VSP 170

“I know, I know… that running away doesn’t solve everything. It’s my fault…”

A jumble of emotions – embarrassment, guilt, and frustration – over having been completely caught out for deceiving Cha Dogyeong churned inside him. His stomach was in knots.

But I had no choice! I can’t go bald at this prime age!

Sejun ruffled his thick hair.

All the difficult incidents were over. They were all over, yet the relationship between Sejun and Dogyeong hadn’t returned to the way it was before. That was because there were still many things they needed to talk about.

So as soon as a plausible excuse presented itself, Sejun made a quick getaway. Well, it wasn’t like he went to the ends of the earth, he just went to Bucheon, where his parents lived…

[How long do you plan to avoid this?]

The system advised that putting this off wouldn’t do any good, and Sejun knew that was true, but he didn’t have the courage to bring it up first.

Cha Dogyeong showed no particular reaction to Sejun’s attitude.

When Sejun said he’d go stay at his family home in Bucheon, Cha Dogyeong told him to do so if that made him feel better. He said he was more accustomed to handling these kinds of situations, so Sejun should just leave it to him and get some rest.

In a way, Sejun had cowardly run away thanks to that consideration.

Cha Dogyeong didn’t press Sejun on the matter after that. He simply sent small daily messages, chatting about the weather or video games.

But Sejun wasn’t oblivious. Cha Dogyeong wasn’t exactly known for his patience to begin with.

If he kept dragging his feet, Cha Dogyeong’s patience would eventually run out, and he’d come after Sejun.

Tomorrow, let’s talk tomorrow.

But Sejun, as he always did, kept putting it off. And whenever Cha Dogyeong contacted him, he’d get nervous.

And as expected, the guy whose patience had finally reached its limit came to get Sejun.

Is he coming to the shop? Where is he now? Shit, instead of bragging about his game score, he should’ve at least told me he was coming.

Watching Sejun mutter to himself, his mother issued an ultimatum.

“Anyway, get ready quickly! How long are you going to stay looking like a bum?”

On that note, his mother turned to leave the room.

Sejun, who had been fidgeting with his fingers, hurriedly called her back.

“Mom, there’s something.”

“Hmm?”

He wasn’t sure if it was right to ask his mother this, but since he wasn’t going to say outright whose problem it was, it probably didn’t matter. Sejun stammered as he opened his mouth.

“What if someone did something… really bad to a friend, but they hid it, and then somehow got caught? The friend really likes them, so they said it’s okay and they’ll let it slide, but they must still be disappointed, right?”

Sejun’s mother squinted as she listened. Sejun, who had been breaking out in a cold sweat, swallowed dryly and asked.

“What would you do in that situation, Mom?”

“You’d have to say you’re sorry.”

It was the standard answer. Sejun thought so too. But in a relationship like this, would a simple apology really solve the problem? It was as if he’d gotten off on the wrong foot from the very beginning.

“Go and beg for forgiveness. Tell them you’re sorry.”

“……I guess they should.”

He said that, but Sejun had no idea what to do.

Sejun’s mother, looking at her son’s gloomy face after he didn’t get the answer he wanted, sighed.

“Saying you’re sorry is just the beginning; you can’t stop there.”

“Uh-huh.”

“If you buttoned the first button wrong, you can’t just adjust the ones above it. You have to undo them all and start over.”

Sejun looked up. Undo them all and start over? Did that mean they should break up and get back together? Of course, Sejun’s mother probably didn’t know what she was talking about.

She looked at her son as if he were the biggest fool in the world, then opened her mouth with a sigh.

“You, tell me the truth.”

“What…?”

“Would you have told the truth if you hadn’t been caught?”

Sejun flinched. She had hit the nail on the head.

[She’s absolutely right.]

The system agreed as well. Sejun felt a little wronged, but it was true. If he hadn’t been caught, he would never have said a word. He’d thought there was absolutely no benefit in speaking up.

But now that he thought about it, there was no thought more selfish than that.

As Sejun blushed and lowered his head, his mother sighed.

“Don’t use the fact that he likes you and says it’s okay as an excuse.”

“Uh, yeah…”

“If you’re serious about making things right, go apologize. Don’t just say you’re sorry; tell him how you plan to make things right.”

What exactly was he supposed to do? Not knowing the answer, Sejun simply nodded.

Her words were true, but as he sat there with a gloomy expression, thinking he might have chosen the wrong person to talk to, his mother scolded him.

“Do better. Where else are you going to find a friend like Dogyeong?”

“Uh… no, that’s not it! How did you know I was talking about Cha Dogyeong?”

His mother looked at her son as if she genuinely thought he was pathetic.

[Sejun, even if you’re completely clueless, that’s a bit much…]

Even the system clicked his tongue. Hoya also shook his head vigorously.

As Sejun felt defeated, his mother exclaimed “Huh?” at the sound of an engine outside. She looked out the window and said words that came as a bolt from the blue.

“I guess Dogyeong is here.”

“What?”

Sejun rushed to the window, and as expected, he saw a familiar car in front of his parents’ house and a figure getting out. Sejun’s vision went blurry.

He was coming to the house instead of the shop?

“How did he even find this a-a-a-address?!”

“Mom told him, of course.”

The mole spoke nonchalantly as she patted Sejun on the back.

“Go wash up and change your clothes quickly. Mom will handle welcoming the guest for now.”

Humming to herself, his mother went downstairs to greet Cha Dogyeong.

“……”

Sejun was dumbfounded.

He knew he couldn’t keep running away and hiding forever, but he never imagined it would be today. A day he hadn’t even had time to prepare himself for.

Sejun’s expression turned grim. But as soon as he saw his own disheveled appearance, he rushed into the bathroom to wash up.

After all, he couldn’t possibly show up looking shabby in front of his boyfriend, whom he hadn’t seen in so long.

***

Cha Dogyeong, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, naturally looked much healthier than last time.

What’s more, for reasons unknown, he’d even put on a suit, something he rarely wore unless it was for a formal event, making him look even more handsome than usual.

As she watched him hand her a big, luxurious-looking shopping bag with a smile, calling it a small gift, his mother’s gaze was already that of someone looking at a future son-in-law.

Wow, if anyone saw this, they’d think my mom knows Cha Dogyeong and I are dating.

The atmosphere was actually a bit strange. Cha Dogyeong looked just like a prospective son-in-law who had come to ask for permission to marry. Between the gift, the suit…

“So, can I take Sejun with me?”

And that line too.

“Oh, of course. Just take this brat away, hurry up.”

“Ah, Mom!”

Sejun, who had been nervously tugging at his damp hair while trying to read the room, was thus handed over to Cha Dogyeong.

Sejun sat down in the passenger seat, looking a bit awkward. His heart was pounding because he had no idea what Cha Dogyeong might say, but after letting Sejun into the car, Cha Dogyeong didn’t say much.

Sejun didn’t ask where they were going, and Cha Dogyeong didn’t say where he wanted to go or where they were headed.

Before he knew it, they were at the beach in Incheon.

“Shall we take a walk?”

A criminal had no right to refuse. Sejun nodded.

Cha Dogyeong headed toward the beach, unconcerned that his dress shoes would get dirty in the sand.

Perhaps because of the weather, or because not much time had passed since the tragic incident, the beach looked desolate with hardly anyone there.

But perhaps that made it all the more suitable for a private conversation.

Had he planned to come here from the start? Sejun, who had been tilting his head in confusion, silently followed Cha Dogyeong.

[Sejun-nim.]

“Hm?”

[Hang in there.]

Hearing the system’s encouragement, Sejun tried to straighten his shoulders.

Even to the system, this seemed like a situation where Sejun needed to pull himself together, so he tried to muster some strength.

He repeated his mother’s words in his head: “If you’ve buttoned the first button wrong, undo them all and start over.”

The autumn sea wasn’t suitable for swimming, but it was actually perfect for walking. The wet sand was compacted beneath the folded-up parasol, and the wind carried the scent of salt.

Normally, this place should’ve been the one destroyed, not Seongnam. Sejun grimaced, feeling that he was partly to blame for this twist of fate.

Cha Dogyeong simply walked slowly ahead of Sejun without saying much.

How long had they been walking? Even though it was autumn, he must be feeling the heat, and as Sejun watched him take off his suit jacket and drape it over his arm, he couldn’t hide his impatience.

Sejun found himself staring at the slim waistline of the vest, which seemed to fit his body perfectly as if it were a custom-made suit, before finally speaking after a long silence.

“Hey…”

Perhaps because he’d barely managed to speak in the salty breeze, his mouth felt parched. At those first words, which carried a hint of saltiness, Cha Dogyeong stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, but Sejun couldn’t tell what was going through his mind.

“Yeah.”

“……Are you okay? Is the busy period over?”

“I told you I’m all better. I’m still busy, though. I’m far from done with that.”

He had indeed told him via text that he was all better. However, since it was something he’d wanted to hear from Cha Dogyeong’s own lips, Sejun felt a weight lift from his chest.

But it seemed he was still busy.