LCL 68

It wasn’t quite the tropical night yet, but it was so humid and hot that I usually set the air-conditioner to sleep mode when going to bed. I had set it quite high at around 27 degrees Celsius, but today my body felt cool. After tossing and turning and pulling the blanket up to my neck, I finally woke up.

My body, which should have felt heavy as usual, was unusually comfortable. I couldn’t feel Lim Dae-han, who should have been intertwined with me like a seatbelt in bed. As I tried to adjust my position, I slowly opened my eyes.

Lim Dae-han wasn’t there. Thinking he might have gone to the bathroom, I looked in the direction of the bathroom, but it was dark there too. All around me, it was quiet and silent. There was no sound from outside either.

“…”

Where did he go? I finally got up from the bed. I reached for the nightstand and picked up my phone. Checking the time, it was only 3 a.m..

I put on the underwear and pajama top that had been carelessly thrown aside. The skin that had been sucked and licked stung as I moved around. Massaging my stiff shoulders, I silently turned the doorknob.

Lim Dae-han was sitting on the sofa. No matter how quietly I had come out, he should have sensed my presence, but he seemed unaware that I had emerged from out of our bedroom.

It wasn’t a nice thing to say about a lover, but he wasn’t the type to enjoy contemplation. Unlike me, who tended to overthink things, he always showed his emotions through actions. So, seeing him deep in thought looked a bit strange.

I moved casually, leaving him staring blankly out the window. I went to the kitchen, took out a cup, and stood in front of the water purifier. While filling the cup with water, I called out to him.

“What are you doing up?”

I asked him in a low voice. I should have cleared my throat a bit before having said that.

“Ah.”

Lim Dae-han let out a soft sigh. He probably hadn’t realized I was up until I spoke just now.

“Just…”

“Do you have something on your mind?”

“No, nothing. Did you wake up?”

“Yeah. Because you weren’t there…”

I approached Lim Dae-han with the cup of water and sat down next to him. I gripped the cup tightly. I took a sip of water.

Lim Dae-han tilted his head to one side and examined my face. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I thought I might have drooled while sleeping, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Lim Dae-han silently came closer and pressed his lips against mine. It was a light kiss. Peck, peck, he kissed my lips several times. Our noses touched slightly as our lips interlocked.

Ah. This wasn’t what I came out here for.

Afraid I might drop the cup of water at any moment, I pulled my head back. I added an unnecessary excuse.

“I didn’t come out for this…I just came because you weren’t in bed.”

“Ah, I couldn’t sleep.”

“Even if you can’t sleep, you could just stay in bed with me.”

“I came out because I thought I might bother you if I continued to lay there next to you.”

Lim Dae-han deliberately curled his body and rested his head on my shoulder. It was obviously an uncomfortable position. His consistent behavior brought me a sense of relief. I rubbed the ring on my ring finger with the thumb of the same hand.

“It’s okay to bother me.”

“What?”

“I said it’s okay to bother me…You can just wake me up. You’re going home soon anyway. And I’m not that sleepy either.”

As I grumbled with disappointment, Lim Dae-han chuckled.

“Hey.”

His voice calling me was quite harsh, but I was used to it.

“Your eyes are so droopy. How can you say you’re not sleepy?”

Lim Dae-han laughed out loud as he brushed my eyes with his thumb. Then he roughly rubbed my cheek with his palm. His palm felt rough against my skin.

Maybe because he had been working out hard lately, there were calluses on his palm. Honestly, I wasn’t that sleepy. But that was how I must have looked to Lim Dae-han.

As I silently stared at him, Lim Dae-han pressed his lips against mine again.

“Let’s do this for a bit and then sleep.”

I was just as eager for the kiss.

“Wait a moment.”

I put the cup down on the table. Now my hands were free. As I put my hand on Lim Dae-han’s shoulder, who had completely changed his posture, he supported my back and lay down on the sofa.

“You really don’t have anything on your mind, right?”

Before kissing, I asked, looking straight into his eyes. Shallow wrinkles formed between his brows.

“What worries could I have?”

After saying that, he immediately covered my lips with his. I should just believe him, right? There really isn’t anything wrong, right? The slight concern I had was swallowed along with our intertwining tongues and saliva.

* * *

There were 53 days left until the start of the semester. We didn’t have a calendar at home to check off the days, but I decided to keep track. For about three weeks and a month, Lim Dae-han and I had to live apart.

Since it wasn’t that long of a time, we packed lightly. The trunk we had used on our trip to Hawaii a few days ago was filled only with clothes. Although summer clothes were lighter compared to winter ones, Lim Dae-han liked to wear a lot of workout clothes, so the volume was quite substantial.

Lim Dae-han, who said he would stop by the gym before going home, was dressed in light workout clothes today. A functional T-shirt that fit snugly on his large frame, shorts, and the inner layer worn underneath. He just looked like someone going to exercise.

I followed closely behind him as he carried the trunk and put it down in the entryway.

“Will you be okay going alone?”

“It’s not like I’m going on a school trip. Why are you worrying so much? I’m just going home.”

“…Just because.”

Am I the only one feeling regretful? Seeing Lim Dae-han letting out a hollow laugh, I found myself fidgeting without realizing it. I bit my lip and then released it, and he pushed the corner of my mouth with his thumb.

“Don’t bite your lip.”

“Okay.”

My response was unclear. Although I had often stayed at Lim Dae-han’s room since high school, we had only lived together for about 5 months if you really think about it. How could I feel this reluctant to see him leave?

“What will I do when you’re gone? I’ll be so bored.”

“I’ll call you as soon as I get home, so answer.”

Lim Dae-han showed me the phone he was holding. The call would probably only be possible today. It would be difficult to make phone calls every day.

Lim Dae-han usually worked during the day, and I had to work part-time from evening until 1 a.m.

By the time I finished work and returned home, Lim Dae-han would already be asleep. He liked to sleep a lot, and he had to go to work early in the morning, so it couldn’t be helped.

I tried my best not to show my emotions. I didn’t want to make Lim Dae-han worry unnecessarily. But Lim Dae-han seemed to have noticed, as he cupped my cheeks with both hands and repeatedly pecked my lips.

“Hold back even if you miss me. Don’t cry.”

“You’re the one who shouldn’t cry.”

Lim Dae-han chuckled at my words.

“I’m going to cry every day.”

“Then couldn’t you just commute from home? You have a car anyway…”

“But it’s vacation time.”

He didn’t say he wouldn’t go in the end. Even though he did say he wouldn’t go at first. 

“Yeah, it’s okay.”

I decided to change my mind. This didn’t have to be like separation anxiety where I couldn’t even function without Lim Dae-han.

Even if I got bored or missed him, I just had to endure and continue with my life. Living apart wasn’t a breakup.

I looked down at the matching ring with Lim Dae-han. What if time passes too slowly? Am I going to suffer being away from him so long?

* * *

“Time not passing…”

I stood awkwardly in front of the store. The problem was that time passed too quickly. I did overdue housework, read books, and could freely watch movies or dramas without Lim Dae-han around.

Usually, when he was with me, it would take all day to watch even one movie. We’d fool around, the mood would shift, we’d roll around, eat, and roll around again. Often, we’d end up watching the same movie several times.

Time passed quickly, but that didn’t mean I didn’t miss Lim Dae-han. Still, we called, messaged, and video-chatted regularly. It wasn’t as good as being physically together, but it was good enough.

I opened the store door. There was no one in the bar before opening. The owner, who was mopping the floor, stretched his neck out like a giraffe. I gripped the strap of my bag that crossed my chest diagonally and bowed my head.

“Hello.”

“Ah, part-timer. Young-hyun? It’s Young-hyun, right?”

“Yes. Ki Young-hyun.”

Tension kept building in my palms, probably due to my shy personality. I swallowed the saliva pooled under my tongue. The owner pointed to the kitchen.

“There’s a storage room slash break room inside. Put your bag there and come back. I’ll tell you what to do. Say hi to the kitchen part-timer. The kids are all friendly, so if you get to know one, they’ll introduce you to the others. …As for the hall, well. I’ll introduce you when they arrive. Ah—this kid, why isn’t he here yet?”

Ignoring the grumbling owner, I entered the kitchen. I bowed to the man leaning against the sink and gripped my bag strap tighter once more.

I gave a formal self-introduction. “I’m Ki Young-hyun, here for the first time today, filling in for Cheon-hee during the vacation.” 

The man, fiddling with his phone, just nodded in response.

“Yeah. Put your bag down and come back.”

The owner clearly said his staff was friendly, but this guy seemed far from it. I wanted to sigh at the rising worry, but I held it in and just puffed out my cheeks, filling them with air like balloons.

With stiff steps due to nervousness, I went to the storage room/break room to put down my bag and came back out. The man playing with his phone glanced at me and asked.

“Same school and major as Cheon-hee?”

“Ah, yes…”

“You’re handsome. Twenty years old?”

“Yes.”

“I’m twenty-seven. The owner’s brother. You can just call me kitchen hyung. That’s probably easier.”

“Ah, ah, yes…Please take care of me.”

I bowed again. When I came back to the hall, the owner appeared, sauntering. I looked around the hall.

There were quite a few tables. At least thirty, it seemed. The owner pulled up the nearest chair to sit down in and gestured to me.

“Young-hyun, come here.”

As I approached, he pointed to the seat opposite with his chin. I sat down, feeling rather uncomfortable about the whole thing.

“I’ll invite you to the group chat. The kids are usually quite talkative, so it’s noisy. Is that okay? 

“It’s good even if it’s just for the vacation, but if you need a part-time job anytime, just say so. I’ll fire that Cheon-hee kid right away and hire you. You’re much better looking than Cheon-hee.”

“Ha, haha…thank you.”

“I wondered why that Cheon-hee kid was making such a fuss about getting a substitute, but now I see why.”

It still felt awkward no matter how I thought about it. It wasn’t like I’d never received compliments on my appearance, but still…The owner fiddled with his phone while making jokes, and soon after, my phone screen lit up. I was invited to the group chat.

Owner: [This is Ki Young-hyun, who’s coming as Cheon-hee’s substitute. It’s only for the vacation, but everyone get along well lol Tell me in advance if you’re going to miss the welcome party on Friday evening (laugh)(anger)(devil)]

???: [Wow, hello]

???: [Are we closing the store?]

Owner: [Yeah at 1 a.m.]

???: [Can’t we end early? ㅠ]

Owner: [Don’t want to get paid?]

Lee Cheonhee: [Take care of Young-hyun lol Don’t forget he’s a substitute.]

It was a chat room with a playful atmosphere. Before typing a greeting message, I first checked the number of people. Including me and the owner, there were nine people in the group chat.

Except for the owner and Cheon-hee, everyone else was unknown, so there was an ‘Add Friend’ button next to their names. Even without enlarging the profile pictures, they were all flashy. Stylish selfies or photos taken at travel destinations.

Of course, I also had a photo taken at the beach as my profile. As I was skimming through the names, my lazily moving thumb suddenly stopped.

There was only one person without a profile picture. And there was no ‘Add Friend’ button either. This was the only person like that.

The moment I confirmed the name, I gasped. Ding-dong, with the sound of the mechanical bell, the store door opened.

“I’m here.”

“You’re late.”

Enemies meet on a narrow bridge. But why?

“Ki Young-hyun?”

Why do I have to meet Moon Ji-woo here of all places?

“…”

I didn’t say anything. Ah…come to think of it, when I used to hang out with Moon Ji-woo, I talked about part-time jobs several times. He said he worked at a bar near the main gate, but I wasn’t interested enough to ask properly.

To think that store was here all along…

The owner, sensing the strange atmosphere, looked back and forth between Moon Ji-woo and me.

“What’s this? Do the two of you know each other?”

“Ah…yes. Just a bit.”

I gave a vague answer. Moon Ji-woo, who had shown his surprise by calling out my name, finally averted his gaze. As he tried to enter the kitchen without bringing a bag, the owner stopped him.

“Ji-woo, come here. Young-hyun is new here, but what, you two know each other?”

“Yes. He’s from my school’s Business Department.”

“There are over 100 kids in BusinessDepartment, how would I know who’s in Economics too? If you two know each other, help Young-hyun out and teach him. I’ll explain the job now, so help him when needed.”

“Yes.”

Moon Ji-woo answered professionally. If I were Moon Ji-woo, I would have answered the same way. It was uncomfortable and awkward. The owner proceeded to give me a tour of the bar and explained the job.

Because there are many tables, he said the most important thing was to find the table quickly when the call bell rings. He briefly explained the calculation, but since I came in as a temporary replacement, he said one of the original members would mainly handle it each day.

Honestly, it wasn’t much different from the festival. It was just a matter of checking the number on the call bell.

Moon Ji-woo showed me where to throw away the trash. We left the building. Unlike the interior with the air-conditioner on full blast, the outside air was humid and hot even though it was evening.

The air seemed to be boiling. As we were about to return silently after checking the garbage collection area between buildings, Moon Ji-woo spoke to me.

“Young-hyun, have you been well?”