LM 79

“Can’t you give me back my phone?”

“No.”

“I’m bored. I need to collect my game login rewards too…”

“There’s the console. You can play games on that too.”

“I get dizzy playing console games. I told you that. Oh, please, hyung.”

Kwon Siyul pleaded, tugging at Woo Hyunse’s clothes like a smartphone-addicted kid. After a long persuasion—arguing that he wouldn’t run away even with a phone, and that the only money he had was the card Woo Hyunse had given him—he finally got permission. He couldn’t get his old phone back, but instead, a new phone arrived at the house in the afternoon.

He couldn’t be entirely happy about the new model. It felt like borrowing someone else’s device. Though uneasy, he still texted a thank you message to Woo Hyunse.

It had been days since he last accessed his messenger. Half of the messages were ads, half were from people he knew. In particular, there were lots of messages from the people at the bar and Woo Taeju. Most were courteous greetings saying they were sorry he suddenly quit and asking to have a meal together sometime.

Kwon Siyul replied to each one. He sent messages to the chef and bartender, and also contacted Yang Hye-na, who was the piano player, and Manager Kang. The bartender replied immediately, saying he’d treat him properly when Kwon Siyul had time to visit.

Woo Taeju was the last. They hadn’t seen each other or exchanged any messages since the day of the concert. The message saying he was doing well, asking if Woo Taeju was doing well, and suggesting they meet some time was sent and the number 1 disappeared immediately, but strangely, there was no reply.

Sprawled on the sofa, he logged into the game. It poured out rewards, welcoming him back and saying it was glad to see him again. As he was opening the boxes one by one to check, a call button popped up over the game screen. It was Yang Hye-na.

“Oh, Hye-na.”

―Oppa! Have you been well? Why haven’t you been in touch? I thought you might have been kidnapped or something.

Yang Hyena laughed as if it was a joke. Kwon Siyul thought her comment hit right on the mark and laughed awkwardly along.

―Are you free today, oppa? We’re closing the bar early today for a team dinner. I thought it would be nice if you could come too. I already asked the manager, and she said, of course, you should come and to contact you as soon as possible.

Yang Hye-na added that it was lucky, saying if he had reached out even a day later, there would have been no free meat. Kwon Siyul wanted to go too. But he was worried about Woo Hyunse. It felt like leaving the house without reporting in advance where he was going would be considered him trying to escape. It would be fortunate if Woo Hyunse didn’t grab him by the hair and drag him back home.

But hadn’t he given back the phone? Maybe some trust in him had built up in the meantime.

“Okay. I’ll check my schedule and let you know.”

―You must be really busy. Where are you working these days, oppa?

“Ah…Just doing this and that. I’ll call you later.”

He quickly ended the call. He was about to text Woo Hyunse but changed his mind and brought up his number on the screen. He didn’t want to hear his voice, but a call seemed more likely to get permission than a text.

As he put the phone to his ear, he secretly hoped Woo Hyunse wouldn’t answer. Then he could blame Woo Hyunse for not answering and go out on his own.

But when had such wishes ever come true? Before the ringtone could sound more than a few times, Woo Hyunse answered the phone. Not even a “hello.” Just a single “Mm,” as if he had been expecting the call. Kwon Siyul got straight to the point.

“Can I go out?”

―Where?

“I talked to Hye-na, and she said the bar staff are having a team dinner today. They want me to come out for a drink…”

―It could be dangerous.

“I can go with Jisang hyung, right?”

There was silence on the other end of the line. Kwon Siyul called out, “Hyung.” After a long while, the answer came.

―Is Kim Jisang Mr. Kwon Siyul’s hyung? You’re quick to call other bastards hyung.

It was a sarcastic voice. Woo Hyunse could be childish in unpredictable ways sometimes. Kwon Siyul kept quiet, not responding. He didn’t want to defend the bodyguard and risk facing backlash.

―Go ahead.

“Really?”

Not expecting permission, Kwon Siyul sat up abruptly and exclaimed. But, Woo Hyunse added a condition.

―Someone else will go. Not your Jisang ‘hyung’.

That was better than nothing. At least he got permission. Kwon Siyul hung up and hurried toward the bathroom. He wanted to get away as soon as he could from this place filled with Woo Hyunse’s scent everywhere.

When Kwon Siyul arrived at the barbecue restaurant Yang Hye-na had told him about, the bar staff raised their hands from a corner table as if they had been waiting for him all along. Yang Hye-na even stood up abruptly, waving both hands and drawing the attention of all the customers. Fearing those gazes might shift to him, Kwon Siyul quickly moved toward the group of his old co-workers.

“Wow, it’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Have you been well too, Manager? Thank you for inviting me.”

“No need for thanks. Why such formality? You’re always welcome, Siyul.”

The manager, sitting in the corner, welcomed Kwon Siyul. Seeing these familiar faces after a long time brightened Kwon Siyul’s expression. The dark shadow disappeared, his eyes crinkled, and his lips curled up in a smile. It was an expression that had been common when he was working at the bar.

“We were waiting for you, oppa, so we haven’t started grilling the meat yet. Let’s eat quickly.”

Though he had no appetite, he couldn’t not eat after coming all this way. Kwon Siyul quickly picked up the tongs and placed the meat on the heated grill. The pink samgyeopsal began to brown nicely on the oiled, lid-shaped grill.

What’s grilling meat without drinks? They were drinkers who, whenever they closed the bar and threw a drinking party, would consume more alcohol than they had sold that day. Pushing aside the side dishes, bottles of alcohol took their place on the table. The manager was quietly pulling empty glasses closer, mixing soju and beer, and pushing them in front of people.

While it had been difficult to swallow rice earlier, whether due to the manager’s skill or simply his thirst for alcohol, the alcohol went down smoothly. He barely tasted the bitterness. He vaguely recalled some drunkard’s muttering that if alcohol tastes sweet, life must be even more bitter.

“What are you doing these days, oppa? You seemed really busy.”

“Nothing in particular…I’m taking a short break.”

“Are you still not feeling well? Oh no, what should we do? Oppa, do you want to exercise with me? I’m doing Pilates these days, and it’s cheaper if we do it as a group.”

Yang Hye-na chattered with a worried face. The chef lowered his head, observing Kwon Siyul intently, and then clicked his tongue.

“This kid looks pale. Ah, maybe we shouldn’t have asked him to come out when he’s not feeling well?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s just because I’ve had some drinks in me.”

“Didn’t oppa’s cheeks used to turn red when he drank? I think that’s how it was before.”

Yang Hye-na pointed out sharply. Kwon Siyul awkwardly rubbed his cheeks. It made sense that he looked unwell, given that he often skipped meals whenever Woo Hyunse was away.

Everything he ate stung his throat as if he was swallowing a bundle of needles. He had poor digestion, often felt nauseous, and his hands and feet were cold. Even the nutritious food Woo Hyunse had diligently fed him seemed to have lost its effect.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

The manager, who had been enthusiastically mixing bomb shots while leaning against the wall, grabbed Kwon Siyul’s shoulder and got up from her seat. Seeing her unsteady steps, Kwon Siyul quickly moved to support her. When Yang Hye-na asked where they were going, the manager put her index and middle fingers to her lips.

The acrid smoke and the smell of cooking meat had been making Kwon Siyul feel nauseous, so this was perfect timing. Kwon Siyul said he’d also go out for some fresh air and followed the manager outside.

The narrow alley behind the restaurant was an unspoken smoking area. The bitter smell of cigarettes lingered as if someone had just taken a puff. A large empty can on the ground served as a graveyard for cigarette butts.

The manager brushed her hair back and habitually took out a cigarette. Kwon Siyul stood quietly beside her. While the cigarette burned away in the manager’s mouth, Kwon Siyul kept his eyes on the ground until he heard his name being called. The manager moved the cigarette from her lips to between her fingers.

“CEO Woo isn’t coming today?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean Woo Hyunse.”

“How would I know that…?”

Hiding his startled feelings, Kwon Siyul avoided the manager’s gaze. The manager let out a laugh that sounded like a snort and took a long drag on her cigarette.

“You’ve already quit the bar. What’s the point of hiding it? You two are dating, aren’t you?”

Kwon Siyul looked up with surprised eyes. However, his gaze couldn’t meet the manager’s directly and wandered here and there. Regardless, the manager’s attitude remained nonchalant. Realizing that lying wouldn’t work, Kwon Siyul let out an “Ah” and rubbed his face with both hands repeatedly.

“How did you know?”

“Wouldn’t I be a fool not to know?”

“Surely not…”

Kwon Siyul looked at the manager, unable to hide his trembling lower lip, wondering if everyone else inside knew too. Oblivious to Kwon Siyul’s darkening mood, the manager laughed like a young girl.

“How can a man be so timid? It’s not like dating is something to hide. And don’t worry. No one else knows except me.”

In just a few puffs, only the filter remained on the cigarette. The manager flicked the remaining butt into the can and took out a new cigarette.

“How could I not know when CEO Woo was being so obvious? I ended up knowing even when I didn’t want to.”