Chapter 21

It was certain that the ring’s match was someone he didn’t want, but for him, I was rather a worse match than someone he didn’t even know. Knowing that, I had to be cautious and careful in taking each step forward. To do that, it was necessary to remove all obstacles.

“Hyung!”

When I entered a cafe a little ways from the office, Choi Jin Ho, who had already come and was waiting, stood up and waved. As if to prove that it has been a while since he’d been waiting, a bunch of seemingly complicated specialized1 textbooks was piled up on the table.

As soon as we sat down face-to-face, Choi Jin Ho quickly put away the books and placed a smile on his neat face.

“What do you want to drink? Americano? No, you haven’t had dinner yet, have you? Want to go eat right away?”

I caught him getting up as if he was going to order whatever at any moment.

“I don’t need anything.”

“I got paid for my part-time job yesterday. I’ll buy it today, so choose from the menu if you…”

“It’s fine, sit down.”

Choi Jin Ho sat down slowly as if embarrassed by my cold voice, looking here and there with his eyes rolling around.

A neat appearance, dark black eyes full of thoughts, clear features, a slightly skinny body, and an atmosphere that seemed adult-like but still a student.

‘Looks alike.’

My lover Choi Jin Ho and Shin Woo Seo, who came to mind, looked quite alike. If one put them together, anyone would expect them to be close friends.

When I thought about it, I was already missing Woo Seo. I couldn’t waste my time in a place like this.

I looked down at the wristwatch on my left hand silently.

It was six thirty-five p.m.

Woo Seo would be coming to the office around seven o’clock, so I had thought of returning after talking with Choi Jin Ho before then.

Even if [we’re having a] conversation, as a matter of fact, there was no need to say more.

“Let’s end it.”

Choi Jin Ho eyes widened at the short words that came from my mouth. Belatedly understanding what I meant like a lagging program, he tried to smile while mumbling.

“Hyung, just now… What are you talking about? Don’t joke…”

“Do I look like a person idle enough to play around?”

He was not a thick-headed guy, so it would be nice if he could understand it immediately, but Choi Jin Ho rolled2 his eyes anxiously and pretended not to know.

“Did I misunderstand? What you’re saying… You mean…”

“It’s time to end playing lovers.”

“Why?!”

A loud voice erupted from Choi Jin Ho’s mouth. Because of that, some people sitting nearby glanced this way. Choi Jin Ho must’ve felt the gazes too, but he did not intend to lower his voice.

“What, what did I do wrong? That’s it, hyung? If you tell me, I’ll fix anything. What should I do? En?”

“There’s nothing wrong and nothing to fix.”

I got up from my seat and looked down at Choi Jin Ho, who was still dazed.

“It’s because I don’t need you anymore.”

Upon hearing that, Choi Jin Ho’s shoulders fell with an ashen face. It seemed quite shocking because it was a sudden notice, but I wasn’t patient to pretend to comfort him. Just in case Woo Seo arrived early and was waiting, I left the cafe, leaving only those words to go back on my own.

I opened the driver’s seat door of my parked car and heard Choi Jin Ho shouting behind me to wait. As soon as he ran out, he slammed the driver’s door hard with his hand, closed it again, as if trying to keep me out of the car, and grabbed my arm.

“Hyung, what did I do wrong? I said I’d fix it all. I’ll fix everything.”

With a distorted face that seemed like it was about to burst into tears soon, he crumpled the front of my suit jacket with both hands, clinging to it.

“You know you’re the only one I have. How…how can you end it suddenly, like this…?

About to cry, Choi Jin Ho’s eyes finally filled with tears.

“We can’t break up like this, hyung… I can become the person you need… I’ll change everything according to your taste.”

I looked down coldly at Choi Jin Ho, who had begun to sniffle. I didn’t know he was so tactless and stubborn.

“Don’t get me wrong, Choi Jin Jo.”

His slightly thin shoulders flinched. I grabbed both his wrists and in a single effort, pulled them off my suit.3

“Even if you change everything from head to toe, there is no hope. Let’s stop here.”

There were clear wrinkles on the front of my suit caught by Choi Jin Ho. I had to meet Woo Seo soon, but my neat and tidy suit was wrinkled so I was very annoyed. Staring at Choi Jin Ho, who was holding his wrist, I pushed him hard and he faltered, collapsing on the floor.

I took off my suit jacket, threw it roughly in the backseat, and opened the driver’s door.

“Hyung, wa-…wait…!”

Right when Choi Jin Ho got up hurriedly and I felt like he was about to grab my shoulder, I turned around and slapped his hand harshly. I placed my hand on Choi Jin Ho’s shoulder, and with tearful eyes, he stiffened as if surprised.

“Don’t be annoying. Let’s go our separate ways, Jin Ho-ya.”

In a dull voice that did not contain any emotion, I spoke like driving a wedge.

I drove the car, leaving Choi Jin in the darkness with his trembling eyes as if he had been abandoned. As I went forward, I glanced at the rearview mirror, Choi Jin Ho was sitting on the ground and staring endlessly this way. Even when I saw that, it didn’t bring me any unrest.

On the way back to the office, my mind was full of only Shin Woo Seo, who would be coming soon, not Choi Jin Ho, who was thrown away with harsh words a moment ago.

++++++++++

Every day, I would sleep at a hotel with Woo Seo, and then we parted ways for a few days.

It seemed that the burden on Woo Seo was reaching its limits as I spent my money recklessly. In fact, that’s what I wanted, so I dragged him around to the hotels; it was time to slowly proceed to the next task.

Ddok ddok–4

After a brief knock, I heard a voice ask me to come in from inside. When I opened the door, I saw Kang Ji Yeon preparing clothes for the next day in front of the closet.

“What is it, oppa?”

Ji Yeon was holding a dress on the hanger and put another jacket on it, and I hinted to her.

“Doesn’t it take too much time to go back and forth from here to Pangyo?”5

“It is, but it doesn’t matter because I have a car anyway.”

Ji Yeon tried putting on another jacket and decided on the style, so she hung both the clothes on the hanger outside the closet.

“I’ll get a house for you.”

Surprised, Ji Yeon turned her head and looked at me.

“Really? But aren’t the housing prices near the company a bit expensive? No matter how much you make, your back will break.”6

Ji Yeon dared to commute by car because the housing prices in the area were as expensive as in Seoul to get a house with her company.

“It takes a couple of hours just to commute to and from work, it can get in the way. You wanted to live on your own too.”

“It does, but…”

Ji Yeon hesitated and looked around. She wanted to live alone for a long time, but it wasn’t necessary for her to spend money because the distance between the company and this house was close. So naturally, Ji Yeon gave up on living alone, but this time the company moved quite suddenly. Perhaps because it was an opportunity to live alone that suddenly came after having given up, there were a lot of difficulties. Of course, the one thing that stood out the most was money.

“Will it be okay, oppa? It’s going to be expensive.”

Ji Yeon asked carefully. Whether cheap or expensive, I only had one answer anyway.

“Tell me as soon as you find a house, I’ll pay as much as you want.”

Instantly, Ji Yeon’s face brightened.

++++++++++

After confirming that Ji Yeon had signed a contract for a house, she told Ji Seok, who was watching a movie on the TV alone in the living room.

“Do you know how long the contract period is for Woo Seo’s one-room?”7

“Huh?”

Ji Seok, who was laughing out loud while watching the movie, quickly jerked his head as if responding to the name ‘Woo Seo’ that suddenly popped out.

“Why?”

“There’s one empty room.”

“…huh?”

Ji Seok tilted his head, not readily understanding it. Sitting side by side on the sofa where Ji Seok was sitting, I looked at the TV as if I was indifferent.

“I don’t have much stuff to keep [the room] as a storage room, so I thought it would be nice to let Woo Seo live there. Wouldn’t it be better to stay in Ji Yeon’s room than live in a cramped studio while paying the monthly rent?”

“So suddenly?”

Ji opened his eyes wide and looked at me with suspicion, forgetting that he was watching a movie. I said I would just turn on the news if he wasn’t going to watch it but he kept asking me as if he wasn’t curious about what was going to happen in the movie that he had been enjoying watching.

“You don’t like to be around other people. Is it okay to live together with Woo Seo?”

“He used to sleep over sometime when he had tutoring. Since before and now, he’s quiet and quick-witted, so I don’t think it’ll bother me much if we were together.”

I took the remote control from Ji Seok’s hand and looked up the channel numbers one by one as if trying to find the news.

“And he’s good at cooking. That’s good, I’m sick of delivery food.”

“That’s all?”

“Maybe?”

Kang Ji Seok’s eyes were still not relaxed. His eyes filled with a mysterious light. gleamed subtly and sharply.