I came out of the phone booth and headed up to the juice shop. I’d left behind the slippers I wore during my part-time work and my personal belongings, so they told me to stop by. When I entered the shop, what do you know—a cake was prepared at the swing seat, the golden spot.
The weekday part-timer and Manager Kim came out and set off small party poppers.
“Farewell party!”
They’d prepared a surprise party. I was already grateful that they’d employed me and supported my dreams, but this was yet another thing to be thankful for. I sat down, ate cake, and chatted with the manager for a bit.
“The swing seat feels awkward.”
“You’ve sat there a few times though.”
“That’s true. Sunbae reserved it for me every time I came with girlfriends. Come to think of it, sunbae knows all about my dating history.”
“Of course. The girl you were dating recently even got along well with me, you know.”
“…Well, yeah.”
“What’s going on this year that your love life’s been so quiet?”
“……As you saw last year, my family situation was a bit rough. And after I decided to pursue singing, I haven’t had time either.”
The manager nodded and said teasingly.
“I know it’s a sensitive topic and I know it’s probably my imagination, so just let it slide. From what I’ve noticed, your personality seems to have changed quite a bit after you started hanging around with that friend last year. You’ve gotten rougher, I guess?”
“Really?”
“If you used to be an endlessly playful and affectionate heartthrob with girls, now you’re more like… an unapproachable ice wall?”
The manager laughed loudly at the end of his sentence. Yeon Cheonguk didn’t want to bring up Hwang Jegu anymore, so he responded with silence.
“You’ve dated four girls—what was it like? Was dating worthwhile?”
The fact that he specifically pinpointed four girls bothered him slightly, but he brushed it off and answered.
“The beginning is the most fun part of dating. I don’t know, if I’d experienced something worth calling love, maybe I wouldn’t have gotten the criticism that I’m ‘a kid who doesn’t know love’ when I sang <Do You Know>.”
“At that rate, hey, aren’t you not straight?”
Yeon Cheonguk, never imagining that the joke thrown out with hearty laughter was a probing remark, responded cheekily.
“Maybe I really am. Is there some kind of test for that?”
Yeon Cheonguk clapped his hands loudly and laughed. Normally he would have noticed that the manager’s eyes wavered strangely and even became desperate for a moment, but the shop phone rang loudly. The manager jumped up hastily and answered the phone.
“Yes, this is Canmoa Kyunghee University branch.” After his response, a long silence followed.
When he looked toward the counter at the sharp, heavy silence, the manager shrugged.
“…It’s a nightclub, and they’re calling about flyers to distribute?”
“……”
Yeon Cheonguk quickly interpreted the words. Once he immediately recognized it was a kind of code, his heart plummeted down below.
But he received the phone with an unbothered expression. Gakseori’s voice came through.
– Wait a sec.
After dry saliva gulped down, Hwang Jegu’s voice covered his ear.
– Yeon Cheonguk.
The real caller appeared. Yeon Cheonguk hid his tense state and responded cheerfully.
“Yes, boss. Flyers?”
– It’d be troublesome if you forgot your situation. You’re not in a position to notify me about this date or that date.
“……”
– You’re in a position where you come when I tell you to come and crawl when I tell you to crawl. Even if you meet me for money and meet the juice shop manager because he’ll give you work, keep to the basics.
Strictly speaking, he was right, but because it was expressed in Hwang Jegu’s way, it felt dirty. Was asking him to avoid today really something to get this angry about? Amid his bewilderment, dissatisfaction surged up.
– So here’s the thing—I only have time today. Come here right now.
“No, but right now it’s broad daylight….”
Boisterous singing was heard in the background. It seemed like a birthday song, but when Hwang Jegu let out a metallic “Shit…!”, it suddenly became as quiet as a mouse. Though he didn’t know whose birthday party it was, he could tell it wasn’t a particularly urgent situation.
– Listen carefully. I’m horny right now.
This bastard dared to want to punish Yeon Cheonguk for suggesting he avoid today.
Yeon Cheonguk bit his lip hard. Thinking he needed to meet face-to-face and argue, he yielded for now.
“Got it, you son of a bitch.”
After muttering quietly so it wouldn’t be heard outside, he put down the receiver. Coming out alone, Yeon Cheonguk tidied up the cake while preparing to leave.
“Manager, I’ll be going now then! Thanks for the cake.”
As he gathered his things and shoved his feet into his sneakers, the manager followed him out.
“So suddenly? What about attending the open audition?”
“I just decided to do flyer distribution part-time today. I won’t be able to go watch the auditions. I’ll just practice a lot instead. I’m off!”
“Yeon…!”
A voice called out to stop him from behind, but he pretended not to hear and ran down the stairs.
He thought he’d go to the warehouse and pour out harsh criticism. Does having money mean you can do anything? Having missed the chance to watch the open auditions, he was seeing red.
The fact that Yeon Cheonguk was determined to confront him despite being someone who got scared when actually standing before Hwang Jegu showed just how angry he was. He couldn’t remember if he’d ever blown his top like this in his life.
He got off at Hoegi Station and came out of the exit. Yeon Cheonguk, who’d been walking furiously, stopped in his tracks.
Under the green foliage by the roadside, a taxi was parked. The passenger door and back door opened simultaneously, and an astonishing sight unfolded.
Gakseori and kids holding balloons full in one hand, and Hwang Jegu appeared. Hwang Jegu wore a huge crown with a glittering cape, and his face was covered in whipped cream.
“Surprised?”
What the hell kind of show was this? He came to pick up Yeon Cheonguk in the middle of Hwang Jegu’s birthday party? When he stood there dumbfounded, unable to accept reality, Gakseori shouted loudly.
“Yeon Cheonguk hidden camera, success!”
“…What?”
An even hotter anger than before surged up. Just before profanity burst out, Hwang Jegu interrupted. And then what he suddenly said was so surprising that Yeon Cheonguk was left speechless.
“Second row from the stage. I got you a seat, so get in.”
***
Thanks to that guy calling out Yeon Cheonguk, he got to observe the open auditions up close.
There were participants with dismal skills that made him want to jump on stage right away, and there were participants who made him feel competitive. After about an hour and a half he got bored and left, but it definitely had a preview effect.
If he’d watched with the manager it wouldn’t have been completely comfortable, but thanks to Hwang Jegu sleeping soundly beside him, he watched comfortably from the front.
The two naturally headed to the hideout. Late August, the cool smell of grass wafted from the thickly wooded mountain.
Hwang Jegu was always the same. He lay sprawled on the mat and ordered a song.
“You are practicing pronunciation, right? Do it properly today.”
Even though things went wild for a moment because of today’s hidden camera prank, it was his birthday anyway. And the fact was he got to watch the auditions well thanks to him. He decided to sing a service song.
He brought a bucket and broom that had been lying around the warehouse. After flipping the bucket upside down, he struck it with the thin broom handle, cheerfully keeping the beat.
Why were you born
Why were you born
The population’s already large
Why were you born
Why were you born
Why were you born
You’re going to die anyway
Why were you born
Hwang Jegu laughed with amusement. When he only quietly drummed on the bucket, criticism came back.
“That’s it? Really?”
Without answering, Yeon Cheonguk changed the rhythm of drumming on the basin. More bouncy and lively.
On this day when drizzle falls
It’s my beloved’s birthday
All day long I thought of you
And wondered what to do
Walking to you
While being rained on feels so refreshing
In my arms a single rose, one book
And my deep love for you
Meeting beautiful you
Was a coincidence I thank God for
Because you understand my small heart
This world makes me happy
Happy Birthday to you
There was only one birthday song he could think of. The lyrics were a bit cheesy, but did it really matter?
“Well. A gift.”
“……”
“If you’re going to not mention it’s your birthday and call me out like a dick, be satisfied with this much of a gift, okay?”
After being silent for a while, Hwang Jegu let out a faint laugh by himself.
“This isn’t really my birthday. Since everyone around me kept asking about my birthday, birthday, I made up a birth date.”
“……Ah, so that’s why August 18th?”
His preference for the number 18 was consistent. Unable to find what to say, Yeon Cheonguk slowly got up from his seat. In the warehouse without a single light, the sound of night insects echoed. This moment felt quite cozy and romantic.
When he was wondering whether to sing another song instead of offering comfort, Hwang Jegu threw out a question.
“I’m asking seriously.”
“What.”
“That fruit juice shop manager. Did you do him?”
“What kind of filthy talk is that. Shit….”
“I guarantee you, when you turn twenty he’s going to get you drunk and fuck you.”
Hwang Jegu made the shape of a male sex organ with his finger and stabbed at the air. …Come to think of it, the manager had said this in passing.
— I’m just waiting for the day you turn twenty, Cheonguk.
Goosebumps broke out all over. Still, connecting it to Hwang Jegu’s wild claim was a stretch.
