Winter Season Chapter 4

The trash area was a mess, covered with cigarette butts and discarded cardboard boxes strewn across the ground. After tidying up the boxes, which lay askew as if someone had kicked them, and shoving the food waste into the bin, Yihyeon was shivering so hard his teeth chattered.

Hunched over, Yihyeon turned around and scanned the building submerged in darkness, running his tongue along the inside of his mouth.

It seemed faster to take the guest elevator and go straight to the hall rather than going down through the back door and passing the kitchen. He considered stopping by the staff room to throw on a coat, but he wanted to avoid attracting attention by arriving late to the gathering in the hall. Yihyeon entered the building lobby with quick steps.

As he pressed the elevator button and repeatedly rubbed his cold arms, the rustling of the fabric felt exceptionally loud. After listening only to music loud enough to make his ears ring, coming to such a quiet place often brought a mysterious sense of the creeps.

Furthermore, it was the dawn when silence settles in. In a space without windows and poor ventilation, only the bluish, artificial lights drifted about. It felt as if the coldest and heaviest air of the day was pressing down on his entire body like a heavy cotton quilt.

Yihyeon leaned against the wall with his body soaked in cigarette smoke, the smell of alcohol, and fatigue, and closed his eyes. While he was breathing softly, waiting for the elevator chime to ring, the sound of shoe heels hitting the floor echoed throughout the silent lobby.

There must have been employees who hadn’t gone down yet. Is it a relief that I’m not the only one who’s late?

The click-clack stopped right beside him. Along with a sound like exhaling smoke, the acrid smell of cigarettes hit him.

Yihyeon frowned despite himself. This was because, ever since a small fire caused by a cigarette butt a few years ago, it was strictly forbidden for employees to smoke inside the building. It wasn’t a time for guests to be around, so he assumed it was a part-timer who had just started and didn’t know the rules.

If it accidentally reached the manager’s ears, Yihyeon would be the one bothered by it. Exhaling a short sigh, Yihyeon slowly lifted his eyelids. Within his downward gaze, black dress shoes and the sleek hems of trousers entered his view. Yihyeon took his head off the wall and slowly, very slowly, lifted his head.

‘Those eyes could devour a person.’

It was something his grandmother had once said while watching an actor on television. It was a beautiful actress with irises so dark the pupils weren’t visible and eyes that revealed the lower part of the whites.

As soon as Yihyeon’s eyes met the man standing in front of him, he recalled that scene from long ago when he watched television with his grandmother. Whether it was when he first saw those eyes nine years ago or now, it was just a passing remark he had heard ages ago, yet that sentence flashed strangely in his mind every time.

“…Ah.”

At the unexpected encounter, Yihyeon’s lips clamped shut without a gap. It was a defensive posture, like a person trying not to reveal even a single breath. An emotion he failed to hide flickered briefly on his clear face before vanishing as if evaporating.

The man standing opposite and looking down at Yihyeon showed no agitation even when their eyes met. He remained expressionless even at the moment when memories buried long ago flashed like a kaleidoscope, overlapping on Yihyeon’s face.

However, the white face where inner thoughts clearly surfaced and vanished, and that transparency of still being unable to hide an expression despite no longer being a child, was so amusing that Seunghyeok let out a short, involuntary scoff.

“Hey, Taeshik.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim.”

Taeshik, who had been standing with his hands behind his back holding in a yawn, quickly bowed his head. Seunghyeok lowered the cigarette he was smoking between his thumb and index finger and tapped the ash into the air. His gaze, of an unmeasurable temperature, remained fixed on Yihyeon.

“Did we run a hole business here too?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m asking if we sell a man’s backside for money too.”

It wasn’t Taeshik but Yihyeon who understood the meaning of the cold sentence. A sharp light momentarily dwelled in his long, sleek eyes.

“What if he goes around spreading diseases.”

The words added like a monologue were sharp and chilling, as if intended for someone to hear. At the sudden fierce attitude, Taeshik, who grew tense without knowing why, answered quickly so as not to offend Seunghyeok.

“I will check immediately and report back.”

A short silence descended on the hall. Having spent a long time by Gu Seunghyeok’s side, Taeshik realized his mood was unusual and quickly straightened his posture.

Ding.

The elevator, which was exceptionally slow compared to other buildings, opened its mouth. As the interior was revealed, the white light from the ceiling reflected noisily on the golden floor.

Seunghyeok was the first to take a step. Having boarded the elevator, he turned around. Yihyeon, who had remained in the same spot and the same posture as before, slowly raised his eyes. Their gazes met.

“Aren’t you getting on?”

It was a low yet frigid voice. Taeshik, standing behind Seunghyeok, rolled his eyes and flinched.

Even though he was the hyung-nim Taeshik trusted and followed most, Seunghyeok could not be described as kind or polite even as a figure of speech. In fact, he was a person who had neither the need nor the reason to be.

However, since expressing such blatant hostility toward someone he was seeing for the first time was rare, Taeshik was even more flustered.

The small-statured man standing outside the elevator was just staring up at Seunghyeok. Since he was standing behind, Taeshik couldn’t see what kind of expression Seunghyeok had, but he could guess that the two were looking at each other.

Seeing how pretty and handsome he was, he seemed like a club employee, but he had a composed face even in this atmosphere that made even Taeshik’s lips go dry. Taeshik admired that grit inwardly but only hoped the man would have the sense to leave.

“… .”

In the silence, Yihyeon’s lips slowly opened. It was a voice much lower and clearer than the one buried deep in Seunghyeok’s memory.

“Go on ahead.”

Before Taeshik could exhale a sigh of relief, thinking the man at least had enough sense not to ride together, a cold snort was heard right in front of him. Taeshik immediately shut his mouth and rolled his eyes.

For a short time of a few seconds, a gaze cold enough to make one shiver and a gaze as indifferent as looking at a stone became intricately entangled.

“Close it.”

Seunghyeok, who had been looking at Yihyeon with an expressionless face, dropped the half-finished cigarette onto the elevator floor. His polished shoe slowly crushed it.

A subtle tension flowed. The suspicion that Seunghyeok and that man might know each other suddenly flashed through Taeshik’s mind. Are they from the Seungri gang? He looks youthful as if he just graduated, so he doesn’t seem like one of ours.

However, Taeshik knew well that in uncertain situations like this, and especially when Gu Seunghyeok was in a low mood, it was better to just shut up, so he only pressed the close button while glancing at the back of Seunghyeok’s head.

The golden doors slowly blocked the space between Seunghyeok and Yihyeon who stood facing each other. Through the closing doors, there were eyes that stared straight until the end.

The gap vanished, and a white face with an unreadable expression was reflected on the shining elevator doors. Yihyeon stared quietly at his own reflection as if it were a mirror, and only then let out a short breath.

“… .”

A small wisp of breath appeared despite being indoors. The cold he had forgotten for a moment enveloped his body. Yihyeon trembled briefly like a person about to sneeze in front of a dusty photo album. While trying to ignore the beep, beep warning sound ringing in a part of his brain as if sensing danger.

༘⋆🤍˚ .❄️₊˚ෆ

In the hall, employees who had come down earlier were gathered in small groups. Due to the nature of their work, many had personalities that enjoyed meeting and talking to people, so they were snickering at each other despite their tired faces.

Yihyeon did not join them and leaned against a corner wall as if hiding. It was not only because he didn’t have a sociable personality to begin with, but especially because he lacked the confidence to talk and laugh casually with someone right now.

However, contrary to his composed face, his heart was beating fast like someone who had just finished a hundred-meter dash. Every time he felt the pulse throbbing at his temples, an unknown anxiety enveloped his entire body.