* * *

“I told you, I’m not drinking!”

“Alright, alright, don’t drink. Just eat and then go. I’m not messed up enough to make someone who’s on medication drink.”

“You’ve lost so much weight lately, and you don’t look good. You should at least be eating properly.”

Even though he hated the idea of drinking because of that incident, Siyoung eventually got half-dragged to the restaurant by the three of them.

They promised not to make him drink, but what good was it if he was the only one who didn’t?

The other three would definitely drink.

“Let’s eat something delicious. I’ll treat you to some premium beef.”

“This is just what you want to eat, isn’t it…?”

“Hey, it’s a nutritious meal. Nutritious.”

Yeonseok shook his head, putting on a playful tone.

If only he’d keep his mouth shut.

Siyoung sighed and said,

“…Fine, but I’m only eating. Make sure you let me go home early. I’m tired.”

Saying no again would only make him look suspicious.

It was better to just eat quickly and leave.

If he cooperated a little, maybe they wouldn’t bother him too much.

“Is your stomach feeling okay?”

“It’s just a mild gastritis… if you guys hadn’t made a fuss, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all.”

“Do you know how dangerous it can be to ignore even a small illness? When was the last time you got a health checkup?”

“A little over half a year ago… not quite a year.”

“You need to get checkups regularly. My great-aunt recently had a tumor found during hers, and it was a big deal. They said it would’ve been serious if they hadn’t caught it early.”

More nagging about health checkups.

Siyoung pretended to cover his ears as he took a seat.

Since he was here, he might as well eat a lot.

He resolved to get his money’s worth.

“Two bottles of soju and three bottles of beer, please.”

“I told you, I’m not drinking.”

“Yes, yes. Just bring three glasses, then.”

He couldn’t understand why people liked alcohol so much, especially when they couldn’t even hold their liquor.

When Siyoung shook his head, Hyun, who was watching, said,

“I’m not drinking either. You two can drink.”

“What? That’s not like you.”

“I’ve got a schedule, and… I just don’t feel like it.”

What did he mean by that?

The other three stared at Hyun curiously until he sighed and said,

“…I hate not remembering my own night.”

He must’ve been referring to the time he drank so much he blacked out.

It made sense; he wasn’t that young anymore, and doing things he wouldn’t have done even in college was embarrassing.

“Then just don’t drink that much.”

“Just the thought of it makes me uncomfortable. You guys drink.”

Hyun pushed his glass aside, and Yeonseok, who had been pouting, quickly poured a drink into Jaeyoon’s glass instead.

“You’re such a buzzkill.”

“Don’t force him. We’re just having a light drink anyway.”

“That’s exactly why it’s annoying.”

Yeonseok stretched his glass out for a toast.

Hyun and Siyoung, holding drinks of soda and water, raised theirs as well to play along.

“Didn’t you say most of your schedules are settled starting next week?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a variety show we signed for, plus a few remaining contracts for photo shoots and ads, but I’ll definitely be less busy this month.”

“That’s a relief. You’ve been so swamped lately; even I was getting tired of it.”

“As if you had so much work to get tired of.”

“I did a bit, okay? I took your calls and helped organize your documents when you were super busy.”

Could that even be called help?

Well, technically, yes, but he’d only done it because he’d caused a mess that he couldn’t clean up himself.

“…Fine, whatever.”

Still, thanks to that irresponsible guy playing boss, Siyoung was making money and working, so he decided to let it slide.

He took a sip of water, ending the topic.

“Isn’t this show Kim Jang-seok PD’s idea? It’s bound to do well.”

“You never know. Just because a famous PD is handling it doesn’t mean it’ll succeed… Plus, it’s on a cable channel.”

“What’s it about?”

“It’s one of those shows where you go live in a rural village for a week. Kind of like the PD’s last show.”

“Rural? Can Jeonghyun handle that? He’s a total neat freak. Can he survive a week?”

“…You were the one who said to sign immediately when you heard it was a Kim Jang-seok PD project. Jeonghyun will just go along with whatever they tell him.”

Typical.

He forgot everything once he heard the PD’s name.

Siyoung shook his head, feeling a bit sorry for Jeonghyun.

‘It’s unexpected, though. There’s no strong reason he has to do this, and he’s not exactly an easygoing guy, but he hasn’t complained about the schedule at all…’

Maybe something triggered it.

Though his personality hadn’t changed, there were subtle differences.

Siyoung glanced at Hyun, who didn’t seem to care even after hearing about his upcoming schedule for the variety show.

‘Did something happen? He’s still a jerk, but he has changed a lot…’

At first, Siyoung didn’t notice, but after a year of working together, the changes became apparent.

Hyun might seem the same, yet he was different in many ways.

It wasn’t like he enjoyed being in the spotlight, yet he suddenly entered the entertainment industry, took on a job that didn’t suit him, and… well, worked pretty hard at it despite not needing the money.

“What are you looking at?”

“…”

But then, looking at him like this, he seemed completely unchanged.

Siyoung glared lightly and spoke.

“Just wondering if you’ll mess things up there. If your schedule gets cut, I’ll get cut too.”

Although, at this point, it might be better to just let it end naturally in a few months.

He’d have to quit before his baby bump showed anyway.

Lost in thought, Siyoung said,

“Never mind. Just do what you want. They say holding back is bad for you.”

“…”

Hyun gave him an unimpressed look, setting his glass down and asking,

“Why? Are you thinking of quitting?”

“No, not exactly quitting right now…”

“Not happening. You’re staying until Jeonghyun retires. If you leave, I’ll have to find someone new. I hate recruiting people.”

Yeonseok shook his head, as if it were obvious.

As if this were some serious job.

Siyoung shrugged and replied,

“Who knows, things can change anytime.”

“Where will you find another job like this? The boss barely shows up, you get paid well, and the benefits are great.”

“If Jeonghyun keeps this up, he’ll end up in a scandal for his personality, and the company will go under.”

“Nah, it won’t. I’ve got my own know-how now.”

What know-how?

All he did was occasionally take calls and send files.

Forget it.

Since they were only working as a hobby, why worry?

Ignoring Yeonseok’s words, Siyoung reached for the meat that had just finished cooking.

“Alright, enough talk. Just eat.”

Consider all this chatter the price for the free meal.

The meat was expensive, but it was tasty.

Thinking this, Siyoung chewed contentedly.

The conversation soon shifted, and as they finished their meal, he checked the time.

“When are we leaving? It’s already nine.”

“You sound like a middle schooler, trying to leave at nine…”

“Office workers have to get home earlier than middle schoolers.”

“You have no work tomorrow. I know for a fact your busy schedule is over.”

“That’s your opinion. I just want to go home and rest.”

The urge to sleep like crazy had gotten better, but Siyoung couldn’t shake off the fatigue that easily.

He decided he’d head out early and get to bed soon.

Siyoung cast a glance at the glasses of alcohol sitting in front of Jaeyoon and Yeonseok.

“If you want to keep drinking, go ahead. But I’m done. You guys should take it easy too. There’s nothing worse than calling a driver and then making a scene.”

“Then I’ll leave too.”

“What? Are you two in cahoots or something? So, I’m supposed to be left here alone with him? Nah, we all know Junghyun isn’t staying either.”

At that, Junghyun gave a look that seemed to ask why even bother asking, as he got ready to leave.

Yeonseok, who had wanted to stay out a bit longer, clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“Was that night really that bad for you?”

“You guys probably don’t remember, so you wouldn’t think much of it. But for me, cleaning up after…”

“Oh, by the way, you dropped this.”

Jaeyoon, who’d followed Siyoung outside under the pretense of helping him get a taxi, handed him a pill bottle he’d forgotten.

Siyoung’s eyes widened as he quickly snatched the bottle from Jaeyoon’s hand.

“You’ve seemed pretty tired lately. Are you sick or something?”

“No, it’s… I had some gastritis recently, so I’m just trying to take better care of myself. Just some supplements.”

Though it wasn’t exactly a lie, Siyoung felt a pang of guilt and stuffed the bottle into his pocket, averting his gaze.

Jaeyoon looked around, then lowered his voice.

“Is this about what happened that night?”

“…What?”

“Two months ago, when we drank together. I didn’t remember it at first, but since you mentioned you didn’t want to drink, bits of that night came back. At the penthouse…”

Siyoung’s face paled.

Just how much did Jaeyoon remember?

Where did his memory start and end?

No, it couldn’t be… It just couldn’t.

Siyoung quickly glanced around, then pulled Jaeyoon into a nearby alley.

Thankfully, the dimly lit alley meant Jaeyoon couldn’t see his ashen face.

In a voice that he forced to remain steady, Siyoung asked, “What exactly do you remember?”

Please, don’t let it be everything.

It couldn’t be.

Siyoung swallowed, waiting for Jaeyoon’s response.

* * *