Pig Government Official

-68-

After work, Jeonggwan was having a quick afternoon beer with Jihoon. Is this the leisure of an early quitter? Jeonggwan took a bite of German sausage and a sip of cool draft beer, while Jihoon was chuckling at something on YouTube. Jeonggwan brought up a topic that had been on his mind for a while.

“Do you know the fairy and the woodcutter tale?”

“Yeah. Didn’t the woodcutter steal and wear the fairy’s clothes?”

“That would be you.”

Why would the woodcutter wear the fairy’s clothes? Jeonggwan looked at Jihoon with a strange expression, and Jihoon, realizing his mistake, smiled awkwardly.

“The woodcutter hides the fairy’s clothes so she can’t fly away, right?”

“Ah, right. I think that was the story.”

Jeonggwan had disliked this tale since childhood. When young Jeonggwan heard that the woodcutter would return the clothes after the fairy bore him three children, it felt incredibly violent. How sad must the fairy have been, wanting to return to her original place but unable to fly without her clothes? How depressed must she have been to bear two children for a man she had just met and didn’t love?

But recently, something Suki noona said kept lingering in Jeonggwan’s mind. Their situations were completely different, but… why did those words stick with him? Was noona implying that people like Junjae, from that social class, could end this kind of relationship and return anytime?

“Does Executive Won resemble a fairy?”

“…What do you mean, we’ve never even seen a fairy?”

No. But Junjae isn’t a fairy. He understood what noona meant to say. But Junjae isn’t a fairy, and he believed in him. Those eyes of Junjae looking at him. And even if, just if, such a thing could happen, he had resolved. He would jump into this with Junjae, covering even that anxiety.

“If anyone resembles a fairy, wouldn’t it be you?”

“Me, suddenly?”

“They say plump people were considered beautiful in the old days.”

“…”

“Ah, but you probably can’t fly.”

Jihoon turned to look at Jeonggwan seriously, saying, “That’s right. You can’t fly,” but Jeonggwan was already holding the sausage-cutting knife and staring at Jihoon with unfocused eyes.

“Junjae hyung will be off work soon. I think it’s not bad to see his face once more before going into the bakery.”

Jihoon calmly persuaded Jeonggwan, who listened quietly and nodded as if it made some sense, putting down the knife.

* * *

Junjae’s after-work routine was always the same. Leaving the company around 6:30 PM, sitting in the back seat with Secretary Oh, listening to and checking the next day’s schedule while moving. However, the after-work routine of Junjae who had started dating had clearly changed in every way. He used to leave 30 minutes later than other employees, following his father’s words that leaving early would cause gossip, but these days he opened his office door as soon as it turned 6 PM. He had started leaving work on time like others. Then he would go down to the underground parking lot alone, drive his own car out of the company, and his destination was, of course, Jeonggwan.

Usually, it was Jeonggwan’s house, but today was a bit different. Jeonggwan had said he was drinking beer with Jihoon near his house, so Junjae had come straight there. After parking in that building’s parking lot, Junjae took out his phone without turning off the engine. Then he pressed [Jeonggwani] at the top of his KakaoTalk chat list, which was pinned, and left a message saying he had arrived. Although it was a feature Jeonggwan had taught him, Junjae didn’t really need the pin function. Very few people knew his personal phone number, and he rarely received contacts anyway. So Jeonggwan was always at the top for Junjae, but he had followed suit after seeing Jeonggwan do it.

‘These are all the people I’m currently in contact with…’

‘Some I’m in contact with, some I’m ignoring.’

However, for Jeonggwan, pinning was necessary. Jeonggwan, being an insider, received quite a lot of contacts from friends including Jihoon, to the extent that Junjae, watching Jeonggwan’s chat list from the side, was slightly shocked. Jeonggwan had pinned Junjae at the top for some time now, and even that small action made Junjae happy. It felt like he was definitely Jeonggwan’s top priority.

‘Um…’

‘Yes?’

‘Did you use a phone in high school…’

‘Pardon?’

‘…Never mind.’

Junjae shook his head as if to say it was nothing, laughing shortly at his own ridiculous thoughts. The question he was about to ask Jeonggwan was whether Jung Taegeon, whom he dated in high school, was also pinned like this… It seemed like dating was making him childish.

‘Are you asking if I pinned contacts in high school too?’

‘…’

But the ghost-like Jeonggwan immediately understood the intention of the question, squinting his eyes, and Junjae closed his eyes with a sigh. As expected, his perceptiveness was off the charts.

‘…Yeah.’

Still, curiosity was curiosity. Junjae nodded slightly, biting his upper and lower lips, and Jeonggwan, finding this cute, chuckled and hugged Junjae’s neck.

‘What. How can you be this cute?’

‘…Hurry.’

Bleh. Jeonggwan teased with his face buried in Junjae’s chest, and Junjae knew what this teasing meant. It meant that Jung Taegeon was also pinned. Junjae bit his lower lip slightly and hugged Jeonggwan’s waist.

‘What’s past is past.’

‘I…’

‘What?’

‘…It’s my first time.’

Junjae mumbled with his face buried in Jeonggwan’s shoulder, as if to say this kind of dating and pinning chats were his first time. Jeonggwan then lifted his face from Junjae’s embrace.

‘Pepper…!’

‘No, stop. I’m sorry.’

And he was about to say ‘What do you mean it’s your first time!’, but Junjae hugged Jeonggwan again to prevent him from speaking further, and they laughed for a while, holding each other.

Thud-.

“Did you wait long?”

As Junjae was smiling slightly, recalling a recent event, Jeonggwan opened the passenger door and got into the car, emitting a faint smell of alcohol.

“Today there’s no fruit scent…”

Junjae murmured softly after leaning in close to smell Jeonggwan. Usually, after leaving the cafe, Jeonggwan would go home and help his parents make fruit preserves, so when Junjae came to see Jeonggwan after work, Jeonggwan always had a different fruit scent. Yesterday it was pineapple, but today it was the smell of bread and alcohol.

“Oh. Then see if I taste like alcohol today.”

Every time they kissed, Junjae would tell Jeonggwan that he tasted like grapefruit or tangerine, whatever fruit preserve they had made that day, so Jeonggwan puckered his lips like a fish, asking Junjae to check if he tasted like alcohol today. His puffy cheeks and plump lips were so cute that Junjae, as if entranced, gently held Jeonggwan’s lips with his fingers.

“What is it?”

And then he kissed him. With a soft sound, Junjae’s lips separated, slightly glistening with Jeonggwan’s saliva, which Jeonggwan found somewhat sexy.

“Do I taste like alcohol?”

“…Yeah.”

“Does it taste bad?”

“…I like it.”

As soon as he heard Junjae’s answer, Jeonggwan put his arms around Junjae’s neck, and Junjae also wrapped his arms around Jeonggwan’s waist, pulling him close. Like any newly dating adult couple, they kissed whenever their eyes met.

“…I can’t breathe.”

Especially Junjae. Like now, not just kissing, but he would peck Jeonggwan’s cheeks or nose briefly. Of course in Junjae’s car, but also in private restaurant rooms or while holding hands on walks, he would habitually press his lips against Jeonggwan’s.

“Just one more time.”

Indeed, late learners were the most fearsome.

* * *

There was no conversation between the woman and the man. While it was understandable for the man who was always like that, the woman was unexpected. She usually tried to initiate various conversations when she saw her son, but this time, she too was just quietly looking at her son. However, as the time for her son to return to work was approaching, the woman, who had been struggling to open her mouth, finally spoke with difficulty.

“Are you… getting along well with that person…?”

“…Yes.”

The woman, Heejin, had rushed to Junjae right after the gathering at the gallery that day, intending to question him about her awkwardness, his awkwardness, and whether he knew he was causing trouble for Won… 

“…I see.”

But the photo she received of her son with that person immediately made her emotional. Her son, her child, who had never laughed freely even once since birth and always lived watching his father’s mood.

“You look happy.”

He was so clearly expressing his own happiness. Therefore, Heejin could never scold Junjae.

“Are your pheromones… compatible?”

“…Yes. It’s good.”

“That’s a relief. You’ve always been sensitive in that area…”

“…He smells like bread.”

Junjae, who would usually just say “Yes” and leave it at that, seemed to recall Jeonggwan along with his pheromones at his mother’s reaction, which seemed to implicitly accept rather than oppose like his father. He slightly raised the corners of his mouth, expressing a more excited mood than usual, and even added words he wouldn’t normally say.

“…Bread?”

“…Yes. His pheromones,”

“…”

“…Mother?”

Although he hadn’t expected an answer, Junjae looked puzzled at Heejin’s appearance, which seemed slightly surprised and frozen. Was it that surprising that he smelled like bread?