SMNTCERR, Special Chapter 30: Syntax Error #16.
Jang Jaeyoung had a nightmare.
He and Sangwoo were in a city of wickedness, facing complexities like a detective movie. They both had laser guns, standing back to back, dealing with enemies as if in a film. Then they kissed passionately with explosions in the background, until the climax of this story. It remained an exciting blockbuster [1] that made one’s hair stand on end, but in the meantime, Sangwoo disappeared, turning it into a horror movie.
In the dream, Jaeyoung kept looking for Sangwoo, who had gone missing, until his eyes swelled and his voice hoarse. Meanwhile, he felt a conflict in his heart when he saw a strange creature holding a bouquet, shouting, “I want to marry,” like a slogan without knowing why.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Jaeyoung returned to the real world with a sound that made him feel upset.
As he reached out to hit the loud alarm clock, the sharp noise stopped.
“Well, it’s good that it is just a dream.”
He placed his hand on his forehead and sighed. It must be because Jaehong kept talking about getting married and dreaming strange dreams. He turned to tell the dream to Sangwoo, but the empty space next to him was empty.
“Well… I’ve told him many times to wake me up with a gentle kiss.”
On his day off, Chu Sangwoo set an alarm urging Jaeyoung to wake up at the desired time. Then he went to do his own work, because the ‘gentle kiss’ didn’t wake up Jaeyoung, and even if he did wake up, it was highly likely that they would spend so much time making love that the morning would pass. Although Jaeyoung liked to sleep naked and be lazy, it seemed that dreams like this only happened every two or three months.
Jaeyoung closed his eyes again and rolled over under the blankets, burying his face in Sangwoo’s pillow and breathing in his scent. But then the phone rang, and as expected, it was Sangwoo. Jaeyoung answered the call and put the communication device on his ear.
“What’s up, my love….”
[I’ll be down in a moment.]
After saying what needed to be said, Sangwoo hung up. Jaeyoung looked at the phone screen, which had turned black, feeling melancholy.
“Are you angry?”
Others often said that Sangwoo’s way of speaking was always the same, but they didn’t know anything. Although Sangwoo hardly raised his voice, his facial expressions and way of speaking showed when he was upset, and now he was dissatisfied.
“Why?”
Jaeyoung went into the bathroom to take a shower, reflecting on what had happened yesterday. He was disturbed by the sudden visit of Jaehong, who disrupted everything, and he thought he could destroy this relationship if he just focused on it. So he arranged for the two to meet by chance. Then he followed the two to see Sangwoo’s reaction, and after Sangwoo dealt with Jaehong, he went to pick up the pitiful younger brother at the hotel and brought him clothes from Jaehong’s house. Then he was made to be angry by Sangwoo until a glass was broken. When Sangwoo acted cute and charming, the anger gradually subsided, and it ended with great sex. After that, he couldn’t remember anything.
“… I wonder if I’ll just have dinner alone tonight.”
In addition to this, he still hadn’t tidied up his things. Yesterday was the day they were supposed to watch a movie together, but he fell asleep. And it is the day before the long weekend break. There must be many things that needed to be taken care of, but the other party probably did all the cleaning alone… There were a lot of things that made him angry.
Jaeyoung finished brushing his teeth and stood in front of the mirror, hoping to cool down Sangwoo’s mood even just a little. He went to a closet on one floor and put on a Hawaii shirt, board shorts, heart-shaped sunglasses, and clipped a surfboard keychain to his side, a perfect outfit for the lively tourist destination.
Sangwoo, who was locking his large travel bag, glanced at Jaeyoung. Then, he lowered his gaze and looked at the bag again with a blank face, ready to speak but turned his body to the side as if waiting.
“I guess there’s no confusion about where we’re going for a warm vacation, right?”
“….”
“Go change your clothes. While I’m still talking nicely.”
“Give me a kiss first.”
“No, let’s go eat breakfast.”
A gust of wind quickly blew by. Jaeyoung sat down at the table to eat his breakfast with a heavy heart and looked at the food Sangwoo had prepared. The large bowl was filled with sugar-free cereal and plant-based products that
Sangwoo said contained complete and balanced nutrients, and it looked and tasted like cat food.
Jaeyoung took advantage of the moment when Sangwoo looked elsewhere and quickly scooped out half of the cereal before pouring milk into the bowl. Just as the cat jumped up on his lap and let out a satisfying meow, he swallowed the lump in his throat and began eating breakfast.
Sangwoo was busy going in and out of this room and that, then he brought two travel bags and placed them in front of the door. Jaeyoung quickly finished eating his food and took the bowl to rinse it with tap water in the kitchen. He then followed Sangwoo, even though he was treated like a stray human.
‘There’s nothing else to do, huh?’
Jaeyoung, who was flipping through the utility bill without any necessity, received a clue from the cat that was wandering around near his feet.
“Oh! Our VB must be hungry….”
“I’ve given it food.”
“Before going on a trip, at least you have to clean the dust….”
“I’ve done it.”
“It’s my responsibility….”
“I’ve collected it.”
“….”
“I choose clothes based on the frequency of wearing, while for other items I choose based on necessity.”
Sangwoo spoke immediately and quickly walked past Jaeyoung’s side. Although he might be photographed in mismatched outfits between the upper and lower parts during the hot break, he wasn’t in a position to complain.
Jaeyoung spoke loudly to the other side.
“I’m sorry.”
“….Um.”
Sangwoo reminded him to pack a bag for the upcoming hot break before going to work abroad as if he already knew it. Jaeyoung felt uneasy when the line went off, thinking that he should have listened to those words.
“Did you have dinner alone yesterday?”
“Um.”
“What did you eat?”
“French fries and instant soup.”
Hesitantly, he thought of grilling ribeye beef and fresh shoots together served with authentic baked potatoes alongside. Jaeyoung couldn’t say anything, feeling like karma was teasing him.
Sangwoo took two snowboards and placed them at the front door, then picked up the phone.
[Hello, Ted, Brown, this is Chu Sangwoo, your neighbor. Me and Jae will go on a weekend break today. Did you know? Okay, I am calling to remind you about the agreement you made last month. Thank you again for taking care of Jae’s cat. If you feed this pet and not abuse it, we will take care of your dog with care when you go on a hot break. The position of the house key is the same as the last vacation break. If you forget any requests, please read them in the manual on the shoe rack. And also….]
The English language developed rapidly, but Sangwoo’s vocabulary and grammar were more extensive and accurate than those of the native speakers.
However, there were limitations in terms of the naturalness of the conversation. Despite the peculiar way of speaking, Chu Sangwoo was wellliked by his neighbors.
While Sangwoo was talking on the phone with his neighbor, Jaeyoung picked up the cat and rubbed its nose against his forehead as a goodbye gesture.
“VB, from today onwards, your brother and I will go out together. You can stay at home, okay? Uncle Teddy will bring food for you and clean the bathroom. Play a lot and have fun. And don’t go outside, okay? If anyone comes to look for trouble, give them a scratch first. Understand?”
VB was a smart and intimidating cat. Jaeyoung was confident that this little one understood human speech, even if Sangwoo disagreed.
Jaeyoung tried to hold Sangwoo back to give him a kiss when he finished his phone call and walked by, but Sangwoo evaded him skillfully.
“We will leave in twelve minutes, so go change into your nice clothes… and I will be mad if you mess my hair.”
Sangwoo opened the front door and used both hands to pull out two travel bags. Jaeyoung picked up a backpack and held two snowboards.
As they opened the door and stepped outside, the warm sun shone down. They forgot their original intention of going to the car garage and stood there with their hands covering their foreheads, admiring the beautiful and radiant summer day.
While they stood there in awe, VB came out to see them. Two high-school students from the neighboring village cycled by and greeted them. Then Chu
Sangwoo, who had gone into the house for a while, came out and joined them. Jaeyoung, with a smug smile, followed the other side to the car garage. Just like the game room that is tailored to Sangwoo’s taste, the garage is Jaeyoung’s kingdom. Jaeyoung, who is the king of this place, has the main responsibility for making decisions about interior design and cleaning. There is a graphic image with a black snake between the letters of the word “HOME”, which was just drawn last winter. It is overlaid with graffiti of a howling wolf that used to occupy the wall before.
Underneath, there are sprays, cans of paint, and paintbrushes that have not been picked up for half a year, lying scattered and cluttered. In one corner, there are bicycles, electric scooters, roller skates, knee pads, and helmets, each with two sets. There are also several stacked skateboards in a disorderly manner. Two clear plastic boxes are filled with sports equipment such as basketballs, soccer balls, bowling balls, gloves and baseball bats, tennis rackets, and frisbees. But Sangwoo never seemed to care about the condition of the garage.
Jaeyoung remembered parking a red sports car far away, a couple of blocks, “to trick Sangwoo.” But he realized that it had somehow returned to where it should be.
Jaeyoung opened the rear of the SUV parked in the middle of the three spaces. As he loaded his belongings into the car, Sangwoo stood in front of the door with a waist bag for traveling and was looking at his phone. On the other hand, it was a habit to check the rice cooker before traveling, every ten minutes.
Jaeyoung pretended to walk past Sangwoo to exit the garage before suddenly turning around and hugging the other person from behind.
“…What?”
He placed his chin on the other’s shoulder and tightened his arms to prevent the other from escaping. Sangwoo froze for a moment before lifting his phone back up to eye level. Jaeyoung read the first line out loud.
“Passport.”
“…It’s in the bag-A.”
“Mine, too?”
Sangwoo paused. Jaeyoung then kissed the other person’s cheek as a reward.
“Canadian dollars.”
“It’s in the bag-A.”
This time, Jaeyoung kissed the other cheek. Sangwoo didn’t flinch.
“International driver’s license.”
“In the bag-A.”
“Bring mine too.”
“Okay.”
As he pressed his lips against the familiar edge again, Sangwoo’s lips began to move slightly.
“Winter jacket.”
“In the bag-D.”
The fourth kiss, Sangwoo’s voice softened a bit, he continued listing items: ski suit, goggles, snowboard, gloves, sleeping bag, binoculars, camera… until he checked the emergency medicine box as the final item. Then, Sangwoo spoke up.
“Done.”
When he finished what he had to do, Jaeyoung was about to tell him to step back, but he hugged his shoulders even tighter.
“Travel itinerary.”
He whispered in Sangwoo’s ear, so he raised his index finger and pointed to his temple.
“In my mind.”
Jaeyoung pressed his lips against the crook of the man’s neck, thinking that was an unexpected and sharp response.
“Travel schedule.”
“In my mind.”
This time, he kissed the earlobe and nibbled it gently.
“Expectations.”
Sangwoo seemed to be pondering for a moment before pointing to his heart without saying anything. That was an excellent move, making Jaeyoung feel embraced by the man. Jaeyoung kissed the edge of the other’s lips before resting his chin on his shoulder and whispered.
“You are missing the most important thing… Sangwoo-ya.”
“Impossible.”
“My love for you, and did you bring it?”
“Of course it is, that, right there, it’s always here…”
It seems that the confident finger Sangwoo extended would cause confusion, pointing to the space between the heart and the legs. Then the pointing finger stops somewhere between those two points.
Jaeyoung grabbed Sangwoo, turned him around, and hugged him tightly, almost breaking him. It was an action done out of desire, like eating a meal, but it strangely made his heart warm. Even though he hugged someone in front of him countless times, his heart beat strongly as if a beautiful and graceful pet had jumped into the hug. Sangwoo was slightly surprised. “Hyung?” ________________________________________.
[1] Bomber movie = market movie, money-making movie.
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