Chapter Text
March 1996
The day that Jung Hwan dreaded for the past two years had finally come. A young soldier had knocked on his room, and informed him that the great baduk player, 9th Dan Master Choi Taek, was at the gates of the military base, asking to see him. For a moment, he considered sending the soldier out to tell Taek he was unavailable. Instead, he nodded and pulled on the regulation winter coat, and mentally cursed himself.
The walk from the barracks to the gate was short, too short. They had put his friend in the glassed-in visitor’s room, right by the guard-house, and he was surrounded by fans requesting autographs. In the early morning sunlight, he gazed at the unusually alert Taek, who broke into his customary smile at his approach. He forced an answering grin on his face. “Master Choi, what brings you here?”
The normally blank-faced man was glowing with so much happiness that it was difficult for Jung Hwan to look at him. “Hello, Jung Hwan. Can you come off-base for a cup of coffee with me?”
“I’m not sure…,” Jung Hwan muttered, anxiety clawing through his gut. If this was what he thought it was, he did not want to hear what Taek had to say, childhood friend or no.
“Just for fifteen minutes, please. Or if you have a vending machine…,” Taek asked, his fingers gripping the strap of his crossbody bag. Jung Hwan noted the strained smile on Taek’s face and gave in. They all had a soft spot for him, of course, but the anticipation of his news had Jung Hwan tensed up.
“There is one by the mess hall. Come follow me,” he muttered, turning around. Taek trailed behind him like an overgrown puppy, bowing every now and then to officers who recognized him. In this base, however, Jung Hwan was a senior officer, and he felt secretly felt better when more soldiers saluted him than greeted Taek. Instantly ashamed of his competitiveness, he led Taek to the vending machine.
“What do you want to drink?” he asked roughly, unable to look his friend in the eye.
Taek stalled him with a hand on his arm. “No, I’m buying today.”
“Fine,” Jung Hwan snapped. “I’ll have an americano.” He stalked over to the bench. Anxiety had him tapping the wood beside him, worn from years of use by countless soldiers beside him. He watched for a few minutes as Taek pressed buttons on the machine, looking confused, and got back up. Some things never changed, and Taek’s ineptitude was one of them. Heaving a sigh, he stood up and assisted his friend with the machine directions. “Seriously, Taek, I’m surprised your shoelaces are tied,” he scolded, taking his cup of coffee to the bench.
“Ah, Deok Sun tied them for me,” Taek admitted, a shy smile crossing his face. And at the mention of her name, they both fell into an awkward silence. This was the part where anyone else would ask about her, Jung Hwan thought, but it still hurt too much.
“How is your family?” he asked instead, studying the bubbles on the surface of his coffee.
“They are doing well,” Taek replied politely, smiling. “Sun Woo and Bora noona moved into their new apartment. How is your plane?”
The sheer silliness of the question had Jung Hwan grinning in spite of himself. “You’ve been hanging around Deok Sun too long. You’re asking the same stupid questions that she is,” he blurted out. “My plane is fine. It’s actually a fighter jet, and I just fly it, other people maintain it.” Once upon a time, he had loved the thought of sharing the skies with the girl he loved, since she was a flight attendant, but he mercilessly snuffed out that thought now.
“Ah,” Taek said, lapsing into silence again.
Fed up with the suspense, Jung Hwan snapped, “Will you just go and ask her to marry you? We’re so tired of watching the two of you tiptoe around. It’s time you made an honest woman out of her, although, really, are you sure you want to marry someone so dumb?” He raised the cup to his lips, hoping Taek wouldn’t see his hands shake.
The other man stared at him steadily. “I’ve already asked her.”
“I see,” Jung Hwan said, forcing a grin on his face. He could not meet Taek’s eyes, not when his stomach was churning, and his eyes were threatening to fill.
“She said yes,” Taek continued, his gaze direct and unflinching. “You’re a big part of both our lives, Jung Hwan. Will you come to the wedding?”
He gnawed on the inside of his cheek, studying Taek as his thoughts whirled. They were of that age, he supposed, where people got married.
“Do you still have feelings for her?” A furrow appeared between Taek’s brows. “If it would hurt too much… I would understand. But you mean a lot to us, Jung Hwan.”
“Who has feelings for her?” Jung Hwan scoffed immediately, draining the last of his coffee. “I’ll be there, just tell me when. Ugh, you poor poor man, I guess you really aren’t right in the head. Congratulations, anyway.” He crushed the paper cup in his fist and made a show of checking his watch. “Look, I have to report to my Commanding Officer soon, so I’ll see you when the gang gets together, okay?”
Taek rose to his feet, touching his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Jung Hwan smiled as widely as he could, pulling out of his reach. “Of course I am, Master Choi. She’s your problem now. Congratulations. Sorry I have to leave, but my meeting is pretty soon.” He needed to get away from Taek right now.
Saying his goodbyes, he grabbed the arm of a passing cadet and ordered him to show Taek to the gate. He watched for a few seconds as the starstruck cadet led Taek away, and waved cheerfully as the other man looked back. His smile faded as soon as they were out of sight, and Jung Hwan turned on his heel, lost in thought, heading to the general direction of the gym.
The gang got together rarely now, maybe three or four times a year, which suited him just fine. Now that he was a senior pilot, it was harder to get away from the base anyway. Those two did not officially declare that they were dating, so the others were oblivious. If he hadn’t been watching Deok Sun for so long, he wouldn’t have noticed, either. But it was in the way her eyes softened when she looked at Taek, and the way Taek went from blank to focused when she was in the room. It was little things like how she automatically opened his yogurt for him, or how Taek’s eyes never left her that hammered home the point for him.
Jung Hwan was glad, at least, that Taek treated her as well as he would have. It would have been easier to resent them if his wish had come true and Taek had been a jerk, but he wasn’t, and things had not changed much between the three of them. And now they were getting married. He exhaled roughly. It wasn’t hard to imagine Deok Sun in a wedding dress. His chest constricted at the thought. Rubbing it with his hand absently, he headed to the gym to work out his tension.