Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Back Again, Writer 038
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No need to hunt for an empty seat—the tables already had plenty of gaps here and there. That's when a familiar voice called out from up front.
It was Kim Seo-yong.
Sitting at the same table with him were Yoon Sung-hwan and some female classmates.
"You're here early?"
"Sung-hwan kept nagging me about it. All I had to do was show up on time, but the guy made such a fuss. He even changed into three different suits."
"Same old him."
Woo Ji-hyun gave a casual nod to Yoon Sung-hwan, who barely acknowledged him with an eye greeting, and took a seat at the table right behind Kim Seo-yong's.
Kim In-hu and Im Sang-min sat down next to him.
"Busy morning."
"You worked hard."
"But that's not the issue. Hysteria."
Kim Seo-yong muttered softly, his face drained from exhaustion, like he was whispering in someone's ear.
"Hysteria?"
Kim In-hu reacted to the word.
Im Sang-min perked up too, leaning in with a curious look.
"Job-seeker hysteria. Keeps getting rejected on applications."
"Still?"
"Yeah, bombed all the spring public recruitments too."
Kim Seo-yong's voice dropped even lower.
He glanced toward Yoon Sung-hwan, who was busy chatting with the girls.
Just in case Yoon Sung-hwan overheard.
"Thank goodness."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
Kim In-hu shook his head with an awkward smile at Kim Seo-yong's puzzled look.
Then he turned to Woo Ji-hyun, who was sitting quietly, with a look of wonder.
It was like last year's prediction had come true word for word.
"Why stare like that?"
"Just grateful."
"Work hard. That's all it takes."
"What's with you two?"
Im Sang-min blinked at the cryptic exchange between Woo Ji-hyun and Kim In-hu.
He couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"Oh, been so busy with blind dates lately."
"Me too. Ever since I got into Sasung Electronics, it's blind dates every week."
"Dude, I have a girlfriend and still get dragged to these weekly setups."
"Lucky bastard."
Noise erupted from the next table over.
Looked like Park Han-saem's high school friends—people who'd skipped college and gone straight into jobs.
"Envy? You got into RG Display, right? You'll be drowning in setups."
"Yeah, but my girlfriend's so clingy. Hates me hanging out with friends."
"You think you'd like it if she did?"
"Still, you make time to meet up, don't you?"
The five of them giggled in unison.
Yoon Sung-hwan watched them with envy.
He'd applied to Seoul hotels and big corp subsidiaries too.
Salary and benefits? Big corps won hands down.
"If I hadn't prepped for civil service, I'd be jealous too."
"I'm jealous right now."
"Can't argue that."
Yoon Sung-hwan was openly envious, while Im Sang-min seethed indirectly.
He shot sidelong glances at the guys with a bitter expression.
Kim In-hu, meanwhile, felt confirmed once more that he'd made the right choice.
"Play the long game. They're killing it now, but who knows later."
"I wanna kill it now."
"Honestly, me too."
Woo Ji-hyun shrugged at his two friends' reluctance to agree.
Sure, long game, but crushing it now mattered too.
Because twenty-four happened only once in a lifetime.
Time lost didn't come back.
"You're early."
"Barely made it."
"Cut him some slack. He came from Geoje Island."
"Heard he got in last night."
A couple approached Woo Ji-hyun's table.
Seeing the guy, a rare smile of genuine delight crossed Woo Ji-hyun's face.
A friend he'd missed as much as Kim In-hu—finally here.
"Huh? How'd you know?"
"Oh, hi."
Lee Ye-jin, Kim Seung-gyu's girlfriend who'd shown up with him, blushed and greeted them.
Woo Ji-hyun, Kim In-hu, and Im Sang-min all stood up.
"Hi."
"This one's obviously my girlfriend."
Kim Seung-gyu beamed proudly as he introduced Lee Ye-jin.
Kim In-hu and Im Sang-min were stunned, but Woo Ji-hyun stayed calm.
She was a beauty, sure, but he'd known she'd be dating Kim Seung-gyu around now—had seen her at Park Han-saem's wedding in his past life too. No big shock.
'She'll be at the baby's first birthday party anyway.'
Not strangers, really. Woo Ji-hyun greeted her nonchalantly and sat back down.
Kim In-hu and Im Sang-min, though, acted all boyish, blushing and fidgety.
"Why aren't you surprised?"
"Wow, uh... you're stunning."
"Hahaha!"
Maybe because he didn't get the reaction he wanted.
When Kim Seung-gyu asked in a slightly miffed tone, Woo Ji-hyun praised Lee Ye-jin in the most theatrical voice.
"Happy now?"
"Makes me feel worse."
"But she is a beauty. Fact."
"No sincerity at all."
"Sasung Heavy Industries! Power move!"
Woo Ji-hyun shouted with exaggerated envy.
Yoon Sung-hwan and Kim Seo-yong up front whipped around.
Wondering what the sudden yell was about.
Then Yoon Sung-hwan spotted Lee Ye-jin next to Kim Seung-gyu and bit his lip.
'Damn it!'
No close ties, but same middle and high school—he knew of Kim Seung-gyu.
Already envious, now with a hot girlfriend? Yoon Sung-hwan's jealousy flared up inside.
'Why that loser...!'
Kim Seung-gyu seemed to have it all. Yoon Sung-hwan couldn't hide his scowl.
Only Woo Ji-hyun noticed.
"Tsk tsk."
He clicked his tongue at Yoon Sung-hwan, jealous of the result without seeing the effort.
Couldn't fathom why he'd babied him so much in his past life.
'Because I thought he was a real friend?'
Recalling Yoon Sung-hwan, once a true friend in his mind, and their bitter end, Woo Ji-hyun shook his head.
"Why the face?"
"Bad memory popped up."
"You know him?"
"Classmate."
Lee Ye-jin subtly nodded toward Yoon Sung-hwan.
Kim Seung-gyu missed it, but she hadn't.
"Ah."
"And his classmate too."
"Hmm."
"Don't mind him. Kid's just immature. Nothing to worry about."
Woo Ji-hyun said, watching Kim Seo-yong soothe him.
Annoying personality, sure, but not the type to wreck a wedding.
Unless he got wasted.
"What's the fun chat?"
"Just this and that."
"Hmm?"
Kim Seung-gyu narrowed his eyes at the table with Yoon Sung-hwan's female classmates.
The vibe felt suspiciously off.
"Ask your girlfriend if you're curious."
"It's nothing. Just asked if she knows that guy over there."
"Yeah, Sung-hwan?"
"Yoon Sung-hwan."
Kim Seung-gyu gave an awkward laugh.
He'd botched the name by one consonant.
"Haha, been too long."
"Still, not knowing his name? Too much."
Lee Ye-jin elbowed Kim Seung-gyu's side as she said it.
Realized he hadn't introduced his friends properly.
"Right, this chatty one's Woo Ji-hyun. The dark one's Im Sang-min, glasses is Kim In-hu."
"I'm Lee Ye-jin. Turning twenty this year, so treat me casual."
Following Kim Seung-gyu's intros, Lee Ye-jin smiled brightly and gave her name properly.
The three had to greet her again.
"That table later. Ceremony's starting soon."
"Got it. But, oppa."
As piano melody signaled the wedding's start, the room dimmed, spotlight on the aisle. Lee Ye-jin quietly called to Kim Seung-gyu.
Glancing at Woo Ji-hyun.
"Yeah?"
"Does Ji-hyun oppa have a girlfriend?"
"Out of nowhere, why?"
"Thinking of introducing him to my friend in Incheon."
Kim Seung-gyu blinked.
No clue why the sudden matchmaking.
But crucially, he didn't know if Woo Ji-hyun was single.
"Not sure right now. I'll ask over food. But why the sudden idea?"
"He looks like good boyfriend material. Not super handsome, but the type girls like."
"Hmm."
Kim Seung-gyu squinted at Woo Ji-hyun, who was clapping enthusiastically as Park Han-saem entered like the man of the hour.
Woo Ji-hyun, oblivious to the stare, focused solely on Park Han-saem striding down the aisle with poise.
"Why that look?"
"That's the type girls like?"
"Got a vibe. Different from your other friends."
"Not getting it."
Kim Seung-gyu tilted his head, whispering with Lee Ye-jin.
Couldn't see the appeal.
If it was just looks, fine, but objectively? No way.
'Doesn't make sense.'
He kept sneaking glances at Woo Ji-hyun, muttering to himself.
Meanwhile, the ceremony rolled on past the bride's entrance, the officiant's speech, into the congratulatory songs.
Everything paced to wrap in exactly thirty minutes.
"He can really sing."
"Better than the pro doing the serenade."
Kim In-hu and Im Sang-min eyed Park Han-saem enviously as he belted out Park Jin-yeon's proposal ballad.
Not jealous of the marriage, but the voice? Insanely so.
"Gotta be that good. He reeled her in with songs..."
Woo Ji-hyun's face stiffened mid-sentence.
Near slip-up.
"Watch your mouth."
"Whew, close call."
"Let's snap pics and hit the buffet."
Kim In-hu stood, pulling a spooked Woo Ji-hyun up.
Friends' photos were last, but to minimize distance, they headed front early.
Woo Ji-hyun scanned the food, loaded a first plate heavy on salad, and returned.
No one else was back yet.
"How much you grab?"
Woo Ji-hyun shook his head, watching the place fill up fast.
Knew exactly what his friends' plates would look like without looking.
"Why so quick?"
"Can't eat much anyway."
"Gotta challenge it. Pile first, eat later."
"That's why the scrap bins overflow, guys like you."
Woo Ji-hyun tsked at Kim In-hu, whose plate towered like a mountain.
Blame these types for the buffet kitchen's daily trash overflow.
He'd seen it firsthand.
"Hey, you hitting the afterparty?"
"Maybe?"
"Emcee said it's on."
"Woo-ju?"
Woo Ji-hyun eyed a table.
Park Han-saem's best man today, Hwang Woo-ju—doomed to a huge fight and ghosting in a few years—caught his eye.
"Know him?"
"Kinda. But we'd just be extras anyway."
"Hmm."
Kim In-hu let out a groan.
He got Woo Ji-hyun's pointed glance at the table.