WYK 28

The bar, which was filled with guests from Jeong-yoon’s undergraduate group, was deserted now that everyone had left. Like a battlefield where the fight has ended.

Jeong-yoon passed the round wooden table and approached the corner seat. Someone was resting his forehead on a neatly organized table. The atmosphere was very quiet as if he was praying. That was so characteristic of him that Jeong-yoon couldn’t help but laugh.

The person sleeping was Kang Chae-heon. He had never been seen drunk. But now he was very drunk and was asleep.

Jeong-yoon recalled the conversation he had with Mi-hee inside the bar a while ago.

“Where does Chae-heon live? Jeong-yoon, do you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

He had heard about it around two years ago. Before going to the military, Chae-heon had given him his personal details when he offered to drive Jeong-yoon home. It was information shared during that ride, mentioning that Chae-heon was an illegitimate child, had been living alone since high school, and resided in the Castle Apartments near the school.

Mi-hee poked Chae-heon’s back with her finger and said worriedly when she saw him not moving.

‘This is my first time seeing him drunk.’

‘Me too.’

‘You take good care of Chae-heon. I’ll take Hyang-gi home.’

‘…’

Thus, Jeong-yoon ended up taking care of Kang Chae-heon.

Jeong-yoon was speechless. He had always taken care of drunk people, but he never expected to be assigned to Kang Chae-heon. It wasn’t that he disliked it, but it felt strange. He wasn’t sure if he should like it or not because he could hug his waist and pretend to support him.

‘I’m trash.’

He shook his head. He found it a bit absurd that he was looking for a niche opportunity with a drunk person.

Jeong-yoon gazed at Chae-heon’s broad and strong shoulders and cautiously approached as if he had made up his mind. Typically, he would wake up drunk guys by slapping their cheeks, but it couldn’t be done to Chae-heon. He had to treat him gently, like handling a delicate flower. Since Chae-heon was someone he really cared about, even his best efforts may not be enough.

He cautiously shook Chae-heon’s shoulders, but there was no response. This time, he gently tapped his back. Still, he remained quiet.

“What should I do? Should I really slap him? But if I do, it’ll hurt my heart.”

Jeong-yoon scratched the back of his neck and called Chae-heon’s name softly.

“Kang Chae-heon.”

Surprisingly, Chae-heon slowly woke up as Jeong-yoon called his name. Jeong-yoon was bewildered.

Chae-heon got up as soon as his name was mentioned, despite the fact that he had been shaking him without receiving any answer. It was as if you were calling a large dog that would come running when you called its name. Jeong-yoon was concerned that if Chae-heon found out about his thoughts, he would grab his neck. Anyway, carrying the big Chae-heon was a concern, but fortunately, it seemed unnecessary.

Chae-heon lazily swept his face with his hand. Jeong-yoon looked down at Chae-heon’s profile nervously. Except for his somewhat sluggish expression, he looked no different from usual. So much so that Jeong-yoon couldn’t tell if this guy was drunk or just sleepy.

Chae-heon pressed his temples and then turned his head thoughtfully. It was directed towards Jeong-yoon, who was casting a shadow over him. His deep-colored eyes were drawn straight to Jeong-yoon. Perhaps because he was drunk, his usually sharp eyes gleamed softly, like dampened light.

Jeong-yoon somehow felt like avoiding those gazes that were directed at him. It was quite difficult to face him because it felt like he was looking into his heart. Jeong-yoon turned his gaze to Chae-heon’s shoulder.

“Kang Chae-heon. … Are you awake?”

Chae-heon still didn’t respond. He continued to stare at Jeong-yoon, his intense gaze only breaking when he slowly closed and opened his eyes.

“Seo Jeong-yoon.”

Chae-heon called Jeong-yoon’s name.

A faint ripple passed through Jeong-yoon’s chest. As Chae-heon softly called his name, something subtly tickled his heart.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Seo Jeong-yoon.”

“Yeah.”

Jeong-yoon found it cute that Chae-heon kept calling his name meaninglessly, so he started laughing. He lowered the corners of his mouth that had been rising and gestured toward the door.

“Let’s go home. I’ll take you there.”

“….”

Chae-heon nodded with a dazed expression. In fact, it felt more like he was walking through a dream than waking up from being drunk.

He soon got up like a good kid. Jeong-yoon debated whether to support him or not, but seeing him standing well on his own, he decided to stay still. Although he wanted to touch and hug him a little, it would be impolite to do so. Expressing desires towards a drunken person might be considered a crime.

“I’ll call the substitute driver. Is that okay? Where’s the car?”

“Next to the flower shop… Paid parking lot.”

“Let’s walk there for now. And, your apartment is still at Castle Apartments, right?”

Chae-heon slowly nodded.

“What is the building and room number?”

“Building 406… Room 1101.”

Chae-heon frowned slightly as if he couldn’t remember the house number, and barely answered. Though slow, Chae-heon’s response was precise. His appearance felt like that of a well-behaved and big child.

After successfully obtaining Chae-heon’s address, Jeong-yoon went to the counter and got a business card for a designated driver. Then, he called the designated driving service. Chae-heon followed Jeong-yoon as they left the bar.

“Yes, sir. I’ll see you there.”

Jeong-yoon ended the call and glanced up. Chae-heon was right next to him, sticking closely. They had never walked this closely together before. Normally, one of them would walk ahead of the other, or they would walk side by side with some space between them. In fact, there were rare instances of them walking together.

Just the slight touch of their shoulders made Jeong-yoon’s heart flutter with joy. Chae-heon emitted a familiar fragrance. Even the faint smell of alcohol felt strangely harmonious with Chae-heon’s drowsy face, making it oddly sexy. Love was truly a remarkable thing.

The paid parking lot was not far from the bar.

The two walked through the alley in silence.

Kang Chae-heon was undoubtedly drunk. It was certain. However, he didn’t stumble or act disorderly. He walked surprisingly similar to his usual self, just a bit unsteady.

Except for the slightly sour look in his eyes and the fact that he called him ‘Seo Jeong-yoon,’ he looked surprisingly similar to his usual self.

‘…I can’t control myself when I drink. That’s why I don’t drink much.’

It was almost as if the words he once heard from him were meaningless.

The always upright Kang Chae-heon remained Kang Chae-heon even when he was drunk.

As soon as they arrived at the parking lot, Jeong-yoon pushed Chae-heon into the back seat of the car. Chae-heon obediently slipped in and sat down.

While waiting for the designated driver outside, they arrived earlier than expected. Handing over the car keys to the designated driver, Jeong-yoon hesitated for a moment.

‘Should I sit in the front seat or next to Kang Chae-heon?’

Thinking that it would be better to take care of the intoxicated person first, he decided to sit in the back. Opening the back door, he found Chae-heon with his head slightly tilted, dozing off. Even that sight seemed like a jealousy-inducing sculpture. He was clearly sleeping off the effects of alcohol, yet he looked more like an art piece than a drunkard.

After some hesitation, I gently sat down next to him. As soon as Jeong-yoon sat down, the driver turned around and spoke with a faint smile.

“Are you driving the car? I feel a bit burdened when driving a foreign car.”

Jeong-yoon also smiled at him.

“It’s not my car, the friend sleeping here is the owner.”

“Oh, really? What do you do?”

“Huh? We’re both students.”

“Oh, students? Both of you look quite mature…”

The driver trailed off as he looked at Chae-heon and Jeong-yoon’s faces, then turned his head and started the car. The wheel began to move smoothly. The wheels began to move smoothly. In the quiet car, only the humming sound from the driver’s singing and occasional turn signal clicks echoed

“You said it was Castle apartment, right?”

“Yes. Please drop us off in front of Castle Apartments, Building 406.”

After finishing the conversation, the driver hummed again and tapped the steering wheel.

A thud sound came from beside him. Perhaps losing balance due to a curve, Chae-heon lightly bumped his forehead against the window. Chae-heon, muttering to himself, touched his forehead as if trying to soothe the impact and then furrowed his brow before falling back asleep.

Jeong-yoon smiled because his actions, along with the slightly wrinkled forehead, made him look adorable. It seemed like they were almost at my destination.

Jeong-yoon thought about letting Chae-heon lean on his shoulder but decided to hold back. He hesitated because it felt like he was acting unscrupulously. If it were Min-soo, he might have offered not only his shoulder but even his lap. However, doing the same for Chae-heon made him nervous and wary.

Jeong-yoon sighed without realizing it. Yellow streetlights were flickering outside the window.

Although he thought he was fine, he seemed a bit intoxicated himself. Unintentionally dozing off, he found himself in front of the apartment. The driver smiled kindly.

“We’ve arrived. That will be 20,000 won.”

“Yes, just a moment.”

Jeong-yoon searched Chae-heon’s wallet and took out 30,000 won. He gave another 10,000 won because he thought it was something Chae-heon would do. The driver, receiving the money, smiled even more broadly than before.

“Thank you.”

“Goodbye.”

After the driver left, Jeong-yoon casually stuffed the wallet back into his pocket and looked at Chae-heon.

Chae-heon still seemed deeply asleep. Hmm, Jeong-yoon pondered and decided to get out of the car first. Now it was time to support the sleeping Chae-heon into the apartment.

‘It’s because he’s asleep. It’s not because of personal feelings. If it were Kim Min-soo, I would have done the same. I can’t just leave him in the car and go home.’

Jeong-yoon thought to himself as he opened the back door on the side where Chae-heon was sitting. He wondered if he was too timid. Jeong-yoon was glad that he would soon be able to help him, but he also felt a slight sense of guilt. It felt like he was making a subtle trick toward a drunk person.