SMNTCERR, Special Chapter 10: Hello world! #1. 

   “How do I look?”

   Jaeyoung asked with a trembling voice. Sangwoo glanced at him and replied.

   “You look handsome.”

   “Don’t tease me, how do I really look?”

   “I’m being serious.”

   As he folded his arms to stop him. Sangwoo stopped his footsteps and looked at Jaeyoung with scrutiny, a satisfied smile emerging at the corner of his mouth.

   “Looks like you are easy to teach and don’t fuss like usual.”

   Sangwoo raised the large camera hanging on his shoulder and took two or three photos. It seemed like he had taken hundreds of photos in the morning, but he still hadn’t stopped pressing the shutter. Jaeyoung had let go of his lost loved one and checked his own condition for the last time.

   I, who have been growing my hair for half a year, had a short haircut. He wore a black coat, looked respectable. Under the coat, there was a navy blue silk embroidered shirt as a white shirt and followed by beige linen pants and black knee-high boots. In his hand, he held a set of good-quality Hwagwaja cookies [1] and a box of cookies.

   “Cool.”

   “…”

   When I saw Chu Sangwoo’s eyes turn into heart shapes, it seemed like his appearance could be used elegantly once.

   “Are you going inside like that? Leave the camera in the car.”

   “No, I’ll take a picture of the house.”

   “…Go ahead, who would dare stop you.”

   Jaeyoung scratched Sangwoo’s head, lifted the camera close to his face, and blinked sleepily on one side. The two-story townhouse that Sangwoo was shooting looked like a ghostly sacred house, 666. On the second floor was Jaeyoung. He swallowed his saliva and looked indifferently at the brown building that didn’t stand out. Sangwoo lowered the camera and carefully placed it in its case.

   “I never thought I would come to your house, I feel strange.”

   “I feel even stranger, you brat.”

   “Why?”

   “Just be quiet. I feel like vomiting. Do you remember everything I said in the car?”

   “Of course.”

   “I will handle everything myself, you don’t have to say anything useless, understand?”

   “Yes.”

   Sangwoo looked impatient, responded politely. For some reason, he didn’t seem reliable as usual. They arrived at the front door. Jaeyoung looked at the signboard of both homeowners, written one after another, ‘Chu Jong-han, Hwang Geum-ryeo’, with a puzzled expression.

   ‘How did it become like this?’ 

   That’s a question that arises when the line gets disconnected. Sangwoo pressed the doorbell and that meant the opportunity to escape was gone. Jaeyoung tried to put on a soft, gentle smile on his tense face. Then he wondered how he ended up in this situation.

   *** 

   “I’ll be going back to Deajon next Saturday. I’ll stay for one night and then come back.” 

   Last Sunday, Sangwoo said that. The other party was never satisfied with the biannual visits to their house, but this time the reason for the worrying was not just because he wouldn’t see his boyfriend’s face for two days. 

   “Are you going to tell your parents?” 

   “About what?” 

   “About the engagement.” 

   The corner of Sangwoo’s mouth that was about to chew the rice paused. His dark eyes looked at Jaeyoung. 

   “When I go back home, my father will ask if anything good has been happening lately. So, I won’t be able to hide it.” 

   His gaze slowly scanned Jaeyoung before returning to the fried rice. 

   “If you don’t want me to tell, then I won’t.” 

   Until now, Jaeyoung has forbidden Sangwoo from revealing their relationship to their families. Even though Sangwoo thought that having a boyfriend was a personal matter, their parents couldn’t interfere. But which parents in the world would be happy to have their son eat with a man? Jaeyoung didn’t want their harmonious family to be disrupted. 

   “What engagement do I have to tell my father… He will definitely ask if anything good has been happening lately. I’ve never had anything like that…” 

   This time, he probably wants to tell. Sometimes Sangwoo speaks ambiguously, not being true to himself, but it is clear what he is thinking because it is not a skill he excels at. Jaeyoung scooped up a scoop of fried rice and chewed silently. If it was just dating and understanding each other, it would be normal, but this was to the point of engagement and planning a wedding, and they were even moving to a different country together. He understood the feelings of the other party who wanted to let their parents know because he grew up in a family that concealed and hid things, unlike him. 

   “Then tell them.” 

   “Yes.” 

   “…” 

   Well, even so, I didn’t think you would answer immediately like this while waiting. 

   “What do you want to say?” 

   “Say that you promise to marry the man you’re with and have him join the wedding in six years.” 

   “Hey, are you crazy? No, you have to explain everything properly.” 

   “Then what should I do? Like the six main points in news writing [2]?” 

   Sangwoo’s face looks confused. Jaeyoung reached out and explained slowly why he said that he was dating a man without hesitation, what kind of words should be used to relax the atmosphere, and what steps should be taken to talk about that. Even though Sangwoo’s parents would be equally shocked, it would be better to have a confrontation first. 

   “No matter what, the conclusion is the same.” 

   “Did you hear some of it? I said that the feelings of the listeners are different.”  “I don’t know.” 

   He thought that in one and a half years he had created a human being, but when he looked now, the other side still seemed completely inhuman. Jaeyoung thought that if Sangwoo returned home in that condition, he would definitely be kicked out. But at the same time, when he imagined the other side looking disappointed, he felt like his heart was breaking. 

   “There is a way to fix it.” 

   At that moment, Sangwoo spoke up. Jaeyoung waited to hear what the other side would say without expecting anything. 

   “Go explain it to me.” 

   “Me?” 

   Jaeyoung laughed as if he had heard a joke, but Sangwoo’s face remained serious, with no trace of playfulness at all. 

   “No. You should go and explain it properly.” 

   “Me? Should I go explain to your father?” 

   Sangwoo paused, his face filled with confusion, before he smiled slightly as if he had found a solution to the problem. Jaeyoung seemed to transform into a timid and brave son-in-law, sitting still with a bewildered look before reaching out to call Sangwoo. The other party then placed the spoon down and moved closer. Jaeyoung leaned his waist into Sangwoo’s embrace and looked into their eyes, but before he could say anything, Sangwoo spoke first. 

   “I’m not forcing you.” 

   Silence fell, he was caught off guard by their gaze. The pretentious figure spoke so coolly while hoping for something, why did they have to do it like that? 

   Jaeyoung felt that his tender heart was gently caressed by Sangwoo. 

   “Do you want me to come with you to greet your parents?” Sangwoo paused for a moment without hesitation. 

   “I want to bring you there to introduce you. I want to show off.” 

   Jaeyoung realized that he couldn’t refuse this impulsive action, how could he let the other party go alone? If there was going to be a punishment, they should be punished together. If there was going to be a blow, they should be hit together. Jaeyoung let out a faint sigh. 

   “I guess I have to get a haircut first.” 

   “What a pity, it’s already so long.” 

   “Well, it doesn’t sound like a big loss.” 

   “Is it really that noticeable? I think I look better with short hair.” 

   *** 

   I retract the words that said you’re inhumane and the words that said you’re a sly person.

   After the fall of Chu Sangwoo’s trap, Jaeyoung stood here, in this perplexing place.

   “So Sangwoo, you have arrived.”

   As he heard the faint voice of a man behind the door, Jaeyoung’s body tensed up. Perhaps today Jaeyoung might be destined to be slapped by that person, so he didn’t wear glasses.

   The sound of unlocking the door echoed, and the door swung open wide.

   “Huh?”

   The middle-aged man’s face looked surprised after seeing the suspiciously lively son. Jaeyoung politely bowed his head before standing up straight again.

   He wanted to smile gently, but it didn’t come out very well.

   ‘Damn it. No matter what Chu Sangwoo said, we shouldn’t come.’ 

   The man was wearing a brown shirt and dark gray trousers. His eyes looked self-assured and comfortable-looking compared to his age. He didn’t have many wrinkles, and even though he stood beside Sangwoo, they looked different enough that one would not know if they were blood-related.

   Sangwoo’s father is a poet who is 55 years old this year. He has published three books of poetry. Among these three books, one of them was popular.

   Jaeyoung tried buying and reading it, but it was too romantic for his taste.

   The other party slowly and carefully looked at Jaeyoung before shifting his gaze to Sangwoo.

   “Come in quickly, how did you come?”

   “I drove here.”

   “Is the car traffic okay?”

   “Not really.”

   Whether it was Sangwoo, who hadn’t seen his father in half a year but talked as if they just met yesterday, or his father who saw a man standing nearby but didn’t ask who he was, both of them were equally strange. When Sangwoo noticed Jaeyoung’s gaze, he pointed towards him, as if just remembering.

   “This is Jang Jaeyoung. Father.”

   “Um… I was wondering who was standing there! Nice to meet you.

   Jaeyoung. You must be the senior who lives at the same house as Sangwoo…

   Right?”

   Jaeyoung shook the thick hand extended towards him and greeted, “Yes. Nice to meet you.” This is the first time in his life that he had to greet someone with such formality.

   “Why did you buy all of these things?”

   Sangwoo’s father smiled mischievously and teasingly held the gift in Jaeyoung’s hand himself, saying that it’s best to face problems as soon as possible. Jaeyoung felt a bit uncomfortable when he saw the other party smile so brightly.

   “Come in, please. Did my son bring a friend to the house… The sun will probably rise in the west tomorrow.”

   “No, he’s not a friend.”

   Jaeyoung hastily stepped on Sangwoo’s foot. The other party stopped speaking immediately.

   “Dear, dear. It seems like Sangwoo brought a friend along!”

   After Sangwoo’s father hurriedly ran into the house, Jaeyoung reluctantly took off his shoes.

   The entrance was so clean and tidy that it felt unfamiliar. There were no shoes placed outside at all, and there wasn’t a speck of dust on the shoe cabinet.

   Sangwoo opened the shoe cabinet and put on the shoes inside the house, which had the words ‘Chu Sangwoo’ written on them, and then handed a pair labeled ‘Guest 1’ to Jaeyoung. When they walked into the living room, they were greeted by a woman who was undoubtedly Sangwoo’s mother.

   “Hello…”

   The woman sitting upright and reading a book slightly lowered her glasses and looked at Jaeyoung thoughtfully. Jaeyoung felt a little scared as if being examined with indifferent and non-intimidating eyes. The woman had a slender face and a thin body, giving the impression of being just a beautiful young girl in her youth, but at the same time, she had a strong charm. 

   53 years old, working as a chemist, still working at the same company for 20 years. While Sangwoo’s mother looked at Sangwoo as if requesting an explanation, her husband placed the gift on the table and invited them to have a meal. 

   “Why? This is Mister Jaeyoung, the person who is living in the same house as Sangwoo.”

   “That’s the kid.”

   “Yes, that kid.”

   “It’s strange, isn’t it? That kid has never brought a friend to the house before.”

   “That’s right. Even during elementary school, he never had one.”  Sangwoo’s mother looked completely uninterested in Jaeyoung.

   “Sangwoo, you are here.”

   “Yes, I am. How are you?”

   “I’m fine, how are you doing?”

   “I’m doing well.”

   “It seems so.”

   Jaeyoung simply stood there, listening to the dry conversation between the mother and son. He had heard them talk on the phone many times before, so he wasn’t surprised. The conversation ended, and there was nothing else. But it seemed like no one was excited or overjoyed. Sangwoo walked up to the second floor without saying a word. Jaeyoung sat down at the end of the sofa, feeling out of place.

   “The house looks very beautiful.”

   Despite the gentle greeting, Jaeyoung still couldn’t bring himself to say ‘Mother’ at the end.

   Although this old house may look dull and shabby, there were corners that had the charm of ancient artifacts, such as landscape paintings of the sea by an anonymous painter, Korean letter wallpaper that seemed to be favored by poets, furniture made entirely of wood, such as dining tables, bookshelves, and desks. It looked old like a house, but it gave off a sense of high value that increases over time, like a branded item.

   “It’s my husband’s taste.”

   Sangwoo’s mother said that before closing the book and walking to the kitchen. Jaeyoung sat still, feeling awkward. He had often visited his friend’s house and met his friend’s parents, but the problem was that Sangwoo was not just an ordinary friend. Just thinking about making a good impression felt futile, and he knew it wouldn’t be easy.

   “So, is it okay? I mean you’re living with Sangwoo?”

   Sangwoo’s father sat down next to him and asked in a friendly manner.

   “Um, yes. It’s fun.”

   “It’s been more than a year, that’s incredible. Jaeyoung, you must have a good compatibility with Sangwoo, and your personality must be meticulous.” Not both true, but Jaeyoung couldn’t help but smile.

   “That kid is not an ordinary person. When he said he would live with someone else, I couldn’t believe it. But it’s worth a try. When I was young, I lived with my older brothers to save on food expenses, and the memories of playing back then have become precious to me now.”

   The other side laughed with a crooked smile. Jaeyoung now knew where Sangwoo learned to laugh from.

   “You’re older than Sangwoo, right? Have you finished your studies?”

   “Yes. I’ve been working for two years now. And just be yourself when you speak.”

   “Oh, then how should I address you?”

   “You can call me Jaeyoung…”

   “Then Jaeyoung, you are like… some kind of programming language like

   Sangwoo, right?”

   “No, not really. I work in graphic design. I graduated from the School of Fine

   Arts.”

   “You are in the art field? How do the two of you know so much about each other?”

   As the poet asked with curiosity, a voice called, ‘dear,’ came out from the kitchen. After the other side darted out like a bullet, only Jaeyoung was left standing there. 

   ________________________________________. 

[1]      Hwagwaja, or Wagashi, is traditional Japanese confectionery that blends the art of Japan during the old capital, “Kyoto”. 

[2]      The six basic elements to consider when writing news are: who, what, where, why, when, and how. 

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