CH 6.7

“Choose what you want to eat.”

“You choose yourself. I’ll eat these.”

“Alright.”

Yeon Woojeong scanned the display, then picked one with a black package that contained various types of nuts. Looking at how he chose the one that looked not tasty when there were others that looked better next to it, his taste certainly didn’t match mine.

“Would you like a plastic bag?”

“No.”

I was picking up the snacks and the nuts, but Yeon Woojeong put two cans of beer into his pockets and the remaining two into the hood of the padding jacket I wore.

“What the heck?”

“Pocket.”

Yeon Woojeong tapped my hand holding the snacks in my arms and then walked out first. I fiddled with the hood, which wasn’t as uncomfortable as I thought, then followed him.

“Do you often drink at night?”

“As you can see, I sometimes drink a can.”

“Is it tasty?”

“Rather than the taste, it’s because it’s refreshing.”

I couldn’t understand that—looking for beer when there are a lot of refreshing drinks in the world such as water, coke, lemon-lime soda, and juice. Still, I was glad that it wasn’t soju.

When we got home, I put down everything I held on the table in front of the sofa and took out the beers from my hood. I took off the padding jacket on the second floor, went downstairs, then sat next to Yeon Woojeong.

After opening a can, Yeon Woojeong immediately brought it to his lips. The gulping sounds sounded refreshing. As I stared at him, Yeon Woojeong wiped his wet lips with the back of his hand, then pushed a can toward me.

“Drink it.”

“I’m fine.”

“Why? You’re not a minor anymore.”

“The smell of alcohol is disgusting.”

Yeon Woojeong flinched at my words, then shrugged. I opened two packages of snacks one by one and then asked.

“So what did the attorney do?”

“Are you that curious?”

“Yeah. What did he do that he’s a fucking bastard?”

Yeon Woojeong laughed with a sigh at my words, then scratched his forehead.

“You should use nice words.”

“I’m just following you.”

“That’s it. I should have shown you good examples.”

“No matter what you do, I’ll take care of myself, so don’t worry.”

“… You look like you’re enjoying this?”

Yeon Woojeong narrowed his eyes. Like what he said, I was enjoying this; witnessing the side of him he didn’t want to show me. Because it felt like I was learning more about him.

He let out a sigh and took a sip of beer.

“It’s only, well, a common story. Something like persuading the victim to settle for a ridiculously small settlement amount.”

“So that’s why you were angry?”

“He’s someone I know. There are always bastards like that. Dragging out personal feelings, then laughing with a face saying, ‘look at this, I win against you.’ I didn’t even have the intention to fight, but I have to see an innocent person get hurt.”

I examined Yeon Woojeong’s face while putting the chocolate-flavored snack into my mouth. He was looking ahead with an expressionless face, but unlike usual, he looked down. It was sweet inside my mouth. I slightly pushed the snack package toward him.

Yeon Woojeong glanced at me, then took one and put it into his mouth. He chewed on it a few times but then creased his forehead and took a sip of beer.

I couldn’t completely understand Yeon Woojeong’s situation, but I felt like I knew what he felt, roughly. Even when I was in school, there were bastards who hated me unilaterally, and when they were scolded by the teacher, they snickered at each other or would drag me to get scolded as well. Well, let’s say it was because I had a bad personality, but why did it happen to Yeon Woojeong?

Come to think of it, the prosecutor I saw at the seolleongtang restaurant also picked a fight for no reason. Successful people become the targets of envy wherever they go, so the reason must be obvious.

“I should have lived better.”

“…”

“I feel shitty whenever that comes to mind.”

Yeon Woojeong muttered without looking at me. A dismal voice. It flustered me because I didn’t know that he also had such a thought. It felt like I saw something I shouldn’t have seen. I felt restless suddenly. I wanted to do something for him, but I didn’t know what I should do.

“Should I comfort you?”

In the end, what came out was only this kind of question. Yeon Woojeong looked at me, then his lips immediately saturated with a smile.

“Do it, the comfort.”

I did bring it up first, but I didn’t know how to do it. I had never comforted anyone, so obviously I didn’t know.

The gaze staring at me got longer. He and I sat side by side, leaving only a short distance. When I realized the close distance, my hand moved on its own.

I put my hand on top of Yeon Woojeong’s head, then slowly caressed him from the back of his head to his nape. This was my first time caressing someone like this. This was also awkward to me, but I liked the feel, so I caressed him a few times.

He stared at me intently while slowly blinking his eyes. I then took my hand off him, but he didn’t stop looking at me. I covered the watch with my left hand.

The time felt like stopping. It felt so until Yeon Woojeong moved.

He leaned his back and head into the sofa. The deep black eyes, which looked endless, softly scanned my eyes, nose, and lips. A faint breath came out of his lips. Yeon Woojeong smiled lightly.

“Hmm. It works, the comfort.”

I couldn’t keep my hands still. Yeon Woojeong’s smile looked so peaceful. I did nothing, but since he said it like that, it rather felt I was the one getting better.

Even though I feigned indifference, eating the snacks because I couldn’t keep meeting his eyes, Yeon Woojeong’s gaze didn’t leave me. When I glanced at him again, his eyes curved like the moon.

“This is good. Releasing the anger while talking like this.”

“Do you drink alone, usually?”

“Mhm.”

“Don’t you have any friends?”

“I do have, but… it’s tiresome—making the appointment.”

“You must mean you are lazy.”

“That, too, is right.”

I was glad that Yeon Woojeong’s mood looked better. I didn’t want to see Yeon Woojeong being gloomy because of an irrelevant bastard.

“You work diligently, right, Mr. Yeon? You obviously live better than those bastards.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Give him a blow next time.”

“What should I do?”

“Pretend it’s a mistake and give him a punch.”

“A prosecutor does that?”

“Or spit at him when you eat.”

“I don’t want to eat with him.”

“Then just use your words. You are good at making people annoyed.”

Yeon Woojeong covered his lips with his hand holding the can and laughed.

“When do I make you annoyed?”

Well, there was a lot of him that made me annoyed. Like when he teased me, when he did not accept what I gave him, and when he giggled for an unknown reason…

“When you look at me like this.”

“Meany. So I can’t look at you?”

Yeon Woojeong sighed dramatically. I did know that this, too, was him teasing me, but I didn’t want to say anything bad.

“Well, it’s not that annoying.”

When I added, Yeon Woojeong stared at me with playful eyes. I avoided his eyes and put the snacks into my mouth.

“Is it tasty?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought you don’t like snacks since you rarely have them. Call me when you want to eat late at night. I’ll buy it for you.”

“How do I call you when I don’t know when you’ll get home?”

“Call me whenever. I’ll leave it before I go to work, so you can eat it in the morning.”

Yeon Woojeong emptied the can, then opened another one. I looked at him, who drank the beer refreshingly.

I thought about Yeon Woojeong, who bought what I wanted to eat after accepting my call. He then put it on the dining table because he found out I was asleep when he got home. When I woke up in the morning, I would look at it once before I entered the bathroom and once when I got out of the bathroom.

It was a peaceful view. A view that made me wait for the next day and the next day.

I rubbed my pants using my hands that I didn’t use to pick the snacks. Somehow, I felt like saying something.

“Are you busy nowadays?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Basically, all office workers are busy at the end and the beginning of the year. And nowadays, I’m busy chasing after druggies….”

“Chasing? You also do things like that?”

“To be exact, not me, but the investigating officers. But still, I’m the type who often visits the sites.”

“Why?”

“I feel uncomfortable if I only sit still. Instead, double overtime.”

Yeon Woojeong loosened his tie and unbuttoned two buttons. There was a black turtleneck tee inside. Looking at the contrasting colors, I asked.

“Isn’t that dangerous? They are criminals.”

“It’s not a dangerous site.”

He extended his hand and then tapped my cheek with the back of his hand. Even though it was only a light touch, the sensation lasted long. I held back the urge to rub my cheek.

“But I have to lessen it now. Because you are here.”