***
The alarm didn’t even go off, but he snapped his eyes open. It was one of the rare mornings since Kim Jiho left that he didn’t have a low mood.
Today was Kim Jiho’s first vacation day. After turning off all the alarms he had set, Yeon Woojeong immediately slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom. That boy made him diligent in many ways.
After completing the training center, Kim Jiho was deployed to Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do. As soon as Yeon Woojeong got the message that Kim Jiho was going to the front line out of all other places, a sigh broke out, but it couldn’t be helped. Fortunately, Kim Jiho’s voice sounded good when he spoke on the phone. Although his body was tired, it seemed that the people around him were not bad.
Yeon Woojeong washed up, changed, and headed out. The way there by car wasn’t too far, so he thought knew he could go back and forth frequently. As he opened the car window, a crisp breeze blew in. It wasn’t exactly autumn yet, but summer was slowly leaving.
The closer he got to his destination, the more his fingertips seemed to pulse. His hands tightened and loosened their grip on the steering wheel, scattering in the anticipation, longing, and joy that washed over him. He remembered clearly when Kim Jiho came to him with his hair shaved short and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. Kim Jiho’s sharpness had been shaved off along with his hair, making him look young and smart.
And that boy acted quite mature before he left. If he teased him, he would put on a sour look and look at him with a questioning gaze, ‘Is he teasing me again,’ and then soon softened his expression. Kim Jiho always acted like that during that time. The boy, who used to react to every teasing he gave, would only react briefly before pulling the corners of his mouth up, acting mature. It was obvious what was on his mind.
I’ll be leaving Mr. Yeon soon, so I should treat him nicely.
It was impossible for Yeon Woojeong not to know it because Kim Jiho always restrained his mouth and controlled his expression as if he had promised it to himself whenever Yeon Woojeong played a naughty joke on him. It seemed that he didn’t know it only fueled Yeon Woojeong’s desire to tease him.
While he was thinking of many episodes, Yeon Woojeong reached the Incheon station. Although there were a few soldiers in their uniforms, just like the picture from the training center, Kim Jiho stood out. Kim Jiho looked around before looking in his direction. Yeon Woojeong could see a smile blooming on the expressionless face. A smile also bloomed on his face. He slowly pressed the brake pedal to a stop and got out of the car.
“Mr. Yeon.”
A face that didn’t change at all since the last time they met. Kim Jiho, smiling, strode over and pulled Yeon Woojeong into a hug. Kim Jiho lowered his head, burying his nose in Yeon Woojeong’s nape, and sucked in a deep breath. It was as if he wanted to embrace everything about Yeon Woojeong’s.
It felt that Kim Jiho had gotten stronger. Yeon Woojeong smiled at the embrace that felt like crushing him and hugged Kim Jiho back. Cold hands, passionate touch. He didn’t wander anywhere, but now he felt like he had arrived.
The two hugged for a while, before letting go of each other and entering the car. Kim Jiho fastened his seatbelt and then turned his head to scan Yeon Woojeong from head to toe.
“Was the way here far?”
“It was a quick ride and there was no traffic. We should eat first, shouldn’t we? Anything you want to eat?”
“I want chicken.”
Yeon Woojeong started the car with a smile as he heard the immediate answer. Kim Jiho looked around inside and outside the car with a nostalgic gaze.
“Did you eat before coming here?”
“I didn’t.”
“Mr. Yeon, you lost some weight, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You did.”
A laughter broke out at the resolute remark. Yeon Woojeong wasn’t sure about it since he didn’t weigh himself, but Kim Jiho might be right. He had quite a good sight, and they hadn’t met for a while, so the change must be more noticeable.
“Even if I did, it’s normal. I lost the weight I gained when I was with you.”
“Mr. Yeon, when you were with me, you didn’t gain weight, you became healthy.”
Yeon Woojeong was happy to hear that nagging, opinion armored with Kim Jiho’s own logic. As the car stopped at the lights, he touched Kim Jiho’s face. Kim Jiho flinched for a second before leaning his head slightly toward Yeon Woojeong’s hand. Sometimes, Kim Jiho would purposely act lovely. How long has it been since I touched him directly like this? Realizing it, Yeon Woojeong felt the insides of his thighs tightening.
He withdrew his hand, swallowing a sigh. Now, he had to focus on driving first.
“How’s your camp? Is it okay there?”
“Mhm, everyone’s kind for now. There’s someone who’s a bit annoying, but I can handle it.”
“Why’s that? Did he bother you?”
“Yeah, but when he saw your picture, he suddenly became kind and asked me to introduce you. He said he’s interested in law.”
“Tell him you’ll introduce me later.”
“Why?”
“So that he’ll continue to treat you kindly.”
Kim Jiho’s face turned sour. It was a picture Yeon Woojeong had given him to make use of, but it seemed that he had no intention of using it. Kim Jiho apparently wanted to stay as quietly as possible and then left the military. His face looked good as if that wish was still going well. That was good. These days, when he had time, Yeon Woojeong would look up military court cases. It was just a little hobby.
They stopped by a chicken restaurant as soon as they entered Seoul. After ordering and taking their seats, Yeon Woojeong scanned Kim Jiho again. The combination of military uniform and Kim Jiho worked well, but it didn’t. It was that rather than showing he was a soldier, he was a newcomer actor playing a soldier.
The moment the chicken was placed on their table, Kim Jiho put one leg on Yeon Woojeong’s plate and then took the other one. Yeon Woojeong intently watched as he opened his mouth wide and took a bite of it. Seeing that Kim Jiho ate it more earnestly than usual, Yeon Woojeong realized that he might be missing this. Yeon Woojeong was also hungry, but he wanted to see Kim Jiho eat for a long time, so he didn’t pick up his fork for a long time.
“Is it good?”
“Yeah. The food there was so-so, but it was still okay. I must be comparing it because I’ve been eating too much good food.”
Yeon Woojeong broke out a smile at the fact that the food Kim Jiho ate with him was “good food.” I’ll have to feed him more good stuff in the future. Making up his mind, Yeon Woojeong put the chicken into his mouth.
“How’s your work nowadays, Mr. Yeon? Are you busy?”
“I’m busy, but it’s bearable nowadays.”
“Were you working overtime on a streak last week?”
“Not on a streak.”
Yeon Woojeong only adjusted his work schedule to be with Kim Jiho as much as possible while he was on vacation. But he wasn’t particularly tired. In fact, it made him work more efficiently. It was because he wasn’t just working to fill Kim Jiho’s absence.
“Mr. Yeon.”
“Mhm.”
“At night… you often appeared in my dreams.”
“Really?”
You didn’t appear in my dream, though. Propping his chin, Yeon Woojeong drew a soft smile.
“What did I do in your dream?”
“You were just…”
“Doing naughty stuff?”
He asked in a subtle tone, and a frown immediately formed on Kim Jiho’s forehead. Kim Jiho spoke with an innocent face.
“It wasn’t that kind of dream.”
“Aha, then?”
“Well, we just walked here and there, holding hands.”
His dreams were just like him. It must be another way to say that he was missing him so much. Whether he intended for it or not. Yeon Woojeong curved his eyes softly and touched the corner of his mouth with his finger.
“Let’s walk at night, here and there.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, holding hands too.”
Kim Jiho stiffened his face somewhat at the last words but then nodded. After that, he took a big bite of the chicken, perhaps feeling awkward, and chewed on it eagerly. Yeon Woojeong felt his chest soften. Kim Jiho always bloomed there.