By Zephyria Eventually, Ryu Jeong decided to accept Lee Do-hyeon’s proposal.
Lee Do-hyeon couldn’t hide his joy at the news that Ryu Jeong would quit his part-time job, and he boldly initiated a kiss. The light peck soon turned into a deep kiss with mingled saliva, and Ryu Jeong had to spend the weekend crying with swollen eyes, all the effort of showering gone to waste.
On Monday morning, Ryu Jeong woke up to a loud noise for some reason and staggered out of bed. The sound of something crashing and people talking seemed to be coming from inside the house rather than outside, so Ryu Jeong went to the living room and was stunned by the sight before him.
“Is all this really necessary…?”
He had signed the document, unable to resist the expectant, sparkling eyes, but he became disoriented by the packages arriving one after another on Monday morning. Ryu Jeong paced back and forth in the hallway, at a loss for what to do. The empty room right next to Ryu Jeong’s dressing room was being decorated.
“You’ll be spending a lot of time sitting and studying, so you can’t just use anything.”
Before he could even open the packages, installation technicians arrived. Four of them were assembling things with their tools. A desk large enough for two people to sit side by side was taking shape on one side of the wall, and there were four bookshelves coming in behind it.
Ryu Jeong was just standing there, blankly watching the commotion, when Lee Do-hyeon found him and hugged him tightly from behind. Lee Do-hyeon smiled proudly, rested his chin on Ryu Jeong’s shoulder, and whispered softly.
“Try it out first, and if it’s uncomfortable, we can change it. If the room seems a bit small, we can move it to another room. What do you want, Jeong?”
“Ah, well… there’s no need to move it…”
“Have you sat in the chair yet?”
“Not yet…”
“Try it later. I thought the chair was more important than the desk, so I paid attention to it, but we’ll have to change it if it doesn’t fit. But it’s best to stretch often in between. And walk often in general.”
Ryu Jeong, overwhelmed by the unfamiliar situation, could only nod at what Lee Do-hyeon said. As if to put the advice to walk often into practice, Lee Do-hyeon led Ryu Jeong out of the room that would soon be his study.
“Think about your study plan slowly. There’s plenty of time.”
“Yes…”
His first goal was to take the high school equivalency exam. Lee Do-hyeon told Ryu Jeong that he could go to a cram school or watch online lectures. He even offered to hire tutors for each subject if he wanted, but when he chose online lectures, which seemed to cost less, Lee Do-hyeon bought him a top-of-the-line computer. He hadn’t even started properly, but he felt a little embarrassed that the preparations were so extravagant.
Lee Do-hyeon brought Ryu Jeong a glass of lukewarm water, as he hadn’t had a drink since waking up and watching the commotion.
“You haven’t told them you’re quitting yet, have you?”
“No… I thought it would be better to tell them in person. I’m going to tell them when I go to work this afternoon.”
“Hmm, the cafe is one thing. But will you be okay with the convenience store?”
Ryu Jeong hesitated to answer, not immediately understanding the meaning of the question.
“I thought it might be difficult for you. You hesitated for a long time when you took the medical certificate.”
“Ah…”
The fact that he had left the store unattended without even closing the door because of a sudden heat cycle was something that the Shop Owner could have taken legal action for, not to mention firing him. Fortunately, nothing was missing, and the Shop Owner couldn’t find another part-timer to replace him, so he reluctantly let it go.
He had a feeling that the Shop Owner didn’t want Ryu Jeong to quit, so he didn’t know how he would react if he said he was leaving on his own. Judging by the fact that he hadn’t held Sae-na back, he might just let him go.
“I’ll… try to talk to him nicely.”
He had worked many part-time jobs, but this was the first time he was quitting. He sighed, not knowing how to start the conversation, and Lee Do-hyeon asked if he wanted him to come with him. It was the same thing he had said when he had to submit the medical certificate, and he couldn’t help but laugh. Hearing Lee Do-hyeon’s laughter made him feel much better.
Soon, the technicians finished the installation and left in a group. Ryu Jeong got up and saw them off, then looked around the study with Lee Do-hyeon. He wandered around, smelling the unique scent of the wood, and then sat in the chair that Lee Do-hyeon had told him to sit in. It was awkward, but not uncomfortable.
The CEO of the cafe, who rarely came to work, was at the store for some reason. He was talking to a supervisor from headquarters about store operations, and he was about to get up just as Ryu Jeong came to work, as if the business was just over.
Ryu Jeong hesitated, then mustered up the courage to stop the CEO and carefully told him that he was moving and would have to quit his part-time job. Knowing that it was difficult to find part-timers in the afternoon on weekdays due to the nature of the university district, Ryu Jeong bit his lip tightly as he spoke, worried that he might be rejected.
Contrary to his worries, the CEO was sorry, but he did not stop Ryu Jeong from making his decision. Knowing that Ryu Jeong lived in Wolhyeon-dong, the CEO mentioned the recent redevelopment news and even congratulated him.
Since life in Wolhyeon-dong was all that Ryu Jeong had, the word “congratulations” sounded foreign to him. Ryu Jeong replaced his greeting with an awkward smile, nodded to the CEO’s question of whether he could give him a week or so to find another part-timer, and began to pack up his things.
The problem was the convenience store. He had confidently told Lee Do-hyeon that he would go alone, but as soon as he tried to enter, he felt the same tension as when he had handed in his medical certificate that day. As expected, the Shop Owner’s expression was fierce. Ryu Jeong watched him carefully and began to speak, and the Shop Owner sighed deeply after a moment of silence.
“Do as you please.”
It was an unexpected reaction. Ryu Jeong, flustered, looked at the Shop Owner with doubtful eyes, wondering if he had heard correctly.
“It’s almost time for the renewal season anyway. It’s better to get compensation and set up shop in another neighborhood. Besides, the night shift doesn’t make any money anyway. It just wastes electricity. I might as well close at night.”
It probably wasn’t just the electricity that was being wasted. The Shop Owner clicked his tongue with a displeased look, then raised his eyes while counting the cash. Ryu Jeong flinched, noticing his gaze.
“Kwon Sae-na was a mess last week. Did you two plan this? To quit together?”
“…No.”
“Well, even if you did, there’s nothing I can do. She’s working one more month on weekend mornings. Noh Hee-cheol that bastard is obviously not going to do what I tell him to do, so I’ll have to coax him and if that doesn’t work, I’ll have to come out myself.”
The Shop Owner’s reaction was much more indifferent than expected, as if he had no attachment to this neighborhood.
“So, until when are you going to work?”
“Ah… that is…”
“Just go now while you’re at it. It’ll be easier for me to calculate the part-time pay until the end of the month.”
Without even asking him to work a few more days, the Shop Owner waved his hand as if he just wanted to reduce the amount of work.
Ryu Jeong had not expected the conversation with the Shop Owner to end so quickly, so he could not easily take his feet off the ground even at the Shop Owner’s gesture to leave. The Shop Owner gestured to Ryu Jeong, who was hesitating and looking around, to make sure he didn’t leave anything behind. There was nothing to leave behind. Ryu Jeong took out the neatly laundered uniform and placed it on the counter.
“Thank you for everything…”
“Just because you’re quitting doesn’t mean I’ll give you your salary early. And you know, right? We don’t have separate holiday pay or severance pay. You agreed to it when you interviewed, so don’t pretend you don’t remember now.”
“Yes… I remember.”
“Okay. That’s good.”
The Shop Owner turned his gaze away as if he had nothing more to say. There wasn’t even a formal word of thanks for his hard work, but Ryu Jeong quietly bowed. And he left the store. Clang. The sound of the bell he had heard for years rang in his ears.
The sky had become even darker in the meantime. That a situation that had seemed so hopeless could end so anticlimactically. The words “bittersweet” that the chicken rib restaurant owner had said suddenly came to mind.
At the moment when his face became strange and he pursed his lips, a car that had quietly approached stopped beside Ryu Jeong. The driver’s side window slowly lowered, revealing a familiar face. Lee Do-hyeon looked at Ryu Jeong with calm eyes, as if he had foreseen all of this.
“Are you done?”
“…Yes.”
“Then let’s go home together.”
Ryu Jeong nodded and got into the passenger seat. The car slowly drove out of the alley in Wolhyeon-dong. The familiar convenience store sign gradually receded. Ryu Jeong turned his head and looked at it one last time, then straightened his posture and looked ahead.