# Chapter 97
We sat together on the sofa, silently drinking coffee. I couldn’t easily open my mouth in this not-so-awkward silence. I didn’t want to spoil the peaceful atmosphere by speaking unnecessarily.
“When are you planning to leave?”
Bel asked as she put down her cup.
“Hmm, I’m thinking about leaving next week.”
“So soon?”
I blinked at the unexpected date. Since we hadn’t even made proper plans yet, I wasn’t expecting us to leave so hastily, so I waited for Woosang’s explanation.
“We don’t have much luggage, and at most we just need to cancel our residency registration.”
“What, that’s so sudden.”
At her surprised voice, I was also surprised and felt my insides churning. But as time passed, Bel calmly leaned back against the sofa again.
“I always knew you would leave someday… But you told me we’d go to the beach together in summer, and now you’re leaving so soon? How cold.”
“…”
“You’ll come back, right?”
“Yes. I’ll come back when I have time later.”
She frowned at Woosang’s calm tone and responded with uncharacteristic sharpness.
“So you’re saying you’ve done everything you needed to do here?”
At her pointed tone and expression, Woosang appeared flustered and hurriedly set down the cup he was holding.
I stood stiffly as if struck by a sudden bolt of lightning, silently shifting my gaze back and forth while remaining in place.
“Why are you suddenly talking like that?”
“How can you think it’s okay to announce this so abruptly?”
Bel, seemingly thoroughly angry, took her cup to the kitchen and dumped the hot coffee into the sink.
I understood her shock at the sudden departure, but even so, I glanced at Woosang and sighed at her sensitive reaction.
Woosang just hesitated, as if he hadn’t anticipated this situation.
I was surprised too, but I couldn’t gauge how surprised he must be. Before I could calm my startled heart, Bel approached us and shouted.
“Did you find this place terrible? Is that why you’re leaving like you’re running away?”
“It’s not like that. You know that.”
“No, I don’t know. You’ve never talked about your true feelings. Honestly, I’m not even sure if you consider me a friend.”
“Why is the conversation suddenly turning this way?”
“What do you mean?”
I felt like I was shrinking amid the tense atmosphere. Woosang, who had initially just been surprised, bit his lip slightly as if he couldn’t endure it anymore.
“You’re also living in Berlin now because of work. And you never asked for my understanding about that, nor did you need to. The same goes for me. Do I need your permission?!”
Woosang, who had risen from his seat and approached Bel, shot back at her strongly. But as if hurt by his behavior, Bel gradually filled her expression with sadness rather than anger.
Seeing this, he seemed to realize his mistake and stepped back, dropping his head.
“…Sorry.”
He quickly added words of apology. Though I thought the argument would end there, for some reason, Bel didn’t yield and fired back.
“That apology of yours, is it just a courtesy as always? Or do you really mean it?”
“Stop it.”
“…”
Woosang’s low voice conveyed strong patience. For some reason, Bel looked even more hurt by this. Her gestures, as if she might burst or collapse at any moment, looked pitiful.
“I didn’t come here to have this kind of conversation with you. If you’re uncomfortable, Teo and I will leave.”
Woosang headed to the room to pack his things. At his sudden action, I stood up awkwardly, not knowing who to speak to first or what to say, and repeatedly lifted and stopped my feet in place.
Shortly after, seeing Woosang come out with his luggage, Bel pushed his shoulder and headed toward the entrance.
“Stay here. …I’ll be back shortly.”
Woosang reached out as if wanting to stop her, but Bel headed to the entrance with large steps, grabbed her keys, and went straight outside.
With the loud bang of the closing door, the room was enveloped in silence.
Woosang dropped the luggage bag he had brought out and blankly stared at the entrance door with an expression that looked like he might cry.
I slowly approached him, put my arm around his shoulder, and silently brought him to sit on the sofa.
“…Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m just surprised.”
I was also shocked and frozen, but how must he feel, having directly clashed with her? His insides must be tightly knotted, making his whole body numb. I slowly reached out and gently held his hand.
Woosang, who would normally give me a gentle smile, just slumped without any reaction.
After a very long silence, Woosang flopped his head onto my shoulder. Normally, I would have been excited by such uncharacteristic behavior, but now I also wanted to lean on him and shake off the anxiety.
“I thought Bel would let me go without making a fuss.”
“…”
“It’s always been that way. Even between close friends, farewells were natural for us, and we knew we could see each other again someday…”
I’m a little scared, he added softly, making my heart sink heavily.
I had thought that once my problems were resolved, I could casually overcome any new problems that arose.
But faced with this problem that approached as if it had been waiting, there was little I could easily do. To inadequately comfort him would be presumptuous, as his relationship with Bel was much longer than his relationship with me, and there were many things I didn’t know.
So for now, I could only watch. All I could do was comfort him.
“It’s really not easy.”
“…Indeed.”
“Teo. What do you think I should do?”
“What?”
I immediately asked back, taken aback by Woosang who had lifted his head slightly to look at my face.
“If you were about to part ways and got into a fight with a friend, what would Teo do? Tell me.”
This was too heavy a question to ask me, for whom Bel was the only person I could call a friend. If Woosang wasn’t in this situation, and it was a problem between Bel and me, what would it be like? I couldn’t imagine.
Then suddenly, I recalled a conversation I had alone with her.
Remembering her, who thought about Woosang more than anyone and cast worried glances at our relationship, I didn’t think this passionate situation was genuine. I slowly whispered words that wouldn’t hurt him.
“…Do you remember when Bel and I met alone? When Bel briefly came to Paris.”
“I remember.”
At that time, I had just been fired from the bookstore where I worked and couldn’t regain my composure. While I was struggling to recover, I had a prickly conversation due to Bel’s sharp words.
Nevertheless, I unexpectedly realized my true feelings through the conversation with her.
I felt nostalgic all of a sudden. The situation back then and my emotions gradually soaked into me. And soon, I could guess where all the words she had just uttered came from.
“I felt like I got a glimpse of how much Bel cares about Woosang. Bel might seem a bit cold if you look at her normally… But I was shocked to realize that wasn’t the whole picture.”
“…”
“Woosang knows that side of Bel well, right? Since you’ve been together much longer than I have.”
He tightened his interlocked fingers and nestled a bit deeper against me.
“I know well. Even knowing, I can’t help feeling hurt. I wanted to spend good times together and then part ways, instead of making each other sad…”
“We should still do that. I don’t want to leave like this either. Bel is our only friend.”
The word “friend” tickled up from my throat. She wasn’t precious because she was the only person we could call a friend, but because she was Bel.
So I didn’t want to have regrets. Although small regrets inevitably occurred in all relationships, there was no reason for them to happen at a time just before parting.
“Let’s go.”
I led his arm and stood up from the sofa together. I forced a smile as I watched Woosang rise awkwardly from his seat with no strength.
He also gave me a clumsy smile and docilely followed behind me.
We opened the door and went outside.
I walked out into the unfamiliar city that had somehow become familiar, with the person whose presence at my side had become natural.
I felt relieved as the problems in my question-filled life were gradually being solved. We would probably resolve the issue with Bel well too.
Of course, I thought we could.
***
We contacted Bel and received her location via messenger. After searching on the map, I could see that it was a bar.
Though it wasn’t late night yet, thinking of Bel drinking alcohol at a time when she hadn’t even had dinner made me feel twisted inside again.
Woosang seemed more anxious than me, biting his lips while sitting on the bus seat and blankly staring out the window.
After getting off the bus a few stops later and walking, Woosang seemed familiar with the way.
“Do you know this place?”
“Yes, it’s a place Bel and I used to go to occasionally.”
Feeling that his tone had become calmer than before, I felt relieved. He seemed to have organized his thoughts somewhat on the bus.
Woosang entered a bar inside an alley with peaceful steps.
Even from the entrance, small music sounds were leaking out. Despite the early hour, the inside was already packed with people, with no empty seats visible.
As soon as we entered, our shoulders bumped into passing people.
Not confident I could stay long in such a noisy space, I looked around for Bel and saw her at the edge of my vision, sitting and drinking with someone.
Wondering if she was staying with other companions, I carefully looked in her direction. But as we got closer to where Bel was, I could see that her expression wasn’t good at all.
Next to her was a drunkard who had clearly been intoxicated since daytime. Looking at the scene that made me frown just by seeing it, I glanced at Woosang.
“What the hell is that guy doing?”
Woosang openly displayed hostility toward the skinny man who was flirting next to Bel.
Seeing him strangely angry, I had an ominous feeling. Though I wondered if anything would happen, it seemed best not to let my guard down when he was sensitive like this.
Just then, I saw the man who had been persistently clinging to Bel’s side grab her wrist and lean in toward her lips.
And in sync with that, I saw Woosang beside me jump from his spot and dive into the situation.
Korean curses that Woosang used to use frequently pounded at my ears, ready to burst.
“Ah…”
A voice filled with lamentation escaped me without my realizing it. It seemed my bad premonition hadn’t missed the mark.
