Chapter 16
[Yoonho hyung] I screwed up.
It was just a little past 7 AM.
Having woken up unusually early thanks to falling into a deep sleep at 8 PM yesterday, Junghyun frowned immediately upon opening his eyes.
He had checked the message when the notification sound rang, but this person was always causing trouble, and he couldn’t understand why he was being bothered about it first thing in the morning.
He was about to reply that it was his life and he should deal with it himself, when suddenly the memories of yesterday afternoon came flooding back.
Like a “previously on” segment of a drama, the memories rushed through his mind quickly, sending a chill down his spine.
In that moment, he sat bolt upright, throwing off his blanket.
“What is this about?”
[What the f-]
He was about to ask what he had done while drinking so much yesterday, but stopped himself.
This wasn’t a conversation to have via text. But it was also too early for a direct call, as Director Jang would be in and Jaehyuk hyung would still be at home.
So he deleted the message content and wrote again.
[Come to the office right now]
After hitting send, Junghyun got out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom.
Almost running in his anxiety, he was passing between the powder room and dressing room when he ran into Jaehyuk.
Seeing Jaehyuk already dressed in a suit and heading to the powder room to style his hair, Junghyun stopped in his tracks. Jaehyuk, who was brushing back his slightly wet hair, also stopped in surprise.
With a face like he’d seen a ghost.
Then, as if to check, Jaehyuk glanced at the clock installed on the mirror in the powder room and, seemingly relieved, turned his gaze back to Junghyun.
“…What’s the matter?”
Hearing his tone filled with suspicion and horror that essentially asked why he was up at this hour, Junghyun studied Jaehyuk’s expression.
Jaehyuk looked fine.
He was fundamentally someone who couldn’t hide his mood.
He never hesitated to show his emotions or feelings because he never needed to hide them, which made it easy to gauge his state.
Clearly, nothing had changed.
Junghyun wasn’t sure if Jaehyuk was trying not to show it, but it didn’t seem that way to him.
He looked to be in quite a good mood. The best he’d seen recently, in fact.
So at least he hadn’t heard about the pregnancy. No, if that had been mentioned, Yoonho hyung would have told him immediately.
So that wasn’t it. No, it couldn’t be.
“I… something came up. I think I need to go to work early.”
“What happened?”
“…Just, work stuff.”
It was morning and his brain wasn’t fully functioning yet, so he blurted out something stupid without coming up with a proper excuse, but fortunately, Jaehyuk let it go at that.
“At least have breakfast before you leave. I’ll be leaving soon too.”
“Uh…”
Just as he was about to say he’d leave first because he was in a hurry, his phone rang in his hand.
Standing in front of Jaehyuk, he couldn’t check the phone screen, so he reluctantly nodded.
“Then I’ll come out after washing up.”
“Alright.”
As he hurriedly walked toward the bathroom to check his phone, he bumped into Jaehyuk again who was trying to make way for him.
“Uh…”
Even though it was just their clothes brushing against each other, his heart raced with a slightly awkward feeling, and he quickly stepped back as Jaehyuk made way for him.
At Jaehyuk’s nod telling him to go ahead, Junghyun smiled sheepishly, then strode into the bathroom, turned on the sink water, and checked his phone.
[Yoonho hyung] I’m hungover and can’t come in today. Didn’t mention the pregnancy. Come to work first and call me.
He had more or less expected this, but actually hearing it made his legs weak.
Yoonho was the type who remembered everything clearly even when drunk. He talked more nonsense when alcohol was involved, but he maintained his wits until the end and remembered everything the next day.
His drinking habit was relatively clean.
The only problem was the severe hangover that made him suffer for days.
[You’re really something. Stay home. I’ll stop by.]
After sending a message telling him not to move since he was obviously dying after drinking with Jaehyuk hyung, Junghyun quickly began washing his face.
Finishing his face wash faster than usual, he looked in the mirror and saw his face didn’t look bad today.
This much was fine, he thought, nodding as he reached for a towel, when another message arrived.
[Yoonho hyung] Bring medicine.
[Food?]
[Yoonho hyung] Porridge.
[I’ll be a bit late. Get some sleep.]
He’d probably be throwing up and unable to sleep anyway, but after saying that, Junghyun left the bathroom and headed for the dressing room.
Since he’d be going to work with Jaehyuk anyway, he planned to stop by the office first and then take the company car.
So he hurried with his preparations.
* * *
“Yoonho?”
While checking the message that arrived during the meal, Junghyun hesitated at Jaehyuk’s question that came immediately.
He seemed to have noticed the continuous exchange of texts.
“He says he’s hungover.”
“I’m sure he is. He was carried home yesterday.”
“Ah…”
Despite the rather extreme statement, Junghyun muttered dryly without showing any surprise.
It wasn’t like this was the first time; from college until last year, it had been his job to carry Yoonho home when he was drunk.
He would just drag him to his house, dump him at the entrance, and leave, and the next day, Yoonho would manage to recover on his own.
“It happens so often that I’m not surprised at all.”
“…Often?”
“He passes out after one bottle of soju or five glasses of whiskey.”
At this casually thrown remark, Jaehyuk laughed softly.
“It was exactly five glasses.”
“That’s his exact limit. He likes drinking though.”
“Nothing good comes from drinking too much.”
“Well… that’s true.”
“Anyway, all you’re left with is alcoholic dementia or cirrhosis,” Junghyun muttered as he picked up some vegetable side dishes, causing Jaehyuk to give him a curious look.
“What?”
“…That’s quite a commendable statement coming from someone who said exactly four months ago that there’s no need to live long if there’s no baseball or alcohol.”
Did I say that? Thinking back, it seemed like he had.
“That’s what I thought then, but recently I’ve started wanting to live longer.”
“Suddenly?”
“I’ve committed so many sins that I probably wouldn’t go to a good place if I died early, so I’m trying to extend my life as much as possible.”
“You understand that well too.”
As he said this and took a spoonful of bean sprout soup, he suddenly smiled.
It was a face that had just remembered something.
That smile gave Junghyun a bad feeling.
“…Did Yoonho hyung say something?”
Even at this direct question, Jaehyuk just smiled softly and swallowed his soup.
He didn’t answer, but that was a signal of affirmation.
In that moment, Junghyun understood.
The reason why Seo Yoonho had sent a message as soon as he woke up.
He had blabbered about unnecessary things again.
“What did hyung tell you?”
“Nothing much. Just about how you got your nickname ‘Chihuahua’, that kind of thing?”
Junghyun had thought it was just a nickname given because he barked at anyone he saw, but hearing there was a reason for it, he was rather surprised.
“There’s a reason?”
“You didn’t know?”
“Not at all. I only heard ‘Chihuahua from Hell’ recently.”
“According to Yoonho, you actually bit a senior at school? Enough to draw blood. And when that senior got angry and said he’d sue you, you bit him again, and when they finally separated you, you ran back and bit him again, so they were shocked. Then when they set up another meeting for reconciliation, you bit him again as soon as you saw him, so from then on, they called you Chihuahua?”
Come to think of it, there was such an incident.
Yes, that seems right. That was when he was in his third year, so it seems he had been called that behind his back for about four years.
Junghyun nodded in understanding, and Jaehyuk met his gaze.
“Remember?”
“There were so many similar incidents that I’m not exactly sure, but it was probably in my third year. Spring of my third year… no, that’s not right. If it was when Yoonho hyung was still in school, it would be my second year. Who did I bite in my second year?”
Junghyun ate one of the neatly arranged side dishes, saying he couldn’t remember well because he had bitten so many people. As he was about to eat his soup, Jaehyuk shook his head in disbelief and laughed.
He had thought Jaehyuk was in a good mood today, and it seemed it was because of Seo Yoonho’s spying.
“And what else did he say?”
“Also that after finishing your sophomore year finals, you got drunk and called numbers in your recent call list in order, and cursed each one for exactly three minutes.”
When Jaehyuk added that Yoonho’s assessment was that he thought Junghyun was freestyle rapping, Junghyun corrected him precisely.
“It’s not in order of recent calls.”
“Then?”
“It’s in order of blocked numbers.”
“Blocked numbers?”
“Yes.”
“…Why blocked numbers?”
“Because they can’t contact me.”
It was a routine he always did when he got moderately drunk—call, curse one-sidedly, and hang up, that’s all.
And most of the victims were his father and Lee Jeonghoo, followed by random people.
After Junghyun explained the situation accurately, Jaehyuk paused as he was picking up a side dish.
His face seemed to say, “What did I just hear?”
“That sounds like you’re not actually losing your mind from alcohol, but using drunkenness as an excuse to do it deliberately?”
“Exactly.”
“…Are you sure you’ve quit drinking?”
“Yes.”
“Make sure you quit forever from now on.”
“I was planning to, but… I can do that without drinking too.”
At those words, his hand hesitated again as if disturbed, but soon Jaehyuk continued speaking leisurely as if nothing had happened while picking up a side dish.
“You can do it to anyone except Grandfather.”
“Grandfather isn’t on my blocked list, so don’t worry. At least not yet.”
As Junghyun muttered quietly that he wasn’t sure about the future, Jaehyuk responded.
“I should tell Grandfather not to call you.”
“That would be the safest.”
Saying that, Junghyun started moving his hands diligently again.
And while eating, they continued various conversations naturally.
Although not as completely natural as before, it was definitely a comfortable atmosphere.
Perhaps that’s why his mind felt at ease as well.
And for the first time in a long while, he felt like he was seeing him properly.
That made him happy.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
