly parted lips.

Gangwoo leaned loosely against the sofa and looked at Heewoon as if he were observing him. He slowly crossed his legs and said nonchalantly:

“I gave you the card so sunbae would quit his job.”

“I quit the job.”

Heewoon’s voice rose slightly. Gangwoo, who had been studying Heewoon, stood up from the sofa and spoke indifferently.

“You didn’t quit, you were fired.”

Heewoon stared blankly, following Gangwoo with his eyes as he walked toward the entrance. Gangwoo brought the indoor slippers placed by the entrance and set them down in front of Heewoon’s feet, lightly chiding him.

“If you’re standing by the door, you should obviously be wearing them.”

“……”

“Should I help you put them on?”

To Seo Gangwoo, who tilted his head and asked playfully, the matter that Heewoon had worried about all day yesterday and today seemed like nothing.

Heewoon looked at the slippers placed next to his feet with a hardened expression. When he put on the slippers, Seo Gangwoo returned to the spot where he had been sitting.

Gangwoo relaxed, sinking into the sofa, and Heewoon looked down only at his toes protruding slightly beyond the slippers, calming his increasingly rough breathing.

The two of them didn’t move until a knock was heard a little later.

“Stay seated.”

Gangwoo pressed down on Heewoon’s shoulder, who had reflexively lifted his hips, and went to the door. The sofa faced away from the door, so as Heewoon sat still, an employee came and set the food down on the table.

“Thank you.”

The employee’s voice was heard, presumably after being tipped. The door closed. The sound of slippers dragging approached, and Seo Gangwoo walked past, leaving a scent that was different from usual.

“I ordered snacks.”