Harmonious Love

Yang Gi Thief (10)

“I remember. Let’s work on the assignment together, sunbae.”

At Mo Yeon’s answer, the corners of Tae Young-won’s mouth turned up again.

“Great. Then you’ll give me your number too, right?”

“…Yes. I’ll give it to you.”

Even if this could lead to big trouble if he was found out, it was too precious an opportunity to let go now.

‘Now that it’s come to this, I absolutely must not get caught.’

Mo Yeon, with his head bowed, resolved once again to never let Tae Young-won discover his true identity.

***

“My mom told me not to play with you.”

Whenever he talked about the ghosts he could see, everyone distanced themselves from him. Even his best friend who lived next door was no exception.

“…Can’t we play secretly without your mom knowing?”

“Actually, I’m scared too, so I don’t think we can. Sorry.”

The cold voice of his friend, who had been inseparable from him until yesterday, cut into his heart. The other children at the playground just stared at Mo Yeon, with no one offering to play with him.

If he had known it would turn out like this, Mo Yeon would never have spoken about what he could see. But at that time, Mo Yeon was just an innocent child who didn’t know any better.

“Then I don’t want to play with you guys either.”

Young Mo Yeon snapped at his friend before turning on his heel and leaving.

The day he turned his back on the playground and the friends he used to play with every day, with only reddened eyes, was still vivid in his memory.

Sometimes, there are things you can vaguely anticipate without having to experience them. However, knowing something and experiencing it firsthand are completely different stories.

‘You’re all going to leave anyway if I tell you everything.’

Mo Yeon even started to think this way about his parents. After the incident at the playground, Mo Yeon never told anyone else about what he was experiencing. When he eventually told his parents that he couldn’t see them anymore, they seemed overjoyed even though they didn’t seem to fully believe him.

When you personally realize that what you had only imagined is an unforgiving reality, your heart crumbles helplessly. You feel like a fool for having expectations, and it becomes a wound that doesn’t heal for a long time.

And every time someone tries to get close, you preemptively pour salt on the wound, preparing yourself not to experience the same thing again.

The presence of ghosts, which never became familiar no matter how often he saw them, would pop up in front of Mo Yeon at random times, making it impossible for him to adapt among people anywhere.

When he was young, he was known as “the kid who sees ghosts,” and as he grew up, he at least learned not to show that he could see ghosts. So, in the Business Department, Mo Yeon was known as “the creepy kid” rather than “the kid who sees ghosts,” which was one step less strange. Somehow, rumors about ghosts still circulated, but unlike when he was younger, not everyone easily believed those words.

The time for being sad about not having friends had passed. He had grown into an adult sufficiently tired of the circumstances surrounding him. The solitary life he was accustomed to wasn’t so bad.

Mo Yeon was somewhat satisfied with his solidified college life as a loner.

In particular, universities have quite a good system for loners.

“Friend, I know you really don’t participate in department activities, but please, can’t you just sit there for two hours and then leave?”

Of course, there were still annoying situations like this.

In Mo Yeon’s view, the best advantage of being a loner was not having to be conscious of others’ gazes.

“Why should I do that?”

At Mo Yeon’s curt reply, his classmate Lee Kyung-min wailed as if he had expected it.

“Oh, please! Noona Hee-joo said we should definitely meet the attendance rate this time. Help me out a bit. You just need to spare three hours…”

“In three hours, I could eat a meal and watch a movie. Are you going to pay me hourly?”

“Um, they said they’d give out hamburgers, so… how about one hour?”

“No.”

“Oh, please!”

The classmate, whose face Mo Yeon could barely remember, was already going around begging everyone he saw to please come to the event that was still a month away. And for some reason that Mo Yeon couldn’t understand, he kept persisting despite Mo Yeon’s cold rejections.

“It’s just a formality that you guys do among yourselves anyway. Even the questions for the professors are prepared and exchanged in advance. Why should I, who’s not even in the student council, go there?”

“Ah, that’s why I’m asking you honestly. All the guys in our year are in the military anyway… Please help out your few remaining classmates.”

As much as they couldn’t understand Mo Yeon, Mo Yeon couldn’t understand them either. It was strange how they acted friendly, calling themselves classmates when they had only briefly seen each other’s faces in their first year.

“No, I have no intention…”

“Sunbae Young-won, hello!”

Huh?

“Hello.”

A familiar voice was heard from behind. When the distinctive scent hit him, Mo Yeon unconsciously turned his head.

It was Tae Young-won wearing a blue jacket. Strangely, his unique scent seemed stronger today. Mo Yeon, coming to his senses, naturally didn’t greet him and took a step back.

“But, who are you again?”

“I’m Kyung-min. We met at a drinking party with Hyung Seung-hyun last week…”

“Ah, Kyung-min. I remember now.”

He looked like he couldn’t even remember the name, let alone the face. The insincere exclamation sounded like he might forget the name he just heard again, so Mo Yeon tilted his head.

Then he just shook his head. Since when did he know how to read other people’s expressions or intentions?

“Sunbae, are you coming to the gathering after the academic festival this time?”

“I should make time for that day. Hee-joo is my classmate after all.”

Tae Young-won certainly seemed to be very generous to people from school. Mo Yeon was just suffering in the gap between these two sides of him.

“Wow, really? I should tell the others.”

“I hope I’m not intruding.”

“What are you saying! If they hear you’re coming, even those who weren’t planning to come will show up!”

It was cringeworthy how such sycophantic remarks flowed so easily, but Tae Young-won seemed very accustomed to hearing such things. Looking satisfied, he grinned and patted Kyung-min’s shoulder.

“Call me hyung. Why so formal with ‘sunbae’?”

“Hehe, okay, hyung.”

“But…”

And then Tae Young-won’s gaze fell on Mo Yeon, who had awkwardly stepped back.

“What about Mo Yeon?”

“Huh?”

Kyung-min, not Mo Yeon, made a dumbfounded sound at Tae Young-won’s unexpected words. Of course, Mo Yeon was equally surprised.

“Mo Yeon, aren’t you going to this?”

Tae Young-won is talking to me in front of other people. The only thought that came to mind was wondering why he was acting like this. When Mo Yeon didn’t answer, Tae Young-won furrowed his brows.

“I don’t think I want to go if Mo Yeon doesn’t… We’ve gotten close lately taking classes together.”

The sound of Kyung-min falling into shock and horror seemed audible from here.

“Oh, really? Wow. Ah, really?”

The awkward exclamations he kept making had a lot of words omitted. Mo Yeon felt an inexplicable discomfort.

Was it because it seemed like Tae Young-won’s single remark would have a not-so-small ripple effect? Tae Young-won even approached and patted Mo Yeon’s head as if to show off.

“We’re very close. Right?”

Kyung-min’s eyes, already wide with surprise, expanded even more as if they might pop out.

Mo Yeon felt good about the fact that Tae Young-won looked after him even in front of others. Honestly, he had thought Tae Young-won might not acknowledge knowing him in front of others.

“Wow, I really didn’t know you were close with Young-won hyung. So, are you coming to the event?”

“…”

Mo Yeon glanced at Tae Young-won. Tae Young-won grinned in response.

“I’ll go too.”

He hadn’t been able to secretly take yang energy for a few days anyway.

He thought he wouldn’t have any chance to be with Tae Young-won except during classes or while working on assignments, but if he could be by Tae Young-won’s side even at department events, it was definitely not a losing proposition no matter how you looked at it.

“I knew Mo Yeon would say that. Then I’ll see you and Kyung-hwan then?”

Grinning, he patted both Kyung-min’s and Mo Yeon’s shoulders before passing by them. The dazed Kyung-min murmured timidly beside Mo Yeon.

“I’m Kyung-min though…”

Mo Yeon couldn’t take his eyes off Tae Young-won’s retreating figure. Unfortunately, that gaze didn’t last long due to an unwelcome interruption.

“Were you originally close with Young-won hyung? Since when… Hey!”

Mo Yeon didn’t answer and continued on his way.

It seems like agreeing to take classes together was really a good choice. Not only did it make it easier to obtain yang energy, but there were other good points too.

Having someone to look after you at school was a better feeling than expected.

[Sunbae Tae Young-won: Mo Yeon, where are you?]

It was exactly two weeks later. As it was about time to start researching, Mo Yeon had agreed to meet Tae Young-won at a cafe in the student union building on campus.

[I’m almost there.]

Mo Yeon replied awkwardly and hurried his steps.

Even on days when they didn’t have plans, Tae Young-won would often send useless messages. And for Mo Yeon, most of the time when he received texts from Tae Young-won, it was a series of challenges. Even for simple content, he didn’t know how to reply naturally, so each time felt like facing the greatest challenge.

Honestly, Tae Young-won couldn’t help but be a difficult existence for Mo Yeon. Just when he thought he could let his guard down, he would be reminded that he was currently in a tiger’s den. Since the last time his glasses were taken away, Mo Yeon couldn’t relax his tension, not knowing when Tae Young-won might pull such a prank again.

It was when he finally arrived at the cafe and was looking around.

Tae Young-won, who had been on the terrace, was approaching. He stopped in his tracks, looking quite taken aback by Mo Yeon’s appearance.

Mo Yeon had fallen down the stairs earlier on his way from class, startled by a ghost that suddenly appeared in his vision. His face had been scraped on the ground, and his eye, pressed by his glasses, still hurt. He had run straight to the student union building, avoiding people’s gazes, after getting up with tears in his eyes from the physical pain.

“Ah, I fell on my way here…”

With his brow slightly furrowed, Tae Young-won slowly looked Mo Yeon up and down.

Mo Yeon had just noticed that his clothes were dirty from getting up and running right away. He rubbed his pants, which were covered in white dust, with his fingertips. Does it look very dirty?

It might have been his imagination, but for a brief moment, Mo Yeon felt contempt in Tae Young-won’s eyes.

In that instant, his heart sank without him realizing it.