“Why?”
“You seem fucking drunk. Let’s go.”
…I’m not that drunk though?
“Hyun-ssi, are you drunk?”
“I’m a little tipsy.”
“What if you get drunk like last time and can’t even walk properly? And the buzz always comes one beat later. It’s late too.”
“Like last time? You said you two drank together then.”
“How about talking to one person at a time?”
With both their words pouring out side by side, it was really chaotic.
“First of all, I’m not that drunk?”
“…You want to drink more?”
“No, it is late though…”
“Haejin-ssi, do you have something to do? If you have something, you can leave first.”
“No. That’s not it.”
I glanced at Cha Hyunwoo, then pulled Eun Haejin and whispered softly in his ear.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“…Huh?”
“I’m asking if you’re uncomfortable with the boss. You’re shy.”
“A little.”
“I thought so… It’s late anyway, so I’ll talk with the boss a bit and leave soon too. Do you want to wait outside?”
“…Yeah.”
Eun Haejin obediently nodded. I looked toward Cha Hyunwoo and said.
“He says he has something to do, so it seems he has to leave first.”
“Ah, did I keep you too long? It’s okay. Go quickly.”
“Yes.”
Eun Haejin hesitated and added one more thing.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“No problem.”
Cha Hyunwoo showed a good-natured smile. Eun Haejin stared at Cha Hyunwoo for quite a while, then pulled my sleeve once and let go. And he slowly went outside the restaurant.
Because the restaurant wall was a folding door, I could see Eun Haejin standing outside well. Cha Hyunwoo glanced at Eun Haejin and said.
“Are you going to leave too, Hyun-ssi?”
“It’s a bit… to send him alone. He must have been shy. Should we wrap up for today? Come drink again next time.”
“Okay.”
Cha Hyunwoo looked at me with an ambiguous expression.
“You two take really good care of each other.”
“Still, he’s my only friend…”
It wasn’t an exaggeration, he really was my only friend. In the original work, it didn’t explain Lee Hyun’s friendships in detail so I didn’t know well, but Lee Hyun’s phone really had almost no saved names. A few department friends’ names were saved with their student ID numbers, but it didn’t seem like they were in contact.
That wasn’t all. Lee Hyun didn’t have a single family member saved. I checked the family register to see if he’d cut ties or if he had none at all, and it seemed both parents had passed away. I also lived alone since high school due to my parents’ divorce, not bereavement, so maybe that’s why I felt a bit sorry for Lee Hyun.
One thing that bothered me was the source of the money Lee Hyun had lived on until now without doing any part-time jobs. Lee Hyun’s studio apartment wasn’t an expensive price range, but it also wasn’t a completely unlivable place. Moreover, Lee Hyun’s closet was filled with clothes that cost a fair amount even if they weren’t that expensive.
Since Lee Hyun wasn’t someone who got scholarships every time, tuition would have been necessary too, but he couldn’t have covered that money without doing a single part-time job. No, honestly, even while doing part-time jobs it would have been difficult to cover. Even when I checked the records to see if he received government support, there was nothing like that. …Is it just a plot hole? I was curious but there was no clear way to find out. I stopped asking Eun Haejin about my family situation since it seemed even stranger.
While I was silent and lost in thought for a moment, Cha Hyunwoo snapped his fingers near my face.
“What are you thinking about so much?”
“…I think I’m drunk.”
I stared at Cha Hyunwoo blankly and made an excuse.
“What’s your drunk behavior like?”
“I don’t have drunk behavior.”
It was true. In the brief college days I experienced, there were times when I couldn’t control myself well and often got drunk, and when I asked friends what my drunk behavior was like the next day after blacking out, they all unanimously answered that I had no drunk behavior.
“Really?”
Of course, giggling because I was in a good mood was separate. Everyone does that much.
“Yes.”
“Then shall we get up? Haejin-ssi is waiting outside. Or… I can send Haejin-ssi off and take you home.”
“You’ll take me home?”
“Since you’re drunk.”
Cha Hyunwoo added as if making an excuse. Cha Hyunwoo had been smiling continuously, and it felt subtly different from when he saw customers at the cafe.
“Boss… you’re really kind.”
“I’m not that kind.”
“But you don’t seem to have self-objectification…”
“Mm?”
“I’m saying you must be popular. No, you already are. I was the pigeon delivering notes after all.”
“…Hyun-ssi, next time if someone hands you a note, just give it to me right away.”
“Yep. Are you going to date?”
“…That would be nice.”
With those words, Cha Hyunwoo looked at me and smiled. Since Cha Hyunwoo looked happy, I smiled back at him. When I got up from my seat, perhaps the buzz had risen while sitting, the floor spun around. I tried hard not to stagger while walking, but instead my walking posture became strange, making me look more drunk.
Cha Hyunwoo finished paying at the counter and handed me a peppermint candy. When I opened my mouth, Cha Hyunwoo put the candy inside. A sweet and refreshing scent spread in my mouth.
Rolling the candy around, I came outside the store and saw Eun Haejin.
“Why did you come out so late?”
“Sorry.”
I put my hands together in a gesture of pleading, then diffused it with laughter before Eun Haejin could nag.
“Hyun-ssi seems drunk?”
“I know, right. I wanted to drink more but my body won’t follow.”
At Cha Hyunwoo’s words, I stood as straight as possible and looked at Cha Hyunwoo, then placed my hand above my belly button and greeted him. You have to be properly polite to someone who bought you food. Moreover, people like me who eat 10 servings should be even more…
“Are you giving thanks now?”
“Yep. You have to be polite to the person who bought you food…”
“So this is drunk behavior?”
“This is a greeting though.”
Cha Hyunwoo covered his mouth with his hands and laughed as if amused. Seeing that Cha Hyunwoo also looked happy, he seemed drunk too.
“Hyun-ssi is like a kindergartener.”
“Pretty gross for a kindergartener…”
There’s no kindergartener over 180cm tall. When you’re tall or big, even acting cute becomes gross. In the past, I deliberately acted cute to see my friends’ disgusted expressions, but when they gradually adapted to a certain degree, I stopped being cute. But since both Cha Hyunwoo and Eun Haejin were both big, maybe the grossness about size disappeared a bit, so they didn’t completely recoil even when I acted like this. …Have they already adapted because I keep acting like this?
Cha Hyunwoo covered his mouth with his palm and thought about something for a moment, then sighed.
“Ah, I shouldn’t get Hyun-ssi to drink like this in the future…”
“Strictly speaking, the boss didn’t make me drink, it was my past self who made me drink.”
“Cute.”
At Cha Hyunwoo’s words, I saw Eun Haejin waver. Well, when you hear your friend being called cute… that can happen.
“The boss just seems to find me cute…”
“I think so.”
“What?”
“I think I find Hyun cute.”
“Thank you. I hope that feeling doesn’t change in the future.”
“Hey.”
Eun Haejin grabbed my shirt and urged me on. Looking at Eun Haejin’s expression, something seemed displeasing. Come to think of it, I didn’t realize because my brain wasn’t working well from being drunk, but it seemed quite a bit of time had passed since I first sent Eun Haejin out.
“Should we go?”
“Yeah.”
Eun Haejin answered briefly and glanced at Cha Hyunwoo.
“I have to go by the cafe anyway, so should we walk together? Haejin-ssi, where’s your home?”
“It’s close. To his place.”
“Ah… really?”
“Yes.”
Since Eun Haejin didn’t seem to be in a good mood, I held Eun Haejin’s hand soothingly and kneaded it a few times. Eun Haejin stayed still without pulling his hand away.
Anyway, Eun Haejin’s house was closer to this restaurant than mine.
“Isn’t your place closer from here?”
At my words, Eun Haejin looked at me with an annoyed face. But… I’m right. Why?
“It’s about the same going to your place first.”
“Isn’t that retracing your steps?”
Eun Haejin didn’t answer and just stared at me silently. It was hard to read Eun Haejin’s expression. No, I could tell he wasn’t in a good mood, but it was hard to tell why. I whispered softly enough for only Eun Haejin to hear.
“Haejin, are you in a bad mood?”
“…No. It’s not that.”
“Oh, don’t lie. You look fucking unhappy? Did something happen today? Or is it hard to talk about? Did I make a mistake?”
