HEAL 10

Taking the taxi Yeon-su hailed, they crossed the Han River bridge and passed through streets that looked like a sleepless city.

The taxi stopped one block further into an alley lined with luxury boutiques. Sang-kyung looked around with a bewildered expression. They had arrived in Cheongdam. Here, he certainly wouldn’t run into Yeon-su’s lover.

Yeon-su headed toward a black iron door without a sign. When he pressed the bell, a small window opened and a staff member inside verified the two of them. Soon, the door opened silently.

What is this? Is this illegal? Am I being sold off to a shrimp boat? Or organ trafficking? Did I quit smoking for nothing?

Following behind Yeon-su with his shoulders hunched, a world different from what Sang-kyung had expected unfolded before his eyes. Dim lighting, leather sofas with a mysterious luster, and jazz music playing at a volume suitable for conversation. Instead of loud chatter, most of the men were gathered in small groups, calmly sipping their drinks.

This is a gay bar? It was completely different from Jongno. The atmosphere was far more luxurious and subdued.

Yeon-su exchanged a nod with the bartender and guided Sang-kyung to the innermost sofa.

“You seem quite familiar with this place, Yeon-su.”

He thought Yeon-su was a pushover… For some reason, it was a shock.

“An acquaintance of mine runs the place.”

Even that answer sounded like a facade. This was because Yeon-su blended into the environment unexpectedly well.

“Hi, Yeon-su. What brings you here with someone else for a change?”

Another person, different from the bartender, tapped Yeon-su on the shoulder and spoke familiarly. From the casual way he addressed him, it was immediately clear that the two were quite close. The man looked at Sang-kyung and asked with an intrigued gaze.

“A friend?”

“An Assistant manager from my team. Assistant manager… this is Hyung’s friend.”

The man slapped Yeon-su’s shoulder hard.

“How long are you going to keep acting like strangers? If we know this much about each other, we’re friends too.”

Sang-kyung felt completely lost. Or rather, he might have felt dizzy because he had a strange sensation of being an outsider here. Even though it was a gay bar, Jongno had felt a bit more open.

“But is it okay to bring someone from work here? Does he know what kind of place this is?”

“Yes, he knows, but since he’s not ‘one of us,’ don’t say anything weird.”

Yeon-su drew a firm line. He had come here to find a potential partner, yet he was cutting the conversation off like this? The man was on the handsome side, but he was definitely in the category of ‘impossible,’ so Sang-kyung nodded with an ambiguous smile as if bowing.

“Hello, I’m Park Garam.”

The man who introduced himself gave a smile. Objectively, he must be attractive. Though not his type. Sang-kyung wondered if he should introduce himself as well. As if reading his mind, Yeon-su offered a piece of advice.

“Assistant manager, you don’t need to introduce yourself. Don’t reveal your personal information in places like this.”

Garam handed the menu to Yeon-su and whispered mischievously.

“I think I can tell who he is even without an introduction.”

Tell what? The man’s gaze was fixed on him. It was a look filled with blatant curiosity. Hadn’t he said he wasn’t the type to attract gay men? Garam was quite tall, so Sang-kyung thought he might not be a bottom.

“Please, just, go.”

Yeon-su waved his hand in front of Garam’s face as if shooing away a fly.

“Our Yeon-su must be happy to work with such a cool Sunbae. I thought he came here today to play with me.”

The man, who had been staring intently at him just a moment ago, instantly switched his target to Yeon-su, smiling slyly as he wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He had heard that gay people move quickly into physical relationships… but wasn’t this too light? Even though Sang-kyung was the one who had leaned into that lightness himself, his mind became complicated.

“That’s enough. I came here because I have something to discuss with Yeon-su alone.”

The corners of Garam’s mouth curled up with interest. He released his arm from Yeon-su’s shoulder and raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Oops, he’s a scary Sunbae.”

Hearing the flippant response, Yeon-su’s expression became even more menacing. He was definitely an annoying man, walking the fine line between mockery and playfulness. Sang-kyung drew a line with him.

“I’ll have an Amaretto Sour, please.”

“I’ll have the same…”

Garam’s eyes blinked slowly a couple of times.

“Not a Dry Martini? You always drink that whenever you come. You don’t like sweet things.”

“I do.”

Yeon-su snapped back, setting the menu down as if throwing it. Garam scanned Sang-kyung from head to toe and dropped a meaningful comment.

“Please take good care of our Yeon-su, Assistant manager.”

The phrase ‘our Yeon-su’ had been grating on him for a while. Wasn’t that the kind of tone someone uses when they think they’re Yeon-su’s guardian? Especially since he’s a grown adult.

Garam blew a wink and leisurely disappeared to another part of the bar. Since Sang-kyung had never even winked at a woman, he shuddered. If he’s older than Yeon-su, he should act his age.

“I’m sorry. That guy doesn’t even come to work often; I don’t know why he’s here today of all days.”

“You two seem very close.”

“We’re not close at all.”

If he was willing to cut someone off despite appearing that close, then he and Yeon-su really had no relationship… No, what is he thinking? Sang-kyung stopped digging further.

After a while, a waiter approached and placed cocktails in front of them. An almond-scented Amaretto Sour topped with a red cherry.

Sang-kyung carefully observed Yeon-su’s expression as he drank the cocktail. His cheeks were flushed even before the alcohol kicked in. As expected, he didn’t seem to dislike it.

“…Do you follow that person every weekend?”

“Actually, there are times when I have to go look for him on weekdays too.”

“Do you live together?”

“Yes.”

Yeon-su gulped down the cocktail as if he were upset. Would it have been better to go for beer or soju? He worried that the cocktail, being sweeter than soju, would go down too easily. Couldn’t he have just packaged the word ‘Hyung’ as ‘Noona’ or ‘girlfriend’?

No, he had come here to hook a man. But if he actually found a man while leaving a kid in this state, would he be able to leave the table?

“Why do you go that far?”

“I don’t know, I’ve been doing it since I was young, so it feels natural.”

“Since you were young?”

“As soon as I became an adult…”

Just as Sang-kyung, horrified by Yeon-su’s answer, was about to say something more, Garam returned to the table. He brought a cart loaded with a bottle of vodka, orange juice, an ice bucket full of round ice, and glasses. He naturally sat down next to Yeon-su.

“Are you free?”

Seeing the prickly side of Yeon-su that he showed to others outside of work was somewhat amusing.

“Since it’s a commemoration of meeting Yeon-su’s boss, I’ll treat you. Of course, since it’s free, you have no choice. One Screwdriver, coming up, customer.”

“You’re not even a bartender, why are you pretending to make something? I shouldn’t have come here…”

Even the way he complained was a fresh sight to Sang-kyung. It was just strange that he acted so spoiled, given that this was technically a professional acquaintance.

“Where else do you have to take a customer besides here?”

“Does Yeon-su not go to bars often?”

He thought Yeon-su would be an expert, given that he spent his time hunting for a cheating lover. At Sang-kyung’s question, Garam paused while making the cocktail for Yeon-su and looked up. He looked back and forth between Sang-kyung and Yeon-su, a scheming smile playing on his lips.

“At least he doesn’t go out to play. Our Yeon-su…”

“Stop it!”

Yeon-su tried to block the words in horror, but Garam only shrugged.

“He’s devoted to one person… should I say he’s a bit naive?”

…That devoted person had suggested a ‘mutual’ affair.

It seemed that even those who act blindly eventually break. Like a stone being worn away by water dripping from the eaves.

“Seriously, stop.”

He was someone whose face flushed easily to begin with, but because of the alcohol, Yeon-su’s face was now red as if it were about to explode. Garam, who had been looking at Yeon-su with a smiling face, turned his eyes toward Sang-kyung.

The playfulness vanished from his voice. Leaning over the table, he stared straight into Sang-kyung’s eyes like an interrogator. The other man’s mood seemed to have dropped strangely.

“Since the boss isn’t ‘one of us,’ why did he come all the way here with Yeon-su?”

Instead of panicking, Sang-kyung lifted his cocktail glass and shook the ice. With the corners of his mouth lifted, he rubbed the cold surface of the glass.

“It feels like a congressional hearing is being held.”

“It’s just because I’ve known him since he was young. I wondered if he’d get hurt…”

Garam wouldn’t know that he had run away from the motel a week ago, yet Sang-kyung felt as if the man had instinctively identified him as a man who hurts others. However, the rejection he gave Yeon-su had been within reasonable bounds.

“If you’re worried about that, wouldn’t it be better to separate him from his Hyung first?”

Sang-kyung’s voice had sunk low, just like Garam’s a moment ago. With his smile gone, he stared at Garam with sharp eyes. If he knew Yeon-su so well and was worried about him, why had he left him neglected? Why was he so annoyed?

“The boss knows about that too?”

Garam’s gaze turned toward Yeon-su in surprise.

“Did you tell him that much?”

He looked as if he had found an exciting spectacle. Yeon-su glanced at Sang-kyung.

“It’s not like that… Hyung almost made a mistake.”

“Without consent?”

Hmm? Sang-kyung couldn’t follow the flow of the conversation. They seemed to be talking about what happened in Jongno, but was this a situation where the word ‘consent’ would come up?

“I heard they agreed to go there in the first place.”

“I thought you said he wasn’t ‘one of us’?”

“He isn’t, but…”

Yeon-su’s voice grew smaller and smaller.

“I’m actually quite baffled right now. I feel like I’m hearing a story about someone sucking a dick thinking it was a fish cake.”

“It’s really not. He likes women.”

At Yeon-su’s desperate excuse, Garam exaggeratedly patted Yeon-su’s back.

“Ah, really? A man who likes women came all the way here alone with you?”

Garam clapped his hands, changing the mood.

“Now, now! Let’s just drink.”

The ratio of orange juice to vodka looked very strange. The orange juice was merely a facade for color; it was close to a straight shot of hard liquor. Was Yeon-su good at drinking? Sang-kyung followed the glass Garam set down with half-closed eyes.

“I didn’t bring my own glass, so I’ll borrow this one.”

As Garam picked up the glass Yeon-su had been drinking from, Sang-kyung’s face visibly hardened. Sang-kyung pulled the remaining cherry in his glass with the tip of his tongue, swallowed it, and emptied the cocktail in one go. He set the empty glass down in front of Garam with a clink.

“Please make my portion here.”

“It’s a bit odd to give a customer a mixed drink…”

Sang-kyung’s mood sank further, feeling a subtle boast that Yeon-su wasn’t just a ‘customer’ to Garam.

“Isn’t a cocktail just a mixture of various things anyway?”

“I have nothing to say when you put it that way.”

Garam smiled brightly and made a Screwdriver.

“Now, bottoms up?”

A subtle provocation flickered behind his smile. Since Garam had previously downed the strangely proportioned cocktail, Sang-kyung unconsciously tilted the glass. As the stinging sensation of the vodka traveled down his throat, a burning heat made his nose tingle. As he had guessed, the vodka seemed to be overwhelmingly dominant.

“What does the boss think?”

Having drunk an Amaretto Sour followed by a poorly balanced Screwdriver in quick succession, his head spun.

“What… are you curious about?”

Garam replied casually while refilling the glass.

“About a person who accidentally spends the night with someone while drunk.”