RH 1.8

Since it was the weekend, Geumseo went to work at the gas station. The weather had suddenly turned cold, and his face and hands were red from the chill. It was especially busy with so many people going out. Geumseo diligently went back and forth with water and tissues, but he even ran into someone who furiously insisted for ages that they’d been shortchanged on fuel—despite Geumseo having clearly dispensed the correct amount. That encounter alone left him drained, even before his shift ended.

“Why do you look like that?”

So when Go San appeared, Geumseo couldn’t help but greet him with a gloomy expression.

“Why does the kid look all wilted?”

Go San said with something in his mouth. At first glance, it looked like a cigarette, but upon closer inspection, it was candy.

“How much would you like?” Geumseo asked.

Go San was wearing glasses he didn’t usually wear. Through the lenses, the Yang Geumseo he saw looked exhausted. The whites of his eyes were pink from the cold. Go San pulled a card from his wallet and handed it over, pinched rudely between his index and middle fingers. Geumseo, still irritable from the earlier customer, shot him a burning glare.

“When do you get off?”

“I asked how much you’d like.”

“Fill it up.”

Fill it up? I want to smack him so hard it echoes. Geumseo grabbed the nozzle, imagining that if only it were a gun…

“I’ll get you some water.”

Even so, Geumseo treated Go San like any other customer. Go San opened the water bottle the moment he received it and drank half in one go. As he screwed the cap back on, he asked:

“Why aren’t you answering my calls?”

“Why were you calling?”

“Do we need a reason to call each other?”

“Yeah. I guess we’re that kind of relationship…”

Go San pressed his index and middle fingers firmly against his brow bone.

“Come to my place after work.”

“Again…?”

“Go Unha wants to see you.”

“…Okay. I’ll come.”

His quick reply was a stark contrast to his earlier attitude. Go San clenched his jaw. It felt like Geumseo had filled up his own tank of frustration instead of the car’s. After draining the rest of the water, Go San handed the empty bottle back to him.

“Wash up before you come. Otherwise, I’ll wash you myself—strip you bare and make you stand in front of Go Unha.”

Go San didn’t give him a chance to retort. He started the engine and drove off in an instant.

Why was Go San so eccentric? Even though the two brothers came from the same womb, one was gentle while the other was… baffling. Geumseo had met their parents before—they were both nice people. Go San had to be a mutant.

That was the only explanation Geumseo could come up with as he fixed his hair again. Knowing full well that Go San wasn’t bluffing about the whole stripping threat, Geumseo washed up thoroughly. He always did, but this time, he was extra careful.

The water hadn’t warmed up yet, so the thin skin on his hands, cheeks, elbows, knees, and heels remained flushed. They would definitely sting later once he got somewhere warm. But since Go Unha was coming, he couldn’t afford to waste time.

As the elevator approached the 11th floor, Geumseo realized a new problem. Because he’d been too flustered earlier, he had forgotten whether Go San had told him to come to his place or his brother’s. All he remembered was that Unha hyung wanted to see him.

“…Crap.”

Regardless of his confusion, the elevator reached the 11th floor. After a bit of hesitation, Geumseo rang Go Unha’s doorbell. He figured that since he’d be meeting hyung anyway, they could go together.

“Oh? Geumseo.”

Go Unha soon answered the door. Seeing his hyung’s familiar face made Geumseo smile brightly.

“Your face is so red. It must be freezing out. Come in.”

“It’s been a while, hyung…”

Geumseo greeted him a bit awkwardly. Go Unha was clearly warm-hearted, but he also maintained firm boundaries. It made him feel both approachable and distant. Maybe that’s why he seemed even more attractive—like a shadow, darker the brighter the light, and longer the farther away it stretched.

“You came at just the right time.”

Go Unha grabbed his hand and gently pulled him inside. The layout of his apartment mirrored Go San’s exactly, but the furniture here was in warm tones, arranged cozily in the open living room that greeted you right past the hallway. It instantly made one feel at ease.

“I had something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Something to talk about…?”

“Yeah. I wondered if it was too soon to say it, but I thought it might be better to let you know in advance.”

The mood suddenly turned serious. Geumseo accepted the coffee mug Go Unha handed him and sat on the sofa, as he was told. But not knowing what was coming next made him tense.

“Hyung… Are you getting married…?”

His voice sounded a bit flat. Go Unha made a strange face at the question, then burst out laughing.

“What do you think it’d be like if I got married?”

What would it be like…? Geumseo had never really thought about it. He was the type who didn’t dwell on hypothetical futures.

But since he was asked, he tried to imagine it—and surprisingly, it came easily. He could picture Go Unha in a wedding suit as if he’d seen it before.

“I’d congratulate you… I think you’d live a good life. Your kids would be cute too…”

This time, his voice was even duller. Go Unha burst out laughing again. That loud laugh sounded more like Go San than his usual self. It wasn’t something Geumseo heard often from him.

“Ah, Geumseo, you’re unexpectedly funny.”

“…Unexpectedly?”

That word stung more than the idea of him possibly getting married. So all the cute little things I did for hyung weren’t actually funny? Go San always said Geumseo acted like a tailless puppy wagging its butt eagerly in front of Unha hyung. No—he outright called him a son of a bitch.

“But it’s not marriage. Definitely not. That’s not going to happen.”

It was a strangely firm statement. Go Unha tapped the bottom of Geumseo’s mug in silent encouragement. Geumseo took a sip. It would probably keep him up later, but he didn’t want to reject something Unha hyung had given him.

“I’m going to America.”

“Huh…?”

“Yeah, I think I need to. San too. We need to extend contracts and make adjustments.”

Geumseo felt a mix of relief and disappointment. It was good to hear that Go San was going too, but it was disheartening to know Go Unha was leaving. The disappointment hit harder—so much so that he didn’t even know if he was also sad about Go San going.

“You’re not coming back…?”

“Probably not for a while? Depends on the schedule.”

“Are you giving up your apartment too?”

“I’ll keep it for now. But you’re my closest dongsaeng in Korea, so I thought I should tell you. Good thing you came.”

“It’s not a good thing…”

“Hm? What was that?”

“…Nothing.”

Geumseo shook his head, dejected. He knew it was selfish to ask, Why are you leaving me behind?

“So, Geumseo, about you and San…”

Just then, the door opened. The sound of the password being entered and the door unlocking happened almost simultaneously, followed by brisk footsteps—like something out of a suspense scene in a horror movie. By the time Geumseo and Go Unha turned their heads, the person was already in the living room.

“I knew it.”

It was Go San.

He glanced between Geumseo, who was sitting on the sofa, and Go Unha, who was leaning slightly toward him. His expression was like someone who had just walked in on a scene of betrayal.

Go San’s hair was still damp, his skin pale as always, and his expression clearly said one thing:

Why are you here?

“Yang Geumseo, why are you here?”

“Uh… because you called me.”

“Right, I called you. So why’d you come here instead of my place? This is Unha’s.”

“You said we’d be seeing Unha hyung together anyway.”

“Fuck, of course that was a lie.”

“You were coming to see me, San?”

Go Unha asked gently. Go San frowned, as if that soft voice grated on his ears like nails on a chalkboard.

“No.”

“Should I come over to your place then?”

“What nonsense are you spouting? You live here. Yang Geumseo, get up. You’re coming with me.”

“Can’t we just talk here since we’re all already together…?”

If I go with him now, I think I might really die… Geumseo hesitated, carefully gauging the mood. He was such a ridiculous guy. Go San could practically see the thought bubbles forming in Yang Geumseo’s head. Was he unable to read the room? No—he clearly understood the situation but still couldn’t process it.

Meanwhile, Geumseo was quietly edging backwards, looking ready to duck behind Go Unha at any second. Did he seriously think Unha would protect him?

Go San felt like diving right back into the pool he’d come from—straight into Yang Geumseo’s hopeless head.

“Do you want to walk out yourself, or should I make you?”

“…”

Go Unha didn’t stop him. Nor did he defend Geumseo. He simply observed, eyes glittering with interest.

“All right. I’ll take you.”

Go San’s tone grew even gentler—and that always meant danger. Geumseo gasped and bolted to run, but he never had a chance. Even indoors, escaping Go San’s long limbs was impossible. He was caught almost instantly.

“If you hadn’t tried to run, I might’ve let you walk.”

“Ah! Ow, it hurts!”

“You’re seriously hopeless.”

Geumseo screamed as Go San grabbed him by the hair. No matter how much he clawed at Go San’s hand or tried to pull away, the grip didn’t budge. Go San was skilled—Geumseo couldn’t even pull free at the cost of a few strands. It felt like his whole scalp might be ripped off.

“Hyuuung, hyuuung, hyung…!”

Tears welled in his eyes as he called out to Go Unha, voice trembling. But Unha just sat there, legs crossed and chin resting on his hand, watching with amused eyes.

“Hyung, save me…!”

“Do I look like I’m killing you?”

Go San sneered.

“Goodbye, Geumseo. See you next time.”

Go Unha offered a kind, polite farewell.

“Hyung! Agh! It hurts…!”

Yang Geumseo cried out.

Unfortunately, the entire 11th floor belonged to the Go brothers. No matter how loud Geumseo was, there was no one else around to come out and help. To make matters worse, Go San had thoughtfully left his front door wide open—no time wasted punching in the passcode. Geumseo was dragged straight inside.

“Ahhh! Let go, San, it hurts!”

“If you knew it’d hurt, you should’ve gone to the right place.”

“I—I forgot!”

Go San clenched his jaw. This guy wasn’t just scatterbrained—he was on goldfish level. No, calling him a mouse might even be too generous. A mouse would’ve figured it out faster than Yang Geumseo.

“Then you should’ve called.”

“My phone was dead.”

“Charging. Don’t tell me you forgot to charge it too.”

“…”

Even so, his body always woke up on time, and he could check the time one way or another. Still, Geumseo had always resented the idea of phones—he wished they’d disappear. Incoming calls were annoying, and he had no emotional attachment to the device to bother keeping it charged.

“Do you still act like this even as you get older?”

“You’re not exactly maturing gracefully either! You lied.”

“What lie?”

“You said we’d see Unha hyung together. That wasn’t true.”

“But we did see him, didn’t we?”

If that ridiculous logic counted, then Geumseo going to Go Unha’s apartment on his own should count too.

“Ha, fuck, your body might’ve grown, but you’re still a damn child.”

“I’m more of an adult than you! You haven’t even been to the military yet!”

Go San laughed in disbelief and flicked Geumseo hard on the forehead.

“Are you insane?”

His scalp was already sore, and now his forehead throbbed. It was just a finger, but the pain echoed through his whole skull. Geumseo clutched his forehead, glaring up at him.

“Why would I go to the military? I’m not even Korean.”

“…”

“What do you even know about me?”

“…”

“Or do you know, and just not bother thinking about it?”

Both statements stung. Geumseo’s lips began to pout. He felt so wronged. That’s right—Go San wasn’t Korean.