Sweet Sugar Candyman

#28

It was natural that I couldn’t focus on the class due to my phone that showed no signs of coming back to life. Throughout the remaining class time, I kept trying to turn on my phone.

I tried holding down the power button, repeatedly tapping the home button, and pressing hard with my index finger, praying for the screen to show any color other than pitch black, but to no avail.

Glass pieces were now falling off the phone with its large and small cracks. I couldn’t remember anything about what class we had. I just spent the time until it ended trying desperately to revive my unresponsive phone.

Despite my efforts, the phone never opened its eyes again. Choi Hyun-oh forcibly pulled me up as I stared hopelessly at my phone, lost in a daze.

“Class is over.”

“…Okay.”

I nodded mechanically and followed Hyun-oh’s lead. Gripping the handle of my suitcase, my expression must have looked gloomy to anyone as I mindlessly tried to turn on my phone.

“Is your phone dead?”

Hyun-oh, who had been sitting right next to me watching what I was doing throughout the class, asked. I nodded slowly, like someone who had to acknowledge an unpleasant truth. Even so, my hand, not losing hope, was still pressing the power button.

“What are you going to do? How long have you had it? Is there still time left on your contract?”

“No… The contract is over. I’ve had it for about two and a half years.”

“Hey, that’s long enough. If it can’t be fixed, let’s think about getting a new one. Ah, I was planning to treat you to chicken and beer in exchange for letting you stay over, but since your phone’s broken, I’ll cover the beer.”

I managed a faint smile at his joke-like words as he lightly patted my shoulder. Putting on even a semblance of a smile made me feel a bit better than before.

It seemed my mind had moved from denial to a kind of compromise with reality. The phone breaking was unavoidable, and if it could be fixed, that would be fine.

As Hyun-oh said, I had been using this phone for a long time, and while I hadn’t been craving a new model, I had occasionally thought about upgrading when I saw the latest releases.

I could probably find a way to sync my contacts. The photos should be backed up too. The problem was how to purchase a new phone, but I didn’t need to buy one right away, so I could think about it when I was calmer.

As I started to make plans step by step, my gloomy mood began to lift. Unlike the trip to school, we took an express bus on the way back, so we quickly arrived at Hyun-oh’s place. As we walked to Hyun-oh’s officetel after getting off the bus, I belatedly expressed my gratitude, which I had forgotten amidst the bigger issues.

“Thanks for letting me stay. I’ll pay for my food expenses while I’m here.”

“Come on, it’s not a big deal. If you stay more than a week, I’ll charge you for lodging too.”

Hyun-oh replied with a completely unserious attitude. I pulled at the corners of my mouth to smile. Hyun-oh, who had glanced at my face, unnecessarily ran his hand through his slicked-back hair. Saheon hyung would make the same gesture when he had that hairstyle; it seemed to be a natural human instinct.

It was a quick trip from the bus stop to Hyun-oh’s place. It felt familiar, having been here once before. Entering Hyun-oh’s surprisingly tidy studio apartment, I placed my suitcase near the entrance.

“Put your bag over here. No, wait. Under the desk would be better. It’s not like I sit there to study anyway…”

I chuckled softly at his self-deprecating comment and moved the suitcase under the desk. The quite large suitcase fit perfectly, as if it was made for the space. Hyun-oh, standing behind me, asked:

“Do you want to go get your phone fixed right now? Or do you want to go later?”

“Should we go now?”

Since I hadn’t even taken off my padded jacket yet, it seemed better to take care of it all at once while we were still out. Hyun-oh seemed to agree with my opinion, nodding slightly.

“Let’s do that then. We haven’t had lunch yet, so let’s eat out, then ask at the repair shop if it can be fixed… No, it’s better to leave it for repair first, then eat and come back. They might be able to fix it in a few hours.”

People I knew who used the same model as mine usually had to wait a few days after leaving their phones for repair, but somehow Hyun-oh seemed to be more of an expert in this area than me. I just nodded vaguely.

We had just returned home, but we put our shoes back on and went out again. As Hyun-oh had said, the repair shop was nearby. We only had to cross two crosswalks before we came across it.

However, it seemed my devastated phone was beyond salvageable. The conclusion was that while the phone shedding glass dust could be repaired, buying a new one would be cheaper than fixing it. I decided to give up cleanly.

Once the expert’s judgment was made, I found myself accepting it. Hyun-oh and I went to a kimbap restaurant near the repair shop for a meal, then to the grocery section of a nearby mart to buy beer.

Feeling grateful and sorry, I paid for not only the food but also all the beer. Hyun-oh, who initially tried to stop me, got excited when I said to take it as lodging fee and grabbed imported beer. When he tried to put a large bottle of vodka in the cart, I just watched silently, and Hyun-oh removed even the imported beer on his own.

Spending money certainly helped change my mood. Although it hurt to see the money disappearing with each swipe of the card, I decided to forget about it for now.

By the time we came out with both hands full of food, the sun had already set. Perhaps because we were two guys with good appetites, the late lunch of street food we had eaten was long digested.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Yeah, I’m hungry.”

“It’s… 6:30 now, so shall we go home, chill the beer a bit, shower, lounge around, and then order chicken?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Making plans to eat delicious food was definitely improving my mood more and more. It was enough to make the broken phone and thoughts of Saheon hyung fade into the background.

“I’m just going to smoke a cigarette before heading up. Go on up first. The password is 0225.”

“Got it.”

I took the bags Hyun-oh was holding and went up first. The apartment I entered after pressing the four-digit password was surprisingly bright enough to see clearly, contrary to my expectation that it would be dark.

It seemed to be due to the outside lights coming through the large window. I took off the padded jacket I was wearing, then lowered the blinds and turned on the fluorescent light.

As I was organizing and putting the snacks and beers we had bought in bulk at the mart into the refrigerator, I heard the sound of someone entering the password at the entrance. Hyun-oh, who came in carrying the smell of outside air, also smelled of cigarettes.

It was an unfamiliar smell to me, as no one in my family smoked. When I momentarily paused my organizing, Hyun-oh seemed to notice my hesitation and spoke with an apologetic tone.

“Can you smell the cigarette? Sorry. I didn’t bring air freshener… I’ll shower first.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“I was planning to shower when I got home anyway because of my hair. Do you want to go first?”

Hyun-oh, who had only taken off his padded jacket, hurriedly went into the bathroom. I felt sorry, thinking he was doing this because of me. After finishing organizing the items we bought, I neatly folded the garbage bag we had used as a shopping bag and put it down next to the sink.

I could see Hyun-oh’s silhouette undressing through the thin, opaque door. Thinking Hyun-oh might feel uncomfortable, I moved to the inner part of the room. Just then, I heard an “Ah” from the bathroom, and Hyun-oh came out wearing only his lower garments.

“I forgot to bring my underwear.”

I burst out laughing at his very realistic reaction. Hyun-oh, seemingly embarrassed, gave an awkward smile and shyly crossed his arms over his chest. I laughed even louder and pretended to cover my eyes.

Hyun-oh opened the wardrobe, stuffed something that looked like underwear into his pocket, and then threw me some clothes to change into. I skillfully caught them with one hand. They were the clothes I had worn when I stayed at Hyun-oh’s place last time.

“Wear those. It’s troublesome to unpack your stuff. Oh, but the pants are still in the laundry basket because I spilled beer when I opened the wardrobe drunk last time. Is shorts okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine with me.”

With my permission, Hyun-oh pulled out summer trunk pants that had been shoved in a corner. They came above the knee, but the room was warm enough that it wouldn’t be cold. After providing both top and bottom, Hyun-oh went into the bathroom. Perhaps because it was a small studio, I could clearly hear not only the sound of clothes being removed but also the water running as if he was showering right next to me.

While Hyun-oh was showering, I changed into the comfortable clothes. They were quite big on me, with a wide fit that was very comfortable, but when I stretched out my arms, I looked like a manta ray.

Maybe because of the almost black color, the more I looked at it, the more it seemed that way. When I grabbed and flapped the wide arm part connected to the body, I felt even more like a marine creature.

Just then, there was a “ding-dong” doorbell sound. I, wearing only the top, turned my head to check the intercom that was dimly lighting up. Though the low-quality intercom only showed the corridor, I could tell someone was there from the shadow. I stopped my hand that was reaching for the pants.

“Who is it?”

I asked, raising my voice. When there was no response to my question, I was starting to think someone might have pressed the wrong bell, when suddenly there was a loud “BANG!” sound, as if someone was kicking the door.

Startled, I inhaled sharply and opened my eyes wide. Due to my voice and the following noise, Hyun-oh also quickly turned off the shower. My surprised heart was beating loudly.

“…Open the door.”

It was a familiar voice. At the low but seemingly anger-suppressing command, I couldn’t help but take another sharp breath for a different reason.