“Bowling after we finish, call?”
When Kihyun hyung, who had been pouring out words, brought up bowling, our eyes met with Kwon Sungha’s. I laughed at the proposal that didn’t deviate one bit from expectations.
“Whatever.”
“Good.”
“I’m in too.”
“I’m out. I have to meet Soyeon.”
“What time are you meeting her?”
“We agreed to contact each other right after eating.”
“Got it. So everyone except Jang Gijae then? What about you guys?”
“We’re going too.”
When I put the well-fried chicken in my mouth, the strong spicy and salty taste stimulated my tongue. It was the most famous dish here, but for me, it was the only food here that didn’t suit my taste. Today was no exception.
Thunk. Kwon Sungha, sitting next to me, held out an empty plate.
“Give it to me. You’re not going to eat it, right?”
Kihyun hyung, who had been staring at that scene, opened his mouth.
“This hyung is so moved he could cry.”
“Why are you crying?”
“Again, it’s starting again. Seo Gihyun.”
“Probably the best thing I’ve ever done in my life is—”
“Introducing Sungha? I know. Sehyun would be grateful too, so stop it now, please.”
It was a repertoire that repeated every time. I didn’t know you two would get this close. I didn’t know you’d hang out for this long. Introducing you two was truly a stroke of genius no matter how I think about it. Kihyun hyung said the same thing every time until we were sick of it.
Of course, I didn’t know we’d get this close at first either, but saying it’s been a long time over just 2 years was a bit ridiculous.
“Ah, Sehyun-ah.”
The one who called me from diagonally across was Jungwoo hyung.
“Are you going to New York this week?”
“Why do you ask?”
“There’s a show on Saturday so there’s an after-party, but I’m not going. I’m planning to drink separately matching the end time, so if you’re in Chicago, I was thinking we could gather at your place. We talked about it among ourselves on the way here.”
“What about Sungha?”
I just asked something obvious, but Jungwoo hyung hesitated very briefly.
“Sungha has work. If you say it’s okay, Sungha can come there after work ends.”
“What time does the show end?”
“Roughly…… eight, nine o’clock?”
“It’s fine, then.”
“Oh. That’s a relief. Looks like you’re not going to New York this week. I thought you’d definitely go since it’s the last week of vacation.”
It seemed the hyungs understood my girlfriend’s feelings better than I did. I remembered my girlfriend’s voice angrily saying I absolutely had to come because it was the last week of vacation.
During the long summer vacation, I met her dozens of times while in Korea. I thought it would be okay since we saw each other almost every day, so I came to America two weeks early, but my girlfriend was dissatisfied even with that.
When I said I’d stay in Chicago for the remaining two weeks to do the exercise I’d put off and prepare for the semester, she got even angrier, and it eventually became the cause of this fight.
“Sungha-ya. You heard too, right?”
“Yes. I’ll go after I finish, I will.”
“Yeah. Make sure you come. If you don’t come, Kang Sehyun might not lend us his place. Sungha, you must come.”
“Why does it turn out like that again?”
“Why? Don’t you remember when Sungha didn’t come before and you said it was boring and went to sleep from two o’clock?”
“Me.”
I’d never thought it was boring while hanging out with the hyungs for a long time, but there was exactly one day like that. It was a day when we drank while playing games or cards at my place as usual.
I was drinking while watching the hyungs play games as usual, but I wasn’t enjoying it. Even when the hyungs settled down and poured drinks for me after I said it was boring, it was the same.
“Won’t you be tired?”
“Well, nothing new.”
Kwon Sungha laughed saying it wasn’t just once or twice. Still, he nodded at my words to not overdo it just in case.
“They really can’t live without each other. At this point, aren’t they lovers?”
“Right. Kang Sehyun’s girlfriend is his New York honey, and Sungha is his Chicago honey. Hurry up and change what’s saved in your phone. Give our Sungha a heart too, not creditor.”
Even when the hyungs made jokes looking at us, Kwon Sungha was eating his meal with an indifferent expression. I was the same. We were used to this kind of teasing.
“But seriously, I was thinking this the other day…… what if Sungha gets a girlfriend?”
“What do you mean what?”
“No, in case Sehyun cries.”
“Stop it?”
“Oh, finally got angry.”
Kwon Sungha, who had been still no matter what was said until now, smiled for the first time. And he made a joke he rarely makes.
“Is that so?”
“What?”
“Are you asking if I’ll cry if you get a girlfriend?”
“Now even you’re doing this?”
“Why. I’m asking seriously.”
For asking seriously, there was a playful smile on his face.
“Don’t worry. Sungha said he’ll only study until graduation. Of course, you never know with people.”
“Many people will be sad. This hyung is sad too. There’s a line of people I want to introduce him to.”
In reality, there were quite a few people who liked Kwon Sungha. With decent looks, tall height, and even a good personality, he was popular even with guys, so there was no way he wouldn’t be with women.
“This is all because of Kang Sehyun.”
“Why me again?”
“Because we only meet among ourselves every time because of you, Sungha doesn’t have a chance to meet women.”
“You just said there’s a line of people to introduce him to. Isn’t that unrelated to this gathering? He said he doesn’t want to himself.”
“Still, you never know? If they meet by chance, they could meet like destiny.”
“Then invite him somewhere else.”
Even if such an opportunity arose, Kwon Sungha didn’t get introduced to anyone or go to gatherings where there were women. I’d asked him about it before. It was when we were having that kind of talk about what he’d do on Christmas.
‘I’m working.’
‘That day?’
‘Yeah.’
‘What about Christmas Eve?’
‘That day too.’
‘Isn’t it originally a day you don’t work?’
‘Yeah. But since I’m not going to Korea this vacation, I agreed to come out on all the busy days.’
Not any other day but Christmas, I suddenly became curious.
‘Don’t you meet anyone?’
‘Who would I meet? I said I’m working.’
‘No. I’m asking if you’re seeing anyone.’
‘Ah…… What are you asking when you see me most often next to you? I don’t have anything like that.’
‘Why don’t you date?’
It seemed like he could date anyone if he wanted to.
Kwon Sungha answered my question without a moment’s hesitation.
‘It’s a waste of money. Something like dating.’
That was probably the most shocking thing I’d heard from Kwon Sungha. It was something that didn’t seem like it would come out of his kind face at all.
The late lunch ended while making useless jokes and trivial talk. To the bowling alley 15 minutes away, we left my car and took Kwon Sungha’s car.
As soon as we got in the car, a call came. In the quiet car, the vibrating sound from my pocket sounded unusually louder.
“Just answer it.”
“It’s fine.”
“It kept coming even when we were at the restaurant earlier. If it’s awkward to talk in here, go outside and come back. We haven’t left yet.”
“If I answer, it’ll be long. I can call later, so just leave.”
Instead of answering the phone, I sent a text saying I was with a friend and would call later. Then the calls that had been coming continuously stopped, but a text came right away.
Honey♡: [You’re meeting friends even at a time like this?]
Honey♡: [Amazing, Kang Sehyun]
“Haah……”
I couldn’t get a sense of where exactly things went wrong.
“Should I stop the car?”
The car had just left the parking lot and entered the local road.
“No. I said it’s fine.”
“You say it’s fine, but your face doesn’t look like it, so. It’s not my place to be concerned, but this one’s going on for a while.”
“It’s only been three days, what do you mean a while?”
“Three days is a while. You usually made up in one day. Isn’t this the longest so far?”
The word “make up” could only come out when presupposing a fight. Not only the party involved who created this situation but also the third party watching believed this situation was a fight, not a breakup.
Three days ago, I clearly received notice of a breakup.
That’s why those words about accepting came out in the first place. Words saying to accept quickly if you’re going to accept anyway. But for some reason this time, I didn’t want to do that. I kept doubting whether it was right to continue this relationship.
“Kang Sehyun.”
When Kwon Sungha called me like this, it was always when he wanted to ask something curious.
“Your current girlfriend is the only person you’ve dated, right?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’ve been curious about this from before, is your current girlfriend close to your ideal type?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you know?”
“Because I’ve never thought about that kind of thing.”
She was by my side from the beginning, that was natural, and I wanted to continue being together. Even after becoming lovers, I’d never thought about meeting someone else, so there was no need to think about an ideal type or anything.
“I also have something I’ve been curious about from before.”
“Yeah. What is it?”
“Why do you always ask things you’ve been curious about from before later?”
Kwon Sungha just laughed without answering.
Even during this conversation, vibrations rang several more times. I thought about turning off the power altogether, but I didn’t even want to take out my phone, so I stopped. With my complicated feelings, I didn’t want to do anything.
What bowling. I just want to have a drink.
“There wasn’t any talk about doing something separate after bowling, right?”
“No. Why?”
“I want to drink.”
Hearing my words, Kwon Sungha thought for a few seconds.
“Then come to my place. It’s close from here.”
“Do you have alcohol?”
“We’ll buy some on the way, what. There should be a few cans of beer left, but we need to buy more anyway.”
A lot of time had passed. In the meantime, surprisingly everything was the same, but if there were a few things that changed, it was the relationship between Kwon Sungha and me, and the point that alcohol that could only be drunk in Korea could now be drunk in America too.
