Chapter 13
Chapter 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: You Never Know How Life Will Turn Out
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This is a work of fiction and has no relation to any real names, events, organizations, place names, individuals, or the like.
**Chapter 6**
**Life, You Never Know**
Standing at the Shinhan Bank intersection crosswalk in front of his one-room apartment, Woo Ji-hyun scowled deeply.
Even with a Chupa Chups candy in his mouth, he scrunched up his face like he'd just swallowed bitter medicine and glanced around restlessly.
"This guy, it's past the promised time—why isn't he here?"
Despite arriving right at 6:00 sharp at the Shinhan Bank intersection, there wasn't even a glimpse of Kim In-hu's hair, making Woo Ji-hyun furrow his brow intensely.
But even so, Kim In-hu—round-faced with horn-rimmed glasses—was nowhere to be seen.
"Haa."
After waiting another five minutes, Woo Ji-hyun finally pulled out his phone from his pocket.
He dialed Kim In-hu with a face full of irritation.
—Hey.
"Where are you?"
—At the bookstore.
"Bookstore? Chae-aek-ba-ang?"
Even though he was late for their appointment, Kim In-hu's endlessly relaxed voice made the end of Woo Ji-hyun's sentence rise sharply.
At the sound, the people standing nearby looked at him in surprise, but the person in question didn't even notice their stares.
—Had to return something.
"So you're still at the bookstore even though it's past the appointment time?"
—Huh? Isn't it 5:55 now? According to the clock here...
Kim In-hu trailed off.
He must have finally checked the time on his phone.
"That's such a lame excuse. Can't you come up with a more creative alias?"
—I really didn't know. If I had, I'd have left right away. Ah, forget it—come here instead. The bus stop is closer to Big Bang anyway.
"You bastard..."
A curse slipped out of Woo Ji-hyun reflexively.
He'd been trying to cut back on the swears that had stuck to his tongue from military life, but when he got worked up, they popped out like this.
It felt like they weren't fully filtered in his mouth.
—Hey, hey, what were you doing going early? It's just picking up wedding invitations anyway. And how many people do you think actually show up on time?
"That's not wrong, which makes it even more annoying."
—Come here and check it out too. Borrow something if you want.
"I've already seen everything."
Woo Ji-hyun chuckled and started walking.
Soon, passing the Dongnam Gas Station, he stood in front of Big Bang, the rental shop for pulp novels, romances, and DVDs.
He froze!
Walking without a care, Woo Ji-hyun suddenly flinched.
He halted the moment he saw the woman at the counter.
But he quickly composed his expression and stepped inside.
Ding-a-ling.
With the clear chime of the bell, the woman packaging new releases in vinyl at the counter looked up.
Her eyes met Woo Ji-hyun's.
"Welcome."
"Ah, yes."
Snow-white skin, big eyes.
And a subtly alluring voice.
Even though she resembled a cool, aloof cat, her blunt kindness made Woo Ji-hyun like her.
For over four years, no less.
'The foolish me, full of lingering regrets, comes to mind.'
She was still strikingly attractive and pretty upon seeing her again.
That's why he'd been drawn to her at first.
'But not this time.'
Sucking on the candy in his mouth, Woo Ji-hyun walked over to Kim In-hu, who was standing by the bookshelf lined only with new releases.
Then he unleashed a middle kick right to his butt.
"What, what the hell!"
"You're late for our appointment and you dare summon this precious body of mine? And no greeting?"
"I didn't know you were here. But why the sudden violence?"
"That's the price for making me wait. It's already cold out, too."
Kim In-hu looked utterly baffled.
It wasn't even December—it was November, so complaining about the cold didn't make sense to him.
"What's cold? I'm actually hot."
"That's your opinion. I hate waiting, and I hate the cold."
"You were pissed because I made you wait."
"Correct."
Woo Ji-hyun grinned and sucked on his candy.
Then he slowly looked around the fairly spacious store.
'Hasn't changed a bit.'
The interior looked exactly as he remembered, filling Woo Ji-hyun with a fresh wave of nostalgia.
Memories from a past that no longer existed bubbled up vividly.
With high school graduation just around the corner, he'd been smitten with Jeong Mi-ri but too shy to approach her directly, so he'd waited for February of next year and shown his face here often.
Then one day, when she remembered his name, his heart fluttered, and his one-sided crush began.
"What an idiotically stupid thing to do."
"What?"
"You done picking? Let's go. It's rush hour—Dongam Station will be jammed."
"So what if traffic's bad? They'll just eat and drink without us."
Kim In-hu said it cynically.
Getting to the meeting spot mattered less than the time itself.
They weren't the type to skip meals or drinks without him.
Besides, the real star of the night was someone else.
"You're extra cynical today. Something up?"
"Didn't sleep much."
"Gaming?"
"Obviously."
Kim In-hu turned his head slightly and grinned.
From that smile, Woo Ji-hyun could read a lot.
"Isn't Sang-min coming today?"
"He won't. Not close with Han-saem."
"But he knows him, right?"
"With that personality? He'd come if they were close, but they're not, so no way. Even if invited, he'll sleep through it."
Woo Ji-hyun nodded.
Im Sang-min had even more severe laziness than the Kim In-hu in front of him.
No matter how free the booze, he valued sleep more, so he probably wouldn't show.
"There'll be a decent number of girls, though."
"Girls? Girrrls?"
Kim In-hu dragged out the word and leaned his head toward Woo Ji-hyun, eyes wide open.
"Genetically, yes, they're girls."
"If there was even one worth calling a girl, Sang-min would've dragged himself out. He'd call us slyly and suggest going together."
"My bad, I misspoke."
Seeing Kim In-hu's stronger-than-expected reaction, Woo Ji-hyun shook his head and backed off.
No matter how he looked, there were no openings.
"Got someone you like? Is that it?"
"You know how high my standards are—don't insult me like that."
"Heh heh!"
Kim In-hu snickered.
Compared to Woo Ji-hyun, he didn't care much about looks.
And among their friends, Woo Ji-hyun had the highest standards.
Without knowing his own place.
"Hey, hurry up and rent. It's been 20 minutes already."
"All set."
"What's your name?"
"Kim In-hu."
After renting three books, Kim In-hu finished paying, stuffed them into his bag, and headed out.
Woo Ji-hyun followed behind.
Listening to Jeong Mi-ri's voice in his ears.
"Take care."
"......"
Without responding, Woo Ji-hyun stepped outside with a subtle smile.
A bittersweet yet refreshing emotion—indescribable—surged in his chest.
"What're you thinking? Your face looks weird."
"What's weird about my face?"
"Like a pervert."
"Shut up and let's go. Free drinks and free food await."
"They say liking freebies makes you bald."
Kim In-hu laughed playfully.
But Woo Ji-hyun countered seriously.
"You might not know, but I do."
"......That somehow pisses me off."
"Take care of it. Prevention's better than cure."
"Really pissing me off now."
Kim In-hu's face hardened.
It didn't sound like a joke for some reason.
But the conversation cut off there.
Bus 536, which they needed for the stop, was approaching fast.
Rattle.
The sliding door of the izakaya 'Joodang' at the Dongam Nambu Station intersection opened.
The eyes of the customers filling the group table turned toward the entrance.
With the group seat right by the door, the gazes naturally shifted.
"The tardy ones finally showed."
"Forty minutes late, no less."
Despite being late, the ever-relaxed Woo Ji-hyun and Kim In-hu drew a smirk from tonight's star, Park Han-saem, who spoke up.
Echoing him, Kim Seo-yong checked his watch and nailed the exact delay.
"We're the last ones?"
"Yeah, you bastards."
"Look at you, having fun without us."
"Thanks for gracing us with your late presence—I'm touched."
Park Han-saem said it with an expression that blurred the line between sincerity and sarcasm.
Still, true to his role as host, he personally guided the two to seats.
"Nice spot."
"Yeah."
"But no changes, huh."
Sitting in the spot where Park Han-saem even pulled out a chair, Woo Ji-hyun grinned.
Personally, he preferred the end of the table.
But Kim In-hu, for whatever reason, scowled deeply as he sat.
"What's that? What hasn't changed?"
"The members."
"It's all people we know—obvious, right?"
Park Han-saem placated the grumbling Kim In-hu.
He'd put thought into the guest list, but from the tone, Kim In-hu seemed to have hoped otherwise.
"Even so, isn't the lineup too comfy?"
"They probably think the same as you. Or maybe they don't think that at all."
"......That stings my pride in its own way."
Stunned by Woo Ji-hyun's direct hit, Kim In-hu blanked out.
He'd only considered himself, not the girls' perspectives.
Woo Ji-hyun, meanwhile, had no expectations from the start.
"Ah, wanna go home already."
"What nonsense? Now you say that."
"Feels awkward with people I'm not close to. My heart's pounding like it's gonna burst—panic attack incoming."
"You nuts?"
Sitting beside him, Kim Seo-yong snorted and shot back.
The more he heard, the more ridiculous it sounded.
"Hey, hey, latecomers drink three shots. You know the rule, right?"
"Shut it."
Kim Seo-yong grinned slyly and lifted the soju bottle.
But Woo Ji-hyun didn't bite.
They'd clearly just started—snacks were out, and they'd each had one glass.
"Who do you think you're fooling?"
Kim In-hu felt the same.
Sharp as ever, he'd caught exactly what Woo Ji-hyun had noticed.
"You take three shots, and I'll consider it."
"You punk. Way too perceptive for useless stuff."
Faced with Woo Ji-hyun and Kim In-hu's tag-team, Kim Seo-yong surrendered.
Pushing further would just hurt him.
Smacking his lips, he poured soju into their glasses.
"Twelve people. Not bad turnout."
"Friday night, plus free booze?"
"Strictly speaking, not free. Gotta chip in for the wedding gift."
"True that?"
Kim Seo-yong nodded unwittingly.
It made sense on second thought.
He'd thought free drinks and food, but it was all just bait.
"Job hunting's driving me crazy lately."
"Same. Can't believe graduation's next year."
Arriving late, Woo Ji-hyun quietly drank with Kim In-hu when the girls' complaints drifted into his ears.
Excluding the annoying Jang Eun-ji, all the girls were graduating next year, their faces tense even while drinking.
Funny thing was, they still managed to weave in boyfriend talk and blind date stories.
"Yonsei, Korea University, Seoul City University. Wow, just hearing it makes me jealous."