ASIAH 13

“Drinks?”

“Let’s have a cozy drink together.”

Does he really feel like drinking even after climbing such a high peak and getting scraped up here and there on the way down? I’m genuinely impressed. What were my plans for today? I was already tired from the hike, and I forgot everything because of the shock from the accident earlier.

So I just nodded. More than anything, I was concerned about what was under Hyun Jaekyung’s clothes. I wondered if it was as flawless and pristine as I had seen when he was playing basketball before.

They say that with accidents like this, the real pain only emerges the next day when the tension in your body is released. But I didn’t want to give such kind advice to Hyun Jaekyung of all people. I just planned to let him sway me as he pleased until this guilt subsided a little.

At some point, Hyun Jaekyung started grinning from ear to ear and led me towards the dormitory.

“I’m going to change my clothes and go.”

“What?”

“So, you’re saying we should go drink smelling of sweat and covered in dirt?”

“I’ll probably have salt stains on me too when I take my clothes off later.”

“Should I lend you some clothes?”

“No, I meant you don’t have to worry about it. We’re just going to drink nearby anyway, so why go to all the trouble…”

“……”

Suddenly, I really didn’t want to go. He dressed up even when going hiking, and now it seems he’s planning to get all dolled up just to go to a small pub next to the university. Is he saying he’s always ready, anytime, anywhere? Amazing.

In that short moment, I imagined Hyun Jaekyung drinking with me and hitting on every girl in sight. Or ditching me, even though he was the one who said to buy him a drink, and leaving with two girls. Leaving like that and… ugh, I’m really overthinking things.

“If you don’t want to, then don’t.”

Hyun Jaekyung grumbled when he saw my long face. He must have read the mood instead of my veiled expression, which is a very mild reaction for him. We passed the dormitory and headed for the back gate.

“What do you want to drink? Jooyoon, you don’t like things like fruit soju, right?”

“Did I say that?”

“Because you never touch it whenever we go out for drinks? So it seems you really don’t drink it.”

We’ve only drunk together a few times at the beginning of the semester, but his memory is good. My mood became a little strange, so I stayed quiet, and Hyun Jaekyung quickly continued.

“Since we’ve been to the mountain, should we have some dongdongju? They say it’s going to rain tomorrow, too. I know a place over there that makes a really good seafood and green onion pancake.”

Dongdongju is good. To be precise, I liked all the side dishes that go with dongdongju. When I nodded readily, Hyun Jaekyung grinned and started prattling on about how he had discovered the place we were about to go to. He said he went there for a second round during a group date with some other department.

“I’m telling you, I almost got a girlfriend from the dance department, you know? All the girls who came out that time picked me.”

Do we have a dance department at our university? Then did he go on a blind date with another university’s students too? As expected, the popular Mr. Hyun Jaekyung is very busy…. The fact that there wasn’t even a hint of showing off was even more annoying.

“Hah… it was a tough spot. Still, I didn’t want to make enemies of my classmates, so I just pretended to be busy and bounced. A girlfriend is temporary, but the friendship of classmates is eternal, isn’t it?”

“Aha.”

“You’re going for a drink with a guy like that. I’m quite expensive, you know.”

“How much.”

“Hmm… unlimited refills of dongdongju until I get drunk?”

“Geez…”

No matter how much I drink, I’ll probably drink less than my body weight. That’s cheap.

While following him across a few crosswalks, I checked the group chat. Everyone was either laughing at us for climbing Cheonhabong Peak or looking for Hyun Jaekyung, but that was already a few hours ago. I didn’t want to stand out, but it was ruined again because of Hyun Jaekyung. In the midst of it all, something the hipster blabbered caught my eye, and I read it about three times.

Ha Wonjong

Aren’t Hyun Jaekyung and Jooyoon on a hiking date, ditching the rest of us? Even if you get stranded together, don’t start the ‘mountain cabin event.’

Ugh…. Below that were questions from classmates asking what a ‘mountain cabin event’ was. But since the hipster didn’t answer, the topic safely moved on to something else.

A ‘mountain cabin event’ is a situation in bishoujo dating simulations or classic romance stories where two people get isolated together after encountering an avalanche, a landslide, or a storm. Usually, in such cases, the story often progresses with them huddling together naked to maintain body temperature and survive the cold night.

If it were an adult game, they would have a go at it right there.

…….

No, seriously, why does that Ha Wonjong guy say something like that as a joke? I’ll have to give him a good talking-to next time I see him.

When I lifted my head, I saw the heels of his canvas shoes. Hyun Jaekyung walked lightly and agilely through the alley where darkness was beginning to fall. But his gait seemed a little strange.

“Hey, did you maybe sprain your ankle earlier?”

“Huh?”

“I was just wondering if you needed to go to the hospital.”

Hyun Jaekyung stopped walking and rotated his ankle a few times. Then he even tried hopping on the spot. Hop, hop.

“What hospital. It’ll get better if I put a patch on it.”

“Okay.”

If he says he’s fine, then he must be fine. Then again, if he had really sprained it, he wouldn’t be able to rotate it or jump like that.

Hyun Jaekyung must have thought I was watching him, because after that, he walked a bit like a robot. I wondered if that was also a type of dance, but he really is a guy like a male peacock. Always showing off his form at any given time, for god’s sake.

The place we arrived at after walking for about fifteen minutes was a traditional pub at the entrance of a traditional market. After we found a spot in a corner of the moderately bustling place, Hyun Jaekyung started ordering this and that without even asking me. I quickly added.

“Spicy sea snail with noodles too.”

“Can you handle spicy food? The one here is spicy. It’s a delicious kind of spicy, though.”

“I like spicy food.”

“Oh… tough.”

I don’t know what liking spicy food has to do with being tough, but anyway, I was looking forward to it. Pickled onions and kimchi were served as basic side dishes, and soon the dishes we ordered filled the table. Just as Hyun Jaekyung had said, the seafood and green onion pancake, dipped in the pickled onion soy sauce, was incredibly crispy; anyway, it was the most delicious one I’d ever had.

While I was mixing the noodles with the spicy sea snail sauce, Hyun Jaekyung, who was scooping spicy braised chicken into a small bowl, asked.

“Do you like legs or breasts?”

“Legs.”

“Really? Then I’ll give you breasts.”

“Ah, you crazy son of a bitch, aren’t you?”

Please don’t misunderstand. Just now, Hyun Jaekyung didn’t just annoyingly scoop chicken breast for me; he pushed his chest forward with both hands, cupping it. As if he had anything to cup, does he think he’s some big-breasted older sister character?

“Hey, Yoonie. This is something you can’t get even if you pay for it elsewhere.”

“Get lost.”

There is no nonsense like this nonsense. How could I eat that?

…Eat it? For a moment, the picture that formed in my mind was too horrible. When I made a retching gesture, Hyun Jaekyung giggled and poured me a drink.

“Cheers.”

In any case, the sweet and cool dongdongju is the best match for these oily, savory, and spicy side dishes. Hyun Jaekyung’s mere foolishness could not ruin this beautiful moment. Yes, Hyun Jaekyung saved my life. So, for today at least, no matter how annoying he acts, I must treat him as my savior. As a human being, I must do that.

In the middle of our meal, the owner, saying that we were eating well, even gave us a large grilled sausage as a free service. But Hyun Jaekyung’s appetite was not as good as I expected, so I was the one who was mostly eating the side dishes. I pushed the grilled sausage towards Hyun Jaekyung and asked.

“Do you dislike dongdongju, and did you come here just because I said I wanted to eat?”

“I was the one who suggested dongdongju.”

Right. But I was about to ask why he wasn’t eating much, when Hyun Jaekyung held out his glass.

“I don’t usually eat a lot of side dishes. You can’t drink much if you’re full. Cheers.”

“Aha.”

I, on the other hand, drink to eat the side dishes. He must be a good drinker, huh? Then again, if he were weak, how could he drink like that every day? He probably starts fishing for girls with his face and finishes with his dick…. That’s why he said he was glad both were unhurt.

As luck would have it, the sausage was at the end of my line of sight, which made me feel strange. And to make matters worse, Hyun Jaekyung, who hadn’t been touching the side dishes much, picked it up and started munching on it.

Of course, there’s no reason for me to feel strange, right?

“Our Jooyoon’s glass is empty~!”

Hyun Jaekyung, as if it had become a habit, urged me to drink an incredible amount. It’s not like I get drunk no matter how much I drink, but it was a bit unpleasant for a guy who supposedly drinks mainly with women to act like this.

“Do you do this to everyone you drink with?”

“Do what like this?”

“You’re basically pouring drinks as if you want me to pass out first.”

“Did I?”

The dimples on his smiling cheeks were starting to get on my nerves. I felt an urge to poke or scratch them.

…I focused on the food to stop having strange thoughts. The webfoot octopus was chewy, and the spicy sea snail with noodles was spicy even for my palate, but it was really delicious.

He said to buy him drinks until he got drunk, and Hyun Jaekyung refilled the dongdongju pitcher several times before even mixing somaek. And he diligently offered me some each time, so I drank it all without refusing. Since we were both focused on eating and drinking, the only conversations we had were shallow talks about professors, assignments, classmates, and sunbaes.

It was around the time we had finished most of the side dishes. Hyun Jaekyung, who had been glancing at his watch and chugging water like a hippo for some time, suddenly stood up.

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Oh.”

His steps were unnatural like before, which bothered me, but I didn’t point it out. In Hyun Jaekyung’s hand were a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He smoked on the mountain too; has he given up on his crush who supposedly hated smoking? Or did he manage to sleep with her once, so he doesn’t need to be considerate anymore?

Let’s stop. Whatever Hyun Jaekyung does, it doesn’t matter to me. It’s not like that bastard is going to pass on some STD to me.

Ugh, I keep having disgusting thoughts. I must have caught it from him.

Hyun Jaekyung returned after a long while, and his eyes were clearer than before he left. A faint smell of cigarettes wafted from the outside air he brought in with him.

“Ah, it’s getting chilly at night.”

“You chain-smoker.”

“Right, you don’t like cigarettes.”

He knows quite a lot about me…. Just as my mood was about to turn strange, Hyun Jaekyung added playfully.

“If you tell me to quit, I’ll quit.”