Three Glasses of Soju
“…I’m telling you I’ll pay, Gyeong-rok hyung.”
“What kind of older brother lets his junior buy him dinner in Korea?”
Gyeong-rok hyung turned out to be surprisingly stubborn. Even though I insisted on paying, he kept choosing an expensive place, claiming he would cover it himself.
“O-oppa… The team leader isn’t going to eat everything and leave us behind, right?”
“…He won’t.”
Min-ah had been tense even before we stepped inside. She walked with her arms tightly folded, glancing around nervously.
…He really wouldn’t, right?
Just like last time, Gyeong-rok hyung had reserved a private room.
The moment the door closed, Min-ah’s shoulders finally relaxed. She plopped down heavily into her chair.
“Whoa… This is my first time in a place like this.”
Min-ah opened the menu and her eyes widened into perfect circles.
“Huh? Team leader, are these prices for real?”
“Why?”
Her hand holding the menu trembled slightly. …Had I really never taken her out for an expensive meal before?
“The price of the meat is basically our entire daily food budget…?”
Gyeong-rok hyung let out a small chuckle. It didn’t sound like he was mocking us.
“Then let’s just say we’re saving today’s food budget.”
“Oppa. Our team leader is loaded.”
“That’s why I call him hyung-nim.”
At my joke, Min-ah burst into giggles.
Once the staff finished setting up the charcoal and left, Min-ah quietly picked up her water glass, took a sip, and asked Gyeong-rok hyung,
“Um, team leader… Are we not drinking soju today?”
“You always skipped out during company dinners, but today must have been especially tough, huh?”
His teasing tone made me laugh.
…In the past, I would have felt bothered by the way the two of them talked about things I didn’t know. But now, it felt different.
“Does Min-ah not drink much at company dinners? At home she’s completely—”
“Oppa! Why are you saying that!”
Flustered, Min-ah’s cheeks flushed bright red as she clapped a hand over my mouth.
Gyeong-rok hyung seemed to find our playful bickering hilarious and laughed loudly.
“Alright, alright. We should have a drink.”
He called the staff over and ordered a bottle of premium soju, then poured for me and Min-ah in turn.
“You really shouldn’t keep making her exercise and then drink. It’ll become a bad habit.”
“Hehe. So are you saying you’ll stop teaching me how to work out now?”
Min-ah covered her mouth with both hands and laughed. Her voice was full of anticipation, but it quickly died down at his next words.
“No way. From now on, we’ll exercise without the drinking. I’ll do my best to help before Min-ah can fit into that dress again.”
“Aaaah! Team leader, nooo!”
Watching Min-ah wail dramatically, hyung and I burst out laughing at the same time.
“Mmm! This expensive meat really is delicious!”
“Eat as much as you want. It’s on the company card.”
At the words “company card,” both Min-ah and I froze in shock at the same time. Wasn’t that embezzlement?
“I’m kidding. Your reactions are just too funny—I couldn’t stop myself.”
“Team leader! I got scared thinking you were already spending the dinner budget!”
…That was what surprised her?
The atmosphere I had worried might feel awkward melted away faster than I expected.
“Team leader! Can we order more drinks?”
“Order whatever you want. As much as you’d like.”
The meat barely seemed to decrease, but the alcohol vanished at an alarming rate.
“Team leader. Can I ask you something honestly?”
“Hm? Go ahead. This is off the clock, after all.”
Min-ah put on a mischievous expression and asked him,
“Why aren’t you married yet? Weren’t you popular?”
I nearly spat out the soju I was drinking.
“Hey, hey, hey. Seo Min-ah. You… you…”
No matter how much this was off the clock, was that really something you could ask?
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I just missed the timing a little.”
Gyeong-rok hyung didn’t look the least bit flustered. Instead, he responded with a joke of his own.
“If there’s an older sister or aunt in Min-ah’s family who also missed their chance, would you introduce me?”
“No way! Why would our team leader meet my sister? You should meet a young, pretty girl.”
Hyung and I looked at each other and laughed. …But was this really okay? I wasn’t going to get scolded at the office tomorrow, right?
“Hmm… But if our team leader became my brother-in-law… it wouldn’t be so bad…?”
“Hahaha. Your sister deserves someone much better than an old man like me.”
The conversation never slowed. The only one struggling to keep up was me, as the alcohol started to hit.
Maybe it was because they were both in sales, but the more they drank, the higher their energy rose and the brighter the mood became.
That was all well and good, but it was time to stop Min-ah from drinking more.
“Min-ah. You should stop now.”
“Whyyyyyy!”
Her voice had taken on a distinct nasal whine. This was dangerous. She was way too drunk.
“She’s right, Min-ah. It’s Saturday tomorrow. Don’t you think you’ve had enough?”
“Who cares! My loving oppa is here, and my reliable team leader is here too… hehe… it’s so nice…”
Leaning against the wall behind her, Min-ah narrowed her eyes and murmured in a low voice.
“I never imagined the three of us would ever drink together like this… ugh… I’m sleepy…”
“Min-ah… Seo Min-ah… Are you asleep…?”
Gyeong-rok hyung exploded with laughter, as if something about this was incredibly funny. I, on the other hand, was seriously considering how to get her home…
I grabbed her shoulder and shook her gently, but Min-ah didn’t respond at all.
I pressed a hand to my forehead. Sigh… What a spectacle.
“It’s fine. We still have time. Let’s wait until she sobers up a bit and then take her home. I’ll call a taxi for you.”
“…Thank you, hyung.”
Once Min-ah passed out from the alcohol, the atmosphere grew a little heavier.
Maybe it was the liquor, but words I would never normally say kept rising to my lips.
After saying this, hyung might never look at me the same way again. He might think I was crazy… but I had to say it.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah? Want more meat?”
I stopped Gyeong-rok hyung as he reached for the menu to order more meat. He didn’t look like it, but he was secretly a big eater.
“Actually… um… I went to the hospital today.”
“Are you sick?”
I shook my head. It wasn’t that I was sick… exactly.
“I… can’t get an erection… so I went to the urology department today.”
Hyung froze mid-motion, the piece of meat still halfway to his mouth.
“Oh… What did the doctor say? Is it going to be okay?”
“They said when a young man can’t get… an erection, it’s usually psychogenic erectile dysfunction…”
Gyeong-rok hyung listened to my story with a serious expression.
Feeling the frustration in my chest slowly easing, I crossed the final line I had been hesitating over.
“But today… I did get hard. When you were teaching Min-ah how to exercise…”
“What? Why would you get hard watching that?”
This time, hyung looked completely lost.
I bit my lip hard, then slowly explained it to him again.
“When I see the two of you together… I feel jealous… and I hate it… but at the same time… I want to see more.”
As the mood grew heavier, hyung closed his mouth and set his chopsticks down.
He was too sharp to pretend he didn’t understand what I was saying.
He must have been pretending not to notice earlier out of consideration.
A long silence fell between us.
From outside the room, I could faintly hear other customers laughing and the sound of staff walking by.
But none of it reached my ears.
Hyung slowly lifted his glass, took a sip, then looked at me and quietly spoke.
“Min-woo.”
“…Yes.”
Perhaps struggling to find the right words, Gyeong-rok hyung paused for a moment longer. Then he asked me carefully,
“Does Min-ah know about what you just said?”
“…No.”
“You’ve never told her?”
“…No…”
Hyung nodded, looking somewhat relieved.
“Then I’ll pretend I never heard it. …I tend to black out when I drink, so you don’t have to worry.”
He downed the last of the soju in his glass and shook his head.
“…I’m not just saying nonsense because I’m drunk right now.”
My throat tightened. Hyung didn’t curse at me, didn’t get angry, and didn’t offer any words of understanding either.
Gyeong-rok hyung simply looked at me in silence, holding back whatever he wanted to say.
“I know… that it’s weird…”
His mouth still didn’t open.
It was agonizing. If he would just yell at me or storm out, I could handle it—but his complete lack of reaction made me feel like I was going insane.
“Hyung… I really love Min-ah… We’re going to have a wedding soon…”
I emptied the glass I was holding in one more gulp. Then I looked at Min-ah, who had passed out beside me.
Her face flushed red from the alcohol, her hair slightly disheveled. Seeing her trust me so completely, without a single guard up, I couldn’t help but smile.
“No matter what happens to Min-ah… I will stay by her side.”
Gyeong-rok hyung quietly poured himself another drink and emptied it just as quickly.
“When I see the two of you together… I get jealous and I hate it… but I also want to see more… I keep wondering what the two of you would look like if you spent time alone, just the two of you…”
My eyes burned. Hyung silently pulled out a few tissues and handed them to me.
“Min-woo.”
“…Yes…”
“For now, take Min-ah home tonight. And talk to her about this.”
He took out his wallet and handed me several 50,000 won bills.
I stared blankly for a moment before accepting them, then tried to give them back, but he waved his hand.
“If you’re truly serious, talk to Min-ah first. Then come tell me again.”
Gyeong-rok hyung slowly stood up, opened the door, and left. Soon I heard the sound of the bill being settled, and he never returned.
On the table, only a few empty soju bottles and a sleeping Min-ah remained.
I sat there, unable to move for a long time.
