SMNTCERR, Special Chapter 19: Syntax Error #5. 

When Jaehong missed his chance to reply, silence fell in the car, and the man looked at his wristwatch while leaning against the car’s start button.

“Six minutes have passed. I’ll add one minute to make up for the interruption. Please announce each location you choose.”

“What? Um… just a moment, please.”

Jaehong, who had completely forgotten about the tourist destinations, shifted his attention to the book left open on the armrest, even though he was already late.

“Haven’t thought of anything else? I don’t think I’ve given you little time.

Strange.”

The other party’s tone did not sound reproachful, but Jaehong felt like a student who hadn’t done his homework. Surely, there had never been a situation like this during his school days. And why did the unfinished task have to be this one? He didn’t know. So, Jaehong flipped the paper in front of him in the wrong direction, causing the other party to stare at him with a low voice. 

“I had already thought that you might have something in common because we grew up in the same neighborhood.”

“What does that mean?”

“Hyung Jaeyoung. If I ask him to do something he will be lazy even while doing it, he often doesn’t finish it on time. You, Jaehong, are similar in that aspect.”

“Lazy…lazy? That’s a misunderstanding. I’m just…”

“But the way to deal with it is different.” The man interrupted.

“If it’s Hyung Jaeyoung, he would lock himself up and say that choosing a tour package is the responsibility of the tour guide.”

The other party snatched the travel book from Jaehong’s hand, preventing him from correcting the embarrassing misunderstanding. He placed the thick book back on the console in the car as he smirked.

“The Renaissance Accademia, The Monument of Second World War, Opera

House, City Hall. I recommend this package.”

That was a standard route package similar to high school field trips, a crisis moment where they had to tour only tourist attractions until their feet were almost burnt. He hoped the other party would just play around, but that expression seemed very serious. The fact that Chu Sangwoo was not your average kind of person, not just in terms of atmosphere or charisma, confused Jaehong. His attempt to pretend to be a gentleman must come to an end. It was time for him to assert his leadership.

“Enough about tourism. I want to go to your house more.”

Jaehong raised the corner of his mouth slightly and asked before the man went still for a few seconds.

“Why?”

“I’m a little tired.”

“In that case, I think it would be better for you to get off here. The more you move around, the more tired you’ll get.”

‘Fine. If it’s easy, it won’t be fun.’ 

Jaehong pondered to himself with a slight smile as he thought the driving force of propulsion was amusing. The more cautious and resistant he was, the higher the value of the goal. Although he knew that once it collapsed, it was just a body like any other, Jaehong wanted to overcome the opposing side that always refused.

“No, I want to go to your house.”

“It takes about thirty minutes to get to my house from here. If you want to relax, there are cafes, restaurants, parks, or nearby hotels as reasonable options.”

“I think it would be more fun to go and see your room.”

The other party remained silent as if lost in thought. There was no immediate response.

“I understand. However, if I want to take someone to my house, you need permission from the co-resident first. That means you have to submit documents signed by Hyung Jaeyoung or his voice file.”

“…Ah?”

How would Jang Jaeyoung react to this? If he told Jaeyoung that they would both go to the house, he would definitely refuse. Or maybe that troubled man had changed his mind and hid that man as tightly as before. Yes, this was an opportunity that he had brought. He wouldn’t let it go to waste. 

Jaehong spoke as if he were not disappointed. 

“Jaeyoung… is probably working. I don’t want to disturb him. So let’s go to a nearby hotel.”

“Okay. Let’s head to the Belmont.”

As soon as the man finished speaking, Jaehong reached his hand out to fasten his seatbelt before stopping. When he saw the calm and indifferent posture of the other party, he felt a sense of mystery. Generally, going to a hotel together meant having sex in the room, but in the end, would they both think the same way?

“I don’t know which hotel to go to.”

“You probably don’t know the way around here. So I’ll take you to the lobby, okay?”

“The lobby? Then you…”

“I’ll go back home.”

It was correct that he sensed something was off. The side profile that looked calm and cool was the face of someone who had no idea about Jaehong’s feelings. It wasn’t just rejection without thinking about it. The other party looked at Jaehong’s face before speaking.

“Don’t worry. You’ll definitely like it because it’s a five-star hotel.”

“That’s not a problem, let’s go have coffee in the room first. Don’t rush to leave yet.”

“No, thank you. I already have coffee to drink.”

‘What is wrong with this person?’ 

 

 

Jaehong felt speechless. If the other party did not lack the ability to read the hidden meaning in words or probably pretend not to notice the look that Jaehong sent to him. Whatever the case, both were hopeless, but still, it was better when looking at Chu Sangwoo’s facial expression and the content of the conversation… There was a high chance that it would be the first.

Even at that moment. The other party looked at Jaehong’s safety buckle as if telling him to fasten it. If they went to the hotel like this, it would definitely be over, after dropping off Jaehong at the lobby. The other party would have to leave without even turning back, and Jaehong decided to take a step back and return to at least a slightly hopeful path. 

“Then it’s better to go to the tourist attraction you mentioned for a while.”

That was no different from declaring surrender, the man grabbed the seatbelt without showing any surprise.

“Time is almost up. Fasten your seatbelt.”

“…”

“I might be difficult to listen… to everything, but I will do my best.”

While everything went in the opposite direction of what was expected, the car moved.

‘Damn, you’re so gentle and cute!’ 

Jang Jaehong thought that the other party fell into the trap of the enchanting smile that made people lose consciousness. What is this icebox person he chose to marry?

Jaehong looked out the window as if he didn’t feel anything, but the shock did not easily subside. That man didn’t reach the point of being stiff or afraid of strangers, but what was even more the lack of understanding of social norms…

Yes, that’s right. It’s like a machinery device.

Jaehong felt like surrendering, but he tried to reaffirm his own goal once again. He himself had a goal, even though it might not be the same as the other party’s. Once he set a goal, he wouldn’t easily give up.

While one person was driving, the other person just looked out the window, and the car crossed the bridge.

While driving, the young man explained that the Bascule [1] Bridge took several years to build. How long is it, including the number of cars that traffic on it per year, the weight it can bear, and the sound that doesn’t seem too high or low, like leaving the radio on. When he said that, The other party explained how long the central pavilion by the river was completed in how many years and how many years it has been in use.

Having traveled like this, he must have traveled wonderfully and returned. When the other party stopped explaining for a moment, Jaehong naturally joined the conversation.

“I heard that both of you are getting married.”

“Yes.”

“I would like to congratulate you in advance.”

The man paused in silence, showing that the other person didn’t care about anything special about love. Jaehong smiled coolly and smiled on the other side.

“There is a saying that marriage is the burial ground of love.”

“Yes. I think that is an interesting analogy.”

“Oh, what do you mean by that?”

“Usually, when one step is completed, we often have to start the next step.

Insects also change their shape.”

That party glanced at Jaehong’s face for a moment before speaking with added ritual.

“I don’t mean people who change their sex [2], but insects that change their shape by shedding skin. You are at the same level as Hyung Jaeyoung.”  Jaehong decided that this conversation was hopeless and jumped to the next topic.

“How much time is left until the wedding day?”

“175 days.”

“Poor thing, there is still a long time left. It is not strange that something changes during that time, right?”

“Yeah. I am truly in pain, because there is still so much time left before I can sign the marriage registration. I am trying my best to control any variables that may arise.”

Without knowing if the other party is unwilling or intentionally pretending not to know, the young man accepted Jaehong’s hidden intentions like a blessing and felt touched by it. There was a brief moment of silence.

Chusangwoo took a gentle breath and continued.

“During the 81 months, being in the role of Jang Jaeyoung’s lover has not been easy at all. Even though I made him my husband, I still can’t trust him fully.”

“Well, he is quite a romantic, isn’t he? You must have been exhausted by it all. Personally, I wonder if such low-quality behavior will change after marriage.”

“A romantic?”

The man tilted his head as if not understanding and then asked slowly, as if paying attention.

“I heard that you have been in England for a long time, so you must be more adjusted to the English language. From now on, can we speak in

English?”

“…Not necessary. I use Korean as my mother tongue.”

“Alright then.”

The young man drove in silence for a while. When he saw a stop signal, he stopped and spoke again.

“If it’s not a vocabulary problem, then you must have misunderstood what I said. I was complaining about the external system that can destroy the wedding system, which has had a detrimental impact and made me nervous in a different way.”

Jaehong tried his best to think using his brain, fearing that he would be treated as a foreigner again, but this time he really didn’t understand what the other party was saying.

“What do you mean by external system?”

The other party tightly closed their mouth with a stern expression before lowering their voice and speaking softly.

“I don’t believe in supernatural things like speaking words, making them inauspicious, becoming true. But at a time like this, I don’t want to say that word with my own mouth. A word that starts with ‘h’ or in English, starts with ‘d.’ Just as long as there is no system that is annoying. Then I will be able to fully possess and be truly satisfied, I am feeling sad.”

“Oh, um…”

“Don’t say it out loud!”

“…”

“Let me say it again. I don’t believe in luck.”

‘Jang Jaeyoung, that asshole, is he being held by someone unusual?’ 

Jaehong brooded over himself with a gloomy look in his black eyes, which revealed insanity. The person who described his own lover as ‘useful’ instead of cute or attractive seemed like a bottomless pit in marriage, possession, and something, which is the goal of Jaehong. The only appropriate words to add to him were ‘Jang Jaeyoung’s money’ alone. When he saw the other person’s obvious greed for gold, Jaehong’s intention to interfere with the wedding became stronger.

However, it had been 22 minutes out of two hours and he had not seen any clear results yet. While the man pointed out the poet’s favorite café outside the window, which was still not famous, Jaehong listened sometimes and sometimes not. At the same time, he devised a strategy to find the weak point of the relationship before infiltrating.

“You and Jaeyoung seem to get along well at some level.”

“What does that mean?”

“Long-term couples often argue or not argue so much until they lose interest in each other, and even if they talk about getting married, they eventually break up…”

The words hidden with malicious thoughts made Sangwoo’s hair stand on end.

“Oops, sorry. Please be careful when using words that does synonym with ‘breakup.’”

“…”

“And the disagreements between couples are not words that are synonymous with ‘breakup’ but the positive process of aligning opinions and tightening relationships.”

“It sounds like you argue a lot.”

“Align opinions and tighten relationships frequently.”

Jaehong didn’t miss the undertone hidden in the words. Jaeyoung spoke as if the two of them agreed, but it didn’t seem like Chu Sangwoo thought the same way.

“In most cases, aligning opinions in what matters.”

“Recently, we have been differing opinions on event venues, number of guests, order of ceremonies, catering companies, tuxedo designs, and song selections.”

“Preferences don’t often align.”

“That’s okay. When negotiation becomes difficult, let it be a matter of possibilities.”

“Do you draw lots?”

“We play rock-paper-scissors.”

“…”

“He is quite busy. So, I decided to make some small decisions myself.” The second party, both of them rarely have time together. 

“It’s unfortunate, really. It seems that once salaries have increased, workload has increased as well.”

“Yes. Sometimes I miss the times when he was carefree like a clown during his graduate studies. Every morning, he would complain and refuse to let me go to work, and every evening, he would insist on going out to have fun. Back then, I thought it was annoying… “

“Jang Jaeyoung has a side that acts like a child.”

“Because we’re a family, so I know well. He doesn’t let me sleep at night. During mealtimes, he makes me laugh until I can’t cook properly, and sometimes he pretends to be sick so I can feed him. He disturbs me when I have to go to work… Besides that, he calls me from unknown numbers, sends me big bouquets of flowers, suddenly appears at my workplace and scares me, hides post-it notes with lovely messages all around the house, spray ‘I love you’ on the walls, hides in the wardrobe and then comes out… They think it’s romantic, but sometimes it becomes difficult because he plays too much.”

Jaehong listened intently, thinking that the other party would talk about their dissatisfaction. However, the content turned out to be complaining, and Jaehong bit his tongue and silently nodded.

“That’s a big downside. Other people argue with their spouses about different personalities, alcohol addiction, aggression, or a lack of sexual desire.”

In the last sentence, the young man’s face turned pale, and Jaehong received the third party’s seat. It was common for the frequency of sexual intercourse between a long-term couple to gradually decrease and eventually disappear.  ‘So, it’s a lack of sex. I guess I’ll have to make more effort to increase it.’ ________________________________________.

[1]                   Bascule bridge is a bridge that can be lifted and closed. 

[2]                   The word “sexual perverted” or “transgender” is translated as “변태” (pronounced as “pyeontae”) in Korean, which means the same thing. 

 

    SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME