* * *
For the first time, Yeongdeok sat quietly and began to reflect on his life.
Just then, his phone buzzed.
[Ha Wonjin: Yeongdeok, if you’re free today,]
[Ha Wonjin: Would you like to have dinner with me?]
It was the first message he’d received since the day they went to the exhibition together.
Come to think of it, there was this guy too.
Yeongdeok realized that, preoccupied with Jihoon and Seonwoo, he had completely forgotten about Wonjin.
[Dinner?]
[Ha Wonjin: It’s the weekend, after all.]
[Ha Wonjin: And we haven’t met up in a while.]
It really had been a while since he’d seen Wonjin.
Yeongdeok never reached out first, and Wonjin hadn’t contacted him since that last encounter, likely because of the mistake Yeongdeok had made.
[Let’s make it drinks instead.]
[Ha Wonjin: Drinks?]
[Yeah.]
[Ha Wonjin: Alright.]
After setting up a meeting with Wonjin, Yeongdeok finally left the house.
As he was heading down the stairs, he saw Jihoon coming up.
The moment their eyes met, Yeongdeok felt his heart drop like a stone.
“What’s up? Where are you off to at this hour?”
Jihoon, addressing him first, acted no different from before he was rejected.
However, Yeongdeok could sense that Jihoon was subtly uncomfortable around him.
“I have something to take care of.”
Thinking that maybe things could never return to how they were, Yeongdeok felt a strange churning in his stomach.
“Alright, take care.”
Hearing those words, Yeongdeok hurried away without looking back, almost as if fleeing. What was this feeling?
He kept questioning himself, but he had no answer.
ꔚ
The neon signs of the crowded street bar district lit up vibrantly, filled with youthful energy on a weekend night.
Walking through the lively scene, Yeongdeok entered the bar where he was supposed to meet Wonjin.
Having visited such places a few times before while aimlessly wandering around to escape his frustrations, Yeongdeok found a seat, checked the menu, and leisurely waited for Wonjin.
“Sorry, did you wait long?”
Wonjin arrived three minutes early but still apologized to Yeongdeok, who was already there.
Despite the summer heat, he was dressed up in an outfit complete with an outer layer.
“Did you come from somewhere?”
“Huh? No, I didn’t.”
“You look so dressed up that I thought you had plans before this.”
“Aha….”
Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, Wonjin suddenly looked at Yeongdeok with steady eyes.
“Your tone is back to normal.”
“I couldn’t keep up the act anymore.”
“You made the right choice.”
With that, Wonjin took a seat across from Yeongdeok.
Yeongdeok turned the menu he’d been holding upright so Wonjin could see.
“I’m fine! I can read it upside down too.”
“I already checked it before you got here. Is there anything you want?”
Surprised by Yeongdeok’s consideration, Wonjin blinked in disbelief, then smiled softly.
“What do you feel like having, Yeongdeok?”
“I think it’s best to order some soup first. They say the key is to keep adding water to it as it boils.”
“They?”
Yeongdeok had spoken, recalling the shameless friends who used to drink with him, but of course, Wonjin wouldn’t know that.
“How about fish cake soup, some fries, and sausages?”
“Get whatever you want.”
Wonjin ordered exactly that, plus some soju and beer.
Shortly, the drinks arrived, and Wonjin respectfully lifted a bottle of soju with both hands.
“I’ll pour you a glass.”
Receiving the drink, Yeongdeok couldn’t help but think how Wonjin, who was four years older than him, still treated him so deferentially, almost like a superior.
“I’ll pour for you too.”
Yeongdeok also grabbed the soju bottle with both hands and filled Wonjin’s glass.
Wonjin immediately held out his glass to him.
“What’s this? You want to clink glasses?”
“Is… that not allowed?”
As Wonjin hesitated, trying to lower his hand, their glasses clinked with a clear sound.
“Why are you so hesitant over something so simple?”
“Thank you….”
Wonjin couldn’t help but feel a tingling sensation at his fingertips.
The fuzzy feeling wasn’t unpleasant.
Yeongdeok took a sip of his drink.
The alcohol tasted sweet yet had a sharp kick that cleared his head.
Watching Yeongdeok drink without complaint, Wonjin was curious.
“You’ve had soju before?”
“I’ve had beer too.”
Yeongdeok then pulled two fresh shot glasses toward him.
Stacking them, he showed where the rims aligned, poured soju up to the line, then mixed it with beer to make a perfect soju-bomb, just as his drinking buddies had taught him.
“How’s that?”
Seeing Yeongdeok proudly show off the soju-bomb, Wonjin was stunned, feeling a sense of disbelief.
Was this what it felt like for parents who spent a fortune on their child’s education only to find they’d picked up bar tricks instead?
“Try it.”
Yeongdeok pushed the drink toward Wonjin.
Thinking all soju-bombs would taste the same, Wonjin took a sip and was immediately jolted awake by the flavor.
“What is this? Did you put something weird in here?”
“Seems like you like it.”
Wonjin tried to replicate the soju-bomb with the exact same method but couldn’t recreate the same taste.
How did he do it?
Wonjin couldn’t help but find Yeongdeok’s hands, which seemed capable of doing anything, impressive.
As they talked, their ordered snacks started arriving.
An employee placed a gas burner with fish cake soup on the table, followed by plates of fries and sausages.
Watching the soup bubble, Yeongdeok called out to Wonjin.
“Ha Wonjin.”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever been dumped before?”
“Pfft….”
Wonjin almost choked on the french fry he had just put in his mouth, quickly covering his mouth to stifle the reaction.
Meanwhile, Yeongdeok’s expression remained entirely serious.
“You used to ask me about my ideal type. You sure seem interested in my love life now.”
Did the question come off that way?
Yeongdeok, fearing any potential misunderstandings, quickly denied it with a straight face.
“It’s not that I care about you specifically. It’s just…”
Recalling his awkward encounter with Jihoon, Yeongdeok felt his grip tighten around the soju glass.
He immediately poured soju into the empty glass, downing every last drop.
“You know, feelings aren’t always mutual.”
“How did you feel when the person you liked rejected you? Were you bitter? Did you hate them? Did you… never want to see them again?”
Yeongdeok was curious about how people generally reacted after being rejected.
He was worried he might end up as a complete stranger to Jihoon if things remained awkward like this.
Even though he had been the one to reject Jihoon, the thought of completely severing ties with him didn’t sit well.
“Sure, there was definitely some resentment… but it’s not easy to just cut off your feelings like that. It hurt to keep them close, so I think I just wanted to stay as far away as possible until time helped me move on.”
“Really? And after your feelings settled? Did you go back to how you were before?”
“We drifted apart over that time, so even when I was over it, we never really got back to the way we used to be. We just became distant.”
Wonjin added that he’d realized, even at a young age, that staying close as friends was a kind of victory in itself.
But Yeongdeok didn’t hear that last part.
The gist of what Wonjin said was that things couldn’t return to the way they were before a confession and rejection.
Did that mean he’d have to maintain this awkward distance with Jihoon forever?
“…I see.”
It was all a result of his own choices, yet Yeongdeok felt uneasy.
He had felt this way for some time now, like a relentless storm was swirling inside him.
“Well, that’s just my experience. Other people might be different.”
Wonjin filled Yeongdeok’s bowl with fish cake skewers from the pot.
Yeongdeok grabbed a piece and polished off another shot of soju.
He found himself craving the drink, as if something was burning in his throat.
* * *
Thanks
I think that Yeongdeok really likes Jihoon
Thanks