"Young Master, I’ll buy you dinner. Something delicious."
"Will you?"
Yoonwon responded without much interest. Hayeop sank into deep contemplation over what they should eat, scanning the rows of restaurants lining Jangchungdong. Oh, right. This street was famous for pig’s trotters. But pig’s trotters and the refined Young Master made a thoroughly incongruous picture.
"...Huh?"
Then Hayeop stopped dead. His eyes grew moist with yearning. Hot saliva seemed to pool in his mouth, and he swallowed audibly.
"What? You want that?"
Yoonwon scratched one eyebrow in disbelief.
"N-no. I’m buying you dinner because I’m grateful, Young Master. I can’t just fob you off with something like that."
For all his muttering, his eyes remained fixed on the restaurant. The little Adam’s apple in the middle of his slender throat bobbed as though determined to prove that he was, in fact, male.
"You took my mother to the hospital, and you brought me to see something this wonderful, so I’ll buy you something really delicious. Wow...."
Hayeop’s eyes locked onto someone emerging from the restaurant. The man walked past carrying a hamburger, and the scent of the fries was heavenly. That rich, salty smell.
"It smells incredible."
"...Go inside."
Yoonwon cupped the back of Hayeop’s head and pushed him forward. Although Hayeop grumbled, "I really don’t mind. We should eat something better," he allowed himself to be dragged inside with only token resistance.
"I’ll have a bulgogi burger set. What would you like, Young Master?"
Hayeop took the carefully folded bills from his pocket. Yoonwon flicked them with one finger, sending the entire bundle flying.
"Oh...!"
Thoroughly flustered, Hayeop scrambled to pick up the money from the floor. Yoonwon strolled leisurely to the counter and ordered.
"Three bulgogi burger sets, please. Add an extra slice of cheese to each one."
"Oh...."
Hayeop gazed at him in dismay. As though mocking Hayeop for being too slow, Yoonwon gave a disdainful snort. They collected their hamburgers and sat by the window.
"Bulgogi burgers really are the best. I made the right choice. No regrets...."
Hayeop quickly tore open the wrapper, took a bite, and sighed in admiration. Yoonwon merely looked down at his small head. Good grief, could it really taste that wonderful? It was as though he had brought a little child out for the day. There was not a trace of romance to be found no matter how hard he looked.
"Hey, you gluttonous pig."
Still chewing his hamburger, Hayeop looked up at the Young Master.
"Mmph?"
"Are hamburgers really that good to you?"
Hayeop tipped his head back. Both cheeks were plump with food, like a squirrel hoarding acorns.
"What do you like, then, Young Master?"
"There are plenty of good things."
Yoonwon shrugged his broad shoulders.
"Steak and wine, for instance."
"You and me?"
Hayeop blinked.
"Wouldn’t that be a date?"
"A date?"
Yoonwon raised one eyebrow. Then again, when had he ever had to consider what he ought to eat while spending time with another man with the same thing dangling between his legs? The thought made him slightly uncomfortable, but Yoonwon pushed it aside.
"This parasite even knows how to say funny things."
He deliberately slid his tinted glasses down to the tip of his nose. His gaze, hovering somewhere between insolence and arrogance, settled squarely on Hayeop.
"You and I eat together."
"Eat together?"
"That’s a company dinner."
"You and I hold hands."
"Hold hands?"
"That’s a circle dance."
Hayeop’s face went cold and salty, like a pot of army stew reduced far too long. His pointed lips also stiffened like the corner of a tofu block scorched onto the bottom of the pot.
"We kiss."
"...Kiss?"
"That would never happen."
Once Yoonwon said it aloud, the logic sounded surprisingly convincing, and he found himself pleased with it.
"I see.... A company dinner."
Hayeop went back to chewing, but he could not keep quiet for long before he began muttering again.
"But, Young Master, I actually like this hamburger."
Hayeop was chattier than one might expect. It seemed he had developed the habit from working with his hands while chattering away to his mother.
"Why do you like it?"
Weren’t hamburgers children’s favorite food? There had to be a reason they held birthday parties in places like this. They were sweet, salty, and simply delicious.
"I’m scared to eat too much at other restaurants. I don’t know how high the bill will be."
Yoonwon let out a low sigh. Why was every answer Hayeop gave so unbearably heavy? It was impossible to keep their small talk light.
"But with hamburgers, you can look at the menu and know exactly how much everything costs. And even one fills you up."
With that, Hayeop opened his mouth wide and crammed in an enormous bite of hamburger.
"And it’s fun if you save the Coke until the end."
Then he drained the Coke in one go. Apparently the fizz stung his throat, because he pounded his chest several times with his fist. Yoonwon gave a quiet snort of laughter.
"How very impressive."
There was sauce smeared around Hayeop’s mouth, so Yoonwon wiped it away with a napkin. Even as he did, his damned mouth could not resist scolding him.
"You can’t even eat one of those properly. Is there a hole in your chin?"
When Yoonwon threatened never to bring him out again, Hayeop’s brows knitted in distress.
"But the basketball was fun."
"Acting pitiful won’t work."
Hayeop was so full that he felt ready to burst, yet the Young Master had ordered another bulgogi burger set to take away. Hayeop was nearly appalled. Hamburgers were his second-favorite food after rice cakes, but even he could not force down another bite right now.
"Oh, but I’m full...."
Yoonwon arched one eyebrow in disbelief. The taut, sharp line of his jaw seemed to stab Hayeop in the eyes.
"Parasite, you’re not the only one with a mouth."
"Gasp. It isn’t for me?"
He had made a fool of himself by speaking up for no reason. Hayeop’s face grew hot with embarrassment.
"It’s for your mother."
Yoonwon tossed out the words and left Lotteria first.
For my mother?
Hayeop stood there dumbfounded, then broke into a broad grin and hurried after him.
"Wait for me."
After eating their fill, the two of them walked through Jangchungdong Park. Eventually, they stopped in front of a shop. The sign read, “Taeguk Bakery.”
"Wait here for a moment."
The Young Master went inside. What sort of place was this? Hayeop stood outside staring blankly, waiting as obediently as a dog tied by its leash.
Before long, Yoonwon emerged and held something out to him.
"What is this?"
"Try it, you ice cream fiend."
Hayeop cautiously took a bite and exclaimed in wonder. The outside was crisp like a cookie, while the inside was moist, soft, and melting.
"This is amazing."
Delicious. He even licked away the little bit of ice cream clinging to his lips. The fresh scent of grass drifted down from the verdant slopes of Namsan. The chirping birds sounded lovely. Were they pecking at grains of sunset? A trot song played quietly beneath their calls.
“Who did you come seeking in misty Jangchungdan Park? Will you merely embrace the old larch in silence and weep?”
They said it was a song about remembering a lost lover. A question suddenly blossomed inside Hayeop. Just what was love, that it could sound so heartrending?
Would the Young Master know the answer? Curious, Hayeop looked up at him. His face was refined, his eyes elegant, and he smelled pleasant.
"What?"
When Yoonwon asked, Hayeop shook his head.
"It’s nothing."
His heart had suddenly begun to race, leaving him unable to continue. The gentle west wind was cruel. Why did it have to set his heart aflutter like this?
"We should head back."
Hayeop took a small step forward.
On the subway ride home, rush hour had already passed, so there were few passengers. Only a handful of students remained, nodding off like birds pecking at feed.
"Young Master."
Holding an overhead strap, Yoonwon lowered his head to the side. Hayeop stood beside him, smaller than he was. Was looking through the window really that fascinating? Whenever he had a chance, he stared at the Han River. Light shimmered in his cappuccino-cream eyes. He gazed at the river beneath the night sky as though someone had spread honey across it.
"Yes?"
"I’ll truly never forget today."
Ever since coming to Seoul, he had been too busy scraping together a living. He had never even managed a proper outing with his mother. Only now did he understand how beautiful Seoul was at night.
"Thank you."
Hayeop spoke softly. Yoonwon’s large hand came to rest on top of his head. Was he about to stroke his hair? Hayeop’s heart fluttered a little, but then he felt Yoonwon press firmly down on the crown of his head.
"Be quiet and sit."
"...Yes."
In the end, Hayeop sat down awkwardly. The Young Master truly had no understanding of romantic moments.
"Next time."
"Yes?"
"Next time, I’ll show you Namsan Tower."
At that kindness, offered as casually and habitually as ever, Hayeop tucked his tongue away between his teeth. Its tip tasted sweet. It seemed to carry the flavor of Monica ice cream.
A leisurely Sunday afternoon, the sunlight crisp and golden.
Hayeop spent time with his mother for the first time in a while. At a restaurant famous for ginseng chicken soup, they ordered half a chicken each, served in earthenware bowls. With a fan turning gently nearby, they worked up a good sweat and crunched on cubes of radish kimchi. It felt as though their strength was being restored.
For something sweet afterward, they visited the Little Princess Teahouse for the first time. His mother ordered restorative herbal tea, while Hayeop tried something called an ice cream latte.
"This is wonderful."
They sat side by side on a soft cloth sofa. It wrapped gently around Hayeop’s legs.
"Your hair came out incredibly stylish, Mom."
His mother had treated herself to a perm at the salon for the first time in ages. Her curls were springy and glossy. She had also worn the purple dress the Young Master bought her for the first time, its delicate floral pattern rippling beautifully. She looked lovely.
"You look just like one of those elegant ladies who live in Seoul, Mom."
"Oh, don’t be silly."
Even the owner who brought their drinks joined in with cheerful flattery. She set down a cross-stitched floral coaster and placed the herbal tea on top of it.
"My goodness, you truly are beautiful. You look like a television actress."
Warm laughter spilled from his mother. Hayeop took a sip of his ice cream latte. It was sweet, smooth, and creamy. There was nothing particularly extraordinary about it, yet coming out to drink it like this made it feel entirely new.
So this was what the Young Master had meant. It was all right not to know much. He could simply enjoy himself however his heart desired.
"What a wonderful world we live in."
"It really is."
A song by Lee Moon Sae played in the café. To his mother, Lee Moon Sae was like a first love. She said she adored his tender, gentle voice.
“Unseen by anyone, I wandered and wept.”
Silently following along with “Old Love,” Hayeop and his mother spent a peaceful time together. Then, as they passed through the market on their way home—
"Mom, wait a moment!"
Hayeop stopped at a stationery shop and bought a sheet of pink letter paper.