#061
Gyoyeon let out a deep sigh and smiled with a troubled but pleased expression.
“He says he’s worried because I’m too pretty. Do you sulk like that because you’re jealous of a friend too? You keep saying you don’t know things, but watching you is cute. He tells me that only he teaches me these things, and when I listen, it’s really true. At first we fought a lot because of that, but Dongju-ssi is really right about everything. I guess this is why people date older men.”
…Crazy? This is a bit strange. Gyoyeon seems a little off today too. Instead of agreeing with her words, I questioned back with “Really?”
“He seems to not know what to do because he likes me so much. I… like that so much too. It’s so sweet how he tells me when I’m wrong and always gives me the answer.”
“Is that so…? Anyway, since you explained well, let’s have dinner later. Tell Yeo Dongju-ssi to stop by the flower shop once. I’ll give him a gift of really pretty flowers.”
“I will.”
“Go quickly. Eat something delicious for dinner.”
I lightly squeezed her shoulder and let go as I saw Gyoyeon off. I opened the door wide and waved at Gyoyeon as she walked away carrying flowers in her arms. A white sedan was parked by the roadside not far from the shop with its hazard lights blinking. Gyoyeon carrying two large bouquets in her arms caught people’s attention. Of course people would look when a pretty girl is carrying pretty things. Her long wavy hair fluttered in the wind.
Yeo Dongju, who confirmed Gyoyeon approaching, opened the driver’s door and came around the hood. He glanced over me once and slightly bowed his head. Though he probably couldn’t hear me, I also muttered “Hello” and slightly bowed my head in greeting, then waved my hand gently. I thought I wouldn’t have any more business with Yeo Dongju. Because of that bastard who was obviously dating Gyoyeon, I had to somehow improve my relationship with him. That way I could tell Gyoyeon that Yeo Dongju is a bad guy. I smiled very brightly, hoping to appear as if I wanted to become even a little friendly with him. The gaze that had been on me quickly moved to Gyoyeon. Toward his lover who was gradually getting closer, he showed a smile sweet enough to melt.
“I really hate this. Ugh, crazy bastard.”
I muttered without moving my smiling lips like ventriloquism. I steeled my resolve that I would definitely separate Yeo Dongju from Gyoyeon. Really, even a guy like that had a lover. And a very kind and pretty one at that. As I glared at the back of Yeo Dongju’s head with blazing eyes as he seated Gyoyeon in the passenger seat, I quickly changed my expression when I noticed Gyoyeon rolling down the window. As I muttered an inaudible greeting to drive safely and waved my hand, a small hand popped out of the window and waved back gently.
Yeo Dongju looked at me with suspicious eyes before going around the hood and getting into the driver’s seat. The car immediately drove off onto the road without delay.
I stood leaning against the door for quite a while. In the sky that had brought night early as befitting winter, several rare stars were twinkling. Was the sky clear today? I couldn’t remember well. I don’t think I even looked up at the sky today.
Following my exhaled breath, white vapor stretched out long before scattering into the air. Since I sent flowers to Yeo Dongju, if he liked them he would surely visit at least once. I could only hope that the time he comes looking for me would be soon.
***
After locking the door and finishing setting up the security system, I habitually stopped by the convenience store. I swept canned beer into the basket as I saw them, finished paying, came up to my home and immediately put them in the refrigerator. I shed my clothes like molting skin, quickly finished showering, and changed into comfortable clothes. I sat at the dining table and poured beer into my empty stomach that had eaten nothing all day. After emptying 4 cans in a row, I stared at my quiet phone without noticing time passing.
Could my phone be broken? I turned it off and on. Once… twice or so. Seeing that internet connection worked fine, it didn’t seem broken. I stared holes into my phone before looking at Woo Dohwan’s phone number for a long time again.
I put my finger over the call button and agonized for dozens more minutes about whether to call or not. I lay face down on the dining table just blinking my eyes, then thinking I needed a bit more intoxication, I took out several more cans of beer from the refrigerator.
That’s when it happened. The bell rang and the screen lit up with a flash. I quickly moved from where I was standing in front of the refrigerator and reached out. Before even checking the number, my slipping hand pressed the call button.
“Hello!!!”
– Hyung?
“Yes?”
– This is Ranho hyung, right?
Ah, seeing as he calls me hyung, it’s probably Ju Isin. His voice through the receiver sounded a bit lower than his actual voice. As soon as I realized the caller was Ju Isin and not Woo Dohwan, my mood plummeted rapidly.
– Are you okay?
“I’m okay.”
– You seemed very shocked. What are you doing now? Dinner?
“I ate something simple and I’m at home now. I’m resting.”
Ju Isin repeatedly told me to go straight to the police station first thing tomorrow morning when I wake up. I answered that I understood, matching his words.
“Did you eat dinner, Ju Isin-ssi?”
– I ate ages ago. What time do you think it is now…
“Thank you for today. I was actually thinking about you, Ju Isin-ssi.”
– Yes?
“I was also curious if you delivered the flowers well.”
At my question, a slightly deflated “Ah” came through. Why? Instead of Ju Isin’s answer, only steady breathing came through. I wondered if the call had been disconnected and checked the screen once. Can’t he hear me?
“Ju Isin-ssi?”
– I delivered the flowers well. She said thank you.
“Oh… that’s a relief.”
– But she said the flowers from the day before were prettier.
“I see. I’ll have to make them once more.”
When I answered with a laugh, Ju Isin closed his mouth again.
“You should rest too, Ju Isin-ssi. It’s gotten quite late.”
– Hyung.
“Come clean the windows when you have time. The windows are a mess. It’s cold weather and I thought you’d catch a cold cleaning that.”
– I’ll clean them.
“Of course. Anyway… thank you for today. I don’t think I properly thanked you earlier.”
– See you tomorrow. Tomorrow I’m witness number 2.
I guess he means he’ll go to the police station with Ban Hajoon. Instead of refusing, I answered that we should do that. At my greeting to rest early, Ju Isin answered “What about hyung?”
“Sleep well.”
– Yes. You too, hyung.
“I’m hanging up.”
I pressed the call end button and stared holes into the screen again. I wonder if Woo Dohwan called while I was on the phone with Ju Isin? Why do I feel so anxious? I emptied another can of beer. The beer that went down smoothly started emptying at a faster pace.
I crumpled up the can and set it aside, then opened another can. The alcohol I poured into the beer-filled interior almost like guzzling quickly brought intoxication. Ah, I’m not usually the type to get drunk like this… while thinking that, if I could borrow intoxication to make a phone call, I felt like I could sell my soul to the devil, so I took out more alcohol. The champagne Ban Hajoon brought before should be somewhere…
My body that had stood up abruptly swayed. Frustrated that my body wouldn’t move like my heart wanted, I muttered strange exclamations while searching through the living room display case. Surely somewhere here… there it is! The champagne directly under the pin lighting emitted a brilliant glow.
Without hesitation, I reached out and took the champagne. I struggled to pull out the cork and emptied the alcohol like blowing a trumpet. Dignity and all that, right now getting drunk was the urgent priority. I pressed my lips to the mouth of the champagne bottle and swallowed the alcohol hurriedly. Without even having time to smell the fragrant and sweet aroma, the prickling carbonation moistened my esophagus and went down, warming my insides hotly. With each sip of alcohol, instead of snacks, I looked at my phone once.
“It’s really not calling…”
Is champagne a bit higher proof than beer? Whether it was because I mixed them or not, the alcohol spread through my whole body very quickly. My tense body loosened up. Even my wrist wrapped with a pain relief patch no longer hurt. As I fumbled for my phone, the screen suddenly lit up brightly and messages came in succession.
What is it, is it Woo Dohwan? To check the content, I unlocked it and immediately brought up the message window.
「Ranho-ssi, are you okay? I’m sending a message instead of calling in case you’re sleeping.」
「Wash with warm water and sleep warmly.」 11:52 PM
「You worked hard today. Sleep well, and see you tomorrow.」 11:54 PM
Even though he would know I checked the messages since the small number displayed next to the time disappeared, Ban Hajoon didn’t call. Being a considerate man, he probably judged that I would be tired. You could tell from the time gap between the last message and the previous one. He probably agonized even in that short time.
So I decided to reply with a grateful heart. If it hadn’t been for Ju Isin and Ban Hajoon, what would have happened today… even imagining it was terrible.
「I’m fnie. Thenk you so muhc.」 12:08 AM
“This shoudl be good enoguh…”
The beer cans I had laid out multiplied and the champagne bottles increased from two to three. Mm, I seemed appropriately drunk. Actually, my vision was all distorted so I couldn’t really tell if I was appropriately drunk or not. But my heart, borrowing intoxication, pulled out courage that had been hiding somewhere. I lit up my phone screen and at the same time I confirmed Woo Dohwan’s phone number that I had up, I firmly pressed the green call button.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
