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It all started with that one mouthful.
Now, it's not like Hwi knew how high, or rather, how low his best friend's alcohol tolerance was. He and Seon-ho hadn’t had a drinking session in goodness know long. With his father running interference, Seon-ho was constantly rushing in and out of the condo.
So, Hwi drank more often with their next-door neighbours - Mun-bok, Beom and Chi-do who were rowdy and not-at-all posh like Seon-ho. They were some of the happiest drunks Hwi had ever met. Hwi loved his friend dearly of course, but he doubted Seon-ho would ever join in.
That is, until his boss moved in opposite their condo.
Hwi didn't know him well; what could the son of a poor kumdo master know about Yi Bang-won, fifth son of their Prime Minister – Yi Seong-gye?
But Seon-ho did, and Seon-ho evidently hated him. Hwi had no doubt they had met before via one of Nam Jeon’s political events. It’s a given, especially since Nam Jeon was practically their Prime Minister’s right-hand man. He did fall out of favor once, but had soon rapidly climbed the ranks again. Nam Jeon, as everyone knew well, was anything but a weak man. A cruel man, yes, manipulative – his middle name, but never weak. Like most politicians, Nam Jeon didn’t hesitate to use anything as a stepping stone on his rise to power.
It’s no surprise that Bang-won despised him, seeing as he used to be Yi Seong-gye’s right-hand man until his father felt he was too threatening.
Hwi never ceased to wonder why good fathers died so quickly, yet the other ones lived so prosperously.
Anyhow, Hwi didn’t harbor any negative feelings towards their new neighbour and went about his life as usual. Seon-ho either avoided the man as much as possible or would make things difficult on purpose when he did. He did try to convince Hwi to be wary, but other than that, he didn’t try to stop Hwi from being friendly. However Seon-ho felt regarding certain things, he did his best not to force his opinions on Hwi himself. But Hwi knew how much it bothered him that the person he detested was living directly opposite him. Other than seeing him in office, (which was rare, because Yi Bang-won was an extremely busy man and had no time for ‘insects’ – that was what Yi Bang-gan liked to call them) Hwi stayed out of his way.
Until one day.
Somehow, Hwi had pointed out an error he saw in one of the plans laid out on the meeting table one day, while talking to his friend in the café. Bang-won’s right-hand man overheard and reported back. Next thing he knew, one of his seniors was fired, and Hwi had to fill that man’s shoes. Just like that, in the span of a few hours, he was in Bang-won’s good graces. Hwi wasn’t sure how to break it to Seon-ho when he returned home.
Naturally, things didn’t stop there. When his employer found out where he lived, he had at first been surprised – because the condo they were staying in belonged to the upper class, but a quick check at the land registry cleared his confusion.
He offered Hwi a different place on another floor, since surely there’s no way Hwi would want to be stuck living with Nam Jeon’s son born out of wedlock. ‘Bastard son’, Bang-won had said, and Hwi very politely refused with a stiff back. He quite liked living with his childhood friend.
Then, one day, someone suggested that they organized a dinner party at Hui-jae’s studio. In an unexpected turn of events, his boss was invited. It was a disaster waiting to happen – Hwi protested vehemently and was outvoted. Seon-ho was torn, but in the end, still decided to agree to attend.
“As if I would retreat before him,” he had snarled.
“Geonbae!”
Sitting directly opposite, Seon-ho deliberately lifted up his cup to his lips, eyes locked onto Bang-won’s. In hindsight, Hwi should have exchanged seats with him, but he didn’t know how to do it without risking offending either one of them.
But at the very last second, Seon-ho turned sideways and tipped the cup back. Despite his grudge, he knew better. Social etiquette aside, he didn’t want to let the man have a chance to bring it up the next time they met with their fathers in tow.
Hwi could only breathe a sigh of relief from the sidelines. Mun-bok nudged him, eyebrow edging up towards.
“What’s with the two of them?”
If only Hui-jae had arrived on time with Yeon. If only her car hadn’t run out of gas.
They kept drinking while waiting for the rest of the food to arrive along with their missing friends. It was, again in hindsight, an absolutely stupid idea. No one should drink on an empty stomach. While his friends broke out in raucous laughter over some joke, Hwi snuck a look at his boss and best friend over the rim of his cup. They weren’t talking, and were instead staring off into space, pensive expressions on their faces. No doubt thinking about their respective fathers, Hwi bet. Somehow despite their differences; position in life, power, careers, Hwi couldn’t help but feel that they were very similar. Both loved their mothers more than anything. Both sought acknowledgement from their fathers, though one did it more openly than the other. Most dammingly, both desired to conquer the world, pursuing change according to their will.
Hwi leaned over to grab the bottle of soju from the center of the table just as the other two reached for it. He chuckled in faint trepidation when they narrowed their eyes at him.
“So, any women you fancy? Any particular qualities you’re looking for in a woman?” Mun-bok interrupted, his tongue looser than usual. Don’t tell me he’s already drunk, Hwi thought to himself. Beom shook his head imperceptibly when he caught Hwi’s raised eyebrow.
Ah, so he’s faking it. Not that Bang-won and Seon-ho would realize. They didn’t know Hwi’s friend well enough. His boss lifted one perfectly trimmed eyebrow at the doctor.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business, quack.”
“I am not –”
“However, since you asked so nicely, political astuteness and wit are requisites.”
“What about her appearance?”
“As if Bang-won-nim would settle for anything less,” Beom said before Mun-bok could go on.
“And what about the bastard heir? Aren’t you going to ask him as well?”
The edges of Bang-won's lips curved up, not even bothering to hide his mockery as he stared at the younger man opposite him. Chi-do, sensing trouble looming, quickly kicked Mun-bok in the shin, warning the man to nip this in the bud before it got worse.
Then, Seon-ho placed his cup down. Hwi swallowed at the blank expression on his face, the slight flush dusting his cheeks.
Seon-ho’s gaze did not leave Bang-won, who in turn rose languidly from where he was reclining. Hwi did not miss the tension; it was so thick he scarcely dared to breathe. Fuck, if Seon-ho accidentally insulted (not that he hadn’t usually, but it was done in a more roundabout way) or worse, insinuated something about Bang-won that could not be taken back, Nam Jeon would have their heads.
Now frantic, Hwi opened his mouth to cut in. Mun-bok didn’t hesitate, he delivered a blow to his gut and Hwi nearly keeled over.
“Shh! Let him speak up for once.”
Hwi gasped, and wished that he never agreed to throwing this dinner party. The pain didn’t stop him from hearing whatever his best friend had to say, though.
“Personally, I’ve always found your face pretty.”
Everyone froze, even Bang-won. Seon-ho either didn’t realize the magnitude of what he had just said, or he didn’t care; Hwi was willing to bet the former, and took the soju bottle from Hwi’s limp hands. Whatever was left of the potent liquid within, he let it slide down his throat. They all watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down. Hwi couldn’t even find the strength to stop him.
Before anyone could react, however, Yeon burst into the room with Hui-jae. In their hands was the long-awaited food. Mun-bok and Beom leapt to their feet instantly, hurrying over to help them with laying it on the table.
“Sorry, I know we’re very late,” his sister was saying, clasping her hands together.
“Eh, don’t worry about it. We were just… Well, we were just chatting while waiting.”
Beom ignored the way Hui-jae’s ears seemed to prick up, and pulled out the containers from the insulated food bag.
“Oh, did you prepare the gochujang yourself?”
“Orabi prefers it this way. And…” she snuck a shy peek at Seon-ho’s back and blushed, “Seon-ho-orabeoni also likes it very much.”
Beom didn’t have the heart, nor the courage to tell her what her crush just announced to the room earlier. He did slap his friend’s fingers away from the kimchi though.
“Go wash your dirty paws first! Are you seriously going to do this with Hwi’s boss dining with us?”
Mun-bok chortled, then clamped a hand over his mouth. He leaned sideways, gaze flitting over to where said man was sitting.
“I don’t think he will be eating much tonight, judging by that look on his face.”
Beom didn’t want to turn around, and didn’t have the chance to rectify that once Chi-do joined them, slinging one arm across both their shoulders. Beom ducked to avoid looking into their team leader’s dark eyes.
“You just couldn’t keep your tongue to yourself, could you?” he hissed darkly, grip tightening on Mun-bok’s shirt collar.
During the entire dinner, while the others ate with much gusto, Hwi noticed his boss’s attention never really left Seon-ho. If Seon-ho noticed, he never said anything. Yeon kept piling pork slices and bean sprouts on his bowl of rice, and talked softly to him, so that kept him occupied. Not Bang-won, though. Hwi could not make head or tails of his expression, but he knew he needed to get his focus off Nam Jeon’s son.
“I hope you are enjoying the meal, sir.”
Bang-won waved off his offer for more soju, but finally picked up his chopsticks to eat from the plate of meat Hwi had purposefully placed in front of him.
“Is the food to your liking?”
The man with the dragon eyes; at least that’s what Hwi’s girlfriend liked to call him in private, merely hmm-ed as he closed his mouth around the beef tendon.
“The meat is sub-par, but I was not expecting much, so I suppose I can make do.” Somehow, his eyes found their way to Seon-ho again. Hwi groaned inwardly. So much for conversation. It was getting more and more unlikely that his boss was not going to forget Seon-ho’s words. Luckily, now with some warm food in his belly, his friend appeared more awake. He was still a tad unsteady on his feet, though and Hwi gripped his friend’s elbow when he got up to clean the dishes.
“Maybe you should just stay put, Seon-ho ya.”
“Yes, do sit tight. We wouldn’t want you tripping and hurting your pretty face.”
Both Hwi and Seon-ho whipped their heads around to look at Bang-won, who didn’t shy away from their sudden focus. All noises seemed to have halted in the kitchen, too.
“Care to repeat that?” Seon-ho said, his voice lowering dangerously.
Bang-won simply shrugged.
“I am only going along with what you said earlier.”
Hwi quickly turned back to Seon-ho, bracing for a fight, but this time only Seon-ho’s confused expression met him. It was that lost puppy look again – the one that drove the women in their neighbourhood crazy.
“What are you talking about?”
The Yi heir pursed his lips, and when he spoke again, Hwi could have sworn that the air became frigid.
“How convenient of an excuse.” He stood up, no longer looking at Seon-ho and dusted off any invisible dirt from his white shirt. Hwi shot up as well, when it was clear that Bang-won was uninterested in staying anymore. He handed his boss his black coat and bowed when the man strode out the door.
“Oooh, he’s pissed,” someone trilled.
Before Hwi could snap at Mun-bok, Chi-do slapped the man around the head.
“It’s all your fault. If only you kept your mouth shut, then nothing would have happened.”
Their dramatic friend gasped in shock, one hand going to his chest.
“Me? I’m innocent! Don’t you agree, Yeonnie?” he directed the question towards Yeon, who was just stepping out of the bathroom. She paused, looking much like an anxious deer caught in the headlights, the noise of the flushing toilet sounding loudly behind her. Red spread across her cheeks.
“Leave her alone,” Hui-jae cut in, and jabbed Mun-bok in the chest. “And before any of you leave, you’d better fill me in on the loop. I want to know everything.”
Seon-ho was still looking very lost, and a little mad as well. He never took it kindly when people ignored him. Yeon went over to him, murmuring a question. His best friend quickly covered his annoyance with a smile. Over Yeon’s head, however, he mouthed a furious ‘what the hell’ at him.
Hwi ran a hand over his face. This was really, in the end, a terrible idea.