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“Geonhyeok-ah, water for me too. But do you guys know where I’m working part-time?”
Woogyun, who received the water bottle from Cha Geonhyeok, made eye contact with each person one by one. Having seen his clear eyes, I couldn’t open my mouth because my conscience pricked me, and Gong Minyeong seemed to not notice either Woogyun’s words or his gaze as she was looking at me with a strange expression.
“Where are you working?”
In the end, the remaining Cha Geonhyeok asked Woogyun. When Woogyun told him the cafe’s business name and location, Cha Geonhyeok continued the conversation by asking how he came to work there.
While listening to their voices, I asked Gong Minyeong “Why?” with my lip movements. Gong Minyeong, who shook her head slightly, picked up the water bottle Woogyun had placed on one side and filled her water glass. After drinking water, she naturally joined Cha Geonhyeok and Woogyun’s conversation. I wondered what was up, but not curious enough to ask her again, so I picked up the voices going back and forth across the table. Since it wasn’t a difficult topic to join, before long I also raised my voice little by little.
“I’ll clear away the empty bottles.”
A little later, the employee who brought the additionally ordered alcohol quickly picked up the empty bottles and moved away. In his busy movements, I could see today’s high sales. Having contributed to that, we filled and emptied our glasses while talking sometimes noisily and sometimes calmly at the bustling bar. The alcohol went down smoothly.
“Bye.”
Gong Minyeong, who got into the taxi first, stretched out her words while waving her hand leisurely. Woogyun, who sat next to her, closed the car door. The window rolled down.
“I’m leaving. Go safely, and um… see you at school tomorrow.”
Woogyun, whose cheeks were tinged reddish, smiled and waved his hand. Gong Minyeong was waving too.
“Go.”
“Bye. Go safely.”
Standing side by side with Cha Geonhyeok, we each said a word. The taxi departed. The cigarette smoke Cha Geonhyeok exhaled passed before my eyes.
We broke up the drinking session well past midnight. All four people were drunk, but no one lost consciousness or became senseless. Since Woogyun and Gong Minyeong’s houses were in the same direction, the two took the same taxi. Well-mannered Woogyun said he would drop Gong Minyeong off at home and go to his own house.
From here to Gong Minyeong’s house takes about thirty minutes by car. During that time, she would be with Woogyun. In a jolting enclosed space, together with Woogyun…
“Should I move…”
“What are you saying?”
My brain submerged in alcohol sloshed. I was drunk enough to have insolent thoughts carelessly. When Woogyun disappeared from before my eyes, as if my remaining mental strength had evaporated, the drunkenness rose even more. I went behind Cha Geonhyeok, who stood a span away, and leaned against his back, burying the side of my face in it. It was more comfortable than I thought.
“Geonhyeok-ah… Want to sleep over? Your car is at my house…”
“You’re saying ‘take me home’ in a strange way.”
It was on the mark. If possible, I wanted to be carried on Cha Geonhyeok’s back.
“…Will you take me… home…? Cha Geonhyeok-nim…”
Unlike my heart, the words came out slowly. My pronunciation was also a bit slurred.
“Will you make me hangover soup in the morning?”
“Yes… Dessert too…”
I hugged Cha Geonhyeok’s waist. Cha Geonhyeok moved away the hand holding the cigarette. Sleepiness rushed in. Even though the surroundings were noisy since it was a street lined with bars, it was so. I put my weight on Cha Geonhyeok and dozed off nodding. Cha Geonhyeok, who flicked off the cigarette fire, scored the butt in a nearby ashtray.
“Hey, get on my back.”
Cha Geonhyeok, who released my arms hugging his waist, lowered his body. I didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly got on his back. He hoisted me up once and moved his steps toward my house. My body swayed pleasantly. I nuzzled my face against Cha Geonhyeok’s shoulder and exhaled long. Falling into sleep was in an instant.
* * *
Thunk.
I put down the small plate I’d been holding and looking at back in its original place. While listening to the calm music flowing out, I moved my steps slowly.
In the accessory shop I’d entered after hesitating, there were many cute things. A glass cup that would look pretty holding and drinking orange juice, a cup coaster with a simple pattern, a small towel with yellow flower embroidery.
Not only kitchen items, but there were also many decorations like dolls, keychains, and figures. I unnecessarily touched the animal-shaped keychains I’d looked over one by one and looked at stickers I had no use for. I also examined dreamcatchers and wind chimes I’d occasionally seen on TV.
Around the time I’d looked around the charming shop to some extent, I received a message from Cha Geonhyeok asking where I was. I answered that it was the accessory shop next to the bookstore, and approached the keychain I’d been eyeing earlier. Rabbit, teddy bear, cat, puppy. Reflecting my personal taste, I picked out a keychain with a rabbit, carrot, and flower attached together. I went to the cashier.
“One of this please.”
“Yes. Should I wrap it?”
“Uh… Yes.”
I paid an additional wrapping fee. The clerk wrapped the keychain with skilled hands. While I was thinking, “How can they do it so well?” and watching the clerk’s fingertips, ding-a-ling, the door opened. Cha Geonhyeok, who seemed to both match and not match the accessory shop, came in. He looked at me standing at the cashier and the keychain hidden in wrapping paper.
“What, did you already buy it?”
“No. This is something different. I need to go buy it now.”
I answered him and gestured to Cha Geonhyeok, who was standing blocking the door, to come here. He came and stood next to me.
I’d decided to go to the cafe where Woogyun works on Wednesday. I tried to coax Cha Geonhyeok to go together, but he declined my proposal, saying he had something to do that day. Since I’d already told Woogyun I’d go on Wednesday, it was awkward to change the day. It seemed I’d have no choice but to go alone.
Today, Sunday, though a bit early, I came to buy a gift to give Woogyun in advance. I felt like if I chose alone, I wouldn’t be able to buy it within today, so I requested Cha Geonhyeok to accompany me in exchange for buying him dinner. He said no at first with an annoyed tone, but when I pestered him a few more times, he said okay without additional demands. So that’s how we got to now.
The clerk put the wrapped keychain in a paper bag and handed it over. I said “Thank you” and left the accessory shop with Cha Geonhyeok. I put the paper bag well into my bag and took out my phone. I turned on the map and checked the locations of decent shops I’d looked into in advance.
The gift list was diverse. Handmade cookies and egg tarts that required reservations, an eco-friendly material tumbler, a mug cup that was a set with a lid, slippers good to wear when working at a cafe, etc. I decided to go to the nearest cookie shop first.
“Don’t tell me you’re stopping by all of these today?”
Cha Geonhyeok asked while pointing at my phone screen.
“Uh… Yeah?”
I started answering cheerfully but raised my voice at the end. While raising a question, I grabbed and held up Cha Geonhyeok’s hand.
“Ah.”
Cha Geonhyeok made a faintly irritated voice. I made Cha Geonhyeok’s fingers unfold with my own hands. Purple nail polish was sparsely applied on his right index and middle finger nails. It was very clumsy skill.
“You, this kind of hobby…”
“What are you talking about. My younger sibling did it.”
Cha Geonhyeok roughly pulled out the hand I’d caught. While looking down at his nails, he scrapes off the nail polish. I stood on tiptoes and looked into his hand.
“You have a younger sibling?”
“Yeah.”
“A girl?”
“A boy.”
“Young?”
“A baby. 4 years old.”
I opened my eyes wide and lowered my heels. Cha Geonhyeok, who glanced at me, laughed softly. I couldn’t understand the meaning of the laughter.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because your expression is funny.”
“…I see.”
The reason I agreed unlike what would befit a teasing remark was because I didn’t know what to say. I was worried I might make a verbal slip to him.
I’d been in a similar situation before. When I was in middle school, a classmate boy got a younger sibling with a big age gap, and I got cursed at for saying “How nice.” Saying it was a sibling his father had fathered outside, asking if he was still envious, my friend cried and shouted loudly. That memory came back so I couldn’t readily open my mouth.
“What are you thinking about?”
While I was just rolling my eyeballs, Cha Geonhyeok poked me with his elbow and asked. What had to come came. What should I answer? Still, the relationship between the younger sibling and Cha Geonhyeok seemed not bad. Just looking at how he came with nail polish on his nails showed that. I determined the direction of my answer and opened my mouth with difficulty.
“…Just that you get along well with your younger sibling…?”
“We do. He likes me. Where are we going?”
“Ah, over there inside.”
I said while pointing at the left alley. Cha Geonhyeok put his hand in his pocket and took a step. I went to his side and walked matching his stride. While walking quietly, out of the blue, Cha Geonhyeok opened his mouth.
“My mother remarried two years ago.”
I didn’t ask about his story but I was curious. So to let him know I was listening hard, I nodded my head quickly. He continued speaking.
“I have one older brother above me, and the younger sibling is a baby the ahjussi brought. Now the baby, my mother, and the ahjussi, the three of them live together. My brother and I each moved out and live separately.”
“Then did you go home today?”
“Yeah. Because the baby said he missed me.”
Baby. The word “baby” that Cha Geonhyeok said was somehow ticklish. I scratched my innocent arm and stopped in front of a short crosswalk. I had no siblings. Being an only child and growing up under dual-income parents, I was often bored. I was a bit envious of Cha Geonhyeok who had siblings above and below.
