Winter Season Chapter 48

After the shock of Seunghyeok’s sudden words passed, an instinctive sense of resistance reared its head. Rather than staying uncomfortably at Gu Seunghyeok’s house, it felt like it would be better to swallow his pride and depend on the other hyungs. Yihyeon looked down and opened the contact list on his phone.

“There’s no need for that. At an acquaintance’s house for a while…”

He was quickly scanning down the names listed in alphabetical order when a large hand with visible veins momentarily covered the screen. Fingers and palm touched lightly and then pulled away, and before he knew it, the phone had passed into Seunghyeok’s hand.

“Gu Jinhyeok’s palate isn’t cheap.”

“…”

“It’ll be problematic if you go around wandering from house to house, offering your body like a slutty bastard.”

Thud. The black phone landed on top of the cake box, and Yihyeon’s face was reflected on its surface. Yihyeon silently swept the inside of his cheek with his tongue.

Rather than getting angry at the mockery thrown out in such an indifferent tone, he actually became calm. Yihyeon opened his mouth toward Seunghyeok, who was about to turn off the ignition and open the door.

“Then are you okay with it?”

Seunghyeok, who was about to lift his body, paused. He stared into space and let out a short, incredulous laugh, then slowly turned his head to look down at Yihyeon.

“You’re making a joke that isn’t funny.”

“…”

“Kwon Yihyeon, there won’t be a day in this life or the next where you and I share a bed.”

A crooked smile rose on one corner of Seunghyeok’s mouth as he spat out the firm sentence as if making a declaration. Yihyeon was looking up at Seunghyeok with a face devoid of any expression. Seunghyeok, who was meeting that gaze with lowered eyes, slowly hardened his mouth at a scene that momentarily flashed through his mind.

There is a saying that the more you try not to think about a specific thing, the more you end up remembering it. Having spat out those words, an image of himself rolling around on a bed while intensely pressing his lips against Yihyeon’s appeared and then vanished. An instinctive sense of loathing surged within him.

Seunghyeok, his brow furrowed, was the first to turn his head and leave the driver’s seat. The fist clutching the car key was tight with force.

After getting out of the car, Yihyeon silently followed behind Seunghyeok as he passed through the lobby and headed toward the elevator. The more he thought he didn’t want to get deeply involved, the more he felt himself becoming entangled.

In the rising elevator, Yihyeon studied Seunghyeok out of the corner of his eye. He was leaning crookedly against the wall with his eyes closed.

With the ding sound announcing the elevator’s arrival, Seunghyeok’s eyes opened as well. Yihyeon quickly looked away and bit his lip, pretending he hadn’t been looking at him.

The door lock was released, and as the door opened, the lights turned on all at once. Having changed into the neatly placed indoor slippers and followed Seunghyeok inside, Yihyeon turned his head to examine the interior.

He had felt it then too, but the house felt like a model home, devoid of the warmth of human habitation. Seeing the living room with only the necessary furniture without any clutter, and the empty kitchen with almost no daily necessities, it was easy to tell how Gu Seunghyeok had been living in this house.

“Use that room over there. There’s a bathroom inside.”

Seunghyeok, who had gone straight to the kitchen and taken a bottle of water from the refrigerator, said while gesturing somewhere with his chin. The place his gaze was directed was a closed door on the side of the living room.

Since he had come this far, there was no turning back. Yihyeon looked back at Seunghyeok and spoke.

“…I’ll be in your debt for a few days.”

Instead of an answer, Seunghyeok placed the small water bottle to his lips and drank quietly. His Adam’s apple, protruding in the middle of his throat, could be seen moving significantly up and down. Having thrown the empty plastic bottle into the trash can, Seunghyeok swept his hair back and started walking.

“Do as you like.”

“Wait a moment.”

It was an instinctive action to catch Seunghyeok as he tried to brush past. However, as soon as his arm was caught, Seunghyeok shook off the hand with a cold expression.

It was an attitude as if something dirty had touched him. Despite the many things that had happened during the day, an expression appeared and then vanished for the first time on Yihyeon’s face, which had been calm throughout.

When he raised his head to meet Seunghyeok’s gaze with his lips tightly shut, for some reason, the one who had shaken off the hand had an even more distorted face. A brief silence passed, and Seunghyeok’s lips opened.

“…What is it.”

He had intended to say thank you for the help, but he didn’t have the talent to play it cool after receiving such treatment. When he said it was nothing, a wrinkle formed between Seunghyeok’s well-defined eyebrows.

The confrontation ended with Yihyeon lowering his eyes first. As Seunghyeok left the kitchen, their shoulders brushed slightly. Yihyeon flinched without realizing it.

The heavy scent of perfume rising from the place they brushed lingered at the tip of his nose. Yihyeon barely managed to stop his head from turning back and fixed his gaze on the edge of the dining table. Soon after, the sound of a door opening and closing with a click was heard.

“…”

It seemed he had been tensing his body without knowing. He felt the tension release and his stiff body loosen up. Yihyeon wiped his face with one hand and let out a short sigh.

Just as he was about to wrap things up and go into the room, the white cake box sitting on the island table caught his eye. With a slow hand, as if possessed, Yihyeon untied the ribbon and opened the box.

The cake, which had been beautifully topped with whipped cream and fruit, was a mess, having slid to one side. Seeing the cake collapsed miserably, having lost its initial form, a self-mocking laugh broke out.

This is what happens when someone like me tries to get into the Christmas spirit.

Yihyeon pushed the cake he had been carrying so carefully back into the box and threw it straight into the trash can. Right. Is something like this even appropriate for me? The sound of his footsteps heading toward the closed room echoed more slowly than usual.

His eyes felt stiff because he had tossed and turned all night. Unable to adjust to the new sleeping arrangement, he had been staring out the window all dawn, and only when the sun was about to rise did he emerge from the rustling blankets.

The sleet that had been falling at some point seemed to grow in size, and now it had become large snowflakes. Looking down at the city turned white as if to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Yihyeon silently packed his pack of cigarettes. He was planning to go out and at least have a smoke.

When he cautiously opened the door and came out to the living room, the dawn twilight steeped in silence welcomed Yihyeon. Seeing that the surroundings were quiet, it seemed Seunghyeok was still asleep. Since there was no need to wake him, Yihyeon went to the kitchen and quietly flung the refrigerator open.

He had intended to have a glass of water, but what caught his eye was the empty interior with nothing in it. A few water bottles stuck in the side were all there was.

What does this guy live on?

It wasn’t his business, but seeing the house that felt hollow, he felt like he could understand Gu Seunghyeok’s situation as well. After wetting his lips with a glass of water, Yihyeon turned his head. Who is worrying about whom?

Opening the front door without making a sound and leaving the building, Yihyeon moved toward the convenience store he saw ahead. Every time he stepped on the piles of snow on the ground, a crunching sound echoed.

“Welcome.”

Yihyeon, who was about to head straight to the counter after entering the convenience store, paused when he saw the sandwiches and instant foods displayed on the side. This was because Seunghyeok’s refrigerator, which had been empty without a single thing to eat, suddenly came to mind.

“…”

His fingertips, which had hesitated for a moment, moved toward a sandwich and coffee. It felt like he should do at least this much since he was staying there. As he put down the items he was holding and named a brand of cigarettes, the part-timer moved their hands quickly.

Exiting the convenience store with a plastic bag, Yihyeon moved toward the side alley instead of returning to the officetel. Leaning his back against the wall, he lifted the pack of cigarettes to his lips.

As he put one in his mouth and lit it, white smoke mingled among the falling snowflakes. Yihyeon opened his palm and held it out into the air.

The snowflakes that fluttered down and landed on his palm melted into water before he could even bring them close to look. The sight of them disappearing without being able to settle anywhere felt just like his own situation, making him feel bitter. Yihyeon lowered his tightly clenched fist and looked up at the officetel in front of him.

The high-rise officetel, consisting of three buildings, was a building famous for having high real estate prices even in all of Seoul. Considering the height from which the city could be seen at a glance and the interior that was spacious for one person to use, it seemed it would cost at least several billion won.