Without a doubt, it was the most absurd thing he’d heard recently. Though the person who’d brought it up seemed unbothered.
Seo Eunho let out a delayed, empty laugh. He should have immediately snapped at him not to talk nonsense, but seeing as laughter came out, it seemed he’d been influenced by Tae Shinwoo.
“Why should I do that?”
He found himself curious despite himself about what kind of thought process had led to such a conclusion. Of course, that didn’t mean his tone was particularly friendly.
“Why should you?”
Seo Eunho actually knew the answer to the follow-up question. Because it was so obvious.
“Because you don’t have time and I’m bored.”
As expected. Seo Eunho clicked his tongue and passed by Tae Shinwoo, who was blocking his way. It was a cold gesture as if to say it was absurd, but Tae Shinwoo followed behind Seo Eunho without complaint.
“Won’t you be bored if you’re with me?”
Seo Eunho asked as he opened the convenience store door and went inside.
“Yeah.”
“Am I fun?”
“Yeah.”
His answers couldn’t be more firm. In what way exactly? Seo Eunho couldn’t understand.
He understood that he’d piqued his interest with actions that went against Tae Shinwoo’s expectations. But was it fun enough to waste this much time? That wasn’t the case. And on top of that, wasn’t he even offering to spend money on it?
Are all well-off bastards like this? It was something Seo Eunho could never understand. Even though it wasn’t Tae Shinwoo’s fault that they stood on different ground, he felt disgruntled.
“Thanks to you, I’ll earn money easily. You find it fun even when I just stay still.”
It was an indifferent tone, but Tae Shinwoo smiled pleasantly as if he’d agreed. What could be good about it? What the hell was in that bastard’s head? Was he really insanely bored? If not, then he was desperate to give charity, but why him of all people?
Before he knew it, Seo Eunho was inside the counter and Tae Shinwoo was on the opposite side. With dry eyes, Seo Eunho looked straight at Tae Shinwoo. There was no reason to specifically say he didn’t like it. It was Tae Shinwoo who had erased the line Seo Eunho had drawn in his own way. Either way, Seo Eunho was still sticking straws into others under the pretext of goodwill.
That’s why Tae Shinwoo’s proposal wasn’t completely absurd. It even felt not bad. However, Seo Eunho judged rationally. Tae Shinwoo’s interest was obviously temporary. He had to calculate that far.
“But after your interest disappears?”
Saying he’d give him money so give him time was the same as telling him to quit his job. However, as a minor, it wasn’t easy for Seo Eunho to find part-time work. Giving up the job he’d worked hard to find for comfort that would last at most a month or two was a foolish thing to do.
“Well.”
As if it was an unexpected question, Tae Shinwoo tilted his head. Tae Shinwoo’s interest wouldn’t last forever. He must know that too.
“I think it won’t fade for quite a while.”
Seo Eunho tilted his head. From what Seo Eunho saw, Tae Shinwoo’s “quite a while” seemed to be at most a month or two. No, it could be even shorter. So Seo Eunho couldn’t grant Tae Shinwoo’s wish.
Pitch-black pupils were staring at Seo Eunho. His face was full of confidence, as if in his own way he was anticipating a long period.
“That’s what you think now.”
Seo Eunho openly frowned and straightened his body.
“I’m not in a position to play along with your interest when I don’t know when it’ll fade. Even if I consider myself hired since you said you’d give me money, I have to worry about what comes after. You’re not going to take responsibility for the job I lost playing around with you, right?”
It was less difficult to find work during the day. The problem was nighttime. Seo Eunho really wanted to work during these hours. Because it was comfortable to work outside and then sleep at school when morning came.
His father was often away from home, but that didn’t mean he never came back. On the occasional days he returned, he’d hole up at home for days on end drinking. He didn’t want to leave even the slightest gap to face that sight.
But what if he quit his job to take the easy path and then couldn’t find night work again? That would be a very troublesome situation.
“You’re more cautious than I thought.”
“It’s amusement for you, but it’s livelihood for me.”
Still, Seo Eunho was giving Tae Shinwoo special treatment in his own way. If it had been other bastards, he wouldn’t have even responded to such nonsensical talk. It was only because Seo Eunho also found Tae Shinwoo a bit interesting that he was entertaining it.
“So?”
It was something he’d already realized, but Seo Eunho sometimes found it strange. Seo Eunho wasn’t interested in anything other than the money he needed immediately and his own future. But leaving Tae Shinwoo alone as he persistently tried to enter his boundary was an unusual thing.
Seo Eunho shrugged his shoulders.
“If you’re thinking of buying my time with money until your interest dies down, add at least 3 more months to the period you’re expecting.”
“Wow.”
“Give it all at once. Ah, I have one more part-time job besides the convenience store. If you want to monopolize everything, pay for that part-time job too.”
At the incredibly brazen tone, Tae Shinwoo opened his mouth. At first glance it seemed like bewilderment, but he couldn’t hide the corners of his lips rising at all, so instead it was clear that he’d further piqued his interest.
“You’re a total punk.”
“That’s nothing new.”
Since it was a rational calculation, he didn’t feel any guilt at all. Besides, the word punk wasn’t an insult to Seo Eunho. If you think about it, wasn’t it accurate?
“If you don’t like it, don’t do it.”
Either way, whether Tae Shinwoo nodded saying he’d do it or said he didn’t want to, Seo Eunho had nothing to lose. Tae Shinwoo narrowed his eyes and looked down at him with a crooked posture. It suited him so well that his usual straight posture didn’t even come to mind. It wasn’t exactly a compliment.
“It’s too much.”
While having idle thoughts, Tae Shinwoo spoke bluntly. The corners of Seo Eunho’s mouth rose idly.
“If you’re not even willing to spend that much, what. Does it feel wasteful now that I’m actually asking?”
“Yeah. It’s wasteful. I feel like you’ll eat and shut your mouth tight. That’s too unfair, isn’t it?”
He was thinking something funny. If he tried to shut his mouth tight, could he do that? It was absurd. In the midst of that, the expression that looked genuinely aggrieved made Seo Eunho even more bewildered.
“Then why make such an idle proposal?”
“What? You’re not denying it. Are you really going to take the money and run?”
“Run where? If I get paid, I’ll work hard. It’s a job, isn’t it?”
“Really? What will you work hard at? Will you play hard with me?”
A strange conversation was continuing.
“What do you mean play hard? Are you that bored? Don’t you have friends?”
Seo Eunho’s voice as he answered and asked had a subtle hint of laughter. Because Tae Shinwoo was quite funny. At Seo Eunho’s question, Tae Shinwoo erased his aggrieved look. He straightened his waist and returned to his usual straight posture.
“I’m not doing this to be friends with you.”
However, the hint of laughter quickly disappeared. After losing his words and floundering for a moment, Seo Eunho belatedly moved his lips. But he had no idea what to say.
Wasn’t it obvious? Where would there be someone who gives money and buys time to become friends? And yet he’d thoughtlessly tried to think of Tae Shinwoo as a friend.
“Ah.”
Seo Eunho sighed lightly. In the midst of that, he remembered the fact that there had been another person who said they’d give him money and buy his time. Well, it was slightly different from Tae Shinwoo’s case. Even though he’d been even younger than now, Seo Eunho had instinctively recognized that person’s eyes glistening with desire. That’s why he’d immediately shaken his head and run away.
“Then think of it as buying a toy.”
Anyway, in the end, they were paying to do as they pleased, so the context was similar. Seo Eunho had no hesitation at all in referring to himself as a toy. Wasn’t it an appropriate word? Since he’d approached out of interest, it wasn’t strange to think of him like a toy. He needed a toy he could play with as much as he wanted, and he just happened to like him.
“You still need money to buy a toy.”
At his attitude of saying “do as you please” either way, Tae Shinwoo smiled with lowered eyelashes. Seo Eunho’s gaze moved following the gently rising corners of his mouth.
Even though he knew full well that inside he was crazy, it was a face handsome enough to make his mouth fall open for a moment. Even more so when he smiled.
Tae Shinwoo quickly raised his head again. He was still smiling, but there was a subtle feeling somehow. Seo Eunho stared persistently at his face to find the reason.
“Okay, let’s do that.”
But was there really a need to find the reason? At the naturally dropped answer, Seo Eunho didn’t say anything.
“I’ll give you the money in cash right away tomorrow. From then on, you give me all your time.”
At the firm words, Seo Eunho frowned. He was saying from tomorrow immediately.
“Hey, not right away. I should at least quit after they find someone to work, shouldn’t I?”
“The boss here will find someone to work. You don’t need to worry about that.”
Tae Shinwoo really lived life easily. Seo Eunho tried to shake his head again. He had no intention of quitting his part-time job that way.
But Tae Shinwoo turned around immediately as if he’d finished all his business today. He didn’t seem to have any intention of listening to Seo Eunho’s words.
Whatever. If he doesn’t quit without receiving the money, that’s that.
Seo Eunho clicked his tongue and thought as he watched the retreating figure.
***
However, the very next morning, Seo Eunho ended up quitting his job just as Tae Shinwoo had said. He received the absurd notice from the convenience store owner who came out to take over from him to not come out anymore. And that wasn’t all. He also received a one-sided dismissal notice from the restaurant where he worked in the afternoon.
Seo Eunho immediately realized it was Tae Shinwoo’s doing. Though it was something he’d agreed to, he was momentarily angry that he’d made him get fired so unilaterally. Seo Eunho immediately decided to go to school and find Tae Shinwoo.
However, there was no need to go find him. Because Tae Shinwoo was waiting for him outside the convenience store. Seo Eunho was about to get angry right away, but he was a bit faster in holding out an envelope to him. Inside was cash equivalent to almost a year’s worth of part-time job wages.
Seo Eunho, who’d been thinking at most a month or two, lost his words. Because he was flustered enough that even his anger completely disappeared.
Ah, this crazy bastard.
As expected, there was no word more suitable than this to describe Tae Shinwoo. Seo Eunho had that thought only after Tae Shinwoo left first, saying he’d see him at school.
