Chapter 18
“Uh…”
It wasn’t the kind of face you’d expect to find twice in Seoul, and more than anything, the small mole delicately placed under his eyes with thin double eyelids proved this was definitely the person Ji-won knew. Though he’d gotten much taller… Ji-won quickly restrained his finger that almost rudely pointed at the face, and carefully pulled out a name buried deep in his memories.
“Kwon-ju?”
Hearing his name, the head that had been staring blankly at the table slowly turned in his direction. I’m right. Ji-won’s face instantly brightened.
Kwon-ju, Jang Kwon-ju. A junior from the same high school club. With a slightly smaller build than others his age, and a face that could easily pass for an entertainment company trainee—his image emerged suddenly from the depths of Ji-won’s memory. They had kept in touch quite often until graduation, but naturally lost contact after entering university, with neither knowing what was happening in the other’s life. He never imagined they’d meet here.
“It’s Kwon-ju, right? It’s been so long.”
Feeling excited, Ji-won approached the table and spoke to him. The face looking up at him with lips just parting from the glass was exactly as he remembered. He almost didn’t recognize him because he’d grown so much taller than expected. The pretty-faced junior who had once caught his attention now stood before him as an adult, with the same face but a much bigger body.
“Yes. Hello… sunbae.”
Though they surely hadn’t expected to meet like this, Kwon-ju didn’t seem surprised as he greeted Ji-won with a slight smile. Seeing his calm face, Ji-won tried to contain his excitement, feeling he might be the only one overly thrilled by this reunion.
“Um, can I sit here?”
“Yes.”
“Please, have a seat!”
Kwon-ju immediately nodded and moved slightly to the side, and the others at the table also cheerfully said it was fine. There seemed to be plenty of empty seats at the table, making it easy to find a comfortable spot.
Now that he’d found someone he knew and received permission, he had a legitimate reason not to sit at the other table. Ji-won glanced behind him and made an awkward smile, gesturing apologetically, to which Beom Ji-ho responded with a curt nod, clearly displeased. But I should probably rescue Mingyu too.
While Ji-won was conflicted about ignoring his friend’s desperate SOS signals, the door opened with a jingle, revealing Suhyeon with her impeccably styled appearance. How could her timing be so perfect?
After scanning the room, Suhyeon’s eyes met Ji-won’s and she waved. The freshmen at the table flinched nervously at the sight of what appeared to be an upperclassman, while Suhyeon approached with quick steps.
“Hello.”
“Ah, hello.”
After briefly acknowledging the rushed greetings from the juniors, Suhyeon leaned in and quietly asked Ji-won:
“Hey. Where’s Kim Mingyu?”
“Over there. Please go rescue him.”
“Wow… that fossil came here again. He never misses a chance to drink, seriously.”
Suhyeon, who had left saying she’d be right back, soon returned with Mingyu clinging to her arm. After pushing Mingyu, who was looking utterly grateful, into the seat, Suhyeon sat down beside him, naturally making Ji-won’s seat at the very end next to Kwon-ju.
With Mingyu and Suhyeon joining, the previously empty table became completely full. One of the second-year student council members sandwiched in between suggested they introduce themselves again, and introductions were exchanged going clockwise around the table.
“Hello! I’m Kim Seung-jin.”
“Hello.”
While acknowledging the greetings from other freshmen, Ji-won’s attention was completely focused on Kwon-ju. He’s two years younger than me, so he must be twenty-one now. Seems like he’s a freshman this year… Did he take a gap year? I remember he always said he wasn’t planning to go to college.
Since it felt inappropriate to have a private conversation while sitting with everyone, Ji-won’s curiosities kept piling up internally. After finishing his brief self-introduction, Kwon-ju stared intently at Mingyu, who was sitting diagonally across from him, and bowed his head.
“Hello, sunbae.”
“Oh, y-yeah. You’re the one who was in my group during orientation, right? Nice to see you again.”
“Yes. Thank you for that time.”
Mingyu stammered in response to the polite greeting, seeming somewhat flustered. What’s with him? Looking at the situation now, Ji-won could guess who owned the million-won outfit Mingyu had been raving about in their group chat. He’d definitely recalled something at the time, and now it was confirmed.
“It’s a bit early for drinking games, so does anyone have questions? This senior next to me is a fourth-year, so he knows everything inside out. Ask him about professors and major courses.”
“You know I don’t know that stuff, why are you setting me up?”
Starting with the bickering pair, the atmosphere quickly relaxed. Though they hadn’t even started playing games yet, everyone began bringing their glasses to their lips more frequently after having a drink. Throughout all this, the person right beside Ji-won was steadfastly only nibbling on snacks, which concerned Ji-won.
“…”
He doesn’t seem to like alcohol much. Since they last contacted each other when they were high school students, there was no way for Ji-won to know his alcohol tolerance. He appeared to be just pretending to drink, but it was obviously not convincing since the level hadn’t decreased at all. He should just drink soda instead. Scanning the table, Ji-won spotted an unopened cola, called Mingyu over, and received the bottle.
“Want some cola?”
“Ah… yes.”
After handing Kwon-ju a cup filled with cola, Ji-won picked up his own glass of beer again. Kwon-ju, holding the cup with his large hands, didn’t pour any cola for himself but instead glanced at Ji-won’s throat as he drank.
“Hey, why are you drinking so fast today?”
“It’s beer…”
After quickly emptying a glass, Ji-won started craving something sweet as usual. Ice cream, soda-flavored. With this specific desire in mind, Ji-won grabbed his wallet and stood up.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Okaaay, bring me a drink when you come back. I’ll send you money.”
“It’s fine, Pocari?”
“You know me so well.”
Kwon-ju alternately watched the handsome man and woman naturally conversing in front of him. But Ji-won, unaware of that intense gaze, simply left the establishment.
I brought candy just in case, but now that I’ve had some alcohol, I don’t crave it at all. Thinking he’d brought it unnecessarily, Ji-won was choosing ice cream at the convenience store next door when the door opened again and Kwon-ju came out. Did he come out because it was stuffy in there? After confirming the face visible through the glass wall, Ji-won picked up one more of the ice cream he was about to buy and paid.
“Excuse me.”
“Just a moment.”
After briefly asking Kwon-ju to wait, Ji-won entered the bar. After handing Suhyeon her drink, Ji-won quickly came back outside. Unfortunately, Kwon-ju hadn’t properly heard Ji-won’s request to wait and was staring blankly into space, seemingly shocked at being rejected.
“Here.”
Ji-won suddenly handed an ice cream to the junior who was waiting for him. The cold packaging touched Kwon-ju’s warm cheek, spreading coolness immediately. In normal circumstances, this might have made someone frown in annoyance, but there was no trace of anger on his angelic face.
“…Thank you.”
After a moment of stillness while assessing the situation, Kwon-ju politely accepted the offered ice cream with both hands. Right. He was this kind of person. As if to prove that his initially unfavorable impression had been prejudiced, Ji-won had later defined him as “surprisingly nice.” Polite, accepting of everything, and occasionally bringing food to share.
Anyway, now there were no listening ears around them. Standing side by side with Kwon-ju, Ji-won unwrapped his ice cream and spoke.
“I really didn’t expect to see you here.”
“…”
“Are you feeling sick?”
“N-no.”
When Ji-won worriedly asked if he was sick because Kwon-ju had been looking down to calm himself, Kwon-ju quickly denied it. I’m trembling so much I can’t speak properly. His body, which normally maintained a below-average heart rate except during exercise, seemed to be losing control and going wild. He had felt dazed since the moment Ji-won sat beside him, but now it felt even more dreamlike because they were so close.
“You should have contacted me when you got in. I would have at least treated you to a meal.”
Though Kwon-ju knew well that Ji-won’s offer to buy him a meal wasn’t just empty words, he had no intention of conducting their reunion through KakaoTalk after waiting three years. Besides, it was obvious Ji-won had completely forgotten about him, which made it even more important not to. That’s why he wanted to talk face-to-face, but now it seemed like the wrong choice. If they had exchanged messages beforehand, perhaps he wouldn’t be this nervous.
“Or did you not know I attend here?”
Ji-won felt awkward, wondering if he’d asked the wrong question. Kwon-ju had boasted about getting accepted immediately and Ji-won had congratulated him, but it was entirely possible he’d forgotten since it wasn’t his own business. Just as he was beginning to regret asking, Kwon-ju shook his head.
“No, I knew.”
…Of course I wouldn’t have forgotten. Perhaps because of the cold weather, the air suddenly felt sharp. While forcing the ice cream between his drying lips and standing silently for a while, the door of the adjacent establishment opened and a group of dark-clothed men poured out.
“Ah, fuck. Why isn’t the alcohol hitting me today?”
“Lighter, please.”
Then they began lighting cigarettes. Just as Kwon-ju, extremely sensitive to smells, was about to frown, Ji-won wrapped an arm around his shoulder and led him to a spot farther away. Then, positioning himself to shield Kwon-ju from the cigarette smoke, he continued speaking.
“Since this is near the university and there are many bars gathered here… around this time, the cigarette smell gets pretty bad.”
With Ji-won’s shoulder blocking the messy scene behind them, the sound of Kwon-ju’s heartbeat began to grow louder. Even the unpleasant cigarette smoke reaching his nose felt somewhat special. Holding the sweet ice cream that he’d been sucking on the whole time, Kwon-ju carefully began to speak.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
