[T/N] I apologize for grammar mistakes and incoherencies
Special Chapter 18: Syntax Error #4.
The short phone conversation created confusion for Jaehong. Although it’s difficult to say why, it didn’t seem like a normal conversation. What’s more, the other person was too cold. If Jaeyoung didn’t use endearing terms like “myself” or “my love,” it wouldn’t seem like they were a couple at all, but it seemed like Jaeyoung didn’t find it strange.
“How are you doing?”
The person in front changed the subject abruptly. Even though they had just asked each other about their well-being thirty minutes ago, Jaehong wasn’t surprised by this.
“Same as always.”
As Jaehong pulled out his tablet from his bag, Jaeyoung raised his hand to cover his eyes.
“That’s strange... Why do the people around me only talk about work?”
Jaehong ignored the other party’s words and focused his gaze on the table filled with neatly organized numbers.
While explaining to Jaeyoung how he managed his assets, someone from the company called Glenn called twice. After that, Jaeyoung said that he had to go to the company and asked why he was being called on his day off when it wasn’t urgent.
About forty minutes later, a German-made Mercedes-Benz sedan appeared on the road. It was a hybrid model that was fuel-efficient and practical, but it’s design was not favored by the newer generation. The black car parked behind a red sports car, perfectly aligned. Then, ‘he’ got out.
During the time Jaeyoung, who used to be a straight man, started dating men, Jaehong thought that the other party he was dating must be more attractive than women. Furthermore, he had heard that the other party was pure-hearted, innocent, and adorable. However, the person in front of Jaehong now seemed far from his imagination.
If Jaeyoung looked like someone you would meet on the main street in the middle of the day, the man seemed like someone who had just left the library, wearing a black polo shirt and black cotton pants that reached his ankles, with a digital watch on his wrist. The other man had a handsome and straightforward appearance, but not to the extent that it would make one gasp, and even though he had a slender figure, he wasn’t small enough to be considered, “adorable.”
Is that Jang Jaeyoung’s lover?’
He had expected a well-dressed, stylish man. However, when the person who looked like an Oxford law student appeared, he couldn’t help but feel confused and turned to ask Jaeyoung, but the other party was no longer in their seat.
Jaeyoung did not know when the man in front of him picked something out of his hair and used both hands to brush his cheeks. The two stood talking for a moment. Then they walked side by side towards Jaehong, with Jaeyoung shoulder to shoulder with the other man.
“This is that person and he is from Korea...”
“Nice to meet you.”
“My partner. Chu Sangwoo, we’re getting married at the end of the year.”
Jaeyoung subtly leaned towards the other side, brushing his cheek against the other man, who remained indifferent. He did not resist the difficult situation. Jaeyoung hesitated a moment before pointing at Jaehong with the same finger, but not wholeheartedly.
“Jang Jaehong.”
Then Jaehong looked at the man. When he looked at the other person closely again, he felt that it wasn’t ordinary like the first time. Even though he had a thin and lean figure, it might be due to the fierce and thick eyebrows that made the other person look strong. Moreover, his eyes gave a strange emotion, and the other side didn’t have a charming appearance like Jaeyoung’s playful style, but rather a cool and calm style.
The young man turned his head to look at the person next to him a couple of times before raising his eyebrows and looking at Jaehong, surprised. His lips, which used to be tightly closed, were now wide open, resembling a startled expression.
“You look surprised.”
Jaeyoung looked at the sky and sighed. Then he nudged the other person with his elbow.
“Do you want to say hello?”
“Hello, Jaehong, Jang, nice to meet you.”
The young man spoke with a Korean accent.
‘He probably thinks I can not speak Korean.’
It seemed that no matter what, Jang Jaeyoung did not want to introduce Jaehong to the other side to say something strange. Jaehong responded proudly in fluent Korean.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. Chu Sangwoo. I’m Jaehong, nice to meet you.”
The young man turned to gaze at Jaeyoung. Jaeyoung suppressed a laugh, pretending not to notice.
Jaehong reached into his pocket and took out a business card. As he handed the card over politely, the other party also took out his own business card from his wallet.
[Senior Software Engineer.
Sangwoo-Chu.]
‘A hardline person.’
The business card, which didn’t even have a name in general English, looked stubborn and the young man’s job seemed more secure than Jaehong had anticipated. Meanwhile, Jaehong gathered information that could be collected from small pieces of paper to estimate the other party’s annual income. In the meantime, he also heard whispers of the couple.
“Hyung, Jaehong and Eric are the same person.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Look, it’s written on this business card, Eric Jaehong.”
“...Oh, right, that’s true.”
“You’ve met Eric five times, but you’ve never told me before, right? My love here, you intentionally hid the truth.”
“Um, well...”
“You said he’s the finance manager from England!”
“I didn’t lie.”
You said he’s better in English than Korean!”
“That’s the truth.”
“But then why do I feel like I’ve been deceived?”
“Come on, don’t be like that, it’s just your imagination, seriously! Oh, I don’t have time!”
At that moment, Jaeyoung grabbed the young man’s shoulder and forced him to turn around. Then he gently kissed the young man’s cheek and neck a couple of times before pushing him away, looking dissatisfied.
“Let’s go together, are you busy?”
“Hurry up.”
“I told him to send the information by email and we can handle it over the phone.”
“He complained already. I have agreed already.”
While wondering if both of them would argue, Sangwoo gave in. There was no doubt about anything.
“Ok, then I will go first.”
The other side kissed lightly on the corner of Jaeyoung’s lips before turning and walking briskly towards the car.
“Please sit straight in the seat next to the driver.”
Jaeyoung spoke to Jaehong before lifting his travel bag from the table and putting it under the back of the car in a hurry.
‘Now it’s starting, right?’
Jaehong opened the driver’s side door and sat down on the gray leather seat. The inside of the car was clean and tidy, without any clutter, and there was no unpleasant smell that usually accompanies cars. Jaehong swept his eyes inside the car before being startled when he saw a heart-shaped picture frame placed beside the driver’s seat.
[F O R E V E R ☆ L O V E.]
[O N L Y ★ Y O U.]
The picture inside the frame was a high-resolution photograph of his twin brother, smiling with snow-capped mountains in the background, which didn’t fit the overall atmosphere of the car.
The young man sat in the driver’s seat, asking.
“Is there a place you want to visit?”
“No, there isn’t any.”
While Jaehong shifted his gaze from the rainbow-colored picture frame, the car owner handed him something heavy, and in Jaehong’s hand was a thick travel guidebook.
“I will give you five minutes. After checking quickly, please let me know your top five preferred places. I want to take you in the most convenient and comfortable way, but since we have to consider the route, I can’t go everywhere if you don’t say your preferred location.”
“...”
He began by opening the homepage first, but before he could read anything, he heard a loud knock on the window.
Tap tap tap!
The car owner looked indifferently for about ten seconds before lowering the window as if realizing he had no choice. At that moment, Jaeyoung leaned in and whispered something in his ear.
“Hmm, I love you too.”
The young man responded to his lover, sounding hesitant, before closing the window again. When Jaeyoung’s face disappeared behind the black window, silence crept in.
However, this time, his gaze that had been straight ahead turned sideways and glanced at him, causing a burning sensation on Jaehong’s cheek. Jaehong turned the page of his book but couldn’t concentrate.
When he saw the head turn sideways, the gaze of the other party immediately met Jaehong’s eyes. Their eyes looked fiercely determined, and for a moment, Jaehong even thought that the other party might lean in to kiss him. Jaehong was not unfamiliar with this kind of gaze, but he felt a sense of accomplishment in the low-quality victory of being Jang Jaeyoung’s lover for a long time.
“Chu Sangwoo, right?”
“...Right?”
“Is there something on my face?”
“No, there’s nothing.”
“If that’s the case, why are you staring at me like that?”
He said with a slight smile, so the other party quickly looked forward.
“You look so much like him that I accidentally... I apologize if it doesn’t feel good.”
I don’t feel bad at all.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
The young man slowly turned his gaze back to Jaehong. The other hesitated before speaking.
“If that’s the case, may I take a closer look for a minute?”
“Well... okay.”
“Then let’s begin.”
As he paused, the other party released the safety buckle. Then, Sangwoo extended his hand to adjust the console, moving closer with precision.
‘No touching allowed. No, not closer than fifty centimeters.’
The other party was destroying the fifty centimeters rule, before focusing on Jaehong’s forehead with a seductive pose. Then, Sangwoo tilted Jaehong’s head to look at his side profile for a moment. And then, he sighed softly.
“Wow...”
‘Two hours should be enough.’
This game will end with nothing else to see. The way Sangwoo approached their loved one and the way he approached Jaehong were as different as the sky and the earth. In this case, he thought that he could comfortably go to the airport after dealing with everything in the car without going to the hotel and ruining the two-year-long wedding preparations.
Now, the other party slightly turned their head to almost touch Jaehong’s nose. Then, they lowered their eyes to closely examine his lips.
Jaehong swallowed hard, the distance between them being close enough to count the number of eyelashes lined up like a fan, the other party’s transparent skin, their black hair and bright eyes making the clear difference even more visible. Under the red lips was a pale and slender neck, the black dot that protruded from the collar of the shirt clearly prominent.
‘Sexier up close.’
Jaehong secretly felt curious about the well-groomed young man. Jang Jaeyoung said he was dating the other party because he was ‘adorable,’ but there were many people in this world who were even more adorable than him. Jaeyoung, who could easily date models or actors, must have a reason for being captivated by this man, such as his skills in bed.
The atmosphere shifted and flirtation disappeared without a trace as the young man returned to his seat. He sat down, securely fastening his seatbelt, as if nothing had happened. When he looked at the clock, he realized that a minute had passed.
“You can look again if you want.”
“No, it’s fine. Even though there are still a couple of places I’d like to check...”
The other party hesitated before speaking.
“I have a conscience. I won’t ask for anything inappropriate from my partner’s family.”
“...”
The conversation ended, and Jaehong looked out the window for a moment before brushing his chin with the back of his hand.
“The weather is nice. The sky has been clear like this all day.”
“The maximum temperature today is 26°C, which is slightly higher than the average temperature during the summer here. It’s considered good weather for sightseeing, and there are no forecasts of rain. No need to worry.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Although there is a 7% chance of rain, it’s not a big deal. Most activities are indoors, and there are also two umbrellas in the back seat.”
The direction of the conversation was strangely off, and the young man turned on the air conditioning silently, while listening to a loud noise for a while. Jaehong felt an oddly lonely atmosphere, so he picked a more suitable topic of conversation.
“I heard that you both met at university.”
“Yes.”
“Did Jaeyoung fall in love with you and now he’s chasing after you?”
“He can be annoying at times, but sometimes it may not be love.”
He thought that this could be a topic of conversation for ten minutes, but the conversation ended in three seconds.
“If that’s the case, Chu Sangwoo, you must have fallen in love with him first.”
“No, that’s not the case.”
“Uh.”
The conversation ended instantly, with Jaehong coughing twice before continuing to speak.
Our first impression of each other isn’t very good.”
“Yes. I think it’s like discovering antibiotics.”
“Huh?”
“Penicillin. Initially it was thought to be a harmful mold, but it turned out to be a beneficial living thing.”
“...”
Special Chapter 19: Syntax Error #5.
When Jaehong missed his chance to reply, silence fell in the car, and the man looked at his wristwatch while leaning against the car’s start button.
“Six minutes have passed. I’ll add one minute to make up for the interruption. Please announce each location you choose.”
“What? Um... just a moment, please.”
Jaehong, who had completely forgotten about the tourist destinations, shifted his attention to the book left open on the armrest, even though he was already late.
“Haven’t thought of anything else? I don’t think I’ve given you little time.
Strange.”
The other party’s tone did not sound reproachful, but Jaehong felt like a student who hadn’t done his homework. Surely, there had never been a situation like this during his school days. And why did the unfinished task have to be this one? He didn’t know. So, Jaehong flipped the paper in front of him in the wrong direction, causing the other party to stare at him with a low voice.
“I had already thought that you might have something in common because we grew up in the same neighborhood.”
“What does that mean?”
“Hyung Jaeyoung. If I ask him to do something he will be lazy even while doing it, he often doesn’t finish it on time. You, Jaehong, are similar in that aspect.”
“Lazy...lazy? That’s a misunderstanding. I’m just...”
“But the way to deal with it is different.” The man interrupted.
“If it’s Hyung Jaeyoung, he would lock himself up and say that choosing a tour package is the responsibility of the tour guide.”
The other party snatched the travel book from Jaehong’s hand, preventing him from correcting the embarrassing misunderstanding. He placed the thick book back on the console in the car as he smirked.
“The Renaissance Accademia, The Monument of Second World War, Opera House, City Hall. I recommend this package.”
That was a standard route package similar to high school field trips, a crisis moment where they had to tour only tourist attractions until their feet were almost burnt. He hoped the other party would just play around, but that expression seemed very serious. The fact that Chu Sangwoo was not your average kind of person, not just in terms of atmosphere or charisma, confused Jaehong. His attempt to pretend to be a gentleman must come to an end. It was time for him to assert his leadership.
“Enough about tourism. I want to go to your house more.”
Jaehong raised the corner of his mouth slightly and asked before the man went still for a few seconds.
“Why?”
“I’m a little tired.”
“In that case, I think it would be better for you to get off here. The more you move around, the more tired you’ll get.”
‘Fine. If it’s easy, it won’t be fun.’
Jaehong pondered to himself with a slight smile as he thought the driving force of propulsion was amusing. The more cautious and resistant he was, the higher the value of the goal. Although he knew that once it collapsed, it was just a body like any other, Jaehong wanted to overcome the opposing side that always refused.
“No, I want to go to your house.”
“It takes about thirty minutes to get to my house from here. If you want to relax, there are cafes, restaurants, parks, or nearby hotels as reasonable options.”
“I think it would be more fun to go and see your room.”
The other party remained silent as if lost in thought. There was no immediate response.
“I understand. However, if I want to take someone to my house, you need permission from the co-resident first. That means you have to submit documents signed by Hyung Jaeyoung or his voice file.”
“...Ah?”
How would Jang Jaeyoung react to this? If he told Jaeyoung that they would both go to the house, he would definitely refuse. Or maybe that troubled man had changed his mind and hid that man as tightly as before. Yes, this was an opportunity that he had brought. He wouldn’t let it go to waste.
Jaehong spoke as if he were not disappointed.
“Jaeyoung... is probably working. I don’t want to disturb him. So let’s go to a nearby hotel.”
“Okay. Let’s head to the Belmont.”
As soon as the man finished speaking, Jaehong reached his hand out to fasten his seatbelt before stopping. When he saw the calm and indifferent posture of the other party, he felt a sense of mystery. Generally, going to a hotel together meant having sex in the room, but in the end, would they both think the same way?
“I don’t know which hotel to go to.”
“You probably don’t know the way around here. So I’ll take you to the lobby, okay?”
“The lobby? Then you...”
“I’ll go back home.”
It was correct that he sensed something was off. The side profile that looked calm and cool was the face of someone who had no idea about Jaehong’s feelings. It wasn’t just rejection without thinking about it. The other party looked at Jaehong’s face before speaking.
“Don’t worry. You’ll definitely like it because it’s a five-star hotel.”
“That’s not a problem, let’s go have coffee in the room first. Don’t rush to leave yet.”
“No, thank you. I already have coffee to drink.”
‘What is wrong with this person?’
Jaehong felt speechless. If the other party did not lack the ability to read the hidden meaning in words or probably pretend not to notice the look that Jaehong sent to him. Whatever the case, both were hopeless, but still, it was better when looking at Chu Sangwoo’s facial expression and the content of the conversation... There was a high chance that it would be the first.
Even at that moment. The other party looked at Jaehong’s safety buckle as if telling him to fasten it. If they went to the hotel like this, it would definitely be over, after dropping off Jaehong at the lobby. The other party would have to leave without even turning back, and Jaehong decided to take a step back and return to at least a slightly hopeful path.
“Then it’s better to go to the tourist attraction you mentioned for a while.”
That was no different from declaring surrender, the man grabbed the seatbelt without showing any surprise.
“Time is almost up. Fasten your seatbelt.”
“...”
“I might be difficult to listen… to everything, but I will do my best.”
While everything went in the opposite direction of what was expected, the car moved.
‘Damn, you’re so gentle and cute!’
Jang Jaehong thought that the other party fell into the trap of the enchanting smile that made people lose consciousness. What is this icebox person he chose to marry?
Jaehong looked out the window as if he didn’t feel anything, but the shock did not easily subside. That man didn’t reach the point of being stiff or afraid of strangers, but what was even more the lack of understanding of social norms...
Yes, that’s right. It’s like a machinery device.
Jaehong felt like surrendering, but he tried to reaffirm his own goal once again. He himself had a goal, even though it might not be the same as the other party’s. Once he set a goal, he wouldn’t easily give up.
While one person was driving, the other person just looked out the window, and the car crossed the bridge.
While driving, the young man explained that the Bascule [1] Bridge took several years to build. How long is it, including the number of cars that traffic on it per year, the weight it can bear, and the sound that doesn’t seem too high or low, like leaving the radio on. When he said that, The other party explained how long the central pavilion by the river was completed in how many years and how many years it has been in use.
Having traveled like this, he must have traveled wonderfully and returned. When the other party stopped explaining for a moment, Jaehong naturally joined the conversation.
“I heard that both of you are getting married.”
“Yes.”
“I would like to congratulate you in advance.”
The man paused in silence, showing that the other person didn’t care about anything special about love. Jaehong smiled coolly and smiled on the other side.
“There is a saying that marriage is the burial ground of love.”
“Yes. I think that is an interesting analogy.”
“Oh, what do you mean by that?”
“Usually, when one step is completed, we often have to start the next step.
Insects also change their shape.”
That party glanced at Jaehong’s face for a moment before speaking with added ritual.
“I don’t mean people who change their sex [2], but insects that change their shape by shedding skin. You are at the same level as Hyung Jaeyoung.”
Jaehong decided that this conversation was hopeless and jumped to the next topic.
“How much time is left until the wedding day?”
“175 days.”
“Poor thing, there is still a long time left. It is not strange that something changes during that time, right?”
“Yeah. I am truly in pain, because there is still so much time left before I can sign the marriage registration. I am trying my best to control any variables that may arise.”
Without knowing if the other party is unwilling or intentionally pretending not to know, the young man accepted Jaehong’s hidden intentions like a blessing and felt touched by it. There was a brief moment of silence.
Chusangwoo took a gentle breath and continued.
“During the 81 months, being in the role of Jang Jaeyoung’s lover has not been easy at all. Even though I made him my husband, I still can’t trust him fully.”
“Well, he is quite a romantic, isn’t he? You must have been exhausted by it all. Personally, I wonder if such low-quality behavior will change after marriage.”
“A romantic?”
The man tilted his head as if not understanding and then asked slowly, as if paying attention.
“I heard that you have been in England for a long time, so you must be more adjusted to the English language. From now on, can we speak in
English?”
“...Not necessary. I use Korean as my mother tongue.”
“Alright then.”
The young man drove in silence for a while. When he saw a stop signal, he stopped and spoke again.
“If it’s not a vocabulary problem, then you must have misunderstood what I said. I was complaining about the external system that can destroy the wedding system, which has had a detrimental impact and made me nervous in a different way.”
Jaehong tried his best to think using his brain, fearing that he would be treated as a foreigner again, but this time he really didn’t understand what the other party was saying.
“What do you mean by external system?”
The other party tightly closed their mouth with a stern expression before lowering their voice and speaking softly.
“I don’t believe in supernatural things like speaking words, making them inauspicious, becoming true. But at a time like this, I don’t want to say that word with my own mouth. A word that starts with ‘h’ or in English, starts with ‘d.’ Just as long as there is no system that is annoying. Then I will be able to fully possess and be truly satisfied, I am feeling sad.”
“Oh, um...”
“Don’t say it out loud!”
“...”
“Let me say it again. I don’t believe in luck.”
‘Jang Jaeyoung, that asshole, is he being held by someone unusual?’
Jaehong brooded over himself with a gloomy look in his black eyes, which revealed insanity. The person who described his own lover as ‘useful’ instead of cute or attractive seemed like a bottomless pit in marriage, possession, and something, which is the goal of Jaehong. The only appropriate words to add to him were ‘Jang Jaeyoung’s money’ alone. When he saw the other person’s obvious greed for gold, Jaehong’s intention to interfere with the wedding became stronger.
However, it had been 22 minutes out of two hours and he had not seen any clear results yet. While the man pointed out the poet’s favorite café outside the window, which was still not famous, Jaehong listened sometimes and sometimes not. At the same time, he devised a strategy to find the weak point of the relationship before infiltrating.
“You and Jaeyoung seem to get along well at some level.”
“What does that mean?”
“Long-term couples often argue or not argue so much until they lose interest in each other, and even if they talk about getting married, they eventually break up...”
The words hidden with malicious thoughts made Sangwoo’s hair stand on end.
“Oops, sorry. Please be careful when using words that does synonym with ‘breakup.’”
“...”
“And the disagreements between couples are not words that are synonymous with ‘breakup’ but the positive process of aligning opinions and tightening relationships.”
“It sounds like you argue a lot.”
“Align opinions and tighten relationships frequently.”
Jaehong didn’t miss the undertone hidden in the words. Jaeyoung spoke as if the two of them agreed, but it didn’t seem like Chu Sangwoo thought the same way.
“In most cases, aligning opinions in what matters.”
“Recently, we have been differing opinions on event venues, number of guests, order of ceremonies, catering companies, tuxedo designs, and song selections.”
“Preferences don’t often align.”
“That’s okay. When negotiation becomes difficult, let it be a matter of possibilities.”
“Do you draw lots?”
“We play rock-paper-scissors.”
“...”
“He is quite busy. So, I decided to make some small decisions myself.” The second party, both of them rarely have time together.
“It’s unfortunate, really. It seems that once salaries have increased, workload has increased as well.”
“Yes. Sometimes I miss the times when he was carefree like a clown during his graduate studies. Every morning, he would complain and refuse to let me go to work, and every evening, he would insist on going out to have fun. Back then, I thought it was annoying... “
“Jang Jaeyoung has a side that acts like a child.”
“Because we’re a family, so I know well. He doesn’t let me sleep at night. During mealtimes, he makes me laugh until I can’t cook properly, and sometimes he pretends to be sick so I can feed him. He disturbs me when I have to go to work... Besides that, he calls me from unknown numbers, sends me big bouquets of flowers, suddenly appears at my workplace and scares me, hides post-it notes with lovely messages all around the house, spray ‘I love you’ on the walls, hides in the wardrobe and then comes out... They think it’s romantic, but sometimes it becomes difficult because he plays too much.”
Jaehong listened intently, thinking that the other party would talk about their dissatisfaction. However, the content turned out to be complaining, and Jaehong bit his tongue and silently nodded.
“That’s a big downside. Other people argue with their spouses about different personalities, alcohol addiction, aggression, or a lack of sexual desire.”
In the last sentence, the young man’s face turned pale, and Jaehong received the third party’s seat. It was common for the frequency of sexual intercourse between a long-term couple to gradually decrease and eventually disappear.
‘So, it’s a lack of sex. I guess I’ll have to make more effort to increase it.’ ________________________________________.
[1] Bascule bridge is a bridge that can be lifted and closed.
[2] The word “sexual perverted” or “transgender” is translated as “변태” (pronounced as “pyeontae”) in Korean, which means the same thing.
Special Chapter 20: Syntax Error #6.
The couple who have been together for seven years are no different from a married couple, even if they claim to have no basic sexual desires. Something exciting and deep. Jaehong decided to try it out.
“It’s hot, just like before.”
He lowered his voice and slowly removed his coat. When the white shirt fitted perfectly against his body was revealed, the man turned around immediately. Although he looked back for a moment, he didn’t seem flustered.
Jaehong smiled wickedly, unbuttoned his shirt cuffs, and rolled up the sleeves to the elbows. He wanted to match his appearance to the evaluation of his partners as sexy. He gradually loosened his necktie and unbuttoned two buttons of his shirt to reveal the well-defined muscles that came from a little exercise. Normally, he wouldn’t do anything so slow and deliberate, but he made an exception this time.
Tint, tint, tint, tint, tint, tint.
[Desired temperature inside the car: 18 degrees.]
Chu Sangwoo adjusted the air conditioning carefully, trying not to disturb Jaehong’s emotions.
“I’ve set the lowest temperature. The temperature will lower in a moment.”
“Thank you.”
The other side is just an ordinary fool, or has high-level defenses.
Jaehong buttoned up again and pondered heavily, but he couldn’t be sure of anything. He had three to four one-night stands per month and had encountered many different people, but this is the first time he has met a man with such an odd posture. A man who was proud of his status, a narcissistic man, a tall and self-aware man, a married man. A moody man. Among all these difficult cases, this man is nothing like any of them. It could be said that Chu Sangwoo accidentally ended up in a gay club without any intention.
The situation is not good at all, as the man seems to see Jaehong as a clumsy and not very skilled Korean-speaking foreigner. However, the other party definitely admires Jaehong’s appearance. Whether it’s because he looks similar to Jang Jaeyoung or for some other reason, he has no other hope than to use it to his advantage.
While Jaehong was quietly contemplating, the car arrived at the aquarium.
The young man quickly parked the car before grabbing the camera bag from the back seat and putting it over his shoulder. He got out of the car without saying anything. When Jaehong got out of the car, the man briskly walked ahead. When he followed the other party to the ticket booth, a short argument ensued.
“You’ve been driving, so let me pay for the tickets.”
“It’s fine. Just keep your pocket money.”
“No, I...”
“If you really want to spend that much money, on the 175 th day from today, you can put the money in an envelope.”
“...”
Jaehong couldn’t think of a quick retort and thus lost the argument once again.
The young man used a 20% resident discount voucher to buy two tickets on his mobile phone before leading the way. When they entered the building, they encountered a hallway with walls and ceilings decorated as an aquarium, which was crowded with noisy children due to the venue’s reputation and it being a weekend.
Jaehong draped his jacket over his arm and casually glanced at the fish tanks, paying little attention. After walking a few steps, he could feel the other party’s gaze on his neck and side profile. Trying to pretend not to care, he eventually couldn’t bear it and sneaked a look at his own reflection in the glass, while swiftly opening his pants pocket, feigning ignorance of the gaze.
He encountered men who declined having sex with him with the reason that he already had a wife or had had countless boyfriends. If the attraction was purely physical, it would be useless, just like being in a relationship with someone who has a lover and has been dating for a long time. In this situation, even if the man was close to getting married and could control his emotions strongly, it was reasonable to be fearful.
However, he couldn’t immediately deceive the other party, as the place was filled with children and it would be difficult to find even the letter “S” in the word “Sex”. Jaehong decided to buy the other party’s favor here for the time being. At that moment, the young man picked up the long-lens camera, as if it had become a heavy weapon, and started taking pictures of the fish coincidentally.
“Do you like taking photos?”
“Yes, I do.”
“It’s a great hobby.”
“I like it because it makes me feel like I can capture moments that cannot be revisited in two-dimensional form.”
“I understand. Ultimately, photography is one of the most powerful results of human efforts to conquer time.”
Although he didn’t do anything wrong when he first heard it, Jaehong quickly became accustomed to the young man’s speaking style and found it easier to imitate than he thought. The other side seemed satisfied with Jaehong’s answer and paused for a moment before responding reservedly but clearly.
“Yes, that’s right. Because the appearance of each thing is different from one minute ago, ten minutes ago, or one hour ago. When it is captured on a flat surface, it feels like owning that thing during that time. It’s a pity that in the realm of physics it is said that time machines cannot be invented, so we can only rely on this imperfect method without other alternatives.”
The other side looked at the camera with a pensive and intoxicated look before starting to take pictures of the fish in the tank again. Jaehong secretly admired the side profile of that person.
“We can’t go back to the past... It’s a simple thought that is similar to philosophy, isn’t it? That’s why we must seize the moment, Carpe diem[2], choosing to capture a moment is always good, right?”
After making his thoughts clear, he looked at the man without blinking, but the man seemed to not understand and looked confused.
“Korean is quite difficult for you, isn’t it? I can speak English if you prefer.”
“...”
The man continued to take photos until the large water tank was in full view, then he stopped and checked the pictures on the camera. When he glanced at the screen, it seemed like they were not exceptionally impressive images. Even Jaehong, who knew nothing, felt that the arrangement of the elements was scattered and looked no different from taking a photo with a mobile phone.
Jaehong kept his thoughts to himself and praised him sincerely.
“Hmm, an excellent ability indeed.”
“I have seven years of experience.”
“I have been wanting to study all along, can you help teach me a bit?”
“How to take photos?”
“Yes.”
The young man gladly agreed.
It went according to Jaehong’s plan. If he said he wanted to learn photography, he had to try taking photos and send them to him. Since the moment he received the camera, there have been countless ways to use it as a medium to receive impressions from the other side. However, the young man held onto the camera tightly and refused to send it to Jaehong.
“First of all, this model is a single-lens reflex camera. The reflected image that enters the lens will be seen through the viewfinder, passing through the color separation process, and the light signals will be converted into electrical signals using a CMOS image sensor instead of film.”
When Jaehong paused with an interested look, the theory class continued.
“Look here. Does the lens capture the reflected image?”
“Yes.”
“The object being photographed will pass through the RGB filter inside and remain on the image sensor. The part that protrudes here is the pentaprism, which corrects the image to appear upright through a reflection process.
That’s why it’s called a reflex camera.” ‘Finally.’
The person requesting to be taught had no excuses to stop the explanation. If Jaehong knew that the lecture would take up to eleven minutes, he would not have pretended to see the camera from the beginning.
“I’ll check if you understand correctly. What is the purpose of this part?”
“It is used to adjust the focus of the object when using manual focus mode
[7].”
“What is it called?”
“Focus Ring.”
“Please explain the difference between contrast AF[8] and phase difference AF[9].”
“Contrast AF has a strength in focus accuracy, while phase difference AF has a strength in speed. Your camera, Chu Sangwoo, uses a hybrid autofocus method that combines both techniques.”
“Very impressive.”
‘Received a compliment, huh.’
That was the only success of the day. Jaehong felt uncertain whether he should be happy or not, as he went back and forth with the other party, from receiving only cold reactions to interactions that made him feel even the simplest greeting seemed more valuable than ever. He smiled comfortably, responding without feeling anything.
“Thank you for explaining so well.”
“Yes, that’s right. You also know a lot.”
At that moment, the young man smiled softly with eyes that once had no emotions, causing his eyes to disappear into the eyelids. Although it was just a slight movement of the facial muscles, the atmosphere that used to be tense changed completely by 180 degrees. The smile had an angle that resembled that of a small child.
‘My boyfriend? He is super cute.’
It seemed like Jang Jaeyoung didn’t make a mistake, but then his calm and distinctive face quickly returned.
“What I just explained was only the basic knowledge of the structure of certain cameras. Remember that the working principles may vary slightly depending on the model.”
“Understood.”
“You have to constantly learn in order to become a skilled photographer. If you want to, I will send you a link to a useful camera course through Hyung
Jaeyoung.”
“I understand.”
Anything is fine, but the conclusion is, ‘through Hyung Jaeyoung’. Is that so? He didn’t like it, it took him eleven minutes out of his two hours to patiently listen to the detailed explanation, and the photographer wasn’t worth it. Even though he felt somewhat familiar with this stranger, well, that’s it.
Jaehong reached out his hand and softly asked.
“Now that we have studied the theory, is it time to practice?”
Sangwoo shielded his arm around the camera as if Jaehong wanted to destroy it, and it seemed like he came up with the idea that they were getting closer.
“I will show you a good example.”
The other party carefully tucked the camera into the bag in response to Jaehong’s request. Then he took out his mobile phone from his pants pocket and scrolled through the album for a moment before selecting one picture to show Jaehong.
One man wrapped a scarf around his head, holding the steering wheel of what appeared to be a car SUV top-down, with a dark, sandy beach background and the edge of the sky slanting gracefully. But the smile on the man’s face made the picture brighter and fresher, and it was only then that Jaehong realized that Jang Jaeyoung was someone who could smile so warmly.
“After taking this photo, I accidentally dropped the camera. I don’t know why the sandstorm was so strong, and the equipment broke. Plus, I ended up eating a lot of sand. But because I managed to recover this photo, I didn’t mind.”
Suddenly, the man spoke up.
‘What should I say in response?’
At times like this, he should speak in support of the other party’s words, but Jaehong instead revealed a puzzled smile. Why did he go to the beach? What did Jang Jaeyoung like to make him smile so widely? Jaehong didn’t really want to know the heartwarming memories of their shared past, so he strained his desire to speak out and changed the conversation topic.
“Seems like you enjoy traveling.”
“Yes. Because even the same object can look different depending on the background.”
“That’s true. Where are you planning to go for your winter vacation?”
“Canada, near the North Pole.”
“You’re going to see the aurora, right?”
“Yes. I’m going snowboarding. I went there four years ago, but at that time, there were weather issues so I couldn’t see the aurora. Hyung Jaeyoung said he wanted to see it, so this time I want to show it to him.”
The young man spoke with an attitude of indifference as if he were being forced to go. He felt bored and a sense of responsibility towards his long-time partner. Jaehong thought that he had found an opportunity.
“I don’t understand why those aurora lights are so special for tourists. It means people could do something more valuable than spending money and time there.”
“Actually, I have thought the same.”
“Really?”
“If it were me seven years ago, I might have said that I didn’t understand why people get excited about the phenomenon of the eclipse and the burning of the atmosphere’s molecules.”
Seven years ago was before they started dating.
“What about now?”
“Now... when the atmosphere’s molecules burn in the eclipse. I hope that oxygen breaks down into ions in smaller quantities than other gasses like nitrogen or neon. Because in the visible light spectrum, Hyung Jaeyoung looks best in red.”
________________________________________.
[1] Double cuff, “ขอ้มอืแบบแขนเบิล้ .” The end of the shirt sleeve folds up into two layers and does not come with buttons. It must be worn with cufflinks or shirt studs.
[2] Carpe diem, Latin for “seize the day.” It means to live in the present moment and make the most of it.
[3] Single-lens reflex camera, commonly known as SLR Camera.
[4] Viewfinder. The visual window.
[5] CMOS, Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. It is a sensor where each pixel has sub-circuits that convert incoming light into digital signals instantly. In addition to CMOS sensors, there are also other types of sensors such as CCD, MOS, or JFET, which have different operating principles. The choice of sensor depends on the brand of the camera.
[6] RGB, a color system for digital work, abbreviation for red, green, and blue. It is the process of mixing the three primary colors, which are red, green, and blue, to create various colors.
[7] Manual focus. Focusing manually.
[8] Contrast, Detection, : CDAF. A system, AF, used in Compact cameras, uses the camera sensor to focus by searching for maximum contrast, which is the point with the highest clarity, making the autofocus relatively slow but accurate.
[9] Phase, Detection, : PDAD. A system, AF, used in DSLR cameras, separates the incoming light into two parts to create two images. The camera considers the difference in focus points between the two images and calculates the desired direction when moving towards or away from the camera, and the distance, to achieve autofocus. Then, the lens is moved to align them, helping to achieve fast autofocus but with less accuracy compared to CDAF.
Special Chapter 21: Syntax Error #7.
Jaehong felt a sudden surge of emotions. He was the man who took the photo because he wanted to possess Jang Jaeyoung. The man who went on a trip to see Jang Jaeyoung in the background scene was different. The man who expected the red aurora light only because it suited Jang Jaeyoung. Even though he spoke strangely or displayed an indifferent attitude, there was only one conclusion.
‘Aren’t you just getting married just because of money.’
It may be because he had grown tired of relationships that were solely physical, or it may be because he saw married couples arguing over financial problems until they were bored. Just by imagining that, Jaehong no longer felt any emotions.
“Chu Sangwoo?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of memorial park is the one we’re going to visit?”
“It is a place that provides knowledge about the history of human conflicts and the importance of peace.”
“It doesn’t seem very interesting. I would rather talk to you two in a quieter place.”
The man standing close to the aquarium glass looked back with a questioning face. Jaehong remained silent.
“I think we’ve looked enough. Let’s move to another place.”
“From this point on, it’s worth seeing for real.”
The man reached out his hand towards the sign that read <Komuflage -
Stealth Experts> but Jaehong returns his gaze to the poster above that sign.
[Romantic Skyline Dinner, 10% off!
Enjoy the beautiful view on the 15th floor, together with your loved ones.]
He wasted 58 minutes of his time, and he didn’t have any more time to waste. There was an elevator in the hallway, so Jaehong put one hand in his trouser pocket and pressed the elevator button.
“Where are you going?”
“15th floor.”
“That’s a restaurant up there. Are you hungry?”
“I already told you. I want to find a quiet place to talk to you, Sangwoo.”
“If you insist on going, I’ll go along with your intentions. But I also have my own plans.”
The man looked dissatisfied at his watch, but Jaehong pretended not to hear those words.
Just then, the elevator arrived, and they entered the enclosed space together. Jaehong pressed the button for “15th floor” before leaning against one wall. Meanwhile, the other person turned to face the elevator door.
‘The outside looks normal.’
The other person just closed his mouth and looked like a painting. Although his hairstyle held firmly to the normal and indifferent fashion, he looked naturally handsome. The curve from his forehead to between his eyebrows, or the faint shadow created by the tip of his nose made him look younger than his age. The sexy point was the slender and pale neck that extended from his chin, both thin and pale, inviting me to hold it tightly with just one hand...
“Are you considering me?”
The man looked straight ahead, his voice lifting slightly as if he had finally caught the strange atmosphere. Jaehong immediately replied as if he had been waiting.
“Yes. What are you looking at?”
“Why are you staring?”
“So I can’t look? I think good-looking men are a public commodity.”
“That must be a common joke among economists.”
The other person turned slightly, with a mocking smile hanging on the corner of their lips. As both locked eyes, Jaehong realized that this was a chance that would not come again. Jaehong took a step closer to the other person, tying them down with his gaze so they couldn’t escape, whispering softly.
“I...am I like Jang Jaeyoung?”
“Yes. You’re twin brothers from the same test-tube, after all.”
“Even so, we have many differences.”
The young man furrowed his brows, his gaze slowly trailing down from Jaehong’s hair to his neck, chest, waist, until it reached his feet.
“Where is your suit from?”
“I had it custom-made.”
“That’s a shame. I wanted to buy it for hyung.”
Is it a normal behavior for someone to be openly seductive while the other thinks about whether the shirt suits his partner or not? Jaehong couldn’t understand the other person’s thoughts with his own way of thinking. The man shifted his gaze from Jaehong’s shoulders and looked into his eyes.
“Hyung Jaeyoung doesn’t wear suits often, but he has a slightly different style. He thinks the standard style is boring.”
“That’s true.”
“Sometimes if he dresses like that...I would definitely lose my composure and jump him right there.”
“...”
After Sangwoo spoke casually, the elevator opened and they walked out. The man seemed fierce in contrast to his outward appearance, which looked polite and refined. He felt that he understood why Jaeyoung couldn’t concentrate.
The restaurant on the 15th floor had a decent atmosphere. It was now a time of uncertainty. It wasn’t lunchtime or dinner, but it was easier to do something than going to a war memorial.
When they sat at the table by the window, covered with a white tablecloth, the waiter immediately brought the menu. Jaehong looked at the wine before flipping the menu to pass it to the other person.
“What would you like? This time, I’ll pay for it myself.”
“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”
“At least order something light...”
“I have to go have dinner with hyung.”
Every sentence must end with “hyung.” Jaehong didn’t like it, but he pretended not to notice and ordered a cheese platter [1] and French wine.
Both of them sat in silence for a while, the man’s hands crossed and hugged his chest and looked out the window. Meanwhile, Jaehong elegantly looked at the other person and chose a topic to discuss in his mind. The shoulder wrapped in a black polo shirt, the well-defined muscles on the stretched arms, the rough and protruding fingers adorned with a ring, just like the one Jaeyoung wore. The right hand had long and thin scars and a few blemishes.
“Your hand was injured.”
The young man briefly looked at his own hand before glancing outside again.
“I have pets at home.”
Judging by the appearance of the wound, it seemed like a cat. Ah, it’s an opportunity to make the atmosphere more relaxed.
“A cat, huh? What breed?”
“Domestic cats. Unlike dogs, they have a short history of breed according to human conveniences so it’s not meaningful to categorize them. But if you really want to know, it’s a mixed breed.”
“What’s the need of categorizing breeds according to human convenience?
As long as they are healthy, it’s enough.”
“When Hyung Jaeyoung found it, it had an infection and low platelets, which was life-threatening. But now it’s healthy.”
“It’s really amazing. What’s its name?”
“Its real name is ‘Visual Basic [2].’ And hyung Jaeyoung calls it ‘WB.’”
“That sounds very unique.”
“I named it related to my own work to make it feel close to me, but that plan failed.”
“...”
It seems like the conversation is going in the wrong direction, Jaehong changes the topic even though it’s awkward.
“I don’t really like cats, because they don’t really like humans, which is wrong compared to dogs.”
When he heard that, the other party nodded.
“It would try to go hunting after not finding someone to feed it and pick up its waste. I don’t know if it’s stupid or if it has a bad temperament, but either way, it’s a big problem.”
“I’ve never raised a cat, and my dad likes dogs, so we always had two dogs at home.”
“I know. Lucy and Tan, purebred Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds. Hyung raised them until they were nine. I heard you cried a lot when you separated.”
‘Jang Jaeyoung, you’re telling this outsider everything.’
Jaehong thought about the large dog he used to raise as a child, when his job responsibilities changed, his dad left the two dogs they raised for the military personnel who came to take over the position. From that day on, he could hear the sound of Jaeyoung crying every night.
“And I raised Mir, a Samoyed breed in Hong Kong for two years.”
“That’s right. That friend of mine, I stubbornly brought the dog with me to
England.”
At that time, his parents divorced. Jaeyoung returned to Korea with his mother, while Jaehong grew up under his father’s care in England.
For some reason, the conversation continued as normal, so Jaehong pushed this momentum and thought of fun stories about dogs.
“Among my friends from school, there was one person who likes to howl when drunk.”
“Is that so?”
“That friend is a man, but he howls like a female dog. If he gets drunk one day, the male dogs who are on heat would gather in front of his flat, causing great rumors among the other residents.”
The other party didn’t laugh or smirk, just waiting for Jaehong to finish speaking and then pausing with an expressionless face.
“It’s a very fun story. If you don’t mind, can I go back to the topic about childhood experiences?”
“...Sure.”
“Hyung Jaeyoung. When he was a kid, he was very popular among the girls.” Even though he vaguely mentioned childhood, in the end it was about Jang Jaeyoung that Jaehong answered.
“I was more popular.”
“You’re really good at teasing, aren’t you? There’s no way it’s like that.”
“...”
“He told me first girlfriend was when he was 10 years old. A girl named
Emily. You might have met her.”
“Yes...maybe.”
“What kind of person is she?”
“I remember she was not a good person.”
“He would show off to everyone that she was his first love.”
“...”
“And he even said that he practiced dating for seventeen years to pursue me, who would believe such a meaningless story.”
‘And what should I answer?’
Jaehong had to try his best not to make a cold face. At this moment, the man in front of him looked the most excited he had ever seen.
“Hyung Jaeyoung. When he was a kid, did he play basketball in a cunning style?”
“Did he ever raise his hand to present at school?”
“At what age did he start drawing?”
“Is he good at talking to seniors?”
“How tall was he when he entered elementary school? How much does he weigh?”
Besides, there were many other questions, but Jaehong cannot answer clearly because he does not remember things from his childhood often, and both have very different personalities so they don’t get along.
“If you have a photo or drawing of Hyung Jaeyoung, find it and scan it to sell it to me. It would be better if you can give me the original.”
“No.”
“Diary, homework book, letters, or other information, anything?”
“No, there is nothing like that.”
When he heard both of them talking on the phone, Jaehong thought they were a couple who upheld traditional customs, and it was easy to break them by just snapping his fingers, but he was wrong because the man in front of him had crossed the line of love to a level that looked like a stalker.
“I want to know what is written in the record. He must have kept the love and admiration of every teacher reserved for himself, right?”
“No. He is a troubled child who needs special attention.”
“Please speak the truth.”
“You must have misunderstood something very much... Jang Jaeyoung... He was not cute as a child. Not intelligent beyond his age, and not at all lovable.
He was a troublemaker.”
“Because he is your fraternal twin. That’s why you are so jealous of him.”
Luckily, the waiter served the wine and dishes just in time, as Jaehong almost struggled to find words to answer. The waiter poured wine into Jaehong’s glass before turning to look at the other person, but the other side declined. Well, this is an excellent opportunity to change this boring conversation topic.
“Looks like you’re not very good at drinking alcohol.”
The man looked beyond Jaehong’s shoulder, seemingly there is something special that can captivate their attention for a while. Jaehong sneakily glanced behind, but only found a typical atmosphere of a restaurant.
“Why? Is there something there?”
“There’s nothing.”
“What is it?”
“Hyung Jaeyoung just goes back and forth.”
“...Jang Jaeyoung?”
“He acts like he’s busy, but he doesn’t seem to know what to do with the wig.”
Jaehong turned around and looked behind him, but he couldn’t find Jaeyoung. Then the faint dry voice of another person grew louder from behind.
“He’s gone now.”
“If he’s been going back and forth for a while, does that mean you’ve seen him multiple times?”
“On the first floor. Didn’t you see him? He walked in with us but stayed about a meter away.”
‘Damn it, crazy guy!’
Giving him two hours, even setting a long condition like a tail, and still not being able to trust enough to have to follow? The man looked around before whispering softly, afraid that someone might hear.
“Help me by pretending that you don’t know or see. I beg you.”
“Huh? Why?”
“If he’s caught red handed, hyung Jaeyoungwon’t be happy.”
“...”
________________________________________.
[1] Cheese, platter, or “Cheese, board.” Or, Cheese, plate, can be called by various names. It is a collection of various types of cheese, arranged on a wooden tray, with accompanying condiments, for snacking or socializing on various occasions.
[2] Visual Basic, or VB, is a programming language with a GUI (Graphic User Interface: using images as the user interface). Created by Microsoft, this language is one of the popular programming languages for business applications.