LM 14

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“No reason. I just find it amusing. I didn’t think you’d ever come to a place like this, Director.”

“Do I look like that?”

Siyul puffed his cheeks like a goldfish and nodded. Woo Hyunse just shrugged and picked up some noodles with his chopsticks. Though he didn’t usually enjoy watching others eat, for some reason his eyes kept being drawn to his companion. Maybe it was because his chopstick skills were flawless.

Siyul tried a couple of chopstick movements in the air. He wasn’t as skilled as the others. He quickly lowered his hand before Woo Hyunse could see.

“I used to come here often. In college, I think. We were all broke back then.”

“You were poor at some point, Director?”

“No.”

It was a typical Woo Hyunse answer. Shameless, but it suited him. Siyul wrinkled his face like paper to express his disapproval, but as soon as Woo Hyunse glanced at him, he acted as if nothing had happened.

“Is Kwon Siyul-ssi’s situation that bad?”

“Yes. If it weren’t for the installments, we’d have struggled with next month’s rent. But how can shoes cost millions of won? Do such shoes really exist?”

“If it’s difficult, apply for revolving credit. I’ll approve it.”

“Revolving credit?”

Siyul asked, unfamiliar with the term. Woo Hyunse poured alcohol into an empty glass and explained kindly, as if to a child.

“It’s where you pay only part and the rest is added to next month’s payment. But there’s a late fee. Usually about 20%.”

Siyul still couldn’t understand. As he stared blankly, showing he didn’t get it, Woo Hyunse elaborated step by step. In summary, if you were to pay 1 million won, you’d pay half, and next month you’d pay the remaining 500,000 won plus that month’s installment and interest.

Even if he wasn’t good at math, Siyul could tell it was a system where debt snowballed. He stopped using his chopsticks.

“…Director, do you also do a loan shark business?”

“This is legal.”

“What kind of law allows that? It looks like a scam to me.”

Before leaving the orphanage, he’d been told countless times to brace himself for a world where you could lose everything even if one kept their eyes open. That advice hadn’t been wrong. The world was full of things you wanted and needed to buy.

Whenever he was short on money, spam texts and calls would miraculously suggest interest-free loans or new credit cards. Had Kwon Yuwon not nagged him relentlessly, Siyul might’ve ended up buried under a mountain of debt, crying his eyes out.

“I don’t want to do that. I’ll just work hard and pay it back.”

“You’re upright. Good boy.”

Woo Hyunse reached out and ruffled Siyul’s hair. While most people don’t like others touching their hair, his hand was large, firm, and warm, so it didn’t feel unpleasant. As if starving for praise, Siyul quietly accepted the gesture.

Though they intended to just finish one bottle lightly, in drinking sessions, one glass becomes three, and three glasses become three bottles. As empty bottles accumulated, Siyul’s cheeks flushed red. Even the under of his eyes had turned rosy.

Though he hadn’t drunk it all himself, his drinking partner across the table showed no change in complexion. His eyes remained the same as at the start.

“How much can you drink?”

Woo Hyunse asked, resting his chin on his hand. Siyul furrowed his brow, trying to focus his increasingly shaky vision, and held up four fingers.

“Three bottles.”

“Not four bottles?”

“Three bottles.”

Haha, Woo Hyunse laughed softly and reached out to grasp one of Siyul’s fingers. Even after folding it down, it sprang back up as soon as he let go. Tilting his head, Siyul looked at his fingers, glared at the bottle, and then clenched and unclenched his fist. Only then did three fingers stay straight.

On the day he became an adult, Siyul had drunk heavily with Kwon Yuwon, saying they needed to know their limit to survive drinking sessions. Siyul passed out after three bottles of soju, while Yuwon barely managed half a bottle.

Since then, he’d been careful not to collapse at drinking sessions, but for some reason tonight, the alcohol went down smoothly. He wondered if it was because the side dishes were particularly delicious.

“We’re at six bottles now.”

“Already?”

“Yeah. Can you see?”

Woo Hyunse lightly flicked the neck of a soju bottle with his middle finger and thumb. Siyul straightened his swaying head and looked at the bottles. Counting them one by one with his finger, it was indeed six bottles. Even for two people, they had far exceeded his usual limit. It might be dangerous to drink more.

He didn’t have any particular drinking habits. When excessively drunk, he tended to pass out on the floor. Still, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of someone other than Kwon Yuwon, Siyul forced his heavy eyelids open. Yet, oblivious to his struggle, Woo Hyunse refilled his empty glass.

“I can’t drink anymore.”

“If you pass out, I’ll take you home.”

“No. Yuwon’s is at home. You two can’t meet.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re an Alpha, Director. Yuwon is… Yuwon is an Omega, so you two can’t meet.”

Though he tried to enunciate clearly so the other would understand, his tongue felt thick from the alcohol. He opened his mouth in an ‘O’ shape and said “Ah,” but his tongue tip remained dull. The intoxication seemed to have gathered on his tongue as well.

“Did you know you have a mole here?”

Woo Hyunse’s finger pointed at Siyul’s face. Siyul felt around where the finger pointed. Despite seeing his face in the mirror every day, he couldn’t remember where the mole was.

As he fumbled around his forehead, nose, and near his lips, asking “Here? Here?” Woo Hyunse leaned forward and gently pressed the flat part of his thumb under Siyul’s right eye. It felt like a hot stone touched him there, making Siyul jerk back in surprise.

“Ah, that one. They call it a tear mole.”

Only after the other touched it directly did Siyul realize which mole it was. He’d had it since childhood, and sometimes it made him a target of teasing because of its meaning.

“Is that why Kwon Siyul-ssi cries a lot?”

Just like this. There were kids who would play mean tricks, saying they wanted to test if he really cried a lot. Feeling down from the old memories and knowing he shouldn’t drink more, Siyul downed the full glass in one go.

“When have I ever cried?”

“When? You cried the first day we met too.”

“That’s because you were so scary. You said you’d k1ll me.”

“I said I’d get rid of you, not k1ll you.”

“You also said you’d fill my stomach with concrete.”

“Cement,” Woo Hyunse corrected. Siyul pretended not to hear and just filled his glass. Remembering that day, it was hard to believe they were now sitting face to face drinking together. To think he was drinking with someone he had prayed never to meet again, even seeking out gods he didn’t believe in. Life was truly unpredictable.

“That was just saying what would happen if you kept doing bad things. Now Kwon Siyul-ssi is living well and being good.”

“I think you’re worse than me, Director…”

“Me? ’m someone who could live without breaking any laws. Why would you think otherwise? I feel a bit wronged.”

Woo Hyunse spoke with a completely neutral expression, showing not the slightest hint of feeling wronged. The mismatch between his words and actions was funny. Perhaps due to the alcohol, Siyul laughed at something not particularly amusing. He giggled, his eyes forming half-moons. The tear mole stood out even more above his plump cheeks.

Woo Hyunse rested his chin on his hand and stared at Siyul. He traced the alcohol-moistened plump lips, the cheeks rounded by upturned corners of the mouth, and the glistening eyes. Despite the intense gaze, Siyul, half-consumed by drunkenness, didn’t notice.

“…”

Woo Hyunse soon looked away and emptied his glass. He also downed the glass in front of Siyul and stood up.

“Let’s go now. If you don’t want me to meet that friend of yours.”

At the mention of his friend, the slumping Siyul opened his eyes wide. But being drunk, his gaze wasn’t particularly clear. As he staggered to his feet, gripping the table, Woo Hyunse came over to support him.

“Drunk driving is…”

“I’ll call a designated driver.”

The other replied with a short sigh, as if both familiar and tired of this. Only then did Siyul relax his body, which had been tensely pulling away.

Woo Hyunse grasped his shoulder and pulled him close, burying Siyul’s head in his side. Despite drinking in the same space, Woo Hyunse didn’t smell unpleasant. Taking a deep breath, the same scent as before filled Siyul’s lungs. Though Woo Hyunse flinched slightly, he didn’t push him away.

“What perfume do you use?”

“Can’t remember the name.”

“I’ll go, hic, pay.”

“Pay next time.”

Siyul fumbled for his wallet but couldn’t manage to grab it. Frustrated, he cursed under his breath and tried sitting back down, only to be caught by Woo Hyunse. In the end, Woo Hyunse paid the bill. Though Siyul waved his card around, the owner quickly snatched up the cash Woo Hyunse offered.

“I should be paying…”

“It’s not like today’s the only day.”

Stepping out of the food stall after Woo Hyunse, the cool night air brushed against Siyul’s cheeks. He tried to straighten his staggering body, but the alcohol made it difficult to keep balance. So he had no choice but to practically entrust his body to Woo Hyunse standing beside him. He tried to say out loud, “I’ll just lean a little,” but it was too long to utter and just circled in his mouth before disappearing.

He shouldn’t fall asleep like this.

His body was drooping like a weeping willow. But he wasn’t worried. The man beside him, though still intimidating, was far less frightening than before. Thinking that he might fill his stomach with alcohol but probably wouldn’t pour in concrete, Siyul smiled broadly and leaned his head on Woo Hyunse.