I should seriously pursue the three-way romance I mentioned like a joke. Yoon Taerim repeated his resolution while straightening his disheveled clothes. There wasn’t much time left before work. He glanced at Jung Sanho, who was still sitting on the sofa with a sullen face.
“Anyway, hyung is going to work first. Rest well and go to school. Don’t skip class today.”
“……Am I a child?”
“Not a child, a baby. If you’re twenty, weren’t you born just the day before yesterday?”
Yoon Taerim chuckled and waved his hand. He let the string of curses go in one ear and out the other. Just before going out to the entrance, Yoon Taerim snapped his fingers.
“Right. Sanho-ya, you know tomorrow is the weekend, right?”
“So what if it’s the weekend.”
“The family gathering. They say it’s at a resort this time. You know the newly opened place? Everyone’s going to gather to commemorate the opening ceremony. I don’t know if I can go because of association work, but it would be better for you to go that day.”
Jung Sanho was openly making a “why should I?” expression. Originally Jung Sanho didn’t attend family gatherings, so it wasn’t a strange reaction. Yoon Taerim left Jung Sanho like that behind and tapped his toes while putting on his shoes.
“Your hyung is coming that day too.”
At the word “hyung,” Jung Sanho’s curses became even harsher. Yoon Taerim swept back his hair and added.
“So you should definitely go. Otherwise you might hear weird things again.”
He wasn’t someone he particularly wanted to face, but avoiding him wouldn’t solve anything either. Yoon Taerim looked at Jung Sanho, who still seemed full of irritation.
“Or should I go down with you that day? If I just show my face at the association and leave in the middle……”
“It’s fine, so hyung just take care of your own business.”
“Hmm. Are you really okay?”
After looking at his crumpled face, Yoon Taerim shrugged. He pushed the front door.
“I’ll go down even if I’m late. So don’t skip it this time either. Got it?”
“……I got it.”
With the reluctant answer, the door closed. Leaving the beeping mechanical sound behind, he headed to the elevator.
***
“Oh my! Seungyeon really grew so much! No, how can he be so handsome?”
“When he was a baby he was so pale and scrawny, but now he’s a man, a man!”
The ladies’ cackling laughter echoed like a round. Seungyeon also smiled brightly and poured makgeolli into the empty glass with a glug glug.
“I was the spitting image of my mom when I was young. Since my mom is a beauty, I’m pretty too.”
At Seungyeon’s banter, the ladies became even more boisterous. Auntie Sukhee, mom’s best friend, raised her voice while waving her spoon.
“No! Honestly, when unnie said Seungyeon changed these days, I didn’t believe it? But now I believe it. Seungyeon has matured! He even comes hiking with his mom, right? Where else is there a son like this? My son doesn’t even pretend to listen, doesn’t even pretend!”
Since she was already tipsy, her pronunciation was strangely slurred. Seungyeon sneakily pushed the cheonggukjang pot in front of her to the side. Auntie Misuk, who noticed it like a ghost, clapped saying look at this kid, how can he have such good manners. At the suddenly pouring applause, Seungyeon’s mouth corners twitched.
“Why are you making such a fuss over this.”
In the prison of praise created by mom’s friends, Seungyeon showed off throughout the meal. After that, drinking disguised as a meal continued for another thirty minutes. Everyone except Seungyeon left the restaurant pleasantly drunk. Seungyeon naturally took the lead and got into the driver’s seat of Auntie Misuk’s Carnival. He took his tipsy mom and mom’s friends and chatted for about 2 more hours at the cafe they went to for the second round. Only after seeing off those women who said they would go to the bathhouse after sobering up somewhat could Seungyeon gain freedom.
“Seungyeon-ah, mom will sleep over at Misuk unnie’s place today, so eat sagol-guk for dinner. Got it?”
“Yeah, mom. Don’t go into the sauna while you still have alcohol in you.”
“This kid. We’re just going to chat.”
At the words that she wasn’t that drunk, Seungyeon laughed and hugged his mom tightly. Behind them, the ladies cheered like girls. Mom, who became very pleased at the words that she raised her son well, led her friends and disappeared into the bathhouse. Seungyeon waved and saw her off until her back was no longer visible.
“Phew, I’m tired.”
Seungyeon yawned widely. Fatigue rushed in from the forced march that continued from weekend morning. He left home with his mom at 7 AM and it was already 2 PM. I should go home, take a nap, and then eat rice with sagol-guk for dinner while watching TV. Having made perfect weekend plans, he hurried his steps. On the way, he stopped by a convenience store and bought ice cream. The peace of wandering around on a leisurely weekend afternoon, sucking on melon-flavored ice cream, was pleasant.
A weekend without mom. I don’t know how long it’s been. The feeling of being alone after a long time wasn’t entirely bad. Seungyeon hummed.
By now Baek Sehee would be strengthening her relationship with Tae Jeyoung, so he didn’t need to worry about that side for a while. Jung Sanho and Yoon Taerim were also quiet so far. It bothered him a little that they parted like that yesterday, but even if he contacted them, there wasn’t particularly anything to say.
“More than that, my life is the problem.”
Now it was really time to think about future livelihood. He couldn’t live attached to his mom forever, and the money Jung Sanho or Yoon Taerim would give was only one-time and wouldn’t take responsibility for Seungyeon’s future. Seungyeon needed that kind of thing. A decent job where when mom’s friend asked “what does your son do?”, mom could answer with her nose high, “well, my son’s job is…”
Should I get a Tomorrow Learning Card issued first? Since money isn’t urgent right now, preparing for university admission at this opportunity seems good too……
“Or should I go to the military?”
Since there’s nothing to do anyway, should I just stake myself in the military? Or should I prepare for the police civil service?
When Seungyeon encountered another problem without an answer, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He checked his phone without thinking and tilted his head. An unsaved number appeared on the screen.
After a brief moment of consideration, he pressed the call button. If it’s a spam call, I’ll just hang up. Seungyeon opened his mouth with a somewhat guarded voice.
“Hello?”
— Hehe, now you’re answering?
Goosebumps rose all over at the low, sunken voice. The gloomy laughter echoed from beyond the phone.
“……Yeongbin-i hyung?”
— Yeah, it’s me. Since baby won’t answer, I’m using a different-.
Without listening further, he pressed the end call button firmly. Seungyeon stared at the quieted phone as if looking at something unclean.
“This bastard is at it again.”
Go Yeongbin’s contact wasn’t the first time just now. After Seungyeon announced the breakup, many hyungs and noonas contacted him saying let’s meet again, but no one was as clingy as this bastard. He called and texted every day, so in the end he even blocked him. I thought it was quiet for a while, but now he’s contacting me with an unknown number?
Seungyeon ignored the vibrating phone again and hurried his steps. After transferring buses and subway to arrive home, about 40 minutes had passed. The blazing sun was hot enough to make him wonder if it was summer now. Like this spring will pass and become summer, summer will quickly pass and winter will come, and that’s how a year passes. If I even get old here, there’s really no answer. Should I at least prepare for civil service?
Seungyeon fanned himself with his hand and passed the apartment entrance. He, who had been trudging along, slowly stopped walking. It was because he discovered a man standing in front of his house.
The reason he couldn’t just pass by was because the man didn’t seem to be in his right mind. His body swaying unsteadily as if he’d been drinking seemed like a completely drunk person. Just when he was trying to calm his flustered heart and sneak past, his eyes met the man’s. For a moment, the back of his neck became chilly.
“……Go Yeongbin?”
Seungyeon instinctively stepped backward. Hehehe, with a strange laugh, Go Yeongbin strode closer. As he approached closer, his bloodshot eyes became more visible. No matter how you looked at it, he wasn’t in his right mind.
“Jaeyun-ah, no, Seungyeon-ah! Your name is Seungyeon, right? Huh? You lied to me?”
“How did you get here……”
“What do you mean how! You think I can’t find that one thing? Seungyeon-ah, Seungyeon-ah, fuck Seungyeon-ah! What do you take me for? Huh?”
Red flags rang ceaselessly in his head. If he gets caught like this, there’s no telling what will happen. Before making a judgment, his body moved first. Seungyeon ran recklessly in the opposite direction from his house. First I’ll shake off that bastard and then contact 112……
“Urk!”
At that moment, a strong force from behind caught Seungyeon’s nape. Because his throat was choked before he knew it, his vision spun. When Seungyeon struggled, a thick palm immediately came and pressed down on his face.
“You slut bastard, you fucked with the wrong person.”
Go Yeongbin’s giggling laughter was heard. Without time to react to the mocking voice, a black cloth covered Seungyeon’s face. In an instant, his vision was blocked. A strange smell was felt at the tip of his nose. His body gradually lost strength. With the last thought of I’m fucked, Seungyeon passed out.
