Chapter 375: Sunglasses
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 375: Sunglasses
Crackle, crackle.
The charcoal fire was beginning to die down.
It was that time of night when, if you listened closely to the gentle chirping of crickets, you could hear the secret, intimate sounds of men and women mixed in.
I, who had been sitting with my head hung low, suddenly stood up and grabbed the flashlight I’d left on the table.
“Are you going?”
Choi I-seo, who had been nodding off in the seat next to me, fumbled with her clothes as she put them back on and followed right behind me.
It was cold sleeping outside.
But I couldn't exactly let the kids sleep inside, either.
There simply wasn't any room left in the pension.
Even though a few people had gone home, there were still so many people that every inch of floor space was taken. Our group was just sleeping in their cars.
“Yawn.”
I let out a long yawn as I headed toward the foot volleyball court.
Choi I-seo slipped her arm through mine. This natural intimacy felt quite satisfying.
Past the court, toward the thicket where the trees grew dense.
As I shone the flashlight in that direction, I saw a man and a woman huddled together, pants down.
“Kyaak!”
“What the—?!”
Watching the startled pair scramble to fix their clothes, I let out a heavy sigh.
“I told you not to do it outdoors. The pension owner specifically asked me several times to make sure this didn't happen.”
“Ah, no, it’s just…”
“There’s nowhere to do it in the rooms! There are people sleeping everywhere, even in the bathrooms!”
“Then just don’t do it. Is it really that hard to hold back?”
When I gestured irritably for them to get out of there, the two of them shuffled out, looking sheepish.
“Do it tomorrow. Wouldn't it be better to just do it at home? Besides, there are bugs out here. It’s dangerous.”
“Yes…”
“We’re sorry.”
That was the fourth warning today.
Before I knew it, I had become a sniffer dog, tasked with sniffing out and interrupting their love lives.
“I heard someone got stung by a bee while doing it near here and had to be carried off. I think that’s why the owner is so sensitive about it,” Choi I-seo added, her explanation finally softening the mood as the two headed back.
We returned to our original table.
I wondered if we really had to sleep out here, but then again, there was nowhere else to go.
“Ah, I’m exhausted.”
“How are you going to handle work tomorrow?”
“The uncle said he’d drive me at dawn.”
The bald man who had dropped off Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho had come back.
Last I saw, he was sharing drinks and stories with Ahn Hyun-ho and Jeong Chan-woo. I’d been too busy through the night to join them.
‘Things are complicated in so many ways.’
Senior Ju-hee, Oh Yun-ji…
The fact that they were weighing so heavily on my mind was more annoying than I expected. The biggest issue was that I didn't know how to describe what I was feeling right now.
My hand instinctively reached for a bottle, but Choi I-seo caught my wrist and stopped me.
“Why are you drinking again? You have to work tomorrow. Drink in moderation.”
“Whew, yeah. You’re right.”
I tried my best to hold back, listening to her. I tried to soothe my stomach by tossing a few crackers—the only snacks left—into my mouth.
“Something else happened, didn't it?”
I-seo rested her chin on her hand and looked at me.
“Was it that obvious?”
“You were practically sending out signals for me to notice.”
“Heh.”
A faint smile played on my lips.
In situations like this, Choi I-seo always supported me. I was sure she would this time, too.
“So, here’s the thing.”
Was there any need to hide it?
After all, wasn't I the man who had made it this far on nothing but honesty?
I told I-seo everything that had happened today without leaving anything out.
And after that, I don't remember a thing.
*
The next morning.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Min Ju-hee, Oh Yun-ji, and Choi Jin-ah.
The three of them were staring at each other.
Even though it wasn't strange for them to be seen together lately, the looks they were exchanging were thick with awkwardness.
The ramyeon sitting in the center was meant to be a hangover cure.
But no one picked up their chopsticks, as they were all too busy reading the room.
“Excuse me.”
A man they’d never seen before approached the three of them.
He was likely one of the people who had come for the party. Behind him, a few of his friends were watching.
“Would you like to eat some ramyeon with us? We have kimchi and shrimp. If you put these in—”
“Can’t you see we’re in the middle of a serious conversation?”
“The party ended yesterday. You should have your wits about you today.”
At the growls from Oh Yun-ji and Min Ju-hee, the man couldn't even finish his sentence before turning tail and fleeing.
That was how chilling the atmosphere around the three was.
Actually, it was just the atmosphere between two of them.
Choi Jin-ah, caught in the middle, just kept picking up and putting down her chopsticks awkwardly.
“S-So…”
She was the only one who could move the conversation forward.
Having reached that conclusion, Choi Jin-ah finally managed to squeeze out a word.
“So, you’re saying you two did this and that with Woo-jin yesterday?”
“Wait, Senior Ju-hee might have, but I didn't.”
Oh Yun-ji, not wanting to be lumped in with a serial kisser, hurriedly defended herself.
“If anything, I just spent time reminiscing about the past and old memories!”
“From my perspective…”
Hearing that, Min Ju-hee scowled and retorted.
“Isn't that actually worse? You were giving him an opening by stirring up old feelings and acting like you still had regrets.”
“Hey, you can't compare that to a senior who just went and had him.”
“Had him—?! No, don't make it sound so weird!”
“It’s not wrong! You forced your arm around someone else’s boyfriend, dragged him away, and planted a kiss on him!”
“I told you, Woo-jin was the one who got more forceful after that!”
The argument between the two grew inevitably heated and long.
‘Ah, they’re spitting all over the food.’
Meanwhile, Choi Jin-ah was only worried about the ramyeon.
Deciding to at least eat for herself, she quickly grabbed a mouthful with her chopsticks.
Slurp.
“Mmm!”
The older girls had told her that ramyeon was the only way to go the day after drinking.
They were right.
The spicy ramyeon settling her stomach felt pretty great.
‘I’ve been drinking too much lately.’
She wasn't usually the type to enjoy alcohol that much.
It felt like she’d drunk a whole year’s worth of alcohol in just the last few months. She felt like a normal college student, but she really needed to get her act together.
She hadn't thought much of it before because the same chef always prepared a balanced, healthy menu for her, but Choi Jin-ah was only recently beginning to appreciate them.
‘Gaining weight, suffering through hangovers… in the end, it’s all my responsibility.’
Freedom was a double-edged sword.
It was certainly good, but it meant you had to shoulder the responsibility for it yourself.
She felt like she was finally learning what it was she had truly wanted all this time.
There was a time she compared herself to a dolphin.
A dolphin that takes one breath at the surface just so it can dive back down into the deep ocean for a long time.
She realized it was foolish to have longed for the surface just because she could breathe there.
She felt like her perspective had widened a bit.
And.
“Sigh, what’s the point of us talking like this?”
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
She had learned that a person’s life doesn't fall apart that easily, even if you live a bit recklessly.
‘I guess your life doesn't go to hell even if you live like a total mess.’
She’d learned that through Kim Woo-jin.
Slurp.
*
Vrooooom.
What woke me up was the deep rumble of an engine.
The beast that had roared so fiercely yesterday was now purring gently, providing a charmingly smooth ride.
‘Ugh.’
When did I fall asleep yesterday?
It felt like I’d blacked out, even though I hadn't drunk that much.
‘I was definitely talking to Choi I-seo in the early morning…’
I remember falling asleep at some point during that.
‘I have to go to work.’
As I slowly lifted my head, I realized I was sleeping with my head on someone’s lap.
And that my wrists were bound.
“…”
Handcuffs.
Fuck, they were even the fuzzy kind.
I wondered what the hell was going on.
“Ah…”
The owner of the lap was Seo Ye-rin.
She was resting her chin on her hand, looking out the window.
She was wearing sunglasses.
“Sunglasses?”
Why sunglasses?
As I tried to sit up, I felt something against my calves.
Glancing down, I saw Yoo Ah-rin, who had my legs propped up on her lap.
She was also wearing sunglasses.
“Sunglasses?”
I asked again, but there was no answer.
Confused, I looked toward the front. Two people were sitting in the driver and passenger seats.
The bald man and Choi I-seo.
The bald man who was supposed to take me to work today.
And Choi I-seo in the passenger seat.
Both were wearing sunglasses, staring out at the distant scenery.
“What is this?”
I didn't know what kind of gimmick they were going for, but it was a little scary.
“I’m serious. I have to go to work.”
“I talked to the Vice Chairman.”
Choi I-seo reached out and showed me her phone. There was an actual KakaoTalk thread with my brother.
They’d arranged it so it looked like I was being called to headquarters, allowing me to rest.
In short, they’d used a loophole so I didn't have to work today.
“So I don't have to go to work today?”
I suddenly felt a lot better.
“Don't smile, you criminal.”
Yoo Ah-rin warned me, slapping my thigh.
“…”
I didn't bother asking why I was a criminal.
The things I’d done yesterday were technically crimes.
Anyway.
I understood that the bald man and the girls were taking me somewhere, but…
“Hey, can I ask just one more thing?”
I couldn't stand the curiosity.
“Where did you get the sunglasses?”
The bald man was the one who answered.
“Han-gang bought them to wear with his friends but forgot them here.”
“Ah.”
So that’s why they were all wearing them.
“…Let me wear one too.”
Seeing the four of them in sunglasses actually started to look cool, so I made the request.
Choi I-seo pulled a pair of sunglasses from the front and handed them to Seo Ye-rin.
Seo Ye-rin neatly slid them onto my face.
Hmm.
Now that I was wearing sunglasses, I felt like I shouldn't open my mouth.
I think I finally understood why everyone was keeping their conversation to a minimum.
Because it was cool.
Thanks to that, for a while, the only sound in the car was the hum of the engine.