Sweet Sugar Candyman

#16

No, is it a hotel? For the first time since I learned English, I was confused by the alphabet. Why do M and H look so similar? Squinting my eyes, I saw a neon sign in Hangul that seemed to confirm it was a motel.

A faint announcement, similar to a boarding call, flowed through the suddenly quiet speakers. The mixed words of English and Korean sounded like they were spoken by one person, or perhaps several.

– …this is… sir! On the ground… at… request… in-flight meal contact… Ready to… off…

“Cheongmyeong. Have you been waiting long?”

A familiar voice came from behind. Who was it? Turning my head to confirm the face, I saw the colleague I met today. I pulled my warm phone slightly away from my ear and replied.

“No. It’s fine. Did you… bring it?”

It seemed that my confusion was not just limited to the alphabet. However, Choi Hyun-oh seemed to understand me perfectly as he held up a white plastic bag to chest height.

“Yeah. I got a big one.”

Through the white plastic bag, I could see a brown beer pitcher bottle. It was the best choice for someone like me who loved beer. Without needing to say anything, Choi Hyun-oh had brought exactly what I wanted, and I suddenly felt proud of him. As I chuckled softly, Saheon’s voice reached my ear.

– …Lee Cheongmyeong.

I somehow lifted my heavy eyelids. I was startled by the sudden voice of hyung, but soon remembered that the phone call was still ongoing.

“Yes.”

Since I was holding the phone to the opposite side, it seemed Choi Hyun-oh didn’t realize I was on a call. He made a phone shape with his hand and mouthed, “Are you on the phone?” so I nodded slightly.

Through the silence of the receiver, I could hear Saheon’s irregular, deep breaths. The background noise of mixed English and Korean that sounded like an announcement was still there.

Choi Hyun-oh, with the plastic bag’s handle on his wrist, rummaged through it and pulled something out. Thanks to the silent Saheon, I had no choice but to watch Choi Hyun-oh’s actions. What he pulled out was ice cream.

He kindly tore open the packaging of a bright red screw bar and handed it to me, then gestured with his chin as if to say let’s move. A cold wind brushed against my cheek, but somehow I felt that eating ice cream would make everything alright.

Receiving the ice cream with the hand that wasn’t on the phone, I followed Choi Hyun-oh. The destination was nearby. As we entered the officetel building right next to the convenience store, there was no sound coming from the speakers. I cautiously opened my mouth.

“Hyung…? Why aren’t you talking… Ah!”

I was walking fine when I suddenly twisted my ankle. Looking down to see if there was something on the floor, I only saw flat tiles. Blinking in confusion at the distinctly different texture from the road, I found the elevator in front of me.

Where is this? Ah, I came to visit Choi Hyun-oh’s house. It seemed I had entered the building where Choi Hyun-oh lived. A sharp sensation rose from my ankle, causing my brows to furrow involuntarily. Choi Hyun-oh quickly grabbed my arm and whispered in a small voice.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”

“Ah, I’m fine… Hyung. I’m right in front of the elev… elev… anyway, I have to hang up…”

– …Where are you, Cheongmyeong?

Suddenly, something wet fell on the back of my hand, and looking down, I found I was holding the ice cream. When did this get here? At that moment, the elevator arrived at the first floor. I put the melting ice cream in my mouth.

As I sucked on it, it made a slurping sound and began to melt. Choi Hyun-oh chuckled and pressed the close button. My mouth became numb from the cold temperature. After eating the part that had melted a bit, I pulled the ice cream out.

“How is it?”

“…It’s sweet.”

“Cute. So you like it?”

“Yeah, I like it….”

The tingling sensation in my mouth seemed to slowly spread outwards. My mind became even more hazy than before, and I began to suck on the ice cream more vigorously, marveling at its effect. The elevator quickly arrived at the fifth floor.

“…Did you finish the call? Can we go in now?”

Choi Hyun-oh’s whisper reminded me that I had just been on the phone with hyung. With a pop, I pulled the ice cream out and looked down at the screen.

Unlike the usual black phone screen, a bright white screen was displayed. It was then that I realized this was a call from a messenger app. I moved my thumb and pressed the bright red end call button.

“Yeah. What’s the number?”

“Room 502.”

Thanks to the ice cream I had eaten halfway, my mind became clearer than when I was sitting on the bench. I put my phone in my pocket and followed Choi Hyun-oh.

The place where Choi Hyun-oh lived was a newly built one-room officetel. Despite my sudden visit, I couldn’t help but admire how clean the room was.

Choi Hyun-oh, having hastily taken off his shoes, went in first and placed the beer on the table. From the plastic bag came out snacks and convenience store side dishes. I took off my padding jacket and tossed it aside before sitting across from Choi Hyun-oh.

“I brought paper cups too. Here, have a drink, Lee Cheongmyeong.”

With a playful smile, Choi Hyun-oh held out a cup filled with beer. As I gulped down the barley-colored liquid, my mind became hazy again.

Choi Hyun-oh, who had me sitting on the floor, heated the food he bought from the convenience store in the microwave. While the food was warming up, he returned with water and handed me chopsticks.

Choi Hyun-oh filled my half-empty cup with beer. A light buzz began to rise, and I couldn’t help but smile. Choi Hyun-oh chuckled.

“Did you enjoy it that much?”

I nodded and laughed. I was glad I could handle my alcohol. To become close with a colleague I had just met, being good at drinking was indeed the most important thing.

Choi Hyun-oh raised his paper cup as if to propose a toast. The dull sound of the cups clinking echoed.

Sitting on the floor in a house was more comfortable than sitting in a chair at a meat restaurant outside. My posture relaxed naturally. It seemed Choi Hyun-oh was the same, as he was drinking beer faster than before.

The warmth of intoxication began to rise. My hands, which had been pressing against my drowsy eyes, moved down to my warm cheeks. As I pressed my soft cheeks rhythmically, I snapped back to attention at Choi Hyun-oh’s words.

“About Min…”

I raised my eyebrows as if I was listening, but I couldn’t immediately match the name. However, the answer soon came to mind. The easy-going colleague who had invited me to his house. I slowly nodded.

“…It’s nothing. But hey, why do you look so good even when you’re drunk?”

Choi Hyun-oh exaggeratedly made a playful gesture. I widened my eyes. The sentences about being drunk and looking good collided, creating a cognitive dissonance. Yet my eyelids felt as if they were glued shut.

“Yeah?”

“Stop pretending you don’t know. I’ve never received so much attention in school before. Ugh, all those gazes.”

My head felt dazed as if I had heard a cat meowing. As I stared at Choi Hyun-oh without saying anything, he mumbled awkwardly.

“What’s up? Why are you reacting like this?”

The more I listened, the less I understood Choi Hyun-oh’s words. I tilted my head, frowning as if to ask what he was talking about. Choi Hyun-oh laughed and filled my empty cup with beer.

“Am I making a fuss over something so obvious that it’s nothing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just as it is.”

I couldn’t shake off my confused expression. As I continued to show the same reaction, Choi Hyun-oh waved his hand as if to say let’s not talk about it.

“On the day of the big event, the seniors attended, and the reservation time overlapped with another department, you’re definitely going to get more than five numbers.”

“Me…?”

My hazy brain refused to understand any further. Choi Hyun-oh, who was looking at me with slightly parted lips, seemed to run out of words and downed the beer in his cup in one go.

I poured beer into Choi Hyun-oh’s cup, sensing the situation. After confirming that there was still liquid left in my cup, Choi Hyun-oh clinked his cup against mine. He gulped it down without any discomfort and crunched on some snacks.

“Why are you acting so unfamiliar? Have you never gotten a number?”

“I haven’t….”

This time, Choi Hyun-oh really looked surprised. His eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out, reminding me of a pufferfish. Choi Hyun-oh asked in a slightly faster tone.

“Really? Have you never had anyone who liked you until now? Or did you reject someone you liked… But doesn’t it feel like there’s a vibrating sound coming from somewhere?”

“A vibrating sound?”

I closed my mouth and listened carefully. Just as Choi Hyun-oh said, there was a faint vibrating sound coming from somewhere. It was a sound that was hard to detect unless you concentrated, as if it were wrapped in something soft.

“Isn’t that your phone ringing? My phone is right here.”

Choi Hyun-oh lightly shook his phone. I fumbled in my pockets and realized I had put my phone in the pocket of my padding jacket.

The vibrating sound had stopped in the middle, but I stood up from my seat. The world spun as I held onto the desk, and when my hazy vision didn’t clear, I chose to bend down and move slowly.

It took several attempts to pull my phone out of the pocket of my padding jacket, which I had crumpled in the corner of the room. My fingers, which wouldn’t move freely, let out a frustrated exclamation.

Finally, when I found my phone, the screen was already quietly asleep. I turned on the lock screen to check if there were any notifications.

“…Oh.”

The lock screen was filled with notifications. It had been hard to read the words due to my blurry vision, but I could tell that the person who called was Saheon. The hyung who had repeatedly called about ten times had ended the contact with a message saying, “Send me the address.”

“What? Was it a call?”

“Yeah… from hyung….”

I returned to my seat, holding my phone. As I plopped down, my spinning vision seemed to calm down a bit. Choi Hyun-oh had a pitying expression on his face.

“Hyung? Your older brother?”

“No, the hyung who lived next door….”

Suddenly feeling thirsty, I gulped down the beer in front of me. The prickly carbonation brushed past my throat. A soft groan escaped me. I wiped my mouth and set my phone down on the floor.

“Ah, you said you live with hyung? That hyung was your next-door hyung? What did he say? Did he tell you to come home quickly?”

“Not exactly….”

Feeling my cheeks heat up, I lightly rubbed them with my palm. Choi Hyun-oh clicked his tongue.

“Then isn’t that okay? Hey, let’s say that’s the case. Hyung will understand. What else would a twenty-year-old do besides drinking with colleagues? Huh? What would a twenty-year-old do if they weren’t dating?”

I sipped my beer instead of answering. I could no longer taste the bitterness of the beer. Choi Hyun-oh kindly continued to reassure me.

“Let’s drink more. But you seem really close with your next-door hyung. I can’t even get in touch with my real hyung. That bastard Choi Hyun-tae must be working in another world….”

Muttering curses softly, Choi Hyun-oh looked down at his phone screen and clapped his hands as if to change the mood.

“Anyway, let’s finish the conversation we were having earlier. Have you really never received a confession until now?”

I rolled my eyes and nodded. Even with my slowed brain, I couldn’t recall anything. Under the bright lights, I could clearly see Choi Hyun-oh’s cheeks turning red. A secretive voice continued lazily.

“Then you don’t have anyone you’re dating right now?”

“Right…?”

Saheon kept popping into my dull mind. Choi Hyun-oh leaned in closer and asked subtly.

“Then… do you have someone you like?”

I stiffened up enough that it was obvious even to myself. I could tell my expression was unnatural even with my numbed facial muscles. Choi Hyun-oh’s head moved closer to me.

“You do, don’t you?”

A soft chuckle accompanied his words. As I awkwardly rolled my eyes, Choi Hyun-oh returned to his original position. With nothing to say, I quietly sipped the remaining beer.

“How much did you like him?”

A subtle voice kept prying into my innermost thoughts. Without realizing it, my mouth was already giving an answer.

“…A really long time.”

“Oh.”

Choi Hyun-oh, who let out a brief exclamation, finished off the remaining beer in his glass. He filled his glass again and downed it in one go, slamming it down with a grunt.

“…Lee Cheongmyeong. Hyung will help you. Listen carefully.”

Choi Hyun-oh’s voice, which opened again, had become lively like it was at school. His hand slowly crept towards me.

“You know that person you like? Set up a drinking session.”

“Drinking…?”

“Yeah. Just the two of you.”

His hand, approaching like a spider, touched my wrist. Thanks to Choi Hyun-oh lowering his eyelids, his long eyelashes cast a shadow under the bright light.

“Drink… and when you start to feel tipsy… just touch a little.”

I felt a warm temperature on the thin skin of my inner wrist. Choi Hyun-oh, still looking down, smiled slyly.

“Get into the mood… and see if he accepts it or not. Isn’t that beneficial for you?”

I stared at Choi Hyun-oh with a puzzled expression at his nonsensical words. The secretive touch was removed without hesitation.

“…Do it?”

In response to my slow question, Choi Hyun-oh’s eyes were filled with doubt. Suddenly, the piercing that had given him a delinquent vibe caught my attention. Choi Hyun-oh used a more direct word to satisfy my curiosity.

“Have sex.”

With a gasp, my breath caught in my throat. A strong shock hit me like a blow to the back of my head. Before I knew it, my hand was covering my mouth, which had fallen wide open.