“Was that… a good thing?”
“You like Ha-eun too, don’t you? Then it’s fine.”
The hollow laugh carried away on the cold river breeze belonged to Tae-il.
Si-yul pulled his coat collar closer, thinking the air had turned quite chilly. Even so, he kept the cold beer in his hand, despite the bite in his fingertips.
“I see. So, it’s a good thing.”
“You don’t exactly look thrilled about it, though.”
“She’s a woman about to be married.”
“She’s not married yet, is she? And despite that, she still likes you.”
“…Hyung, the truth is, there’s one more problem. Ha-eun doesn’t know how I feel about her.”
Unbelievable. After all that, he still hadn’t said the words?
Si-yul thought if it had been him, he’d have said it ten times by now.
Originally, if things had gone the way Si-yul intended—if Tae-il had left for Africa without knowing Ha-eun’s heart, and returned a few years later—by then, she’d likely already have a child and be living her own life. There would’ve been no space left for him at all.
But this boot-wearing cat must have thought that was too tragic and refused to let it happen.
Now that he thought about it, everything really was going according to Hae-in’s schemes. No wonder it irritated him.
“You still haven’t told her? Don’t you think it’s about time?”
“No, it’s just… when I heard what Ha-eun said, I was so shaken up. And then, before I could say anything, you and Gi-do came back….”
One way or another, since things had turned out this way, Si-yul had no choice but to help Tae-il, half willingly, half unwillingly.
Who would’ve thought she’d drop such a reckless bomb?
“And I think you’re forgetting something—I don’t know the details of what happened yesterday. I can only guess from the atmosphere.”
“Ah, right. I never actually explained….”
“She said she liked you, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Ha-eun.”
Instead of words, Tae-il gave a heavy nod, and Si-yul was satisfied enough to know that Hae-in hadn’t been caught in the middle of it.
“So. Ha-eun said it.”
He emphasized her name deliberately, shooting a sharp look at Hae-in.
This troublemaker really was good at dangerous little tricks. He’d have to discipline her properly one of these days. When they were alone, of course.
“…Hyung.”
“Mm?”
“This is… a bit of a different question, but….”
“What is it? I hate it when people beat around the bush.”
“…Do I seem gay to you?”
Pfft.
He nearly spat out his drink. Si-yul barely swallowed the beer that tried to surge back up his throat, fighting to keep a straight face.
“Ha-eun thought I was gay.”
“…She’s a funny woman.”
“I-I suppose it was easy to misunderstand, but still….”
Look at that—defending her just because she is the woman he liked.
Si-yul frowned slightly, feeling annoyed.
And since he hadn’t had the chance before, he decided to vent now.
“You know what else? That woman thought you and I were a couple.”
“…What?”
The expression of shock and horror plastered across Tae-il’s face was priceless. Apparently, the thought of being mistaken for gay hadn’t been nearly as shocking as this.
Si-yul, who’d already been through that shock himself, could at least understand why Tae-il was now subtly inching away from him.
“H-how did she even…?”
“Think about it. You said you had no plans to marry and then moved in with me. And not long after, Ha-eun got a proposal and accepted it. Doesn’t take much to connect the dots.”
“…I never realized.”
“I happened to find out she thought that way, and no matter how many times I told her otherwise, she wouldn’t believe me. Eventually, I gave up.”
Si-yul let out a hearty laugh, still finding it absurd even now.
“Gave up?”
“I told her I wasn’t gay, but when it came to you, she was dead certain. You know what she said? She demanded proof that you weren’t gay.”
“…The only proof I could give is that I like Ha-eun.”
“Exactly. I’d never faced a riddle like that in my life.”
At Si-yul’s grumbling, heavy with frustration, Tae-il lowered his head, unable to meet his eyes. Even he felt ashamed.
And the more he thought about it, the clearer it became that he had brought all of this on himself.
Now, to confess something…
“…Actually, there is one thing.”
“Hm?”
“Not many people know, but….”
“Yes?”
By now, Si-yul thought he couldn’t be surprised by much. He drained the rest of his second can of beer, waiting calmly.
“I was confessed to once. Back in high school.”
“Is that bragging? I’ve had….”
“No, it was by a guy.”
“…”
“…I was too embarrassed to tell Gi-do, so I only asked Ha-eun for advice back then. He was a senior I was really close to, so I was completely thrown off….”
“Oh, for crying out loud! You bastard!”
Crunch!
The beer can in Si-yul’s fist was crushed flat from the sheer force of his anger.
This was the first time anyone had seen him that furious.
Hae-in looked up at him with wide, round eyes, her ears flapping nervously.
“I’m sorry!”
“Get on your knees and beg!”
“It’s not like it was my fault!”
“You just apologized!”
“That was just… out of moral obligation!”
“You little…!”
Si-yul shot to his feet, and Tae-il, wearing an aggrieved expression, looked ready to bolt if things got any rougher.
The tension was electric.
And then suddenly, both of them burst into laughter.
Neither was first—they both broke at the same time, clutching their stomachs, laughing harder than they ever had together before.
Hae-in, not knowing what was so funny, kept darting her gaze between them.
Men’s sense of humor really is impossible to understand!
Tilting her head in puzzlement, she still wagged her tail—since if they were laughing, it was a good thing.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
The two of them laughed for a long while.
Even when they slumped against the bench, worn out and gasping for breath, they were still chuckling under their breath.
“Ha… you’re a stranger one the more I get to know you.”
“Heh, I suppose that’s true.”
What on earth was so funny? Was it something only men could share? Or maybe they were just drunk.
Hae-in sniffed.
But no, Si-yul had only drunk two cans, and Tae-il had barely touched his. It wasn’t drunkenness.
“Achoo!”
Maybe it was the sudden intake of cold air, but a sneeze burst out.
And that alone was enough to set the two men off again, laughing like high school girls watching leaves tumble across the ground.
“Pffft! Did you hear that? The cat sneezed!”
“Oh, man—did it really just say ‘Achoo!’?”
Oh, come on! Why are you laughing at that?!
Embarrassed at suddenly becoming the center of attention, Hae-in tried to play it off.
It wasn’t because she was cold! Just the strong wind made it slip out! Sure, the sound was weird, but… so embarrassing.
When she shot them a glare, Si-yul chuckled and opened his coat.
“Come here.”
“Meow!” (No way!)
Was that a smirk?!
“You’re cold. Come on.”
Truthfully, she wasn’t cold. But that warm-looking space was tempting.
After a brief hesitation, Hae-in finally gave in and burrowed into his coat, settling comfortably inside.
There probably weren’t many girlfriends in the world who could dive so easily into their boyfriend’s arms like that.
“Guess she was cold after all—slipped right in.”
“Looks like it.”
When Si-yul buttoned up a few of the fastenings, only Hae-in’s face poked out from the coat.
To anyone else, a cat’s head floating out of the middle of a coat might have looked eerie. But to the two men, it was simply adorable.
“Are you sulking because we laughed?”
“Meow!” (Don’t touch my head!)
“Well, aren’t you a picky little lady.”
As Si-yul teased Hae-in, Tae-il fell quiet, watching their closeness. Then, rubbing his jaw as if deep in thought, he suddenly said something strange.
“Hyung… maybe I should just pretend to be gay.”
His face was smiling, his voice cheerful, but it sent a chill through the air.
“…Are you insane?”
“That way, Ha-eun might feel less confused.”
“What?”
“It seems like the most peaceful ending.”
What on earth was this man saying?!
Doctor! This guy laughed so hard his brain must’ve gone haywire! We need treatment! Urgent treatment!
Startled, Hae-in instinctively unsheathed her claws. Si-yul flinched at the sting but still kept his eyes fixed on Tae-il.
“Didn’t you already tell her you weren’t gay?”
“Not… clearly.”
“So you only confessed that Ha-eun liked you, and that was it?”
“I never had the chance. Maybe now… that could be the chance.”
If only he looked bitter. But no—he wore his usual calm, detached smile. That alone earned him a smack from Si-yul.
“Ow!”
“You lunatic!”
“Hyung!”
From the look on his face, that blow had hurt. Tae-il looked genuinely startled.
Hae-in mirrored the same wide-eyed expression.
“I don’t have any eunuch friends!”
“…Eunuch?”
“At the rate you’re going, you might as well be one!”
“…But Ha-eun looked like she was about to cry. She said she liked me, but it was like she wanted to take it back.”
“That’s because she thinks you’re gay!”
“Better that way. If she finds out I like her too, she’ll just be even more torn apart.”
“…”
“What would people say if I showed up at her wedding and ran off with the bride? Who’d bless us then?”
It was impossible to tell whether he was trying to fix things or destroy them.
Tae-il, caught between reality and ideals, struggled with overwhelming confusion. In the end, he thought that if even one person could find peace, then maybe that was enough.
It might’ve been a coward’s choice, but for him, it was the greatest expression of love he could muster.
“I think covering it up is better. If I just say I really am gay, at least Ha-eun will be at peace.”
“…Poor Ha-eun, for falling for someone like you!”
“Even if I tell her my feelings now, nothing will change.”
“It’s because you’re like this that she doesn’t have confidence either!”
Normally, Si-yul stayed neutral. But now, he wanted to beat some sense into Tae-il—kick his ass and scream that this wasn’t love.
Sacrifice and patience had no place in love.
As far as Kang Si-yul knew, love demanded honesty and sincerity, nothing else.
“Shin Tae-il, think simply! There’s one woman and two men. In the end, the woman will choose one. As long as you don’t run away before that happens.”
“…”
“This is embarrassing! How far do you plan on being an idiot? Ha-eun doesn’t even know she has another choice! At least give her the right to choose!”
“…Hyung, my feelings feel so worthless. Liking someone should make you happy, but all it brings me is confusion. Why must it be so painful? Sometimes I wish I’d never felt this way at all….”
“I’ve thought that way too!”
The two men were suddenly locked in a heated argument.
Tae-il tried to get up, but Si-yul shoved him back onto the bench.
Meanwhile, Hae-in clung tightly with her claws inside the coat, terrified she might fall out. Hopefully, this wasn’t an expensive coat.
“You too, Hyung?”
“Of course. It’s confusing! That’s what it means to love someone. You wonder if you’re good enough, if they’ll accept you, how long you’ll last, whether you’ll hurt them. Everyone thinks like that! But you still love anyway!”
Wait… is he talking about me?
From within the coat, claws digging into the fabric, Hae-in tilted her head up. She could see him if she just raised her eyes.
He’d been so indifferent about Tae-il’s feelings, but now… he was fiery enough to make her fall for him all over again.
It seemed Tae-il truly was someone he cherished. He might not show it openly—men didn’t—but it was there.
“I know how you feel. That person is nothing like me, but for some reason, she keeps looking so beautiful in my eyes. She doesn’t even spare me a glance… it’s frustrating, humiliating, but I can’t give her up. It’s obsession. It’s greed. But tell me, isn’t that still love?”
“I can’t imagine you like that, hyung-nim…”
“I begged someone who told me she didn’t like me—someone who even said she liked another man.”
Hae-in, as the person involved, couldn’t help but feel a pang at those words.
“It seemed like nothing good could come of it. Of course it was going to hurt. It was obviously a path of hardship, and it was a relationship that couldn’t last. So I wondered, should I even start? Wouldn’t it be easier for both of us if I didn’t? Wouldn’t I just end up tormenting her? …I had the exact same thoughts as you.”
“…Really?”
“But even so, I found it was worth the pain. Even if she pushed me away… if she accepted me just a little more than yesterday, that was enough. Even if the day came when we broke up, being together right now was what I wanted.”
Si-yul’s voice rang in Haein’s ears, in her heart. Maybe it was because the surroundings had grown so quiet—but no, that wasn’t all.
It was because every word was filled with sincerity.
Even Tae-il couldn’t bring himself to reply anymore.
What Si-yul was really saying was this: don’t run away.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
Two strapping men making a racket in an open lot had naturally drawn the police.
“Gentlemen, people of your age and standing—what on earth are you doing?”
“…We’re sorry.”
“You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?”
“Just a little…”
The middle-aged officer who responded to the call clicked his tongue a few times as he checked their IDs. Since it was their first offense, he seemed willing to let them off with a warning.
“This time it’s just a warning. Next time, you’ll be coming with me to the station.”
“Yes, it won’t happen again.”
When the two had been shouting their lungs out, that was when Hae-in made up her mind. She decided she’d write about their tear-jerking brotherhood in her diary.
Of course, if Si-yul ever discovered it later, he’d probably die of embarrassment—but that was precisely the point.
“…Let’s head back.”
“…Yeah.”
Once the officer left, the two men looked thoroughly sheepish. They had left home just a little while ago, but somehow it was already midnight.
“Since I met you, I’ve seen it all, really.”
“Haha.”
“Such ups and downs.”
Whether Tae-il and Si-yul were well-matched or ill-fated was still up for debate. For a fleeting moment, Hae-in wondered if the two of them had shared some kind of karmic bond in a previous life.
If only she could ask the reaper about it.
But what she did know—even without asking—was that Si-yul genuinely cared for Tae-il.
“One last thing… I’ll just say this.”
“…What is it?”
“I wasn’t going to, but since I think we’re close enough now, I’ll tell you. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t bother worrying about them this much.”
“Mm, I get the feeling this isn’t going to be anything good…”
“You look pathetic, that’s why.”
The way Si-yul said it made it sound like a warning, and Tae-il braced himself nervously for whatever was coming.
“It’s all your fault.”
Si-yul was known for being blunt, but this sounded a little different from mere harshness. It almost carried a trace of affection. Not that Tae-il would appreciate hearing it put that way.
“…All of it?”
“That’s right. If you’d had the guts even once, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad. If she was really the woman you loved, you should’ve confessed. At least once!”
“But then… things could’ve become awkward forever.”
“If it’s not some shallow, worthless crush, then confessing is the only right choice. If the feelings hurt that much, how could you possibly keep quiet? If it’s real, you can’t help but let it spill out—even if you try to hold it back.”
Feelings that big can’t be hidden.
“If you liked her enough to pretend you were gay, then you should’ve just confessed instead!”
“…”
“Don’t humiliate people like that! And if you understand what I’m saying, at least end things properly—with sincerity!”
“…Yes.”
“If you act wishy-washy again, I’ll smack the back of your head.”
And Tae-il had just learned firsthand how heavy Si-yul’s hand could be.
It was stupid, but somehow thinking about the hit made him laugh.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
It had been a strange night. Somehow, it felt like they had grown closer than the day before.
Back at the house, they each returned to their rooms for a rare, quiet night’s rest.
But the next morning, Tae-il was gone. No one knew where he had gone—only that maybe, just maybe, he had gone to Ha-eun.
At least, that was what Hae-in assumed… until Ha-eun herself called, asking where Tae-il was.
