“That’s not it, it’s because Kun is feeling really unwell. He has another long-haul flight tomorrow, so…. I, I don’t know. He’s not sick… I guess he’s just exhausted from the long trip….”
That she had pestered him last night, leading them to knot and change three times after forty days of abstinence. That because of it, her boyfriend’s eyes had faded to white like a ‘snowball,’ so he couldn’t make their appointment. —Unable to tell the truth, Yeehyeon was struggling. All the while, the girl’s attention was fixed solely on him.
Yeehyeon ’s clean, neat face; his simple clothes that looked stylish on his excellent physique; his tidy, long fingers holding the phone; and his calm, pleasant voice speaking in a mysterious foreign language. Everything about Yeehyeon was probably making her heart flutter. Liu could well imagine how Yeehyeon must look in her eyes.
‘He does have the type of look that’s especially popular with girls that age.’
Liu smiled fondly to herself. Her pride was greater than her jealousy. The girl’s shy yet curious eyes held no malice. Of course, it would be a different story if she tried to approach Yeehyeon more actively.
“I think you’ve gotten more mischievous while I was away, Noona.”
Finally done with his call, Yeehyeon looked exhausted.
“I haven’t been able to tease you for forty days. You’d better be ready when we get back.”
Yeehyeon agreed with Liu’s playful words. But as he nodded and smiled, he was missing her. Liu could tell. She knew that Yeehyeon had other precious bonds in his life besides her. She was mature enough to feel relieved and grateful for that, rather than jealous, which was a great relief.
The train arrived on time. The two of them threw away their empty cups and boarded.
The first-class seats they had booked were on the second floor, so they climbed the stairs with their bulky backpacks. They had packed as lightly as possible, but a backpack for a forty-day trip could hardly be described as sleek.
The first-class cabin was nearly empty. Only four or five passengers were seated here and there. They took off their backpacks, secured them to the luggage rack, and took out only their tablet PCs. Then they walked further in to find their designated seats. Though it was just an unobstructed aisle, Yeehyeon , leading the way, found Liu’s hand and held it, moving slowly.
From the opposite end, a group of passengers was just entering the cabin. It was the girl’s family. Once again, she looked delighted to spot Yeehyeon . Even if Liu couldn’t see her expression clearly, her face kept turning their way.
“Kun, over here.”
Just as they were about to sit, Yeehyeon remained standing and looked around.
“What is it? Looking for the restroom?”
“I’ll be right back. You should sit, Kun.”
“I don’t think there’s a restroom on this side. I saw one over there.”
“Is it okay if I leave you alone?”
“Hm?”
Yeehyeon , who had been about to walk away, looked up at Liu with a worried expression.
“My vision isn’t that bad. You know that. I’ll sit here quietly and wait, so go on.”
It had been a long time since Yeehyeon had been this overprotective, just as it had been a long time since they had stopped knotting and changing. Liu pleasantly stroked Yeehyeon ’s cheek to reassure him.
Over Yeehyeon ’s shoulder, the same girl came into view. The four-person seats her family had chosen, which faced each other, were very close to their own. Close enough for Liu to make out her general expression. Even while seated, she kept looking up in their direction.
“Yeehyeon .”
“Yes?”
Liu called out to Yeehyeon , who was turning toward the door. She wrapped an arm around his waist, pulled him close, and gave him a short kiss. Yeehyeon ’s eyes widened. A flustered smile appeared on his face, and then he burst out laughing.
“What was that all of a sudden?”
“Just because. I wanted to kiss you.”
Had Liu’s kiss, coming at such an unexpected moment for no reason at all, disarmed him? Yeehyeon didn’t look around or chide her. Instead, he kept chuckling as if he couldn’t believe her. Liu grabbed the hand Yeehyeon used to push lightly at her chest and smiled back.
She held onto Yeehyeon ’s hand until the last moment as he walked away, then let go with a touch of regret. Yeehyeon shook his head with a face full of laughter and left the cabin.
The girl had watched the entire exchange. She didn’t seem disappointed by the fact that Yeehyeon had a lover. The color of her curiosity had merely changed slightly.
Liu was certain. Because of the kiss just now and the atmosphere that had flowed between them, Yeehyeon had become a far more mysterious being in the girl’s mind.
An exotic and charming young man encountered during a boring autumn train trip with her family; the playful yet sweet kiss that young man shared with his same-sex lover. To her, this scene would remain like a single, striking, and beautiful photograph. Perhaps even more beautiful than reality.
Watching Yeehyeon ’s retreating back, Liu sat down, satisfied. She opened the tray table and set up her tablet.
Piled-up work was waiting for her back in Seoul. Preparations to move to Bali and establish a new gallery and organization also had to begin in earnest. But the workload didn’t feel like a burden. On the contrary, she felt more motivated than ever. It was the new life she had waited for so long to begin with Yeehyeon .
“Don’t go. Stay by my side.”
Liu’s expression suddenly hardened as she skimmed through a work email from Kwon Juhan. No matter how intoxicated he was by her pheromones, Yeehyeon ’s behavior last night had been truly unlike him. Was it possible she was missing some important change happening inside him?
Rustle.
Just then, a pink object was suddenly thrust before Liu’s eyes. Lost in deep thought, Liu reflexively looked up. Yeehyeon was standing beside her seat with a bashful expression. Liu’s gaze returned to the pink object.
It was a mouse-shaped gummy.
“What… is this?”
Taking it, bewildered, Liu hesitantly rose from her seat. She was still dazed as she made way for Yeehyeon to sit by the window.
“It was bothering me that you didn’t get to try it because of me.”
“……”
“I saw they were selling it at the platform store just now.”
Yeehyeon plopped down in the window seat and rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze. She thought he was going to the restroom, but it seemed he had visited the platform store in the meantime.
Screech, clank.
The train began to move.
“If you can’t eat it, leave it. I’ll eat it for you. I’m not a picky eater.”
“Ah… Seo Yeehyeon , really. How many times are you going to make me fall for you all over again?”
“Don’t make such a big deal over a single gummy.”
The tips of his reddened ears were adorable. Liu wrapped an arm around Yeehyeon ’s shoulders and pulled him close. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she buried her lips near his ear and whispered, as if sighing without realizing it.
“I want to run away with you just like this.”
“Why run away? No one’s chasing us.”
Yeehyeon chuckled in her arms.
“Just because. I don’t want to send you back to Paris.”
“……”
Yeehyeon was silent for a moment. Liu knew what this silence meant. As quiet as he was, Yeehyeon was someone who could express his emotions delicately through silence. A bashful silence, a silence of protest, a silence of a blank mind, a silence of deep thought, and a silence to keep complex emotions from leaking out. Just like now.
Yeehyeon gently placed a hand on Liu’s back. Then, slowly stroking her broad back, he said,
“We’re going on a trip to Bali soon, so let’s just be patient for a little while.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Before this winter ends, I’ll have my life in Paris sorted out, and after that… we’ll be together so much you’ll get sick of it.”
Liu pulled Yeehyeon out of her embrace and playfully bumped their foreheads together.
“I can’t agree with that part.”
Seo Yeehyeon , maturely consoling a Liu who was sad about their parting, saying all the right things. He was, without a doubt, back to his usual self. That was why Liu could never have predicted what would happen the following afternoon.
The train slowly began to pull away from the station.
Liu tore open the gummy packet, picked up a mouse by its tail, and lifted it. The pink and white mouse-shaped gummy was as fresh and sweet as its colors suggested.
“Mm, not bad. I guess… you shouldn’t judge people or gummies by their looks.”
At Liu’s serious assessment, Yeehyeon shook his head and laughed as if he couldn’t believe her.
Outside the window, the Swiss autumn was rapidly passing by. It was time to return to Paris, to their daily lives.
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