SMS | Chapter 7.2

Dohoon and I parted ways in front of the house. He said he urgently needed to go home, his expression tight, and when I asked if it was a problem with the animals, he said it wasn’t that house.

That’s when it hit me that he also had a family. Guess it’s easy to forget that he’s not just dropped down from the sky. Everyone has a family, right? I should probably head home for the holidays too.

As soon as I moved out, it was like reverting back to my dating days, and my parents, who seemed thrilled about it, barely paid me any attention.

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As soon as Mino got home, his phone rang like it was haunted. The caller, of course, was Seongjun. “You, you little… I’ve been waiting.” Mino shouted as he hit the accept button.

“Hey! What the hell?! You scared me!”

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“You traitor! How was your date? How could you not even mention the ‘C’ of Christmas to me? I almost died!”

Seongjun’s shouting echoed through the phone like a scream. What? Die because of Christmas?

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“What are you talking about? I only found out last night too.”

“I was so scared…”

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“Why are you like this? Really. Let’s meet up and talk. I’ve got a lot to tell you too.”

Instead of words, only sobs filled the air. It clearly wasn’t enough to talk over the phone. Meeting up seemed the only way to resolve this. After hanging up, Mino dashed out to meet Seongjun, feeling a heavy weight on his chest. Why would he just call and cry?

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As I entered the pub, I saw Seongjun sitting gloomily in a corner.

“Ha Mino! Over here!”

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“What’s with the pub? You can’t even drink properly…”

The place was decked out in Christmas decorations, even carols were playing. Come December, the whole street breathes Christmas, so it felt just like any ordinary day. Mino, slightly resentful of the festive society, sat down in front of Seongjun.

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“Two beers and some dry snacks, please.”

Seongjun ordered with a sullen face.

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“I bet half my fortune you won’t even finish half of that.”

“I’ll eat it all if it kills me.”

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Mino, knowing Seongjun barely has any alcohol dehydrogenase, confidently smiled. And true to Mino’s expectation, after just two sips, Seongjun, his face crumpling like a water dumpling, started to speak.

“Man, I almost got dumped… had to beg on my knees.”

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“Why?”

Mino took a sip of his beer and his eyes widened. The sharp sting of the carbonation hit his throat. I heard Yoonseo and Seongjun were still good recently. Wiping the foam from his lips with the back of his hand, he urged Seongjun to continue.

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“Christmas! You jerk. You went on a date without even mentioning it to me? Did you have fun?”

“No, I didn’t even know! How could you not know? You’ve been dating for 8 years! Man, you’re too much!”

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“Yoonseo would kill me if I forgot Christmas after dating for 8 years.”

“So why didn’t you know, man? Are you even human?”

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Seongjun slammed his face on the table in response.

“I’m trash…”

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Seongjun, who always boasted about supporting my love life, forgot his first Christmas in a relationship, and so did I. It’s not all Seongjun’s fault, but like he blamed me, I ended up blaming him too.

Thanks to Dohoon’s excellent preparation, I had a surprisingly good time, but still, I hadn’t prepared anything myself. Then I remembered that I had only received gifts. There was no blame, but somehow I felt uncomfortable for only having received.

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“So you called to blame me?”

Seongjun, who used to praise Yoonseo as an angel with the generosity of a saint, perked up.

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“No, that’s not it. Ah, I meant to talk about something else but ended up ranting.”

“What is it?”

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I cleared the beer glass in front of Seongjun and replaced it with a water glass. He drank it down without much reaction, unsure if it was water or beer. He hesitated unusually before speaking.

“You know, uh…”

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“Spit it out. I have work tomorrow.”

“Really?”

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“You sound like you’re lying. The enemy of a salaried worker…”

“Say it properly. The enemy of a salaried worker is the boss, not a fellow freelancer.”

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“Anyway. What were you trying to say?”

Seongjun, just rambling instead of speaking, suddenly asked.

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“You know your boyfriend. Do you like him a lot?”

“…What kind of nonsense is that?”

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Caught off guard by such a question, Mino joined in tearing the dried pollack. The two men silently ripped the snack for a while until Seongjun, as if resolved, finally spoke up.

“I don’t know if I should be saying this, but, uh, that guy, Junhyuk, knows your boyfriend.”

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I was just considering whether I liked him or not, tearing the dried pollack into bite-sized pieces. Mino threw the pollack onto the plate at this unexpected revelation.

“Hey, did you tell that guy that Dohoon is my boyfriend? Or that I’m dating?”

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“No, he saw you two embracing. Ah, shit, it’s awkward for me to say this, so just listen to what I was going to say first.”

When? When did Dohoon and I show affection outside? My mind went blank, unable to process this.

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“Alright. Speak.”

Mino steadied his trembling hands under the table and responded briefly. Could it be when we kissed in front of the house? Even though it was night, it was a thoughtless act. Why did I do that? If Junhyuk saw that scene, I couldn’t deny it. But what does it mean that he knows Dohoon? Chewing his lip, he heard an unexpected story.

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“That guy, he personally knows that vet and says he’s really promiscuous. A friend of his suffered because of him.”

“…Suffered what?”

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The information was completely unexpected. Seongjun sighed softly and explained more.

“I hate talking like this… It’s like he uses people and discards them. That’s probably it. He was almost crying because he’s really worried about you.”

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“Crying?”

Mino suddenly recalled the time Junhyuk and Dohoon met. Junhyuk had been unnecessarily emotional, and Dohoon had handled it dryly. If they knew each other, it explained Junhyuk’s behavior. But still, such talk was unpleasant.

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“Man, he said he’s weird. Honestly, you’re not normal either, but come on, it’s your first relationship. Don’t tell me you’ve already slept with him?”

Hearing someone else say my boyfriend was promiscuous felt horrible. Mino realized for the first time just how bad it felt. Seongjun, unaware of such feelings, was just worried about his friend.

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“Did you sleep with him?! Ah, I’m going crazy. Hey, just in case, go to a hospital. If he’s promiscuous, he might have diseases.”

He was just urging the silent Mino to prepare for the worst. I was stunned. And I felt awful. Hearing Seongjun’s words, I pictured Dohoon entangled with others. Kissing someone else, embracing, lying in bed with another face—my stomach churned.

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“No way, it’s not like that, even if it were… I mean, I never saw him like that, what a joke. Why would you tell me that? I don’t trust messengers.”

Mino settled on a definitive conclusion amidst the swirling uncertainty. Even if Dohoon was that kind of person, it was something I needed to find out first. His flirting did seem practiced, but honestly, considering Dohoon’s age, it would be weirder if he was awkward about such matters. “Promiscuous” is too subjective.

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The claim that a friend had suffered at his hands was the same. It’s not a crime, and do all relationships have to develop seriously? You can meet and decide not to continue if it doesn’t feel right. And I felt down. It was the same for me.

“I like you, Mino.”

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Recalling his tender confession, I imagined him saying that to someone else. Why hasn’t he contacted me since he went home saying there was a problem? Clutching the beer glass with a stiff face, suddenly a hand sprung from behind and grabbed my wrist.

“That’s why I asked Seongjun to help, but it was useless.”

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Startled, I turned to see Junhyuk in more casual clothes than usual, sitting down naturally beside me. Mino frowned.

“What? Song Junhyuk, why are you here? Hey, Baek Seongjun!”

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I shouted Seongjun’s full name while covering my face with both hands, as if dying a little inside.

“No, I was going to suggest we all have a drink…”

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“Are you going to keep lying?”

“That’s not it, I hate being the messenger, so I just wanted you to hear it from him. He’s late, and I was too scared to tell you Junhyuk was coming…”

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His excuses were a mess. Suppressing my boiling anger, I alternated my gaze between the two, pressing for answers.

“What the hell are you guys up to?”

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“Senior, don’t be mad, just listen.”

Seongjun hesitated while Junhyuk, unusually calm despite my anger, patted my shoulder.

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“What did you see? I’m really upset right now. What are you?”

I pushed Junhyuk’s hand away aggressively after he casually touched me, unable to contain my anger any longer. It was my fault too for not being careful with public displays of affection, but I hated that Junhyuk went and talked about it to Seongjun. And talking behind Dohoon’s back too. Showing up like this only made me angrier.

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Undeterred by his hand being slapped away, Junhyuk nonchalantly took my beer and took a sip.

It was the spot I had drunk from. Even in the midst of losing my mind, I thought Junhyuk’s sense of hygiene was a mess. I’m not particularly clean, but in times like this, it gets harsh. Seongjun, looking nervous, suddenly raised his hand.

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“I’ll go to the bathroom. You two talk comfortably.”

“Baek Seongjun, you…!”

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How dare he run away. I glared as if shooting lasers from my eyes, but Junhyuk allowed him to leave.

“Go ahead. Senior Mino seemed to want to hear it from me.”

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My angry gaze fixed on Junhyuk. I’d never glared at someone like this before. Just dumbfounded by the absurdity, I bit my lip. After sending Seongjun off, Junhyuk pushed the beer glass he had touched back to me with a sad face.

“I like you, senior. I have for years. But that guy is really not it. Please believe me.”

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“What…?”

Is today just a bad day? I asked Junhyuk back, but I wasn’t really looking for an answer. The situation was just ridiculous. With a scoff, Mino turned his head to the side. Snowflakes began to fall outside the window.

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“I’ll explain.”

“Forget it. It’s snowing, so go quickly.”

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“Listen.”

A large hand forcefully turned my face. Mino felt a strange sensation as Junhyuk’s firm grip enclosed his face. Reluctantly meeting the gaze of a junior whose eyes looked distinctly different than before, it seemed like something unwanted was about to begin.

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