By Zephyria 
The bartender looked slightly surprised to see Seo Chi-young sitting next to Jang Ui-geon, but he merely glanced at Ui-geon with a subtle smile and didn’t go out of his way to speak.
Seo Chi-young slowly looked around. The interior, dimly lit, didn’t feel gloomy or depressing. Instead, a pleasantly relaxed atmosphere flowed through the space.
So this is the kind of place he often visited.
“……..”
He felt almost sorry to even compare this to that park.
In contrast to Seo Chi-young, who sat frozen in awkwardness, Jang Ui-geon naturally pulled the menu toward him and spread it out in front of Chi-young, like a fish in water.
“What do you like?”
“….., I don’t really know about these things… just anything.”
Seo Chi-young mumbled vaguely. Jang Ui-geon flipped through the menu half-heartedly and told the bartender, “Give him one that isn’t too bitter or sweet, with just a bit of alcohol. For me, the usual.” The bartender grumbled that the request was far too vague, but nodded obediently.
Jang Ui-geon asked Seo Chi-young, who was perched precariously on the round, high stool, “How is it?”
“Does it seem okay?”
Seo Chi-young only nodded without answering. In truth, he wasn’t sure if it was okay or not, but it was at least quieter and more secluded than the place he had entered long ago.
This was the place Jang Ui-geon said he visited occasionally. However, rather than him looking around with curiosity, he found himself being the object of many curious gazes. While Jang Ui-geon exchanged a few words with a serving staff member, the bartender handed a glass to Seo Chi-young. It seemed he had served it ahead of the other orders piled up in front of him.
“Thank you,” Seo Chi-young said with a polite bow, then tasted a sip of the pretty amber liquid inside the rounded, polished glass. He couldn’t tell if it tasted good or bad, but as he sipped it for a second and third time, it began to feel palatable.
“Does it taste okay? Is it to your liking?”
At Jang Ui-geon’s question, Seo Chi-young answered obediently with a “Yes” and a nod. “That’s a relief,” Jang Ui-geon smiled, and a glass was placed before him, seemingly served out of turn as well.
Jang Ui-geon greeted the bartender with a nod, picked up his glass, and spoke to Seo Chi-young. “Well, then.”
“There’s a face I haven’t seen in a while, so I’ll go say hello and then head out.”
Jang Ui-geon looked toward a table where a man he had briefly greeted upon entering the bar was sitting, gave a light wave, and stood up. Seo Chi-young looked up at him anxiously.
“Uh.., excuse me.”
As Jang Ui-geon stood, Chi-young instinctively grabbed his sleeve, causing him to look back with a puzzled expression. Seo Chi-young’s lips parted, but he slowly let go of the sleeve.
“…..It’s nothing. Please go ahead.”
Jang Ui-geon stared at the softly speaking Seo Chi-young with a strange expression, then suddenly turned his head and laughed low.
“I’m not leaving.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m going to go talk to that table for a bit and then head back when the time is right.”
Seo Chi-young stared blankly at the smiling Jang Ui-geon and asked, bewildered, “Uh.., why?”
“What do you mean why?” Jang Ui-geon laughed, looking incredulous.
“Chi-young, you came here to meet people. If you stay with your companion the whole time, people won’t approach you. There is the method of speaking to someone you like first, but I don’t think you’re the type to do that.”
“…..”
“And.”
Jang Ui-geon paused, laughing for a while as if something was particularly funny, then leaned down and whispered quietly into Seo Chi-young’s ear.
“The people here won’t eat you alive. You don’t have to be so anxious.”
“…., no, I’m not.”
Seo Chi-young opened his mouth, his face flushing hot, but before he could gather an excuse, Jang Ui-geon gave his shoulder a light pat and stepped back.
“Good luck. Don’t be too nervous; just think of it as lightly chatting. Right, just think of it as talking to a customer who came into your shop. Like when Jun-young and I first started dropping by your place.”
“Wishing you luck,” Jang Ui-geon said playfully and walked toward the man who was waving to him from the inner section. They seemed quite close, as he sat at the table without hesitation and began talking.
Staring vacantly at Jang Ui-geon, Seo Chi-young slowly looked around. Just like the one time he had come to a place like this long ago, it still felt as though he didn’t belong here. In the shop, which had a quiet and sophisticated atmosphere, there were no female customers, but at a glance, nothing seemed particularly unusual.
However, from the casual yet subtle distance between the people chatting quietly at the dimly lit tables, Seo Chi-young felt a faint sense of incongruity. Had he known nothing to begin with, he might not have noticed at all or simply found it odd for a moment. But perhaps because he knew that almost everyone in here was gay, the hands resting on a partner’s thigh or the legs subtly intertwining under the table didn’t seem ordinary, making him feel awkwardly self-conscious with nowhere to look.
As Seo Chi-young awkwardly turned his head, his eyes met those of Jang Ui-geon, who was tilting his glass at an inner table. Seeing Seo Chi-young’s anxious face, Jang Ui-geon seemed to be suppressing a laugh, but he soon gave a light wave as if to say it was okay. Seo Chi-young gave a small nod and a faint smile. But then, the bartender, who had been working through the order slips, suddenly spoke to Seo Chi-young with amusement, causing his smile to vanish involuntarily.
“How do you know Ui-geon? It’s been years since he started coming here, but this is the first time he’s brought someone.”
A man sitting at the end of the bar, a few seats away from Seo Chi-young, chimed in with interest, “That’s true.” Seo Chi-young hesitated on what to say, but soon realized there was only one word that could describe their relationship without hesitation.
“We’re high school alumni. We happened to run into each other again recently…”
“Oh, then Gyeonghwa High School?”
The man at the end of the bar spoke as if he knew, making Seo Chi-young’s eyes widen.
“Yes… are you close with Ui-geon?”
He hadn’t known the man was close enough to know which high school he attended. Even while Jang Ui-geon had been sitting with him at the bar, they had acknowledged each other with a nod but hadn’t actually spoken, so he thought they were just acquaintances.
However, Seo Chi-young’s assumption seemed correct. The man waved his hand with a smile.
“No, I just heard it by chance before. I’ve been coming here a long time and so has Jang Ui-geon, so we know each other’s faces, but we’re not exactly close. But well, Jang Ui-geon is the type to stand out even when he’s doing nothing, so there are more stories about him than others. Let’s see… if you’re high school alumni, could your name be Yoon Jun-young…?”
Seo Chi-young fell silent. It seemed Jang Ui-geon had mentioned Yoon Jun-young’s name often enough that a stranger could bring it up immediately upon hearing the word “alumni.” And only then did Seo Chi-young vaguely understand why people had looked at him with such curiosity when he entered with Jang Ui-geon.
Suddenly, his chest felt heavy. Seo Chi-young shook his head with a bitter smile.
“No.”
“Is that so?” the man asked, tilting his head. The bartender also looked on as if it were unexpected.
“The way Ui-geon treats you is exceptionally sweet, so I thought you were that Yoon Jun-young.”
“Ui-geon is originally sweet to everyone.”
As Seo Chi-young murmured with a hollow smile, the bartender seemed to ponder for a moment, then shrugged as if it didn’t matter.
“Well, seeing as you use formal language, I guess you weren’t that close even if you were alumni.”
“We hardly spoke back in high school… we just happened to meet again recently.”
“I see,” the man nodded. “Han-su, give me another of the same,” he said, handing his glass to the bartender. He seemed about to stand up, but instead, he naturally approached and sat in the seat next to Seo Chi-young. Taking the spot where Jang Ui-geon had been sitting just moments ago, the man pulled his chair in and gave Seo Chi-young a beaming smile.
“So that means this gentleman is just an alumnus of Jang Ui-geon. What’s your name?”
“Seo Chi-young……”
“Seo Chi-young? Chi-young? That’s a nice name to call.”
The man tasted the name on his tongue and smiled with his eyes. Seo Chi-young gave a polite bow and said, “Thank you.” The man laughed out loud, finding something amusing.
“So, Chi-young, how did you end up being dragged to a place like this?”
“I wasn’t… dragged here.”
“With those watery eyes and the way you’re frozen, you look exactly like someone who was dragged here.”
Flustered, Seo Chi-young waved his hand in denial. He wanted to explain that Jang Ui-geon wasn’t the type of person to ignore others’ opinions and force them along, but the man laughed again, clearly joking.
“It’s not that… he brought me here because he said it’s a good place to meet people. Because I’m… not very good at making friends.”
As soon as he said it, he suddenly felt pathetic. Beside the bitterly silenced Seo Chi-young, the man wore a narrow-eyed smile.
“Aha, you came to meet people… what’s your type?”
Repeating the word “type” in his head, Seo Chi-young momentarily looked bewildered.
He had never actually thought about such a thing. Come to think of it, that was true. During the time he hadn’t encountered Jang Ui-geon, his life had been too grueling to have the luxury of other thoughts, and after meeting him again, he had only looked at Jang Ui-geon. The only person he had consistently gazed upon in his life was that man.
Without realizing it, Seo Chi-young’s gaze drifted toward the inner part of the bar. Then, he froze.
He saw Jang Ui-geon, glass in one hand, chatting with the person next to him. Yet, as if his attention had been directed this way all along, their eyes met.
Though there was a smile on his lips, he had been looking this way with eyes that were somehow expressionless, but upon meeting Seo Chi-young’s gaze, he gave a fleeting smile. However, this time, he didn’t wave to acknowledge him.
Keep talking. Don’t mind me. That’s why you came here today.
That short smile seemed to say exactly that. Seo Chi-young averted his gaze and turned his head.
Ridiculously, he realized it only now. The only person who had ever stolen his gaze to the point of making him stare blankly throughout his life was that man. The person who brought him to this spot, saying it would be better to find a partner in a place that was more comfortable and trustworthy.
Could there be a kindness more bitter than this?
Seo Chi-young murmured low to the man waiting for his answer.
“Just… someone kind… that sort of person.”
It wasn’t an answer to the question about his type. That was because the only person who came to mind for such an answer was Jang Ui-geon.
But he liked kind people. In any sense.
He didn’t ask for much from people. A small kindness was enough. Though sometimes, like now, kindness filled with goodwill could cut through the heart.
Seo Chi-young’s answer shouldn’t have been that strange, but the bartender suddenly started laughing. The man laughed too. When Seo Chi-young looked at them bewildered, not knowing why they were laughing, the bartender spoke with amusement.
“No, seeing as he brought you here, I figured you’d be somewhat close to Ui-geon, but your personalities are just so different. When I asked about Ui-geon’s type, he immediately answered that he likes a clean-cut beauty with no lingering baggage.”
“I’m telling you, you can tell a person’s personality just by hearing their ideal type,” the bartender laughed again. Seo Chi-young stared blankly and murmured to himself, I see. A clean-cut beauty with no lingering baggage—he didn’t have a precise image of it, but at the very least, it wasn’t him. He didn’t fit that description.
Seo Chi-young nodded silently and brought the glass to his lips. For some reason, his throat felt parched. The man, who had been watching Seo Chi-young intently, seemed to know exactly what he was thinking and reached out to lightly stroke Seo Chi-young’s shoulder. His shoulder stiffened reflexively, but he slowly relaxed at the touch that merely stroked him quietly, as if offering comfort.
Just then.
“Hm?” the bartender murmured shortly. Seo Chi-young shifted his gaze to the bartender, then turned his head in the direction the bartender was looking. But before his gaze could even land, a voice reached him first.
“Han-su, give me another one with a stronger base. Chi-young’s glass is empty too. Chi-young, have another drink. Do you want the same thing? Or would you prefer something else?”
The sweet, laughter-laced voice stopped beside Seo Chi-young. Jang Ui-geon, approaching with an empty glass, leaned his arm on the bar and handed his glass to the bartender.
“What are you talking about that’s so interesting?”
Seo Chi-young blinked and looked up at him, who asked with curiosity. He thought he wouldn’t speak to him again today.
Seo Chi-young felt a faint sense of relief. “Just this and that,” he murmured with a smile. Jang Ui-geon, looking down at him, looked somewhat troubled. However, that expression was soon masked by his usual smile the moment the bartender tossed a comment.
“Why have you been staring so much? Like you’re monitoring him.”
As the bartender signaled with a sarcastic glance, Jang Ui-geon laughed without hesitation.
“He’s a friend who isn’t used to these kinds of places, so how could I not be worried? I can’t just drop him off and act like I don’t know him.”
“Since when did Ui-geon start worrying about others?”
“Ahaha, what do you mean ‘since when’? How can you say that to someone as kind as me?”
Jang Ui-geon burst into laughter, though he tapped the table with his knuckles as if pretending to be dissatisfied. The bartender, who had known him for a long time, snorted indifferently and handed over the new glass. Jang Ui-geon pulled the glass toward him and turned to Seo Chi-young.
He thought he wouldn’t come back, so he wondered why he had. But Seo Chi-young found himself smiling shyly, happy to exchange even a few more words.
“Aren’t you waiting for your friend?”
“I just came back for a moment because my glass was empty. I’ll be gone soon, even if you don’t give me a hint.”
When Seo Chi-young asked, pointing toward the table where he had been sitting, Jang Ui-geon looked at Seo Chi-young’s shoulder, where the man in the next seat still had his hand resting, and smiled with his eyes. Give him a hint? Seo Chi-young looked bewildered by the unexpected words, and Jang Ui-geon let out a low laugh.
“I’m joking…”
Saying so, Jang Ui-geon lightly patted Seo Chi-young’s arm and raised his eyes, still shimmering with laughter, to look at the man who had been gazing at them intently from beside Seo Chi-young. Noticing the gaze, the man looked back at Jang Ui-geon.
A brief exchange of looks passed between the two men, who knew each other’s faces from occasionally crossing paths at the shop. Between them, the bartender intervened, handing a new glass to Seo Chi-young.
“Why are you staring so intently? Did a few regulars finally hit it off after all these years?”
In front of the man, who wore a strange expression and smiled bitterly, Jang Ui-geon laughed low with a similar expression.
“Ahaha, well, seeing him up close, he really is a handsome fellow—I wonder why I just let him pass by until now.”
“Haha, so it’s okay if he’s not a clean-cut beauty with no lingering baggage?”
The man also laughed and responded with a joke. Suddenly falling silent, Jang Ui-geon raised an eyebrow, murmured “Aha…”, and then looked at the bartender with a troubled smile.
“I wondered what interesting story you were having, but you were talking about something so boring?”
“Where else is there a story more interesting than this? Chi-young says he likes kind people, but his friend’s taste is the complete opposite—how funny is that?”
As the topic suddenly returned to him, Seo Chi-young, who had been quietly tilting his glass, looked up. Jang Ui-geon looked down at Seo Chi-young. After staring at him intently for a while, he nodded as if it made sense and smiled. Then, the man cut in.
“If we’re talking about tastes, I think I’m similar to Chi-young. I also like kind people. To be more precise, gentle and good-hearted people.”
“Is that so,” Seo Chi-young replied, nodding as he looked at the man with an ambiguous expression. Facing him while the man gazed back with eyes brimming with a smile made Chi-young feel slightly awkward, causing him to discreetly avert his eyes.
Jang Ui-geon, who had been leaning against the bar, cast a glance at Chi-young from above. With a faint, habitual smile on his face, Ui-geon slowly swirled his glass for a moment before pushing himself off the bar.
“Well, they’re calling me over there, so I’ll head back. To the gentleman here—don’t push this gentle soul too hard… and Chi-young, good luck.”
As he stepped away, Chi-young looked at him with a sudden flash of anxiety. Ui-geon gave Chi-young’s shoulder a light pat, left behind a calm smile, and turned away.
“…….”
Seo Chi-young watched Jang Ui-geon’s retreating back in silence.
What am I doing here? It wasn’t as if I had desperately wanted to meet someone. Not once had he thought he wanted to meet other people with Jang Ui-geon’s help.
Feeling like an utter fool, Seo Chi-young silently drained his glass bit by bit. As the glass grew lighter, his heart grew heavier.
“So, you’re saying you don’t have anyone specific in mind. No particular preference, either?”
Suddenly, a man’s voice sounded right beside him. Chi-young, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to his senses and turned his head. Before he knew it, the man had approached him and was whispering softly. Before Chi-young could even mutter, “Oh, well…”, the man seemed to pause in thought and then continued.
“Then, how about me?”
Chi-young froze and looked at him. It didn’t seem like he had misheard, nor was he unaware of what those words meant, but for a moment, he was speechless. He opened his mouth to say something, but he only blinked, and no words flowed out.
He felt like letting out a hollow laugh at himself.
He realized he had never once considered how to respond in such a situation. He had completely excluded the possibility of this happening from his mind. Setting aside whether he liked it or not, he found the situation absurd.
Why had he come here? …Because Jang Ui-geon had brought him. That was the only reason. He realized vividly that he had never, even unconsciously, wanted to meet someone else. He had simply liked going anywhere that had even a slight connection to Jang Ui-geon. Even though this was not the kind of place one would come for such a reason.
The man, who had been scanning every detail of Seo Chi-young’s face, gave a bitter smile.
“Do you dislike me?”
“No… it’s not that. It’s just…”
Seo Chi-young shook his head.
The man wasn’t bad. In fact, in Chi-young’s eyes, there was no one in the shop who was inferior to him.
He was simply being foolish.
Seo Chi-young remained silent and just looked at him. Facing him, the man quietly stroked Chi-young’s arm and whispered in his ear.
“Don’t be nervous. People coming for the first time are often like this. Sometimes they confuse nervousness from unfamiliarity with discomfort. Just think of it comfortably. Whether you dislike it, or if it’s just unfamiliar.”
The man’s voice was tender. Though they hadn’t exchanged many words, Chi-young could tell he was a kind person. The hand slowly stroking his arm seemed poised to withdraw obediently the moment Chi-young showed any sign of dislike.
“I’ve liked you from the start, Chi-young.”
Yes, the man was right. The whisper softly tickling his ear, the hand sliding tenderly from his arm to his waist—he didn’t know what to do because it was unfamiliar, but it wasn’t unpleasant. He thought that if he got used to it, it might even feel good. But.
“….I, just, the restroom for a moment.”
Seo Chi-young quietly pulled himself back. His mind, bordering on panic, couldn’t even form a proper sentence, only linking a few short words.
It wasn’t unpleasant. However, he didn’t feel that it was okay for things to proceed like this. He knew that even if it did, he would eventually shake his head and stop it at the decisive moment.
Knowing it would be unnatural, Seo Chi-young stood up from his seat. For a moment, the man’s eyes widened in surprise, but Chi-young didn’t even look at him properly as he brushed past him toward the restroom inside the bar.
I’m such a fool. A man so foolish that he couldn’t even bring himself to sigh was reflected in the mirror directly in front of him as soon as he entered the restroom.
The restroom was empty. Alone in the spacious, quiet place, the tension in his shoulders, which had been building without him realizing it, finally eased slightly.
“You idiot…”
Muttering powerlessly at the mirror, Seo Chi-young let out a long sigh and hung his head. He slowly approached the toilet, did his business, and washed his hands at the sink. When he suddenly looked up, there was a familiar man in the mirror looking back at him with a clumsy expression. …A pathetic face.
On impulse, Seo Chi-young splashed the water he was using to wash his hands onto the mirror. After staring at the blunt face with water dripping down, he ended up splashing the water on his own face.
Wake up. You’re already a fool; how much more of a fool do you want to be? Seo Chi-young repeatedly splashed ice-cold water on his face. As he patted his face to the point of pain and splashed water several times, his heart slowly calmed down. Only then did his returning reason reflect on his feelings.
It was exactly as he had thought from the beginning. Unless he had come because he wanted to, this place would always be a world detached from him. To the point where trying to pretend to be composed was foolish.
“………”
Let’s go back. What suited him was his own old, shabby shop that looked as if it might collapse at any moment. The nights spent with the drinking customers and neighborhood regulars who visited that place were already as comfortable as a well-fitting suit.
If he said he was leaving shortly after arriving, Jang Ui-geon, who had gone through the trouble of bringing him, might look at him in disbelief, but he felt it would be better to go back.
Just as Seo Chi-young was turning away from the sink with that thought, the man from before was leaning against the restroom wall, staring at him. Not having felt anyone enter, Chi-young flinched and stopped in his tracks. The man, who had been looking at him with a subtle expression, spoke.
“Did you really just come to use the restroom?”
“…….Pardon?”
“…I thought it was strange… that you suddenly said something so daring.”
The man muttered an incomprehensible comment to himself and gave a bitter smile. Wondering what daring thing he could have possibly said, Chi-young looked at the man with a slightly bewildered expression. As Chi-young quietly pressed his sleeve to wipe the dripping water from his face, the man pulled out two or three paper towels and approached.
“Ah, thank…”
“Stay still.”
The man briefly scolded him, avoiding Chi-young’s hand as he tried to take the towel, and carefully wiped Chi-young’s face with the paper towel as if stroking it.
Receiving the man’s touch as he stroked his cheek with a subtle feel, Chi-young awkwardly tried to keep his distance.
“I’m sorry. ….I think I’ll head back now.”
The man stopped his hand. He looked at Chi-young in silence and then asked nonchalantly.
“Am I not your type?”
“No, it’s not that… I’m sorry.”
Seo Chi-young bowed his head. The man seemed disappointed, but he soon let out a sigh-filled laugh and said, “I suppose it can’t be helped.”
“Alright, then. …Here, contact me later if you’re up for it.”
The man took a business card holder from his pocket, pulled out a card, and tucked it into Chi-young’s pocket. Thinking he would likely never contact him, Chi-young looked at his pocket with a troubled expression but simply kept his mouth shut and nodded. Realizing that the ambiguous nod was a rejection, the man smiled bitterly once more.
Chi-young looked at the man’s lips with apologetic eyes, but the man smiled naturally as if to shake off the awkward atmosphere, brightening his tone of voice.
“Shall we head out? Before Han-su starts developing whatever strange fantasies he’s probably having by now.”
“Pardon?”
When Chi-young asked in confusion, the man only laughed instead of answering, then gave a sudden piece of advice: “Chi-young, don’t go to strange shops alone. Something bad will definitely happen.” Chi-young looked like he had no idea what the man was talking about, but he obediently nodded.
The man, who was about to turn away, looked at Chi-young askew, paused for a moment, and muttered regretfully.
“Your eyes are just like a gentle calf… though you looked like an abandoned puppy earlier.”
“Come here,” the man gestured. Chi-young took a step toward him with a puzzled face, but the man approached Chi-young first. After lifting his hand to stroke and ruffle Chi-young’s hair, he suddenly brought his face close. Before Chi-young could even stiffen his body, a light sensation brushed across his lips.
“….!”
As Chi-young instinctively took a step back, the man looked at him from a step away, smiling playfully.
“Forgive me for this much.”
Looking at the man who held up both hands, Chi-young nodded a couple of times, not knowing what state of mind he was in. His mind went as blank as the fist he unconsciously used to rub his lips.
Just then.
A light knocking sound was heard.
Even with his mind blank, Chi-young instinctively turned toward the sound and froze stiff upon seeing the person standing there.
How long had he been there? Jang Ui-geon, leaning against the open restroom door, was quietly tapping the door with his knuckles while watching them.
“…….”
Not a single short word escaped his lips. Though he had done nothing wrong, Chi-young just blinked, his fist still frozen against his lips, like someone who had committed a crime.
Jang Ui-geon said nothing for a while. A short silence filled the restroom. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the gaze looking at him without a trace of the usual smile felt like it was piercing him, so Chi-young looked back with anxious, blinking eyes. For a moment, it seemed Ui-geon’s silent gaze shifted to the other man. However, after a brief glance at the man, Ui-geon turned his gaze back to Chi-young. Then, he slowly spoke.
“I’m just asking in case, but I’m thinking of heading back now; do you want to come with me? Since we’re going the same way anyway, I’ll give you a ride if you’re leaving. If you want to stay longer, go ahead.”
“……..”
For a moment, Seo Chi-young couldn’t answer. The words spoken with a calm face were so sudden that he had to process them in his head before grasping the meaning.
“Oh, yes, I’ll go.”
Stiff with embarrassment and still rubbing his lips with his fist, Chi-young quickly nodded. The thought that they were supposed to go back separately crossed his mind for a moment, but it didn’t matter. He had been planning to leave anyway, so it worked out well. However…
This moment was extremely uncomfortable. It wasn’t as if something monumental had happened, and he could have put on a nonchalant face like the other man or Jang Ui-geon, but Chi-young couldn’t manage such a composed expression. He wasn’t composed, nor was he accustomed to hiding his emotions.
Whether he was seeing through Chi-young and being considerate, or simply because it didn’t matter to him, Jang Ui-geon turned to leave, but stopped for a moment when his eyes met the other man’s.
“I’m sorry for unintentionally interrupting. I’ll buy you a drink next time if the opportunity arises. —— Now, Chi-young, I’ll go out and start the car, so come out.”
Leaving a polite greeting, Jang Ui-geon departed. Seo Chi-young, who had only been staring blankly at his back, watched him disappear around the hallway in front of the restroom. Only after hearing the faint sound of him seemingly paying the bill did Chi-young click his tongue and hurry his steps. However, by the time Chi-young rushed back to his seat, Jang Ui-geon had already paid for Chi-young’s share and left.
“Oh, Chi-young. Ui-geon-ssi left a little while ago—”
Hardly listening to the bartender, Seo Chi-young took his outer garment that had been neatly hanging on the rack. The bartender’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Why, are you leaving already?”
“Yes, ….I enjoyed the drink.”
Seo Chi-young bowed his head. He hesitated slightly before bowing to the man who had followed him out. The man smiled generously and gave a light wave, saying, “Contact me anytime.” The bartender glanced back and forth between Chi-young and the man, then gave a deep smile.
“Looks like Daewon-ssi got dumped. Haha, come again next time, Chi-young. It was a pleasure meeting you today.”
The bartender said with a cheerful laugh. Though he would never contact the man or visit this shop again, Chi-young felt a fleeting sense of regret that he would never see them again. He bowed once more and hurried out of the shop.
His taste was as bitter as his tangled thoughts.
Still, as the shop door closed behind him and the air that felt like a different world receded, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief. It felt as if he had returned to a life that flowed calmly and quietly without any incident.
As he walked up the stairs and stepped out into the parking lot, the cold night air immediately enveloped him. For a moment, it was chilly enough to make him shiver, but it was far more comfortable than the warm air inside the shop. He felt the anxiety fluttering in his heart and the tangle in his head coolly settle down.
Seo Chi-young took a deep breath. The cold air rushing into his lungs slowly stabilized his body. After inhaling and exhaling deeply two or three times to soothe his chest, he slowly looked around. The taillights of Jang Ui-geon’s car, parked inside the lot, were on. The silhouette of Ui-geon sitting in the driver’s seat was visible in the dim light of the lamps.
“……..”
His heart, which he thought had calmed down, began to throb again. Seo Chi-young slowly approached and climbed into the passenger seat.
Feeling awkwardly silent until he fastened his seatbelt, Chi-young remained quiet, and Jang Ui-geon likewise said nothing. Ui-geon, who seemed lost in thought with his elbow resting on the window and stroking his chin, only slowly turned his head when Chi-young stole a glance at him. The face facing him was as calm as ever, which slightly settled the inexplicably anxious heart of Chi-young.
Turning the ignition, Jang Ui-geon spoke with a hint of a smile.
“You didn’t happen to want to stay longer and only come out because I called you, did you?”
“That’s not it. I was actually just about to leave…”
Because not only his expression but also his voice and tone were the same as usual, Chi-young felt even more at ease. As Chi-young shook his head and answered, Ui-geon murmured with a light laugh, “I see, that’s a relief.” He could faintly feel the smooth vibration of the engine beneath him.
Silence fell again until the car left the parking lot and entered the main road. Only after the car passed through narrow streets and complex signals and joined the larger flow of traffic did the thought suddenly occur to him that he hadn’t paid for his drink. “Come to think of it,” he began. Jang Ui-geon cast a puzzled look.
“I think you paid for what I drank as well. How much was it?”
“Huh? Ah, it’s fine. It wasn’t much.”
“But still…”
“Chi-young, you also give me twice as much as other people every time I go to your shop, even though you only charge for one serving.”
“Still, though,” Chi-young stammered, but Ui-geon gently cut him off with a smile, “Let’s stop that conversation here.” Chi-young hesitated for a moment, but knowing that further arguing wouldn’t make Ui-geon take the money, he obediently thanked him. Then, after a short pause, he added a greeting in a slightly subdued voice.
“I think you went through a lot of trouble because of me today. I’m sorry.”
Thinking about it, the entire trip to that shop today had been for Seo Chi-young. Yet, without any real gain, he was returning not long after entering. He felt somewhat sorry. Jang Ui-geon gave Chi-young a brief look and shook his head with a smile.
“Not at all. I enjoyed being there for the first time in a while. ….Though, well, I suppose I was a little concerned…”