LCL 69

I wondered if I could do this part-time job well into the start of the semester. Should I quit? I was  doing this in place of a classmate, so I couldn’t irresponsibly give up. It would also be strange to not show up to work just because Moon Ji-woo makes me uncomfortable.

They say you avoid poop not because you’re scared of it, but because it’s dirty, but there’s some poop you don’t want to avoid. It was something I could just let go of. Or step on it hard, considering I might just throw away my shoes  afterward anyway. Ah, why are human relationships so difficult?

“Sorry. Should I not greet you?”

When I didn’t answer, Moon Ji-woo spoke again.

“No, we have to work together anyway.”

My voice came out stiff without me even realizing it.

“Yeah…that’s right. I’ll be in your care from now on.”

Moon Ji-woo wrapped up the conversation briefly. I didn’t act as kindly as usual. I didn’t say I’d be in his care too, or explain what happened during the festival.

Honestly, I didn’t feel the need to do so. He was the one who acted badly first.

By the time I had roughly learned the basic system, customers started coming in. The seats that had been filling up one or two teams at a time were suddenly full. The call bells rang incessantly, and orders kept coming in.

Because it was so busy with many people, there wasn’t a spare moment for me to have a conversation with Moon Ji-woo. I worried for nothing.

Serving was incomparably harder than during the festival. First of all, there weren’t this many tables during the festival, and there were many classmates and seniors, so it was a lot like serving your friends.

A school event and earning money myself were different. How much had I been living in luxury with the allowance my parents gave me? It was only right that Lim Dae-han received a large allowance but returned home during breaks without complaint.

“We didn’t order this?”

“Ah, j-just one moment.”

“Table 9 is over there.”

While I was fumbling with the order, Moon Ji-woo approached and whispered in my ear. I bowed to the customer and took the order to the table Moon Ji-woo pointed out.

I heard them joking among themselves behind my back, saying, “We thought we were getting it for free.” 

Cold sweat ran down my back even though the store was so cold it gave me goosebumps.

I just kept fumbling. I thought maybe because it was my first day.

“Please change the gas here.”

“We ordered a different soju, not this one.”

“You said you’d make a joint table for us, when will you do it?”

It was overwhelming to handle the flood of orders. They said the serving system divided tables by area and we helped each other out. In the end, it was Moon Ji-woo, who kept helping me with my work.

He looked overwhelmed just doing his own work. The owner, unable to watch anymore, pinned a nameplate to my chest.

Baby Part-timer

(New)

With one nameplate, I instantly understood the owner’s personality and the store’s characteristics. Why bother writing “new” in parentheses and calling me a “baby part-timer” above?

Everyone would understand if it just said “new.” I was too embarrassed to lift my face.

It was so humiliating to take orders or serve while wearing this. Everyone had something to say. They would giggle amongst themselves, or someone who was quite drunk would point at the nameplate and say, “Is it okay for a baby to work in a bar?” 

The heat on my face wouldn’t subside.

Time passed quickly because it was certainly a busy part-time job with many customers. When I finally got a moment of rest, I went into the kitchen and hid in the storage room. Unable to even remove the nameplate on my chest, I curled up in a corner.

I crouched down and buried my face in my arms. Unlike the main area, there was no air-conditioner in the break room. Feeling stuffy, I suddenly stood up and opened the window. All sorts of messy smells from outside poured in.

“Phew…this is tough.”

I rubbed my cheeks with both hands. Heat pooled in my palms. I wondered if I would be able to adapt well, having to spend the entire break like this.

It already seemed like it wouldn’t be easy, and I was getting scared in advance. So this was how hard it was to earn money on your own. I wiped the sweat from my neck with the back of my hand.

Just then, the storage room door opened. I turned my head to see Moon Ji-woo coming in with a takeout cup.

“Drink this. The owner bought it for you.”

I couldn’t drink coffee, but this looked very much like coffee. But what could I do about it? Still, he thought of me and bought it here.

I walked over listlessly. Moon Ji-woo held out his arm.

“It’s not coffee but iced tea. I told the owner you can’t drink coffee.”

“Ah. Thanks.”

I took the drink into my hands. As I sipped through the straw, the sweet and sour iced tea soothed my parched mouth.

“I’ll turn on the air-conditioner for you.”

Moon Ji-woo came in and turned on the air-conditioner in the break room. It wasn’t that there was no air-conditioner, I just didn’t know how to turn it on. I closed the window I had opened.

Moon Ji-woo soon turned to leave the break room. It was me who stopped him.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for helping me out today.”

Even though things didn’t end well with Moon Ji-woo, I had to be civil since we met again at work. Also, I had received help from him all day today. My hand got cold from holding the cup.

Moisture formed on the cup, making the paper wrapped around it damp. Moon Ji-woo silently raised the corners of his mouth.

“Young-hyun.”

“…”

“I’m sorry about the festival. For coming to the pub and making things awkward, and for badmouthing your boyfriend in front of you. I’m really sorry.”

Actually, he should have apologized to Lim Dae-han, not me. But well, it couldn’t be helped. I raised my lowered gaze.

“I’m sorry too for yelling at you and getting angry then. It was hard to hold back because you were insulting my boyfriend.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry again. Please tell your boyfriend I’m sorry, too. I should apologize to him directly, but…we probably won’t meet again in the future.”

“Okay, I’ll tell him.”

After saying what we needed to say, silence fell. Moon Ji-woo didn’t leave. The atmosphere began to get uncomfortable. We sipped on our drinks without exchanging any words.

“Hey, Young-hyun.”

“Yeah?”

“Can we be friends again?”

“…I’m not sure about that.”

Just because I received an apology didn’t mean we could be close friends again. I couldn’t even give an insincere response saying that that could happen. Even though Moon Ji-woo had helped me a lot today, I still felt uncomfortable around him.

Even if he apologized, there was no telling if he might return to his old self again.

“Ah, I see.”

Moon Ji-woo murmured softly. With nothing left to say, he shifted his gaze to the window. The unwashed window was foggy. Beyond it, the city lights were blurred.

“Hey you two, come out now. What are you doing in there?”

The kitchen hyung poked his head in through the door. I answered “Yes” on behalf of Moon Ji-woo and walked out, leaving him behind.

When I finished my part-time job and came out, it was around 1:30 a.m. I thought I’d leave right at 1 o’clock, but when the time came, there were still many customers in the store, so it felt awkward to leave alone.

Around 1:30, the owner was surprised and asked what I was still doing there, so I left work as if being chased out. I felt uncomfortable leaving while Moon Ji-woo and the other hyungs and noonas were still minding the store, but there was nothing I could do about it.

My body felt incredibly heavy. The smell of food had seeped into me, and the scent of oil wafted with every step. The air was filled with a mixture of alcohol and cigarette smells. Our school neighborhood was known for its clubs and bars.

Drunk people staggered around, raising their voices. I put wireless earphones in my ears. 

Checking my phone, I saw a missed call from Lim Dae-han. He had called at exactly 1 a.m., but I couldn’t answer because I was still working then.

I called Lim Dae-han back. This time, he didn’t answer. He must have fallen asleep.

It was impressive that he had held out until 1 a.m. I had so much I wanted to say to him. I clicked my tongue in disappointment. I sent Lim Dae-han another message.

Me: [Sleeping?]

Me: [I just got off work. Left a bit late.]

Me: [Let’s talk tomorrow morning if you can.]

Me: [Sleep well. Have a good day at work tomorrow.]

I added a waving emoticon at the end. I grabbed the strap of my bag that crossed my upper body diagonally and walked out. My body was tired, so I deliberately listened to some upbeat songs.

My steps naturally became more energetic. I wondered how much longer I would have to repeat this lifestyle. I was worried, but wanting to go home quickly to shower and sleep took priority. I was completely exhausted.

* * *

Somehow, it became difficult to stay in touch with Lim Dae-han.

Lim Dae-han, who went to work at 9 a.m. and got off at 7 p.m. Me, who went to work at 7 p.m. and got off at 1 a.m.

Lim Dae-han usually slept between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m., but at that time, I was working hard, dripping with sweat. We exchanged messages when we could, but even that became less frequent. With hours between each contact, it was impossible for conversations to flow well.

Lim Dae-han: [Going to work.] 8:27 a.m.

Lim Dae-han: [About to have lunch.] 12:39 p.m.

1 missed call

Me: [Just woke up.] 2:04 p.m.

Me: [What did you eat for lunch?] 2:04 p.m.

Lim Dae-han: [Went to a budae jjigae place.] 3:14 p.m.

Lim Dae-han: [Eat something.] 3:14 p.n.

Lim Dae-han: [Want me to order something for you?] 3:17 p.m.

Me: [No, I’ll eat something at home.] 3:20 p.m.

Lim Dae-han: [Lol.] 4:04 p.m.

Me: [I’m at my part-time job.] 6:48 p.m.

Me: [I’ll eat dinner here.] 6:48 p.m.

Me: [Did you get off work?] 6:52 p.m.

Lim Dae-han: [Just got home.] 7:48 p.m.

Lim Dae-han: [(Photo)] 8:02 p.m.

Lim Dae-han: [Tonight’s dinner.] 8:02 p.m.

It was the same even on days when I didn’t have to go to my part-time job. The gaps between messages remained the same, and we occasionally talked on the phone.

We used to talk before bed, but on days when Lim Dae-han fell asleep and couldn’t chat with me, I would receive a message the next day saying [Just woke up]. With our lifestyles out of sync, it wasn’t easy.

Same high school, same university…Now that we were apart, I realized how lucky we had been as a couple in our environment all this time. It was probably because I hadn’t been home for long.

I worked until 2 a.m. because it was so busy the day before. I came home, washed up, and it was 3 a.m.. I wasn’t sure when I fell asleep after that.

The sun must have been midday outside the window, but I still didn’t wake up properly. Then I heard the door open. Mmmm…I stirred, pulled the covers over my head, and froze.

I felt a stir. But I was home alone, right?

The mysterious figure climbed into bed and hugged me tightly with the covers. I was frozen in place, barely able to turn my head to check on the person.

“You’re awake.”

With a clumsy gesture, he touched the bangs in front of my eyes. I relaxed, relieved, and then a look of recognition crossed my face.

“…What are you doing here?”

“Did I come to a place I shouldn’t have?”

“…”

“I came because I missed you.”

He pulled me into the futon and buried his lips in my temple. He didn’t care that my eyes were squeezed shut or that my hair was stretched out oddly.

I wriggled out of his arms. He let me go surprisingly easily.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. I couldn’t look disgusting in front of him after five long days.

I ran straight to the bathroom and cleaned up. I didn’t make it to the shower, but I ran water through my hair, washed my face, and brushed my teeth until they sparkled.

The blackout curtains were drawn, so even in broad daylight, I could see his silhouette in the dark room.

“Uh…?”

“Why do you keep reacting like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“Are you wearing a suit?”

“Uh.”

Lim Dae-han was lying on the bed in a suit. Was it a dream? I pinched the back of my hand, wondering if I had seen it wrong.

Sure enough, there was pain. I wasn’t mistaken. I crept over to him. I wanted to scratch his stomach and ended up pulling down his dress shirt.

He straightened up and lay down. When I got close enough to the bed, he wrapped his hands around my thighs and pulled me toward him.

“Why do you look so skinny? I’m starving.”

Before I could lift up my T-shirt, his hand slipped in, grabbing and releasing my stomach skin.

I flopped casually onto the bed. I wrapped my arms around him and looked down at him.

“Whoa. What are you doing?”

He smiled broadly. 

Then I said, “You’re handsome in a suit. You’re always handsome, but you just look a little…like an adult.

“This is nice, but take it off.”

He raised his upper body and immediately grabbed the hem of my T-shirt. I spread my arms to make it easier for him to take it off.

I didn’t know if I was skinny. I thought I looked the same as usual.

I had definitely been skipping meals more often than I did when he was around. He was a big eater, and I had always been a picky eater, but now that he wasn’t around, I ate when I was hungry and didn’t eat when I wasn’t.

He wrapped his arms around my back and pulled my upper body toward him. It was a great place to start. It wasn’t that he wanted to check my skinniness…It was just purely out of selfishness.

I shivered, but wrapped my arms around his head. He groped my back and sucked on my nipples. Slurp, cup, cup, slurp…the sound was so loud, I squeezed my eyes shut.

The feel of his hands and lips, the sound of his lips digging into my earlobe, all felt more erotic than they looked.

“Did you want to suck them?”

“Yes.”

He pushed my nipple between his teeth and nibbled on it. I gently played with his short hair and opened my eyes. He looked up and took my nipple in his mouth.

A hand dug into his groin and tickled my cock through my pajamas.

“We have to leave at three.”

“Uh…huh?”

“Yeah, so.”

I sat on Lim Dae-han’s face. I could feel his eyes on my crotch, frighteningly familiar. The sharp bridge of his nose, hot breath, and lips that darted out a wet tongue.

He licked endlessly with his lips, licking my balls, perineum, and then my ass. I grabbed his hair. He repeatedly flicked his tongue, licking my ass until it was wet.

“Lim, Dae-han.”

“Yeah.”

A voice rang out behind me. The hand clutching his hair tightened. I looked down to see my clothes haphazardly thrown aside and the suit he was wearing. I squeezed my eyes shut.

“You, food, ugh, food?”

“Why are you curious about that now?”

There was a chuckle in his voice. Shouldn’t I be curious about food? He was here to eat. I felt a finger between my ass cheeks. He probed my wet hole.

He slipped his middle and ring fingers inside and drove them in quickly. I closed my eyes at the squeaky, wet sound and leaned both hands on the bed, my hips jerking against the foreign object.

“Ah, ah…, ugh, huuuh…, good…”

“You like it when I shake you like this, don’t you?”

“Yeah, ugh, huuh, heuuuungh….”

“Was that an answer?”

Lim Dae-han sat up. He stacked himself at the bottom of the bed. I spread my legs wide, accepting his fingers. He tucked his leg between my thighs so that I couldn’t move away.