Chapter 60: Side Story
by Gideon“Does it sting?”
Juhyeon, who had been applying ointment with a frown, slowly lifted his gaze.
“Is that even a question?” Taemo grumbled. “I called him a dog, and he actually thought he was one. Who bites someone’s lip like that?”
“…”
Juhyeon had no real comeback to the scolding. After all, it was true that he had bitten Taemo’s lip hard enough to draw blood.
“Ah, I don’t know if I can even suck it properly like this,” Taemo muttered.
Juhyeon nearly jumped out of his skin. His face went pale as he frantically checked the dining table. Fortunately, Kang-i seemed too absorbed in copying his homework to notice. Juhyeon lowered his voice and hissed fiercely, “Are you crazy? Kang-i’s right here.”
“Can’t I even speak with a mangled lip? Are we really going to walk on eggshells around him?”
“That’s not it, but…”
Just ten minutes ago, Juhyeon had been sitting obediently on the sofa, fully prepared for his academy classes and waiting for Kang-i. Seeing him like that, Taemo suddenly ignited, pulling him into a kiss, and Juhyeon responded fervently. They kissed so wildly they forgot Kang-i would be arriving soon, their hands slipping under each other’s clothes to grope at their bare skin.
As they were lost in each other, the doorbell suddenly rang. Startled, Juhyeon bit down hard on Taemo’s lower lip as he scrambled to his feet. He felt so guilty when he saw a trickle of blood run down Taemo’s lip.
“I knew he was coming, but you’re the one who got carried away,” Taemo said.
“…Ahem.”
Juhyeon had known Kang-i would come. He’d even known their arrival times would be nearly identical. Yet, he’d been so focused on Taemo that for a moment, his heart had truly dropped.
Still, I shouldn’t have bitten his lip.
He wiped the blood away, but the thin, wrinkled skin immediately soaked up the red liquid again. Juhyeon frowned without thinking.
“What are you frowning at? I’m the one who got bitten.”
“It looks a little swollen.”
“That’s also your fault. Since you’re to blame, don’t you think you should pay the price?”
“…”
Taemo tilted his chin up slightly. It was a signal to kiss him. Juhyeon glanced sideways at Kang-i. The latter seemed completely oblivious to the assignment, now frantically flipping through his textbook and scribbling with his pen, his hair on fire.
“He’s too busy to notice anything right now.”
The words were a subtle nudge. Juhyeon knew they were already a couple—not that anyone else did—and after being caught kissing in front of Kang-i more than a few times, he figured they might as well just go for it.
“What are you doing?” Taemo murmured. “My lips are swelling up in real-time from you ignoring me.”
Juhyeon looked up at Taemo. The other man had always claimed he wasn’t particularly interested in physical affection or sex, but that was a blatant lie. Even though Juhyeon initiated things often, Lee Taemo was the one who constantly pressed against him, seeking contact at every opportunity. If anything, Taemo seemed to be the one with the deeper craving for affection. It was only right for the more stable one to set boundaries.
“Ah, I just put on ointment,” Juhyeon replied. “I don’t want to. It tastes weird.”
Whispering in low voices would only make them look more suspicious, but it was the only way to avoid Kang-i’s notice. The ointment Taemo had applied to Juhyeon’s lips made them glisten. It looked almost exactly like they’d just been thoroughly kissed, their lips wet with saliva.
“If you hate the ointment, then I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
Taemo pretended to step back willingly, but as Juhyeon stared blankly at the ointment he’d carefully applied being smeared away, Taemo suddenly pressed his lips to Juhyeon’s and pulled away. By the time Juhyeon regained his senses, all that remained on his lips was a lingering warmth and the faint scent of the ointment.
“…Ah, reapply the medicine!”
Juhyeon covered his face with the back of his hand, trying to hide his flushing cheeks. He tried to grab the hem of Taemo’s shirt again, but Taemo’s movements were still swift.
“I don’t know. Just go to your academy.”
He replied coolly as he headed toward the table where Kang-i was sitting. Juhyeon fell silent, staring at Taemo’s broad back. Even though their lips had only touched for a moment, his heart seemed to be throbbing right there, making his lips ache.
“Woo Juhyeon, you’re really going to ride his coattails after he slaved over this assignment until his nose bled?”
“I really didn’t hear him give out the assignment. Wait, just five more minutes, seriously!”
Kang-i’s eyes darted around as he scribbled furiously. Copying it like that won’t even help much, Juhyeon thought. After all, the chances of getting the answers right were about the same for both of them. The only difference was that Juhyeon tended to follow instructions to the letter, while Kang-i was always busy looking for shortcuts.
Juhyeon considered taking it easy like Kang-i, but he couldn’t ignore Taemo’s unwavering dedication. Taemo drove him to the academy every day, packed his lunches, and endured Kang-i’s teasing about being a “student’s parent.” Though Juhyeon had slept in on the actual day of the Suneung exam, he was now living quite the life of a dedicated student.
Today, he grabbed the lunchbox Taemo had carefully prepared and slung his bag over his shoulder. As he stepped out the front gate, he saw the small truck. It had made such a strong impression on him every time he saw it that he recognized it instantly.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this truck,” Juhyeon said.
“They told me to handle it however I wanted,” Taemo replied. “I thought about selling it, but I’m keeping it until we finish cleaning up the training ground.”
Taemo and Kang-i had quit the contract killing business a long time ago, but traces of it still lingered. They were still in the process of disposing of several buildings and cars they’d acquired for their work. They’d only just finished cleaning up the karaoke bar, so it would probably take a bit longer to shake everything off completely.
The truck’s cargo bed, which had always been filled with something, was now empty. It was only natural, perhaps, since they no longer had anything to hide or conceal.
The three of them climbed into the truck. Being in the vehicle brought back faint memories. It was strange how it felt like a distant past, even though it had been less than a year. Maybe it was because books and lunchboxes had become more familiar to them now than knives, disinfectants, and leather gloves.
The car pulled up to the convenience store in front of the academy. This was the usual drop-off spot for Juhyeon and Kang-i. As the two stepped out of the large truck, students heading into the academy glanced back at them.
“Don’t get distracted, and make sure you listen to your teacher,” a voice said through the open window, tinged with amusement.
Juhyeon leaned close to the truck window and gave a small fist pump. “Got it. Fighting!”
The air was so cold that each breath formed a long, white plume of mist. Unlike Juhyeon, who was bundled up warmly, Taemo wore only a single jacket. Underneath, he had on a short-sleeved T-shirt. Even though he was the one dressed for the cold, Taemo leaned over from the passenger seat. He reached through the open window and pulled Juhyeon’s coat collar tighter around his neck.
“Good luck,” he whispered, his lips curving into a smile.
Juhyeon noticed a small, redder-than-usual bite mark on Taemo’s lip.
“…”
Juhyeon felt a pang of guilt, yet his heart fluttered with a strange thrill. Lee Taemo was so formidable that the very idea of him getting hurt seemed impossible. How many people could actually leave a mark on him? And to think that he—Juhyeon, whose punches were clumsy at best—was the one who had caused this injury. A subtle, inexplicable sense of accomplishment welled up within him.
Juhyeon kept his lips pressed firmly together, merely nodding before stepping back. The truck drove out of the alley without a backward glance. As Juhyeon and Kang-i turned to head toward the academy, they noticed people’s eyes still lingering on them.
“Hey, why are they all staring at us?”
“Maybe the truck looked cool?” Kang-i suggested.
“You think so?”
Kang-i nodded in easy agreement. This was an expensive neighborhood, after all, where luxury sedans and foreign cars were the norm. A beat-up old truck rattling by was bound to draw a few glances. But what did the car matter? The important thing was that Taemo had driven them here. Juhyeon tightened his grip on the lunch bag Taemo had packed for him and started walking.
Taemo had been late arriving because he’d stayed behind to tidy up the training grounds. Juhyeon had considered reading his book in the lounge one more time, but Kang-i had whined about being hungry, so they’d settled in at a convenience store instead. Juhyeon bought a peach-flavored sports drink and a bag of potato chips, while Kang-i picked out a cup noodle and a Cola. He’d mentioned that he used to be forbidden from even touching cup noodles because of Taemo, but after a few rebellious outings with Juhyeon, he’d started using ramen to tide him over whenever he got the chance.
“Is that good?”
“Yeah. Where’s Lee Taemo?”
Kang-i’s lips were swollen from the spicy ramen. He kept sucking in air through his teeth, yet he didn’t stop eating. Meanwhile, Juhyeon checked his phone. It seemed Taemo had been replying every time he hit a red light; several messages had arrived in a short span.
9 mins
7 mins
Construction ahead, taking a detour. 11 mins.
The contact was no longer saved as ‘Lee Pro’ but as ‘Taemo Hyung.’ His phone was no longer a burner he could easily swap out. In place of a GPS tracker, he had installed a few games and a private social media account where he documented his daily life with Taemo. He didn’t even glance at videos of cleaning up corpses anymore. He didn’t even have enough time to attend his lectures. Lee Taemo’s phone situation wasn’t much different. The two were finally living as ordinary twenty-somethings, no longer a hitman and a cleaner.
“Eleven minutes left,” Juhyeon said.
“Yikes. We’ll get chewed out if we’re caught.”
Realizing how little time they had, Kang-i hastily resumed eating with his chopsticks. After finishing off the nearly empty Cola, he dashed into the convenience store. Once he had completely erased all traces of their meal, he returned with a drink identical to the one Juhyeon was sipping.
As if he had never even touched the ramen, Kang-i acted completely nonchalant, sliding a bag of potato chips toward Juhyeon.
“These go great together, right?”
“…Since when?”
When Juhyeon had first been eating potato chips and drinking an ionic beverage, Kang-i had criticized the combination, saying they didn’t go well together. Now, it seemed Kang-i had also become addicted to the pairing.
“Do you prefer the green ones, Kang-i?”
“I like both. That’s why I always put both kinds in Superman’s stash.”
“Ah.”
So was it just Taemo’s preference to always give me the green potato chips?
But that didn’t seem right, considering how Taemo usually reacted to seeing people eat snacks. Even so, spending time with Taemo had sparked a growing curiosity in Juhyeon. The difference now was that he felt comfortable asking even the most trivial questions, without having to hold back. After all, Taemo had promised to answer everything and hide nothing from him.
“There’s something I’m curious about, though.”
“What is it? I’ll answer anything as long as it’s not about the lesson.”
The sound of potato chips crunching drowned out Kang-i’s laughter-tinged voice.
“You told me once, remember? You said that you and I would never, ever, ever get together—not even if you were dead and buried, not even for a billion dollars.”
“…Did I really say it that dramatically?”
“That’s how it sounded to me. Anyway, I’m curious why you said that. You didn’t even know I was Dongwoo’s younger brother back then.”
Kang-i had been adamant about it even before he knew Juhyeon was involved in that accident. He’d insisted that Lee Taemo and Woo Juhyeon were a no-go. Now, he was simply ignoring the past in a state of near-resignation, but back then, he had been absolutely certain.
“Hmm.”
Kang-i stuffed another potato chip into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he took a sip of his peach-flavored sports drink. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then pointed to the chips and the drink.
“It was like this and this. A combination that just doesn’t fit, even though there’s a clear, better pairing.”
“…”
“You seemed a bit too… kind to be with Lee Taemo, I guess? Full of affection, worry, and care. I figured Lee Taemo could never reciprocate any of that.”
Technically, Juhyeon hadn’t exactly lived a saintly life himself. Yet both Lee Taemo and Kang-i always called him “kind” without a second thought.
“I was going to keep working here, and I thought if I got caught up in their mess, I’d be the one stuck in the middle, exhausted.”
“…”
“But it turns out Lee Taemo is the kind of person who can give you those things. You know, things like worry, attention, and affection.”
Kang-i murmured, drawing a sharp breath between his teeth. Feeling suddenly awkward, Juhyeon scratched the tip of his nose. He then narrowed his eyes, feigning a playful tone.
“Hmm, anything else? Like, did you guys have some fucking intense, desperate romance? I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it, so just tell me.”
“I don’t know anything about his private life,” Kang-i replied dismissively, reaching for the snacks again. “It’s not like I bring him to work with me. And this is the first time I’ve ever seen him act like this. Like I said, I never even thought he was the type of person capable of dating.”
But Juhyeon remained lost in thought, his fingers idly fidgeting.
Truth be told, he couldn’t say he was deeply in love with Lee Taemo. In fact, he’d never even learned what love was, so he wasn’t sure. But perhaps the affection, worry, and care that Juhyeon couldn’t help but show—the same things Taemo was now pouring back into him—were coalescing to form the shape of love. With their emotions layered so thickly, he didn’t have to worry about them all coming crashing down.
Huuu. A long breath escaped him, a white puff of mist scattering in the air. It seemed to partially hide his flushed cheeks.
Just as they were finishing up the last of their food, Taemo arrived. He strolled over with his hands in his pockets, having parked the truck somewhere. A long trail of white mist followed each of his breaths.
“Why are you walking?”
Juhyeon rose awkwardly from the convenience store table.
“I parked it over there,” he said, gesturing. “People were staring too much. What’s the point of getting our faces out there?”
With that, he naturally reached for Juhyeon’s bag, slinging it over one shoulder. Then he lifted Kang-i’s bag by the handle, testing its weight.
“What do you have in here, bricks?”
“Ah, it’s just a lot of stationery,” Kang-i replied.
Kang-i’s pretentiousness was as ever. Unlike Juhyeon, who took notes on a laptop or tablet, or even just a single pen, Kang-i carried enough writing utensils to have robbed an entire stationery store. It was honestly impressive how he hauled that weight around every day yet still managed to slack on his assignments.
“Sure. Maybe you’ll finally learn your lesson when your shoulder pops out of its socket.”
Taemo strode ahead, Juhyeon’s bag still slung over his shoulder. Juhyeon hurried to catch up, pulling a pair of fuzzy gloves from his pocket and insisting on slipping them onto Taemo’s hands. The white fur covered the long scar on the back of Taemo’s hand, a stark contrast to the blood-stained leather gloves that usually fit his large hands perfectly. Even so, the new gloves were so small they looked ready to burst at the seams.
“What’s this?”
Taemo chuckled, turning his hands over to inspect them. He looked ridiculous, but he seemed to actually like it. Or perhaps he was just tolerating it because Woo Juhyeon was the one who’d given them to him. Juhyeon pulled the collar of his duffle coat tighter, trying to hide his reddening cheeks.
“To keep you warm.”
“Right.”
Taemo replied with a scoff, yet he kept staring down at his gloved hands for a long time.
The two of them walked home after dropping Kang-i off at his apartment. The air had grown colder after sunset, but walking with Taemo made the chill bearable.
“Hey, can you actually tell the difference between potato chip flavors? Like, the green ones and the blue ones?”
“Why would I bother distinguishing something like that?”
“Then why do you always buy the green ones?”
“They say green is good for the eyes.”
It was a trivial reason. Their exchange was filled with silly questions and answers, but Juhyeon enjoyed even this. Peering into Lee Taemo’s eccentric and simple world was far more entertaining than he had expected.
“That’s a terrible reason,” Juhyeon giggled.
The back of Taemo’s gloved hand brushed against Juhyeon’s chilled cheek. The soft sensation made Juhyeon look up. Taemo’s eyes, now calm and devoid of their usual murderous intent, met his.
“I don’t know. Maybe because you have such kind eyes, I just wanted to do good things for you.”
Juhyeon was getting used to hearing things like that now. Just as Lee Taemo was special to him, it seemed Juhyeon was an exception for Lee Taemo too.
“…This is the first time I’ve ever heard anyone call my eyes kind, seriously. I’ve only ever been scolded for what I was staring at.”
“Those bastards must have been blind.”
Taemo draped an arm over Juhyeon’s shoulders. From the body pressed close to him, the scent of lavender now felt stronger than the smell of leather.
“Lunar New Year is next month. What are you doing then? The holiday is long, and they say the academy will be closed.”
“I’ll do whatever you’re doing. What are you planning?”
“I was thinking of going to a study cafe… but want to hang out instead?”
“How are you going to entertain me?”
Holidays used to be especially lonely. Even his friends, who lived like carefree vagabonds the rest of the year, would either shut themselves in their rooms or head home early for Chuseok and Seollal. Juhyeon would just sit at home, feeling empty, and watch a special movie or go to the hillside slum to feed the stray cats. That was all. Because of this, he never really knew what to do during the holidays.
“…What do people usually do? Make dumplings, steam songpyeon, cook japchae?”
“What a sin. All we do is eat. And in the end, isn’t it all my job anyway?”
“Is that so? Then let’s invite Kang Yi-do to help. He’d be more useful than me.”
Juhyeon covered his mouth and giggled. While he was pretty good at anything that required manual dexterity, he had no real talent for cooking. Or rather, he’d never really tried to learn. Taemo was the one who was skilled with a knife, and his cooking was so good that he almost always took over the kitchen.
“Sure, go ahead.”
Juhyeon couldn’t stop smiling, even as he kept his tone nonchalant.
“This time, it’ll actually feel like the holidays.”
Last Chuseok, a long trip had kept him from truly feeling the holiday spirit. This time, he was sure they could celebrate properly.
“It’s a real holiday, after all. Spending it with family.”
“Right… family.”
The word family made the corners of his mouth twitch. Juhyeon now had a family of his own. Perhaps because that place in his heart had been empty for so long, it felt all the more precious.
He turned into the alleyway, his heart swelling with anticipation for his first proper holiday with them.
“Sir, I’m really calling the police, okay?”
“The police? Do you know who I am? Why the hell would I need the police when I’m right here? Huh? You scratched my car while parking!”
“Sigh…”
Juhyeon’s gaze drifted toward the commotion. A man who looked like a designated driver was holding his phone, ready to call the police. A middle-aged man in a disheveled suit stumbled around, inspecting his car. Drunks causing a scene were everywhere, and their routine was always the same.
As they passed by, Juhyeon stole a glance at them. Should I call the police for them? He glanced at Taemo, but Taemo didn’t even spare them a look.
“Dammit! Look at this!”
The drunk man, who had been bent over the car’s hood, suddenly shrieked. Then, he slammed his own phone onto the ground. CRACK! The sound of shattering glass echoed as shards flew toward Juhyeon’s feet.
“Ah!”
Juhyeon reacted quickly, pulling his foot back. At the same moment, Taemo yanked Juhyeon into his arms, pulling him close. A shard of glass grazed Juhyeon’s calf.
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