Chapter 15.16

– I know, right? I was being presumptuous. I’m hanging up.

“Wait a minute.”

Jae Young grabbed his phone with both hands and put it close to his ears.

“Just a little more, let me hear your voice.”

He needed the strength to endure another day without Sang Woo. Jae Young raised the call reception to the highest level, fearing he’d miss even the slightest sound. The sound of breathing in and out was quite audible.

“I asked to hear your voice, why are you silent?”

– I have nothing to say.

“Anything is fine. Tell me whatever’s in your mind.”

Sang Woo fell silent for a long time. Then what he said afterwards made Jae Young forget how to breathe.

– Jang Jae Young.

His name echoing in his voice was ecstasy to his ear.

– Since you’re not here, the practice room is so silent and time passes by at an agonizing pace.

“…”

– I miss you.

The murmur sounded faint as if passing by. Jae Young wondered if he heard it right, since his mind went blank for a moment there. As soon as he was about to ask again, Sang Woo added quickly.

– I’m out of words. I’m hanging up.

And the phone immediately hung up. Jae Young stared at the black screen motionless for a long time. He just made a phone call, but he was out of breath as if he ran a long-distance marathon. An unfamiliar tingling spread and his heart tightened painfully. It was unpleasant as it was brilliant, and most of all, it was a strong emotion. Jae Young clasped his phone with his back and head against the wall. He was at the bottom of the stairs, but did he come up another level?

‘I play in moderation. It can’t be.’

When was the right time to call it moderation? He’d already fallen so much and it’s all messed up. The line that he shouldn’t cross? He doesn’t even know where. Maybe he’d already gone too far. His fists turned into a tight ball. Cho Sang Woo’s attack even knocked down Jae Young’s lethargy and cynicism. So, in the end, his head cleared. In the first place, Jae Young wasn’t born with the temperament to consider and pay attention to every detail.

He took a rough step. As soon as he turned from the wall, he almost bumped into Jea Hong, but he passed him and barely ran to the hotel entrance.

“Who are you…?”

Jae Hong’s voice was full of laughter. When he turned sharply, he saw a smirk on his face. Jae Young walked faster and Jae Hong followed suit.

“Yes, baby, the voice was quite thick. It surprised me that it was so boyish, or… was it a boy?”

“Get lost.”

“Are you seeing a guy?”

With his mouth wide open with delight, Jae Young ignored him. He just walked, ignoring all the questions asked – how old he was and what he looked like.

“As I live my life, the day has come that I can sympathize with you. The puppy Jang Jae Young, it’s not like grandfather would approve of it.”

“What do you want to say?”

“I caught your weakness, didn’t I?”

“Go and mess around with someone else.”

Without the time to lie and make excuses, Jae Young stood in front of the elevator and pressed the button. In haste, he pressed the button that had already been lit twice or three times.

“But… Where are you going?”

“Seoul.”

Jae Young answered briefly and then pressed the floor number as he got into the elevator that just arrived. Jae Hong followed and asked with a serious face as he rode along.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“No, with him, are you serious?”

Serious? What was it? Even though he had a lot of dating experience, Jae Young thought he wouldn’t know. He was simpler than ever. He only had one reason for going back. Sang Woo said he missed him. He didn’t say that he needed Jae Young’s body. That was it.

“Tomorrow is your birthday.”

It was obvious something would happen if he didn’t say a word. In order to prevent troublesome things, Jae Young lived by keeping in ‘line’, but now there was nothing to see.

As he got to the 8th floor, Jae Young said to Jae Hong, “Let me ask you a favor.”

“What?”

“I’ve kept your secret all this time.”

“So what?”

“At least once you should help me. Make up a story that something urgent came along and cover it up on your own.”

“Do you think that’ll work? Why don’t we just stay one more day and go,” Jae Hong suggested.

“No way.”

He wanted to see Cho Sang Woo. It’s not that he was begging him to work, he didn’t say he wanted to sleep with him, he said that he missed him.

Jae Hong frowned and said, “I don’t have the confidence that they’ll even see me. There’s no way grandfather would listen to me…”

“Then it can’t be helped.”

Jae Young entered the room using the card key. He kicked the suitcase down and picked up the clothes that were scattered all over the place. Jae Hong folded his arms and clicked his tongue at the sight.

“Okay, calm down.”

Jae-young ignored him and continued to pack.

Jae Hong, with a frown and crossed arms, squatted in front of the suitcase at one point. He poked through the untidy clothes and took out a suit and shirt that Jae Young brought for an extra. Immediately recognizing his plan, Jae Young stopped. Jae Hong opened his suit and looked around.

“It’s not my style, but I can’t help it.”

“Are you confident?”

“I can’t even imagine.”

When Jae Hong was sick and absent from school when they were young, Jae Young pretended to be him and played tricks on his teacher. He didn’t think Jae Hong was good at acting, but no one knew he’d come in the first place. No one will notice if he’d fool around grandfather.

“Hey, Jang Jae Hong.”

When he called him quietly, Jae Hong clicked his tongue and pretended otherwise.

“If you’re thanking me, that’s enough. I’m not doing it for free, so pay me back later.”

“Put it on.”

“Give me shoes and perfume too, because grandfather is sensitive.”

Jae Young exchanged shoes with him, threw perfume, and locked his suitcase. And he left the hotel without looking back.

He stepped on the accelerator to go as fast as possible. Maybe a few speeding bills would come, but Jae Young was out of his mind and couldn’t care less. He arrived in Seoul less than three hours ago, running nonstop without even resting.

When he got off in front of Sang Woo’s studio building, his whole body was stiff. Before entering, he checked his reflection on the glass door. Jang Jae Hong’s oxford brogue in black suit. It was a look that Sang Woo would like, but he thought he might smell like sweat from working all day.

Jae Young couldn’t get in right away and hung around in front of the studio. So far, he’d been taking his own way regardless of the other person’s reaction. He laughed it off when he was constantly rejected, but he wasn’t in the mood today. He’d run a long way since he said he missed him, but he was afraid he’d be cold. He was afraid he misheard Sang Woo or he’d get rejected because he was tired. Anxiety lingered at the bottom of his heart. He seemed to have lost his confidence in his weakened state.

‘Should I just go back?’

He was desperate for the idea of cigarettes, but he stopped thinking that he, a non-smoker, might hate it when he was wearing his pajamas and had washed perfectly and was clean by now. Jae Young raised his head and stared at the window where the curtains were carefully drawn. What was he doing there? Unlike him, was he in a stable state and thinking about games without any worries or conflicts?

Jae Young unlocked his cell phone and checked the message he didn’t get to read because he was driving. It was a call from a useless place. Then a new message arrived.

Baby: I’ve been thinking about it and I think I should give up infinite mode, ladder rankings, or oracle quests. It will take 2 weeks to review the store, so we have to start the beta test on June 3rd as scheduled.

23:04

Baby: I know you’re busy. You don’t have to reply, so just keep that in mind.

23:04

He read it several times over the business message, but one more came over with a time difference.

Baby: And good night. You need to get enough sleep to relieve your stress during the day.

23:07

“Putting people up and down.”

He didn’t know why tears flowed at that moment. Jae Young put his cell phone in his pocket and opened the glass door. He ran up the stairs two at a time, arrived on the fourth floor, and caught his breath in front of Sang Woo’s door. If it was the door, all he could remember was to knock hard. He slowly raised his hand and knocked three times.

He waited in a tense state for so long. The door opened, and a bright light shone on the dark steps. When he opened his eyes again, Sang Woo was in front of him. His jaw had dropped and his eyes were wide with shock.

“Why….”

Jae Young slowly came into the front door and closed it. Sang Woo stood at a distance, and the two of them looked each other in the eye for a while.