Reunion - Chapter 36

The real deals gathered for the first time in a long time and drank heavily until late. Sungwook tapped the calculator in his head and laughed thinking it would be alright if he could close the door now even though there was a long time left until closing hours. Of course, he didn’t mean to and remained welcoming to the guests who visited the store.

Still, as night went by, there were fewer visitors so I sat still in one corner of the bar and was treated as a casual guest.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Coffee.”

I wanted to have a light drink but I decided to be satisfied with caffeine because I was going to be the proxy driver for Jang Yoonsung today. As Jungho and Jongmin were still walking around the hall, Sungwook hyung went into the kitchen himself, probably because there was no one to order around instead.

Waiting for Sungwook hyung, I glanced at the real deals table. It was because Seo Hyejin was staring back at me for quite some time.

“We’ve met before, right?”

Seo Hyejin greeted me asking so and I replied in a dumbfounded voice.

“Before?”

Jang Yoonsung was squinting and watching our conversation.

“Yes, we met. Last time, at the university. My friend asked you for your number but I guess you don’t remember because it happened so many times…?”

Seo Hyejin said as if she criticized my goldfish-like memory. She pretended to joke but her tone implied how sarcastic she was. Just like Jang Yoonsung, with whom I met after 7 years, Seo Hyejin changed a lot too since then.

“Hey, come on.”

However, Seo Kijoon, who was sitting next to her, was abashed and it seemed that it was not her usual behavior.

Perhaps it was because I rejected her friend, Seo Hyejin was strangely hostile to me.

“No, I remember. I was not sure if it was you that time.”

I answered with a professional smile that I often showed customers. Seo Hyejin stared at me for a moment and relaxed her expression before answering.

“Well, that’s possible.”

She turned her eyes away from me as if she was done with her business. Seo Kijoon apologized to me with an awkward smile. It was true that Seo Hyejin’s attitude was a little rough but it was not enough that she had to apologize. I replied that it was okay and left with an empty tray.

Sungwook hyung, who was carrying iced coffee in both of his hands, inclined his eyes at Seo Hyejin and said something to me. One of the coffee glasses was placed in front of me and another in front of hyung.

“It’s not like that.”

“How is it then?”

That was the problem. Did Seo Hyejin perhaps remember me as someone similar to Han Jiyoung? I don’t think so. With how she glanced at me so obviously multiple times, it meant she was not sure of herself.

“Anyway, it’s not like that.”

I spoke emphatically and sipped the cold coffee. Jang Yoonsung was going to insist that he did not find his memories anyway.

Compared to Jang Yoonsung, Seo Hyejin was rather an easy person to deal with. On top of that, there was no reason for Seo Hyejin to dig into my identity. I didn’t know if Seo Hyejin still had something special for Jang Yoonsung; however, on the other hand, I was no longer anything for Jang Yoonsung. There was once again a loud guffaw coming from the real deals table.

It was well past midnight when the noisy drinking party ended. Before that, one of them had already been carried out and others crawled out. Some of them stumbled out of the store and the ones that remained were Jang Yoonsung, Seo Kijoon’s sister and Seo Kijoon, and Cha Yeonju. The other three were fine however Seo Kijoon seemed pretty inebriated so they decided to end the party there.

Cha Yeonju dragged Seo Kijoon out as if she was dragging a sack, reciting all kinds of curses. Cha Yeonju had a simple look compared to the strict and cynical expression she usually wore.

Seo Hyejin stared at my face once again and left the store with her head tilted. There was no trace of the person who once got out of the taxi in her school uniform. Now that I  was gobbling down my black bean noodles, something suddenly obstructed my view.

“What are you thinking about so intently?”

Jang Yoonsung collected the card he put in front of me and jammed it inside his pocket. It was as if he drank water instead of alcohol, he seemed very sober. When I was asked why I was looking at Seo Hyejin like that, I scratched my head and vaguely answered.

“Just.”

“Don’t be interested in her. She already has someone.”

“Ah, really?”

Fifteen, it was the innocence of someone young so it was no wonder she already got someone. Nevertheless, a surprised gasp escaped from my mouth. Jang Yoonsung narrowed his forehead as if he misunderstood something but he didn’t say anything about it afterwards.

Tick, tick, tick. I imagined the sound of the second hand moving while I sat on the sofa. The clock on the living room wall of Jang Yoonsung’s house didn’t make a sound. How many times did I imagine the sound of the clock ticking while watching the thin needle move smoothly? My stomach rumbled as if it couldn’t endure any longer. On the late morning of Sunday, even though it was usually time to busily engage in the kitchen, Jang Yoonsung didn’t even show up. I didn’t know whether he was sleeping until late or not.

After finishing one of the yogurts I found after scavenging through the refrigerator, I lay down on the sofa again and pondered while holding my flat stomach. Should I eat breakfast first or wait a little longer?

I didn’t know why I had been thinking about it for so long. It was such a useless worry. The body which would take its time adapting to difficult situations was easily tamed by laziness. How long would it take me to go back to my normal life when the current citation would end after three months?

It wasn’t easy to raise my body even though I thought I could. I tossed and turned for no reason. Still, I failed to get up so I changed my posture and laid down. The train of thought went on.

Three months might have been too long. After only a month, I already met Jang Yoonsung’s brother, his sister-in-law, and Seo Hyejin. At that rate, I might be able to see Mrs. Na in the second month and the new Chairman, Jang Myeongsoo in the third month.

The thought of it made me sigh. After a long heave, I changed my posture again but I got up surprised. There was a bystander who was not there before peeping out from behind the sofa.

“Hi.”

Jang Yoonsung greeted me with a smile as if he had enjoyed watching me agonize.

“Oh, you scared me. Why are you walking around without a sound? You are scaring me.”

“Well, is it not because you didn’t hear me?”

Now that I think of it, I didn’t not only hear the sound of his footsteps but also the sound of him opening and closing the door. He was not wrong so I closed my mouth.

“If you were already up, you should have called rather than lounging here alone.”

“It’s fine. You should catch up on your sleep since it’s the weekend.”

“Thank you but…”

But…?

Jang Yoonsung smiled vaguely as if it was useless to worry about him. I wondered if it was because he was still half asleep, his voice was drenching with fatigue. As if his face was saying, ‘I’m not drunk but I have a hangover.’ Jang Yoonsung looked at the kitchen and asked.

“Shall we go out for breakfast? At the cafe down the block.”

“Sure, it’s fine. Let’s go quickly. I am starving to death.”

“You can’t die yet. Let’s go quickly.’

Jang Yoonsung rushed with his wallet. Come to think of it, he didn’t set his hair like he did when he headed for work but instead combed it neatly and he was not wearing his pajamas. Didn’t he just wake up? I felt awkward, but Jang Yoonsung urged me by pushing my back while I put on my shoes and then we got on the elevator.

Near the house, there was a cafe that Jang Yoonsung often frequented for breakfast when he lived by himself. It was a place where I also stopped by to avoid meeting the helper lady because it was spacious and quiet. We ordered sandwiches, salads, and drinks and sat side by side at a large table. Jang Yoonsung was nibbling on the salad while I ate my sandwich, when he asked.

“When did you see Hyejin?”

“When I went to Gunwoo’s school last time. Uh, wait.”

I took a sip of the juice. I didn’t even know she was the one I saw then but I reasoned his question naturally.

“Did she get your number while you were there?”

“I didn’t give it to her.”

When I told Jang Yoonsung that I didn’t give it to her, he smiled and took a sip of his coffee. It was black coffee as if it was made using an espresso shot like the ones he made at home. Jang Yoonsung put down the coffee cup and continued to speak.

“Good job. I almost felt wronged. I only got your number when I broke my arm.”

I laughed because I found myself dumbfounded. One of his arms, it shouldn’t be taken lightly. At that time, Jang Yoonsung risked his life to save me and fortunately, he got away with it with an arm injury. But I didn’t dare to tell him not to save me if we get wrapped up in a similar situation again. At least until Gunwoo became a doctor.

I looked at Jang Yoonsung’s left arm and brought up one of the worries that I had buried.

“Is your arm okay now?”

“It has been a while since it got better.”

Jang Yoonsung replied as if I asked too late.

“When I saw your arm last time, you still seemed uncomfortable. Even when you drove to the villa…”

“Me? No, I’m all better. If my arm was uncomfortable, would I have been able to move a sleeping Hakyung?”

Well, that was that. It wasn’t easy to carry an adult man even though I was on the thinner side. Was I worrying too much when he acted like moving me was nothing? No, rather than that it was a different problem than just carrying a sleeping person.

“Don’t carry me next time. If you touch me when I sleep…”

“I’ll be in big trouble?”

“Hm…yeah.”

I wasn’t sure if it was wrong to kiss when I was already sober, however, I didn’t want him to see my ugliness when I clung to him and cried while I was asleep. While trying to answer gently, my lips stopped moving when I realized the strange thing Jang Yoonsung said.

“Is Lee Hakyung a scary person when he’s sleeping?”

Jang Yoonsung asked again. It had been a long time since I heard of it. I just blinked in reciprocation because I couldn’t comprehend the situation. What was it? I couldn’t remember…

“Well…I think someone said that. Who was it?”

Jang Yoonsung frowned as if he couldn’t think of the person who said it. It didn’t seem like he was pretending or trying to make me talk.

“No…I’ve never said that.”

“Hm, well someone must have.”

Jang Yoonsung didn’t bother to refute what I said. He brushed it off as if it wasn’t something important.

He picked up the fork again and poke through the salad. I munched on the sandwich in my mouth as I fidgeted by myself.

It occurred to me once again. Three months was too long, after all. There were a few problems other than me becoming lazy at the end of it. It was not only that Jang Yoonsung could regain his memories but that his fading memories and emotions often came to the surface of his consciousness, becoming clearer day by day. I didn’t like that very much. Some of them were meant to be buried.