Mendacity ☠️ yungi [⏹]

9

"Do you know Kim Sihyeon?"

That was the question Mingi impatiently asked after giving Yunho an awkward smile in their early afternoon meeting at a cafe. But as much as possible, Mingi, who sat in front of Yunho, still maintained a completely guarded casual gesture.

Unexpectedly, Yunho didn't seem surprised by the question. He also remained as casual as Mingi. "She must have said something to you." The warmth offered by his smile never faded. Mingi felt somewhat reassured by it. But not entirely. He still had a big question mark in his head and had to settle everything today as well. If not, he would forever feel haunted by paranoia about the many possibilities that could befall the little family he loved so much.

"Alright. I'll admit something." Yunho's continuation of the sentence made Mingi sit up straight spontaneously. Swallowing saliva, Mingi felt unprepared for what this man was about to confess to him. He was nervous, confused, scared, all sorts of mixed-up preconceptions creating shivers and tremors on his skin.

"I told her about you."

Lowering his hand from the table to hide the trembling, Mingi listened intently to what Yunho said word by word.

"And if she warned you to be careful with me, don't listen. Isn't she just annoying?"

There was a severe furrow in Mingi's brow created by Yunho's last sentence. He wanted to ask a typical spontaneous question as a rhetorical device, but he held it back in his throat. He didn't interrupt because Yunho could provide all the answers he needed right now.

If only Mingi trusted enough or too much in anything this man said. Without suspecting further the truth and the usefulness of every spoken word.

But he saw Yunho could guess exactly what Sihyeon had said to him that night and still with the same casual, stagnant tone as if Yunho was already used to it. As if it was a sentence he had memorized to be uttered from her lips because he had heard it too often.

"She's my childhood friend. Every time I meet people she knows, she always tells them to be careful with me. It's just her way of joking as a close friend. And our closeness is why I always tell her everything. About anything. Including you."

Mingi raised an eyebrow. It was a reasonable explanation. But the residue of fear and caution still lingered within. "Really?"

"Does my face look suspicious to you?"

Mingi observed Yunho to judge. He had learned from a heavy-class psychology encyclopedia book--but--something as simple as knowing the signs of someone lying to you through body language gestures. One of them was they wouldn't maintain eye contact with you for a full minute without rolling their eyes anywhere else but yours.

Yunho never shifted his gaze away from Mingi's eyes. Not for a moment. During minutes of staring straight ahead as if there were the south pole continually holding the north pole inside Yunho's eyes. A smooth, calm gaze. Not feeling exposed. No doubt. No fear. No lies. No hiding.

But to make sure, Mingi sought out another way. If he lied, his pupils reacted as if in darkness. Enlarging, dilating, dominating the helpless iris.

Mingi found the dark brown lines of the man's eyeballs in front of him appeared as if illuminated by thousands of candela of intensity. Dominant and consuming the pupil at its center.

With that, for the first time throughout his meeting with Yunho for several minutes this late morning, he finally managed to return Yunho's warm smile with a similar one.

"Mingi, does my face look suspicious to you?" Yunho reiterated the sentence to Mingi who seemed to be lost in thought. Yes, Mingi seemed lost in thought even though he smiled.

The one asked blinked. "No, not really. It's just... her warning really got me thinking and I couldn't sleep all night."

"Oh my. Then she's gone too far. But you're okay, right?" Yunho asked, concerned. What's wrong with this Sihyeon? Why the fuck is she making things difficult for me?! Just wait until I meet her, I'll give her a piece of my mind.

"Yeah. Don't worry about me. But..." Mingi bit his inner lip. For the third time, he would make sure. Even though it felt like the thousandth time. "Is it true that she's just joking with us? There's no other reason behind her saying all that?"

Yunho sighed. Not exasperatedly. Just sounding like the tired breath of a man who had to repeatedly assure his lover that he really wasn't cheating on her. So he kept on putting on a patient smile. "Do I need to video call her right now to reassure you?" He already took out his phone from the inner pocket of his coat.

Mingi shook his head vigorously. "Ah, no. No need. I trust you." Then he awkwardly laughed.

But why did he still feel a bad omen?

Or was it just his imagination?

Rather than a psychology encyclopedia, he thought maybe he should read a tutorial book on how to build trust in a partner next time.

Feeling that the atmosphere was better, Yunho thought it was the right time to order drinks. He had to approach the bar counter because he didn't see any waiters wandering around. It was still nine in the morning after all. This outskirts cafe had only opened an hour ago and he was the first customer because, hey, who would visit a drinking place at this hour on a weekday? Men looking for a livelihood. Women busy with careers or household chores. Young people and children were in school and college. You wouldn't be in this cafe right now if you weren't a student doing an internship and had plenty of free time.

While waiting for Yunho to order the desired drinks, he looked out the window. There, Minhee was parked, standing proudly displaying reflections of light on its shiny black tank surface. Mingi might not have as much time as he did in his youth to spend caring for that sports motorcycle all the time. But Minhee wasn't that bad that she only needed a little wipe to look brand new. It was a historic and memory-filled vehicle that Mingi was so proud of because it had given him an indescribable pride in the past. One of them was like what Leedo said about how Mingi always beat by him on the circuit every time.

Without Mingi realizing it, for the first time, he remembered Leedo in the midst of his time with Yunho.

Usually, when he met Yunho, Mingi's full attention was solely focused on the man. Making him forget himself. Making him unaware. Making him unwilling to return to reality and live the day not as himself.

Suddenly a terrible thought crossed his mind. About Leedo catching him meeting and building a special relationship with another man. Here. Right now.

But then a soft laugh from his lips indicated how comical his thoughts were.

It's okay. No need to be afraid.

That won't happen.

He could schedule meetings with Yunho as he pleased, whenever he wanted, without Leedo suspecting.