GGAS 36

It didn’t seem like today, that was the first thought Seo Taerim had as he looked at the scene before his eyes. The place he was standing in was a restaurant where Eun Sanho’s birthday party was supposed to be held in fifteen minutes, but on the walls of the restaurant were banners saying things like “Welcome Taerim-ssi to the Shancho Boulevard Knitting Room” and “Taerim-ssi! It’s fine even if you wander clumsily~.” On one wall, a beam projector was even playing a video. It was a one-minute-long video letter of knitters from around the world who knew Kim Abang, all shouting in various languages, “Taerim, you can do it~!!” while smiling warmly.

“What on earth… why did this happen…?”

Seo Taerim muttered in dismay. Of course, he had recently started going to the neighborhood knitting room, thinking it would be nice to share the same hobby as Kim Abang, and when Kim Abang said he would hold a small welcome party, Taerim had agreed. But the date and place of that welcome party definitely shouldn’t have been here, at this time, today.

Besides, was this supposed to be small?

Seo Taerim turned his trembling eyes toward Kim Abang.

“Th-that, it seems the USB I gave Secretary Ha was the wrong one… The restaurant only did the decorations and banners exactly as it was told… What should we do…”

Kim Abang looked helpless and glanced at the endlessly looping support video. Seo Taerim also followed his gaze and looked at the video again.

Taerim, you can do it~!!

‘…Right. Don’t panic. Everyone says I can do it.’

Drawing strength from the cheers of the world, Seo Taerim pulled himself together. Was he the same Seo Taerim as before? He was the man who had spent every day of the past few months with Kim Abang. He could now guess which cabbage Kim Abang would greet whenever he passed by the vegetable shop, and if Kim Abang was busy, he could go out alone to look for runaway Ppoppi and return with Ppoppi in his arms in just five minutes. Therefore, he ought to be able to handle a ruined birthday party, and he could. Seo Taerim held Kim Abang’s hand tightly as he turned to him.

“It’s fine, Kim Abang-ssi. We can do it. Haven’t we already overcome many hardships together?”

Seo Taerim spoke with confidence. And perhaps that positive mindset passed through his hand into Kim Abang.

“Taerim-ssi…”

Kim Abang looked at him with a moved expression, then soon rolled up his sleeves with determination.

“You’re right. We can do anything. Then I’ll go and take that down first!”

His eyes sparkled with energy as he pointed at the banner in the center of the restaurant. On it was a large printed ID photo of Seo Taerim with a heart filter applied, boosting the mood of unconditional support and encouragement for him.

“Good.”

Knowing exactly what was on the spot Kim Abang pointed to, Seo Taerim did not turn his head but only looked at Kim Abang, smiling as he replied.

“Then I’ll contact Kim Gwanggong and tell him to take his time.”

“Wow, that’s a genius idea!”

Kim Abang beamed, planted kisses on both of Seo Taerim’s cheeks, then grabbed a chair from a nearby table to use as a footstool and set off. Seo Taerim twitched the corners of his lips and lightly touched the spots where he had been kissed.

‘Kisses… that was already the fifth one today.’

He had gotten one in the morning for eating well, one at lunch because his head shape was nice, and one in the afternoon for tying his shoelaces properly. When Kim Gwanggong witnessed that, he was dumbfounded and asked if Seo Taerim was a child, but Kim Abang only gave him another kiss, saying not to catch a cold in the chilly weather. Kim Gwanggong had once again said it must be an amazing elixir, but Seo Taerim was simply happy.

‘…If I say I feel chilly, will he give me another one?’

Thinking that if Kim Gwanggong heard it, he would probably sprinkle three handfuls of bay salt, Seo Taerim sent a text to Kim Gwanggong, telling him not to come quickly no matter what. Then, when he looked up again, he saw Kim Abang, short as he was, jumping up and down in place, and he had already taken down half of Seo Taerim’s face from the banner.

As always, seeing his passionate figure made Seo Taerim laugh as he walked toward him.

“Kim Abang-ssi, leave it. I’ll…”

Seo Taerim stopped mid-sentence. Something had popped out of Kim Abang’s pocket as he jumped and had fallen to the floor. That something rolled and rolled until it hit the tip of Taerim’s shoe before stopping. Seo Taerim bent down and picked it up. It was a ring.

‘His body keeps throwing out belongings.’

Seo Taerim laughed and started wiping the dust off the ring with his sleeve, but then stopped. He lifted his head and looked at Kim Abang’s hand. On his finger was a ring of the exact same design.

‘The same ring… two of them? He must really like it? I’ve never seen it before.’

Seo Taerim compared the ring in his hand with the one on Kim Abang’s finger by eye.

‘But… even if it fits perfectly on his finger, this one is too big for him…?’

He rolled the ring in his hand, measuring its thickness. It was definitely too thick compared to Kim Abang’s fingers. Even if he wore it on his thumb, it would be loose and fall off.

‘But the design is the same?’

If the sizes were that different, it was meant for another person, but the design was the same. One conclusion flashed through his mind.

‘Couple rings.’

He recalled Kim Abang staring closely at his fingers a few weeks ago. Immediately, a siren started ringing in his head.

‘No. I was supposed to confess first.’

Meanwhile, his heart pounded uncontrollably.

‘Did Kim Abang prepare couple rings? Crazy. Is today the day I die?’

He tried hard to calm his spinning head and pounding heart, forcing himself to take deep breaths. He clenched and unclenched his trembling hands, then finally tapped Kim Abang on the shoulder.

“…Kim Abang-ssi.”

“Yes?”

“This… you dropped this.”

Seo Taerim held out the ring. At that, Kim Abang’s eyes went wide.

“Why is that…”

Flustered, Kim Abang snatched the ring out of Seo Taerim’s hand. Then, restless, he hid the hand holding the ring behind his back, rolled his eyes, and bit his lip. Looking like a startled rabbit, he made Seo Taerim barely suppress a laugh that tried to slip out, and Taerim cleared his throat.

“Hm, um… that, by any chance…”

“……?”

“Were you… planning to give it to me?”

Seo Taerim asked while pretending not to expect anything. Of course, inside, he was desperately struggling over which hand to wear the ring on. The left hand, like Kim Abang? Or the right hand, to make it look like they matched?

But his worries were completely useless.

“N-no?! It’s not for you, Taerim-ssi?!”

Kim Abang shouted. Seo Taerim blinked.

“It’s not mine?”

“N-no.”

“Then… whose is it?”

Seo Taerim asked, unable to understand.

“Th-that… it’s… it’s a gift, for the grandma at the fruit shop.”

Kim Abang stammered. Seo Taerim frowned.

“There’s only a grandpa there.”

“…Y-yeah.”

Kim Abang averted his eyes as he answered. At that sight, Seo Taerim suddenly felt a chill. No way, could it be, could it really be.

“Kim Abang-ssi, did you… did you get someone you like?”

He asked, even though he thought it couldn’t be true. At once, Kim Abang jerked his head up in shock.

“H-how…”

He muttered unconsciously, then flinched and covered his mouth with his hand.

“……”

Seo Taerim’s head rang. He had never thought of it.

“Another person…”

Of course, it was possible. He knew well in his head that the relationship between him and Kim Abang was only a contract relationship.

‘But… but…’

A corner of his chest throbbed with jealousy, confusion, and betrayal. He had many things he wanted to say, but he didn’t know what to start with.

‘You were with me all day, so when, when on earth did you meet that person? Do you teleport or something?’

‘When you picked out this ring, did you not think of me? My finger size is about the same as this one, you know?’

‘Even if you don’t have to tell me just because I’m curious, who is it? I’m just asking because I’m curious. Is it the middle school friend you ran into at the Japanese restaurant? Or the nurse friend from the Chinese restaurant? If not that, then the university classmate you ran into at the cafe? Damn it, why is it always cafes and restaurants? Do you only meet me when you want to eat?’

There were so many things Seo Taerim felt bitter about, but above all, when he thought that Kim Abang had seen that person and then still sat across from him like nothing and ate together, tears welled up in his eyes. Words he wanted to say were already rising up his throat.

‘Kim Abang-ssi, I thought you were just a kind of silly cutie, but aren’t you actually a complete psychopath? When I greet someone I like, I don’t then sit and eat sweetly with someone I don’t like! I don’t wipe rice grains off their lips! If you were going to… if you were going to… then why did you wipe it off?’

His vision grew blurry, and his head grew blurry with it.

“I… I…”

By now, he had only one thought.

‘I thought… I thought Kim Abang-ssi, even if not a lot, at least a little… liked me…’

Tears fell, dripping down his eyelashes. Through the blurred vision, he vaguely saw Kim Abang’s wide eyes staring at him in shock. He thought he heard Kim Abang calling, “Taerim-ssi,” but his head was dizzy and his ears were ringing so he couldn’t hear well. He thought maybe Kim Abang was wiping his tears, but Kim Abang’s fingers were so small and his tears kept flowing endlessly that his vision stayed blurred.

“…Damn.”

Seo Taerim knew it too. From Kim Abang’s perspective right now, he must have looked like a lunatic. Every thought he had sounded like whining, foolish, and stupid. He was a proper adult who didn’t even put chicken bones in food waste, after all.

‘…I should apologize. Say I’m sorry for suddenly crying, that I didn’t mean to… say congratulations for getting someone he likes.’

Seo Taerim barely moved his lips. But what came out of his mouth was completely different.

“Kim Abang-ssi, can’t you… like me?”

Seo Taerim felt like he really was insane. But his mouth didn’t stop, as if it had broken free from his will.

“This person… I don’t know who this person is…”

He stammered as he pointed at the hand in which Kim Abang held the ring. He thought it must look pathetic, calling someone “this person” while pointing at a ring because he didn’t even know their name, but neither his hand nor his mouth stopped.

“I… I like you more. More than this person likes you… I like you more.”

He said it even though he knew there was no logical way to prove he liked him more.

“I like listening… to your stories more. I like eating with you more. And watching movies with you… I like that more, more…”

This wasn’t the speech he had practiced for months in front of the mirror. Only pitiful words spilled out. Seo Taerim hurriedly wiped the tears already streaming down his cheeks and grabbed Kim Abang’s hand.

“I’m good at finding Ppoppi. I recycle properly. I won’t get startled at octopus anymore, I’ll eat it with chojang sauce…”

His voice still trembled pitifully. Seo Taerim took a deep breath to suppress his sobs and forced a smile.

“So, don’t let go of my hand, okay?”

“……”

Kim Abang was too shocked to say anything. He couldn’t immediately process what he had just seen and heard.

‘Taerim-ssi just now… said he… he likes me… and now Taerim-ssi is crying… why is Taerim-ssi’s hand shaking so much…?’

Kim Abang couldn’t sort out his thoughts at all. And as he stood there, not even blinking for a long while, Seo Taerim took it as rejection. He lowered his gaze and slowly let go of the hand he was holding.

“……”

Seo Taerim stared blankly at the floor for a moment, then lifted his head.

“…I made a fool of myself. I’m sorry.”

With a face that seemed to have lost all expression, he said that, then turned sharply around without even wiping away the tears streaming down his jaw. His steps were hasty, it looked like he was about to run away.

‘No…!’

Only then did Kim Abang came back to his senses. He hurriedly reached out and grabbed the hem of Seo Taerim’s clothes.

“No, that’s not it. It’s true that I have someone I like, but it’s not another person, Taerim-ssi, you’re misunderstanding right now…”

Seeing Seo Taerim trying to pull his hand away, his voice trailed off.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to lie.”

Seo Taerim spoke flatly, then, as if he was trying to escape, he left Kim Abang behind and strode toward the entrance. Watching his back grow more distant, Kim Abang was only bewildered. No, it’s really a misunderstanding. I don’t like someone else… it’s not someone else…

“No, it’s not fine! I’m saying I love you, Taerim-ssi!”

Growing desperate, Kim Abang couldn’t even think to run after him and just shouted the conclusion. At that, Seo Taerim froze in place and slowly turned his head.

“Wh… what did you just say…”

‘Ah, I’m screwed, what do I do!’

Kim Abang cursed himself for throwing away the confession speech he had prepared by filling six notebooks. But maybe the college writing professor’s teaching that if you don’t know what to do, you should always state the conclusion first was right, because at last, a real expression appeared on Seo Taerim’s face.

“What… what did you say?”

Seo Taerim asked with a confused and doubtful expression. Kim Abang instinctively realized he couldn’t hesitate here.

“I said I love you, Taerim-ssi!”

Kim Abang shouted again.

“What…”