PCL Ch 38

“This is the first time I’ve seen this much rain on a trip.”

The rain got even stronger. If it wasn’t for the song Jung Ji-pil had played to set the mood, the only background music would have been the sound of rain. It was muggy, but not hot because we were at the beach.

Dinner was also delicious. Even though I have a small mouth, the grilled meat, clams, and shrimp made me want to eat more and more. We’d only been eating for an hour, but we’d already consumed more than ten bottles of soju. Despite this, Lim Dae-han and his friend, as well as Jung Ji-pil, did not appear to be drunk. Only me…

“Ki Young-hyun, are you drunk?”

Jung Ji-pil waved his hand in front of me. I didn’t even have a couple of drinks. This was due to the fact that when Jung Ji-pil playfully filled the cup, Lim Dae-han took it and drank it. I was certain that I had consumed the least amount of alcohol of the five people here. Nevertheless, strangely, the sound of rain, the burning charcoal fire, and Lim Dae-han’s friends was all good. My heart was fluttering.

“No. I’m fine.”

I definitely said this firmly. My face was a little warm, but this was perfect. It was sufficient to play moderately. I think I’m a better drinker than I thought. Park Yeo-sun laughed, shaking his head and looking at me.

“Look at him, he’s stretching his words.”

I pretended not to hear and stretched out my hand to pour the water. Lim Dae-han quickly approached me and filled my cup with water.

“If you think you’re drunk, let’s go and sleep.”

Lim Dae-han grabbed my forearm with the hand that was holding the water bottle. I was going to push myself in again. I wasn’t even drunk yet, but it was obvious that they were using it as an excuse to play with themselves. I revealed and stated their intention. I shook Lim Dae-han’s arm without hesitation.

“You said that because you’re going to play without me.”

“What are you talking about again?”

Lim Dae-han’s tone was as if he had heard something ridiculous. I glanced around slowly. Jung Ji-pil, Lee Deok, and Park Yeo-sun were all staring at me. I was ashamed, so ashamed, that I wanted to hide somewhere. I was out of breath and embarrassed, so I drank some water and speak hesitantly.

“I, I’m really fine…really.”

“Tell me if you can’t drink anymore.”

“Okay…”

Sswaaa-, The rain has gotten even heavier. Perhaps I should have just gone to bed. I quickly drink the soju in front of me. I don’t know why I drink this. It was still bitter in my mouth.

Quite a lot of time has passed. I was almost lying on the table after drinking so much. Lim Dae-han, who sat across from me, played with my droopy fingers. Then something unfamiliar touched my leg. A mosquito was seated on my leg. I slammed it down with the palm of my hand. Slap! When there was a loud noise, Lee Deok, Park Yeo-sun, and Jung Ji-pil, who were passing the soju, turned their heads towards me.

“Ki Young-ah, a mosquito?”

“Yeah.”

“Come to think of it, I didn’t light any mosquito repellent. It was inside earlier.”

“I’ll bring it.”

Lim Dae-han who was sitting opposite me stopped playing with my hands. The hand that was in the air fell out. He stood up. He took a step towards the door without hesitation.

“I think it was in that room over there.”

Lim Dae-han put his hands in his pockets and walked away in response to Jung Ji-pil’s words. I looked at his back and drank some more soju. I couldn’t even taste it anymore.

Lee Deok then began to speak.

“But isn’t it amazing that the three of us were in the same class?”

“It’s probably the first time since middle school.”

Park Yeo-sun responded indifferently.

Jung Ji-pil asked.

“Did the three of you attend the same school?”

“Yeah. We’re so close.”

“You were such a jerk.”

Park Yeo-seon stopped talking due to Lee Deok’s fuss. Lee Deok shouted, “What am I?” while holding tongs. Lee Deok and Jung Ji-pil were a little similar.

“I really wanted to get along with Lim Dae-han. Even when the guys lived together, it was difficult to get close because he was away whenever he had time. I was afraid it was going to fall out.”

“It’s already falling out. It didn’t seem like it.”

Park Yeo-sun giggled at his low-key joke. My hand, which had been fiddling with the glass, stopped. Do they live together? I asked Lee Deok.

“Do you live together?”

“Yeah.”

“Who, who?”

“We are playing around, so what? Even if I tell you, I doubt you’ll understand. Why, you want me to introduce you to a girl?”

Lee Deok said with a smirk. It was a different tone from Lim Dae-han. Even if they were friends, there was no way they could speak the same way. Lim Dae-han didn’t use any vulgar expressions at all, and the two just had a plain, sharp tone. However, unlike the vulgar expressions that came out of Lee Deok’s mouth, I was quite shocked that Lim Dae-han lived with someone else.

“Are men and women living together?”

I kept my mouth shut when Jung Ji-pil asked. He was quite interested.

“Yeah. We get a room.”

Lee Deok’s voice was brimming with confidence. Park Yeo-sun inquired as to what he was on about, but Jung Ji-pil asked further. The words that Lee Deok uttered were quite shocking. He claimed he ran away from home and only stayed in a few motel rooms. He had a drink, smoked, brought his lover and rolled around, or whatever else he did while drunk, and it was like a lawless zone.

“…”

And he mentioned Lim Dae-han being in the motel room. My mind was blank, and my body was numb. I sobered up from my drunkenness and rose slowly. I didn’t want to hear it any longer.

“Where are you going?”

“I, I need to go to the bathroom.”

I moved on without even having time to check my face. Lee Deok’s bluff continued further behind the scenes. I shouldn’t have come. Regrets started pouring in. My body was indulged in drunkenness, but my mind was clear. And when I entered the house, all of the doors in the room were shut. Lim Dae-han would be looking for mosquito repellent in a room somewhere here, but I wasn’t brave enough to face him.

The moment I directly encountered the fact that Lim Dae-han, who pretended to be shy, his face turned red when looking at me and acted as if he lacked something when holding hands and kissing, was already experienced in it. I couldn’t possibly face him.

“…”

It was difficult to stand in the living room, so I went out to the beach-side terrace. I trudged along the sandy beach because I thought I needed to get some fresh air. It was raining heavily, and it didn’t matter if I was in the rain or that the sea level had risen a bit.

Sswaaa. It was hard to see ahead because of the heavy rain. I kept getting wet, no matter how many times I wiped my face with the back of my arm. And no matter how close I got to the beach, the shallow waves up to my ankles kept touching my feet.

I decided to admit it. got drunk I was drunk and couldn’t understand the situation. I decided to admit it. I was drunk. I was drunk and couldn’t understand the situation. My feet sank into the sand as I scratched the nape of my neck, and I eventually fell forward. My wrists, knees, and feet were all wet.

I suddenly became scared. If a big wave comes like this. I may not be able to grasp the situation properly.

“…”

I turned my head slowly. The sea was ferocious as it ate up the darkness and heavy rain.

“…I’m scared.”

I struggled to get up. It was nothing more than sand on my knees, hands, and feet, and my clothes and body felt heavy. I slowly turned around. The distance from the pension, which I felt was not long during the day, seemed strangely far away.

I took a deep breath while closing my mouth. I looked straight ahead. A pavilion that I had visited with Lim Dae-han earlier in the day was only ten steps away. I suppose it’s safe to stay there until the rain stops. It wasn’t too far away, so I’ll get there quickly.

***