Sweet Sugar Candyman

#05

“…Kwon… yes.”

Through the buzzing in my ears, my father’s voice came through faintly. Only then could I regain my senses. As I began to recognize the sounds of others, the sensations I had slowly forgotten started to return.

With Saheon, who was shining brightly alone, as my reference point, my hazy vision gradually became clear. The distant murmurs also returned as a loud noise. It felt like I had just woken from a dream. The sensation of being thrown into reality, floating on a white cloud, made my body feel strangely numb, and I fiddled with my innocent arm.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, like someone trying to bring their dazed mind back to reality. As my once-white brain tried to return to normal, I felt dizzy.

Saheon, who had clearly spotted us, gave a small nod to my father. The middle-aged foreign pilot next to Hyung looked in the direction Hyung was gazing. The two seemed to be talking about something and exchanged light handshakes.

As the atmosphere began to wrap up nicely, my father slowly approached Hyung. I bit my lip tightly and followed behind my father. I felt like all the organs inside me would spill out if I opened my mouth. A tension that was incomparable to before surged up, making my stomach churn.

Since I was wearing the same uniform as Hyung, the greetings with the clear people didn’t end even after they exchanged pleasantries. Saheon also bowed to the crew members following behind him. Their high voices pierced through the noisy airport.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Welcome back, co-pilot!”

“Make sure to contact us!”

All of them wore bright smiles, and they responded with cheerful laughter to whatever Saheon had said. My heart, which had been unconditionally happy, suddenly hit the brakes. My steps following my father slowed down a bit.

It was a relief that I couldn’t see the lines drawn with each heartbeat, like I was getting a hospital check-up. The lines that were beating steadily and quickly must have been a bit twisted.

I shook my head, wondering if this was some kind of ugly jealousy, trying to shake off my thoughts. In the meantime, Hyung, having finished all his greetings with his colleagues, was approaching us with quick steps.

As he walked over with long strides, the distance closed in an instant. With his large strides and graceful movements, he took off his angular hat and tucked it under his arm, resembling a model on a runway.

“Uncle.”

His low voice, resonating with warmth, was welcoming. My vision was filled with Saheon’s presence. The strong scent of skin fragrance, which I usually didn’t like, hit my nose, but thinking of it as Saheon’s scent made it sweet.

“Captain Kwon, it’s been a while.”

My father added a surprised tone as he reached out for a handshake with Saheon. Hyung chuckled and took my father’s hand.

“It’s been a while, Uncle. And I’m still a co-pilot.”

“Oh, right. Even when I’m corrected all the time, it doesn’t stick in my mouth. Please understand, Captain Kwon.”

Seeing my father maintain that stubborn title, Saheon let out a light laugh as if it couldn’t be helped.

Hyung smelled of skin fragrance and a faint scent of the sky. I didn’t really know what the smell of the sky was, but the exotic scent of the wind mixed in faintly could only be defined as the scent of the sky.

Suddenly, my cheeks felt too hot. I had never been teased for having red cheeks in my life, but at this moment, I felt insecure. I nervously chewed on the soft flesh inside my mouth and stole glances at Saheon with anxious eyes.

Saheon looked even more handsome up close. The unique neatness that the uniform provided seemed to make Hyung stand out even more.

Throughout my three years in high school, I was taller than average, almost at the end of the height spectrum in my class, but standing next to Hyung, I felt a good palm’s difference in height.

As Saheon raised his large hand to tidy his hair slicked back with pomade, I could see three golden stripes adorning the end of his dark uniform, which was almost black. I couldn’t understand why it suited him so well.

Like someone enchanted, I watched Hyung’s actions aimlessly until I was suddenly caught by a firm grip on my wrist. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, my father pulled me in from where I had been standing awkwardly at the back.

“Lee Cheongmyeong, come here. You need to greet Hyung.”

In that moment, I had no choice but to be dragged along helplessly. I stood in front of Hyung with wide eyes, caught off guard by being pulled over so suddenly.

As I swallowed hard, I felt the prominent bone in my throat move up and down. I noticed my shoulders were stiff with tension and had to consciously try to relax.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst through my collarbone. It was a relief that the airport was noisy. I tried to maintain a natural expression, but I wasn’t sure if I succeeded.

“It’s been… a while, Hyung.”

Fortunately, my voice sounded natural. I gathered my courage and looked up at Saheon. He raised his eyebrows slightly, looking a bit surprised. The pounding of my heart began to take on a slightly different rhythm.

Did he not expect me to come? No, he had greeted me with a wave when our eyes met earlier. Was I mistaken? Did he think only my father would come to greet him, and I tagged along unexpectedly? An inexplicable sense of unease gripped my ankle.

“…Oh.”

A faint voice slipped through the slightly parted lips of Saheon, barely audible unless I strained to listen. It sounded like a weak moan, a sweet exclamation, or perhaps a low response.

But before I could properly register the complex sound, Saheon’s expression transformed from that of an airline model to one filled with mischief.

“Mungmung!”

Calling me by my childhood nickname, Hyung wiped away his adult-like expression and returned to the familiar mischievous face I knew. Before I could even feel relieved, Saheon ruffled my hair playfully. Having grown accustomed to the gentle touch of my aunt and Chaeheon Hyung over the past few years, I could only sway helplessly as he shook my hair.

“Ah, ah! Hyung, I’m dizzy!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Saheon, who gently tidied my hair with a kind touch, smiled at me. I was surprised by the sudden physical contact, but I was definitely more relaxed than just a moment ago. Saheon continued speaking as if we had just met yesterday without a hint of awkwardness.

“Why have you grown so much?”

After Saheon went to America, I had a late growth spurt and shot up by 20 cm. It was a common greeting one would say to someone they hadn’t seen in three years, but it made my heart flutter nonetheless.

“Yeah….”

It wasn’t a suitable answer to the question, but Hyung didn’t seem to think it was strange. My father, who was watching our joyful reunion with a pleased expression, suddenly spoke up as if he had just remembered something.

“Oh, I’ve kept the person who’s been working too long. Should we eat first? Since you just came back from abroad, should we have Korean food?”

At my father’s words, Saheon exaggeratedly grimaced and waved his hands.

“Oh, don’t even mention Korean food. I ate kimchi stew with the captain for two days straight. What kind of American likes kimchi more than I do?”

Hyung replied cheekily as he placed the hat he had tucked under his arm onto the handle of his suitcase. My father walked alongside Saheon, guiding him toward the parking lot. I followed closely behind Hyung’s broad back.

As we exited the automatic doors, a chilly wind hit my cheeks. Hyung, wearing only a thin uniform jacket, seemed a bit cold as he hunched his shoulders. The back of his jacket was indented in the shape of his back muscles.

Following closely behind Saheon, I found myself staring in awe at the vertical lines created by his clothing. But it seemed I wasn’t the only one captivated by that sight.

All around, envious gazes were directed at the tall and handsome man. It was even more pronounced since we were at the airport and he was in uniform.

That meant Hyung was indeed very handsome, but my pride was short-lived when I noticed two foreign girls behind the crosswalk excitedly whispering something in their language while pointing at Saheon.

However, my sharp gaze didn’t seem to have much effect. The two foreign girls, noticing my glare, became even more animated and pointed at my face.

In the end, I had to widen my eyes even more until the traffic light turned green. It was a futile attempt at intimidation.