Sweet Sugar Candyman

#21

Makes my Cherry pop

His pronunciation was clear and bright, reminiscent of an announcer. Before my mind could even grasp the situation, my body had already stiffened on its own. A sharp, painful sensation coursed through me.

“Please come in.”

This time it was Saheon’s voice. For a brief moment, I wondered if I had misheard, but as the response came, that thought was naturally discarded.

In the eerily quiet house, even the slightest sounds of daily life echoed loudly. I heard the sound of long, sharp heels scraping against the tiled entrance floor, indicating that someone with a strange woman’s voice had entered first.

“Excuse me.”

Eventually, it seemed Saheon had also come inside, as the sound of the heels had completely disappeared. The conversation between the two could only have taken place if they were walking side by side or facing each other.

“This is the place you moved to, right? Ah, Saheon. What about your younger brother who lives with you?”

“He’s probably at school. He must still be out having fun with his classmates.”

“I see. I wanted to meet him once. By the way, you said he’s a freshman, right? Freshmen should have fun.”

The bright, chattering voice had a power that could lift anyone’s spirits, but unfortunately, that did not apply to me. The only thought that filled my dazed mind was one.

Hyung had a girlfriend.

CHAPTER 03.

Makes my Cherry pop

As I took off my shoes, the sound of footsteps that had echoed in my ears disappeared, but I could still guess the outside situation from the sounds of movement and fabric brushing against the body. An exclamation from the unfamiliar person who had entered echoed from the living room.

“Oh, this….”

I heard a clattering sound as if something was being lifted from the direction of the presence I felt outside the door. It was then that I realized I was holding my breath, focusing entirely on the situation outside. I exhaled, trying to reduce my presence.

“Didn’t we buy this when we went to Phuket before?”

“That’s right.”

It seemed that the guest Saheon had brought was looking at the display cabinet in the living room. Inside the white metal and brightly colored wooden cabinet were souvenirs Saheon had collected from around the world since he started working.

But to think it was something we bought together in Phuket. I rubbed my now cold fingertips together and bit my inner lip. I couldn’t easily guess what the unfamiliar person was referring to.

I heard the sound of a jacket being taken off from the sofa. I knew that Saheon had a bad habit of throwing his jacket and hat onto the sofa when he came home, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of my heart dropping.

I began to fidget with my knees, which had started to tremble uncontrollably. However, the slight warmth that remained did nothing to calm me down.

“Yunseo, are you just going to keep looking at that? Come over here.”

There was a hint of laughter in Saheon’s voice. It seemed the guest had a playful personality, bursting into a refreshing laugh.

“Oh, wait, turn it around!”

In my mind, which was burning with jealousy, I was already piecing together various scenes from what Saheon had said. What did he want me to come over for? To hug me? To kiss me?

My insides twisted with uncontrollable jealousy. I shot up from my seat and flung the door open. It was an impulsive action without a second thought. Saheon, who had been in the kitchen, and the guest, who had been facing the island table, turned around in surprise.

Saheon was holding something that the guest had likely been holding just moments before, raised high. The unfamiliar guest stretched out both hands as if to retrieve what had been taken, but with a height difference of about a head and a half, he could only grasp Saheon’s wrist.

I was panting as if I had just sprinted. I was aware of my distorted expression, but the urge to act nonchalant was uncontrollable. Saheon, who looked a bit surprised, took a step closer to the guest and opened his mouth.

“…You were at home?”

The question, which felt like a dazed inquiry, was interpreted by my twisted heart as ‘Why are you here?’ I looked at the two standing side by side, breathing heavily without answering.

The unfamiliar guest was wearing the uniform of the airline where Saheon worked. With a neatly arranged updo, a tidy uniform, and a light scarf, it was clear at a glance that the guest was a flight attendant.

The guest stepped back a little, releasing Saheon’s arm. Standing side by side with the neat and pretty guest, who had a height that matched Saheon’s, they looked like a perfect pair. Their visuals were good enough to be used for an airline promotional photo.

“Are you Cheongmyeong…?”

The guest asked. As the barrier of the door disappeared, the cheerful voice resonated even more. For a moment, I wondered how this stranger knew my name, but the guest smiled brightly, as if pleased, and greeted me warmly.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. Wow, you’re even more handsome than I heard! When I only heard about you, I thought you’d be really cute, but you’re tall, so I was surprised and thought you were a model. Saheon, if your younger brother is this handsome, you should have told me.”

The guest approached me with friendly compliments, but I was only half-listening. My gaze instinctively turned to Saheon. I didn’t even know what I was hoping for; it was just an instinctive action.

“Didn’t your classes end yet?”

I closed the gap between my half-open lips. My Adam’s apple moved up and down significantly. I had to try to speak in a voice that sounded normal.

“…Uh, yeah. Today’s the orientation… so I had some time left…. I just came to drop off my stuff for a bit….”

Even my ordinary words stumbled and tangled. I finished my sentence almost stammering and clenched my hands tightly in a way that showed I didn’t know what to do.

“Orientation? But today is the 8th, right? Didn’t they say it’s on the 9th?”

“Oh my, Saheon. They wouldn’t have orientation on the weekend, would they?”

The guest playfully tapped Saheon’s arm and smiled brightly. The guest, who seemed to have a body that could fit into Saheon’s embrace, was adorable even with the slightest movement. Saheon took out his phone, perhaps to check the date.

“Oh, you’re right.”

“…Yeah. I must have… mixed up the dates. Sorry.”

The latter part of my words trailed off. I felt as if a deep chasm had formed between Saheon and me, marked by the fine lines on the floor. To be precise, it was a chasm that had formed between two people and one person.

“Then should hyung come pick you up? Call me when you’re done.”

“No, that’s not necessary. I’m fine.”

The voice that came out between my lips sounded strange even to me. I answered stiffly and mumbled as if making an excuse, bowing my head deeply.

“I… have to meet Hyun-oh. So, I’ll be going now. Goodbye.”

I bowed my head even lower in greeting and moved my feet as if to escape. Saheon quickly followed behind me. Somehow, I felt heat pooling in my eyes, so I squeezed them shut.

“You should wear a coat. It’s really cold outside.”

Hyung, who had caught me at the entrance, whispered softly. My long padding seemed to reach Hyung’s waist as he held it.

I reached out my hand as if asking for the padding, but Hyung wrapped it around my back. I felt a warm, fluffy sensation against my back. It seemed he intended to put it on me himself. Even as he slipped my arms into the sleeves like a caring hyung, I kept my gaze down, focusing on the meaningless void.

At the edge of my vision, I saw two suitcases lined up. A bright red name tag attached to the suitcase caught my eye. ‘REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT.’ It was the tag hanging from both of our suitcases.

“Don’t drink too much. If you think you’ll take a taxi, call me.”

Hyung whispered kindly, playfully tapping my cheek, but I didn’t respond as I was staring at the same name tag. Saheon, as if urging me to answer, pinched my lips with his thumb and index finger, making them puff out like a fish.

“Mungmung, are you going to call? Huh?”

As Saheon shook his hand lightly, I found myself shaking my head. Dazed by his playful touch, I swatted Hyung’s hand away. It hadn’t been a struggle; it had come off easily. I frowned slightly and muttered.

“…Don’t worry about it.”

Though my downcast eyes were sharp, I still couldn’t bring myself to look at Saheon after making that expression. I turned abruptly, dragging my crumpled shoes as I stepped out the front door.

I had no idea what state of mind I was in as I made my way to the bus stop. Walking in a daze, I sat on the cold bench for a long time, and when I felt the vibration of my phone in my hand, I lowered my eyelids.

It was a call from Choi Hyun-oh. After a few fumbled attempts, I slapped my cheeks to snap myself back to reality. The stinging sensation numbed my cheeks. Thanks to the pain, I barely managed to answer the call just before it ended, bringing the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”

I had slapped my cheeks so hard that they felt numb. The heat rising from my cheeks made my whole body feel warm, making the padding seem unnecessary.

– Are you out? Ah, it’s cold. The 3300 bus just left here five minutes ago; are you going to catch it?

I looked up sharply. The red bus caught in traffic was right in front of me. 3300. I quickly stood up and knocked on the front door of the bus.

“Yeah. I’m getting on. I’m on.”

As I climbed the high steps and scanned my bus card, I heard Choi Hyun-oh chuckling. I moved to the inner seat among the two empty ones. I chose the right seat, hoping to spot Choi Hyun-oh waiting at the next stop.

– Oh, quick reflexes. If you had missed that, I would have been on the 9 PM news tonight. It’s freezing.

“I’m seated now. We’re on our way.”

– Don’t let anyone sit next to you; put your bag or something there.

“Got it.”

Since there weren’t many passengers on the bus anyway, it seemed unlikely anyone would invade my space. But I decided to follow Choi Hyun-oh’s advice and rummaged through my pockets. I was looking for something to reserve the seat since I didn’t have a bag.

After rummaging through my empty pockets for a while, I found a piece of gum wrapper. I placed it in the center of the seat so it would be visible.

After stopping at a red light a couple of times, the bus soon arrived at the next stop. Choi Hyun-oh, spotting me sitting by the window, smiled and hopped onto the bus. It had only been six hours since we last met, yet Choi Hyun-oh approached with a delighted expression.

“Hyung is here. Ah, what’s this trash on the seat….”

Choi Hyun-oh casually flicked the gum wrapper I had placed, causing it to fall. As he plopped down into the seat with a thud, he looked at me in surprise.

“Why does your face look like that? Is something wrong?”

At Choi Hyun-oh’s question, I momentarily recalled Saheon, whom I had almost forgotten. I offered a vague smile, feeling half in reality and half in a dream. My reflection in the bus window looked more haggard than usual.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

Choi Hyun-oh leaned in toward me, as if trying to block the view of my face from the people sitting next to us. I kept my gaze down, maintaining my silence. The image of Saheon and his girlfriend flooded my mind, causing heat to rise in my eyes.

But I knew that even though Choi Hyun-oh was a good friend, there were things I could and couldn’t say. I decided to brush it off and opened my mouth.

“…Hyung.”

However, what I hadn’t anticipated was that the emotions that had only existed in my heart would suddenly spill out, transforming into a wave of overwhelming emotion.

The image of Saheon and his girlfriend, which had seemed so sweet in my mind, became even clearer. It felt like I had swallowed a hot flame, and my throat and heart ached. I bit my inner lip, trying to suppress the heat pooling in my eyes.

“Hyung, what? Why? Are you crying? Oh man, don’t cry. What’s wrong?”

Choi Hyun-oh, flustered, grabbed my shoulder in a panic. I pressed down on my eyelids with both hands, trying to hide the tears that had spilled over, but once emotions had burst forth, there was no sign of them settling down easily.

“Why, why. Look at me. What did hyung say? Don’t cry. Hey, wait a minute. Did someone hit you? Why is your cheek like that? Did hyung hit you?”

Choi Hyun-oh’s words grew increasingly urgent. I needed to say no, but my throat was choked with sorrow, and I couldn’t get the words out properly. I shook my head vigorously, trying to express no with just a gesture.

But it seemed that Choi Hyun-oh had already assumed that I had been hit by hyung. Curses spilled continuously from between Choi Hyun-oh’s lips.