We Just know Each Other chapter 2

I reunited with Kim Chanyi about two weeks ago.

It was a late afternoon.

I barely woke up from sleep.

Though it was only June, it was already hot and humid.

My skin felt sticky.

I took a shower in a bathroom barely big enough for me and headed to work.

At work, I do serving or change the grills and add charcoal.

When I come home late at night after my part-time job, I always smell like marinated ribs.

Still, it’s a decent workplace.

The hourly pay is good, the boss is kind, and it’s close to home.

It takes just ten minutes to walk home from the barbecue restaurant.

It’s an old three-story house with a 6-pyeong (19.835 square meters) semi-basement single room.

Honestly, it’s too shabby to call it home.

But since I can’t sleep on the streets, I just live here.

My life feels the same.

I can’t just die, so I live reluctantly.

I can’t commit suicide anyway.

I’m a coward.

Ending my life with my own hands?

There’s no way I have such immense determination.

I arrived at the barbecue restaurant and greeted the boss.

“I’m here.”

“Oh, you’re here.”

The boss poked his head out of the kitchen. I nodded and then coughed loudly.

“Did you catch a cold?”

“Yes.”

They say not even a dog catches a cold in the summer.

But I get a cold every summer.

Is it because my life is worse than a dog’s? It could be.

The boss’s dog Coco seems to live more happily than I do.

In our building, my rank is way below Coco’s.

Even if Coco pees on my semi-basement window, I can’t say a word.

I don’t have the energy to get mad about such things.

While I was absentmindedly preparing for business, the boss spoke from behind me.

“It’s Friday, so there will be a lot of customers. Let me know right away if any side dishes run out.”

“Yes.”

I was already tired.

Friday nights at a college town barbecue restaurant were hell.

Usually, even on Fridays, the place was quiet, with only occasional family customers.

But this year, things changed drastically.

The nearby university, a branch of a prestigious Seoul university, had moved some departments from the main campus to this location.

The students who used to study at the main campus now lived around here, making the area crowded.

The boss was thrilled, but for someone like me, who had sought a quiet place to settle, it was unwelcome.

The streets became noisy in an instant.

I’m seriously considering moving once the lease is up.

University students?

I hate them. I hate them the most.

They’re noisy, overly social, and most of all, they’re my age.

If it weren’t for that incident five years ago, I might have enjoyed a future like theirs.

The sight of those embodiments of what I missed out on is horrifying.

I don’t mind not having had the chance at all.

If the boss bought a Ferrari, I’d be envious but not regretful.

But the things that brushed past my fingertips, I can’t stand to see. It makes me sick.

As soon as the store opened, the tables filled up quickly.

Considering it was a Friday night, it was unusually busy.

The boss handed me a pile of green onions.

“It’s the end of the semester for the students.”

“Ah, so that’s why…”

“I’m planning to stay open a bit longer than usual. I’ll give you extra pay.”

“Until what time?”

“Maybe around three or four? Yun-ah can’t stay.”

“I’ll stay. I don’t have anything else to do anyway.”

The boss patted my shoulder.

“Good.”

I was thrust into a wild night among university students.

The campus had been relocated to a science and engineering area, so most of the customers were men.

They devoured meat ravenously, as if they had been starving.

The grill quickly blackened, and there was a lot to serve.

I had to keep moving constantly.

By eight in the evening, I felt like I had become a giant piece of pork ribs.

The smell of meat grease clung to my nostrils.

My eyes stung from carrying charcoal.

Couldn’t they eat less?

Ding. The bell chimed with a cheerful sound.

A group entered the barbecue restaurant.

Reflexively, I turned towards the door and greeted them.

“Welcome.”

Five young men who looked like university students had arrived.

Another end-of-semester drinking party, I guessed.

One of them asked me,

“Do you have a table?”

I quickly looked around.

“The first floor is full. There are seats on the second floor. Would you like to go up?”

“Yes.”

Leading the way, I guided them to the second floor.

Pointing to a vacant table, I stood by to take their order.

But my skin prickled the entire time.

One of the customers was staring at me intensely.

What’s his problem?

Do I have something on my face?

I subtly touched my cheek but felt nothing unusual.

“Alright, I’ll bring you five servings of pork ribs and some soju to start.”

Feeling uneasy, I quickly stood up after taking the order.

I scurried away like a thief.

When I returned with the side dishes and soju, I still felt that piercing gaze.

Who is this guy?

Why is he staring like he wants to devour me?

But since he hadn’t openly caused trouble, I couldn’t confront him.

The stare persisted.

While placing the charcoal, bringing the meat, and changing the grill, it continued.

I was reaching my limit. I addressed the staring man as politely as I could.

“Is there anything else you’d like to order?”

He flinched and quickly shook his head.

Then he bit his lip nervously.

What a weirdo.

“Alright then, enjoy your meal.”

As I bowed and turned to leave, I was suddenly pulled back. The man had grabbed my wrist.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

He spoke cautiously.

“Aren’t you Hyunoh?”

I felt like the ground beneath me had given way.

It was as if I was falling endlessly from the rooftop of an 80-story building.

My organs felt like they had dropped to my feet.

I finally took a closer look at the man’s face.

I rummaged through my memories but couldn’t place him.

Did I know him from my past?

I grew anxious. My lips felt dry.

“Who are you?”

“Oh, you might not remember. We weren’t that close.”

He spoke hastily, as if he was being chased.

“You know, Dongo High School… I was in class 3 of the second year.”

Dongo High School. Class 3 of the second year. T

he words swirled chaotically in my head.

He anxiously rubbed his forehead and chin with his fingers.

Ah, a vague memory surfaced.

There was a guy who always made those gestures, walking around with hunched shoulders.

What was his name? I couldn’t remember.

“I’m Chanyi.”