PO 17

The next morning, Woojeong opened his eyes on a bed that was unfamiliar. The bed across, where Lee Doyoung had slept, was empty. He thought maybe he had gone to the bathroom, so he waited for a while, but the room stayed silent without a sign of anyone.

Woojeong turned his body and lay face down on the bed. He pressed his cheek into the soft sheet and only blinked quietly. Whether it was because the place to sleep had changed or because of the alcohol, he had barely slept, so his head felt blank. He wished he could stay lazy longer, but since the surroundings were already bright, he felt he had to get up.

As Woojeong lifted his body while staring at the window where faint light came in, he suddenly remembered what Han Jaegang had said.

“In the morning, open the window and look outside once. The view from that room is the best.”

Woojeong moved on his knees to the window. The bed was set against the wall, and the window was low, so he didn’t even need to step down. Woojeong pulled aside the thin curtain and opened the window. Cold and clear air rushed in. The air that carried the scent of the mountain flowed into his lungs and spilled out as an exclamation.

“Wow…….”

The yard with small trees planted stretched out like a horizon. Below, green mountains unfolded, and beyond them, the scenery of the busy city appeared small. The square window frame served as a border, and it felt like looking at a landscape painting drawn in fine detail.

Woojeong rested his arms on the window frame and stretched out his head. He wanted to see it from a little closer. Instead of being filled with too much, the yard had been left spacious, and sunlight poured across every corner. Drops of water that had clung to blades of grass reflected the sunlight and glittered.

So that’s why he told me to look. With the clear air, the drowsiness drifted away, and he felt lighter.

It was while Woojeong was enjoying the scenery of the garden alone.

“Huh?”

Footsteps rustling closer reached his ears, and then someone entered the yard. Yoon Ijun, who wore a furry jumper, spotted Woojeong and stopped.

“Did you sleep here?”

“Yeah, where did you go?”

“I went for a walk, and now I’m going to eat. Come out too. Let’s go together.”

“I didn’t even wash my face yet.”

“I didn’t either.”

Yoon Ijun said everyone else haven’t washed either, so they should hurry, and he urged Woojeong. Woojeong asked him to wait for a moment, washed quickly, and came out to follow him. For Yoon Ijun, the people at the villa seemed easy to be with, but not for Woojeong.

“Your face is so puffed up.”

“Maybe because I drank yesterday.”

“After drinking that much, of course.”

Woojeong laughed awkwardly and looked around. The morning at the villa felt different even in the air. Because the surroundings were open wide, it felt like his eyes were refreshed.

While walking on the stepping stones, Woojeong touched his knee lightly over his clothes. The wound from last night still ached, but it wasn’t very uncomfortable. It was thanks to the careful treatment. He wished the wound on his cheek would stay unnoticed, but now there was nothing he could do.

“By the way, what about your hyung?”

“When I woke up, he wasn’t there. He must’ve gone out first.”

“Really? Ugh, it’s cold. Let’s hurry.”

Yoon Ijun put his hands into his pockets and shivered. Woojeong quickened his steps to keep up with him who walked almost at a run.

•••

“Welcome, Woojeong-ssi.”

“Come sit quick.”

As soon as they opened the front door of the main house, a delicious smell greeted the two. The people gathered around the table waved them over to sit. A worker came and prepared dishes and spoons for the two.

“How would you like your meal prepared?”

“I want ramen. What about you?”

“I’ll have the same, please.”

When Woojeong sat next to Yoon Ijun, Lee Doyoung, who was sitting across and watching them, spoke. In front of him was a plate with eggs and salad.

“Did you sleep well? You looked tired, so I didn’t wake you, but you woke up right on time.”

“……Yeah. Hyung, did you sleep well too?”

“Aren’t you two sounding too affectionate for brothers?”

Yoon Ijun, who had been listening to the conversation, frowned.

“Are you jealous? My beloved youngest! Did you sleep well? Because you snored so much, I had nightmares all night.”

Yoon Hyunjun, who was eating hangover soup at the end of the table, interrupted. With messy hair and a groggy face, he looked like he had just gotten up. Sa Hunmin, who was holding a spoon beside him, also looked tired. Maybe because of drinking too much last night, everyone’s complexion seemed worn out.

“The hangover soup tastes good. You should’ve eaten rice too. Woojeong-ssi, is your stomach okay?”

“Yes.”

“Being young is good after all. We old guys feel like our stomachs are burning to death.”

When Yoon Hyunjun asked and tapped his arm, Sa Hunmin shook his head.

“I’m fine. Why are you dragging me into it?”

“You call that fine with how you look?”

People let out small laughs, but Lee Doyoung lifted his coffee cup with a sullen face. He looked at Woojeong with dissatisfaction, then soon turned his eyes away.

“Doyoung-ssi. Why don’t you eat something warm too? Wouldn’t that settle your stomach?”

“This is enough for me. I usually don’t eat breakfast.”

For some reason, Lee Doyoung, who had been cold, answered Yoon Hyunjun kindly. Woojeong worried that maybe he had done something to upset him, but nothing came to mind right away.

“Meals are ready.”

A moment later, ramen steaming white smoke was placed on the table. With shrimp and bean sprouts set prettily on top of the noodles, it looked more like a fine dish than just ramen.

After stirring the ramen roughly and taking a bite, Yoon Ijun looked at his brother, who was gulping hangover soup.

“Are we going home right after we eat?”

“We should go back. We had a good day.”

“It feels a bit of a waste to leave like this.”

At that moment, the window-side door opened suddenly, and Han Jaegang came in. He smelled of cigarette, maybe because he had smoked. Sitting beside Lee Doyoung, he picked up Yoon Ijun’s words.

“If it feels like a waste, then stay longer before you go.”

“You said all the hyungs are leaving.”

“It’s not like you wanted to hang out with the hyungs anyway. You can stay with Woojeong-ssi longer and go later.”

“Really? Woojeong, should we stay longer and go later?”

Yoon Ijun asked brightly. Unable to decide for himself, Woojeong looked at Lee Doyoung. With a reluctant face, Lee Doyoung gave permission.

“If you want to, then do that. But how will you get home?”

“Taking him home isn’t hard.”

“Then how about this, we stop by somewhere nearby to get some fresh air together before going? Only if Jaegang-ssi has time.”

“Sorry, but I have work in the afternoon.”

“Really? ……Then nothing can be done.”

When Han Jaegang cut him off, Lee Doyoung showed disappointment. Woojeong gave Yoon Ijun, who was waiting for his answer, an apologetic look.

“Sorry. I think I need to go back with hyung too.”

Woojeong, looking sorry, turned down Yoon Ijun’s suggestion. He had intended to refuse anyway. And since Lee Doyoung’s idea hadn’t worked, Woojeong had no reason to stay here.

“Really? Then it can’t be helped. Let’s meet again sometime.”

“Yeah.”

“Give me your contact.”

While Woojeong and Yoon Ijun finished their ramen, the rest sat comfortably and kept talking.

Sa Hunmin, who had recently started working at his father’s company, complained that he was suffering from the old men there.

“They oppose everything I try to do, so it’s killing me. Damn it, did I start working just to listen to those geezers nag?”

“If you’ve had your fun all this time, you should accept at least that much.”

“Hey. Seriously, how did you endure all that till now with your temper?”

Sa Hunmin looked at Han Jaegang as if he found it amazing. Han Jaegang spun the lighter in his hand slowly as he listened to his complaint, and he replied carelessly.

“Don’t try to beat the stagnant old ones head-on. Use your head.”

“Of course I use my head. I’m not that dumb, okay? You and I went to schools of a similar level.”

“Similar? How’s it similar? Is someone like you, who barely graduated college by sticking four or five people at your side, the same as him? You need to say something that makes sense.”

When Yoon Hyunjun sneered, Sa Hunmin pretended to kick him, and they bickered. Then he cleared his throat and asked Han Jaegang for help.

“Give me a tip. How do I make work go smoothly?”

“……Then use other people’s heads, and you use your money.”

“Other people’s heads?”

“If you gather the right people, you don’t need to use your own head.”

“Gather people?”

“Yes. You just take responsibility for bringing in funds. Your role is to give rewards equal to results. By then, your head will start working, so think about it again.”

Han Jaegang, who answered indifferently, drank his cooled coffee. Sa Hunmin rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, and he nudged Yoon Hyunjun.

“When you hear that guy talk, everything sounds easy, right? But when I actually try, why is everything so hard? Seriously. It drives me crazy.”

“Of course. Your head doesn’t keep up.”

“You bastard. Damn. Anyway, put someone into your workshop class.”

“No, asshole. You’re trying to send another lunatic again.”

“Come on, put them in. They’re obsessed with making a ring themselves.”

Han Jaegang, who had been sitting slanted in his chair listening to his friends, tapped on the table. Yoon Hyunjun, Sa Hunmin, and the others who had been busy with personal jabs turned toward him.

“How about Lee Doyoung-ssi also tries that class? Woojeong-ssi can join if he’s interested too.”

Woojeong, who was drinking water, coughed lightly. He still hadn’t fixed the habit of flinching whenever his name suddenly came out of someone else’s mouth.

“What kind of class is it?”

“That guy has a metal craft workshop in his gallery. It seems it’s a class they open there, and it’s fairly well known.”

“Reservations are probably full, but if you two are interested, of course we can make spots for you.”

Lee Doyoung, who had no interest in that sort of thing, shook his head right away. The idea of struggling to make something that he could just buy with money didn’t suit him.

“I’ll pass. I don’t have much skill with my hands.”

When Lee Doyoung refused, Han Jaegang turned his eyes to Woojeong.

“What about you, Woojeong-ssi?”

Woojeong was interested in metal craft. It was one of the things he wanted to learn someday. When Han Jaegang had come to his house, he had even talked briefly about it, since he had been interested for a long time.

When he hesitated to answer, Lee Doyoung made a humming sound as if adjusting his pitch and gave him a look. Woojeong understood that it meant to refuse this suggestion, but he couldn’t answer right away.

It was an unexpected chance. When would such an opportunity come again? If he refused like this, he felt he would regret it for a long time.

As Woojeong hesitated to answer, Han Jaegang set his cup down with a tap. When Woojeong reflexively looked at him, Han Jaegang gave a small nod as if asking why he wasn’t answering quickly. Woojeong, swayed by his urging, opened his mouth on impulse.

“……I want to try it.”

“Really? Good choice. Our workshop class is great. You can contact me through Ijun.”

Once the matter was settled, Han Jaegang stood up with a cigarette. As Woojeong watched his back heading outside, he thought maybe this suggestion wasn’t for Lee Doyoung, but for him.

He couldn’t understand why he cared this much about him…….