LCL 16

The streets were crowded with people out to enjoy Friday night. The wide lanes were full of cars. Honk! A horn blared at least once every minute.

Standing at Exit 4, I looked around at the busy passersby. I’ve never seen that bastard Jung Ji-pil keep to a time promise.

As I grumbled and distracted, I almost bumped shoulders with a passing person. Dae-han, standing next to me, quietly wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me.

Thanks to that, there was no collision. When I turned my head to smile, Lim Dae-han looked away. Seriously. Just let go of your hand and say something.

“Hey-!”

The voice calling from afar was definitely Jung Ji-pil’s. I looked for the source of the high-pitched voice and saw Ji-pil approaching us.

Fortunately, his clothes were less flashy today. I was glad winter was over. Spring clothes tended to be more modest.

Dae-han, who had been watching Ji-pil approach, finally let go of me. Ji-pil ran over with short strides and stood facing us.

“Young-hyun, you bastard. It’s been 500 years!”

As soon as he saw me, Ji-pil hugged me tightly. It had been almost two months since we last met at the end of February. Ji-pil hugged me as if reuniting with a long-lost family member.

Despite his weak strength, he crudely grabbed my wrist and pulled. My body lurched forward from the unexpected force. We were of similar height and build.

I wonder how funny we must look to Dae-han.

No sooner had Ji-pil patted my back once than my nape was grabbed and I fell backwards. My head hit Dae-han’s shoulder.

“What are you two doing? You little runts.”

Dae-han clicked his tongue briefly. I thought it was just a friendly gesture, but if Dae-han’s friend hugged him like that, I’d probably feel uncomfortable too, even if I couldn’t react the same way.

Ji-pil, unable to bear even that brief moment, attacked Dae-han. Of course, it was an attack that wouldn’t even scratch him.

“Hey, I’m not going to steal your boyfriend.”

“He wouldn’t fall for you anyway. Young-hyun has high standards.”

He doesn’t say things like this in front of me, only when he’s trying to annoy him. I nudged his side, signaling him not to bully Ji-pil. As expected, Ji-pil was busy huffing and puffing.

Looking at it this way, Ji-pil and Park In-gong are very alike. Two people who desperately want to beat Dae-han but never can.

Sigh. Why are all my friends like this? It’s annoying.

The place Ji-pil took us to was a bar that served Korean food as the main side dishes. I knew it was popular when I saw the link he sent, but despite it not being late, all the tables were full.

Customers who arrived shortly after we sat down had to wait. Looking around, everyone seemed to be about our age.

As it was aimed at trend-sensitive people in their 20s, the atmosphere was good. The structure allowed everyone to focus on their own tables without being conscious of others. Except for the lights at each table, there was hardly any lighting.

The menu was like fine dining, with the dish names and short descriptions written below. Despite the fancy names, they were ordinary foods.

Since we hadn’t had dinner, we ordered stir-fried octopus and spicy fish soup before the assorted platter. Ji-pil chose the side dishes and alcohol.

“What’s grape makgeolli?”

I asked Ji-pil, who had ordered skillfully.

“The popular drinks here are these fruit makgeollis. Especially if you drink grape makgeolli, right? You’ll get so dizzy you won’t know if it’s alcohol or juice.”

“Do you drink a lot at school?”

“As if. We have five people in their 20s. Our department is like Korea’s population distribution. Five in their 20s, a few in their 30s, a few in their 40s…, I don’t know, I can’t remember. There are even people in their 60s. They’re called professors now. They’re no longer classmates.”

“Oh, I see…”

“This isn’t the college life I imagined. I wanted to laugh and chat with pretty noonas on campus, but this is like some academy.”

Ji-pil poured out his complaints as if he had been waiting for this. I sipped water and listened to his weak laments. Dae-han just fiddled with his phone without responding.

Well. Why would Dae-han find Ji-pil’s college life stories interesting?

“What are you doing?”

I leaned towards Dae-han and asked. He tried to hide his phone screen, so I grabbed his arm and checked what he was doing. What’s he up to? He showed me his phone willingly but turned his head to the opposite side.

It was a hotel reservation app. He had asked why I was so horny before we left, but now he’s making hotel reservations. However, unfortunately, this area had more motels than hotels.

There was no need to take a taxi to a far-off hotel. Using the music as a shield, I whispered quietly so Ji-pil couldn’t hear.

“I want to go to a motel today.”

“What?”

Dae-han frowned and asked me back. The music was loud so my words were drowned out, but Dae-han’s question reached Ji-pil. Ji-pil, who had been picking at the appetizers with his chopsticks, narrowed his eyes.

“What are you two doing? Leaving me out?”

“Give me your phone.”

I snatched Dae-han’s phone. It was better for me to do it than leave it to Dae-han. With empty hands, Dae-han clenched and unclenched his fist, asking Ji-pil about things he wasn’t even curious about.

“You… are you living well?”

“…Why are you asking me that?”

While this awkward conversation continued, I finished making a reservation using the app he had open. I chose a motel disguised as a hotel. A place with a reasonable price and reasonably clean.

I handed the phone back with a satisfied face. Dae-han showed an uncomfortable expression but held his tongue. What could he say in front of Ji-pil?

Just then, the food and drinks arrived. The grape makgeolli, which was closer to pink than purple, came in a clear glass pitcher.

“Here you go.”

Ji-pil filled the glasses while making sounds like an old person would.

The grape scent was strong. While Ji-pil was distracted, I whispered to Dae-han. I wasn’t done talking.

“And today.”

“…”

“I don’t want to use a condom.”

Dae-han’s body visibly flinched. I hadn’t intended to tease him seriously, but his reaction was so funny that I giggled. Dae-han grabbed my thigh tightly and muttered.

“Are you really crazy…?”

His voice reached me clearly, even though it should have been drowned out by the music. Ji-pil, who had filled the glasses, handed one to each of us. Dae-han gulped down the makgeolli.

Although it was smaller than a typical makgeolli glass, it wasn’t an amount to drink in one go, but he downed it all. Then he picked up a jeon with his chopsticks and stuffed it all into his mouth at once.

I watched him with an astonished look. He was pretending to be normal, but he was clearly excited.

“Jung Ji-pil.”

“What?”

“You chose the restaurant well. It’s delicious.”

For some reason, he didn’t hold back on praising Ji-pil. Ji-pil seemed to puff up with pride, his chest swelling as he boasted loudly.

“Right? Hey, it’s fvcking delicious.”

Seeing his confident demeanor, I shook my head. These two are the same. Anyway.

“Tell me about school. How is it?”

Ji-pil asked, dipping a piece of meat jeon in soy sauce and putting it in his mouth. Dae-han glanced at me. I was tearing apart a green onion pancake with my chopsticks when I belatedly noticed his gaze and looked up.

“School?”

“Yeah. The kids in your department don’t know you’re close, right?”

“Well, for now…”

“You used to stick together so much in high school. How is it? Is it more bearable being apart?”

I scratched my temple while choosing my answer. If asked if it was bearable, it wasn’t exactly so. I hadn’t regretted it yet, but there were many times when I was concerned.

Like when the kids whispered about Dae-han and Senior Hyuna always being together, wondering if they were dating, or when I couldn’t even say hello to Dae-han when he was with the seniors and had to walk away, or when someone among our classmates said, “Actually, I like Dae-han,” and all I could do was gape.

Dae-han is popular. That’s why I’m dissatisfied. Ji-pil crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

“That’s much better, I tell you. It might be a bit hard for you now since it’s the early stages, but after some time passes, you’ll be grateful to me. Hey, if even I could notice, there must have been kids in high school who knew about you two, right?”

Maybe that was the case. Thinking about it now, it seems so. Even Dae-han’s friend Park Yeo-seon would suddenly ask, “How’s Young-hyun doing?”

And even added unnecessary words like “Treat him well.” If it was that obvious in high school, how could we hide it in college… Moreover, we’re freshmen now, just starting our college life.

“I think you’re right. This is better than being obvious.”

“Can’t we be obvious?”

The question came from beside me. I gave Dae-han a surprised look. Dae-han asked with his usual face. I moved my lips slightly. Um, well… When I couldn’t answer, Dae-han asked again.

“I asked if we can’t be obvious.”

“…Of course not. I don’t want to make school life difficult. Look at In-gong.”

“Park In-gong?”

“Yeah. He’s been teased every day since he started a campus couple at the beginning of the semester.”

In truth, there would probably be even more severe trials than that. Dae-han is a man, and so am I. Even guys who date girls get their names gossiped about, so there’s no guarantee it wouldn’t happen to us. If anything, we might be criticized even more harshly.

Unlike in high school, Dae-han is now getting along well with many people, and I’m also managing my school life decently, so I didn’t want to become a topic of gossip unnecessarily. It’s not just self-consciousness. It’s the truth.

“Who’s Park In-gong?”

Ji-pil asked, trying to break the suddenly serious atmosphere. As soon as Park In-gong’s name came out of Ji-pil’s mouth, we both sighed simultaneously. I went “Phew,” and Dae-han went “Ugh.” Ji-pil tilted his head.

“Did you guys make new friends in college without me?! You jerks!”

Why was he so angry? Jung Ji-pil was… still the same.

When Ji-pil went to the bathroom, only the two of us were left. The silence that would normally have been comfortable somehow felt awkward. Dae-han filled the empty glass with makgeolli.

It was already the second bottle. I pressed my cheeks firmly with my palms. Ji-pil was right. The alcohol had gone to my head because it was so delicious that I kept drinking.

I couldn’t even hold my chopsticks properly and used them like a fork. As I shook my head from side to side, Dae-han pressed his index finger firmly on my head. Unable to resist the force, I leaned on his shoulder for a moment. It was possible thanks to the dim interior and cramped seating.

I’m using alcohol as an excuse too. It was something I definitely couldn’t have done normally. It might have been uncomfortable to do this outside, but Dae-han cleared away the alcohol glasses and filled them with water.

“Are you drunk?”

“Yeah…”

“Just drink a little.”

Then you should only give me a little. I thought, looking at the makgeolli he had poured until it was almost overflowing. Drinking parties are definitely better when they’re lively. At least for me, it was more suitable to gather in groups of five or six, chattering loudly and eating without giving time to get drunk.

Dae-han preferred drinking just the two of us, but I didn’t. When drinking outside, I kept wanting to touch Dae-han. Is this a drinking habit too? What a nasty drinking habit. I blinked slowly.

“I’m tired…”

As I muttered to myself, Dae-han brought a cup to my mouth. I barely managed to sit up and drink the water. I should have sobered up with the cold water, but it wasn’t easy.

Just then, a person shorter than Ji-pil and with a slender build approached our table. I only realized it was a woman when she got close. It was such a dark bar after all. Thinking she might be heading to the bathroom, I pulled my chair forward to let her pass, but she suddenly sat down in Ji-pil’s seat.

“…”

I silently looked at the woman who had approached. Did she mistake our table because she was drunk? We just stared at each other silently.

Despite her pale face, her neck was excessively red. Dae-han, who had been absentmindedly fiddling with his phone, also looked up. I swallowed the cold air in my cheeks.

“I think you might have mistaken our table…”

That’s our friend’s seat. Dae-han crossed his arms with a disinterested face. Only I pouted my lower lip slightly and watched cautiously.

“No, no.”

The woman who waved her hand leaned in. Several pairs of eyes turned to our table. What’s going on?

Did she lose a drinking game? Sometimes when drinking near the school, people who lost drinking games would come to ask for drinks, so I thought it might be something like that.

The woman smiled brightly. Then she asked in a friendly tone.

“Did your friend who came with you go home?”

“Ah. No. He went to the bathroom.”

Dae-han didn’t say a word and was only dealing with me. I glanced at Dae-han. Only then did he put down his phone.

The woman tucked her fallen hair behind her ear. Her eyelashes were incredibly long.

She’s pretty… Honestly, until I met Dae-han, I had also dreamed of having a girlfriend and had actually dated one before, so I was cautious of the pretty woman I was facing.

“Ah-, there are two of us, and if it’s okay with you, could we join your table? We can split into pairs and go somewhere else after your friend leaves, or we can call another person to join us now.”

It was a shy yet confident proposal. So this was why people from nearby tables were looking. Only Dae-han and I were oblivious.

If it were a noisy pub, it might be natural for men and women to share tables, but this place didn’t seem to have that kind of atmosphere…

Not knowing what to say, I just moved my lips. I rolled my eyes to check Dae-han’s reaction. Dae-han waved his hand.

“We all have girlfriends.”

He gave a brief rejection in a low voice. Ah, so that’s how it’s done. I worried for nothing. I also nodded once in agreement.