TWELVE 21

It was too young to be his mother. At most, the woman looked to be around our age. That said, it wasn’t as if Gi Seoin had a sister. I had never heard of him having a relative close to his age who he was intimate enough with to stroll down the street together, just the two of them.

Who on earth could it be?

Gi Seoin, who said he was having dinner with his parents, why in the world…

I didn’t want to think he was lying without knowing the circumstances. I was wary of hasty misunderstandings and resentment. After all, I wasn’t exactly in the clear myself, was I? I hadn’t said a single word about the bar.

I had expected a day like this would come eventually. It was just more sudden and sooner than I’d imagined. It wasn’t something to be restless or upset about. And it certainly wasn’t something to be offended by.

Since I had made it so he couldn’t even bring up the “r” in “romance,” it must have been difficult for him to say he was seeing someone. He was probably embarrassed and afraid. I understand.

My part was simply to wait until Gi Seoin told me, and to sincerely congratulate him when he finally opened his mouth. Because that’s what friends do.

I stared down the path where Gi Seoin had disappeared. He did not reappear. I soon picked my phone back up to check it, but no messages had arrived. It was a silence unlike him. I used to grumble often that Gi Seoin was taciturn, but I realize anew that he was actually a noisy presence in my life. It was a realization I didn’t want, one I wanted to forget.

The next morning, Gi Seoin came to my house and prepared breakfast as if nothing had changed. Every time I looked at him, my subconscious traced a new silhouette beside him. Short hair that almost touched her shoulders, tall height, a woman dressed in a clean suit that seemed to match his…

“Seoin. I found a job.”

“What kind of job?”

Gi Seoin looked surprised. I forced a fake smile.

“Someone I worked with at the site introduced me. It’s a restaurant run by their family…”

“A restaurant?”

His gaze moved toward my shoulder. The intention behind his look was clear: How can you work at a restaurant with that body? I quickly added:

“They just happened to need someone to work the counter. I only have to work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights.”

“What kind of restaurant? Where is it?”

I deliberately named a neighborhood in the opposite direction of where the bar was located. I added the detail that it was a barbecue place.

Perhaps because he knew how desperately I wanted to work, Gi Seoin didn’t interfere further. I felt both relieved and disappointed. Since these were strictly emotions I had to resolve on my own, I didn’t express them to him.

From that day on, I took care so that none of my emotions would reach Gi Seoin. Gi Seoin seemed the same yet different at the same time. At least once a week, he would announce that he had dinner with his family. Otherwise, it was overtime. Since I worked Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, the time we ran into each other decreased significantly.

“Hello!”

“Mr. Seungkyung, you’re here?”

“It’s Mr. Seungkyung.”

“Hellooo.”

As soon as I arrived at work, the owner, Mr. Kijun, and Ms. Yeona greeted me. A month into working at the bar, I had quickly become close with the people here. In particular, because Yoon Kijun and I were the same age and found our situations were similar after talking, we couldn’t help but become even closer.

The staff might have found me a burden since I hadn’t finished recovering, but they taught me the work kindly and were considerate. Thanks to them, my shoulder was recovering at a faster rate than average. Since last week, the medicine I had to take and the time I had to wear my brace had decreased.

“Mr. Seungkyung, can you take over the coffee later when it gets busy?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Thank you.”

For the first few days, I memorized menu recipes while learning the overall operations of the shop and took on the role of guiding customers to their seats. Starting a week ago, I was even given permission to make coffee. Since it was a task that used less shoulder strength, it wasn’t a strain.

“Welcome! You’re here early today.”

“I’m alone today, can I drink in a room? I have a video meeting later.”

“Of course. I’ll guide you. Shall I turn off the music in the room?”

“Please do.”

Since the bar was membership-based, it revolved around regulars. The membership registration conditions weren’t strict, but it was only possible with a recommendation from an existing member. However, the existing members viewed this place as a hideout and rarely recommended it to others. The owner seemed satisfied. He said if it gets too busy, it won’t have this “vibe.”

Because the atmosphere was like this, there were significantly fewer rude customers. They weren’t non-existent. However, there was an effective way to repel them. It was the owner.

The owner, who I thought was only kind, was merciless only toward rude customers. Perhaps because he didn’t run the shop while being swayed by money, he didn’t hesitate to revoke memberships. Honestly, I think he’s cool.

“Good job today.”

“Everyone worked hard!”

“Let’s go home!”

Working energetically with good people made time fly. On some days, I even felt sorry to leave work.

[Seoin: You’re finishing work soon, right? Get home safely. Contact me.]

[Finishing now haha Are you working late today?]

[Seoin: I have some things left to look at. I’ll be a distraction if I’m there, so I’ll go to my house today.]

He wasn’t working overtime, but he had work left and would finish it at his own house. Even though before, he would bring every bit of leftover work to my place…

[Seoin: You ate dinner at the shop, right?]

[Yeah lol You eat while you work too!!]

Looking at how he obsessively checked if I’d eaten, he was the same, but I somehow couldn’t shake the impression that Gi Seoin had changed.

I guess people really do change when they start dating…

Is he still meeting that woman from back then?

Maybe he doesn’t have work left, but has a date instead.

Questions I couldn’t even ask took root and were driven into my mind like nails. It was irritating as they poked at my nerves.

I got off work at 2:30 AM. Since there was no public transportation to the house at this hour, I had to take a night bus, get off halfway, and walk. Thanks to the weather turning cool, it was walkable. By the time I walked while unravelling the complicated threads in my head, I was already home.

When I opened my eyes, it was 11:00 AM. Gi Seoin, who would have left for work long ago, had left a lunch box and a message. It was a scene that repeated every day I worked.

[Seoin: There’s a lunch box in the fridge. Don’t forget your vitamins.]

[Seoin: If you look on the sink, there should be herbal medicine too. If you feel tired, heat one up and drink it. 10 seconds in the microwave. Your rhythm is broken so it’ll be a strain on your body. Pay attention.]

Truly, on one side of the sink, there was a box with the name of an oriental medicine clinic written on it.

“Did he really have to…”

A grumble escaped my lips unintentionally.

The burden was greater than the feeling of gratitude. I started to have twisted suspicions, wondering if he was trying to take extra care of me because he felt sorry.

Right, that’s it. I’m twisted. That’s why I can’t look at Gi Seoin straight. I’m in a state where I can’t even think properly.

The image of Gi Seoin walking down the street with that woman had grown larger and larger inside me from the moment I witnessed it, and now it had become so massive I couldn’t even move it. As the weight of emotions I can’t handle presses down, I tilt crookedly. I’m standing there awkwardly and unsightly, holding on, but I don’t know when I’ll collapse.

Was I always such a petty person?

Despite bringing up things like being “real friends” or a “normal friendship” to Gi Seoin, wasn’t I the one running wild trying to cross the line at the critical moment?

Maybe it would be better for both of us if I kept my distance from him. If we gradually drift apart, maybe I won’t even know sadness even if we become completely separated… Just the thought of it made a surge of emotion rise like a wave in my chest.

[Seoin: Did you eat? Did you take your medicine?]

Another message came from Gi Seoin around 1:00 PM. He must have contacted me to check because I hadn’t replied.

[I ate]

Actually, I hadn’t. The lunch box Gi Seoin had likely made with such care was still sleeping inside the fridge. I couldn’t throw it away so I had to eat it, but I had no appetite at all.

[Don’t worry! haha]

Worried my first reply was too cold, I quickly wrote another message. Gi Seoin read it immediately.

[Seoin: Take the herbal medicine with you when you go to work. Drink it if you get tired while working.]

[I don’t think I’ll have time to drink that T_T]

[If I’m tired I’ll drink it when I get home!!]

[Seoin: I’ll go to your house today.]

At that, I wrote and erased my message several times. Saying okay, then saying no…

[Don’t you work late often lately and feel tired??]

[I get off work late too and I’ll be tired anyway..]

[You can just go to your house haha]

In the end, I refused while making an ambiguous excuse. Still, as clever as he is, he must have understood properly. Whether he’d agree with my words was a different story, though.

Gi Seoin read it and didn’t reply. I lay there like an idle person for a long time before getting up to slowly prepare for work.

Then my phone rang. It was Jeon Juseok. It meant the repayment date was right around the corner.

“Yeah, Hyung.”

—Oh, you’re picking up early today? Did you reflect a bit?

Jeon Juseok cackled.

—You know it’s the day after tomorrow, right? Don’t be late sending it. It’s even better if you send it early.

“Yeah, I will.”

—But, do you even have money? Didn’t you say you’re a cripple and can’t work?

Who was the person who threatened me to pay the money back even while knowing that? He was testing me on purpose, despicably.

“I found a place to work, so I’m fine.”

—So there are places that give work to a cripple? Man, the world’s gotten better. Anyway, it’s something to celebrate. Earn hard and pay it back faithfully.

What was I thinking, borrowing money from a guy like this? What possessed me to mistake someone like this for a good person? A sigh fell to my feet. Jeon Juseok, who was gloating to himself, emphasized faithful payment once more and hung up.

I put the phone down on the blanket as if throwing it, as if his breath still lingered on it, and headed to the bathroom. The motivation for needing to earn money became clear once again. This month, I had to pay back the debt not only to Jeon Juseok but also to Gi Seoin.