“A little?”
“Beer? Soju?”
“Uh… soju.”
“Are you going to drink?”
Eun Haejin asked me. Alcohol… Honestly, when I was clutching my head because of the hangover, I’d resolved to abstain for a while, but from the moment I entered the meat restaurant, that resolution completely disappeared. Honestly, I was craving alcohol. I mean, how can you not drink soju when eating samgyeopsal?
“Aren’t you going to drink?”
“Just beer.”
“Okie.”
I ordered 10 servings of samgyeopsal, two bottles each of beer and soju, and one can of cider. When the samgyeopsal was set up, I placed the meat on the grill.
“I’ll grill.”
Eun Haejin reached out his hand as if asking for the tongs, but I refused flatly. Eun Haejin might not know, but I was someone famous for grilling meat spectacularly well at every company dinner. Following the meat, I placed garlic and kimchi on the grill and spoke to Cha Hyunwoo.
“But why did you suddenly say you’d treat us today? Don’t like eating alone?”
“That’s part of it, and I was also worried that Hyun-ssi ate roughly earlier because we were busy.”
“Boss, you can’t be this kind everywhere you go… With that face being this kind is really a big problem.”
I cut and flipped the meat while gauging the right timing. When it was grilled just right, I picked up the meat and placed it on Cha Hyunwoo and Eun Haejin’s plates, then put more meat on the grill.
“Should we toast?”
I poured soju in a circle and filled Cha Hyunwoo’s glass. While I was at it, I filled my own glass too and poured beer into Eun Haejin’s glass instead.
“Cheers!”
…For reference, I was the only one who shouted cheers. I can’t handle this awkward atmosphere sober. I decided to start by downing a shot of soju right away.
“Ah, the meat is delicious. As expected, I grilled it too well.”
Whether the atmosphere was awkward or not, the meat was delicious anyway. Even being stuck between these shy people didn’t make me lose my appetite. I was someone who ate 10 servings of meat alone next to the broadcasting station director.
“Is it okay?”
“It’s delicious. I didn’t know Hyun-ssi was good at grilling meat too.”
“It’s inborn. The gene for grilling meat well.”
I couldn’t say it was a company dinner skill, so I deflected with random words. Eun Haejin heard my words and laughed as if it was absurd.
“Is it funny? Don’t laugh, just eat.”
I said while piling meat onto Eun Haejin’s plate.
“I’ll eat on my own, so you eat.”
“Yees.”
“Are you two high school friends? College?”
At Cha Hyunwoo’s words, I looked at Eun Haejin. I don’t really know, so you have to answer. Haejin, you can do it, right?
Eun Haejin obediently answered Cha Hyunwoo’s question.
“In college. I came back from the military and returned to school, and there weren’t many guys in the department who were the same year. So naturally we got kind of close.”
“You said business administration, right?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your friend’s name?”
“It’s Eun Haejin.”
“Ah, Haejin-ssi. I’m Cha Hyunwoo.”
“Ah, yes.”
While watching the two of them talk, I just didn’t join the conversation and drank more alcohol. If I joined in wrong and said something strange that didn’t match, I might unnecessarily raise Eun Haejin’s suspicions.
“Then you two have known each other for quite a while.”
“We got close in earnest around twenty-three.”
“College friends…”
Cha Hyunwoo muttered to himself.
“Then Haejin-ssi must be preparing for employment now? I think I heard you went to an interview that time.”
“Yes. I’m waiting for the results.”
“Where did you apply?”
“Company J.”
“You applied to a good place. Someone I know works there too.”
Cha Hyunwoo suddenly asked me as I was putting meat on the grill.
“Hyun-ssi, why did you look for a part-time job? It’s usually the time to get employed.”
“…Because I have no intention of getting employed for a while.”
“Why? Was there a reason?”
“Rather than a specific reason, it’s just that going to interviews and getting hired at a company and stuff like that… I don’t know. I did apply but I didn’t really want to go to the interview, so there was an impulsive part where I just didn’t go.”
Of course, that application wasn’t done by me. I deliberately smiled brightly and stretched my words cutely.
“But once I actually got a part-time job, it’s pretty good? I want to bury my bones here. Don’t fire me.”
“…Are you serious?”
Eun Haejin asked in a locked voice.
“Getting employed… can be done next year. For now, there’s something I have to do before that.”
I have to see the ending of your love story. Eun Haejin silently emptied his beer glass.
“What do you have to do?”
“Are you going to get a certification?”
“Similar.”
I didn’t want to lie, but it was also awkward to make excuses, so all my answers ended up like this. Instead of thinking of a more plausible answer, I downed another glass of soju. What I realized while drinking was that Lee Hyun’s alcohol tolerance was one bottle of soju. Because right now it was my second bottle and I felt the buzz hitting me hard. But I couldn’t leave these people behind and get drunk alone, so I downed a glass of water.
“Aren’t you drunk?”
“…No?”
Sharp bastard… I smirked and picked up some meat to eat. Drinking and eating really made it taste fucking amazing.
“Hyun-ssi, do you want to become a regular employee later? If you’re thinking about it, tell me.”
Cha Hyunwoo asked seriously. He seemed to have taken my words about burying my bones seriously. Laughter leaked out without me realizing.
“Yep. You really have to let me do it later.”
Since Cha Hyunwoo’s glass was empty, I filled it and attempted another toast.
“Let’s clink, clink.”
This time too, the two silently clinked glasses with me. Yeah… I won’t ask for more. Just eat your meat.
After that, if the answer was ambiguous, I just sipped alcohol. When Cha Hyunwoo asked about college, Eun Haejin mostly answered and I just nodded as if agreeing with Eun Haejin’s words.
“You two must be very close.”
“Well…”
“We both don’t have friends, so.”
At my words, Cha Hyunwoo chuckled.
“Hyun-ssi doesn’t have friends? It seems like you’d have a lot.”
“Friends? I don’t have any. I ate lunch with this guy today too.”
“Next time, eat with me. The seolleongtang must have been delicious.”
“Yep.”
“But for a friend, you take really good care of each other. Usually you don’t come to pick up a friend, right?”
“Exactly. Did Haejin have a change of heart today?”
I playfully squeezed Eun Haejin’s thigh tightly and let go. Eun Haejin drank a few more sips of beer and answered curtly.
“Just since I went out anyway and the timing worked out.”
“Very close friends…”
Cha Hyunwoo trailed off and looked at Eun Haejin and smirked. I shrugged once and then got up from my seat saying I was going to the bathroom. Even though I’d been alternating between alcohol and water, I seemed quite drunk. I moved my steps slowly to not show that I was staggering.
The bathroom required going outside the building through the back door, and since I was going out anyway, I decided to just buy hangover remedy drinks too. First of all, I didn’t know if I’d be able to wake up fine the next day without a hangover remedy. I bought three hangover remedies at a nearby convenience store, immediately opened and emptied one bottle, then held the remaining two bottles in one hand and went back in through the back door.
When you entered the restaurant through the back door, you had to turn once before the hall appeared. Before turning, I leaned against the wall and blinked my eyes slowly several times to check my own condition. But then I heard Eun Haejin and Cha Hyunwoo’s voices. Did they find a common interest while I was gone?
“I’m honestly interested.”
It was Cha Hyunwoo’s voice. Not knowing the previous context, the sentence itself was confusing. I was thinking about what he was interested in when Cha Hyunwoo’s voice was heard once more.
“Ah, do you have any prejudice about this kind of thing?”
“No. But he doesn’t know.”
“Aha.”
Cha Hyunwoo’s laughter was heard and then subsided.
“Even so… I don’t think that’s the case.”
“…Who knows.”
“Haejin-ssi is different from me, right?”
“About what?”
“You’re friends.”
With those words, it didn’t seem right to eavesdrop more, so I came straight out to the hall. When they discovered me, the two suddenly acted awkward. What? It seems they get closer when I’m not here. I narrowed my eyes and glared at them while handing each of them a hangover remedy.
“Did I take long buying this?”
“That’s thoughtful.”
When I winked at Cha Hyunwoo, he laughed as if pleased.
“Yes.”
Eun Haejin looked at Cha Hyunwoo for a moment, then grabbed my hand and pulled me to sit down. *Why is this guy acting like this all day? *Just as I was starting to worry, I examined Eun Haejin’s face, and Eun Haejin alternated between looking at the hangover remedy and me, then got up from his seat.
