WWBU - 51

Since a while ago, Han had been leaning back in his chair, silently observing the two people’s actions and words. His expression was rather cold.

After that, there wasn’t much conversation. In fact, the meal didn’t last long either. About ten minutes later, Hyun-soo, unable to endure any longer, stood up first, bringing the gathering to an end.

The three of them exchanged greetings with the caretaker who had come early in the morning to check on the villa. Though Hyun-soo felt uneasy about possible traces left behind, he returned the clothes he had worn.

With only a few belongings to pack, the three left the villa that had sheltered them for the night and got into the car.

“I’ll get going.”

Han’s dry voice echoed in the car. “Yeah,” Hyun-soo replied softly.

Fortunately, the weather had cleared up, and the rain had stopped. The road surface was still wet and shiny from the downpour that had lasted until the previous night. The scenery outside the window appeared freshly washed and clean.

Unlike the journey up here, the drive back to Seoul from Dangyeong took only three hours. Hyun-soo struggled to keep his eyes open but soon fell into a deep sleep. It was such a profound slumber that he didn’t wake up until they arrived home.

“We’re back.”

“Oh, you’re here? Did you see your mother?”

Although the housekeeper spoke to Hyun-soo, her gaze followed the brothers as they entered. She alternated between looking at Hyun-soo and them, clearly curious about how the three had spent the night together. Hyun-soo knew if he stayed, he’d have to explain everything in detail, so he quickly headed to his room.

Thud. As soon as the door closed, all strength seemed to leave his body. He couldn’t even remember how he had managed to stand or move until now. Slumping down against the door, Hyun-soo stared blankly ahead. What exactly had happened? Was it really real?

In truth, the moment he woke up from his deep sleep, the reality of what had transpired hit him hard. That’s why he had fled to his room without even thanking Han for driving, feeling like he was escaping.

“I’m insane… completely insane…”

That was all he could say to himself. “You’ve gone utterly mad. How could you do something like that, especially with Yoon Guk of all people? There’s no way we can talk about what comes next.” Foolishly, foolishly.

The black dress he wore seemed to mirror his future and his mood—dark and gloomy, not a single ray of light piercing through. What should he do now?

Thankfully, Han seemed unaware of what had happened the previous night. If that was true, then only Yoon Guk and Hyun-soo knew about this incident that could hardly be called an accident. If they could somehow smooth things over between them, maybe it could be dismissed as something that happened under the influence of alcohol. He wanted to believe that.

“Let’s pretend nothing happened. I’ll act brazenly.”

Hyun-soo clenched his fists tightly as if making a vow to himself. He thought that perhaps Guk might just scoff at him if he acted this way, or maybe Guk wasn’t even as affected as he was... Regardless, this was the best option. This was the only way.

He spent the entire day feeling sick, skipping meals and tossing and turning in bed. The housekeeper came by several times with the porridge and medicine sent by the brothers, but he wasn’t in any condition to take them. All he wanted was to stay still and do nothing.

As one day passed and a new one dawned, Hyun-soo acted according to his resolution: pretending ignorance, acting brazenly. His face kept flushing red, making it difficult, but he somehow managed not to avoid it.

Guk and Han watched Hyun-soo with unreadable expressions. Especially Guk, who often gazed down at Hyun-soo with his usual inscrutable, detached demeanor, which made Hyun-soo feel like he was facing some higher-dimensional puzzle. But thankfully, positive news about Hotel Onyx broke out, keeping Guk busy and drastically reducing the chances of running into him. It was sheer luck.

“A reunion?”

Hyun-soo, who had been drinking water, checked the message on his phone and set the glass down. It was a text from none other than Choi Cheol-ho. More than whether to attend the reunion, he wondered how Choi got his number.

Tap tap tap, Hyun-soo drummed his fingers on the table, lost in thought. Deciding whether to attend the reunion wasn’t easy. The mere presence of Choi Cheol-ho was reason enough not to go, but there were a few faces he wanted to see, making it tempting.

“What should I do…”

Hyun-soo read the message again. He agonized over it to the point that his lips went dry. In the end, he decided to leave it to fate.

Taking a coin from his wallet, Hyun-soo flipped it high into the air and caught it. Heads meant attendance, tails meant absence. It was a classic method of decision-making.

“Hmm… heads or tails… Ah, heads.”

That settled it. He would attend. It was as if the heavens decreed that Hyun-soo must go to the reunion. Though he suddenly felt reluctant, he ignored the feeling since the decision had already been made and didn’t want to dwell on it further.

[I’ll attend.]

Hyun-soo sent a brief reply and tossed his phone onto the bed. The day outside looked far too beautiful.

And about a week later, the reunion took place.

For twenty minutes now, Hyun-soo had been sitting quietly, silently holding his ground.

“…”

Seated at a secluded table, she stared down at the beer glass in front of her, swallowing bitter words. What was I thinking, coming here? Am I crazy?

Apart from Hyun-soo, the surroundings were bustling. The former classmates were so familiar with each other that there wasn’t an ounce of awkwardness among them.

Listening quietly, it seemed everyone else knew except for Hyun-soo—it appeared the kids had already met several times before. So much for the claim that this was a rare reunion; it was a complete lie.

“I cluelessly wandered in.”

Feeling somewhat bitter, Hyun-soo muttered softly and chuckled.

The reason he could brush off what could have been an upsetting situation was likely because it wasn’t just him. Simply put, many weren’t invited to this gathering. Not everyone from the class had been invited. From the moment he walked into the venue, he noticed fewer people than expected for a class reunion. It was a small, select group—a private gathering of those who fit certain criteria.

At this realization, Hyun-soo grew curious. Why had he been invited? The classmates present were all from affluent families, well-off individuals. And then there was Kim Hyun-soo, barely scraping the bottom rung of mediocrity. It was like being a sack of barley placed there by mistake.

After taking a few sips of beer, Hyun-soo set the glass down. The once-cold beer had warmed, leaving condensation on the glass that soaked his hand. Sighing, he didn’t bother to suppress the involuntary groan that escaped him.

Grabbing a tissue, Hyun-soo slowly wiped his damp palm. It didn’t matter anyway; there was no one to face, no conversations to be had, so there was no rush.

“Oh, hey, who’s this!”

“Hey, he’s here, he’s here.”

“Wow, it’s been ages… oh, hi.”

While he was distracted, wiping his hands absently, one corner of the room became noisy. Apparently, someone had arrived. Hyun-soo, clutching the wet napkin, turned his gaze toward the commotion belatedly. And there he saw the source of the disturbance.

Standing where Hyun-soo’s gaze landed was a very familiar face—Yoon Guk, none other than him.

Dressed in a pitch-black suit that looked immaculate, without a speck of dust or thread out of place, he entered the center of the room with graceful, fluid movements. Naturally, everyone’s eyes were drawn to him.

“Alright.”

His greeting was curt, delivered in a low tone. Perhaps that was the signal. Like a pack of dogs waiting for the starting gun, the male classmates sprang up and rushed toward him. These were the same kids who had been loudly chatting idly just moments ago.

“Yoon Guk, it’s been so long. How’ve you been?”

“Show your face more often. We almost forgot about you.”

“Right, we were almost hurt.”

Haha, the kids laughed. To anyone watching, their smiles were painfully awkward.

“If you hadn’t come this time, I was going to contact you first.”

“You always overdo it, man.”

“I’m serious, dude.”

Despite their words, the classmates’ hesitant approach toward Guk was comical. Guk glanced down at the men gathered around him and smirked slightly. He didn’t respond to anything they said.

“Guk, hi?”

Then, two female classmates seated nearby greeted him. At first, Guk didn’t seem to hear them, so they had to call out to him again louder.

“Yoon Guk!”

“…”

“It’s been a while!”

“Yeah, it has.”

It was a soulless response devoid of emotion. But the female classmate who heard it smiled proudly as if she’d accomplished something. Meanwhile, Guk, hands in his pockets, scanned the area as if searching for something.

“What’s wrong? Are you looking for something?”

“…”

“Or…”

“Eh? Yoon Guk’s here? Hey, nice to see you! You look good!”

Just as Hyun-soo suspected someone cut in with an overly eager voice, sure enough, it was Choi Cheol-ho. Returning from the restroom, Choi practically ran up to Guk upon spotting him. Pushing past the classmates surrounding Guk, Choi plastered a broad grin across his face.

“See? Didn’t I tell you? I said Guk would come.”

Some of the people standing nearby nodded at Choi’s words. Judging by his tone, it seemed he had boasted about Guk’s attendance to the others. Choi, that arrogant brat, it would’ve been better if Guk hadn’t shown up just to deflate his ego. Such a pity.

But why did Guk, who wouldn’t care less about gatherings like this, decide to come? Hyun-soo’s mind filled with puzzlement.