The Best of Tomorrow [ 내일의 으뜸]

Chapter 72

Sunjae leaned back on the couch, and I lay across his legs as we watched the movie. I tried to open my eyes, but it didn't last long, and my eyelids drooped heavily. It was as if someone had placed cotton balls weighing as much as dumbbells on my eyelashes. No matter how hard I tried to raise my eyelids, they slid down like the shutters of a closed store.

It was a drowsy movie, a yawn-inducing movie, a movie that was rated as such. The reason why I was watching such a boring and dull movie was because Sunjae came to me with a Blu-ray of the movie. It was the Blu-ray I had given him for his birthday.

I opened my mouth to say, "Oh my God, didn't I give you this?" but he nodded and opened the case. No, I gave it to you to watch when you couldn't sleep, I said in a hushed voice, but it didn't seem to reach his ears.

But there was something more surprising than the Blu-ray in his hand. I squealed when I saw him take off his coat, and he was wearing the knit I'd given him for his birthday. An oatmeal-colored knit with a coarse pretzel weave. I'd even forgotten that I'd given it to him. I had bought it for his eighteenth birthday, and it was immaculate, with no frayed corners. I covered my mouth with my hands and said, "Holy shit, why does this look so new?" He just smiled and said, "I wore it for the first time today. I wore it for the first time today, Hah.

A hand stroking his hair made him feel even more languid.

"I don't understand this scene."

Sunjae's voice sounded like it was underwater. I slowly closed and opened my eyes to the sound of ringing. When he tried to clear his mind, it was cluttered, as if someone had rummaged through his thoughts. When I didn't answer, Sunjae leaned over and lowered his head to look at me. I squinted at the sudden shadow.

"Are you asleep?"

"No?"

"You were sleeping."

"I wasn't."

I shifted my position and laid down, pressing my ear to Sunjae's thigh and rubbing my head. It was a movie that didn't have a single funny part, and I was surprised that he was watching it without even moving.

"Hey, Sunjae, are you enjoying the movie?"

"Just so-so."

"I read the comments and people say it's a sleep inducer, but you're not sleeping.""Yeah."

Great guy....... I put my fingers to my eyelids to keep them closed. Still, it was something I'd brought for Sunjae to watch with me, something I'd even given him, and it was a little too tempting to throw away. I felt like I'd left a comrade-in-arms on the battlefield, and I couldn't let him watch this boring movie alone.

One boring scene after another passed by. There were scenes of him sitting on the beach, picking up shells and playing the guitar, with no background music. I even wondered if I would have been less sleepy if they had put a very dynamic background music on the non-dynamic scenes. I imagined 'Oh Pilseung Korea' as a movie that never leaves the beach. I'd be clapping in my sleep.