LCL 63

The festival was racing toward its peak, but my mood was still not so great.

I put down the things I bought from the dollar store at the counter. I handed the card and receipt to the senior who said I had worked hard. Unconsciously, I shifted my gaze to the seniors’ table.

Instead of the seniors who had been sitting there for hours, other people were now seated at that table. I asked the senior about this.

“Did the seniors leave?”

“Yeah. They all left. That class is really full of jerks and troublemakers. They gave the freshmen all sorts of grief and then tried to leave without paying at the end. Really…”

The senior’s face was clearly irritated. As I listened to the complaints that seemed to have been waiting to be unleashed, I looked around the pub. It was one thing for the seniors to have left, but…where was Lim Dae-han?

He clearly said we’d leave together.

It might seem strange if I had asked where Lim Dae-han went, but…we’re from the same neighborhood. Trying to act nonchalant, I asked the senior.

“I was supposed to leave with Dae-han later. Where is he?”

“He went out a while ago?”

“What?”

“He left with the seniors. It hasn’t been long, so try calling him.”

“Ah…okay.”

If he hadn’t been gone long, there was a high chance he’d come back. At least he should be reachable. I sneaked out behind the pub. Even if the seniors were all drunk, if they went for a second round, they would have headed to a bar near the main gate close to the main field.

I called Lim Dae-han as I walked toward the main gate. I had walked quite a bit to stop at the dollar store, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t tired at all.

I was out of breath, but not because I was tired—it was due to nervousness. I felt like everything would be okay if I saw Lim Dae-han again.

My strides widened and my pace quickened. It was hard to tell if I was walking or running. A sense of urgency washed over me right then and there.

Lim Dae-han wasn’t there, and neither was Senior Hyuna. What if they moved to a separate place and Lim Dae-han received a confession? Especially while he was drunk?

Many people make mistakes when drinking. Like saying the wrong things, or getting into fights, or other things?

I trusted Lim Dae-han, but I couldn’t trust all the alcohol that he just ingested.

[The number you have dialed is not available. After the beep…]

I irritably ended the call at the voicemail and dialed again. Why isn’t he answering the phone? I chewed on my lips. I wiped the sweat flowing down my neck with the back of my hand.

Even though it was night, it was still hot out. I didn’t think it was this hot last year.

“…”

I pushed through the crowd, moving my feet. The main gate seemed like a finish line. I was about to cross the finish line, but my legs, which had been walking quickly, finally came to a stop.

People seemed to move in slow motion here. Even as they passed by me, laughing and chatting, it all felt muffled and a shade darker. Amidst all this, strangely, I saw Lim Dae-han and Senior Hyuna standing at the main gate and they seemed to stick out even in this crowd.

Lim Dae-han got into the taxi first, followed by Senior Hyuna. I thought I must have been seeing things, but it was unmistakably the two of them. They weren’t going into a bar, but taking a taxi? Where to?

I mustered the loudest voice I could.

“Lim Dae-han!!”

But my voice never reached the two who had already gotten into the taxi. It was drowned out by the noise of the performance and the cheers of the people. At most, only the people nearby were startled and glanced at me.

I ran to the main gate a beat late. Panting, I looked around the road where cars were passing by quickly. But the taxi carrying the two had already left.

There were so many taxis that I couldn’t even tell which car they had gotten into. I stood alone by the roadside, blankly looking in the direction the taxi had gone. I was out of breath from running urgently. My mouth was dry. My throat was parched.

“Ah.”

Bad thoughts kept flooding my mind after that.

* * *

I trudged back to the pub. I stood there among my busy classmates, unable to manage my expression.

Fatigue hit me belatedly.

Maybe it was because I was tense due to the senior students, or my energy was drained by the festival with thousands of people attending, or it might be because of Lim Dae-han and Senior Hyuna.

I was the most exhausted now out of the three days. My face was stiff.

I tried rubbing my lower jaw, but it was the same. I couldn’t even join my classmates in their playful banter. I checked my phone. There was no reply from Lim Dae-han.

Where did the two of them go?

Why am I…standing here like this?

“…”

My focus blurred. Everything I thought was fine scattered like foam. It was painful to imagine what they might be doing alone right now. I knew I should believe nothing was wrong, but I wasn’t so sure about that.

I bit down on my lower lip. Should I call one more time? Just one more time.

“Young-hyun, did you manage to catch up with Dae-han?”

I turned my head at the senior’s voice. It was hard for me to manage my expression, so I covered my lower face with my hand.

“What?”

I asked back in a hollow voice.

“I forgot to tell you, but Dae-han was looking for you earlier. Can’t you reach him?”

“Yes, but didn’t you tell him I went on an errand?”

“Not me, he was asking your classmates. I was about to tell him you went on an errand, but he suddenly left with Hyuna noona? So I thought he’d come back…but he didn’t. Have you tried calling him?”

“Yes. He’s not answering, maybe he’s too drunk. I don’t know what to do…”

“Then should I give you Hyuna noona’s number? You can’t wait here alone. Call and ask if they’re going home together.”

“…Ah.”

Come to think of it, I could contact Senior Hyuna. But I didn’t have her number.

“Um, should I try that? Can you give me her number?”

I tried to act as nonchalant as possible while taking out my phone.

I quietly hid the numerous outgoing call numbers next to Lim Dae-han’s name and immediately switched to the number pad. I entered the number from ‘010’ as the senior dictated and then left the pub.

I got Senior Hyuna’s number, but I didn’t have the courage to actually call. I was afraid of facing the worst situation possible that I had imagined.

Everyone else was having so much fun, but I was at my worst. The 18 or 19-year-old Ki Young-hyun probably never thought that in college, it would be dating, not studying or job hunting, that would be difficult.

I thought everything would be fine once I got to college. Even when I saw Lim Dae-han’s college entrance exam scores, I was just happy.

“Sigh.”

I ran my fingers through my hair while sighing. Don’t be scared. If I face the worst situation, I can think about it again then.

Finally, I dialed the number I had been hesitating over. I bit my lips as the connection tone continued. I tried to reassure myself not to be scared, but I was still afraid.

The longer the connection tone went on, the more anxious I felt. Then, the stretched-out sound suddenly cut off.

“Hello?”

At Senior Hyuna’s voice, I parted my trembling lips.

“Sunbae, this is Ki Young-hyun. Um, perhaps…”

“Ah, come to XX Station, Exit 8.”

The senior ended the call. Judging by the noise in the background, it seemed she was outside. The worst-case scenario I had imagined was them being indoors. After all, love motels were abundant in busy areas.

Had I avoided the worst?

If that alone was fortunate, then it was fortunate. I entered the pub after the call. The senior who had given me Hyuna’s number asked, “How did it go?” Although it wasn’t yet time to feel relieved, still…

“Um, Lim Dae-han is too drunk to come to his senses, so it seems I need to bring him back.”

“Where is he?”

“XX Station.”

“What was he doing going all the way there? Just go home. He was really drunk, what are you going to do bringing him here?”

“Ah, should I do that?”

“Do that. The seniors are all leaving anyway, so we can manage with just the people here.”

As soon as I got the senior’s permission, I packed my things. I forced out a smile at my classmates who expressed disappointment at me leaving them alone.

I ran to the main gate and tried to hail a taxi, but given the day, there were no empty cabs. I tried to book a taxi using an app, but it was the same situation.

The station where Hyuna told me to come was too far to walk, but too close to justify a taxi ride.

In the end, I clutched my phone tightly. I tapped the tip of my foot on the ground. My calves ached. Today, I really walked and ran a lot. But I had no other choice at the moment. Running as it turned out was my specialty.

* * *

I arrived in 15 minutes for what should have been a 30-minute journey. It was thanks to running, and more running, even dashing through signals that were about to change.

Sweat not only beaded but soaked through my clothes. My hair was a mess from the wind.

My heart pounded as if it was malfunctioning. But somehow, I had made it to the station the senior mentioned.

I called again. Unlike before, this time the call connected quickly.

“Have you arrived?”

The senior’s voice over the phone was alarmingly nonchalant. It made me wonder if she hadn’t been drinking at all.

“Yes. I’m at exit 8 now.”

“There’s an Express Mart here. If you go down an alley, you’ll see it right away. We’re there.”

“I’ll be right there.”

I didn’t know how it sounded to the senior, but to me, my voice was trembling severely. It must be because I was exhausted. I placed my hand on my chest and took a deep breath in and out.

“Hoo…Ha…”

I turned down the alley past the mart. Despite being right next to the subway station, it was an ordinary residential area. In the middle of the dark alley, only one convenience store shed bright light.

Tables and chairs were haphazardly placed in front of the convenience store. There sat Hyuna and Lim Dae-han.

“Ah…”

I approached the two with a long sigh. Rather than hearing about the situation, I needed to take care of Lim Dae-han first. His condition was still not good.

He was slumped over the table, seemingly dead to the world. He was completely out of it. Hyuna sat in a chair, silently watching me approach.

Even though she must have seen how drenched in sweat I was, she didn’t ask how I got there. I bowed slightly to her and shook Lim Dae-han to wake him up.

For now, Lim Dae-han was the main priority.

“Lim Dae-han, wake up. Lim Dae-han—”

“He won’t wake up. He’s been sleeping since the taxi.”

“Is he very drunk?”

“He can’t even control his body. I thought I was going to die just dragging him here. The taxi driver said he had to go back to the school, so he dropped us off at the entrance of the alley. We needed to go further in, but he’s too heavy. I can’t go anywhere.”

The senior spoke while fiddling with a lighter. My eyes inadvertently sharpened. Why did he drink to the point of losing control of his body?

Of course, I had passed out from drinking before, but not to this extent…I don’t think. With his big frame, there was no one who could move him. 

I decided I was going to make him come to his senses first.

“Just one moment.”

I excused myself to the senior and went into the convenience store. I bought two hangover cures and two drinks. I pulled up a chair nearby and sat down.

First, I handed a hangover cure and a drink to Hyuna.

“Senior, you should drink this too. You’ve been drinking, right?”

“…”

“Lim Dae-han, at least try to sit up.”

I grabbed Lim Dae-han’s arm to lift him. Just raising his upper body felt like lifting a ton. Wow, he was really heavy. Impossibly heavy. How was I going to get him home?

I barely managed to support him. As soon as Lim Dae-han got up, he threw his head back.

“Hey, Lim Dae-han.”

“Oh…Ki Young-hyun.”

I lowered my voice. Lim Dae-han, with his head thrown back, opened one eye slightly to look at me. I opened the drink and tore open the hangover cure. I brought the hangover cure to his mouth first.

“Drink this, quickly. You need to go home, right?”

“…Feed me.”

“I’m already going to feed you, aren’t I? Quickly, open your mouth. You shouldn’t drink like this.”

Lim Dae-han opened his mouth. I poured in the hangover cure and helped him swallow the drink. Lim Dae-han drank well at least. But as soon as he finished the hangover cure, he slumped over the table again.

His fingers twitched, and then he placed his hand over mine, which was holding the trash. He must be crazy. I tried to shake off his hand, but he held on tightly. He was already strong, and now drunk, he was unstoppable.

“…”

Right. Senior Hyuna.

I swallowed hard and just rolled my eyes. The senior was still watching us. I smiled awkwardly. I came up with an excuse that sounded ridiculous even to me.

“He, he…seems really drunk.”

“Young-hyun.”

“Yes?”

“What’s your relationship with Dae-han?”

My lips instantly dried up. I couldn’t say anything. I needed to understand her intention.

My jaw tensed. The senior waved her hand in the air.

“No, never mind. I’m not asking about your relationship.”

“…”

“Why did you kiss behind everyone’s back at the MT?”

How did she know that? There was clearly no one there. I stared at the senior with wide eyes.

The senior fired questions as if she had been waiting for this moment all along.