The surroundings were noisy and bustling. Seo Eunho sat in the corner as much as possible, sipping his soju bit by bit. He hadn’t meant to, but as people filled his glass one by one and he drank them, he had unknowingly consumed more than his usual limit.
Was that why? His seat had clearly been in the corner, but before he knew it, it had changed to the center. This wasn’t his place.
It didn’t make sense for a day laborer like him to be included in a company dinner with company employees in the first place. There wasn’t a single person around him in the same position as himself.
“Seeing the two of you sitting side by side like this makes such a nice picture.”
“Whether it’s Eunho-ssi or Seohee-ssi, they’re both outstanding people. Of course it looks good.”
“Please don’t say such things…”
“What did I say wrong? Isn’t that right?”
“When things match, you say they match. What else should I say?”
The sound of hearty laughter rang out pleasantly. Seo Eunho swallowed a sigh.
Having left their wives and children at home, these middle-aged men who were now desperate to meddle in young people’s love lives became more and more direct about pairing Seo Eunho and Kim Seohee as the alcohol flowed. Having reached his limit, Seo Eunho gradually pushed away his drinks while observing Kim Seohee. She was smiling awkwardly with both cheeks flushed red.
“Ah, really…”
She seemed uncomfortable with the constant stream of comments, but she didn’t seem to entirely dislike it either. Seo Eunho was aware that Kim Seohee had feelings for him.
If even he had noticed the feelings of an accounting employee who wasn’t even at the work site, how much faster must the people who saw her frequently have realized? Thanks to that, everyone was desperate to set him up with Kim Seohee. That was probably why he’d been included in this gathering too.
It was truly an uncomfortable situation. He needed to keep his wits about him, but his body swayed as he’d long since exceeded his drinking capacity. He blinked his eyes consciously, trying to focus, but people’s voices echoed and gradually grew more distant.
In the meantime, another glass of alcohol was filled in front of him. Unable to refuse, he clinked glasses and immediately downed it. He wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place, and he didn’t want to dampen the mood on top of that.
Might he someday become someone who could freely join—no, should join—dinners like this? If he learned skills like the foreman said… if he could do proper work…
A crooked laugh escaped him. It was such a hopeful thought. But what couldn’t he have?
Seo Eunho glanced at his silent phone. So it was only natural that he kept waiting for contact from Tae Shinwoo.
***
He’d merely blinked his eyes a few times, yet the scene kept changing. When he barely came to his senses, the gathering was already being roughly wrapped up.
He felt an inexplicable sense of dissonance. As Seo Eunho blinked his drowsy eyes, he suddenly bolted upright. It was the moment he realized he’d been resting his head on someone’s shoulder.
“Ah.”
Of all people, he’d been leaning his head on Kim Seohee’s shoulder. Seeing the faces of the middle-aged men grinning at him lecherously, it seemed like a very intentional situation, but since he was the one who’d lost consciousness, it was his mistake.
“I’m sorry.”
“No! Don’t worry about it.”
Seo Eunho nodded, pretending not to notice Kim Seohee’s reddened cheeks.
He couldn’t refuse.
The other person hadn’t made any gesture first, yet it felt like he was getting ahead of things. But just letting it pass felt uncomfortable too.
Whatever the case, it was his fault for losing his grip on consciousness.
“Still, I’m sorry.”
Offering another apology a beat late, Seo Eunho shifted his gaze to his phone. He must have made it a habit, doing it unconsciously, and surprisingly, there was a message.
[Where are you]
The sender was Tae Shinwoo.
The message that had arrived exactly 5 minutes ago left him dazed, making him feel like he was still dozing off.
Of course, it wasn’t strange for Tae Shinwoo to contact him, but if contact ever came, he’d thought it would be an order to come somewhere. If not that, then a notice to forget everything had happened.
At the very least, he hadn’t expected such a shitty question, so Seo Eunho scratched the back of his neck.
[At a company dinner]
For something like this, Seo Eunho agonized several times over sending the reply. The message itself was brief, but the time it took to send the reply showed traces of his deliberation.
He probably won’t really care.
Seo Eunho deliberately turned away from his guilty feelings that way. Then he kept staring at his phone. Because he had to wait for Tae Shinwoo’s reply.
However, even after a long while, his phone didn’t ring again.
Was the answer wrong? Ah, it seemed so. He’d asked where he was, but he’d given the nonsensical answer that he was at a company dinner.
Seo Eunho quickly picked up his phone and properly wrote out his location to inform him.
“Eunho-ssi. Are you okay?”
“Yes? Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
Clutching his phone tightly, Seo Eunho blinked slowly and replied. He was fine, so he didn’t know why she was asking.
Of course, to others, Seo Eunho’s condition didn’t look very good at all. His body was swaying slightly in all directions, and he wasn’t listening to people’s conversations at all, just staring at his phone with a flushed face, so there was no way he’d look fine.
Seo Eunho, who generally belonged to the type who quietly listened to others, not giving a proper response no matter how much anyone spoke to him meant he was quite drunk.
“Let’s head home. Everyone seems drunk.”
The gathering that had been showing signs of wrapping up completely ended with the site foreman’s words. People stood up from their seats one by one, and Seo Eunho also stood up following them.
However, perhaps because he’d drunk a lot, his body swayed for a moment. The one who caught Seo Eunho was Kim Seohee.
“I’m okay…”
“Still.”
Looking down at Kim Seohee, who was holding onto his collar with her slender wrists that wouldn’t be able to handle it if he collapsed, Seo Eunho carefully removed her hand. He appreciated the kindness but didn’t want it, and it would be better to just let him fall if he was going to fall. Unless they both wanted to get hurt.
As soon as they left the dinner venue, people scattered as if they’d been waiting. Seo Eunho looked at the people leaving first, then looked at his phone that still hadn’t rung.
“Eunho-ssi, you should head home too. Oh, and take care of Seohee-ssi. Eunho-ssi, make sure you see her home safely.”
“No, Foreman-nim. I’m fine…”
“How can I send you home alone this late at night? I’m too drunk to move, so Eunho-ssi, okay?”
Missing the timing was the problem. He got caught up in the foreman’s scheme to naturally pair him with Kim Seohee.
“…Yes.”
The foreman, who was mostly pretending to be drunk, wasn’t drunk in the slightest, and Kim Seohee had barely drunk at all, so if anything, she should be taking care of him, but Seo Eunho didn’t add any complaints.
He had no intention of playing along. But that said, he couldn’t just shake his head here and openly embarrass them.
“Then hurry home. Rest up really well until tomorrow.”
Someone standing next to the foreman urged in a voice mixed with laughter. Seeing an unfamiliar face and voice, they weren’t someone who worked at the site.
Seo Eunho gave a light bow, then gestured to Kim Seohee with his eyes. Kim Seohee, whose face had turned bright red in the meantime, bobbed her head.
“…”
The two who had separated from the group walked in silence. Since Seo Eunho occasionally swayed, Kim Seohee seemed to want to support him, but each time he waved his hand saying he was fine, she appeared unable to do either.
The more that happened, the more Seo Eunho tried to pull himself together and walk properly. Fortunately, there were no incidents until they reached the main street. Only when he saw taxis lined up did Seo Eunho stop walking. Kim Seohee did the same.
“I’m sorry.”
Kim Seohee suddenly spoke up.
“The atmosphere was a bit like that, wasn’t it?”
She looked quite dejected. She probably thought Seo Eunho was angry.
It had been a bit uncomfortable, but not to the point of anger. Still, it was fortunate that the topic had come up. Since he’d been looking for the right timing to refuse anyway, Seo Eunho immediately spoke.
“Seohee-ssi… doesn’t suit me.”
If he’d been sober, he would have beaten around the bush, but being drunk, the main point burst out first. The rejection was firm even though she hadn’t even confessed anything yet. Kim Seohee’s eyes wavered, but Seo Eunho didn’t care much.
“You should meet someone better than me. No, someone decent.”
“Ah…”
“There are tons and tons of decent guys better than someone like me who could suddenly be fired from a job and didn’t even graduate high school. So…”
“…”
“…Um. I’m sorry.”
Straightening his swaying body, Seo Eunho furrowed his brow. A bizarre phenomenon was occurring where what he’d just said was evaporating in real time.
“But are you taking a taxi?”
So he asked what he was immediately curious about. He didn’t have the energy to gauge Kim Seohee’s expression. He tried to pull himself together but it didn’t work well, so he just decided to give up.
“…Yes. I should take a taxi. Are you okay, Eunho-ssi? Do you want to go first?”
Kim Seohee, who had hesitated for a moment, soon smiled.
If he took a taxi from here, the fare would be expensive. It’s not like he had money to spare. He could just walk after sobering up a bit.
“You go first. I’ll rest a bit and then go.”
“Um… or let’s take one together. We can stop by Eunho-ssi’s house and then go to my house.”
Seo Eunho was silent for a moment. Just as he was thinking that would be too much of an imposition.
“Ah, I know what you meant. I understand. But looking at you, it seems like you’ll kill time here and then take the first train or walk. I know Eunho-ssi’s address. I know it’s not walking distance from here.”
Kim Seohee rattled on.
What did she understand?
In the brief moment he rolled his eyes, fortunately the memory that had temporarily evaporated returned.
He had just cut off the shallow feelings Kim Seohee had before she could even convey them. Seo Eunho awkwardly lowered his gaze. Kim Seohee grabbed Seo Eunho’s sleeve and pulled lightly.
“Think of it as bumming a ride.”
“…”
“It’s free, so don’t be picky.”
Originally, Seo Eunho didn’t refuse what others offered for free. Kim Seohee probably brought it up knowing Seo Eunho’s tendency.
Since she said she’d give him a ride even after understanding his rejection, there was no reason to refuse.
Seo Eunho nodded and took a step. He’d be able to go comfortably. Such a carefree thought came to him.
“Oh my!”
“Ah.”
However, before he could even walk two steps, someone grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. His body, which fell backward in an instant, touched a solid torso.
“You have plans with me, Seo Eunho.”
At the same time, Tae Shinwoo’s voice was heard. Actually, even before hearing his voice, Seo Eunho had realized that the person who’d grabbed him was Tae Shinwoo.
But anyway, had there been plans? Had he perhaps sent a message that he hadn’t checked?
His hand moved fumblingly to check his phone. Perhaps because it looked like he was trying to escape from his grasp, Tae Shinwoo tightened his hold on Seo Eunho even more.
“L-let go of this and…”
The atmosphere must have looked quite ominous. Seo Eunho looked at Kim Seohee, who was belatedly fidgeting restlessly and clearly showing signs of panic, and smiled awkwardly.
It seemed sending Kim Seohee off came before checking if a message had arrived.
“I guess I, had plans.”
“Ah, do you… know each other?”
“Um… Yes. I know him.”
Seo Eunho smiled faintly at the suspicious gaze. A height and build even bigger than his own, which was on the sturdy side, and a cold face to boot. It wasn’t strange for Kim Seohee to be wary of Tae Shinwoo.
Seo Eunho slowly looked up at Tae Shinwoo. With an extremely irritated expression, Tae Shinwoo was also looking down at him.
Still, when he was younger, he looked quite nice. Images were truly frightening. Seeing how he really looked like a fucking thug now.
“…He’s a friend.”
Discarding his pointless thoughts, Seo Eunho gave the most plausible answer. A friend. Even to his own ears, it was a laughable statement.
“A friend…”
Seeing how he deliberately mulled it over, it must have sounded absurd to Tae Shinwoo’s ears too.
The laughter that followed felt exactly like he was ridiculing him, so Seo Eunho flushed red. It was fortunate he was looking at Kim Seohee and not Tae Shinwoo.
Fortunately, Kim Seohee seemed to accept his words to some degree. Seo Eunho reassured her again as if to say not to worry, and conveyed an apology that he was sorry but it seemed he’d have to go alone.
Though some anxious signs were seeping into Kim Seohee’s eyes, since the person in question said he was fine, she couldn’t say anything and soon nodded.
Kim Seohee soon got in a taxi and disappeared from view. Even until then, Tae Shinwoo was wrapping around his neck.
“Hey, let go now.”
Relieved of one worry, now feeling suffocated, Seo Eunho struggled, trying to push away his hand. Moreover, being on the middle of the street with attention gathering on them was uncomfortable.
However, Tae Shinwoo didn’t relent. Instead, he just dragged him along. Seo Eunho stiffened and couldn’t offer any resistance. Because what Tae Shinwoo spat out in his ear momentarily left him speechless.
“I guess you even have sex with friends.”
