DI Ch 15

I was wondering when he’d contact me back, but the response came right away. It was a little unexpected. Perhaps it was because he had an image of himself checking late in the afternoon because he had overslept. I looked at the message up close and far away with a serious face for no reason. But didn’t he say that he would buy me food at first? It doesn’t matter, but…

Then mister, are you free tomorrow evening? [07:47] 1

As a thank you, I’d like to treat you. [07:48] 1

After a while, 1 disappeared. But why didn’t the reply come? Oh, I just wish this 1 to just go away. It’s getting on my nerves.

Mister? Are you busy? [07:53]

Hey. Just call me Hyung [07:55]

Okay. [07:55] 1

I replied quickly, then stared nervously at the screen. He didn’t say no. It means it’s okay to eat, right? I sent him the address of the restaurant, and he told me to meet him at 7 pm. I was exhausted and laid down. What the hell… why is he so easy to meet?

“Does he like me? … Why?”

Right. I wonder why? After what happened yesterday, there was nothing to like about me. He must be even weirder than I thought, Tae Seong-je.

“Ugh. The smell of alcohol…”

I went straight into the bathroom and washed up with lots of foam. No, how much did I drink yesterday? Why did I smell of alcohol like this? I exhaled pleasantly into the warm water and stared at the foggy mirror. The color had returned to my pale face, and I seemed healthy at least. Suddenly, I noticed a red drop of blood on my chin.

I rubbed my chin as I silently stared at Seo Seung-won in the mirror. The blood drops mixed with the foam were cleared. Seo Seung-won was pale and compliant, but he was no flashy beauty like Woo Ji-min. Unlike Woo Ji-min, who appears on social media as a convenience store guy at Korea University for part-time work at a convenience store, Seo Seung-won…

However, Woo Ji-min or Seo Seung-won… Is it strange that I thought everything was the same? I felt the same way about Kang Moo-hyun. Obviously, each of them was a different type of handsome and beautiful, but with the exception of Tae Seong-je, they all just seemed to look alike.

***

The Indian curry shop, a hidden restaurant in the college district, is actually the place where Kang Moo-hyun and Woo Ji-min dated. This store was located in a run-down alleyway between the fancy university shopping districts, where few people passed by. It had a moderate atmosphere that made you feel like you were in a secret garden thanks to the sculptures and emotional atmosphere that was directly airlifted from the surrounding area.

This becomes their hidden restaurant. Woo Ji-min said that even if he didn’t want to eat with Kang Moo-hyun, he couldn’t miss this place, so I wondered how delicious it would be. I was a little guilty of using this place before them, but I couldn’t help it because I didn’t know what was delicious around here. For a short period of time, all I went to was learning, cheap restaurants, bars, and cafes.

It was time for the appointment soon. Until then, I had been fidgeting all day and hadn’t done anything, but I was determined. Let’s be confident. Even if I don’t know the plot of Seo Seung-won and Tae Seong-je, I’m the one with more information.

I can take the lead.

That’s right. Even if I have to lie flat on my back, I’m actually in the lead. So, cater to Tae Seong-je well… Let’s get to part 2 safely. When the second part came, Tae Seong-je will consider using me because he’s gotten his way, and I’ll just have to go with the flow.

“… In that case, wouldn’t it be better to leave the bag behind?”

I stared at the heavy backpack.  I’ll be anxious if I leave this behind because it’ll feel like I’m leaving a gun in battle, but the priority is to look good to Tae Seong-je. I let go of my lingering feelings and set my bag down as the appointment time approached. I was clutching the bag strap so tightly that it had crumpled. I went outside after looking at it with a solemn expression.

I was concerned about my unusually light body. I haven’t left my bag and gone out in a long time, whether in reality or here. The store was some distance from the dorm.   It would take time because It was located on the non-mainstream side of a university town center, so I quickly packed my wallet and took a taxi. I looked at the night view, which grew brighter as the night got darker. It was a beautiful night that would continue to shine even if I died right away.

I saw Tae Seong-je when I got off near the store. Uh, isn’t it time yet? Shocked, I stood still and looked at him.  He was just leaning against the car, making a phone call, but his form was as good as the model in the photo, and my gaze was drawn to him. Unsurprisingly, he is very tall. But how can there be no feeling of dullness?

I was curious and looked at him from a distance, but he noticed and looked straight at me straight. Tae Seong-je flicked his finger but did not hang up the phone. He should only see a shadow because the area I was standing in was quite dark. How did he figure out where I was? I approached him hesitantly, feeling like a herbivore about to enter the tiger’s mouth. At that moment, Tae Seong-je hung up the phone.

“Hello, hyung.”

I swallowed hard because it was still hard to talk to him while looking straight at him, but his gaze was relaxed as if I was the only one who was uncomfortable.

“Wait, what is your name?”

“I’m Seo Seung-won.”

“Right. Seung-won.”

He was very adept at frowning playfully and continuing his conversation naturally. To anyone looking at it, it would have looked like a joke. But why would Tae Sung-je tell such an unfunny joke? It’s obvious that he just forgot. My name must have appeared on KakaoTalk, but he forgot about it?  What? Weren’t he interested in me?

“My friends recommended this place as it is very delicious.”

“Oh, your friends?”

Tae Seong-je grinned. I was concerned about why he was suddenly smiling, but I flinched the moment I walked into the store. What, this looks like a dating spot?… Woo Ji-min, ah, Ji-min hyung! You didn’t say it was a dating spot! I resented him and cried inwardly, but on the outside, I sat down with a calm face as if nothing had happened.

It was definitely an atmosphere that would be nice for a couple to come, but it was fortunate that it wasn’t embarrassingly decorated. In addition, I quite liked that the tables were far apart and that there were trees and plants blocking the view. It seemed that the conversation would not be leaked, so I could eat comfortably.

When the waiter returned after taking my order, I struggled to relieve myself. It was pretty hard to pretend I wasn’t nervous. It’s okay, don’t worry. There’s not much I need to do, I just need to look him in the eye without averting my gaze, smile, say nice things, praise him, and flatter him… Let’s do it well.

I told myself this several times, and I finally spoke when I got the courage.

“Hyung, about yesterday’s hospital bill…”

“What did the doctor say?”

Tae Seong-je interrupted my words. I wasn’t expecting this direction of the conversation, so I was taken aback.

“Who, who? The doctor?”

“Then will it be you?”

“Uh… no. The doctor said, uh, he just doesn’t know.”

“If the doctor doesn’t know, who knows?”

“They said it was okay. They say I’m healthy.”

“You vomited up a bowl of blood, and they say you’re healthy? Isn’t that some kind of crazy shit?”

I shook my head nonchalantly, indicating that it wasn’t. It’s a common reaction. Seo Seung-won’s family and friends, who had been traumatized by me, remained unconvinced whenever I said I was healthy. I felt bad that prominent doctors were being treated as incompetent because of my unknown condition.

Well. I don’t have to tell him that I coughed up blood again the next morning, right? Then I boasted of my health, saying that I was really fine. How much I exercise and how well I eat… To be able to cover a face that was pale from nervousness with words of being sick. It was fortunate in many ways. I never thought I’d see the day when being sick would be an advantage.

“Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you.”

“Oh. You don’t need to thank me for that, I just did it out of the goodness of my heart.”

“I see… ”

I shuddered, but I knew it: Tae Seong-je didn’t have a good heart. If Tae Seong-je in Part 2 was a proper madman, the present Tae Seong-je would be in between. And the source of the two was the same. Ah, I almost felt sorry for him. I’m glad I was able to come to my senses right now. Yes, Tae Seong-je is a really dangerous person.

We ate leisurely and talked. At first glance, it was so ordinary that anyone would have thought it was just a hyung and a younger brother who just knew each other eating. That’s weird. Can it really be this normal? Tae Seong-jae was a man of few words, but he was calm and had a good laugh. He was good at telling jokes that weren’t offensive, and he didn’t swear much.

His harsh tone was his only flaw, but when I talked to him again today, it didn’t seem like he was as bad as I thought. His voice is still good… It was when I drank all the water because I was nervous. He said this and that as he filled my glass.

“Are you thirsty? Do you want to drink beer?”

My heart fluttered again. Ah, seriously. I just said I’ve come to my senses, what’s wrong with me? I clenched my fists and my nails stung my palms, but I didn’t care. I scolded myself not to be excited over useless things and nodded to indicate that I would drink.