The courtroom on the day of the verdict was heavy with somber tension.
Usually, on sentencing day, it is common for neither the parties nor their attorneys to appear, as the judge simply delivers the outcome; however, Yunsin had deliberately attended in person with Seheon. His sister seemed burdened by the prospect of her face being splashed across the headlines again, as her eldest child was about to enter elementary school in just a few months. He attended in her stead.
The judge seated before them began to read the disposition in a flat voice.
“The plaintiff, Do I-gyeong, and the defendant, Yu Jeong-won, are hereby divorced.”
The total amount of alimony and property division that the court ordered the defendant to pay the plaintiff amounted to several tens of billions of won.
The cause of the marriage’s collapse lay with the husband, and I-gyeong’s evidence was far better prepared than Suhan’s legal team had anticipated. And thanks to the counsel team, including Seheon, skillfully utilizing it, there had been no major disturbances aside from the party himself being torn to shreds in the media. Given that the defendant’s assets ran into the trillions of won, astronomical division amounts had been expected at first.
But as the first-trial outcome grew increasingly certain, Seheon suddenly attempted negotiations. It had been I-gyeong’s request. He proposed drastically reducing the claimed amount in exchange for the defendant abandoning any appeal, ceasing all future internal and external attacks, and forfeiting visitation rights. Suhan, which had been holding out, finally accepted after long deliberation. It seemed they had judged that, since most of the defendant’s assets were in the form of Suhan Group equity securities, a division strictly by legal principles would put even management control at risk.
For I-gyeong, who had only wanted to secure parental rights, custody, and a certain amount of alimony to live peacefully with her children, it was the most satisfactory outcome. Seheon seemed to feel something was left wanting, but compromised because the client had strongly wished for it.
“The plaintiff is designated as the legal custodian and guardian. The defendant, Yu Jeong-won, shall pay child support to the plaintiff from the day following the finalization of the judgment until the day before the second child reaches the age of majority, on the last day of each month….”
Yunsin, who had been mulling over the judgment’s contents, quietly rose from his seat midway. He left Seheon behind and slipped out of the courtroom alone. Avoiding people’s eyes, he went to the restroom and washed his face with cold water. He dried the water with a coarse paper towel and met his own pale face in the mirror.
He couldn’t tell if it was right to fully savor the joy of victory. If he was going to smile anyway, he decided to just smile, and raised the corners of his mouth. Fortunately, a smile came to his lips.
He considered messaging his sister, but decided against it, knowing she was deliberately avoiding the news and spending time with the children. He would tell her later; it would be better to check the details by reviewing the judgment when it arrived and examining each claim one by one.
Hoo. With a sigh, Yunsin made his way out of the restroom.
Or rather, he tried to.
He ran straight into Seheon, who was coming this way, and halted in the cool air that hung between them. He pondered how best to open the conversation, but no brilliant ideas came to mind. In the end, he could only ask a routine question.
“Do you think there are many reporters outside the courthouse? Suhan said they’d handle the press, so I came trusting that, but there were some people here to cover whether we would show up or not.”
“Who knows. I imagine there will be about as many as there were in front of the courtroom when we came in.”
“Should we stay until the sentencing is finished?”
“No. The reading is over. That’s why I came out too. Let’s head back now.”
It was a little disappointing that they had to return to the law firm building instead of home. There was still wrapping-up work left to do. They had to distribute I-gyeong’s statement, and compile articles from the press to verify that Suhan was properly honoring its promises.
Seheon seemed to notice it in Yunsin’s expression and asked casually,
“Have you contacted your sister?”
“I was going to call her around the evening. I think it’s better to call after the kids have gone to sleep.”
“Tell her she needs to do one written interview. Questions and answers will be as we prepared them.”
“That it is enough that she was able to protect her children from her ex-husband’s violence. That nothing else is needed. That she will donate part of the received property division to charity and live the rest of her life humbly, in accordance with the legacy of her father, who lived justly. Right?”
“Right. Tell her to cry when she faces the reporters. Now’s the time to cry.”
Yunsin nodded as if in understanding, then asked abruptly. Worry seeped into his expression.
“My brother-in-law. He won’t appeal as promised, right? I’m not sure if we can trust him.”
“Family discord is a minus for him too. Especially with the management succession almost finalized—it puts him at a serious disadvantage. I’ll also handle the aftercare, so don’t worry too much.”
Seheon watched his relieved, pale face for a moment, then turned to lead the way. Yunsin followed him naturally without a word as he trudged toward the underground parking garage. On the way down, Yunsin kept his eyes on Seheon’s steadfast back.
Words came to him naturally.
Yunsin uttered in a low voice as he walked.
“Congratulations.”
“You too. Good work.”
His brief reply was warm, and gently affectionate.
They had arrived at the parking lot before they knew it. Standing in front of Seheon’s car, Yunsin stopped after opening the passenger door. Seheon, too, sensed the sign from the driver’s side and stopped all movement. With the car between them, their gazes met.
The truth was, he had wanted to say this the whole time. No matter how many times he said it, it would never be enough. Because such simple words can be the hardest to say when you are close, he had never been able to reveal everything in his heart.
“Thank you. I made it through because of you, Chief.”
Seheon, who had been holding his gaze from the other side, soon replied as if he had heard it all before.
“You did all the work.”
“Anyone would think it’s true. You said the same thing to my sister, didn’t you?”
“Because it’s true.”
He was deflecting credit, but both of them knew it wasn’t true. Not a single one of the fierce battles with Suhan inside and outside the courtroom had gone untouched by Seheon’s hand. He had constantly agonized to win the tug-of-war with the opposing counsel, and at the same time, he had ceaselessly stoked fires to keep I-gyeong from fading from the media’s attention.
Above all, no matter how powerful a weapon one held, fighting alone was harder than one might think. The profound loneliness and fear of being left alone in the dark night easily made a person weak. What his sister had needed was a trustworthy person on her side, and he had stepped forward just when such a person had seemed impossible to find. Had Yunsin made that offer himself, his sister would have refused to the end.
After exchanging glances, they got into the car at the same time. While Yunsin fastened his seatbelt, Seheon took the wheel. Until they exited the courthouse grounds, neither spoke much. It was because Yunsin’s mouth was firmly shut, vigilantly watching the windows in case reporters appeared from unexpected places.
The car raced smoothly past Gangnam-daero, heading toward the law firm building.
Once the tension eased, Yunsin finally spoke again.
“I feel strange.”
“Why? Is this your first win?”
Yunsin answered clearly, unable to hide his incredulity.
“I’m not trying to act all high and mighty with a pupa, but I’ve won plenty of cases too.”
“I hadn’t realized I’d seated such an impressive figure in my passenger seat.”
“This means I won’t have any more cases to work on with you, Chief, right?”
Seheon, who had been joking while flexing his hand on the wheel, turned to stare at Yunsin while stopped at a light. At some point, Yunsin’s head had turned toward the window as he exchanged banter. His profile, capturing the street trees beyond the window one by one as though deep in thought, was steeped in melancholy.
Perhaps seeing Seheon’s reflection in the glass, Yunsin opened his mouth calmly as if offering an explanation. His attitude and voice were so composed that one could keenly sense the many emotions suppressed and hidden within.
“It was fun working with you. Well, the content wasn’t exactly enjoyable.”
Seheon furrowed his brow slightly.
“Are you emigrating somewhere?”
“If I emigrated, who would keep you company, Chief?”
“Then why are you like this?”
“I’m sorry to my sister, but with this lawsuit more or less over, it feels like one excuse for us to be together has disappeared. You’re busy every day, and I’m not exactly idle either. What excuse will we use to leave work together now? Until now, we worked on every project together, so people didn’t think it was strange. But now, if I ride in your car, won’t it look odd? This passenger seat is my seat.”
“That seat isn’t going anywhere.”
“And it’s not just that. We won’t even be able to let on that we met on weekends.”
Seheon had been weighing his words with considerable caution, but suddenly let out a hollow laugh.
“Maybe I’m the one who should emigrate.”
“I’m serious.”
“We see each other every day.”
Theoretically, yes, but there was a gap between theory and reality. Their work patterns and the ways they spent their time were vastly different. In fact, when they didn’t have shared work, there were many days they couldn’t exchange a single word from their timely arrivals until late at night. Moreover, both were buried in work, so aligning their leisure time was never easy.
The reason they had been together weekdays and weekends alike these past few months was that they had worked together on most of their ongoing projects, whether it was the acquisition merger or his sister’s divorce. It had been possible because there had been no boundary between the cases each of them handled.
“All of Gang Seheon’s cases were mine, but now only a fraction are. It feels lonely.”
Screech.
He changed lanes before Yunsin even finished speaking. He pulled over to the sparsely populated sidewalk side and suddenly got out of the car. Soon, he rounded the hood, approached the passenger side, and flung the door open from the outside, leaving Yunsin staring up at him in bewilderment.
“What are you doing?”
“Get out.”
“Are you annoyed because I’m being whiny? I was going to stop now.”
“Not at all. It’s just not something to talk about while driving. Get out.”
Yunsin only widened his eyes in wonder at Seheon’s unpredictable actions. Unable to do anything, he sat quietly; Seheon rapped on the car body impatiently. Seheon’s face was full of something he wanted to say. Usually, Yunsin was the one making such a face, so this was new. So after checking his surroundings, Yunsin finally got out.
It was near an empty lot, so not many people were passing by. But across the street, some kids who looked like high schoolers were playing basketball. They turned their backs to the students and moved between the buildings. They stopped in a narrow alley and faced each other.
Seheon fixed him with an unwavering gaze, then gently took Yunsin’s wrist and pulled him into his arms. He followed with light kisses on top of Yunsin’s hair. The sensation was pleasant, and Yunsin briefly lowered and raised his eyelids.
“Yunsin.”
At the end of the kiss, his name was called through Seheon’s lips. Yunsin flinched, his lips moving. He loved Seheon’s tone, voice, body heat, and gestures so much that he wanted to beg to savor that moment again, but the heavy atmosphere enveloping them would not allow it. Unable to reply, Yunsin cast his eyes to the building’s outer wall, and Seheon added:
“Telling you to move teams wasn’t because you were a burden or because I wanted to separate you from me.”
“I understood everything you said that day. I agree with you, Chief.”
“I thought so too, but looking at you now, you didn’t understand a single thing. From now on, if you need advice, I’ll speak up. If you need my help, you’ll be the first person I call. If our schedules align, we’ll keep leaving work in the same car. We’ll spend weekends together. That seat is your seat, now and in the future. Nothing changes.”
Seheon slowly pulled away from Yunsin and met his eyes.
“I was being greedy because I like you as you are now, and because I want you to stay as you. Do Yun-sin, it’s not because you’re useless to my work. I told you. You’re a good lawyer.”
He felt he shouldn’t play dumb and act whiny when Seheon was being so patient and explaining things so concretely. And yet, the words “I understand” wouldn’t come out readily. Perhaps because his face showed such anxious signs, Seheon made a subtle expression, as if his thirst still hadn’t been quenched.
“If you really want, you can come back under me. How about that?”
“What would that make me, then?”
“Don’t you have faith in me?”
“When you like someone, it’s strange to have certainty about their feelings, isn’t it? I’m always anxious.”
In truth, Gang Seheon was the sole unknown variable in his life that could not be properly explained. That was why he couldn’t logically interpret him. Just as there had been no clear cause-and-effect relationship at the beginning, it felt like things could deviate at any moment without reason. Physical distance would remain close, but removing all the common ground they had shared at once might be the starting point. That worry was what had spilled from his lips.
“Let’s find a suitable way. Leave it to me.”
He fixed a straight gaze on him. It seemed he was trying to convey emotion with his eyes, as Seheon sometimes did. Yunsin did his best to read it and nodded, closing his mouth.
Having rushed through everything and resolved matters as hastily as roasting beans with lightning, his thoughts grew heavy afterward. It was a kind of growing pain, an unavoidable rite of passage. That Seheon didn’t treat it as mere caprice but understood it seriously made him feel even more sorry.
Yunsin grabbed Seheon’s dark-colored tie. Then, using the recoil, he leaned his weight back against Seheon’s solid body. Resting his head on Seheon’s shoulder and wrapping his arms around his waist, Seheon responded by crushing his upper body in a fierce embrace. As if that weren’t enough, Seheon tilted his head and kissed Yunsin’s earlobe and temple several times, then ran his fingers through Yunsin’s well-groomed hair. Yunsin closed his eyes as if savoring that touch and quietly exhaled.
“I’m sorry for acting like a fool.”
“I already knew you were an idiot.”
Before Seheon finished speaking, Yunsin snapped his eyes open and smacked his broad back with his palm. He had put considerable force into it, but Seheon paid it no heed and devoted himself solely to holding him. When Yunsin tried to push him away and break free, Seheon pressed him against the wall and held him even closer to his chest. Moreover, he crossed his arms like a binding rope, blocking any path of escape.
Yunsin squirmed a few times but ultimately gave up.
“Ask me out on a date. Then I’ll let you.”
“Let’s have dinner together after work.”
“I’ll see if I have time.”
“I really want to eat with you, though.”
“I’ll think about it. When are you going to say you love me? Why is it always me?”
“When you get smart enough to meet my standards.”
Furious, Yunsin was about to pinch his side in earnest, but stopped. It was because he loved this moment of being pressed against him without a single gap. Yunsin pecked Seheon’s sharp jaw and raised his head to gaze at him. Their eyes met immediately as Seheon looked down at him. In those sharp eyes dwelled thousands upon millions of emotions that words could not contain. Yunsin, who had been looking at him intently, closed his eyes. Wordlessly asking for a kiss, Seheon’s large hands immediately moved from Yunsin’s back and shoulder blades to his smooth cheeks. Seheon cupped his soft cheeks and pressed their two lips together.
To respond to his kiss, now as familiar as breathing, Yunsin slightly parted his lips. The tip of Seheon’s tongue, which had licked his skin before plunging deep inside, was rough yet warm, sending a current that seemed to surge up from his heels. His body heat, swimming through Yunsin’s mouth as if exploring, seemed to warm him from within.
“Hnn, mm….”
Yunsin moaned heatedly and clung even more tightly to Seheon.
The most astonishing thing about Gang Seheon was that he made Yunsin like him more today than yesterday. The lips that kissed him, the shoulder he nipped at, the nape he teased and tormented, every place Seheon’s hands touched grew more precious in tandem. He wanted to convey what this feeling was like. Yunsin caressed various parts of Seheon’s firm body, feeling the hot flesh that had burrowed inside him. Then he raised his hand to the back of Seheon’s head and gripped his soft hair tightly.
Excited, Seheon gently meshed their lips before biting his tongue. Shortly after, he grabbed Yunsin’s shoulder and pulled his lips away. Their sensitive skin was connected by a thin, transparent thread. He extended his tongue and licked it, his eyes flashing fiercely. Beyond that lay immense thirst.
“Shall we do more?”
“Here?”
“As it happens, there’s a hotel nearby. How about the one behind your head?”
He caught his heavy breath and checked his wristwatch. In that moment, Yunsin glanced at the tall hotel building visible behind them and flushed. Then he grasped Seheon’s jacket with both hands and rubbed his face against Seheon’s chest.
* * *
The 24-hour café near home was quiet today as well. The two sat side by side in their usual seats, looking out at the winter cold flowing past the window, dressed quite comfortably. Yunsin, who had pulled his hat down low, fidgeted with the rim of his mug with his fingertips. Seheon’s was a hot Americano; Yunsin’s was an Earl Grey black tea faintly exuding a fragrant lemon scent. Glancing at Seheon’s half-full cup, Yunsin pulled it to his side and took a sip.
Come to think of it, his choice hardly ever changed. He didn’t know if it was preference or habit.
“Why do you always drink the same thing?”
Chin in hand, Seheon, who had been looking only at Yunsin, replied in a casual tone.
“Because it’s the fastest. They just have to pull a shot.”
It was impossible to tell if he was serious or joking. He wanted to believe it was a joke, but it sounded like the truth. Thinking about it, aside from alcohol, he had never seen Seheon choose anything other than an Americano or sparkling water when buying drinks outside. Both had relatively short and simple purchase times and processes.
A question he felt he shouldn’t ask for an honest answer to suddenly flashed through his mind. After hesitating, Yunsin cautiously asked, as if opening Pandora’s box.
“Have you ever felt that dating me was a waste of time? Since you sometimes waste time like this.”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t really know, but I think it would be best if you answered wisely.”
“When I’m with you, I never resent the time that passes. It’s always too short.”
It wasn’t a perfect answer, but it was close enough. Yunsin smiled as if granting a passing mark.
Soon, Seheon’s finely sculpted hand gripped the mug. As he took a sip of the bitter coffee and set it down, Yunsin’s gaze obsessively followed the movement.
“Do you even know what coffee tastes like? Though you do cook often.”
“I do know it tastes different from your spit.”
Startled by the unexpected answer, Yunsin looked around; even though it was well past midnight, there were few people nearby. Seheon must have been aware that others were in close proximity, even if Yunsin had his back to them. Yunsin was always amazed at how he could utter such vulgar things with a straight face, without so much as a twitch.
His voice was quite low, and the tables weren’t particularly close, so it seemed unlikely anyone had heard. But one could never be too careful. Yunsin swiftly organized the cups and moved them to the pickup counter, then grabbed Seheon’s hand—who was looking at him as if asking what on earth he was doing suddenly—and pulled him up. As Seheon awkwardly half-rose, Yunsin whispered near his ear as if it were an afterthought.
“This won’t do. Let’s get out of here.”
“You’re the one who wanted to drink black tea here.”
“Then why say weird things… What if someone heard? Get up quickly.”
“What if they did? All they’d see is a pair of homos.”
“Let’s not do this here. Let’s walk.”
“It’s annoying. And it’s cold outside.”
“Please!”
When Yunsin forcibly pulled him toward the entrance, fortunately Seheon more or less followed obediently. Holding his firm wrist, Yunsin exited the café, set a course in the opposite direction, and walked silently for a while. Only after completely leaving the arcade-lined street did he catch his breath.
He hadn’t been paying attention, but as they walked, they found themselves on a main road. A bus stop came into view. Since the buses had already stopped running, there was no one there.
Just as one needs a moment to catch one’s breath midway up a tall mountain, it seemed like they could use such a moment too. With that thought, Yunsin sat down first on the bench there. Seheon glanced at it with apparent displeasure, then soon resigned himself and settled beside him. With a clack, he crossed his legs, tilted his face, and kissed him.
The buses may have stopped, but cars were still whizzing by on the road. Startled, Yunsin smacked Seheon’s chest hard enough to hurt.
“You’re hopeless. What’s with you today?”
“Some days are like this.”
When Seheon tried to kiss him again, Yunsin quickly covered his mouth with his hand. Seheon narrowed his eyes as if his spirits were dampened. He then slowly leaned his head back. Yunsin, still on guard, continued to defend his mouth.
“Do Yun-sin. I think I’ve told you about twenty times—I don’t really like this kind of insubordination.”
“So what?”
“Aren’t you going to move your hand?”
Only then did Yunsin obediently lower his hand and protest.
“This isn’t even a dark alley. We’re on a street where cars are driving by… Mmph!”
Right at that moment, Seheon exploited the gap and smacked their lips together with a peck. His expression as he pulled away slightly looked quite satisfied, so Yunsin, who had been about to say something more, soon gave up and laughed.
“Senior, you’re surprisingly playful. Did you know that?”
“Thanks to you.”
“Don’t go using it on anyone else. I found it, so it’s mine.”
He nodded as if to say there was no chance of that happening, and fastened Yunsin’s coat collar. Yunsin, watching that affectionate gesture, suddenly grew curious and asked.
“Have you ever sat on a bus stop bench? I mean, other than when you were little.”
“Not even when I was little. I walked everywhere for the most part. If I had money for the bus, I saved it and used it for a meal instead. A life of austerity like that—something a young master like you couldn’t imagine, right?”
As he answered, Seheon’s expression hardened slightly as he reflected on times long past. It seemed that not a single fragment of his memories could make him happy, and it hurt to watch. Yunsin tried to understand Seheon, ruminating deeply, but it was difficult as expected. Yunsin shook his head with a sorrowful look.
“I want to understand you better, Chief, but sometimes I just can’t.”
“They’re not good memories. You don’t need to force it.”
“I still want to know everything. There’s still so much we don’t know about each other.”
“I’ve seen all of you.”
“Me? No way. I’m a person with so many sides.”
“I could draw your naked body from memory. Every single vein. I look very carefully every time I undress you.”
*cough* Startled into a cough, Yunsin glared at him. He himself hadn’t been that rational when sleeping with him. He had always been too busy moaning under his scrutiny. When Yunsin shot him a rather resentful look, Seheon continued with a nonchalant attitude as if to say there was no need for that.
“Shall I give you time to observe too?”
“Given the spatial constraints, I’ll pass on anything below the waist.”
“But I like that side.”
“We’d get arrested for public indecency. I want to look at your face, Chief. It cheers me up.”
Feeling somehow that he couldn’t lose, Yunsin turned his body distinctly sideways. He then carefully examined Seheon’s distinct features one by one. With his finger, he traced them as if sketching: his well-shaped eyebrows of moderate thickness; his large, elongated eyes that played a significant role in sharpening his impression; his sleek nose bridge; and the harmoniously placed lips beneath it.
Seheon had been waiting obediently, and the moment Yunsin’s finger touched his lips, he kissed it with his well-groomed nails. Without realizing it, Yunsin very carefully parted his lips and pushed two fingers inside. He sandwiched Seheon’s wet tongue between his index and middle fingers and rubbed it, but the sensation was so erotic that he flusteredly pulled his hand back.
It wasn’t even a secluded spot; realizing he had done that openly on the street, he looked around in a daze, then shot to his feet when he felt Seheon’s blatant gaze on his cheek. As he had done at the café, he pulled Seheon up again and started walking. Again, Seheon followed quietly without a word of complaint.
As they walked about the neighborhood as if exploring, listening to tires scraping against asphalt, Yunsin felt the urge to hold his hand. So after checking that no one was around, he tried to reach for it secretly, but Seheon turned direction half a beat ahead of him, and their hands only grazed each other in failure.
The walk continued. Passing faint lights, the surroundings soon darkened as if being sucked into darkness. The two strolled for a long while down a bike path covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves. This moment of quietly moving forward together was incomparably precious. Yunsin felt as though he had confirmed that Seheon’s heart was no different from his own.
How far had they walked?
Up ahead was the residential building where they lived. A small luminarie had lit up along the arched entry path leading to the residents-only entrance. Lights brightening the dawn poured down over the road they walked. Seheon, who had been walking toward the light in the darkness, broke the silence first.
"I'm talking about what you said last time. That we wouldn't be taking cases together anymore."
The memory of that day surfaced, leaving Yunsin embarrassed. He pressed his lips together and replied.
"Ah, don't worry about it. I was just being childish because I had a lot on my mind. I suppose I was feeling anxious because I don't really have anyone on my side at the firm."
"It just so happens that CEO Song seems to be planning to establish a new divorce research institute. Whether for good or ill, our firm's name keeps circulating among people, and he seems to want to turn that to our advantage. Of course, your family law team will take charge of it, and until the institute finds its footing within the firm, I'm thinking of helping out with that team's work occasionally for about a year or two."
Yunsin stopped walking on a bridge, blinking ceaselessly as if buying time to interpret these words. Having asked to be kept on, he realized this must be the solution Seheon had found. Though he had expected Seheon to find a way to ease his emotional anxiety, Yunsin felt inwardly grateful and happy, yet bewildered.
"You don't have time for something like that, Senior. If it's because of me... I'm sorry to trouble you when you're busy."
"It's in lieu of pro bono. The person who was going to cover my share of pro bono work moved to another team."
Yunsin pointed at himself with his free hand. Rather than disappointing that expectant face, Seheon readily agreed.
"If I have to do it anyway, I'd rather do it where I can see you."
"Do you mean it? Really?"
He gave a light nod, then suddenly produced a familiar line like a drawn blade.
"Until the last moment of my life, you have no choice but to remain a part of me. A part of the little good within me... and a part of the bad, so to speak.[3]"
"Oh, that's..."
"You know what it is?"
All sorts of thoughts piled up in his mind. Yunsin hurriedly rifled through his mental records, his eyes sparkling. It was a line from his favorite book.
"It's what Pip says."
"That's right."
Seheon smiled softly. Though his face was always dry and cold by nature, it always crumbled in some way before Yunsin.
He had not seen all of Yunsin's past, but Seheon could picture Yunsin's life even with his eyes closed.
The ground they stood on was the same battlefield. The type differed, and the troops and scale varied, but the fact that it was the dead center of a battlefield was their common denominator. Yet Yunsin, standing there, constantly thought of others first, unlike Seheon. How to achieve the most peaceful method. Whether this approach might hurt someone, whether it was excessive, whether it was impossible to win without conflict. He always worried over such things.
Seheon, on the other hand, would exploit anyone if necessary, sometimes employing dirty methods that transcended common sense, and when there was no other way to endure, he freely traversed the boundaries of expedients, illegality, or extra-legality. And he did so utterly lightly, without a shred of guilt. He had lived this way his whole life and knew no other way to live. He had won like this. This approach would continue going forward.
That was precisely why he wanted Yunsin by his side.
"You are my mirror, and I need you to look into myself."
Yunsin felt his palms grow damp and swallowed dryly. He wanted to offer a more splendid reply, but nothing came to mind except such an obvious line.
"I like you too."
He let out a short laugh, then gazed quietly at that serene face, calm as a still lake, for a moment. Then, as though something important still remained to be said, he retrieved a small box from his jacket pocket with great care. Meeting Yunsin's eyes straight on, he opened the narrow lid.
With a soft click, the box sprang open. Inside lay a thin ring.
Seeing it, Yunsin's lips went dry with bewilderment. Unable to forge his thoughts into voice and dazed, he was at a loss until Seheon explained himself.
"It's not a couple ring. I felt too awkward buying my own with my own hands. This is just... a sort of piece of evidence I'm giving you before sending you to another team. Exhibit No. 1, so to speak."
Yunsin finally managed to open his mouth and asked back in a trembling voice.
"W-what does this prove?"
"The factual condition that I'm yours."
Hearing this, Yunsin felt completely seen through from head to toe, and his ears burned red. Though he had denied it for fear of causing worry, Seheon had accurately seen right through him—to the fact that he actually didn't want to be separated from him and had been feeling anxious and slighted all along.
"Senior..."
"Let's add to them one by one from now on. We have plenty of time."
"I'm so embarrassed."
"You look it."
"But I'm so happy."
"You look that too. Give me your hand."
He had never dreamed that such future-oriented words would come from the mouth of Gang Seheon, a pessimist—that they belonged to each other, and that they would gradually accumulate more evidence to prove it. Flustered, Yunsin blushed, his cheeks coloring, and didn't know what to do. Unable to wait, Seheon reached out and took his slender left hand.
He gently brushed over the finger, then slid on the ring, which fit perfectly to a miraculous degree, onto the straight ring finger. Yunsin's eyelashes trembled as he looked down at his own finger.
"Can I keep wearing it at the firm too? No, I don't need your permission. It's mine, so it's up to me."
"Do as you like."
"If someone asks, can I say my lover gave it to me? No. I don't need your permission for that either."
Seheon smiled lightly as if admitting defeat, then grasped his hand firmly as if to say it was time to go. Yunsin's body was pulled along.
Startled by the reckless act, Yunsin shook his caught hand a few times. But the moment Seheon lightly brushed over the ring on his ring finger—their hands still joined—Yunsin pressed his lips together. If someone were watching closely, two men doing this might look quite suspicious. But it was so late, and no one was passing by, so he wanted to allow both Seheon and himself this much of a deviation.
The two of them, walking side by side, crossed the bridge over the small artificial lake and headed toward the building entrance.
In the dark night, the sight of colorful bulbs twinkling drew ever closer.
As Yunsin passed through the arched approach, he felt light pouring down over his head and looked at the ground. Sure enough. Reflected hues softly illuminated the spot where they stood. Observing the sight as if entranced, he tilted his head forward and met Seheon's eyes.
"Senior, do you know we're walking on light right now?"
Only then did his sharp gaze fall to the ground. They truly were walking on light. The lights reflected in the lake beneath the bridge twinkled, and the sight was quite beautiful.
"Isn't it dramatic how the light appears as the darkness lifts?"
He answered blandly, as if he couldn't quite agree.
"You're the one who's dramatic, getting moved by every little thing like this. Are you a middle schooler?"
"It's pretty."
"Could anything be as dramatic as you appearing in my life?"
The moment he heard those words, Yunsin's entire body stiffened, walking with a mechanical creak. This was his confession of love. No matter how hard he tried to brush it off, it was nothing else. Seheon fully acknowledged his existence within himself—perhaps as a part of his good side, and perhaps as a part of his bad side.
As flustered as when he had received the ring, he had no idea how to react. Yunsin hid his embarrassment and answered as if joking.
"Yes, I love you too."
The lights had disappeared from above Yunsin's face before he knew it as he shrugged lightly. But in Seheon's eyes, they still seemed to remain. Walking slowly, he quietly gazed at Yunsin's smooth profile, then nodded without feeling the need to refute him.
"So it seems. I suppose I do too."
Yunsin's cheeks twitched; he truly hadn't expected him to say such a thing.
"Seheon?"
"Let's go up quickly. It's cold."
He kissed his reddening cheeks tenderly once more. Then he released the hand he held and wrapped his arm around his bony shoulder.
The backs of the two entering the building together were caught halfway in the slowly closing revolving door, before soon disappearing entirely.