Chapter 24

Yi-seon shuddered theatrically and headed out of the park. By the time they reached the shore, the sun had baked the top of his head. He was debating between the seawall and a nearby cafe when Mugyeol declared he was dying of heat, hooked an arm around Yi-seon’s neck, and dragged him into the cafe.

Yi-seon stood beneath the air conditioner, silently thanked modern civilization, and ordered two watermelon juices. When he turned, Mugyeol was lingering in front of a strange machine.

Yi-seon asked, “What are you doing?”

“Said they take free photos.”

“Really?”

The two peered into the free photo kiosk.

Mugyeol had to crouch awkwardly before his face fit on the screen. Yi-seon bent down beside him and gave the display an uncertain smile. They pressed the shutter, and a black-and-white picture printed on receipt-like paper.

“It really printed.”

“Let’s take one more. I want one too.”

They took a second shot with Mugyeol giving a thumbs-up and Yi-seon flashing a V-sign. Mugyeol kept the first print; Yi-seon took the second.

Mugyeol slipped his print into his clear phone case and announced that he had deliberately chosen the one where Yi-seon looked stupider. Yi-seon lunged for the phone, but Mugyeol easily held it out of reach.

They left the cafe with their watermelon juice and walked until they reached a concrete embankment descending toward the water, where several other groups were hanging out.

Yi-seon watched the waves below. The water was gray and cloudy with sediment.

“Why is the sea gray?”

“The West Sea is always like that.”

“Definitely different from Guam.”

“Let’s go to the East Sea next time.”

“Sounds good. In water like this, even if you made bubble rings for me underwater, I wouldn’t be able to see them.”

“…”

Mugyeol’s expression soured as he looked at the gray water. For someone so rough around the edges, he was surprisingly fussy about cleanliness, and even imagining himself in that water seemed to offend him.

The actual danger came from behind them. One of several boys horsing around lost his balance and barreled straight into Yi-seon.

“Whoa-aah!”

The impact sent Yi-seon lurching forward. Splash! Both shoes plunged into the water. As the rest of him tipped after them, an arm hooked beneath his arms and locked across his chest, hauling him backward before he could fall in.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Mugyeol’s low voice sounded above him. Yi-seon had landed against his chest; once he regained his footing, he looked up to find Mugyeol holding him securely with an easy smile.

“Too bad. I could’ve given Ryu Yi-seon a good rinse in the seawater.”

“…”

Yi-seon looked down. His own shoes were soaked, but Mugyeol’s sneakers were drenched too from stepping into the water to catch him.

“Ah, what do we do? Your sneakers are soaked. I’m sorry…”

The boy who had crashed into him immediately began bowing and apologizing too. “I’m so sorry! But he pushed me! I didn’t mean to push him!”

The boy, who looked about middle-school age, pointed accusingly behind him. A few steps away, two or three friends bowed as well, pale and visibly intimidated by Mugyeol.

To be fair, Mugyeol looked perfectly capable of brutal retaliation. And to middle schoolers, older high-school boys were terrifying by default.

Mugyeol slung an arm around Yi-seon’s shoulder, murmuring nonchalantly, “What should we do? Should I wreck ’em?”

Hearing those words, the boy’s face drained completely white. Watching that reaction, Yi-seon asked Mugyeol, “Are your sneakers okay? They’re completely soaked.”

“What’s there to be okay about? They’re already wet.”

Mugyeol sounded surprisingly calm. He did not seem inclined to take his irritation out on either Yi-seon or the younger boy. Relieved, Yi-seon turned to the kid. “Be more careful… Look, we’re completely drenched.”

“I’m sorry!”

“All right. Go on. Go play—far away from here.”

“Yes, sir!”

The boy took the dismissal and fled.

They squelched back onto dry ground, their soaked shoes leaving wet, muddy tracks.

Still guilty, Yi-seon touched Mugyeol’s forearm and apologized again. “It feels gross, doesn’t it? I’m sorry. It’s because of me.”

“It’s fine. Let’s just go wash our feet.”

Mugyeol gestured with his chin toward an outdoor wash station. For someone usually so irritable and fussy about cleanliness, Mugyeol was taking the disaster remarkably well. Yi-seon felt both guilty and grateful.

They stripped off their shoes and socks and rinsed their feet under the tap. Muddy water kept pouring from the sneakers no matter how long they washed them. Yi-seon knew he should probably feel bad, but the absurdity kept making him laugh.

Afterward they sat on the concrete to dry off. Their feet would dry quickly in the warm sun; the sneakers were another matter. Yi-seon stared at the sodden shoes and wondered how they were supposed to get home in them.

Beside Yi-seon, who was blankly staring at the wet marks on the ground, Mugyeol pulled out a handkerchief. “Wipe them.”

“Man, you really are something.”

Classic Mugyeol: prepared for everything. What other high-school boy carried a handkerchief in his bag?

Yi-seon joked that maybe Mugyeol had spare sneakers and socks in his bag too. Mugyeol stood without answering and shoved his feet into the wet sneakers, crushing the heels underfoot.

“Where are you going?”

“Just watch the seagulls.”

“Where are you going? …You’re not sulking because your sneakers got wet, are you? Don’t leave me behind and go home alone…!” Yi-seon called out after Mugyeol’s retreating back.

Mugyeol merely waved a dismissive hand behind him and kept walking, pretending not to hear.

Left alone, Yi-seon stared out at the sea. A seagull waddled over, loitered beside him, then flew away. After a while, footsteps approached from behind. Yi-seon turned to find Mugyeol carrying two black plastic bags.

“What are those?”

Mugyeol pulled two pairs of triple-stripe slides from one bag, tore open the plastic around a pair, and dropped them in front of Yi-seon.

“Put them on.”

“You went to buy these? …You should’ve told me. I could’ve gone.”

Why didn’t I think of that? All we had to do was go to a corner store and buy slippers.

Slipping into a pair of slides himself, Mugyeol retrieved something from the other bag and tossed it over.

“Eat.”

Yi-seon looked down. Mugyeol had tossed him a cold pear-flavored tube ice pop.

“…Thanks, I’ll enjoy it.”

Yi-seon twisted open the ice pop while sneaking glances at Mugyeol.

He strangely feels like a dad…

The ice pop had softened slightly during Mugyeol’s walk back from the store. Pop! Yi-seon twisted off the top, sucked the little cap clean, and stood.

With black plastic bags of wet sneakers swinging from their wrists, they walked along the embankment. They were doing nothing special—eating ice pops, wandering beside the sea, sitting down whenever they felt like it—and Yi-seon was completely content.

Mugyeol took out his phone and opened a music app. “Want to listen to some music?”

“Yeah. But I didn’t bring my earphones. I left them in my study cafe locker…”

“Use mine.”

“You have over-ear headphones.”

Mugyeol grinned and produced a pair of wired earphones. He always carried them in case his wireless headphones died. “Take notes, Ryu Yi-seon. Learn from this hyung-nim’s preparedness.”

“…I wouldn’t dare even try to match it, Mugyeol-ah…”

They split the earphones, one bud each, and put a sea-themed playlist on shuffle. Yi-seon did not recognize a single song, but even that felt pleasant.

For a while neither spoke. Yi-seon loved that silence between them no longer needed filling.

Yi-seon tapped his foot to an unfamiliar song and looked out over the sea. The afternoon light had deepened toward gold, breaking into flashes of amber and red across the rippling water.

Whoosh—whoosh… Waves sounded in the distance. A warm sea breeze stirred Yi-seon’s collar while passing laughter approached behind them and faded away again.

The shore was busy around them, yet their little pocket of silence felt tranquil. They sat side by side, looking at the same view.

After several unfamiliar tracks had played through, Yi-seon murmured softly, “This is nice… isn’t it?”

“Yeah. It really is.”

Neither was in a hurry to move. They stayed where they were, sharing the view and the music.

Yi-seon closed his eyes. He knew this day with Mugyeol would settle somewhere deep in his memory, warm and impossible to forget. The thought made him happy and a little afraid. Somehow, Mugyeol had taken up even more room inside him today.

When their shadows had grown noticeably longer, they finally stood. If they wanted to make it home on time, they had to leave before sunset.

Yi-seon was reluctant to leave. He wanted more time with Mugyeol, and for once being a student with a curfew felt deeply unfair. On the way to the bus stop, he eyed the rows of grilled-clam restaurants along the street.

“Let’s come visit again later, Mugyeol-ah. When we become adults.”

“Sure.”

“Then we can watch the sunset, eat at a grilled clam place, and drink… alcohol? Let’s drink alcohol too! I want to have beer. It seems crisp and refreshing. They say soju tastes terrible.”

“Deal. Let’s drink it all.”

Yi-seon smiled. Simply imagining another trip with Mugyeol lifted his spirits. “Wait, maybe we won’t be able to drink back then either? We could come by car next time. Riding the subway was way too tedious.”

“Guess I’ll have to get my driver’s license as soon as possible.”

“Ooh, Yeon Mugyeol sounds like an adult. What kind of car will you buy once you get your license?”

“Who knows. What kind of car do you like?”

“When I’m older, I want a sports car. Not that you can just buy one because you want it… But I saw one once and it looked so cool. I want to ride in one of those cars where the roof opens.”

“Is that so?”

Mugyeol nodded as if filing the information away. Yi-seon had no idea why, but before he could ask, their bus appeared in the distance and both boys broke into a sprint. Missing it would mean a long wait for the next one.

They boarded out of breath and dropped into seats side by side. The ride to the station took about twenty minutes, so they passed it trading photos from the day.

“Look at this. Doesn’t this seagull have such a serious look in its eyes?”

Yi-seon laughed at the grave-looking seagull perched on the railing. Then he swiped back through a few more pictures on Mugyeol’s phone…

“Hm?”

A bizarre photo appeared: Yi-seon caught mid-sneeze, eyes half closed and face contorted. It was not merely unflattering. It was hideous.

“Why the hell do you even take stuff like this, you crazy bastard…?”

“Why? You came out cute.”

“Cute, my ass…”

Yi-seon deleted it at once. Mugyeol, who had been lounging peacefully beside him, snatched the phone back and glared.

“What gives? Why did you delete it?”

“…Because it’s a picture of me?”

Yi-seon stared at him, thoroughly perplexed.

Is he really glaring at me like this just because I deleted my own photo?

…Why?

Mugyeol kept glaring. He clutched the phone and leaned toward Yi-seon as he protested, “Why’d you delete it? It’s mine, so why are you deleting it?”

“What do you mean, it’s yours? It’s a picture of me. It’s ugly.”

“It’s not ugly.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but that photo is ugly.”

“Even if it’s ugly, it’s mine.”

“What?”

“I took it, so it’s my photo. Why are you just deleting it whenever you want? It’s mine. It belongs to me.”

Mugyeol dug in like an elementary schooler whose entire vocabulary had been reduced to mine. Yi-seon could not understand the tantrum. He had deleted an ugly picture of himself. If anything, wasn’t Mugyeol technically the one violating portrait rights?

Mugyeol looked genuinely offended and kept glaring, so Yi-seon glared right back.

Why is he having another fit…?

Yi-seon refused to argue any further and looked away. Mugyeol continued glaring all the way to the station.

They entered the station in stony silence. Mugyeol kept tracking Yi-seon with a sharp stare while Yi-seon broke into a nervous sweat.

Should I apologize? For deleting my own photo?

Why? Even if Mugyeol took it, it’s still my face. The only other thing in the frame was a seagull. Was the seagull the part he treasured?

While increasingly ridiculous theories ran through Yi-seon’s mind, the train arrived. He followed Mugyeol aboard.

Because they were boarding near the end of the line, the car was nearly empty. Mugyeol sat first, crossed his arms, and turned away without looking at Yi-seon. The sulk could not have been more obvious.

Yi-seon hesitated, then chose the bench opposite. He had intended to sit beside Mugyeol, but the atmosphere around him was cold enough to repel approach.

The train pulled away. Once the line emerged aboveground, bands of vivid green slid past the windows.

Yi-seon quietly observed Mugyeol sitting across from him. Arms crossed, Mugyeol had his eyes closed.

Outside, green leaves blurred through amber evening light. Sunlight poured through the large window and gathered around Mugyeol’s silhouette.

“…”

Golden light washed over Mugyeol’s dark hair while passing shadows of leaves flickered across his face. The ordinary train car looked unexpectedly serene.

Yi-seon snapped a picture. Despite the swaying train, it came out looking almost professionally staged. Mugyeol still had his eyes closed, so Yi-seon scribbled a little doodle over the image and sent it across.

Bzzzt.

The phone belonging to Mugyeol across from him vibrated. Opening his eyes, Mugyeol checked the photos Yi-seon had sent.

There were two pictures. The first was the shot Yi-seon had just taken, with a tiny handwritten caption beneath it:

This guy really sulks every single day, boo-hoo-hoo.

The second was the ugly picture Yi-seon had deleted earlier. He had already sent himself a copy from Mugyeol’s phone, so deleting the original had never erased it completely.

If Mugyeol was going to stage a silent protest over one terrible photograph, Yi-seon might as well send it back. Looking at it would not kill him.

Mugyeol’s expression softened as soon as he saw the pictures. He scribbled something on his phone and sent it back.

Bzzzt—

Yi-seon’s phone vibrated in reply. The message contained a photo of him yawning over a workbook at school, now decorated with a fly heading straight into his open mouth. Mugyeol had clearly just drawn it.

Yi-seon snapped his head up, his face flushed with indignation. “You crazy bastard! When did you even take this?! You’re a total serial offender!”

Yi-seon shot to his feet. Mugyeol snickered and jerked his chin toward the empty seat beside him. “Sit here.”

“…”

Pretending reluctance, Yi-seon marched over and sat beside him. He was still annoyed, but he liked Mugyeol too much to waste an easy chance to make up.

Neither spoke, but the silence no longer felt awkward. More passengers boarded at every station until the once-empty car grew crowded and noisy.

Clack-clack, clack-clack. The rhythm of the train made Yi-seon’s eyelids heavier with every minute. His head began to nod sideways until, too sleepy to fight it, he let his temple rest against Mugyeol’s shoulder.

“Mugyeol-ah, I’m so sleepy. Lend me your shoulder for a bit…”

“Yeah. Take it.”

Mugyeol’s low answer was almost a hum beneath the noise of the train.

“Thanks… I’ll take turns and lend you mine later.”

“Then I’ll take that one too.”

“Mm…”

Yi-seon had already leaned over before receiving permission. He closed his eyes and settled more comfortably against Mugyeol’s shoulder, soothed by the familiar warmth.

The announcements, passenger chatter, and sliding doors gradually blurred into distant background noise.

The train jolted and Yi-seon’s head slipped forward. Mugyeol caught it with one hand and gently settled him back against his shoulder.

Yi-seon shifted in his sleep until he was comfortable again. Mugyeol let out a quiet chuckle.

Then Yi-seon sank into a deep sleep.

Mugyeol did not wake him through stop after stop. When Yi-seon finally opened his eyes, Mugyeol was even carrying the black plastic bag Yi-seon had fallen asleep holding. Guilty, Yi-seon offered his own shoulder in return, but Mugyeol pressed his head back down against the same spot. “It’s fine, so sleep more.”

The low voice was soothing enough to send Yi-seon straight back toward sleep.

Yi-seon closed his bleary eyes once more.

This guy is sometimes too sweet…

That was the problem with Mugyeol when he was gentle: Yi-seon had no defenses against him.

Yi-seon let the last of the tension leave his body. He was exhausted, but against Mugyeol’s shoulder even the exhaustion felt oddly comfortable.

For Yi-seon, it was a brief stretch of uncomplicated happiness.