Harmonious Love

Where There Is Sunlight, There Are Shadows (14)

Kim Hyun-soo was the only person who knew about that one night. The person Mo Yeon had run into in front of the gay bar he visited for the first time, looking for someone to replace Tae Young-won. If Kim Hyun-soo were to mention that incident, even indirectly…

Would Tae Young-won really take it lightly? Could he naturally move past it without noticing anything?

“…”

Just thinking about it sent chills down Mo Yeon’s spine.

In that moment, Kim Hyun-soo walking toward them seemed like the grim reaper. Mo Yeon swallowed dryly.

The perceptive Tae Young-won would absolutely not let it slide. His instinctive anxiety told him this.

He had no friends, so if a junior suddenly acted familiar with him, it would naturally seem strange. Even without saying anything specific, Tae Young-won would surely find it suspicious.

As the door opened, Mo Yeon immediately turned his head to gauge Tae Young-won’s reaction.

And Tae Young-won was already staring at the entrance.

His expressionless face made it impossible to tell what he was thinking. He raised an eyebrow and spoke first.

“Hyun-soo?”

“Hello, sunbaes!”

“First time seeing you since the semester started. Been well?”

“Ah, of course.”

The two conversed naturally. And Mo Yeon finally felt a sense of relief.

Of course. When they were together, school acquaintances would come to greet them several times a day. Most of the people approaching them had business with Tae Young-won rather than with Mo Yeon.

In those situations, Mo Yeon usually remained beside Tae Young-won like an unnoticeable stone until the conversation ended.

Kim Hyun-soo must have come with business for Tae Young-won, and his misunderstanding…

To think he had been so nervous about a junior who had met him just once coming to say hello. It was a moment where Mo Yeon suddenly felt ridiculous.

“Mo Yeon hyung, did you get home safely that day?”

“Huh?”

“When our class ended last semester. I was a bit worried because you didn’t look well…”

Mo Yeon’s mouth fell open blankly.

He did remember taking a class with Kim Hyun-soo last semester, but he had no recollection of running into him on the last day of class.

“Ah, yes… sorry.”

So Kim Hyun-soo was now talking about “that day” when they met outside. Thinking back to that time, Mo Yeon only felt apologetic toward Kim Hyun-soo. He had bought him nice drinks and introduced him to a friend, and how strange must Mo Yeon have seemed to him.

Though he couldn’t explain everything, Mo Yeon awkwardly added.

“I didn’t mean to act that way.”

“No worries. Actually, I thought you probably got home fine.”

When Mo Yeon apologized, Kim Hyun-soo waved his hand dismissively. Mo Yeon wanted to offer more excuses, but with Tae Young-won beside him, it was difficult to speak freely.

‘This much should seem natural enough.’

Tae Young-won already knew him as a gay person who had once been so obsessed with a man that he stalked him, but if he found out that Mo Yeon had frequented gay bars and even run into a school junior there, it would be serious trouble.

Or would it? Maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal after all. Unless he decided to end their relationship altogether.

What was certain was that it would be an issue Tae Young-won wouldn’t tolerate. He had emphasized several times that he had no intention of sharing Mo Yeon with anyone else.

Of course, nothing had shown just now, so there was no need to worry.

“Hmm, what was wrong with Mo Yeon on the last day of class?”

Tae Young-won asked with a slight smile. Kim Hyun-soo hesitated before answering.

“It’s nothing really. He just seemed unwell and left the classroom quickly.”

“Ah.”

Tae Young-won made a sound with narrowed eyes.

This artificial behavior, which Mo Yeon hadn’t seen in a while, was always interesting to observe. Tae Young-won was somewhat less fake with close classmates like Kim Jung-hyun or Han Chae-yeon, but he tended to be especially artificial with juniors like this.

Perhaps because they had been spending so much time alone together, seeing this side of him after so long made Mo Yeon unconsciously focus on Tae Young-won.

His half-folded, smiling eyes stared at Mo Yeon before turning back to Kim Hyun-soo.

“Are you done with your greeting?”

“What?”

Tae Young-won’s mask was the same as usual. His gentle voice was no different from normal.

“Since you’re not leaving, I was wondering if you had more to say to me.”

However, the inexplicably chilling atmosphere was clearly different from usual. It wasn’t because of the potentially embarrassing content. Something in the air had changed.

“Ah, I’m sorry, hyung. I was just lost in thought for a moment… I’ll be going now. I’ll contact you later.”

“Mmm.”

Tae Young-won waved his hand. Mo Yeon also awkwardly waved. Resting his chin on his hand, Tae Young-won muttered while watching Kim Hyun-soo’s retreating back.

“That’s strange.”

“…What is?”

“Hyun-soo habitually calls people ‘hyung’ after drinking with them once.”

The door closed, and through the glass, they could see Kim Hyun-soo looking back at them. It seemed he made eye contact with Tae Young-won, as he quickly turned his head away and hurried his steps.

Mo Yeon’s heart pounded violently. Had Kim Hyun-soo called him “hyung” just now?

If not, there would be no reason for Tae Young-won to say that. Had he noticed something?

“Mo Yeon, we should head to class now.”

With the sound of the chair being pulled back, Tae Young-won stood up.

Only then did Mo Yeon look up at him as he cleared the cups. He carefully examined his expression, but there was no notable change. He just looked peaceful.

It was a bit strange. Was that all? Did it not bother him beyond that?

‘Well, it’s not like he’s a jealous husband…’

There was no reason for Tae Young-won to be so sensitive about issues related to Mo Yeon. He wasn’t someone with nothing better to do.

Reaching that conclusion, Mo Yeon could breathe a small sigh of relief.

Would there be another chance to talk with Kim Hyun-soo separately? That was all he was curious about.

Mo Yeon still wanted to find someone to replace Tae Young-won.

***

The bar where he had met Kim Hyun-soo was definitely not as dangerous and depraved as Mo Yeon had felt at the time. Back then, his fear of the unfamiliar environment had probably been overwhelming.

And when he thought about it, how dangerous could the men he met there really be?

He dared to guess that it wouldn’t be easy to encounter someone stranger or more perverted than Tae Young-won.

Going alone might be good, but first, he wanted to repay his debt to Kim Hyun-soo and incidentally gather more information. And that opportunity came without much difficulty.

It was in the hallway after a class he took alone. He was supposed to have dinner with Tae Young-won, so today he needed to go to the back gate instead of the main gate he usually used. As he was walking, reminding himself not to go to the main gate out of habit, someone blocked his path.

“Hyung!”

When he looked up, it was Kim Hyun-soo.

“Oh?”

“Are you alone right now?”

A bit flustered, Mo Yeon nodded slowly.

“Really? No one else around?”

Kim Hyun-soo looked around and sighed. It was a given fact, but since Mo Yeon had no friends at school except Tae Young-won, being alone was his default state. If “no one else” referred to anyone, it could only be Tae Young-won…

“Wow, we finally get to talk alone. I’ve been watching for an opportunity every time I see your sunbae.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Did you find that person yet?”

“Ah.”

As expected, he was definitely socially adept. Mo Yeon could feel the characteristic atmosphere of such people from Kim Hyun-soo. It was surprising that he would show such interest in someone he wasn’t even close with, having only drunk together once.

“No, that was the last time I went, and I didn’t do anything.”

“Ah… I see.”

After looking regretful for a moment, Kim Hyun-soo cautiously spoke up.

“May I ask what kind of person you’re looking for? I’m really close with the bartender there, so I could ask him to contact me if he sees someone like that.”

“Uh…”

“Honestly, I thought you weren’t serious. It’s not easy to reveal your orientation even if you met someone there.”

“…”

“But it seems like you’re really looking for someone, so I want to help.”

What a genuinely kind person.

While the goodwill was appreciated, unfortunately, it wasn’t something that could be helped in that way. Even Mo Yeon himself wasn’t sure what such a person looked like, or whether they even existed in this world.

Come to think of it, was there really someone who could replace Tae Young-won?

Although it was something he already knew, realizing this fact suddenly made him feel overwhelmed. Mo Yeon spoke with sad eyes.

“Thanks for offering… but I think this is something I need to find on my own.”

“Find what?”

A familiar voice came from behind. Rolling his eyes toward Kim Hyun-soo, Mo Yeon saw him looking over Mo Yeon’s shoulder with a face like he’d seen a ghost.

This was a disaster.

“Ah, hello, Young-won hyung.”

“Yeah, what are you two trying to find?”

“Uh…”

“Seems important. Then I should join in too.”

This was a disaster. Mo Yeon bit his lips nervously before reluctantly turning around.