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Around ten people had gathered at a cafe not too far from ‘The Hands.’ There were people like Ben and Jun, whom he had met at the last Christmas party, some he had seen a few times when he used to hang around ‘The Hands,’ and a mix of complete strangers.
In any case, they were colleagues and neighbors who shared their daily lives with Yeehyeon in the same space. Since Liu was occupying a seat here as his lover, it was obvious that their assessment of him would also affect Yeehyeon . It was bound to be a nerve-wracking situation for Liu.
After a simple meal of egg dishes and pancakes, said to be made with locally sourced ingredients, was cleared away, the drinking began in earnest. Naturally, the artwork unveiled at the pre-opening party earlier that day became the topic of conversation.
“You must be proud that Yeehyeon ’s latest work is getting such a good response?”
Someone asked Liu with a subtle smile. She was an artist with short dreadlocks that suited her well, who created installation pieces using recycled paper.
Liu glanced at Yeehyeon , who was sitting next to him, then lowered his gaze diagonally toward his wine glass.
“As the gallerist who worked with him, and also as his lover… of course, I am. Even though not all the reviews are positive, he continues his work without losing his focus, and even that part… I find it very admirable.”
“Did you discover Yeehyeon , Liu? Ah, you must have fallen for his work first?”
The one who jumped into the conversation, his eyes shining with curiosity behind horn-rimmed glasses, was a young man from Malaysia. He was dressed in a stylish manner that would be popular among the youth these days. He was also the one who, upon being introduced to Liu, had immediately pulled out his phone to ask if he had any social media accounts.
“I wouldn’t say I discovered him… more like Yeehyeon came to me? I was already drawn to him before I knew he painted, so his work wasn’t the catalyst… but then again, I already had an affection for his work before I knew him, so I guess that’s not entirely wrong either…. Hmm, now that I think about it, we were entangled by a rather complex set of coincidences.”
Even to himself, his words sounded cheesy. Liu rubbed his lips and smiled sheepishly. When he glanced to his side, Yeehyeon was rapidly draining his wine, his face red all the way to his ears. His habit of drinking faster when he was nervous or flustered was still the same. The fact that this habit of his, one Liu knew so well, hadn’t changed, filled Liu with a sudden sense of relief and tenderness.
He secretly took hold of Yeehyeon ’s right hand under the table, and Yeehyeon flinched, his body stiffening as he conspicuously looked around. Every one of those reactions was so endearing that Liu gently squeezed the hand he was holding before letting go.
“Cheesy.”
At the muttered, accusatory whisper that was clearly directed at him, Liu turned his head. It was Jun, who had been sulking and barely touching his food, only sipping his wine.
“A romance between a dealer and an artist isn’t that uncommon. Given the nature of the relationship, if it works out, they can become partners who understand each other best, both personally and professionally. And they say that if coincidences keep overlapping, that’s fate, too.”
It was Ben who steered the conversation, which could have turned awkwardly stiff, in another direction. He said this while vigorously rubbing Jun’s short-cropped hair, and Jun struggled to break free from his hand in defiance. Watching the two of them, Liu brought his wine glass to his lips and smiled vaguely.
In truth, this gathering hadn’t been planned.
The pre-opening party, held today, a Saturday, two days before the official opening on Monday, had started late in the afternoon and ended around evening, unlike the Christmas Eve party Liu had also attended. It had been a wholesome party focused solely on introducing the artwork.
Perhaps finding that a bit of a shame, a few people had started to gather on their own after the event. Most of them were members who often hung out in the second-floor common room of ‘The Hands.’ Their enthusiastic invitations had swept Liu and Yeehyeon up in the mood, and they had ended up joining.
At first, everyone had been polite to Liu, an outsider and a colleague’s lover, and had maintained a certain distance. But as the alcohol took effect and spirits rose, the conversation became more lively and bold. This was also partly due to Liu taking the initiative to break down the walls. His easygoing and sociable demeanor was, of course, all an effort for Yeehyeon ’s reputation.
Who made the first move? Who confessed first?… and so on. The nature of questions aimed at a couple didn’t seem to differ much, regardless of the culture.
With each question, Yeehyeon would make a troubled face and reach for his wine, while Liu showed his sincerity by satisfying their curiosity to a certain extent, yet keeping the overly private details to himself.
I was the one who ‘made the first move,’ we didn’t mark a specific confession as a starting point, the relationship just seemed to develop naturally.
He answered in a calm, almost business-like manner, but strangely, the reactions he received were nothing but heated.
“You must have been worried when Yeehyeon said he was going far away, since he has a shy side.”
“He may be introverted… but that’s not all there is to Yeehyeon . I believed he would adapt well and be able to focus on his work. He’s a well-centered person, unlike me.”
“Ah… so you’re saying being apart was harder for you, Liu, than for Yeehyeon ?”
Someone interpreted Liu’s answer in a mischievous way. But since it wasn’t exactly wrong, Liu didn’t feel the need to correct it.
“It’s not just any long-distance relationship, either. You didn’t object?”
“Did you intentionally not visit at first, to let him get adjusted?”
The next questions poured in before he could even finish his answer.
“Everyone, don’t… tease him so much.”
Yeehyeon , who until then had only been enduring the uncomfortable situation with a troubled expression, finally interjected as if he couldn’t take it anymore. His face had become flushed red. It was more due to the alcohol than embarrassment.
“You just hedge when we ask you. Don’t you know that hiding things just makes people more curious?”
The young man from Malaysia retorted coyly.
“Yeehyeon ’s lips are all pouty. He’s drunk.”
Someone said in a voice tinged with laughter, and Yeehyeon rubbed his face with his palms, denying the claim.
“He’ll do anything you say when he’s drunk, but he’s so good at dodging questions about his boyfriend.”
“He’s not the type to make up a boyfriend he doesn’t have, so we even wondered if he was dating some celebrity we weren’t supposed to know about.”
It seemed people were enjoying seeing Yeehyeon flustered. Not in a malicious way, but more like light teasing based on affection. Liu could easily sense that, at the very least, the people gathered here were fond of Yeehyeon .
Not only that, but he couldn’t help but notice a few gazes that alternated between his own left hand and Yeehyeon ’s.
He could somewhat guess what kind of suspicions and fantasies they might be spinning about Yeehyeon ’s evasiveness regarding his boyfriend and the ring worn on only one of their hands.
Stroking the ring on his fourth finger with his thumb, Liu gripped the thin stem of his wine glass. His mouth felt dry, and just as he was about to lift the glass, Yeehyeon , beside him, lowered his voice and spoke.
“I’m sorry. Everyone’s so… mischievous, aren’t they?”
“This is nothing.”
“It would’ve been nice if Yuni-noona was here. She’s running a bit late.”
Yuni, who was part of the operations team and not an artist, was supposed to join after finishing up the post-event cleanup. Liu gently took Yeehyeon ’s chin, which was turned toward the entrance, and made him look at him, then shook his head.
“If Baek Yuni were here, we’d be suffering through questions several times more vicious than this. She may be soft on Seo Yeehyeon , but that kid is merciless with me.”
“……”
Yeehyeon closed his mouth for a moment and rolled his eyes, then nodded in agreement. His unnecessarily serious expression was cute. Just as the others had said, he seemed a little drunk. A laugh escaped Liu as he looked at his slightly dazed face, his reactions slower than usual. When he tapped the tip of his nose with the index finger that had been holding his chin, Yeehyeon showed him a wide smile, his eyes crinkling. It was a smile with enough impact to make his chest ache and stir him powerfully.
As soon as he became conscious of the fact that he was looking at the real Yeehyeon ’s face, not one through a phone or laptop screen, his heart reacted anew. It was something that had happened several times over the past few days they had been together. They had to part again before they could be fully compensated for the time they had spent apart, and the reunion had been just that eagerly anticipated.
The finger that had been dancing on Yeehyeon ’s face moved to his lips. He lightly pinched the slightly parted lips, and Yeehyeon ’s eyes immediately widened. Other people wouldn’t even know the meaning of this gesture, yet his flustered reaction, as if they’d been caught in a secret act, was so very Yeehyeon .
With the hand that had twisted the flesh of his lips, he toyed with his earlobe and leaned his head in deeper.
“I want to be alone with you, soon.”
“……”
Yeehyeon bit his lower lip and cast his eyes down. He had his hands clasped, his fingers intertwined and fidgeting.
“Pheromones, you have to be careful.”
After a long moment, Yeehyeon finally managed to give that warning in a small voice.
“Okay.”
Contrary to his answer, Liu did not pull his closely pressed body away.
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