Birthday Part 1

"...Thank you, mom."

After a short moment of silence, Byeol's mother continued. "Have you been well? How is work going?"

"I quit some time ago…"

"Oh, really? Do you need any money?"

Byeol held back a sigh. Ever since he was 18, when his family moved back to Daegu because of money, asking or accepting anything from his parents became taboo to him.

"No, thank you, I'm fine. I… I'm living with a friend now and I will get a job soon, I think."

"A friend?"

Through her esoteric tone, Byeol knew exactly what she wanted to ask.

If she wasn't so repulsed by the idea of same gender relationships, she would have asked if that friend was a man, and if that man was a boyfriend of his.

With pride parades getting more and more attention through the years, both his mother and father cursed under their breaths and tried their best to avoid the topic within their family.

Byeol should have known about his parent's prejudice.

But the fresh out of highschool, bright eyed version of him was only excited to tell them about his realization, which lead to the disastrous downfall of their relationship.

Thankfully though, he moved to Seoul for university soon after coming out to them, all by himself.

Byeol decided to change the subject, "How are you and father doing?"

"Ah, we are doing well… But," She stopped for a second and considered her next words, "You remember your uncle, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Even if he tried, Byeol couldn't forget the menace he had to call his uncle. Due to addiction and other things Byeol didn't care to ask, his father's older brother constantly borrowed money from them until they reached a point of no return.

That uncle was one of the main reasons they couldn't afford living in Seoul anymore.

Through the phone, Byeol's mother continued, "That jerk didn't pay back our money, but at least he is finally gone from our lives now…"

"Gone?" Byeol quietly repeated the word.

"So, from now on don't hesitate to ask for anything if you're struggling, alright?" She finished.

Whether she heard him or not, it was clear that she didn't want to explain.

Besides, the thing that actually took Byeol by surprise was the fact his mother knew about the difficulty he had towards asking for things.

"...Alright." Byeol answered.

After exchanging a few more words, Byeol bid farewell to his mother.

With a tap on his phone to end the call, Byeol took a cigarette from the pack sitting on the coffee table and laid his back against the sofa.

He looked at the ceiling as the white smoke hovered above his head and drifted slowly towards the veranda.

It had been almost a full year since his mother last reached out. A huge leap considering his early college years where she called once a month.

Even though she wasn't the most open minded person, Byeol was glad that, at the very least, she tried to keep in touch, since his father was a completely different case.

After he came out, his father became more and more distant from him, until the loving relationship they once had was reduced to nothingness.

While being thankful for his mother's actions, some intrusive thoughts about his father came to Byeol's mind. Suddenly, the twinge of warmth he felt slowly shifted into a heavy, uncomfortable feeling.

He put off the cigarette and tried to calm himself down.

While chanting "I'm okay, everything's going to be okay" in his head, Byeol realized he hadn't even touched the breakfast Solomon so meticulously prepared.

He began savoring his roommate's cooking, and as he did, Solomon's comical invitation to go out that night popped into his head.

Byeol let out an involuntary giggle. That heavy feeling was suddenly gone.

The clock struck 6:30 PM when Solomon returned. He opened the front door in high spirits and exclaimed, "Dinner's here!"

Byeol ran from his bedroom to the living room and examined the containers his roommate held. When he recognized the familiar logo from the local restaurant, he asked, "Is that kimchi stew?"

Solomon smiled at his guess, which was correct since it was what they mostly liked to order from that place.

"Yes, sir!" Solomon answered as Byeol took the food from his hand and put it on the table.

Byeol sanitized his hands and the packaging before opening them. The familiar smell traveled through the place, making their stomachs rumble.

When Solomon went to join him at the table, he finally noticed how the other looked. "Oh, were you getting ready? You should go just like that, I bet everyone at The Hill will try to hook up with you," He teased.

Byeol's thin legs stood tall and bare, still in his underwear, saved only by an almost fancy shirt. If it were anyone else, he would have tried to hide but he was already a little too comfortable around Solomon.

"Yeah, I was trying some looks on. I want to have time to style my hair..." Byeol brushed off the faint heat coming from his cheeks with a smile.

Solomon patted his older friend on the head before sitting down. He was starving too, so the two of them just devoured the food in a comfortable silence.

After their meal, Solomon took a shower and went to his bedroom which was located right next to Byeol's.

"Right, did you go to Daehwi-hyung's café?" Solomon spoke in a louder tone so Byeol could hear from his bedroom.

"Yeah, I'm still on training period but by next week I'll probably be employed," He responded in a similar tone while doing his hair, "By the way, are you sure we should go to The Hill tonight? Wouldn't it be a little dead on a Wednesday night?"

Solomon put on a black t-shirt as he sang out a reply, "Well, that's true, but we can worry about that once we get there!"

When Solomon was ready to go, he went to Byeol's room and rested against the door.

Byeol noticed the other's reflection on the mirror, and lowering his voice, he asked, "How was it with your boss? Did you get into trouble?"

"Pfft, nah, he actually gave me a gift!" Solomon hurriedly went to his room and grabbed a square bottle before returning, showcasing it to Byeol through the mirror. "It's a whiskey, it should be good since it looks expensive. Down for a drink or two before we leave?"

Without hesitation, Byeol answered, "Mhm, sounds good."

He waited to see Solomon leave the room, then, he put on some comfortable blue jeans, checking himself on the mirror. Even though it was slightly hot out, Byeol chose to wear a high neck sleeveless top, but feeling a little naked, he put on a light cardigan on top.

Examining his face one last time, he went to the kitchen where Solomon prepared a drink. There was an already filled lowball glass set at the counter, "Can I take this one?" Byeol rested his lower half against the counter, almost in front of the drink.

Solomon turned to Byeol, with a bright smile on, about to answer yes.

The words didn't leave his mouth, though.

"Pretty." Solomon involuntarily thought. He put his own drink down and moved in front of Byeol. Slowly, he arched his back, getting so close to Byeol's face that he could almost feel his breath.

Further and further, Solomon's arms reached behind Byeol's waist.

Watching Solomon's gaze travel from his eyes to his lips, in a loss of what to do and weirdly aroused, Byeol closed his eyes in anticipation.

However, his indecent thoughts were shattered once Solomon started chuckling.

When Byeol opened his eyes, the scene made his face drop. Solomon only held Byeol's drink to him.

"Haah… You are really…" Byeol sighed as he took his drink and pushed Solomon away.

As he headed towards the sofa, he thought, "I haven't got laid in a while and it shows…"

He took a sip of the whiskey. "This is good."

Solomon tried it too, "Oooh! Thank you boss! I have never cursed you in my life." He spoke to the ceiling as if making some sort of promise to a god.

Byeol laughed at his gesture, making space at the sofa so Solomon could join him.

"Oh, right, sorry for not buying you a cake, hyung. I was starving on my way back and ended up forgetting it. You'll forgive me, right? Please?"

The simple fact that he had someone he treasured alongside him celebrating his birthday was already fun enough to Byeol, a cake was the least of his worries.

Byeol faked a disheartened expression. "Hm, I don't know… I will think about it If you take good care of me tonight~"

Solomon spent a few seconds trying to understand what he meant by that, but then recalled Byeol had a tendency to drink his body weight when he felt like it. There were many instances where Solomon had to drag a passed out Byeol out of clubs.

He puffed his chest in determination, "Don't worry, hyung, I will… I'll try my best not to outdrink you!"

Byeol didn't know if he should laugh or be worried.