“Ugh…. My head….”
Minjun clutched his splitting head and pried his eyes open. He normally kept himself in check even when drinking, so he’d never consumed more than his limit before. At last, he was feeling firsthand what a hangover actually was.
His body was clearly lying in bed, and yet his head was strangely spinning. It felt similar to the sensation of stepping off a rocking boat.
“Someone save me, ugh….”
Experiencing a hangover for the first time, Minjun rolled around on the bed with his head in his hands. He could remember drinking the convenience store wine without restraint — but after that, nothing. He’d poured so much of it down his throat that he could still smell alcohol in his mouth. So this is what they call blacking out. I’ve learned something new.
“My goodness, how much did you even drink.”
Hyesuk came in through the door and set an electrolyte drink on the nightstand. A disapproving click of the tongue came along with it.
“Drink that and come out. I made bean sprout soup.”
“Wow…. Thank you so much….”
Minjun picked up the electrolyte drink and poured it into his mouth as if it were the water of life. I am never drinking again. If I ever drink like this again, I’m not a person, I’m a dog. Minjun dragged himself out of the bedroom with a thoroughly wretched expression.
Gangha was already seated at the table, where a simple lunch had been laid out. Minjun raised his hand as if to salute a fellow sufferer — but absurdly, Gangha looked exactly the same as always. He’d apparently even showered, because a fresh, clean scent clung to him.
“What the…. You don’t have a hangover?”
“No.”
His voice sounded oddly flatter than usual. Did his throat dry out from the morning? Minjun figured it was probably just his imagination and took the seat across from Gangha.
“Gangha, I genuinely don’t have the energy to shower today…. Can I eat first and then wash up?”
“…Go ahead.”
“Thank you, seriously. Let’s eat….”
Figuring he needed to survive first, he scooped up a spoonful of the spicy bean sprout soup and put it in his mouth. Haah — Minjun let out a long breath as if he’d come back from the dead, then lifted the bowl and drank the broth straight. Only then did he feel some of his strength returning.
“I feel like I might actually live now. Thank you.”
“Goodness, I nearly fainted while cleaning today. Did the two of you really drink all that yourselves?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I can’t even remember how much I drank.”
At Minjun’s words about not remembering, Gangha’s chopsticks briefly stilled. A moment later, Gangha picked up a side dish as though nothing had happened and put it in his mouth.
“Young as you both are, you’ll wreck your bodies doing that. Drink in moderation.”
“I’m never drinking again. I thought I was going to die.”
“Oh sure, like that’ll last.”
Minjun, who had seemed to perk up a little, wilted again before long — drooping like a limp bean sprout. Uughh…. He wrapped his aching head in his hands and shuffled back to the bedroom.
He didn’t think he’d be able to do anything until this hangover cleared. Minjun lay sprawled out flat on the bed, doing nothing but mindlessly breathing in and out. Then he heard a notification sound from his phone and barely managed to drag himself upright.
Jin Sowon (Gangha’s friend)
Hyung, thank you for yesterday
ㅠㅠ
Looks like Sowon has finally come to her senses. Minjun replied casually.
Yeah lol
He didn’t have the energy for a longer reply. He sent that off and checked whether he had any other messages — there was one from an unfamiliar number.
Right, I got someone’s number yesterday. Minjun promptly saved the number to his contacts.
Lee Mina
Oppa, did you get home okay?
It’s me, Mina
Yeah I made it, you?
Minjun sent his reply and within a few seconds, the response came right back.
Lee Mina
I got home safe too lol
Did everything work out yesterday?
Yeah, thanks to you
What are you up to today?
Staying home today
You?
I don’t have any plans either
Want to hang out today?
She wants to meet up and spend time together? Minjun, hangover still not quite gone, paused to consider for a few seconds.
Lee Mina
It’s fine if you’re busy
At the slightly pouty nuance in her message, Minjun typed back quickly.
I’m not busy lol
Is tonight okay?
He figured that by evening, he’d at least be back to something resembling a normal state. I’ll head out for dinner and come back. Cheered by the prospect of a date after so long, he grinned to himself.
He’d felt too guilty to go out while Gangha was studying for his college entrance exams, but maybe now he was allowed to. Buzzing with excitement, Minjun finalized plans for that evening and headed toward Gangha’s room.
He knocked softly, and a reply came from inside. Gangha had been watching something on his laptop.
“Gangha, are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“I thought I was going to die. I’m seriously never drinking like that again.”
“Drink in moderation from now on.”
“Yeah, I will.”
It had only been yesterday that Minjun was in the position of introducing Gangha to alcohol — but somehow the roles had already reversed. It seemed Gangha surpassed Minjun in alcohol tolerance as well. Minjun scratched the back of his head sheepishly, and Gangha asked him something.
“Do you not remember anything from yesterday?”
“No. I remember getting back from the convenience store and drinking, but…. Why? Did I do something embarrassing? Don’t tell me….”
Minjun’s expression turned suddenly grave.
“Did I throw up?”
“No. You didn’t.”
Gangha, who had matched his serious expression, let out a deflated laugh.
“I’m really sorry. I’ll drink in moderation from now on.”
Minjun, still at a loss, tried his hardest to dredge up some memory — but no matter how much he strained, nothing came. The only thing surfacing was a vague sensation of feeling stifled and unable to breathe.
“If you don’t have anything going on today, is it okay for me to step out for a bit this evening? Just to meet a friend and come back.”
“Go ahead.”
Right on cue, Minjun’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out, saw the message from Mina, and grinned.
In that moment, without Minjun noticing, something shifted in Gangha’s expression. The only time Minjun smiled like that while looking at his phone was when he was texting a girl.
“Is it someone you met at the bar yesterday?”
“Hm? Did I mention that yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“She’s someone I exchanged numbers with at the bar last night. She’s cute.”
There was no particular reason to hide it from Gangha, so Minjun quickly replied to Mina’s message and pocketed his phone.
He was still grinning when he looked up — and for some reason, a prickling chill ran down his spine. He glanced at Gangha, but Gangha had already turned back to his laptop screen, as if to say he could leave now.
“Alright, get some rest. I’ll head back to my room.”
Minjun spoke with deliberate warmth, though he couldn’t quite say why he felt uneasy. As was always the case, no answer came back from Gangha. Minjun sneaked a glance at him and slipped out of the bedroom.
He’d just closed the door and was about to slowly walk away.
Crash—! The sound of something shattering came from Gangha’s room. The soundproofing kept it from being too loud, but it was clear that something was wrong.
“Gangha, are you okay?”
But even when he knocked on Gangha’s door, no answer came — only the continued sound of what seemed to be things being smashed to pieces.
Did something happen?
For all that Gangha appeared composed on the surface, he actually had nerves as fragile as cracked glass. He had occasional outbursts of built-up rage — but this time, Minjun couldn’t tell what had caused it.
Minjun hesitated outside the closed door, and once the noise had died down somewhat, he knocked again.
“Gangha, are you okay? Can I open the door?”
He asked gently, the way you’d soothe a crying child. The room was probably in ruins inside, so he needed to get in and clear the floor first. It would be a disaster if Gangha stepped on a piece of glass.
Minjun knocked one more time, then quietly pushed the door open.
“I’ll just clean up the floor and leave. That’s fine, right?”
The absence of a get out suggested this was a moment when the anger had settled enough.
Gangha, sitting calmly on the bed, looked nothing like the culprit who had wrecked the room. His face was remarkably unblemished for someone who had just been hurling things around moments ago.
Minjun first gathered the larger debris into a thick plastic bag, then vacuumed up the rest. The sight of an expensive laptop — perfectly intact just moments ago — now snapped in half and lying on the floor made his chest ache. What a waste. Can always tell he’s a chaebol heir — throwing around electronics that no normal person would dare. The phone that had landed in the corner also had, predictably, a shattered screen. Minjun familiarly pulled out a spare phone and swapped the SIM card over.
He checked every corner to make sure there were no stray glass fragments, then straightened up — quite a bit of time had passed. Throughout it all, Gangha hadn’t moved an inch and had been watching Minjun the whole time. His now-calmed gaze followed silently along behind Minjun as he moved. Perhaps because of the storm he’d let out, he was even quieter than usual.
“Gangha, are you feeling better?”
He was ignored — Gangha apparently wasn’t in the mood to answer yet.
“Should I stay home today instead of going out?”
At the second question, Gangha did look over. Does not answering mean he wants me to stay?
“Alright. Then I’ll stay in.”
“No.”
Gangha finally spoke. But the word was too short to understand what he meant. What exactly is the ‘no’ for?
“Gangha, I’m sorry to ask, but…. Are you telling me to go, or to stay?”
He asked as gently as he could, so it wouldn’t come across as picking a fight.
“Go and come back.”
“Go and come back?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
Surely that doesn’t mean he can’t stand the sight of me and wants me out of his face immediately. I even showered today. Minjun tilted his head in mild puzzlement, then decided to take the answer at face value and agreed.
