KTS 181

59

Yu-jin was puzzled by the continuous ringing of the doorbell and hurriedly checked the wall pad. A familiar face was visible on the screen.

Andrew.

Finding Winston’s brother, Yu-jin unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. He had started coming to the house sometime ago, always doing drugs or drinking heavily and then leaving before Winston came. Perhaps it was because there was no place where he could comfortably do drugs, not only in the mansion but also elsewhere.

At first, Yu-jin was very uncomfortable with Andrew, but she gradually got better over time. Andrew did a lot of drugs and drank a lot, but he didn’t say contemptuous things to Yu-jin or act rudely. Rather, he was among the kindest of the Campbell family, excluding Winston. He often said funny things, so Yu-jin didn’t dislike him either.

But he shouldn’t do so many drugs like that…

Once Andrew was let inside, Yu-jin wouldn’t be able to stop him. What should she do? Should she pretend she’s not here? No, he knows very well that I’m almost always at home anyway…

While she was worrying, the loud doorbell rang again as if urging her. Yu-jin hesitated and reluctantly pressed the button on the screen. While the man was taking the elevator up, she calmed her mind and waited for the guest. Soon, she heard a mechanical sound indicating that he had arrived at the front door, and Yu-jin hurriedly headed to the front door, roughly combing her hair with her hands.

“Hello, Andrew…”

Yu-jin paused as she was about to greet the man who had first appeared as the door opened. He had come inside without hesitation, and he wasn’t alone. When Yu-jin saw several more men behind Andrew, she immediately felt a sense of wariness along with a strange tension.

“Where’s Winston? Ah, is it his working hours?”

Yu-jin glanced at the other men and replied to Andrew, who was looking around the house as confidently as if it were his own.

“Yes… Um, what’s going on?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Andrew smiled and took out a plastic bag containing white powder from his inside jacket pocket. Then the men who followed behind also showed off their bottles and medicine packets, grinning.

“Um, Andrew…”

Yu-jin grabbed Andrew from among the men who were going ahead and spoke to him separately. Yu-jin opened her mouth with a worried expression to him, who was looking down at her with a puzzled expression.

“You seem to be doing too many drugs… I hope you won’t do drugs in our house anymore, Winston noticed it last time and I had a hard time making excuses… And bringing your friends is…”

Andrew laughed out loud at Yu-jin’s visibly embarrassed expression and replied nonchalantly.

“Don’t worry, Yu-jin. I know. I won’t do drugs anymore, and I won’t come to your house either.”

“Really?”Startled, Yu-jin widened his eyes and asked, and Andrew nodded, “Really.”

“That’s why I brought these guys along. It’s the last time, and I owe you a lot, so I thought we could have a party together.”

“Ugh…”

He thought it was more of ‘their party’ than ‘a party together,’ but anyway, it was good that he was quitting drugs.

“If you’re not coming for drugs, you can come over anytime.”

Yu-jin grabbed Andrew, who was turning away, and Andrew looked surprised, then raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.

“Thanks, Yu-jin. You’re really nice.”

He lightly tapped Yu-jin’s cheek, then turned and followed his friends. Yu-jin watched him go, then hurried to get out the liquor and glasses.

He thought that to reduce the amount of drugs, he had to get them to drink a lot of alcohol. Of course, alcohol is bad for the body too, but it’s better than drugs.

“Wow, really? How much is this? You have this whiskey at home?”

“Wow, I’m gonna try this. Awesome! Amazing!”

“Damn booze, let’s drink and die, die!”

Watching the men swearing and making a fuss, Yu-jin felt dazed. Andrew was mixed in with them, swearing and making a fuss just like them, but somehow he didn’t fit in with the men and felt out of place. Was it because Andrew was from the Campbell family? Yu-jin thought so and sat a little away from them, watching them carefully.

“Sorry, Yu-jin. These bastards are too loud, aren’t they?”

When he was somewhat drunk, Andrew spoke to Yu-jin. Yu-jin answered honestly, “A little.”

“I wish only you would come next time.”

He couldn’t get used to such a noisy atmosphere. He preferred to have quiet, calm conversations over tea. When Yu-jin said that, Andrew looked at him with strange eyes.

“You like it better when I come alone?”

“Yeah, of course.”

For some reason, Yu-jin felt a strange sense of unease at the lower-than-usual tone, but he nodded.

“Don’t bring your friends next time.”

“Okay.”

Unexpectedly, Andrew readily replied.

“I will, if you like being alone with me.”

There was a double meaning hidden in those words. It was also another test for Andrew, but Yu-jin was too innocent to notice it.

“Yeah, I like that better too.”

Andrew stared at Yu-jin for a moment, then the corners of his mouth slowly lifted. With a bright face that Yu-jin had never seen before, Andrew smiled and said,

“I see.”

After saying that, Andrew emptied the glass of liquor in one gulp and rolled up a bill to snort the powder on the table.

“Today is the last day.”

Andrew continued, wiping the instinctively flowing snot with his finger.

“I won’t do drugs or drink anymore. Really.”

“That’s great. Good thinking, Andrew. Don’t do this anymore.”

When Yu-jin nodded with a bright expression, Andrew stared intently at him.

“If you’re here, I can do it too, like Winston.”

Yu-jin then felt that something was strange, but he soon ignored it.

“Yeah, of course. I’ll support you too.”

At Yu-jin’s words, his face brightened even more. That day, they drank all the drugs they had brought, as well as the liquor that Yu-jin had given them, and went back completely drunk.

Staggering out of the front door, Andrew promised in a very slurred voice.

“I’ll come back sober next time. I’ll be back soon, as fast as the wind, faster than an airplane…”

“Yeah, you have to come back sober.”

Yu-jin accepted his drunken ramblings with a smile.

“You’re not going to forget because you’re drunk, are you?”

To Yu-jin’s teasing addition, Andrew frowned and replied in a rather serious tone.

“I’ll never forget.”

At his determined vow, Yu-jin nodded.

“Okay, I’ll wait.”

Yu-jin, who had gone to the front door to see him off, waved goodbye, and Andrew suddenly turned around and hugged him.

…Huh?

Yu-jin blinked in bewilderment. He felt like he was going to throw up from the smell of drugs and alcohol on Andrew’s body, but he barely managed to hold it in. He patted Andrew on the back as if to encourage him, then gently pulled him away and said with a smile.

“Go now, I’m busy cleaning up before Winston comes home.”

“…Okay.”

Andrew muttered in an unpleasant tone and stepped back.

“I’ll go.”

“Okay, bye.”

After a longer farewell than usual, Yu-jin barely closed the door and returned to the living room. There, an even bigger mess than usual awaited him.

Usually, Andrew made a mess by himself, but this time, several people had come and made a fuss, so it was a natural result. Yu-jin sighed, turned on the ventilation fan to get rid of the smell, and quickly finished cleaning.

When Winston returned, it was not much different from usual. He came home after midnight as usual and went straight to the bedroom to check on Yu-jin. Yu-jin, who had been dozing off, quickly opened his eyes at the sound of someone and greeted Winston happily.

“What did you do today?”

To the affectionate question following the kiss, Yu-jin replied with a smile.

“I hung out with friends.”

It wasn’t a lie. Winston didn’t know that Andrew was coming to his house. He would definitely be angry if he knew that he was doing drugs in his house. Yu-jin didn’t want to lose the only person from the Campbell family he had barely become friends with, so he didn’t tell Winston about it.

He said he wouldn’t do drugs anymore…

If he really doesn’t do drugs when he comes next time, then I can talk about it. Yu-jin thought so. Winston would be happy that his brother quit drugs. How much would he praise me if I said I persuaded him to quit?

He was already smiling with a sense of accomplishment. Winston thought that Yu-jin was remembering the time he had spent with his friends during the day and was happy, so he didn’t take it seriously.

“Hoo.”

At the sight of Winston rubbing one shoulder, Yu-jin soon erased his smile and asked with a serious face instead.

“Are you very tired?”

Winston had been constantly overworked. He could count on one hand the number of days he had left work on time. Seeing his worried expression, Winston smiled and shook his head.

“No, not really. I’m fine, go to sleep, I woke you up.”