Salt Society Chapter 33

At those words, the face of the man standing next to him flushed instantly. Yeonsin shook his head while smiling softly.

“It is not that kind of relationship. This person is my friend.”

“Right, and you’re so close you’re even doing his backside; your friendship is fucking great.”

Losing interest, Cho Yeonoh turned his phone screen back on and tapped a familiar app. It was a mobile game that So Kihyun had said was difficult to level up in, so Yeonoh was clearing quests on his behalf whenever he had spare time. As soon as the text “Welcome, Mr. Sokyun” popped up, a loud beeping sound rang out.

Cho Yeonsin’s smiling face froze. Whether he did or not, Yeonoh slightly blocked the entrance to the poker room with the tip of his dress shoe and said:

“I do not know what you came here to scavenge, but I am the one the old man gave work to, so go back without interfering. I am telling you this for your own sake, Hyung. If this falls through, can you even handle the old man’s temper?”

“…”

“I warned you. Do not make it obvious that your IQ is lacking and just go up. Before the old man bashes your head instead of a golf ball while practicing his birdies.”

With that, he stepped into the poker room. The Finance Minister welcomed him, asking why he was only arriving now. When Yeonoh expressed irritation, saying the Minister was being quite demanding while he was seeing to his business, the man apologized and brought out the Hwatu cards, so Yeonoh took his seat.

At the resort, night was just beginning to fall.

So Kihyun was a human who rarely dreamed.

—Is dreaming bothersome? Then just think to yourself that you will not dream. Shall we practice with Mom starting today?

The dreams he had as a child tormented Kihyun even when morning came. It is said that children in their growing years dream of falling from high places, but young Kihyun’s dreams were closer to nightmares.

—Kihyun is making a promise to Kihyun. Not to dream.

His mother spoke nonchalantly to the boy who had suffered through nightmares all night. She knew how to simplify every problem and make its weight more trivial than dust. Once through her filter, even serious problems would transform into nothing much.

How were such things possible for her? Kihyun was always curious.

The even more amazing part was that after she spoke those words, the frequency of Kihyun’s dreams decreased. As if the promise to himself actually worked.

Because of this, Kihyun felt that even a dream like this had been a very long time.

The scorching sun was beating down overhead. “Young Master, come inside the house and speak.” The housekeeper of Cho Yeonoh’s house, who had been calling them, fidgeted when Yeonoh did not answer and eventually left.

Feeling uneasy because he had inadvertently ignored an adult’s words, Kihyun glanced in that direction, but Yeonoh’s light-pigmented eyes remained fixed on Kihyun the entire time. Because of this, despite the sweat trickling down, Kihyun had no choice but to look at that boy in the garden of Yeonoh’s house.

—Does that, fuck, make any sense?

Yeonoh was spitting out curses too harsh for a child. Although the direction of his profanity had never once been toward So Kihyun before, today seemed to be an exception.

That part was a bit shocking. He didn’t know the boy would show hostility toward him. Because So Kihyun was a person inside Cho Yeonoh’s circle.

That was something determined since they were born. At the same time he was born, Kihyun inherited his father’s high bridge of the nose and his mother’s delicate features. There was another gift. The qualification to enter the boundary of his childhood friend Yeonoh was naturally given to him. But today, that circle pushed him out.

Even so, he couldn’t think to demand an answer. It was because Cho Yeonoh’s complexion looked serious even to his young eyes.

Cho Yeonoh, who was shorter than Kihyun, wore a chilly expression with features like a white-skinned French doll. Usually, with his lovely appearance, he always seemed fragile, making one want to look after him like a younger brother. But now was different. Frozen in shock and enraged, Cho Yeonoh was showing a face Kihyun had never seen before.

However, Kihyun couldn’t help but worry about Yeonoh. It was the first time the boy had cursed at him, but that didn’t mean So Kihyun wasn’t Cho Yeonoh’s friend.

—Are you… hurting somewhere?

Kihyun was simply concerned about Yeonoh. When the blood drained from a face already as white as flour, he looked as if he truly might collapse at any moment.

—What are you saying, fuck.

Now, even his breathing had become rough. Kihyun was worried because the way the boy gasped for breath didn’t seem normal, but before Kihyun could reach out a hand, Cho Yeonoh recoiled violently. Not expecting such a reaction, Kihyun pulled back the hand he had extended into the air. His mind was in a daze after hearing curses for the second time.

He wanted to make some kind of excuse, but it wasn’t easy. It was because he felt he vaguely understood the reason Yeonoh was angry at him. For the past few days, Kihyun had not been allowed to come see Yeonoh. It was practically the first time seeing him since his mother’s funeral.

Cho Yeonoh, who had been hugging Kihyun as he cried as if he would faint at the funeral home, did not cry, but his eyes were bloodshot. It was the look of someone who resented himself for being unable to do anything but hold his friend, unable to find words to comfort a friend who had lost his mother at such a young age.

This was the first time since then. From the time the funeral procedures were finalized until his father prepared for the move, Kihyun had been unable to visit Cho Yeonoh, with whom he had been like a brother since childhood. It probably would have been the same even if Yeonoh had told the adults in his house that he wanted to go see Kihyun.

Perhaps because of that, when Kihyun had stood waiting after barely pressing the doorbell, Yeonoh had rushed out with a face that looked incredibly surprised and happy. Because of that, Kihyun hadn’t expected Yeonoh to react this way.

—My father… told me to say goodbye because I won’t be able to come see you anymore…

The boys, who had lived like brothers and were suddenly being separated, stood under the scorching sun. Kihyun had to explain the situation in a corner of the garden, unable to even step into the shade of the roof of Yeonoh’s house. However, Yeonoh had an attitude of being unable to understand Kihyun’s words.

—I mean, what does that even mean.

Because that boy glared at him so fiercely, Kihyun couldn’t say the words, “So let’s call each other often from now on. My father said he would buy me a cell phone anyway. He said I could even send about ten text messages a day. I’ll save up my allowance and come see you during vacation.”

It was the moment the excuse he had been preparing all along became useless.

—And you said okay to those words?

—Huh…?

—I asked if you answered okay to those retarded words.

Kihyun nodded slightly. But he realized immediately that his answer was wrong. Because Yeonoh turned his back and went back inside the house. Startled, Kihyun called out to the boy.

—Cho Yeonoh!

—Don’t ever talk to me again.

Slam! The front door closed. It was the first time he had ever been kicked out of the garden without even being able to step into Cho Yeonoh’s house.

Kihyun stood there until the sun set that day, but the front door never opened again.

“Gasp!”

Kihyun opened his eyes to the sensation of a burning heat scorching his whole body. As soon as he realized that where he opened his eyes was reality, the dream evaporated easily. Even though the feelings of that day and the scorching sun were vivid in the dream, it vanished so quickly…

“Ah…!”

He could feel that his body was becoming more and more strange. From somewhere, there was a scent of rum mixed with vanilla. He didn’t know how to describe that scent, but if he had to put it into words, it was that kind of scent. It was a smell Kihyun was encountering for the first time. Upon smelling the sweet scent wrapped in sharp alcohol, he could realize that heat had risen through his entire body before he even knew it.

“What is…”

Physical changes were taking place moment by moment. It was a bewildering thing. That bewilderment was so great that he couldn’t even recognize where he was. There was only a vague realization that something had happened to his body and that he was in a state where he couldn’t control it.

He couldn’t stay like this. He had to do something. He kept getting a premonition that he had to do something, whether it was calling the lobby to get an antipyretic to calm the abnormally risen fever, or contacting Manager Yoo to go to the emergency room.

“Nngh.”

Even after managed to climb down from the bed with difficulty, the back of his knees, which couldn’t support his body, buckled. As the muscles that had taken the strength to stand up loosened just like that, Kihyun, who staggered greatly, almost knocked over the lamp on the console. Since this was the first time this had happened, he could only blink his eyes blankly while sitting slumped on the floor. Having collapsed like that, Kihyun soon after lifted his bottom off the floor in profound shock.

“What is this…”

Something that had soaked his underwear and cotton pants remained in a perfect circle right in the spot where Kihyun had been sitting just a moment ago. When he rubbed it with his hand in shock, it was damp and transparent. From that spot, the scent of vanilla mixed with rum wafted up. If he thought it was sweet, it was sharp, and the moment he felt the scent was spicy, it was a fragrance that became soft.