He himself didn’t know what he wanted to do. He was just enduring day by day, trying not to think about Miro.
“What happened with the caregiver job, any new news?”
“It’s still the same. The president said it seems like they fled abroad.”
It was Kim Haengbok’s request. The request to find the caregiver who had run off with his father-in-law’s money still remained unsolved. Though he worried about leaving it to Hyungsik alone and tried to move together to help, Eunchan had become completely sick of people with the name ‘Kim Haengbok,’ so he only occasionally asked for news and kept track of the progress.
“If there’s anything I can help with later, tell me. After talking to the president first……”
“Got it, hyung.”
When he made another attempt to withdraw and asked this of him, Hyungsik smiled. Eunchan glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was still midday, far from evening.
“You don’t have any more work today, right?”
“I don’t think so? As long as no customers suddenly come in.”
“Then I’ll leave work early.”
There was no work, so he was bored. Since even the boss wasn’t there, there was no one to be conscious of, so his body became more lax and languid. He should either take a walk around the park or go to the gym to exercise and at least break a sweat. Eunchan soon turned off the computer and draped a thick jacket over his shoulders.
The coat of Miro’s that he’d brought when escaping from the hospital was left crumpled inside the closet. He’d sometimes considered throwing away the coat due to the rose scent that occasionally wafted through the house, but he couldn’t quite muster the courage to personally put such an expensive garment in the used clothing collection bin, so he hadn’t put it into action.
“Eat before you go, hyung.”
“I have no appetite. You eat plenty, and contact me if anything comes up.”
Eunchan, who had roughly wiped the desk with a tissue to dust it off, said to Hyungsik.
“Hyung, you don’t have a phone.”
“Ah, right.”
“I’m dying of inconvenience. They said they’d give a really good deal in front, that you just need to make one discount card. Hyung, just buy one today.”
“No. It’s a waste of money.”
Eunchan shook his head, rejecting Hyungsik’s suggestion. He didn’t even have money to pay the card’s annual fee.
“Just where did you lose it?”
Hyungsik, who only knew that he’d simply lost his phone on the street, let out a sigh. Still, with his meticulous personality, he wasn’t someone who lost things, but it seems this hyung has gotten clumsy with age, Hyungsik thought as he looked at Eunchan with worried eyes.
“Seriously.”
Rather than losing it, the truth was it had been taken from him. Thinking of his phone that was probably rolling around somewhere on the floor of that shitty warehouse, Eunchan swallowed his tears. Right, it was a phone Miro had bought for him anyway, so there was no need to have lingering attachment.
“I’m leaving first.”
“Yes, hyung. Get home safely.”
Eunchan waved his hand to Hyungsik, then left the office. As he came down the stairs, cold wind swept across his face. They said spring and autumn were getting shorter each year, but this autumn had been too long a season for Eunchan, so he welcomed the approaching winter.
He wished snow would come quickly, Christmas would come, the 31st would come and the new year would dawn. When the new year came, it seemed like it would be easier to forget last year’s events. Eunchan pulled the zipper up to the end of his neck to block the chilly wind from entering his nape, then slowly walked down the street.
Thanks to Miro, whom he’d met in front of the elevator, he hadn’t even been able to retrieve the luggage bag he’d managed to pack. With no phone or wallet, Eunchan, in a bind, had split open the belly of the piggy bank at home and barely paid for a taxi.
Thanks to that, he was still continuing to spend with cash even now. Fortunately, the person who had his wallet was rich, so it was fortunate that he had absolutely no interest in Eunchan’s cards and small change. He could just get his card and ID reissued, but he couldn’t quite muster the motivation.
Coming out onto the main street and walking, Eunchan carefully examined the faces of people passing by. It was to check if there might be any of Miro’s employees hovering around him. Even if you called it excessive self-consciousness, he had nothing to say, but he felt at ease only by checking like this. He was a crazy person who would collect all his photos, so what couldn’t he do?
It had become routine to live with the curtains drawn even inside the house. It was fine now because it was winter and he could live with the windows closed, but if it had been summer, he wouldn’t have been able to stand it.
Eunchan looked at the bare winter trees rooted along the street and let out a long breath. White breath leaked out like cigarette smoke. In the end, time is medicine. It was like that before, and it’s like that now too. After a little more time passed, he’d be able to put away Miro’s coat and get his card reissued. He could also open a phone with a new number. Like a child waiting for Christmas, Eunchan waited for December 31st.
And a month later, the move was decided. Eunchan finished without renewing the contract. Combining the deposit he got back with a couple of savings accounts that would soon mature, it seemed like a cheap apartment jeonse would be possible. Should I look for a house closer to the office? It wouldn’t be bad to try living in the downtown area this time.
At the news that Eunchan was moving out, Hyungsik immediately suggested how about living together in his apartment. It wasn’t bad conditions for Eunchan to stay since Hyungsik’s older brother, once he boarded a ship, didn’t come back for a long time. Eunchan also thought about it for a moment, but it didn’t suit his personality to mooch off someone, so he refused.
He spent his days off touring apartments on the market with Hyungsik. They also had meals together that they hadn’t been able to have, and drank alcohol. Hyungsik smiled, saying he was glad his hyung had returned, and Eunchan also felt sorry to the younger brother he hadn’t been able to pay attention to and took better care of him.
* * *
It was a long-awaited company dinner held on Christmas Eve. Even the boss, who rarely opened his wallet, led Eunchan and Hyungsik to a meat restaurant along with bonuses, saying it was the end of the year. At the pork belly place that was now no different from a regular spot, Eunchan ordered a mix of pork neck, jowl meat, and skin.
The sky had been overcast since yesterday, and the moment they entered the meat restaurant, snow began to fall heavily. Looking at the snow falling outside the window, the boss began to worry about the car parked outside. Torn between the paid underground parking fee and the icy car window, the boss soon left his seat for a moment, saying he’d go put the car underground.
Watching the boss’s retreating figure, Eunchan secretly placed an order with the part-timer for three servings of gapsal. It wasn’t even beef, so it was fine to get more free food. He put the jowl meat that came out first on the grill and shared beer with Hyungsik.
On the television hanging near the ceiling, news flowed about expecting a white Christmas. Looking at the tree decorated with colorful light bulbs beyond the screen, Eunchan realized anew that time had flowed well. Of course, Miro still appeared in his dreams, and his hyung from Muan showed up, but he was still enduring well. At this rate, it seemed like he’d be able to welcome the new year soon. Eunchan gulped down his beer along with hope.
“Hyung, what are you doing tomorrow on Christmas?”
“I’ll just be at home.”
Christmas…… Even as a child, Eunchan had rarely received gifts, so it wasn’t a particularly favorite day. It was also because he’d realized too early that there was no Santa. However, Hyungsik, still young, was the type to enjoy and celebrate Christmas. It was also Hyungsik who had decorated the cute tree inside the gloomy office with three men. Last year, it seemed Hyungsik had a girlfriend and the two spent Christmas together. Though he’d heard they broke up not long after.
“What about you? Is your hyung coming?”
Curious about who he’d spend Christmas with, Eunchan asked Hyungsik. Perhaps his older brother might disembark from the ship.
“I don’t know. Let’s spend it together, hyung.”
However, what came back was a gloomy answer.
“Didn’t he say he wouldn’t come for the holidays originally?”
“He did, but this time he said he probably won’t get off the ship.”
It had already been three years since he said he’d earn a lot and come down. Hyungsik let out a big sigh and gulped down beer to the bottom just like Eunchan had done.
“……Then I’ll go to your place.”
Since he had nothing to do anyway, Eunchan answered while stroking Hyungsik’s head. At Eunchan’s promise, Hyungsik’s eyes lit up, and his gloom was brief as he began to rejoice, saying let’s make plans for that day.
Watch a movie, eat chicken, for alcohol they could drink wine too…… Listening to Hyungsik’s plans in one ear and letting them out the other, Eunchan cut the cooked meat. Making plans was good, but first he had to eat a lot of meat before the boss came. After putting meat on Hyungsik’s plate and putting a piece in his own mouth, Eunchan immediately cleared the empty plates and ordered more meat.
After finishing the meal, the boss, who received the receipt, said this couldn’t be right and had an argument with the restaurant owner, but Eunchan ignored it and came out of the restaurant first. Searching his pockets to find cigarettes, Eunchan put one in his mouth and lit it. After crushing the capsule and exhaling smoke in a long stream, he felt blood circulating throughout his body.
“Hyung, you quit smoking for so long, what a waste.”
“Go far away.”
Hyungsik, who had stuffed both cheeks with peppermint candies left at the counter as dessert, said to Eunchan regretfully. Eunchan, who waved his hand to drive away Hyungsik who was trying to come close, raised the corners of his mouth while looking at the boss who was still arguing. The restaurant owner hyung had also severely overcharged Hyungsik and Eunchan before, so this much revenge was deserved.
“Should we go straight to my place?”
“Should we?”
Originally there would have been a karaoke course afterward, but he didn’t want to deal with the drunk boss’s tantrums until Christmas. Seeing the boss come out of the restaurant with a reddened face, Eunchan put out his cigarette.
“Did you guys order more when I wasn’t there?”
“Yes.”
“Hey you bastards, then you should have said something! What made you eat so much?”
“It’s not even beef, it’s pork, so how much could it have been?”
“You ate pork like it was beef, just now!”
He knew it would come out to a lot since they’d kept ordering. At the end they even ordered ribs. Eunchan pushed away the receipt thrust in front of his eyes and thanked the boss for the meal.
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll call you a designated driver, let’s go.”
“Go where, we haven’t even properly drunk yet.”
“You parked at the pharmacy building here, right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Only the sign stayed the same, but it went up to 5,000 won per 30 minutes there.”
“What? These bastards.”
“Please go in.”
“I’ll go get the car, so you guys wait here.”
“They do a lot of drunk driving checkpoints right in front of there. They’re probably doing it now too.”
At Eunchan’s words, the boss, who had furrowed his brow greatly, finally raised both hands. Eunchan, who asked Hyungsik to call a designated driver, adjusted his jumper and then looked up at the sky where the snowfall had now subsided. Perhaps because clouds were thick, not a single star was visible.
“I called one!”
“President, please go in~”
He stuck his hands in his pockets and just roughly bowed his head to see the boss off. The boss seemed regretful about the prematurely ended company dinner, but since the two remaining employees were desperate to send the boss away quickly, he had to turn around and leave first. Watching the boss’s retreating figure, the two also turned around.
“Hyung is the best after all.”
Hyungsik clapped with admiration, saying he was the best at handling the boss. Eunchan advised him that when you get older you become like this too, and the two began to move their steps toward the bus stop.
