Passion Translation "Fanfictions"

Vol 1 - Chapter 23: Gun fanatic

After a moment of silence, Xinlu awkwardly raised his eyes and exclaimed - "Hyung! Your cigarette! Your cigarette!" - pointing to Jeong Taeui who bent down, startled to see the cigarette butt had fallen to the ground and set fire to the dry grass, quickly stamping it out.

Jeong Taeui's hands trembled as he picked up the cigarette butt and tucked it into his pocket. When he took out his last cigarette to light it, the lighter refused to ignite. His fingers continuously fumbled.

'Wait, what did I just hear? It seems like I heard something strange but can't remember,'

Taeui thought - 'Just now, Xinlu called me Taeui-hyung and then stuttered something... Ah, why won't this lighter work?'

The lighter still wouldn't ignite despite multiple attempts. Xinlu, his face flushed with embarrassment, approached and took the lighter from Taeui, lighting the cigarette for him.

"Thank you," Taeui said, taking the lighter back from Xinlu and pocketing it without another word.

"..."

"......"

An uncomfortable silence spread. Xinlu stood close enough that he could reach out and touch Taeui.

Taeui looked at Xinlu, dazed, and exhaled smoke. Xinlu coughed lightly twice. At that moment, Taeui started and said, "Sorry," turning his head to blow the smoke away. He then extinguished the cigarette after only a few puffs. If Tou saw this, he would certainly glare, but now it didn't matter.

"...So... is everything okay?"

After a moment of hesitation, Taeui blurted out and immediately wanted to bite his own tongue.

What am I asking? Okay, in this context, what does that even mean?

As expected, Xinlu widened his eyes at Taeui. Taeui stammered, "No, sorry. I didn't mean that. I meant... are you uncomfortable?"

Xinlu looked at Taeui, who was awkwardly explaining, with a confused face, then slowly shook his head.

"Not uncomfortable. Just too busy lately, so I haven't been anywhere... Since then, even looking at women doesn't evoke any feelings..."

Xinlu's neck turned bright red as he spoke with embarrassment. Seeing this, Taeui's face reddened even more.

If someone saw this scene, they would surely laugh out loud. Two grown men standing face to face, blushing, just looking at the ground. But even if someone laughed, Taeui didn't care. Maybe, maybe his heart was swelling with intense emotion.

Taeui lightly kicked the cigarette butt under his foot. After a long silence, Xinlu whispered softly.

"Taeu-hyung. When we drank tea a few days ago..."

Taeui started and stomped on the cigarette butt. His feet slowly shifted.

"Because when you touched me... I felt like I smelled soap and you were so close to me..."

"Yeah, got it..."

Xinlu nodded, mumbling. Still blushing to his ears, he bowed his head, and Taeui was no different.

Suddenly, Xinlu slowly raised his head. He glanced at Taeui with shiny black eyes. The bright, sparkling eyes made Taeui's heart tighten.

Just as Taeui was about to turn away, Xinlu smiled slightly. A shy smile just barely curling the corners of his mouth. Taeui couldn't take his eyes off that smile.

"... Hyung. Let's go back. I'll wait here... No, I also want to see the sea one more time."

Saying this, Xinlu walked past Taeui towards the beach. Taeui stood there, staring at Xinlu's receding back, and when Xinlu turned around with a confused look, Taeui hurriedly followed.