EX Ch 5

—I’m stuck here because of you.

Those damn shoes, just wear anything! I bit my nails with a face full of terror, and then, in a voice that was barely a crawl, I managed to open my mouth with difficulty.

“He, hello. This is a bar located on the third floor in Itaewon. This person is very drunk, so I think you need to come pick him up now. I’ll send you the address by text.”

It was quite natural. Why didn’t I think of this? Since it’s over the phone anyway, he won’t even realize it’s me. Right. With this, even Yoon Hyeonjo will be completely fooled. As for me, I just need to be hidden far away by the time Yoon Hyeonjo arrives. Just as I was about to hang up with such a sneaky thought, a heavy voice settled into my ear.

—Danyeong.

“…”

—Are you going to keep acting up?

Eek. Startled by Yoon Hyeonjo’s voice, I froze right there while holding the receiver. How, how does he know my voice? The bar is noisy and we are so far apart through the receiver. Besides, Yoon Hyeonjo’s voice through the receiver, heard after such a long time, felt as awkward as a stranger’s.

“…Ho, how do you know my voice?”

It was the moment the question slipped out of me reflexively. Yoon Hyeonjo let out a smirk as if it were absurd and spoke.

—How could I not know? Your voice.

“…”

—Is that even a question?

Somehow, I was left speechless. Because over half a year has already flashed by, Yoon Hyeonjo’s voice is only faint in my memory, but it seems that isn’t the case for Yoon Hyeonjo. I thought he was the type to easily forget trivial things, but was I wrong? While I was lost in thought without speaking, I heard the sound of Yoon Hyeonjo striking a lighter through the receiver.

—Fine, but why are you answering the phone? What is that bastard Kim Woosik doing?

“Ah, well, Woosik is drunk… I don’t think he can go home alone.”

—…

“I, if it’s okay, could you come pick him up?”

My heart pounded as if it would burst at the words I managed to get out. Thinking of Yoon Hyeonjo, who would surely raise his eyebrows and get angry again, my vision was already going dark. However, the answer that came back was simpler than expected.

—And what are you going to do if it’s not okay?

“Huh? Th, that shouldn’t happen. Still, you have to come…”

I was trailing off, not knowing what to do at the answer that sounded like he was teasing, when I heard the sound of Yoon Hyeonjo moving slowly through the receiver. The sound of putting on clothes, the sound of inhaling a cigarette, the sound of dragging his feet. Is he coming? While I was only swallowing dry spit in an unknown tension, phew. Yoon Hyeonjo, who slowly exhaled cigarette smoke, finally spoke in a low, sunken voice.

—Hey, Lee Danyeong. By the way, I told you to break it off with Kim Woosik.

“…”

—But what’s so great that you’re drinking until this hour? Are you joking?

My shoulders naturally shrank at the scolding tone. I wasn’t the one who said let’s drink, he was the one who said let’s drink… With a face full of grievance and my lips pouting, I began to mumble out excuses.

“There were circumstances. Really. I was going to break up around today?”

—…Sigh.

“But, well… I haven’t been able to say it yet. You know too. That breaking up between people isn’t that easy. Th, that’s why.”

I diligently poured out my own circumstances. Thinking that if I did this, Yoon Hyeonjo might understand. But the last words I accidentally let out ended up pressing Yoon Hyeonjo’s trigger button.

—Hey, then what about me?

“…”

—Why was it so easy with me?

Uh, uh. If he comes out like this, I again had nothing to say. It’s not that it was easy, I just didn’t have much thought. I wasn’t the type to think deeply anyway… But if I confessed that, it was certain Yoon Hyeonjo would come with fire in his eyes to collect the watch money. Having become a sinner in an instant, I couldn’t speak further and just hovered my lips open.

—Sigh… Fine, fuck. Whatever I am.

How long had we been like that? It seemed like Yoon Hyeonjo let out a sigh, and soon I heard the sound of him leaving the entrance.

—I don’t need anything else, so you just stay in your seat.

“…”

—Because I’m going right now.

Finally, Yoon Hyeonjo said he was coming here. It was a relief and a misfortune at the same time. Just as the call was about to end. Unable to hang up easily due to worry, I spoke toward Yoon Hyeonjo.

“Um, Hyeonjo.”

—What.

“When you come, are you, are you going to scold me?”

Hah. At my question, I heard the sound of Yoon Hyeonjo let out a hollow laugh as if it were goddamn absurd. But it was an important matter to me. Because a Yoon Hyeonjo who gets angry was truly scary.

“Are you going to get scary-angry at me again?”

—…

“An, answer me.”

I asked seriously once more, but Yoon Hyeonjo didn’t answer right away. For a while, he exhaled a long breath along with cigarette smoke, and soon spoke in a voice that sounded like his heart was burning up.

—…Do you even have to ask? Hang up.

Does that mean he won’t get angry? Anyway, it was a relief. I mindlessly scratched the back of my head once and then plopped down next to Woosik. I had only shared a brief phone call with Yoon Hyeonjo, but the energy was sucked out of my entire body.

Phew, as I leaned my back against the cold wall and closed my eyes, I felt like my heavily hunched shoulders were slowly relaxing.

By the way, I did think that there would never be a reason to get involved with Yoon Hyeonjo again. Because his and my radius of action were too different. But since we’ve become entangled again, I needed some kind of method now. A method that could cover the watch money I sold without a plan…

I wonder if such a thing even exists? As of now, nothing else seems visible besides me going to jail. All I was hoping for was that Yoon Hyeonjo would show a little mercy to a stupid and thoughtless former lover.

Yoon Hyeonjo arrived at the bar before long. He peered around at the entrance for a moment, and then, discovering me sitting awkwardly in the corner, he immediately walked over, closing the distance.

“H, hel…”

Yoon Hyeonjo pointedly ignored my greeting and lightly kicked the shin of Woosik, who was sprawled on the hallway floor.

“Hey, hey kid. Get up.”

“…”

“Sigh, this guy. He’s completely wasted.”

Yoon Hyeonjo looked at Woosik, who didn’t move an inch even when kicked, with pathetic eyes, and soon bent his body to drape the limp arm over his shoulder. I gathered Woosik’s belongings from the side and followed closely behind Yoon Hyeonjo. It was around the time we came down the steep stairs and stood by the roadside where a cold wind was blowing. Yoon Hyeonjo, his face heavily distorted into a frown, shot a cold glance at me.

“What were you doing until he drank like this?”

“No, I mean, he seemed to be drinking well. So I just left him…”

“You should have stopped him, or gone home first.”

Like a child getting scolded by a parent, I demurely gathered both hands and bowed my head low. Yoon Hyeonjo became even more triumphant at my appearance and raised his voice.

“And whether they’re lovers or whatever, do you know or not know that bastards who are drunk are unconditionally dangerous?”

“…”

“I told you not to even pass by such people, didn’t I.”

Again, here we go again. Once he starts, Yoon Hyeonjo’s nagging, which lasts at least thirty minutes, was starting once more. Having gone through it many times when we were dating, I knew how much that makes a person wither away. I quickly opened my mouth to cut off his words before Yoon Hyeonjo’s speech got longer.

“You, you also drank like a fish when you drank with me. You, you also like drinking!”

At my rebuttal, Yoon Hyeonjo, who was taking care of the sagging Woosik, crumpled his eyebrows as if it were absurd and spoke.

“When I was your boyfriend, was I ever drunk in this pathetic way?”

“…”

“I never once failed to take you home.”

I immediately shut my mouth at his rebuttal.

“Even when I was dead drunk, I put you in your house before I slept. You know?”

Was it like that? Come to think of it, it really was. When was it. On the day Yoon Hyeonjo introduced me to his high school classmates, the friends jokingly made Yoon Hyeonjo drink a ton. On that day, Yoon Hyeonjo, who far exceeded his limit, safely saw me into the studio apartment even while walking unsteadily. And he fell asleep huddled in front of my house’s shoe rack. It was truly a great display of mental strength.