PSY CH 21

When the usually slick and smooth Hangyeol reacted in an unexpected way, everyone took it as a signal to start teasing him in earnest. The table erupted into loud voices and exaggerated exclamations.

But Dohyun paid them no mind, sitting with a serious expression while getting lost in thought. The scene from earlier kept replaying in his head.

“Was this funny to you?”

When he said that, Jooyoung wasn’t looking at Dohyun. His gaze had clearly been fixed on Hangyeol. And yet, somehow, Dohyun had felt like he was being scolded too.

He couldn’t quite put a name to the feeling, but it was as if he’d been suddenly and unfairly accused. It was obvious that Jooyoung had helped Arin because he had some hidden motive, and it annoyed Dohyun to see him pretending to be kind and good.

“…Fucking annoying.”

Dohyun, who had been idly spinning his shot glass, suddenly shoved it aside. Instead, he grabbed a beer glass and poured soju into it, without holding back.

“Whoa, Hwangdo.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened. The others were equally shocked to see Dohyun filling a beer glass with soju.

His throat bobbed as he downed the drink in big, cool gulps. Then, he wiped his lips with the same hand holding the glass. His gaze at the table was so indifferent that no one could tell what he was thinking. His index finger tapped the glass in irregular beats.

“…”

Sensing the strange tension, a few people glanced toward Dohyun nervously. Junwoo even gave Hangyeol a look, asking what was going on. But Hangyeol, not knowing why Dohyun was drinking so heavily today, could only shrug.

Meanwhile, Dohyun picked up the soju bottle again and filled his glass to the brim. There wasn’t even the faintest trace of a smile on his face.

***

Arin left the pawn shop a little after 11. She said she had to stop by the karaoke bar first since her phone and wallet were still there.

Fortunately, the woman who had been wailing earlier had been taken away by her husband some time ago. That caused quite a scene, too. The woman sobbed uncontrollably, claiming she’d been wronged, while the husband got angry, shouting about how embarrassing she was being in public. They argued for over ten minutes, until the husband threatened to leave her there if she kept it up. Though she pounded her chest in protest, she eventually followed him. Jooyoung had stood by the window when he watched the whole thing from above.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just go straight home? I’ll pay for your cab.”

“I can’t live without my phone, you know?”

Even after everything that had happened, Arin nonchalantly kept complaining about her phone. Jooyoung didn’t know whether to call it resilience or indifference, so he just laughed.

“Get home safe.”

“Yep. Ah—ouch.”

She flinched as she absentmindedly ran a hand through her hair and touched a wound.

“You okay?”

“It’s just a scratch. Anyway, I’m off.” 

Waving a hand like it was no big deal, Arin turned around. She crossed the hallway in a few long strides and disappeared.

Once he saw Arin off, Jooyoung was alone again. He hadn’t noticed it while Arin was there, but the night had become awfully quiet.

“…”

He sat in the chair in a daze, then slumped over the desk. Absentmindedly tracing shapes with his index finger, he sank into thought. As he recalled the commotion from earlier in the afternoon, unease stirred in his chest.

He had already known Dohyun had changed—ever since he’d started threatening and mocking him—but it still came as a shock. The image of him laughing with his friends, smoking, was seared into Jooyoung’s mind and refused to fade. It felt hollow, like even the faintest hope had been shattered.

“Sigh.”

Jooyoung sluggishly got up, his shoulders slumping. He stayed still for a moment, dazed, then forced his heavy body to move. The more he thought, the worse he felt. He decided to head back to the lodging house and just sleep.

He gathered his things and walked straight out of the pawn shop. The building was silent at that late hour. Only the faint sound of his footsteps echoed down the hallway.

As he turned the corner, a sensor light flicked on with a click upon detecting movement.

“Ah—jeez…”

Jooyoung flinched in surprise and stopped. On the stairs leading up to the fourth floor was a massive figure. Looking closely, he saw it was a person. The smell of alcohol hanging in the air and the slow, heavy breathing made it clear—he was drunk.

Naturally, Jooyoung tried to avoid him, stepping to the side while sticking to the wall to head down. But after just a few steps, he came to a stop. From below, he looked up quietly at the drunk. The person had his arms resting on his knees, head hanging down, completely still.

Displeasure slowly filled Jooyoung’s gaze. If it were just any drunk, he would’ve ignored him and kept going… But of all people, it had to be someone Jooyoung knew far too well. He let out a silent sigh and walked back up the stairs.

“Hwang Dohyun.”

“…”

“Hwang Dohyun.”

Even after calling a few times, there was no response.

After a moment of hesitation, Jooyoung stepped closer. The sharp stench of alcohol hit his nose. Dohyun was practically soaked in booze.

“Are you okay?”

Jooyoung grabbed Dohyun’s shoulders and gave him a shake. Dohyun, swaying limply under Jooyoung’s touch, finally let out a faint, “…Yeah,” nodding his head.

“This is outside. Go home and sleep.”

“…”

“Hwang Dohyun.”

“…Haa, fuck. What.”

At the repeated sound of his name, Dohyun let out a sigh deep enough to shake the earth. Eventually, he rested his head against the railing and dragged a hand over his face. It looked like he was trying to pull himself together—rubbing his face and shaking his head as if to clear away the fog.

“Whew…”

Grimacing, Dohyun gripped the railing. It seemed like he was trying to stand. But maybe his strength gave out—he suddenly stumbled, and his large frame collapsed all at once.

Clatter! His body slammed against the railing with a loud crash.

“Whoa!”

Jooyoung startled and grabbed his arm, feeling as if his heart had dropped as well.

Dohyun collapsed to the floor, his left arm still held by Jooyoung. His wide-open eyes looked like those of a startled child. 

“That scared me…”

Jooyoung’s trembling voice echoed through the stair landing. It was a close call—he could’ve been seriously hurt. Jooyoung glanced toward the unlit stairwell below. If Dohyun had fallen, he wouldn’t have been found until dawn.

“…”

Jooyoung looked at Dohyun with a helpless expression before finally deciding to just take him home. 

“I’ll hold you, so try to get up.”

He grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Though Jooyoung expected Dohyun to resist, perhaps due to the alcohol or the earlier scare, he obediently followed Jooyoung’s lead. 

“There are stairs here. The railing! Hold the railing.”

However, because of their size difference, if Dohyun leaned all his weight on Jooyoung, Jooyoung couldn’t move an inch. He gently guided Dohyun’s hand to the railing to help him steady himself.

Dohyun climbed the stairs one step at a time, like a child learning to walk. At one point, he suddenly stopped and bent over deeply, as if dizzy. When he braced himself on his knees and panted, Jooyoung worried he might throw up. Just the thought was revolting—he really didn’t want to witness that. 

It was just one flight of stairs, but doing it with a drunk man took over ten minutes. Thankfully, the metal gate wasn’t locked. Since there was no bike blocking the way either, Jooyoung managed to drag him all the way to the front door.

He sat Dohyun down beside the door for the time being. 

“Haa…”

Jooyoung’s forehead was drenched with sweat. He wiped it off with the back of his hand and shook Dohyun. 

“What’s your passcode?”

“…”

“The passcode.”

Dohyun, who had been slumped on the ground, slowly raised his head. He lightly leaned the back of it against the wall, then gazed blankly up at Jooyoung with half-lidded eyes. There was something strangely drained about him that it felt unfamiliar.

“The. Pass. Code.”

Jooyoung spoke clearly, enunciating each syllable as if addressing a child. But no matter how long he waited, no answer came. Dohyun simply blinked slowly and kept staring at him. 

Jooyoung hesitated. Did he really need to bring him inside? It wasn’t like he was a woman—he was a well-built man. It wasn’t the dead of winter, so he wouldn’t freeze to death. And if it was just a few steps to climb, there wasn’t much risk of him falling either…

The decision came quickly.

“This is your place.”

“…”

“When you come to your senses, go inside yourself.”

With that, Jooyoung straightened from his bent posture. His lower back screamed in protest. Dealing with a drunk was no small task. Just helping him that little bit had left his whole body aching.

“…Hey.”

He was about to head down the stairs when a hand suddenly gripped his wrist.

“Stay the night.”

The words that followed were unexpected.

Jooyoung blinked at Dohyun, stunned. For a moment, he thought Dohyun had completely lost it from drinking too much. Judging by the way his head lolled slightly against the wall before returning upright, it was clear he wasn’t sober…

Jooyoung’s gaze dropped to his own wrist. Dohyun was slowly rubbing his thumb the inside of it. 

“Huh?”

“…”

“Oh. I’m saying you should stay the night.”

When Jooyoung didn’t respond, Dohyun added a hint of coaxing to his voice. He even gave Jooyoung’s arm a little shake, almost like he was being cutesy.

“I’m Bae Jooyoung.” 

Jooyoung said in a flat tone. For some reason, it felt like Dohyun had mistaken him for a woman.

“Bae… Jooyoung?”

“Yeah. Bae Jooyoung.”

Dohyun murmured the name to himself—Bae Jooyoung—then knocked the back of his head lightly against the wall a few times. 

“…I know Bae Jooyoung.”

He grinned widely, but somehow, the smile didn’t seem innocent at all.