I Became the Lousy Side Top - Chap 85
The whole time Jaewoo and Hyunjin were together, Jaewoo kept glancing over at the clock on the wall nervously. He looked at it so often that Hyunjin couldn’t help but notice before long. Hyunjin squeezed Jaewoo’s hand tighter, but he kept his voice calm as he asked.
“What’s going on?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You keep looking over at the clock.”
“I am?”
“Yes, Jaewoo.”
Only then did Jaewoo realize what he’d been doing. He’d wanted to spend their remaining time together without regrets, but it seemed like that was impossible.
He smiled awkwardly, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he just gripped Hyunjin’s hand tighter, ignoring the slight tremble in it. Why did time have to pass so quickly? Jaewoo felt like he wanted to cry.
“Are Woohee and Hyeonu still sleeping?”
“Yeah, they’re still napping. They seemed exhausted, so I decided to let them sleep for a while. We can wake them up later for dinner.”
“Sounds good.”
Jaewoo looked over at the children. Seeing them sleeping so peacefully was a beautiful sight, but it made Jaewoo’s heart ache to think that he might never see it again. Unconsciously, his hand tightened around Hyunjin’s again. Not even the comfort of Hyunjin’s touch could help calm his anxiety.
“I knew it. What’s going on?”
“I told you, nothing.”
“Alright, if you say so. Come on, let’s have a cup of warm tea. It’ll help.”
Hyunjin tried to gently pull his hand away, but Jaewoo refused to let go. He reached out with his other hand and frantically grabbed the hem of Hyunjin’s shirt, keeping him from moving. Then he tugged on it, drawing Hyunjin closer.
Their lips met once more. As they kissed, Hyunjin’s kind eyes gradually grew darker. He was suspicious, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of trying to force Jaewoo to speak. He seemed content to follow Jaewoo’s lead for the moment.
Their warm lips met, parted, then met again. After a few moments, Jaewoo opened his mouth, letting their tongues press together as they explored each other’s bodies. Jaewoo was having trouble catching his breath, but he didn’t want to stop kissing even for an instant.
The sound of heavy breathing echoed in his ears. Hyunjin’s firm hands wrapped around Jaewoo’s back as they kissed and touched each other until they finally had to part for breath. Jaewoo opened his eyes slowly, coming back to his senses. He found himself lying on top of Hyunjin on the bed, Hyunjin’s hands pulling him close.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. They were so close he could feel the violent beating of Hyunjin’s heart.
“Jaewoo.”
Hyunjin’s voice was husky.
“Mmhm.”
Jaewoo couldn’t take his eyes off Hyunjin. Even blinking felt like a waste. He wanted this moment to last forever.
Hyunjin suppressed his rising desire at the sight of Jaewoo clinging to him. There were so many things he wanted to ask him just then.
‘Jaewoo, you’re lying to me, aren’t you?’
He knew that Jaewoo was hiding something deep inside. He was suffering alone, without saying anything to Hyunjin.
‘I wish you would tell me everything.’
Why was he keeping it from him? Two heads were always better than one. Hyunjin didn’t like how anxious Jaewoo seemed as he tried to deal with whatever was troubling him on his own. What on earth was he hiding?
Hyunjin felt a shiver run up his back. He knew how few secrets Jaewoo had, which meant this could only be about two things – Choi Mujin, or that so-called friend of his, Yoon Jiheon. Either way, it wasn’t good.
Both of them were obsessed with Jaewoo. Hyunjin let his head fall back as he stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
‘I knew it was too good to be true.’
A happy ending, the best one possible for them – Choi Mujin defeated and his debt to him paid, with the help of Yoon Jiheon. Their remaining debt would be double, but together, they’d make it work.
Even though Hyunjin had been happy at first, the more he thought about it, the more suspicious he’d become.
‘I’m not that lucky.’
He’d lived a pitiful life that had only become worse over time. How could someone like him suddenly be saved? It was impossible.
So Hyunjin had braced himself for the other shoe to drop, knowing it might happen at any time. No matter what happened, he refused to back down anymore.
They were already dangling on the edge of a cliff. There was nowhere for them to retreat – all they could do was keep moving forward. Hyunjin tightened his grip on Jaewoo’s waist and pulled him closer. After staying like that for a while, the kids eventually woke up.
“Ah, Hyunjin!”
Woohee came running towards them first, followed closely by Hyeonu. At the sight of them, Jaewoo quickly extricated himself from Hyunjin’s grasp and stood up, moving a few feet away.
“Brother, are you okay?”
Their voices were filled with concern. Hyunjin smiled at them reassuringly.
“I’m okay.”
“We heard you were hurt!”
“I am, but it’s not serious.”
“Show us!”
Before Hyunjin could stop him, Woohee lifted up the hem of his shirt, exposing the wound. The kids’ expressions changed when they caught sight of it, looking like they were about to cry. Hyunjin instantly started reassuring them, telling them that he was okay over and over again.
It took a while, but eventually the children calmed down. As their minds became calmer, their stomachs started waking up. Jaewoo took the opportunity to prepare a simple meal. He poured their remaining ingredients into a frying pan and fried them up with oyster sauce before adding rice to it. The result was a delicious fried rice dish.
Even though the kids were still a little upset, their hunger won out, and they ate the fried rice eagerly.
“You eat up too.”
Jaewoo handed a heaping bowl of fried rice over to Hyunjin, who was hungry enough to eat it all without complaint.
“So I guess we’ll need to re-book our train tickets?”
“Yeah, we’ve definitely missed it.”
“It couldn’t be helped. That’s just how it worked out.”
After eating, the four of them relaxed. None of them were in the mood to go out and play, so they just lazed around the RV.
After darting a glance in the children’s direction, Jaewoo reached out and held Hyunjin’s hand once more. Did he know that his behavior was just making Hyunjin more nervous? Hyunjin hid a bitter smile and laced his fingers with Jaewoo’s.
Spotting their joined hands, the kids wanted to get in on the fun. A brief argument ensued over which of them would get to hold Hyunjin’s other hand before they decided to take it in turns. It seemed like neither of them had any intention of trying to take Jaewoo’s place.
Like that, the night passed by. Other than getting up for a midnight snack, nothing else happened. Eventually, morning came.
The children had spent the last day inside, and since they were planning on leaving soon, they wanted to go see the ocean one last time. The two of them left, and Hyunjin and Jaewoo stayed behind in the RV.
Hyunjin shut his eyes for a moment before turning to look at Jaewoo, who was leaning against his shoulder. Jaewoo had touched him more over the past day then he ever had before.
Was he really not going to tell him what was going on? Hyunjin sighed and rested his head against Jaewoo’s, the both of them staring at the clock together.
Tick tock, tick tock.
He’d never paid attention to the old clock hanging on the RV wall before, but now it was maddening. 4:59 PM. It’d be 5 PM soon.
Tick tock.
Before he knew it, it was 6 PM. Just then, a knock came from the RV door.
Tap-tap.
It was a short, firm knock. Hyunjin straightened up, while Jaewoo looked nervous.
“Who is it?”
Maybe it was the police. He’d given them a statement, but they might have stopped by because they needed something more.
Tap-tap.
The only answer was another knock. Jaewoo shifted, pulling away from Hyunjin’s embrace. He looked over at Hyunjin with an expression on his face that made it seem like he was about to cry.
“I’m sorry.”
At the sudden apology, Hyunjin’s expression froze. His anxiety rose up, causing his heart to pound in his chest. While he was struggling to respond, the unlocked RV door slowly opened.
“It’s been a while.”
The person who appeared in front of them was familiar to him. Choi Mujin – the person that Hyunjin despised the most, and who seemed to keep coming back time after time. He had an unlit cigarette in his mouth, and his lips were curled up in a smirk.
“A week and a day has passed.”
Hyunjin realized he’d been right to be nervous.
“Jaewoo.”
Hyunjin called out to him, trying to keep his voice calm.
“Is that true?”
Jaewoo closed his eyes for a long moment before opening them again. His expression seemed torn between anxiety and despair.
“I’m sorry.”
Jaewoo apologized again. What Hyunjin had been desperately hoping for wasn’t an apology, but a denial. But it seemed as though he was destined to never get what he wanted.
All the puzzle pieces came together. All his doubts and anxieties suddenly began to make sense.
“You–”
Hyunjin broke off, his voice failing him. He was so angry that he felt like he was going to go mad. However, the person he was angry at wasn’t Jaewoo – it was himself. He was the one that hadn’t realized what was happening until it’d reached this point, and he was the one who was powerless to change things.
“I told you not to do this.”
Jaewoo bit his lip without saying anything.
“Why did you…?”
Why had he gone with Mujin in the first place? Because he wanted to protect Jaewoo. He’d volunteered himself in his place because he wanted Jaewoo to be happy, but it seemed like Jaewoo hadn’t been able to bear it.
“Why did you do this?!”
Without realizing it, Hyunjin raised his voice until he was almost shouting. Jaewoo’s eyes went wide, as if shocked by the volume, but after a moment his lips turned up in a wobbly smile, even as tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.
“You know why.”
Just that short sentence was enough to make Hyunjin’s heart sink. Yes, he did know.
‘Jaewoo, you love me too, don’t you?’
That had to be the answer. Even if he’d never directly said it, Hyunjin could tell that Jaewoo felt the same way. Just as Hyunjin had been willing to sacrifice himself for Jaewoo, Jaewoo was willing to do the same for him.
Hyunjin clenched his teeth and tried to think of a solution. Giving in to his rage wouldn’t help anything. Hyunjin looked over at Mujin, who was staring at them with a frown.
“If I return with you, can we pretend this whole thing never happened?”
“No!”
Terrified, Jaewoo clutched at Hyunjin’s arm.
