It was the employee who broke the awkward and uncomfortable silence.
“Are you ready to order?”
“Order whatever you want to eat.”
Lee Jiwoo said generously. I don’t usually eat breakfast so I don’t have much of an appetite… And I’m more sensitive than people think, so I often get indigestion when eating with uncomfortable people.
“Two bowls of seolleongtang, please.”
That said, I couldn’t order just one bowl when two people came in, so I just ordered the signature dish. Lee Jiwoo rested his chin on his hand and stared at me blankly as if watching television.
He didn’t take his eyes off me once while I poured water into cups and laid out spoons. His gaze was so burdensome that I could feel it all even without making eye contact.
“You said you’ve lived here since you were little, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you go to school all around here too?”
“Yes.”
“You never studied abroad or anything?”
Study abroad? What study abroad all of a sudden? Let alone foreign countries, I’d barely been anywhere domestically. There’s a photo of my mom taking me to Busan beach when I was very young, but I don’t remember it.
“I came to this neighborhood often too, so why did we never meet even once?”
I’d felt this since we first met, but Lee Jiwoo was really a master at leaving people speechless. I really didn’t know what to answer.
Should I say I’m glad we met now at least? Is that too direct? But thinking about Lee Jiwoo’s behavior so far, it seemed like he’d actually like it if I was a bit aggressive.
I finished my brief deliberation with my gaze lowered to avoid his burdensome eyes, then raised my head.
“……”
And I was left speechless once again. Because Lee Jiwoo was lying face-down on the table, sleeping.
“…Excuse me.”
It was the exact same position as when I used to sleep face-down on my desk at school when I was in high school. There was no answer, as if he’d really fallen asleep in that brief moment.
Heavy eyelids, closed lips, pressed cheeks, even gentle breathing sounds. It felt like he’d be asleep for at least 3 hours if left alone.
“Oh my… He must have drunk a lot.”
The employee carefully placed the earthenware pots on the table in a lowered voice. Two steaming hot earthenware pots were placed in front of me.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Yeeess…”
No, I don’t have an appetite either. Why is he sleeping when he dragged me here saying let’s eat?
He was sleeping too well to wake him up to eat, but I should wake him, right? Or maybe he’ll wake up on his own while I’m eating… Just how long has he been in front of my house?
His hands were like ice when we held hands—has he been there a long time? He couldn’t have stayed up all night in front of there, right? Even for a crazy guy, that seemed unlikely, so I shook my head lightly.
It was absurd beyond belief, but if I changed my perspective, a crisis could become an opportunity. If Lee Jiwoo is cold, hungry, and tired right now, can’t I use that?
I carefully took out my wallet from my pocket. I’d received a lot of money from hyungnim recently, so my wallet was the thickest it had ever been in my life.
It was worth spending about 10,000 won to improve our relationship.
“Excuse me, boss.”
I approached the owner sitting at the counter.
“I’m going to run to the convenience store in front.”
“The convenience store?”
The owner glanced over to see Lee Jiwoo sleeping face-down on the table and made a troubled expression.
“You are coming back, right?”
“Yes, I’ll be right back.”
Seeing my innocently smiling face, the owner nodded and told me to go ahead. Before leaving the store, I glanced at Lee Jiwoo sleeping soundly, then went outside.
And I went straight to a nearby convenience store to buy a fatigue recovery drink, chocolate, candy, and things like that. Buying just one fatigue recovery drink seems too insincere, and sweet things are good when you’re tired.
Everyone liked it when I bought these kinds of things the day after company dinners when I was working part-time.
Choosing took less than a minute, but there was someone at the register purchasing a large quantity of various things, so waiting took longer than expected. Even so, it was only about 15 minutes, so I didn’t think it was particularly a problem.
I leisurely entered the store with the plastic bag on my wrist and my hands in my pockets, nodded in greeting to the owner still at the counter, then turned my head.
Lee Jiwoo, who had woken up at some point, was leaning deep into the backrest in a delinquent posture, looking at me.
“When did you wake up?”
I quickly asked while slightly panting as if I’d been running. Lee Jiwoo didn’t answer and stared intently at the plastic bag hanging on my wrist.
“What’s that?”
I was about to smile harmlessly and appeal that I bought a fatigue recovery drink for you from the convenience store, but I couldn’t. Because there were three green bottles on the table that hadn’t been there before I left.
One was already an empty bottle, and the second bottle was more than half empty. Seeing two soju glasses stacked at the edge of the table, he’d definitely chugged straight from the bottle without even pouring.
“D-did you drink alcohol?”
Lee Jiwoo nodded while looking up at me as I stuttered without even sitting down.
“I thought you’d left, so I drank a bit because I was sad.”
“……”
“Why did you suddenly disappear without saying anything? I was surprised.”
“……”
It was a reproachful tone, but he didn’t particularly seem angry or displeased. He’d drunk more than a whole bottle of soju in that brief time, but he didn’t even seem drunk.
“I-I should have bought a hangover remedy too. You seemed tired, so I was going to buy a fatigue recovery drink…”
“You’re my fatigue recovery drink, so why would I buy that?”
I almost fell over sideways while hesitating to sit down. I quickly hid my goosebump-covered hand under the table and smiled broadly.
“Haha.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you made a funny joke… Hahaha.”
“It’s not a joke though.”
“Hahaha.”
When you have nothing to say, laughing is the best. Isn’t there a saying that you can’t spit on a smiling face? I laughed helplessly a few more times, then changed the subject.
“Maybe because it’s an earthenware pot, it hasn’t cooled yet. Eat quickly. You said you were hungry.”
“I was so surprised because of you that I lost my appetite.”
“I-I’m sorry about that.”
“Hold my hand until I finish eating. Then I’ll eat.”
It was stifling, like a ball of cotton was stuck in my throat. Since it didn’t make sense from the start that hyungnim paid me and gave me this job, I tried not to get into the details.
Because there were so many things I couldn’t understand with my common sense… I just needed money, I received money, so I tried not to think deeply and just do what I was told.
But I was so curious I couldn’t stand it. Why is Lee Jiwoo treating me like this? Does he really know I’m hyungnim’s lackey, and is he acting this way to extract something from me in reverse?
“Excuse me, Mr. Lee Jiwoo.”
“You said you’d call me hyung.”
“Jiwoo hyung.”
“Yeah, Seoun-ah.”
It’s my name I’ve heard all my life, but I don’t know why it’s so awkward coming from that mouth. Somehow cold sweat trickled down my back, so I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut for a moment.
Lee Jiwoo just blinked his eyes without urging me as he looked at me saying nothing. He looked like a divine turtle that had lived about 400 years.
“Why are you really doing this to me?”
“What?”
“We only just met yesterday.”
At my words, Lee Jiwoo tilted his head with a bewildered expression.
“Is this your first time being flirted with?”
“This is flirting?”
“Then what is it?”
“……”
Of course I’d been flirted with a lot too. Among them were timid personalities and aggressive personalities, but this case was a first for me too.
Can this even be called flirting? Someone I met for the first time yesterday waiting in front of my house? I never even told her—him my address. No, we weren’t even in a “something” relationship to begin with.
“What do you like about me?”
“That you’re pretty.”
“Where? My face?”
“Your eyes are pretty, your nose is pretty, your lips are pretty. Your forehead is pretty too. Your hands are pretty. Even your heart is beautiful.”
“……”
The compliments continued like a bombardment, but I wasn’t happy at all. It wasn’t just because Lee Jiwoo was a man. His eyes looked too tired to be a man in love. Even if I searched with my eyes wide open, I couldn’t see any tender feelings or fluttering heart.
“Honestly, at first I liked your appearance, but after talking with you, I came to like you more.”
“Ah, I see. Thank you.”
Lee Jiwoo, who had been staring at my lukewarm response, grabbed my hand.
“I also like that your hands are warm. I have poor circulation in my hands and feet.”
“Aha…”
Information I’m not curious about at all.
