In the End, He Showed Up

“Class reunion? Should I go with you?”

Leaning against the cold exterior wall of the building, Jeongha asked casually.
From the other end, a voice asking, ‘Jeongha-ssi?’ held a noticeably flustered tone, making him snort out a laugh.

Jeongha had been drinking with friends.
They were close enough that he shouldn’t feel uncomfortable, yet strangely, he felt bored at the gathering today.
In the end, he made the excuse of needing some fresh air and stepped outside.

As the chilly early winter air filled his lungs, a face as pale as if it were made of winter itself suddenly came to mind.
Seo Haeyoon, who seemed to be facing a harsher winter than anyone else—if winter were personified, it would likely look just like that.

Without hesitation, Jeongha called him.
It was half impulsive, half intentional.
He wanted Seo Haeyoon to think of him a little more deeply, a little more often.
He hoped he wouldn’t retreat now but would try that fun thing with him.

It took quite a few rings before Haeyoon answered.
At that moment, Jeongha could tell Seo Haeyoon was deep in serious thought.
Since he couldn’t see that cold, expressionless face, it ironically felt easier to gauge his emotions.

Naturally, Haeyoon was reluctant to talk easily.
He didn’t seem the type to talk much about himself.
However, after Jeongha’s persistent persuasion that advice from someone who knew Ahn Seonwoo to some extent might help, he finally opened up.

And then, Jeongha playfully proposed to Haeyoon, who was agonizing over whether to attend a gathering where Oh Jaeyeol and Ahn Seonwoo might show up.

After a prolonged silence, Haeyoon spoke in a doubtful voice.

– Are you joking?

Jeongha laughed.
He found it ridiculous that the only answer he got was that.
Since there were hardly any people like this around him, he also felt a sense of novelty.
And he found himself intrigued by that very quality of taking things so seriously, which in itself was a new feeling for him.

Kicking away a small pebble in front of him for no reason, Jeongha continued.

“Ah, since I should save it as a surprise for later, I guess I can’t just show up now.”

-That… doesn’t seem to be the main issue…

It was also absurd that he kept answering seriously even after asking if it was a joke, making Jeongha laugh again.

When he first met Seo Haeyoon, it was just out of a small curiosity.
But the more they met, the more he genuinely wanted to know him.
He looked forward to what kind of person Seo Haeyoon was and what kind of face he would show next.

The weather was quite chilly, yet his body felt subtly warm.
He hadn’t even drunk much today, finding it unusually dull.
Rubbing the back of his warm neck with one hand, Jeongha brought out a slightly more serious topic.

“Is there a reason not to go?”

-…Even though there’s nothing I can gain by going?
“Weren’t you going there to ‘gain’ something in the first place?”

-Ah……

It was a cut-off statement, but Haeyoon seemed to grasp the meaning instantly, letting out a sigh.

“Well, if you don’t want to see all the other friends who’d be there either, then there’s no need to force yourself. But wasn’t it about wanting to meet friends, separate from Ahn Seonwoo?”

-Yes. That’s right.
“Then you should go meet them.”

It was an extremely clear-cut voice.
In truth, Jeongha thought it was the perfect answer.
However, one fact Haeyoon couldn’t know was that Jeongha’s advice wasn’t solely for Seo Haeyoon’s benefit.

Ahn Seonwoo would definitely attend the gathering.
And he would do so proudly with Oh Jaeyeol by his side.
He’d bet on it.
Baek Jeongha knew Ahn Seonwoo’s need to show off very well.
What if he met Seo Haeyoon there? Given Seonwoo’s personality, he’d likely insult him with all sorts of trashy remarks.

That’s what Baek Jeongha wanted.
He wanted Ahn Seonwoo to provoke Seo Haeyoon even more.
So that Seo Haeyoon wouldn’t just back down, so that he’d want to retaliate in some way.

Jeongha hoped Ahn Seonwoo would add more fuel to the fire of Seo Haeyoon’s wavering heart.

-…If I don’t go, I’m the one losing the time I could spend with my friends.

Haeyoon answered in a voice that seemed to have sorted out his thoughts.
A satisfied smile appeared on Jeongha’s lips.

“Was that a little helpful?”

-Yes. It was. It was a worry unrelated to you, Jeongha-ssi, so thank you for taking it seriously.

Without even knowing what expression Baek Jeongha was making, Haeyoon thanked him instead.
Jeongha felt a complex emotion.

In a way, Jeongha was pushing Haeyoon forward, knowing he might get hurt there.
The sincere words of thanks settled heavily over his feeling of satisfaction.

“…No need for thanks. I was just sharing my thoughts.”

-It was something I hadn’t considered. Thank you… I’ll hang up now.
“Alright. Contact me if you need anything.”

-Go on inside.

He didn’t even give the courtesy of saying he’d contact him again, even as an empty promise.
Jeongha silently looked down at the ruthlessly disconnected phone.
It was absurd that he showed no suspicion toward himself, who had called him out of the blue at a fairly late hour and pressured him to talk.

“Hey, what are you doing out here?”

At that moment, a voice from beside him broke into Jeongha’s thoughts.
Turning his head, he saw Seong-tae, a friend he was drinking with, standing next to him, though he didn’t know when he had come out.

“Oh, I was about to go back in.”
Jeongha answered, putting his phone in his pocket.
Seong-tae, who was taking a cigarette out of his own pocket, tilted his head and spoke.

“Hey, you were laughing just a moment ago. Why the serious face as soon as I come out?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You were totally cracking up just now. What? What were you so happy about?”

Jeongha slightly furrowed his brows.
Seeing that expression, Seong-tae flinched while trying to light his cigarette.

“I was laughing?”
“Huh? Uh… No? Did I see wrong?”
Seong-tae laughed awkwardly.
Honestly, he was cracking up, but since Jeongha was speaking with a serious face, he suddenly felt cautious.
Even though they were quite close among classmates, and Jeongha wasn’t particularly high-handed, there were times he felt intimidated by his aura.

And Seong-tae wasn’t the only one who felt this way.
Other classmates also sometimes said it was hard to deal with Jeongha.
That guy was laughing with a face he’d never seen before while on the phone.
Surprised by that sight, the words just slipped out, but when Jeongha suddenly hardened his expression, a chill ran down his spine.

“No. I guess I was laughing.”
Contrary to Seong-tae’s worry, Jeongha simply nodded without further questioning.
A feeling uncomfortably unfamiliar spread from his phone-holding fingertips throughout his entire body.

He was aware that he had been smiling while talking to Haeyoon.
It was true he felt happy and cheerful.
But he didn’t know he was smiling so brightly that it was noticeably visible to others.

Perhaps the most interesting thing right now is himself, who finds Seo Haeyoon unnecessarily and excessively amusing.
With that thought, Jeongha looked at Seong-tae, who was standing there blankly, and spoke.

“I’m heading in first. Say bye to the others for me.”
“What? You’re just leaving? Hey! Hey, Baek Jeongha!”
Seong-tae stared incredulously at Jeongha’s retreating back as he suddenly left, lost in his own thoughts.
There was no way for Seong-tae to know that today’s gathering had already become boring for Jeongha.

* * * *

“I ended up coming here after all.”

Standing before the bathroom mirror, Haeyoon looked at his reflection with a self-deprecating feeling.
He couldn’t use the excuse of being pressured by Sumin.
He knew very well he wasn’t the type to be moved that way.

Looking at his reflection, Haeyoon recalled a voice he still wasn’t fully accustomed to.
‘Weren’t you going there to ‘gain’ something in the first place?’

Jeongha’s words gave Haeyoon a different kind of realization.
He had only wanted to avoid further entanglement, but he hadn’t considered that it meant giving up time with other friends he hadn’t seen in a long time.
Whether Oh Jaeyeol and Ahn Seonwoo were there or not, Haeyoon needed to protect his own world.
Jeongha made him realize that.

However, coming here wasn’t exactly easy either.
When he stood in front of the venue door, he thought his heart would burst.
Even though he had prepared himself, when it actually came down to it, his legs trembled.
He lost count of how many times he considered turning back.
Fortunately or not, neither Oh Jaeyeol nor Ahn Seonwoo had arrived.

Meeting classmates who welcomed him without hesitation, Haeyoon felt a sense of gladness.
There were many faces he wouldn’t have met easily outside of such an occasion.
Sumin’s words were also right.
Haeyoon had done nothing wrong, so why should he miss out on such a precious and enjoyable gathering out of awkwardness?

Haeyoon silently stared at his expressionless face in the mirror for a moment, then soon dried the remaining water on his hands and returned to his seat.

“Oh, Haeyoon, you’re here…?”

He felt the atmosphere change at that moment.
The faces looking back at Haeyoon from the table all turned pale.
His barely calmed heart began to race as if it would explode again.

“Ha, Haeyoon-ah…”

And amidst that hushed commotion, Haeyoon heard a familiar voice.
A voice as familiar to his ears as his own.
Reflexively turning his head toward the sound, he saw them right there—Oh Jaeyeol and Ahn Seonwoo sitting side by side at the table.

Ahn Seonwoo had, after all, shown up at this place, where Seo Haeyoon might be, where Seo Haeyoon was supposed to be enjoying himself.
Proudly, with Oh Jaeyeol by his side.