#013
I wrapped it with white floral paper and finished it with a pink ribbon. Since the bouquet was small, I tied the ribbon a bit large and handed it toward the drunkard.
“Here.”
“For me?”
“Take it. I couldn’t eat it, but I’m grateful for lunch.”
So now leave quickly, take the hint. Ju Isin held the bouquet I handed him to his chest and stood up awkwardly. I naturally asked if he was leaving now.
“Go carefully. Take good care of the bouquet too. And take good care of what you packed and brought.”
“No…”
“See you again later sometime. Goodbye.”
I pushed his back and drove him to the entrance, then opened the door wide and sent Ju Isin out. When I waved my hands and said goodbye several times, he bowed his head with a very reluctant face. Ju Isin, who had been looking back and forth between me and the flowers while holding the small bouquet to his chest, finally turned his back.
Ah, now I should close up.
It was such a tiring day.
***
Instead of closing, I just turned off the sign light and sat on the sofa, falling asleep. The sound of water pattering on the ground came through the open window.
“Ah… the flowers.”
I was in the middle of drying flowers, but it just had to rain. I got up in a half-awake state and was leaving the table when I hit my thigh hard against the corner.
“Argh-!”
I grabbed my bumped thigh and hopped in place, then came to my senses and closed the open window. Wait, what time is it? Outside was already pitch black. I didn’t know if customers didn’t come in because of the rain, or because I turned off the sign, but I slept soundly for several hours without being disturbed and felt very refreshed.
I roughly organized the interior and gathered my belongings placed on the table. I didn’t forget to turn off the mini heater I had on at my feet before heading toward the entrance. I looked around the interior to see if there was anywhere not organized and groped the wall to press the switch.
Pop- The light that had brightly illuminated the store went out. When I opened the door and went out, the sound of rain was heard louder. Perhaps because of the rain, the weather had gotten a bit chillier.
And,
“Hello.”
A low voice was heard from below.
I was taking out my card key when I was startled and dropped the key.
“Ah…!”
A man sitting crouched on the small terrace, soaked from the rain, greeted me while giving off a faint cigarette smell and subtle alcohol scent. The man who extended his pale hand that had turned white from the cold weather, picked up the key while staggering to his feet, and held out the card he had picked up.
“We’re closed.”
I received it without letting our hands touch and quickly finished setting the security system.
“I didn’t come to buy flowers.”
The man who staggered and leaned against the glass window turned his face toward me. His lips were split and scabbed over, as if he’d been hit somewhere.
“……”
“Just. I came to look at flowers.”
“……”
“I was going to go in, but you seemed to be sleeping so I waited.”
Ah. I let out a low sound like a moan, put the key in my pocket, and stepped away from the man. He came as close as I moved away.
“I’m trying to go home.”
“So?”
“You should go too, home. You’re all wet… You’ll catch a cold.”
I rummaged through my pocket and handed him a handkerchief I didn’t know why I carried around. My head knew he was a man I shouldn’t get involved with even over something like this, but every moment I encountered the man, as if it was inevitably prepared, couldn’t just pass by. He took the handkerchief I offered, then brought it to his nose. The soft fabric wiped away his face that was as damp as the weather.
“I couldn’t make up with her.”
“……”
“I got dumped. She hit me. Have you ever been hit with flowers?”
The man who wiped his face thoroughly wet with moisture spread out the handkerchief I handed him and shook off the water droplets from his hair.
“No. You don’t hit people with flowers.”
“Is it okay to hit with hands?”
The man who smiled dangerously, curving his lips, reached his hand toward me. I didn’t want to, but perhaps because of the situation, I was so scared I squeezed my eyes shut. But what touched my cheek was my slightly damp handkerchief.
“You’re all wet.”
“……”
“Go in. I don’t know why I came here either.”
The man who wiped the moisture from my cheek held the handkerchief in his hand and waved it flutteringly.
“Go.”
“…Take care.”
“But you know.”
The man’s voice and eyes that caught my movement as I was turning around were moistly holding water.
“If I ask your name, will you tell me?”
“No.”
“……”
“I don’t think we’ll have any more reason to see each other.”
I considered the handkerchief thrown away and let the coldly asked question flow by as well.
On days like this, I needed alcohol. I entered the officetel entrance, shook off the moisture that had gotten thoroughly wet in that brief moment, and headed to the convenience store. I selected several bottles of sweet makgeolli for the shopping basket and thoroughly filled it with beer and soju too.
I also put in some snacks to munch on and pancake mix to make jeon, went to the counter to finish payment, and went up toward home without looking back. In the elevator going up, I contacted Gyoyeon. At my call to drink, she very readily answered that she’d call a taxi.
As soon as I got home, I showered and personally made jeon that couldn’t be missing with makgeolli. Since there was nothing at home, I only put in kimchi and tuna and made small ones to taste.
Perhaps because the kimchi tasted good, it was quite edible. I sprinkled soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a small saucer and mixed them before putting it on the dining table, and also put the golden-brown kimchi jeon on a round plate. Just as I was getting pickled by the oil smell while making jeon, the doorbell rang.
“Just a moment-!”
When I opened the front door while holding a spatula, what I faced wasn’t Mo Gyoyeon, but
“Wow, this smell is no joke.”
It was Ban Hajoon.
“…Gyoyeon…”
“Called and said let’s eat together.”
“Ah…”
“She said she’s bringing clothes and cosmetics to sleep here and go to work. She said it’s okay to go first, so I came first. In case Ranho-ssi was bored. But smelling this, I’m really hungry.”
He came into the entrance while shyly holding out the shopping bag in his hand. One was a bag containing dessert, and the other was a long box… was it wine?
“What’s this?”
“Do you like champagne?”
Ah, champagne.
“I like it.”
It was alcohol I really liked. Sweet, fizzy, and didn’t get me drunk easily.
Moreover, champagne was alcohol that made even non-special days feel like special days, so I drank it particularly often.
“That’s good. It came in as a gift, but I don’t like it.”
“I’ll drink it well.”
Ban Hajoon… I liked him a little bit more today.
I was preciously hugging the champagne when I told Ban Hajoon, who was patting his wet shoulders, to wait a moment, then ran into the bathroom. When I came out with a dry towel and handed it to him, Ban Hajoon smiled with his eyes curved like half-moons and wiped the moisture while saying thanks.
He even says thank you well. What was one bottle of champagne – even Ban Hajoon’s trivial actions all looked pretty to me.
Whether he was originally good at organizing or just not the type to make a mess, he even took off his shoes neatly and, having been here once, familiarly took out guest slippers and put them on.
“But why the sudden drinking?”
“It’s raining too. Just, alcohol on days like this is particularly delicious. I don’t get drunk easily either.”
“Ranho-ssi is good with alcohol.”
Ban Hajoon, who sat at the dining table, let out an exclamation looking at the finished table setting. All I had made was kimchi jeon. The rest was all picked up from the convenience store, but they were almost finished products. Looking at the canned whelk, silkworm pupae, several types of snacks, and dried side dishes, I wondered which of these had brought about his exclamation.
Does he like silkworm pupae?
“I thought it was just me and Gyoyeon eating… Should I order something more?”
“No. Let’s try eating and order if it’s not enough. Everything looks delicious. I’m hungry, shall we eat first?”
Ban Hajoon asked while taking off the coat he was wearing. He hung his coat on the side chair and pulled out a chair to sit down. I flipped the last piece I was making in the frying pan while checking the time. It seemed about time for Gyoyeon to arrive too, so I nodded and turned off the gas range.
“I can’t guarantee the taste.”
“It looks delicious though. So what’s the main drink?”
“I was thinking of starting lightly with makgeolli. Is makgeolli okay? I have soju and beer too.”
“Makgeolli is good. It’s raining and chilly. It’s perfect for the weather.”
Ban Hajoon smiled. Seeing him with particularly cheap smiles today, I smiled back and took out two bottles of makgeolli I had put in the refrigerator. I took out the prepared stainless steel tumblers and placed them side by side in front of Ban Hajoon and me.
“Wow. It’s my first time drinking makgeolli in tumblers. But are we drinking separately?”
“Yes. Because it’s bothersome.”
When I answered with a shrug, Ban Hajoon laughed as if he knew it would be like that. We finished talking beforehand that everyone would take care of filling their own glass since it was bothersome to pour into small cups multiple times and tactfully fill them when empty, and started the drinking session.
“But Ranho-ssi, you really hate moving around.”
“Ah… that’s not true.”
“You’re not good at lying either.”
“……”
Ban Hajoon’s lips were moist, wet with alcohol. I didn’t know why my gaze kept going there, but his lips were particularly pretty today.
“Why?”
“Yes?”
“Do I have something on my mouth?”
Ban Hajoon, who noticed the gaze that stopped in one place and stared intently, pulled out tissues and wiped around his mouth that had nothing on it. I muttered “oil, oil” and tactfully turned my gaze away. My cheeks were hot, perhaps from the alcohol.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
