ETP Ch 33

When they returned home from the charnel house, it was well past lunchtime. Hyungseop parked the car in front of Bokseung’s villa.

Sungyeon, still sorting out his mixed feelings, bowed his head.

“Thank you for the ride. I’ll quickly change and go to work!”

“Ah! Bokseung, you don’t have to come to work!”

“Huh?”

Was he being fired? A sense of foreboding made Sungyeon’s eyes tremble. Did he take him to the charnel house for this?

Seeing Bokseung looking like a startled rabbit, Hyungseop quickly shook his head.

“Just today! Only today. On a day like this, you should meet your friends, have a nice meal, and enjoy yourself. Working will just make you feel more down, right?”

“No! I already missed a lot of work because of exams.”

“It’s okay, I’ll take care of everything!”

No, my livelihood depends on that part-time job! Why are you taking care of it? W-Well, of course, the money you give me is my living expenses, but…

Sungyeon, recalling his meager bank account, tried to say something more, but Hyungseop pushed him out of the car with his rough hands.

“Anyway, Bokseung, you worked hard today! Get some rest today and see you tomorrow! Got it?”

“Yes, thank you. Drive safely.”

Hyungseop waved back at Bokseung’s polite bow and then drove off through the narrow alley.

Sungyeon watched the back of Hyungseop’s car and then turned around.

He was worried about putting a hole in his bank account this month, but at the same time, he thought, since it’s come to this, why not just relax and have a drink?

He had only had one or two beers before, worried about Bokseung’s alcohol tolerance, so today, he would drink for Sungyeon, not Kim Bokseung.

“Hmm.”

It should be okay to drink… right?

Sungyeon turned and headed home. He took half a suppressant pill just in case.

And after looking around the house again, he set out.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

This is it, this is the life!

Sungyeon drooled, looking at the grilled Gopchang in front of him. It wasn’t even pork Gopchang. It was beef Gopchang.

On top of that, he didn’t just order regular Gopchang, he ordered the assorted platter.

He was indulging himself properly.

The grill pan shimmered with the oil from the large intestines, heart, and small intestines, and the onions, potatoes, and chives, soaked in that oil, glistened.

The Gopchang restaurant Sungyeon was at was a famous spot in his old neighborhood.

As the first customer of the evening, Sungyeon was grinning ear to ear, having ordered the Gopchang platter, two bottles of soju, and a cider all for himself.

This was a last supper fit for the living world.

“Ah!”

He took a bite of the tender large intestine with chives and then washed it down with a shot of soju.

It was heavenly. His shoulders shuddered involuntarily.

“Wow, you don’t look like it, but you sure can eat, student!”

“I really love the Gopchang here!”

“Is that so? But why do you look so unfamiliar?”

The owner tilted his head.

Given the restaurant’s location and menu, most of the customers were men over 40. A student with such a fair, round, and innocent face was uncommon. He would usually remember someone after just one or two visits.

Sungyeon smiled wryly at the owner’s reaction. When he was Sungyeon, the owner would recognize him the moment he opened the door, as he used to come here so often. Now, he couldn’t even say a word about it.

“I must have come when you weren’t at the restaurant.”

“I guess so! It’s nice to see a fair-skinned student like you enjoying the heart so much! So cute!”

“Thank you.”

Sungyeon bowed his head at the owner’s compliment and focused on eating again.

He drank three shots of soju in a row. Fortunately, he didn’t feel particularly nauseous, dizzy, or anything yet. Sungyeon reaffirmed his bold resolution to drink two bottles of soju today.

Huh, Bokseung must be a good drinker?

Sungyeon chuckled, looking at the table where the soju bottles had increased to three.

He’d thought Bokseung couldn’t handle alcohol because he seemed to get dizzy even with just beer, but this little rascal! He’d been lying all along!

Sungyeon flicked his fingers in the air and picked up another piece of Gopchang.

Since he was eating a two-person portion by himself, the Gopchang was disappearing slowly. And he loved that.

Meanwhile, the owner looked at the young customer drinking alone with a worried look.

He wasn’t causing any trouble, but he was clearly past his limit, yet seemed determined to finish his third bottle of soju.

Worried that the fair-skinned customer might pass out from the soju, the owner slowly approached him.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too crowded yet, so he could take care of the student.

“Student, student. Stop drinking now, okay?”

“Oh! Owner! This is so delicious! This place is the best!”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks. Come again often. I’ll take good care of you.”

The owner chuckled and replied to Bokseung’s words.

And seeing that, Sungyeon suddenly felt a lump in his throat. Let alone coming often, he might never be able to come again. Because Bokseung didn’t know this place at all.

I’m the one who used to come here often, not Kim Bokseung, this is Sungyeon’s favorite place!

Screaming inwardly, Sungyeon shoved the rest of the Gopchang into his mouth.

The owner, startled, stopped Bokseung.

“S-Student! You’ll get indigestion if you eat it all at once!”

“I’m fiiiine, I hav a bi-iig stoomach! De-licious!”

“Whoa?! You can’t swallow it without chewing!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Gopchang slid down Bokseung’s throat with a gulp.

The owner shook his head, looking at the young customer. It’s said you can’t reason with a drunk person, but still… The owner let out a hollow laugh.

At least he didn’t order any more after the three bottles. It seemed he wasn’t the type to keep drinking once he started.

Watching the owner shaking his head, Sungyeon, now amused by something, brightened up and smiled. He swayed his upper body and hummed a tune.

“Hmm hmm hmm hmm!”

The owner shook his head at Sungyeon’s off-key humming. With more customers arriving, he couldn’t look after the student any longer. The owner went to attend to other customers.

Still concerned, he occasionally glanced at the student, but at some point, the student was gone. He seemed to have paid and left while the owner was briefly in the kitchen.

“Did the student leave?”

“Yeah, he paid and left properly. His walk seemed fine too.”

“Really? That’s good. It was sad to see such a young kid eating alone like that.”

“Well, life’s not always rosy just because you’re young. Things happen.”

The owner nodded in agreement but looked towards the door once more. Hoping that the next time the student came, he wouldn’t be alone and would come with someone else.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

Sungyeon walked slowly. It was about an hour’s walk from his old neighborhood to Bokseung’s current one.

He could have taken a bus and gotten there in 15 minutes, but his stomach, full of alcohol and Gopchang, refused to board a bus.

“Ugh, my stomach is sloshing around.”

Sungyeon muttered to himself, rubbing Bokseung’s protruding belly. Then he looked up at the sky.

Seeing the sun setting, unlike when he entered the restaurant, he realized he’d been drinking alone for quite a while.

Yet, he hadn’t blacked out, felt like throwing up, or felt sleepy. Sungyeon marveled at Bokseung’s alcohol tolerance once again.

“Was our Bokseung a better drinker than me all along? No, wait, did I become a better drinker because I’m in Bokseung’s body? Oh, right! That’s it! Just like how I failed the test because I’m in Bokseung’s head! Oh!”

Asking and answering his own questions and giggling, he arrived at Bokseung’s neighborhood. He was now familiar enough with the area to know which stores were located where.

Feeling his eyelids getting heavy, Sungyeon entered the alley where the villa was located.

He felt like he shouldn’t fall asleep like this. Maybe he should have gone sightseeing instead of drinking.

A tiny ball of regret rolled around in his mind, but it was pushed into a corner by the resurfacing sweet taste of soju.

Yeah, the last meal should always be soju and soul food.

Nodding, Bokseung’s round face bobbed up and down.

Sungyeon felt proud, thinking he wasn’t drunk from three bottles of soju. However, most people who saw Bokseung now would be worried, thinking, ‘Oh no, what’s he going to do, getting drunk so early?’

It was truly unfortunate for Sungyeon, who valued Bokseung’s reputation as much as his life.