Black & Grey

Jungeol squinted at Yoochan, then asked, “Why do you want to eat with me?” His tone wasn’t accusatory; he genuinely seemed curious about Yoochan’s intention to have dinner with him every day.“Oh, come on. I told you while we were eating mackerel earlier. Did you forget?”Yoochan lightly slapped Jungeol’s arm.“I want to get closer to you, Hyung.”Yoochan’s expression was genuinely bright and sincere. When the traffic light changed, Jungeol ended up agreeing without realizing it. It wasn’t until a few days later that Jungeol realized he had underestimated how often Yoochan meant by “often.”May 1Yoochan: Hyung, have you had dinner?Jungeol: Not yet.Yoochan: Do you like pork soup?Jungeol: Yes.Yoochan: Have you been to the new place next door? It’s a chain, and I heard it’s good.Okay.Yoochan: What time are you having dinner today?Jungeol: In an hour.Yoochan: Then I’ll come by at 7.Jungeol: Alright.May 2Yoochan: Hyung, how about tteokbokki, sundae, and twigim?Jungeol: Bring dumplings too.Yoochan: Okay. How many are with Manager Noona and the hyungs?Jungeol: There are seven of us now.Yoochan: I’ll bring some snacks for everyone. We can have dinner separately.Jungeol: Okay, I’ll send it now.Yoochan: Send what?-Cho Jungeol sent 50,000 won-Yoochan: Ah, Hyung! You don’t need to send money for this! How much could tteokbokki, sundae, and twigim cost?Jungeol: Get drinks too.Yoochan: Are you a Coca-Cola or Pepsi fan?Jungeol: Coke.Yoochan: I knew it. I always believed you were a Coke person.May 3Yoochan: You need to eat, Hyung.Jungeol: Okay.Yoochan: How about some meat?Jungeol: Sounds good.Yoochan: Pork belly vs Skirt meat?Jungeol: Skirt meat.Yoochan: Alright, can I come by at 6?Jungeol: You might have to wait until 6:30.Yoochan: No problem. See you at 6 then.May 4Yoochan: Hyung, you haven’t had dinner, right?Jungeol: No.Yoochan: I’m in my room. I’ll come down.Jungeol: Okay.Yoochan: How about chicken neck meat?Jungeol: Let’s eat.May 5Yoochan: Hyung, you need to eat.Jungeol: Taeho too.Yoochan: Do you guys like duck bulgogi?Jungeol: Yes.Yoochan: Alright, I’ll come by at 5:30.May 6Yoochan: Hyung, do you eat spicy food?Jungeol: Yes.Yoochan: How about Volcano Chicken?Jungeol: Come down.May 7Yoochan: How about grilled bulgogi?Jungeol: Come down.May 8Yoochan: How about some chicken?Jungeol: Okay.May 9Manager, Taeho, and Jaehyeok had gone out to eat sandwiches, leaving Jungeol alone in the shop. Yoochan, who had been texting at the same time every day for a week, was unusually silent today. Eventually, Jungeol sent a message first.Jungeol: Are you eating at school?There was no reply. Jungeol tilted his head and called. The phone rang for a long time but went unanswered. This was the first time this had happened.Maybe he’s eating with friends.Jungeol stared at his phone for a while, then grabbed his wallet and car keys and went outside. He was about to take the stairs but stopped in front of the elevator. After a moment of hesitation, he got on the elevator and pressed the button for the 14th floor.Even after ringing the doorbell of unit 1401, there was no response from inside.Jungeol sent a message to Yoochan and then entered the passcode to go inside. The entrance was quiet and empty, with only a pair of Yoochan’s favorite slippers lying around. Jungeol checked the small room on the first floor and the second floor, but Yoochan was nowhere to be found, so he went down to the parking lot.Thinking of a quiet restaurant where he could eat alone, Jungeol drove around and found himself near Yoochan’s judo hall.Maybe he’s working out longer today. As he looked at the building housing the judo hall and thought of Yoochan, Jungeol frowned slightly. He usually enjoyed eating alone quietly. It was amusing that he had driven all the way here just to find a younger friend he had only eaten with for a few days, but Jungeol sighed and parked the car. If Yoochan wasn’t here, he planned to give up and find any nearby restaurant.Climbing the stairs, Jungeol tilted his head at the sight of the dark judo hall. He pulled the door, but it seemed to be locked. Yoochan had told him that the judo hall was usually open until midnight unless there were special circumstances, so Jungeol turned around, puzzled.At that moment, there was a clattering sound from the metal door next to the judo hall.Clang, clang.Jungeol squinted at the doorknob, which was turning on its own as if haunted. The door handle was wrapped in chains and padlocked, indicating it was a restroom used by the judo hall.Jungeol approached and grabbed the doorknob. Sensing someone inside, a voice called out.“Hey? Is someone out there? I’m locked in, can you open the door?”It was a familiar voice. Jungeol’s expression softened instantly.“What are you doing in there?”The person inside shouted back, sounding relieved.“What? Is that Jungeol Hyung’s voice?”“Yeah, it’s me.”“What? Really, Jungeol Hyung? Hyung! Why are you here?”“I was just passing by. Your voice is echoing in the stairwell, so speak quietly. I can hear everything.”“Hyung, I’ve been locked in here for over an hour. Please help me.”Hearing the sorrow in Yoochan’s voice, Jungeol grabbed the padlock, which was as big as his fist, and asked,“The chain and padlock are on. Where’s the key?”“The director should have it, but he’s not at the judo hall?”“The lights are all off. It looks like no one’s there.”“Ah, he said they were having a company dinner after finishing early. I guess they really went.”Listening to Yoochan’s dejected voice, Jungeol fiddled with the chain.“Is there another key?”“It should be in the office, but if everyone left, it might be locked too. Ah, do I have to stay like this until the director comes in the morning? Ah, this is really messed up. They should have checked if anyone was here.”“Watch your language.”“…This is really messed up.”Jungeol chuckled and knelt to examine the chain links closely. Cutting the padlock seemed impossible, so he decided to cut the chain. Jungeol let go of the chain and said,“Wait here. I’ll get something to cut the chain.”“Really? Ah, Hyung! There’s a hardware store across the street.”“Okay.”As Jungeol stood up to leave, Yoochan suddenly spoke.“Hyung, please hurry…”Hearing the dejected voice, Jungeol looked back at the metal door. The doorknob was turning meaninglessly again. Jungeol repeatedly flipped the light switch next to the door and asked,“Is the light on in there?”“…No. I think the circuit breaker is off.”“You should have called someone when the breaker went off.”“I was asleep, so I didn’t know they turned off the lights and locked the door.”“Isn’t this a restroom?”“Yeah, it’s a restroom.”You were sleeping in the restroom? Jungeol tilted his head, then told Yoochan to wait and went down the stairs.After buying a bolt cutter from the hardware store, Jungeol returned to the restroom.Clang, clang.Yoochan was still nervously turning the doorknob. Jungeol placed the chain between the bolt cutter’s jaws and easily snapped it. After a few more cuts, the chain fell to the ground with the padlock.“Hyung!”Yoochan burst out of the door and ran to Jungeol, hugging him tightly.“Ah… really…”Hearing the whimpering voice and feeling Yoochan’s face buried in his chest, Jungeol unconsciously hugged Yoochan’s back and frowned.Thinking Yoochan must have been scared, being locked in a dark place for an hour, Jungeol felt sorry for him. Just then, Yoochan let go of Jungeol, looking distressed, and rubbed his stomach, mumbling,“I had an early lunch today, and I was so hungry I thought I was going to die.”Jungeol let out a helpless laugh at Yoochan’s words. He thought Yoochan had been scared, but it seemed he was simply hungry. Jungeol patted Yoochan’s back and then moved the bolt cutter inside, saying,“It’s a cramped place. Why were you sleeping here? Isn’t there a place to rest in the judo hall?”“I was just going to wait for about ten minutes to catch a ride, but I dozed off since there were people in the office.”“They said there was a dinner gathering. Why didn’t you go?”“I had plans.”“Plans?”Thinking that he’d have to eat alone tonight if Yoochan had plans, Jungeol was surprised when Yoochan scratched the back of his head and said,“I was planning to have dinner with you, Hyung. My phone was inside the judo hall, so I had no way to contact you. I didn’t expect you to come all the way here.”As Jungeol watched Yoochan rubbing his neck shyly, his eyes moved. The edges of Yoochan’s ears were turning bright red.After looking at Yoochan’s ears for a moment, Jungeol motioned downstairs, suggesting they go eat. It was already well past dinnertime. Jungeol observed Yoochan’s flushed neck as he descended the stairs.At the Korean restaurant, Yoochan piled a heap of sea urchin roe on Jungeol’s rice and said,“Hyung, eat this. I came here with my mom before, and this was the best.”The small dish of sea urchin roe was now empty because Yoochan had scooped it all out. It was something Yoochan had been doing for the past few days while eating together. Jungeol looked thoughtfully at the sea urchin roe, then scooped it back onto Yoochan’s rice.“If it’s good, you should eat more.”“It’s okay, I’ve had plenty. Hurry and eat, Hyung.”Yoochan scooped another big spoonful of sea urchin roe and passed it to Jungeol. Jungeol, with no other choice, scooped some rice and asked,“Do you do this with your friends too?”“Do what?”Yoochan asked back as he vigorously sucked the soy-marinated crab. Jungeol pointed at the sea urchin roe still in his rice bowl with his chopsticks and replied,“Do you serve side dishes like this to your friends?”“To my friends? No way.”Yoochan frowned as if wondering why he would do such a thing, then placed the finished crab on the lid of the bowl and picked up another piece. Just as he was about to eat, Yoochan noticed Jungeol watching him with a puzzled look and blinked.“Is it weird? I told you I wanted to get closer.”“I think we’re already pretty close.”Seeing Jungeol honestly acknowledge their closeness, Yoochan smiled brightly and then licked his sauce-stained lower lip and said,“Let’s get even closer.”After saying this nonchalantly, Yoochan focused back on eating. Jungeol found Yoochan’s words about getting closer strange and recalled Yoochan’s red ears and neck in front of the judo hall earlier.Jungeol’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his dark brown pupils watched Yoochan continuously shovel food into his mouth. However, seeing that Yoochan wasn’t being coy or trying to impress, Jungeol suppressed his small budding doubts and began eating.Yoochan, who was hungry, didn’t slow down and finished two bowls of rice while Jungeol finished one. As Yoochan drank water with a satisfied expression, saying his hunger was finally gone, Jungeol checked the time and stood up with the bill. Realizing Jungeol was trying to pay first, Yoochan hurriedly got up and said,“Hyung! Wait! Let me pay today!”Yoochan pulled out his card and waved it. In fact, Yoochan had been so focused on conversations and food that he hadn’t realized he hadn’t paid for any meals from the start until now.Yoochan had been taught by his father that he should always pay for dates with someone he likes. Although his father hadn’t instructed him on how to handle dates with someone of the same gender, Yoochan, who felt awkward about always being treated while trying to win Jungeol over, quickly grabbed Jungeol’s arm and added,“Don’t pay. I’ll do it.”Jungeol pushed Yoochan’s head away, indicating it was fine, and handed his card to the cashier. The cashier processed the payment and handed over the receipt. Following Jungeol out of the restaurant, Yoochan said with a hint of resentment,“Wow, Hyung. How can you be so heartless? I have money too. I want to treat you.”“Just eat,” Jungeol replied with a slight smile, finding Yoochan’s protests amusing. Yoochan widened his eyes in surprise, feeling as if Jungeol was treating him like a child who lived off his parents’ allowance.With a troubled expression, Yoochan followed Jungeol and got into the car. When Jungeol asked if they should have coffee for dessert, Yoochan narrowed his eyes, staring at him. It seemed Jungeol considered Yoochan just a close younger brother.This won’t do. Yoochan’s gaze, fixed on Jungeol’s well-defined profile, suddenly changed.“…Just wait, Hyung.”Jungeol looked at him curiously at the sudden threat. I’ll make you fall for me. Instead of saying this out loud, Yoochan clenched his teeth with fiery determination in his eyes. It was time to put his plan of being “kind yet indifferent” into full swing to win Jungeol over.