Back to the Sea

Like any gallery in Paris, The Hands held a party for the Christmas season, but those who attended the party on the night of the 24th were mostly singles living apart from their families. In France, Christmas was still strongly regarded as a holiday to spend with family.

"This is no different from last year."

"As long as we drink for free, who cares, Ben?"

Jun shrugged at Ben's complaint.

"What do you take a sensitive artist like me for?"

Ben shot back.

"Is alcohol and music enough to call it a party? Where's the loaded glances, the taut sexual tension crackling back and forth? You think that kind of thing happens between people who see each other every day?"

"Sensitive, my ass...."

Jun clicked his tongue and grimaced, but Ben paid him no mind, busy scanning the exhibition hall transformed into a party venue.

Contrary to Ben's grumbling, most of the people filling the space were new faces. In addition to small sponsors invited by the gallery and regular visitors, quite a few attendees had bought tickets on their own.

The Hands' parties were fairly popular among artists around the Canal Saint-Martin and Parisian hipsters.

"Seo Yeehyeon. Yeehyeon."

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Isn't the guy who just came in kind of nice? What are you spacing out about?"

Turning toward Ben as he shook his shoulder, Yeehyeon wiped his face. He hadn't been thinking about anything in particular — he'd just lost the thread of conversation for a moment.

"You've been checking your watch nonstop. Don't you dare sneak out early this year. This time I'm getting you drunk for sure, oh, God."

Ben, who had his arm slung over Yeehyeon's shoulder, stopped talking and looked up to the heavens.

"There's my sexual tension, right over there."

The man by the entrance, where Ben's gaze had fixed, was Liu Weikun. Yeehyeon moistened his lips with the last of his wine.

"How did that guy end up here? What, does he know Reid? Was he one of the sponsors? He's clearly not your average luxury type... but why would someone like that come to a Hands party on a night like this?"

Ben muttered rapidly, tightening his arm around Yeehyeon's neck as if to strangle him. He looked far less composed than usual.

"He's coming this way. Did he recognize me?"

"Ben... no, it's not that...."

Yeehyeon tried to explain, but Ben no longer seemed to hear him. After quickly fixing his appearance, Ben downed the half-glass of wine in one go.

Smiling broadly as he approached, Liu Weikun kept his eyes fixed on just one person. The closer he got, the clearer it became who that gaze was meant for.

"Merry Christmas. You look especially wonderful tonight."

Stopping in front of Yeehyeon, Liu Weikun lightly wrapped an arm around him and kissed his cheek. Glancing sideways at the oddly distorted faces of Ben and Jun, frozen in shock, Yeehyeon bit his lower lip. He didn't dislike the affection. But there was no helping the heat rising to his face.

Gently pushing against Liu Weikun's chest, Yeehyeon cleared his throat.

"This is Liu Weikun. He's from Seoul — my boyfriend."

Ben and Jun's eyes widened even further. If Ben hadn't already emptied his glass, he might have spilled the wine.

"And these two are Ben and Jun. We live and work together here at The Hands."

Standing close with an arm loosely around Yeehyeon's waist, Liu Weikun reacted quickly when Jun was introduced.

"Ah, Jun! The one in the next room. Nice to meet you."

"Hyung... talked about me?"

"He did mention there was a younger brother from Hong Kong staying next door. You look even younger than I imagined. To be receiving support from The Hands at that age, your talent must be something else."

There was no way he didn't know that being called "young" wasn't always a compliment for someone Jun's age. Yeehyeon had the impression that Liu Weikun was deliberately emphasizing his youth. Yet there wasn't a trace of mischief in his gentle smile.

"Hello. I'm Ben Schweiger. Funny running into you here like this."

"...What?"

Before the awkwardly stiff handshake between Jun and Liu Weikun could even finish, Ben suddenly stepped in between them.

"Uh... it seems Ben spotted Kun a few times at the café by the canal."

"Ah...."

After hearing the explanation, Liu Weikun nodded with a look that said he understood, and clasped Ben's hand.

"He kept saying he had a boyfriend, but since no one showed up even once for over a year, we started wondering if Yeehyeon had made the whole thing up. We thought maybe he was blocking off dating prospects by claiming he had a partner so he could focus on painting."

At Ben's words, Liu Weikun turned to Yeehyeon with an expression that said, Is that so? Pretending not to notice the look, Yeehyeon tilted his glass and swallowed the very last sip of wine.

"Of course, I'm not the kind of narrow-minded guy who thinks having a partner completely closes off all possibilities."

Liu Weikun smiled silently at Ben's addition.

No matter how casually Ben behaved, Yeehyeon knew well that he wasn't the type to openly pursue someone who already had a partner, especially not someone else's. Still, the fact that Ben wasn't being as mischievously teasing as he usually was with people he was interested in lingered in Yeehyeon's mind.

"If you don't mind me asking... what do you do?"

"I run a gallery in Seoul. It's also the gallery Yeehyeon was affiliated with before coming here. I worked with Yuni as well."

Since the topic had come up, Liu Weikun naturally pulled a card case from his inner pocket and handed business cards to the two of them.

"Honestly, there's no one more trustworthy to entrust your work to than your partner. In terms of understanding the art and respecting the artist, it goes without saying... and as you know, this field is full of people trying to skin others alive. It's the ideal partnership. As a fellow artist, I'm genuinely envious of Yeehyeon."

Ben studied the card with a serious look, then flashed a grin — not at Liu Weikun, but at Yeehyeon — as he said that.

"But don't couples usually want to spend days like this alone? Especially if they've just reunited after a long time...."

"Well, honestly — I wanted that too."

Liu Weikun answered Jun's muttered comment immediately.

Feeling Ben and Jun's surprised gazes swing toward him again, Yeehyeon tried to escape the awkwardness by drinking, but his glass was empty.

They probably thought his relationship would be plain, boringly calm. That he'd choose someone similar as a partner.

"But being with Yeehyeon at a place that matters to him means something too. And... we do have plans to spend time alone afterward."

Tightening the arm around Yeehyeon's waist, Liu Weikun pressed his lips to his cheek. It felt more intimate than a simple greeting, and this time Ben and Jun turned their gazes away, pretending to sip their wine.

"Um, would you like some wine? There's only one kind, so no choices, but...."

"It's fine. We can drink later... stay with me a little longer."

After kissing Yeehyeon's temple, Liu Weikun whispered without pulling his lips away. The hands that had been wrapped around his waist loosely interlaced at his side, holding him there.

Since this wasn't a formal party, that level of skinship, or even more, was hardly unusual. Judging by last year's experience, within the next hour, intense foreplay just short of sex would probably be unfolding all over the exhibition hall.

Still, because he had almost never openly shown that he was in a relationship in front of others, Yeehyeon felt his body keep stiffening.

"Think of it like when it's just the two of us. Nobody's paying attention."

His whisper was sweet.

The fresh breath brushing his cheek, the chest pressed against his shoulder, the gentle low voice — Yeehyeon didn't want him to notice the faint shiver running up the back of his neck.

But... Liu Weikun's words weren't quite true. Not only Jun, but even the usually free-spirited Ben kept sneaking glances their way.

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt...."

"......"

Yeehyeon turned his head toward the voice on the left.

Someone cautiously stepped into the group, completing a two-on-two arrangement with Ben and Jun on one side and Yeehyeon and Liu Weikun on the other. It was a couple who looked to be in their early thirties, around Liu Weikun's age.

Naturally, all attention shifted toward them, and Liu Weikun stepped back slightly from Yeehyeon.

"You're Yeehyeon from the Colorful Ghosts series, right?"

"Yes."

"It's such a pleasure. I'm a fan of your work."

"Ah... hello. Thank you."

As they shook hands, Yeehyeon's ears flushed red. The nape of his neck, half-revealed beneath his hair that had grown longer since he first left Seoul, reddened as if warmed by sunlight.

Liu Weikun quietly watched Yeehyeon's reddened ears and the back of his neck, then shifted his gaze to Ben and Jun. Perhaps seeing Yeehyeon go shy in front of fans wasn't such a rare sight, because the two were struggling to suppress their smiles.

Though brief introductions were exchanged around the group, the conversation naturally centered on the couple and Yeehyeon.

"Honestly, even though we go to a lot of exhibitions, we'd never once considered buying art. Our finances weren't exactly comfortable enough for that. But the first painting we ever thought we wanted in our living room was yours."

Yeehyeon didn't react dramatically, but the soft exclamation that slipped through his slightly parted lips revealed how deeply moved he was.

"Your works are so popular that we've always missed the chance to buy them, but we always come to the gallery whenever you release something new. I loved your most recent piece so much that I came to see it nearly ten times during the exhibition."

"Hearing that makes me truly happy. Thank you... really."

The two, who introduced themselves as ordinary office workers at the same architecture firm, shared their personal and candid impressions of Yeehyeon's work. He listened with far greater sincerity than he ever did when reading the obscure, jargon-laden critiques published in famous art magazines. After all, the people he wanted to talk to through his work existed not in magazines, but out on the streets, among neighbors.

"We've been living together for seven years and plan to get married next year. Our goal is to hang one of your works in the new home we'll move into after the wedding, so please wish us luck."

"Wow... congratulations on your wedding."

At Yeehyeon's words, the two exchanged glances with slightly bewildered expressions, as if they'd received an unexpected congratulation. The woman clasped her partner's hand and smiled brightly.

"We've been together so long that it felt like a natural decision, so we didn't really think of it as something to be congratulated for... but hearing it from you makes me happy."

Seeing her bright smile, Yeehyeon suddenly became aware of Liu Weikun standing beside him.

That summer in Hong Kong. He had felt envy then, watching Inwu's painting be chosen by a family. And now here he was, standing in the middle of a moment like this. It was a future he couldn't have imagined during the years he swallowed silence beside his father. He knew well that he hadn't come this far by talent alone.

When he turned at the gentle hand on his shoulder, Liu Weikun was looking at him with a smile even softer than his touch.

"Take your time. I'll go get you more wine."

As Liu Weikun naturally took Yeehyeon's empty glass from his hand and turned to leave, his eyes met Ben's.

"Being a superstar's partner is a lonely role, you know. Yeehyeon is practically the face of The Hands right now."

Liu Weikun offered Ben a short smile and quickly slipped away from the group.

At the temporary bar set up in a corner for the party, he set the empty glass down and perched on a tall stool. Just as Yeehyeon had said, only one kind of wine was available. He ordered a glass from the bartender, who looked slightly tense, as if unaccustomed to this kind of event.

While waiting, he leaned his elbow on the bar and rubbed his jaw broadly with one hand. Then he turned his head, looking over his shoulder. Among the crowd dressed to the nines, Yeehyeon's back and profile appeared and disappeared repeatedly.

Yeehyeon looked far more relaxed than before. Watching him laugh and talk with people who cherished his work, Liu Weikun finally turned forward again when the wine was ready.

He drained nearly half the glass in one go, like beer.

No matter how Yeehyeon felt, Liu Weikun regretted the awkward behavior he'd shown upon arriving. Objectively, it hadn't been strange at all — especially in Paris, it didn't even count as particularly bold. Still, Yeehyeon seemed to find public displays of affection uncomfortable.

He felt impatient, wanting to leave a clear impression on the people around Yeehyeon, and even on the young kid next door who had so brazenly shown interest in him.

To be perfectly honest, it was a childish desire to prove and show off the depth and seriousness of their relationship.

But the real reason he'd acted out of character — and the reason his throat still felt dry with tension even now that he'd stepped away — was something else entirely.

Licking his lips once, Liu Weikun pressed his hand against the inner chest pocket of his suit jacket to feel the weight there. Then he finished the remaining wine in one gulp.

Before he could fully set the glass down, he felt a gentle hand brush his shoulder from behind.

"I'm sorry. I invited you here, and then...."

Shaking his head as he set the glass down, Liu Weikun rotated the stool to face Yeehyeon. He lightly caught only the tips of Yeehyeon's outstretched hands, his expression deeply apologetic, and stroked the backs of his fingers with his thumbs.

"When your boyfriend is a superstar, you can't really complain."

Only then did Yeehyeon relax, smiling as he climbed up onto the adjacent stool.

Two fresh glasses of wine were served, and sitting close enough that their shoulders touched, they clinked glasses.

"Why does the word 'boyfriend' feel so good to me? I said earlier that just 'dating' doesn't feel like enough... but that's a separate thing."

Liu Weikun exhaled slowly, gazing seriously into the middle distance. Yeehyeon smiled and toyed with the thin stem of his wineglass.

"Back in Hong Kong... do you remember what you said to the man from Amsterdam who asked to exchange email addresses?"

"That was... I wasn't thinking about you specifically, it just came out in the moment!"

Even without meaning to tease him, Yeehyeon's face flushed instantly. Liu Weikun found the honest reaction endearing.

"I know."

"......"

"I know you're not someone who calculates things that slyly. How could I not?"

Liu Weikun slipped his fingers subtly around Yeehyeon's hand as it rested on the glass.

"Even knowing that, it still made me happy."

"......"

"Being mistaken for someone's boyfriend... why didn't it feel unpleasant or awkward at all, but instead made me feel good...."

A pleased smile spread across Liu Weikun's lips as he recalled the feeling. His blue eyes turned toward Yeehyeon. Tonight they were like the sea on a calm day.

"Honestly, it wasn't just that I felt good... I felt like I could fly."

"I didn't know...."

"I didn't know back then either."

Liu Weikun extended the arm closest to Yeehyeon and rested it lightly on his shoulder. The weight of his well-built arm and large hand felt solid. As he gently kneaded the back of Yeehyeon's neck, he gazed deeply into his eyes.

"That I'd lose my head over a temporary staff member Manager Han brought in, do things so unlike myself... and then have him become someone who would change the very direction of who I am, and my entire life."

The DJ Yuni had been introduced to through Michelle was playing music with a heavy beat. Cheers rose loudly with the swelling rhythm. But neither of them turned around. At a distance close enough for shoulders and knees to brush, all they could see was each other's faces.

Tracing Yeehyeon's face carefully with his gaze, Liu Weikun tilted his head slightly, then swept his lower lip softly down over Yeehyeon's lips.

"It's a little... earlier than planned. But should we sneak out now?"