The Frame He Forgot to Hide
Ring ring.
The doorbell had barely finished chiming before the door flew open.
"Yeonjae! Come on in—!"
"Hi."
Seong Ijun greeted him at the door, his face flushed with excitement.
At this point, I'm pretty sure he was waiting right in front of the door.
Holding that thought, Yeonjae held out the envelope.
"Here, take this."
"Huh?"
"I couldn't exactly show up empty-handed."
"Whoa, I told you you didn't have to worry about that sort of thing."
Says the guy who brings something over every single time.
"I just bought it. Picked out stuff you like."
"Thank you, Yeonjae…."
It was nothing more than fruit grabbed in a hurry at the supermarket, yet Seong Ijun turned terribly bashful about it.
"I'll peel it and bring it over. Can you wait on the couch for a sec?"
"Sure. Is your dad out?"
"He left for work."
I see.
He had visited Seong Ijun's home several times by now, and on occasion he'd run into Seong Ijun's father. The man looked so much like his son that you could roll him down a hill three times and still shout, That's Seong Ijun's father, no question.
He remembered marveling at the wonders of genetics as he'd greeted him.
Anyway, with the house otherwise empty, Yeonjae stepped into the living room without hesitation and made himself at home. He'd only been sitting on the couch a short while when Seong Ijun returned with a melon carved neatly into serving pieces.
"Haram's not coming today?"
"No. Twins isn't really appropriate viewing for a kid his age, you know? He's with Jinbae hyung right now."
"Ah, I see. You really are so thoughtful…."
Doesn't it occur to him that handing out praise over absolutely nothing makes him the more thoughtful one?
Brushing past Seong Ijun's praise—all too familiar by now—Yeonjae dug into the melon.
Expensive really does taste better.
Seong Ijun had a fondness for juicy fruits, melons included.
Thanks to him, I've been eating a lot of fruit lately.
He'd once hesitated to buy any for himself because the prices were absurd, but these days his mouth was thoroughly enjoying itself.
"The viewing room is over there? Looks like you did some major renovations."
"Yeah. The layout changed a bit, right? Dad put a lot of care into it. Want to watch something other than Twins? One of your other dramas? Goodbye, My Summer was great, or maybe you—"
"Hyung. Here, eat this."
"Mmph."
He popped a piece of melon into Seong Ijun's mouth as the man started getting worked up again. Seong Ijun chewed away diligently at the fruit in his mouth, and Yeonjae shrugged at him.
"Mind if I look around the viewing room?"
"Go ahead!"
Just as Seong Ijun had promised, the viewing room was comfortable and pleasant.
He watched Twins, then took the opportunity to catch several other dramas as well, and before he knew it, the sun was high in the sky.
I should start heading home soon.
Rolling out the stiffness in his shoulders from sitting in one position for hours, he turned his head idly, thinking of nothing in particular.
And that was when he saw it. The picture frame on the shelf.
"…"
Figures. So that's how it is.
With a stiff neck, he gave a slow nod.
Right. I figured this would happen.
He had seen it coming a long time ago, which was probably why the shock hit less hard than expected.
As he stood staring quietly at the two people in the frame, Seong Ijun emerged from the kitchen.
"Yeonjae, what should we watch next?"
His face was bright and carefree. In his hands he carried a plate piled high with food—he must have put it together while Yeonjae was watching.
"Sorry, but I think I should head out now."
"Oh—already? It's still the middle of the day…."
"There's a kid at my place."
Jinbae hyung isn't a babysitter, after all. I brought him home, so I'm the one who looks after him.
As he gathered his things, Yeonjae asked if it would be all right to ask him something.
"Of course. What is it?"
Looking at the other man's gentle smile, he brought it up in the flattest tone he could manage.
"How do you know Euntaek hyung?"
"…!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Seong Ijun flinched and staggered backward in fright.
At the same time, the plate he was holding crashed to the floor.
Frowning at the sharp crack of shattering glass and the shards scattered in every direction, Yeonjae held up a hand.
"Y-Yeonjae, let me explain—"
"Don't move."
I knew it. Something like this was bound to happen.
He sent the deathly pale Seong Ijun back a few steps, then picked up the broken pieces of glass one by one.
"Do you have newspaper in the house? Or any paper?"
"Yeah. On that shelf over there…."
"Don't move, hyung. I've got it."
"You could hurt yourself too, Yeonjae."
"I'm fine."
He had acted enough today to shed every last drop of his allotted misfortune.
He wrapped the sharp shards in paper and wound them round and round with tape, then wiped the floor down several times with wet wipes to catch any fine glass dust that remained.
"Just to be safe, let's run the vacuum over it too."
"Yeonjae, I'll do that."
"It's fine. Give me your hand. You didn't cut yourself anywhere?"
"N-no."
Seong Ijun must have been badly rattled—his face was still ghost-white.
Is he worried about getting scolded by his father?
When Yeonjae asked if the plate had been expensive, Seong Ijun's expression turned sour.
"No…."
"Then why the face?"
"…You just brought up Euntaek out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting it."
Oh, right. That.
He'd been so busy with the broken plate he'd forgotten all about it.
Casually, he pointed at the frame.
"It's because of that picture frame."
"Ah…. I'm sorry. I always put it away whenever you came over…. I guess I was just too distracted today."
The thoroughly deflated tone of his voice made Yeonjae ask, puzzled.
"What are you sorry for? For not putting the frame away? Or for knowing Euntaek hyung?"
"…"
"I expected it. Ever since you told me about a friend who went to Heum Arts Middle School."
To be precise, it had come up at the dinner gathering before the first broadcast of The Butterfly Flower on the Zelkova Tree.
Seong Ijun's reaction back then was strange, too.
Above all, Lee Euntaek had been living near Heum Arts Middle School.
At his words, Seong Ijun muttered a quiet really?, his face gone damp and gray.
When Yeonjae asked how the two of them had come to know each other, the answer came back that they'd been close since elementary school.
"I told you, right? That when I came to Korea from the States… I got ostracized at school."
"Yeah."
"Euntaek helped me a lot back then. Of course, I couldn't endure it and switched to homeschooling in the end…. But we still keep in touch now and then."
I see.
Seong Ijun kept glancing sidelong at him, as if trying to read his mood.
Ignoring that gaze, Yeonjae spoke as dryly as he could.
"I was briefly adopted into Euntaek hyung's family. When I was six, or seven."
"…Yeah. I heard."
"Then I suppose you heard the rest of it too."
He went on without a hitch, as if it were nothing.
"That Jiheon hyung died because of me."
"…"
"You know who Jiheon hyung was, right? He was the eldest in Euntaek hyung's family. Euntaek hyung was the second."
And I came in as the youngest.
The words flowed out more easily than he'd expected.
It was strange. Just a few days ago, recalling this part of his past had made it hard to breathe.
Now he felt nothing at all.
It simply felt like talking about someone else's life.
"At first, I got the feeling you were wary of me. I couldn't figure out why, but I guess it was because of what Euntaek hyung told you."
"Yeonjae…. I'm, I'm really sorry. It's my fault. I came at you with a prejudice I had no right to… I'm so sorry."
Seong Ijun apologized over and over, his face drained of color.
He looked like a frightened child, and Yeonjae let out a small laugh.
"What's there to be sorry for? I'd have done the same. I don't know exactly how Euntaek hyung put it, but I'm sure he didn't exaggerate."
Seong Ijun and Lee Euntaek were two years older than him.
When he was cast out of the adoption at eight, Lee Euntaek had only just turned ten.
He himself had been far too young, and so had Euntaek—honestly, his memories of that time weren't vivid.
But he remembered the look in Euntaek's eyes the last time they'd crossed paths.
Deep, settled loathing.
Whew. That makes my stomach turn a little.
He had vowed not to cling to the past, but apparently it wasn't something that could be managed in a single step.
He clenched and unclenched his fist, pressing down the churning feeling in his chest.
"It's true that what Euntaek said at the start bothered me. That's why I couldn't treat you comfortably…. But like I said, that was my fault. Yeonjae, I judged you before I'd even met you—"
"It's not prejudice. It actually happened."
Jiheon hyung died because of me. Euntaek hyung was badly hurt.
And I went back to the orphanage.
He had never properly spoken of it to anyone since, but he believed the dissolution of his adoption was only natural.
I'd have done the same.
Well, who could have known so many misfortune factors would cling to my body like that?
I wish I'd met Mist a little sooner.
Would Jiheon hyung still be alive, then?
He turned the thought over briefly, then shook his head.
It was useless to wonder about it now.
"Yeonjae? Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Does Euntaek hyung know? That you and I hang out separately like this?"
"…Yeah. I told him."
I see.
He almost asked how Euntaek had reacted, then stopped himself.
What good would knowing that do me?
Instead, he poked at Seong Ijun's bloodless, frozen cheek.
"That surprises me, actually."
"Huh…?"
"That after hearing all that, you still hang out with me. Doesn't it give you the creeps?"
"Don't say it like that! I'm not playing with you out of charity, and it's not creepy at all!"
Watching Seong Ijun snap at him with uncharacteristically angry face, Yeonjae laughed.
"Okay, okay. Thank you."
"…Yeonjae. So, are you not going to see me anymore?"
At the question, asked so carefully, he furrowed his brow.
"Why? You don't want to see me?"
"No! I mean— I was asking you…! In case you hated me."
"Why would I hate you?"
"Well… because Euntaek and I are friends…."
The logic was so unexpected that a hollow laugh slipped out.
Considering Seong Ijun had kept meeting him all this time, Euntaek clearly hadn't forbidden it.
"Unless you don't want to see me, hyung, that's never going to happen. Don't say weird things."
"Okay…."
Because of what happened with Jiheon hyung, he could never stand tall in front of Lee Euntaek.
To Euntaek hyung, I'm the kid who took his eldest brother away. How could I act otherwise?
But even so, there was no need to tiptoe around Euntaek's feelings in every human relationship he had.
At the end of the day, we're strangers now.
The dissolution paperwork had long since been finalized.
The past was the past—at this point in time, he and Lee Euntaek had no relationship whatsoever.
Unless it concerned Jiheon hyung, he had no obligation to go around acting like a perpetual criminal.
He poked at the sulking Seong Ijun's cheek again. Seong Ijun couldn't quite bring himself to tell him to stop, and just kept glancing at him.
Now I get why Bihyuk pokes my cheek all the time.
It's secretly pretty fun.
He enjoyed the soft, squishy feeling for a while, ended with a few gentle pats, and stood up.
"Alright, I'm heading out."
"Okay…."
"Hyung, do you have anything going on today?"
"No, nothing…."
Looking at his bewildered face, Yeonjae gave a small laugh.
"Then come over to my place. Let's hang out."
"…!"
Seong Ijun's eyes went wide, and then he broke into a huge grin.
The distinct mole beneath his left eye rose along with his smiling mouth.
"Yes!"
Good grief. He's adorable.
Lee Jeonghyeon sat in a chair and watched the kids gathered in his living room.
"Yeonjae, what were you thinking when you shot that scene?"
"What would I be thinking? I just shot it, like I said."
"Yeonjae…! You came out so beautifully."
"Thanks. Here, eat this."
Lee Yeonjae sat on the couch, answering whatever Han Haram and Seong Ijun threw at him.
Three kids with a similar air about them, huddled together in a cozy cluster—it looked exactly like a set of three brothers.
It was a heartwarming sight, and yet watching it, Lee Jeonghyeon felt nothing but bitterness.
…Inpatient treatment?
Yes. The doctor said he's in a state where he could be admitted for inpatient care at any time. He suggested that at the very least, pairing it with medication would be better…. But he said that since the actor is so mature for his age, he'd likely resist it strongly.
I see…. Yeonjae would say he doesn't need it, wouldn't he.
Yes. So for now, we've agreed that I'll keep a close eye on him, and if he shows hyperventilation again or seems even slightly to be struggling, I'll take him straight back to the hospital. The actor doesn't know.
The aftereffects of last night's conversation with Ahn Jinbae ran deep.
Lee Jeonghyeon turned the long exchange with Ahn Jinbae over in his mind again and again, wondering whether there was anything he himself could do.
Then, struck by a sudden idea, he sprang to his feet.
"Hyung, if you stand up that fast, your blood pressure—"
"Yeonjae."
Ignoring Lee Yeonjae's nagging as it flowed naturally along, Lee Jeonghyeon strode over in big steps.
"Want to do a live broadcast?"
"A live broadcast?"
"Yeah. Like the one you did with Sehyun of Space a while back."
Except this time, for real.
Looking down at the dumbfounded Lee Yeonjae, Lee Jeonghyeon smiled.