Sweet Shot

#4

“But why is your face so red?”

Tae-rim naturally took Ha-min’s chin and examined it from various angles. Ha-min blinked with surprised eyes.

“I only had one drink….”

Ha-min mumbled, lowering his face. He awkwardly scratched his reddened face.

“How did you get here…?”

“I saw you while passing by.”

Tae-rim replied casually to Ha-min, who was hesitating and feeling awkward. Then he naturally put a cigarette in his mouth. The sight of him lighting it with a Zippo lighter suited him so well that it made Ha-min’s Adam’s apple bob.

“Have you made close friends?”

Tae-rim asked as if he were a guardian. In front of him, Ha-min still felt like that small child from the past. While he was happy that Tae-rim remembered him, a bitter feeling settled in a corner of his heart.

Just then, Chae-rin and Woo-kyung appeared, coming out to smoke. Woo-kyung, who had been stumbling out, quickly approached upon seeing Tae-rim and bowed politely.

“Hello, senior!”

Unlike Woo-kyung, Chae-rin, who was next to him, greeted with just a brief nod, looking uninterested.

“Oh, hello. Jae-kyung.”

Tae-rim returned the greeting mechanically. Woo-kyung smiled awkwardly at the casual response.

“It’s Woo-kyung… Shin Woo-kyung. I’m in the same club as Tae-in hyung!”

“Ah… I know. You’re in the band with Tae-in.”

“You get it wrong every time…. I’ve told you at least three times….”

Woo-kyung mumbled quietly with a disappointed face. Chae-rin hit Woo-kyung’s shoulder, telling him to shut up.

“Are you all in the same department as Ha-min?”

Tae-rim naturally placed his hand on Ha-min’s shoulder and asked the others, ignoring the mumbling. Ha-min swallowed hard, glancing at the large hand touching his shoulder. The close proximity made him feel breathless.

“Yes!”

Woo-kyung answered loudly, while Chae-rin just nodded slightly. She just smoked her cigarette with an uninterested face.

“He’s like a younger brother to me, so please take care of him, okay?”

Tae-rim smiled gently, fiddling with Ha-min’s shoulder. Ha-min thought it was fortunate that he had been drinking. Otherwise, it would have been obvious that his face was red because of Tae-rim.

“Of course! Tae-in hyung also asked us to take good care of him.”

“Tae-in beat me to it, huh.”

Tae-rim looked at Ha-min with a kind smile. Ha-min’s neck stiffened automatically as Tae-rim lowered his head slightly and whispered in his ear.

Ha-min just smiled awkwardly at Tae-rim’s sweet gaze meeting his eyes. He didn’t know what expression to make. Tae-rim’s brow furrowed slightly at Ha-min’s awkward smile.

“Are you feeling awkward because we haven’t met in a long time?”

“Huh?”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

Tae-rim, who had accurately read Ha-min’s expression, spoke in a somewhat disappointed tone. Ha-min, startled, shook his head vigorously.

“No…! It’s not like that. I’m not uncomfortable.”

“I want to be like we used to be with Ha-min.”

Tae-rim was exactly the same as before. Back when he used to adore Ha-min, who followed him around calling “hyung, hyung.” He was just the same as then, but Ha-min was different. He couldn’t be as innocent as he was back then anymore. Having gone through a series of events, he had changed too much.

“Me too. …I want to be like before with you too, hyung.”

It was somewhat sincere, but at the same time, it wasn’t entirely true. He felt ambivalent, making it difficult to look at Tae-rim.

“We’re on the same page, then.”

Tae-rim praised him, rubbing his head as if petting a dog. Ha-min smiled, pleased.

Looking satisfied, Tae-rim took out his wallet from his back pocket. He casually pulled out several 50,000 won bills and handed them to Ha-min.

“Buy something delicious with your friends.”

At the sudden shower of pocket money, Ha-min looked at Tae-rim with a foolish face. He hastily waved his hands.

“Hyung, no… this is….”

“Didn’t you just say you wanted to be like before?”

“Huh? Well… that’s true, but….”

“Then take it. I’ll be hurt if you don’t.”

Ha-min couldn’t help but give in to the kindly spoken words. It would be the same at any moment. If it was Tae-rim, he would always lose to him no matter what.

Several 50,000 won bills were forced into Ha-min’s hand. Ha-min looked like he was about to cry. I don’t like this…. But Tae-rim’s threat of being hurt was too strong.

“Thank you, senior!!!”

The thanks came from the wrong person. Tae-rim just smiled politely once at Woo-kyung’s enthusiastic greeting. Chae-rin kicked Woo-kyung’s shin, telling him to stop acting so excited at the thought of getting a free meal.

The crumpled money felt burdensome.

“Don’t drink too much, and get home safely.”

Tae-rim bid farewell to Ha-min and left without lingering. His foreign car was parked not far away. He got into the driver’s seat without looking back and sped away as soon as he started the engine.

“Wow, senior Tae-rim is really something. Hyung, let’s go for round two!”

Woo-kyung was the only one excited. He put his arm on Ha-min’s shoulder, the same shoulder where Tae-rim had placed his hand earlier, while looking up at where Tae-rim’s foreign car had sped away. That area still felt hot.

Ha-min crumpled the money in his hand even more. It was really just like the old days. Even though it seemed like he was being overly nice, Ha-min knew. He was being treated as nothing more and nothing less than a close younger brother, a close friend of his brother.

He felt pathetic for feeling upset.

**

Ha-min woke up in an unfamiliar place and couldn’t remember anything.

“Uh….”

He clearly remembered going to a second round with his friends, drinking something like a cocktail at a pub, but after that, his memory was blank.

“You’re up?”

He was even more confused to see Tae-in in front of him. The place he woke up wasn’t his room or his bed. He saw unfamiliar walls and ceiling, and high-end furniture and interior accessories that wouldn’t be found in his home.

“Why am I here?”

When Ha-min asked with wide, surprised eyes, Tae-in handed him a glass of water and sighed, “Oh boy.”

“You don’t remember?”

Tae-in burst into laughter, finding it ridiculous. Because Woo-kyung kept giving you cocktails…. You kept drinking them all…. The end was a blur.

“You called me, but Woo-kyung answered. Said you had passed out and asked what to do.”

“Did you bring me here?”

“Who else would have brought you, idiot? Quickly get up and wash. I’ll make you some hangover ramen.”

Tae-in chuckled at Ha-min, who was standing there with his mouth open like a fool.

“Hey, sorry…. I must have been heavy….”

Even though he had lost a lot of weight, he must have been heavy. Ha-min looked extremely apologetic and didn’t know what to do. Tae-in subtly furrowed his brow at Ha-min’s flustered behavior. He had definitely changed. He was clearly different from before he disappeared. It was as if he was always conscious of others’ reactions…. Ha-min had always been known for being kind and a bit of a pushover, but this was on another level. Tae-in wanted to ask what exactly had happened, but he deliberately pretended not to notice. He knew that if it was something Ha-min wanted to talk about, he would have done so already, given his personality.

“That door is the bathroom. I’ve put out towels, a new toothbrush, and new underwear.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks. Should I make the ramen?”

“No need. Just go wash up, idiot.”

Tae-in slapped Ha-min’s shoulder as he got up clumsily. Ha-min scratched his head with a dazed expression. Hyung had told him to get home safely last night… and now he had ended up at his friend’s place….

He really didn’t mix well with alcohol.

**

After washing up, Ha-min came out to the living room and kept marveling as he looked around the house. There was a large piece of artwork hanging in the middle of the living room, and the ceiling was high. Ornaments that looked hand-crafted were displayed to match the interior. A huge sofa that could fit at least three people, a TV screen as big as a movie theater, and speakers to match. Moreover, the furniture was all high-end, the kind you’d see on TV shows.

“Your house is amazing.”

Ha-min exclaimed, unable to take his eyes off everything. On the dining table, ramen that didn’t quite match the luxurious surroundings was waiting.

“Stop looking and eat your ramen.”

“Oh, okay.”

Ha-min hurriedly picked up his chopsticks and stirred the ramen. Then, with a look of sudden realization, he stopped. He wanted to grab a big chunk and stuff it in his mouth, but he held back and adjusted the portion appropriately. Tae-in’s eyebrow twitched at Ha-min’s hesitation.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“Are you being shy? This isn’t like you. Just eat it up.”

“Ah.”

Ha-min slurped up two strands of noodles and scratched his forehead.

“I shouldn’t eat too much…. I’ll get fat.”

“What? Didn’t you finish your diet?”

“I shouldn’t gain more weight…. I need to manage it regularly.”

That was true. During his intense dieting phase, he had failed several times due to binge eating. It was one of the reasons he had volunteered for military service. Especially ramen, he only ate it once a month. And only one pack, not two.

“You’re really strict.”

Tae-in shook his head with a disgusted look. Unlike Ha-min, Tae-in ate very well. When he was younger, he used to nibble because he didn’t like eating, but now he took big mouthfuls at once.

“They don’t scold you for this anymore?”

Ha-min, who had been quietly watching, asked. Tae-in, who had just stuffed his mouth with kimchi, looked at him as if to ask what he meant.

“I mean, your parents used to not let you eat things like this, right?”

“Ah.”

“Ramen, snacks, hamburgers…. Those kinds of things. Saying they’re not good for your health.”

“It’s okay now. I had surgery, so I’m much better. I’m so much better that I only go to the hospital once a year now.”