Not your child chapter 19

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They hadn’t discussed anything earth-shattering.

It had simply started with a question about why he’d gone abroad, which quickly escalated into a light argument.

“It just… got tiring doing the same thing over and over.”

“That’s it?”

“Does there have to be some grand reason? Then why did you take a leave of absence?”

“…I had my reasons. It was too difficult to manage while staying in school…”

Though the main reason for his leave was Jooyoung’s accident, Hyun had pushed himself as hard as he could, even considering taking on more tutoring work to make ends meet.

Jooyoung wasn’t a child who couldn’t go to the hospital alone.

But he couldn’t bring himself to continue with school.

If he’d stayed, she would have flunked his semester and ruined his third-year grades.

Explaining all this to Hyun, who so casually dismissed his own reasons, felt miserable to Siyoung.

After a pause, Siyoung spoke, slower than usual.

“Must be nice… for you.”

It was something he wouldn’t have said sober.

He wasn’t as drunk as the others, but he had enough of a buzz to let his guard down.

“Being able to make decisions so easily… you must be lucky.”

“You’re drunk.”

“I don’t think you’re one to talk.”

Looking at Hyun’s flushed face, Siyoung noted the familiar progression.

When Hyun drank, he’d go quiet, his cheeks would turn red, he’d start speaking a little, and then he’d fall asleep.

Siyoung had only seen it a couple of times, but it was a consistent pattern, so he figured Hyun would pass out soon.

“Forget it. Talking about this is pointless. Just think of it as me rambling.”

“You can’t just throw out words and then say it’s nothing.”

“Then what do you expect?”

“…I just don’t like vague answers.”

“You’re one to talk. You’re the one who’s always ambiguous, not me.”

It should have ended as it usually did, with a brief argument.

But perhaps because they were drinking, the conversation stretched on.

Siyoung remembered one question he’d asked, clear as day.

“…What am I to you, anyway? Isn’t it laughable to call me a friend? I’m just someone you casually know, someone you’re comfortable talking to, just someone passing by. Isn’t that all?”

He couldn’t recall exactly how the conversation had led to that question or what Hyun had replied, though he probably said something about not considering him a friend.

“I don’t know. About you, or… what I’m even thinking.”

“You don’t like me, I’m not your friend, and I’m not a stranger. That’s so… typical of you.”

“…”

“There’s a way to know for sure, better than talking about it. Want to try?”

Siyoung seemed more drunk than he’d thought, or maybe he was just that frustrated.

Siyoung remembered being taken aback by a situation he’d never even imagined.

The kiss was soft, with a hint of the sweet liquor he’d just had, but when our lips parted, his gaze was anything but sweet—cold, even.

He wish he could remember exactly what they talked about, but all that stuck in his hazy memory was Hyun’s icy expression, so incongruous with the fact that he was the one who had just kissed him.

“…How do you feel about it?”

The look on his face was closer to defiance than affection.

How did he feel, seeing him like that?

At the very least, it wasn’t unpleasant.

That strange feeling made him flee to another room, leaving him alone.

The last memory he had of that night was sitting down with a bottle he’d grabbed from the living room, drinking straight from it until he eventually fell asleep.

---

“…Nothing happened. We just talked about how we don’t really know what each other is thinking… and then he asked if I really saw him as a friend.”

“He asked that? It’s a mess. Or… maybe not that much of a mess if he’s at least concerned enough to ask something like that.”

“Sounds entertaining.”

“Oh, it is. Out of everyone I know, you two are the most entertaining. It’s like I know exactly what you’re thinking, and yet I don’t at all. The fun is in figuring it out.”

Yeonseok chuckled and clinked his glass against his.

He’d thought asking him for help might lead somewhere, but Siyoung wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Well, I guess if it’s that persistent on my mind, it’ll probably just come back to me one day, out of nowhere.”

“Who knows? Maybe another drink will jog your memory.”

With that, Yeonseok clinked his glass with mine again. As they continued our idle conversation, Siyoung seemed to remember something.

“Should we check out his workspace a bit? You know he’s terrible at hiding things.”

“Workspace?”

“You wouldn’t know, since you don’t go to the office often… but since he usually works alone, he doesn’t bother hiding things. Seeing what he’s left lying around might give us a clue as to what’s been on his mind lately.”

“…”

He’d mentioned that he was planning to wrap up his agency work and look for something new, but even if that was true, Siyoung doubted it was the whole story.

Yeonseok felt like Siyoung was hiding something else.

“It’s awkward to go back now, and I’ve got plans tomorrow… do you have anything scheduled for the day after?”

“Photoshoot in the morning, then training.”

“Then… I’ll make sure Siyoung leaves early that day, so swing by the office.”

“Can’t you just go look yourself?”

“It’s less suspicious if we’re caught together, right?”

It’s not that Siyoung don’t want to do it— he just don’t plan on getting caught.

But if they are, it’s better to face it together than alone.

Yeonseok said this with a look that suggested he hadn’t thought this through at all.
He thought it was foolish, but he was just as curious about what Siyoung was hiding.

“I’ll probably get there around 4 p.m., so make sure he leaves before then.”

“Who’d complain about being let off early? If you tell him to leave, he’ll be out the door right on time, so don’t worry about that.”

Yeonseok joked that Siyoung should trust him to make it happen. Yeonseok didn’t have much faith in him, but maybe seeing it firsthand would reveal something.

“He’ll be mad, probably… but it’s better than feeling frustrated forever. It’s not like he’ll tell me if I ask, anyway.”

If Siyoung wouldn’t answer questions from Jaeyoon or Yeonseok, he certainly wouldn’t answer him. That thought made me sigh.

What had even happened that day?

If only he’d forgotten it completely, he wouldn’t feel this lingering unease.

Frustrated, he downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.

---

“Hello?”

While working as usual, Siyoung noticed the familiar number on his screen, hesitated, then answered.

The call was from the OB/GYN clinic he’d been going to.

“Hello, this is AA OB/GYN. Is this Lee Siyoung?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t think anyone nearby could hear, but he couldn’t help being aware of Yeonseok sitting a short distance away.

Instead of going out somewhere like usual, he was sticking around here, being completely unhelpful as always.

“You have an appointment with Dr. Kim Jinseok today, but unfortunately, the doctor has an urgent matter and will only be seeing patients until 6 p.m. We’re calling to reschedule or adjust your appointment time.”

“Oh…”

“We apologize for the inconvenience due to this unexpected change.”

His appointment was for 6:30 p.m., so this was a problem.

It was already 2 p.m., and although his tasks were mostly done, he couldn’t just leave with Yeonseok here.

‘Why did he have to be here today of all days? If he wasn’t here, I could just sneak out for a bit…’

“When would be the soonest available appointment if I reschedule?”

“The doctor will be on leave through the weekend until Monday, so if you’d like to see Dr. Kim, the earliest would be Tuesday.”

“Is there anyone else available sooner?”

“They’re also on leave until tomorrow… Should I schedule for Monday?”

Ordinarily, he would’ve agreed to reschedule, but he’d been feeling some pain since yesterday, and it was making him anxious.

Since he had an appointment for the next day, he’d decided to hold off, but now he felt uncertain.

“…Could I call back after checking my schedule?”

“How long do you think you’ll need?”

“About… 10 minutes?”

“All right. Please call back as soon as possible, and thank you for your understanding.”

After hanging up, Siyoung glanced at Yeonseok.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be paying any attention, completely absorbed in his phone.

“Never used my sick days, or even half-days for that matter… I have every right to leave.”

Thinking he had nothing to hide, Siyoung approached Yeonseok’s desk, ready to ask for a half-day off.

Just as he was about to speak, Yeonseok lowered his phone.

“Got somewhere to be?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“Then just go home early. There’s not much to do, and Sera came in today, so there’s nothing left for you to worry about.”

So he had been listening.

It felt uncomfortable, but he was more concerned about making it to his appointment, so he packed up without saying much.

“See you Monday.”

“Wait, you’re coming in on Monday?”

“It’s my company. Is it weird for me to show up?”

“It’s weird because you never do.”

Something still felt off, but getting to his appointment on time was the priority.

Glancing back multiple times, Siyoung finally left the office.

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