#042
“What’s wrong, why are you so drunk? Do you know what time it is? Did you fall?”
As I bent down and brushed off his pants, asking the question, Ju Isin searched his hazy memories with a dazed expression.
“No, no, I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you know?”
“I don’t knowww…”
Ju Isin, swaying as he pulled his body away from the glass window, looked at me and grinned, then took one step closer. His usually glossy eyes were full of moisture.
“Ju Isin-ssi. Did something happen today?”
“No.”
Nothing happened. The exhaled breath reached me as Ju Isin’s body bent down from that close distance. His forehead settled onto my shoulder with a light weight—thud. Before I could even be flustered by his sudden action, his tearful voice crashed into my ear.
“…It’s the memorial day.”
“……”
“Today…”
“……”
I wondered what I should say, but in the end I couldn’t say anything at all. I didn’t know Ju Isin well, and we’d only met a few times, so his different demeanor kept blocking my words. Just as I was opening and closing my mouth before shutting it tight again.
“No matter how many years pass… today is too hard for me.”
His voice, saturated with tears, carried guilt. He said his father died in an accident when he was 8—could that accident be related to Ju Isin?
“I don’t go to visit on memorial days. Because… I can’t… I mean, I can’t look at his face properly.”
“…Ju Isin-ssi.”
“Yesterday, you asked why I came.”
“……”
“I didn’t have the courage to go today, so I went early. I thought… if I brought something pretty… I might feel a little less sorry.”
The small voice whispering, the strong smell of alcohol, the swaying movements, the trembling spine like vibrations, the dampening shoulder—I could feel it all vividly. Without realizing it, I raised my hand to pat his heaving back and called Ju Isin’s name.
“Ju Isin-ssi.”
“…Yes.”
“If you’ve been drinking, you should go home, why did you come here? I told you to develop some kind of homing instinct.”
“I don’t know. I just… thought of hyung…”
“What should I do if you think of me?”
I made him lift his head that was buried deep in my shoulder and confirmed his thoroughly wet face, then reached into my back pocket to pull out a handkerchief. I pressed it against his eyelashes clumped with moisture and his soaked eyelids to wipe away the wetness, and rubbed away the tears that had flowed like a path from the corners of his eyes to his chin.
“Pull yourself together. Where’s your home?”
“I don’t know.”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll put you in another pretty car with flashing red and blue lights.”
“…I don’t want to go.”
Ju Isin pushed away the hand wiping his face like he was throwing a tantrum and buried his face deep into my shoulder again.
“I came because I missed you.”
“What should I do if you miss me on a day like today?”
“I didn’t say I missed hyung.”
How embarrassing. When I cleared my throat awkwardly to compose my voice, a small voice mixed with tears and laughter could be heard.
“But… that’s right. I came because I missed you, Ranho hyung.”
Just as I was comforting the crying and laughing Ju Isin and letting out a bewildered laugh, the door opened and Ban Hajoon peeked his head out.
“Ranho-ssi?”
Ban Hajoon’s gaze thoroughly examined Ju Isin who had his face buried in my shoulder.
“He’s a customer who comes to the flower shop often, but he’s a bit drunk…”
“Drunk?”
“He, he had something happen. Oh, you saw him before, right? The two of them standing side by side waving their hands.”
“He seems unable to control his body, should I call the police?”
Ban Hajoon, standing with only half his body out through the door crack, fumbled in his pocket as if to take out his phone. Even in his drunken state, his ears must have been wide open because Ju Isin’s head shot up. The reaction made my body sway.
“Noooo!!!!”
Before I could stop Ban Hajoon’s actions while swaying in place, the drunkard—no, Ju Isin—shouted faster. It seemed like he’d swallowed half his tongue along with the alcohol because that lisp of his didn’t know timing. Ju Isin wrapped his arms around my waist, almost hanging on, and glared at Ban Hajoon with wide eyes.
“I won’t ride that thing! That’s only pretty when it’s rushing over!!!”
“Be quiet. Before I throw you out. And let go of this too!”
I tried to remove the arms wrapped around my waist, but his strength was incredible. I quickly gave up and entered the shop with Ju Isin hanging on me. I sat Ju Isin down in the seat where Ban Hajoon had been sitting and brought a cup of cold water. Since he seemed to have no strength in his hands and couldn’t hold the cup properly, I tilted the cup with my hand instead, and Ju Isin opened his mouth like a baby bird and made gulping sounds as he emptied all the water.
“Now I feel alive.”
“Are you coming to your senses?”
“But it tasted like alcohol just now. Is this alcohol?”
Ah, this drunkard. Rather than sobering up, he seems to be getting more drunk. His eyes have become cloudier than before. With his completely disheveled face, he kept brushing back the hair that had fallen over his forehead, then reached toward the Pepero on the table as if entranced.
“What’s this?”
“Snacks. Wait, this—”
I looked with flustered eyes at Ban Hajoon, who was standing in front of the table with a furrowed brow after having his seat stolen by Ju Isin. What should I do about this? While I was choosing what to say, Ban Hajoon spoke first before I could.
“Let him eat it. He’s drunk. Eat it. That’s Pepero.”
Ban Hajoon’s generous nature shows in times like this. Actually, his gaze watching Ju Isin unwrap the Pepero packaging was murderous, but I pretended not to notice. The drunkard, oblivious, smiled brightly as he tried to take out the Pepero. But it didn’t seem to be going well because I reached out when I saw him putting it in his mouth with the packaging still on. I pulled the plastic that had almost all gone in from his mouth and took out just the snack to put in his hand, and Ju Isin smiled brightly again and nibbled on the snack bit by bit.
“Wow, such a pretty-looking snack.”
“I made it. I was going to give it to Ranho-ssi.”
“Wow, hyung is so lucky.”
Ju Isin swallowed the contents in his mouth without even chewing a few times. Even so, perhaps because it tasted good, he opened his eyes wide and gave a thumbs up, holding it out toward Ban Hajoon.
“It’s delicious! Do you run a bakery by any chance?”
“I run a cafe. I brought this for Ranho-ssi to eat, but this guy is really thoughtlessly eating a lot of it.”
Ban Hajoon looked down at Ju Isin and muttered with a very disapproving face. Ju Isin, whether he cared or not, was busy stuffing Pepero into his mouth. I kept rubbing my face dry, wondering what kind of situation this was. Right, let’s just send everyone away first.
“Well, it would be better to go back today. Thank you for the Pepero. I’ll eat it well.”
“I came because I wanted to eat dinner together.”
“That would be nice, but as you can see, I have no energy from selling flowers.”
When I smiled while looking over the showcase, Ban Hajoon made an “ah” expression and nodded.
“You said you were busy today, right?”
“Yes, I’m really tired.”
“I’ll go. Tomorrow…”
“Let’s eat dinner tomorrow. I’ll buy.”
Since he even brought homemade Pepero, I couldn’t completely brush him off. Ban Hajoon was genuinely happy at my words about buying dinner tomorrow. He smiled with his eyes beautifully folded and reached out his hand, placing a few Pepero in front of Ju Isin before pushing the remaining ones far away to the end of the table.
“Me too.”
Ju Isin’s eyes, which had been following Ban Hajoon’s hand, instantly turned direction at my words about eating dinner. He quickly chewed and swallowed the snack in his mouth and interjected into our conversation.
“Me too. I’m hungry.”
“Be quiet and just eat that.”
Ban Hajoon whispered with a smile. He lightly grabbed and released Ju Isin’s shoulder, then smiled as he gathered his belongings. Holding his phone and car keys that were on the table one by one, he looked at me and spoke.
“What are you going to do about this drunk person?”
“Ah… hmm…”
I puffed out my cheeks fully and looked over Ju Isin with his completely unfocused eyes, then let out a deep sigh.
“I’m going to send him away once he sobers up a bit. He seems too drunk right now…”
“Since Ranho-ssi had a hard day today, should I take him?”
“No way!!!!”
Even in his drunken state, Ju Isin, who understood talk about himself like a ghost, showed an intense reaction. I guess the phrase “too embarrassing to show in public” is used in times like this.
“I’ll just keep him with me and send him away once he sobers up. Go on in.”
Ban Hajoon seemed completely unwilling to accept my answer. However, he soon let out a long “hmm” breath through his nose and said he’d go, turning around. I straightened my sitting body and followed behind Ban Hajoon. Watching Ban Hajoon’s retreating figure as he opened the door and walked away without hesitation, I offered words one by one in order: that it was delicious, that I would eat well, and that I’d see him tomorrow.
“What about flowers? Aren’t you going to buy them?”
“I am. I’m going to go early in the morning.”
“It seems like you’ll buy a lot of flowers, are you sure you don’t need to go together?”
“Yes. It’s fine. I won’t buy many.”
I recalled receiving help several times and shook my head vigorously. It would be convenient to go together, but it’s still much more comfortable to go alone. It’s true that the empty showcase is concerning, but if I moderate and bring in flowers appropriately without overdoing it, it would be enough to carry alone. Besides, Ban Hajoon is also a busy person. I didn’t want to make him worry about my work too. We’re not even at that level of relationship.
“Get home safely.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Ban Hajoon’s hand reached out to gently stroke my disheveled hair and then moved away. Ah, what was that? My neck shrank from embarrassment and something… strange, and a soft laugh came from in front. I’ll go. Before his quiet voice could scatter, Ban Hajoon headed toward the underground parking garage. With his gently waving hand as the finale, I turned around. There was still something unresolved left inside.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
