TWELVE 27

“Seungkyung. A customer.”

Yoon Kijun nudged my shoulder lightly and whispered. Fearing Gi Seoin might see me, I lowered my posture behind the bar. Realizing my intention, Yoon Kijun leaned toward me and whispered back.

“Why? Someone you know?”

“Yeah… Could you possibly take care of just that customer for me? I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.”

He replied that it was nothing to be sorry about, then put on a smile and went to greet Gi Seoin. I stood up only after confirming that Gi Seoin and the woman had disappeared into a small private room.

“Mr. Seungkyung.”

“Gasp.”

“Did I startle you? Sorry.”

The owner apologized, holding up both hands. I waved my hand.

“Oh, no… I just got startled for no reason.”

“The customer who just came in.”

The owner leaned his shoulder toward me and spoke softly, as if disclosing a major secret.

“Is it someone you know?”

“Yes… somewhat.”

“He came and registered as a member before you started working here, but he hasn’t been back since. Should we just pretend you don’t work here?”

I liked how quick-witted the people here were. I nodded my head.

“Please.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll let you know when they’re coming out of the room, so just stay tucked away somewhere.”

“Thank you, really.”

“Cases like this happen sometimes.”

The owner winked. He could have asked for details, but that was all he said. Yoon Kijun, who returned shortly after, asked if it was a situation where I really shouldn’t be seen, and he took charge of all the guidance and serving for the small private room in my stead. I felt truly grateful to them.

While I worked, my eyes kept drifting toward the area where the small rooms were located. My heart thrummed as if I had taken the wrong medication, and my thoughts became tangled and complex.

The woman Gi Seoin brought was a different person from the woman I had seen on the street. I was certain of it.

The woman walking with Gi Seoin before had short hair that barely brushed her shoulders and looked over 170cm tall. However, the person who appeared at the bar today had long wavy hair and a petite frame. Even if it was just a passing glance, they were different enough that it was hard to mistake them for the same person.

[Mr. Seoin. I look forward to our time together. —Cha Minyoung]

Then who was the person who gave the gift and the letter to Gi Seoin?

Is Gi Seoin meeting two people at the same time?

Was Gi Seoin that kind of person…?

The Gi Seoin I know is someone who shakes his head at even the mention of dating. But the Gi Seoin I happened to encounter recently looked like he was on a date with a woman, no matter who saw it.

Moreover, Gi Seoin does not drink alcohol. When he gets stressed, he looks for sweet drinks instead of alcohol. Yet he came to a bar? Of course, we do sell non-alcoholic drinks, coffee, and other beverages.

“Hey, listen.”

I sidled up to Yoon Kijun. When I glanced toward the small rooms, Yoon Kijun nodded.

“Do you remember what they ordered?”

“Yeah, it was a bit unusual. A Glenfiddich 18-year-old and a raspberry ade.”

It would be rare for someone on a date at a bar late in the evening to order a raspberry ade while their partner chose alcohol.

“…Thanks.”

It was very much like Gi Seoin.

If they had ordered two glasses of alcohol, could I have comforted myself by thinking it was just someone who looked like Gi Seoin?

A sense of betrayal shook my mind into a daze, but I soon realized that the person who should feel betrayed by Gi Seoin wasn’t me, but the women he was meeting. I cannot explain this wretched feeling with any words.

“Mr. Woo Seungkyung?”

“…Yes, yes. How can I help you?”

It seemed I had been caught lost in other thoughts. The face of the customer who called me was twisted in a grimace.

I realized my mistake. The man was a regular who showed his face at least twice a week, and at the same time, he was a nuisance. He always made it obvious that he was in a bad mood and frequently raised his voice at the staff.

“Did you hear what I said? Eh? You didn’t hear me, did you?”

“I am sorry. If you could tell me one more time…”

“Why should I go through that trouble? Is it normal to be daydreaming while you’re working?”

“I’m really sorr…”

“Is this something that ends with an apology? I came here to have a pleasant drink, but is it okay to provide service like this? Do you know how much money I spend here?”

I was caught by the wrong person. The man was always in a bad mood, but today it seemed especially foul.

“I am sincerely sorry…”

“So, what are you going to do if you’re sorry?”

“I will call another manager for you…”

“Hey! You’re the one I called first, so why call someone else?”

“Then if you could tell me how I can help you…”

“I’m sorry to interrupt. What seems to be the matter?”

I looked up at the person who blocked the space between the customer and me. It was Lee Dami. She is an employee who has been with Benwood since its early days. Whenever a situation like this arose, either the owner or she would step in, and she was evaluated as being better than the owner when it came to fighting with nuisances.

Strangely, when Lee Dami appeared, the nuisances lowered their voices. It wasn’t because she had a particularly grand physique or a fierce impression. Rather, it was the opposite. According to the owner, she suppressed nuisances with a gaze like a predator.

Whether that was true or not, the nuisance who had been picking a fight with me softened up immediately. Lee Dami, who had treated the nuisance with composure, let out a deep sigh once we returned to the staff breakroom.

“How many times has it been already? I should tell the owner to ban that jerk. Even if there’s a reason to go easy on him, this is crossing the line.”

‘A reason to go easy on him’?

There was indeed a reason why Kim Junghwan, who was counted among the worst of the nuisances, hadn’t been banned yet. I was very curious, but since Lee Dami didn’t explicitly mention it, I decided to let it go without asking.

“Oh, I’m okay.”

“You’re not okay at all. Does it matter if the customer is king? Even a king gets deposed if he does something wrong.”

It wasn’t a situation to laugh, but the analogy was funny, so a short laugh escaped me. Seeing me, Lee Dami laughed and tapped my shoulder lightly.

“Don’t worry too much about what happened earlier. It looks like Kim Junghwan has targeted Mr. Seungkyung.”

“Huh? Targeted what?”

“That nuisance. That guy is Kim Junghwan. Whenever a new staff member joins, he always pulls this crap at least once. He thinks he’s something special. I heard he’s a doctor. How does he fix people with a personality like that? Is his strategy to give people illnesses outside and then secure them as customers?”

“I’ve heard being a doctor is a very stressful profession, so I guess it’s true.”

“Is he the only one who gets stressed? Everyone lives while being stressed.”

“Haha, that’s true. Anyway, thank you for your help.”

“If he does that again next time, call me or the owner immediately.”

I thanked her repeatedly and went into the restroom attached to the breakroom. I intended to splash some cold water on my face. With Gi Seoin and the nuisance hitting me all at once, my head felt like it was boiling over and melting.

After washing my face and tidying my hair, I turned on my phone. Immediately, a notification window with Gi Seoin’s name popped up. One missed call and several messages.

[Seoin: I’m sorry if it felt like deception. That wasn’t my intention. At that time, I thought you wouldn’t accept it, so I told you to pay me back.]

[Seoin: Seungkyung. I want you to be at ease.]

[Seoin: Have a safe commute.]

Five minutes after the first message arrived, the second message came. The last message was sent after fifteen minutes had passed. I wondered if a word he couldn’t quite convey was hidden in those gaps of time.

What on earth was Gi Seoin thinking? I couldn’t predict anything about him. However, I knew that I shouldn’t mistake the current Gi Seoin for the guy I used to know.

We were friends for 18 years, and on some days, we were even family. At other times, we were closer and more precious than family. I dared to believe I knew Gi Seoin well. I was certain that the Gi Seoin I saw was all of him.

It’s so laughable it’s not even a joke. There isn’t a single thing that Gi Seoin and I share. The only thing we can share is the concept of time. Since the worlds we live in are different, even if we were together, we could never be the same.

Therefore, I have no qualification to expect anything from Gi Seoin, nor do I have the right to be disappointed.

It’s just that accepting that fact is painful. The reason my heart is breaking like this is not Gi Seoin. It’s because I have to admit the 18 years of delusion and arrogance I have maintained.

And didn’t I realize it before? That the person who should feel betrayed is not me.

I am nothing to him.

I was exhausted in both body and mind. As I walked home after getting off the night bus, my legs felt like jelly. My shoulder, which had been recovering smoothly, screamed for the first time in a while. By the time I reached home, even typing the front door passcode was a struggle. Still, it was home.

A home where memories live and breathe—memories no one welcomes, memories I can’t forget, yet can’t laugh about while reminiscing.

The moment I stepped into the living room, I sensed a strange air in the house.

“…”

It felt as if someone had been to this house.

Standing tall in the middle of the living room, I scanned the surroundings. There wasn’t a single thing out of place that caught my eye, but the ominous feeling wouldn’t go away.

I guess it’s just my imagination. Considering everything I went through today, it wasn’t a reach.

Maybe…

‘You changed the passcode.’

Did Gi Seoin come by?

He left the bar around 11:00 PM. Since I got off work several hours later, there would have been more than enough time for him to stop by. But I soon shook my head. Intuitively, it didn’t seem like Gi Seoin would have come. Since he doesn’t know our house passcode anymore, it was impossible.

No matter how much I thought about it, I only reached the conclusion that it was because I was sensitive. If it were a thief, there would be traces of rummaging in some corner of a drawer, but the inside of the house was intact.

Leaving the strange feeling behind, I washed up, swallowed my medicine, and threw myself onto the blanket. The shoulder pain was as persistent as ever, and my arms, legs, and head were heavy as if weights were attached to them. Sleep immediately dragged me into tomorrow.

∞ ∞ ∞

A week later, Gi Seoin appeared at Benwood once again. This time too, he was with someone. It was a new woman, neither the woman I saw on the street nor the woman who came to the bar the first time.

Every week, every time, Gi Seoin visited Benwood with a different woman.

Every moment, I hid and agonized and suffered, eventually returning home while carrying a resignation that would wither away by the following week.