[T/N] I apologize for grammar mistakes and incoherencies
Chapter 78: <1001> #6.
“Uh... I wonder if I chose the wrong major.”
Yoona took a rectangular mirror from her bag and stuck it into Sangwoo’s hand. Then she turned back to search for a box in the corner of the room. Meanwhile, Sangwoo looked into the mirror quietly before raising it up for closer inspection.
‘I don’t see anything that has changed.’
He looked critically at the mirror, but he still couldn’t feel any difference - except for the slight rise on his forehead. Meanwhile, Yoona threw one of her shoes towards him, a brown open-toe pump without straps.
“What shoe size are you? Try this pair.”
“It’s not mine.”
“Just try them on.”
Sangwoo took off his black sneakers without any choice. Then he placed them flat under the table and put his feet into the pumps, feeling a little strange but they fit just right. Yoona took a lip balm out of Jaeyoung’s drawer and helped apply it on Sangwoo’s dry lips, as if that was his fault. Then the woman commanded him to stand up.
He stood up, feeling like a fool. Yoona hugged him and looked carefully at him from head to toe before sitting down with her legs folded, revealing her tiny ankles.
“Great. If you had some jewelry it would be perfect...”
After saying that, she ran to her own table, opened the drawer, took out several necklaces and rings, and walked towards him.
“I don’t wear anything like that.”
“Just look at this one, it looks so cool.”
Sangwoo frowned when he saw the skull-shaped head and raised eyebrows in the picture. Yoona noticed his expression and tossed the remaining scraps onto the table before handing him a silver bracelet without any patterns on it.
She then put it on his wrist before sighing.
“Jang Jaeyoung’s eyes will pop for sure.”
Yoona picked up her broken smartphone and took a couple of pictures despite seemingly being unable to have it fixed from her shirt pocket.
Sangwoo hugged one side of his chest and looked at the other party.
“I have done everything you told me to. Now, can you explain what we’re doing?”
“It’s a strategy... something I declared as the most sophisticated policy, Chu
Sangwoo.”
“What should I do then?”
“Is there any law that says we have to be on the same side? We can talk and answer like equals. After this, you will kill some time, have a quick dinner, and around 2 a.m., go to Yeonsokdong. Drink some alcohol at a bar there. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Why should I have to drink in Yeonseokdong?”
“Because there are a lot of good bars there. Do as I say. Then, Jaeyoung might call you. If he missed your call once or twice and you answer next time, tell him clearly that he wasn’t clear. You then change the atmosphere, this is a proven strategy. 99%.”
“What’s the percentage of error?”
“Don’t ask any weird questions.”
Sangwoo blinked, thinking that he might run into Jaeyoung if he went drinking in YanSanGok. While Yoona only talked about the method and the results of the strategy, she didn’t explain how it worked.
“If we do that, will he come?”
“Just saying, 95% or whatever.”
“Why does the success rate decrease when you said it is going to be 99%?” Yoona made a frustrated face, but it was an important issue for Sangwoo.
“Let’s assume he’s sick of me and the probability of him coming to see me is
1-5%. What should we do then?”
Yoona had a variety of facial expressions and the same goes for this time. Her expression changed as if she was acting in a drama, giving the feeling of despair before changing the expression and laughing out loud.
“If that’s the case, then Sangwoo, you should have a pretty unnie or a handsome sunbae in that area to have them treat him to alcohol. Then, forget about Jang Jaeyoung.”
Sangwoo frowned and sat down on a chair, his eyes locked onto the young man wearing a V-neck shirt reflecting on the black screen of his power-saving laptop mode.
Yoona, flustered, said her goodbyes and lightly patted Sangwoo’s back.
“Fighting. Chu Sangwoo, love is just complicated like this.”
“It’s not love, just a little crush.”
“And remember, only two missed calls are enough. That Jaeyong is really scary when angry, you know? I’ll go first.”
“Thank you for your help. I hope the interview goes well.”
Yoona smiled and left without saying anything, leaving Sangwoo to take a deep breath and open the bus app.
“An excellent top-down policy.”
He laid out the route and reviewed the plan in his head.
Work until 6:00 p.m., eat at the cafeteria, collect his bag and brush his teeth, take the bus at 7:20 p.m., arrive at Yeonseokdong at 7:56 p.m., drink, screen calls and answer on the third time, and tell Jang Jaeyoung to be more clear when changing the atmosphere. Then he waits.
It wasn’t the most trustworthy advice, but there was no other way... Sometimes, when you fall into the water, there’s no choice but to grab onto a straw of rice. return 0;
The app clearly stated that it would take thirty-six minutes to reach the destination, due to traffic accidents causing congestion on the road, therefore making it slower than usual. On top of that, he checked his mobile phone frequently today, keeping both the GPS and map on at all times, which caused the battery to run out twice as fast.
As the anxiety began to grow, Yoona called. Sangwoo quickly answered.
“Hello.”
[Where are you? Are you ready?]
“I’m still on the bus. I won’t make it there by 2:00 a.m. What should I do?”
[I haven’t contacted them yet. It’s okay, can you reschedule it for 3:00 a.m.?]
“Okay. I should have arrived by then.”
[Okay! That’s it then.]
“Wait a moment.”
[Why?]
“What are the chances of success right now?”
[100%, yes, just remember what I told you.]
“I understand. That’s all then.”
Sangwoo took a deep breath after putting down his phone. The bus was packed with passengers, making the air hot and stuffy. He stood holding onto a handle, staring at the red dot on the slowly moving map app. But now he had another call coming in from Jaeyoung.
“...”
He didn’t even have time to start a plan, what is this? Did Yoona undermine him? Sangwoo clenched his phone tightly and couldn’t do anything. A call from Jaeyoung came in and lasted for a moment. Just as the call ended, another call came in immediately. Sangwoo stood still, afraid that he might accidentally answer the call without intending to.
After the screen displayed “Missed call 2,” some text messages also arrived.
[Jaeyoung, ㅅㅂ♨: I give up _19:55.]
[Jaeyoung, ㅅㅂ♨: Keep flirting with you and I’ll probably die before
I’m executed _19:55][1.]
Sangwoo frowned, Jaeyoung’s message, written without spaces, had the highest level of difficulty in reading, like his handwriting. Sangwoo tried to decipher which word was misspelled before losing concentration.
[Jaeyoung, ㅅㅂ♨: I have something important to talk to you about, I’ll come to your house later _19:56.]
But even so, he could understand the consecutive messages that followed.
‘I’m not at home right now.’
He was on a bus heading towards the winding mountain range, the plan had been fully laid out already. Sangwoo bit his lip, feeling hesitant. He thought asking Yoona for advice on what he didn’t know would be better.
[What now?]
“Jaeyoung contacted me and said he’d come to my house. Should I avoid him?”
[Hey, don’t do that. He has screwed up nine times and now he wants to do something good once? That’s a common method. If I tell you to do something, just do it. It’s that simple.]
“Are you sure?”
[Do you want to keep being pushed around forever? Now it’s time for that guy to see it. Ignore the calls. And do what I told you to do.]
“What do you mean I don’t have to answer just two calls? There have been two calls already.”
[Change your plan and don’t answer until three in the morning. Got it?] “Understood.”
Sangwoo felt frustrated.
“Can’t I just go home?”
[No, that’s it!]
Yoona, who plans heavily and cannot express her opinions directly, after hanging up, the plan appears on the screen again, the red dot on it is far from home.
Nine minutes later, the bus arrived at Yeonsokdong. Sangwoo headed to the bar that he had searched for in advance, which was said to have the most comfortable atmosphere and best service in the area. Although it was just an ordinary evening, the street was filled with people who came out to have fun, making him feel uneasy. Even though he was bumped by drunken people, he didn’t receive any apology, and was even splashed with liquor. Sangwoo pretended not to see any of these immoral acts and let them pass because there was something more important.
The bar he was looking for was located on the first underground floor, with a sign decorated with light bulbs, a staircase leading down to the lower floor, and a black ceiling. As he passed through the cozy dimly lit hallway, a spacious and dark area appeared before his eyes, with two or three people dancing on one side and a table for drinking on the other. Electronic music echoed loudly from the speakers, although it was the type that Jaeyoung liked, but it was not on his playlist.
Sangwoo walked to the bar that had a wide selection of liquor and beer, placed his mobile phone and wallet on a long table, and then sat on a stool that was high enough not to touch the ground with his feet.
“Can I have a menu, please?”
The bartender with an extravagant hairstyle handed him a menu divided into two pages. Sangwoo found it difficult to choose a drink because there were too many types of liquor and beer with unfamiliar names. He picked up his mobile phone and typed in each name of the cocktail and checked the ingredients on the internet. No sweets, no fruit juice, no cola. After eliminating several options, only a few were left to choose from.
“I’ll have a Martini, please.”
The search was complete, and the battery was only 6% remaining. And then.. Sangwoo reluctantly turned off his mobile phone. He planned to turn it back on in forty-three minutes.
Having searched for it, he knew that it was a mixture of gin and vermouth in a ratio of 5:1, shaken together, the young woman used tongs to remove ice cubes and poured the liquor into a stemmed glass, rubbed the lemon peel around the rim, squeezed a green olive into it, and then handed it to Sangwoo.
He received the glass and drank it in one gulp, causing the bartender to be surprised by his facial expression. The bitter liquor, without any sweetness at all, was also hot and dry. His heart was beating fast, perhaps because he had drunk liquor with twice the strength of Soju in one go. Sangwoo still wanted to drink a couple more glasses, otherwise he might be so anxious that he wouldn’t be able to wait until three o’clock.
“May I have another glass please?”
“Certainly.”
“What time is it now?”
“Just a moment... It’s 2:23 am.”
“Okay.”
After sitting and waiting for a moment, the bartender expertly made another cocktail for Sangwoo to gradually sip on so he wouldn’t get too drunk. Sangwoo asked about the time twice more, but there were still over thirty minutes left until 3am.
‘What am I doing here?’
Suddenly, Sangwoo felt embarrassed. As a university student, his main responsibility was to study, yet here he was sitting at the bar buying a cocktail that cost more than 10,000 won but was less than a hundred milliliters. He was wearing unfamiliar clothing and in an unfamiliar place doing unfamiliar things at a level that made him uncomfortable due to his sexual desires. Despite feeling awkward, Sangwoo quickly made the glass empty again despite deciding to drink slowly.
This time, he felt the hotness of the alcohol burning his throat. Meanwhile, his anger and anxiety gradually subsided. The liquor acted as a nerve suppressant that calmed down Sangwoo’s emotions that fluctuated up and down. He felt a slight relief, turning his chair to look around comfortably.
The bar was filled with various people – big ones, thin ones, ones with fancy clothes and ones with simple clothes, ones who were young, and ones who were old. Sangwoo’s eyes lingered on the young men in the crowd.
Despite intentionally observing and scrutinizing, there was no one that he liked. If they weren’t overweight, they were too thin. Some didn’t look attractive up close, some had unattractive hands, some didn’t have a good voice, and some didn’t walk elegantly, some didn’t look good when they laughed, some had overly tough facial expressions, some looked stupid, and some were just too enchanting. Sangwoo found it too easy to recognize the faults of people who passed by.
‘Think about Jang Jaeyoung’s first impression. It wasn’t good either.’
Yes... It was like that. The other guy was just a forty-minute latecomer thug but he didn’t feel wrong at all. At that time, he didn’t pay attention to Jaeyoung’s appearance, so Sangwoo felt hurt.
Maybe it was because of the alcohol, tears started to fall. The control over his anger was flawed, his emotions fluctuated, his mood was fragile, and many strange symptoms occurred since he met Jaeyoung.
While Sangwoo ordered another glass of whiskey, he heard a voice from the left.
“I want the same thing as that man.” ____________________________________.
[1] “Keep flirting with you and I’ll probably die before I’m executed.” The Korean sentence is, 너랑, 밀당하다가, 제명에, 못, 살, 듯(Neorang mildang hadaga Jaemyeong-eomdulseut).”, which is typed without spaces. “In Korean, there is a grammatical rule for spacing, like in English.” The correct spacing for the above sentence is, “너랑 (With you), 밀당하다가 (While flirting), 제명에 (At execution), 못 (Cannot), 살 (Live), 듯 (Maybe).” Typing without spaces can lead to misunderstandings.
[2] Due to Jaeyoung’s lack of spacing in his writing, Sangwoo misinterpreted the words. Originally, the meaning should have been “with you” with ”that man,” “flirting” with “playing,” and ”executed” with “life/breath,” “cannot” with ”not,” and “Maybe” with “seems like/looks like.” But since they were typed continuously, Sangwoo took “가 (ga)” from “다가 (daga) and combined it with ”제명에 (jemyeong-e)” to make ”가제 (gaje),” which can mean “gasoline” or “temporary title,” and “명 (myeong)” which can mean “name” as well. “에 (e)” is a word that has various meanings.
Going back and forth, Sangwoo did not know what Jaeyoung meant to convey.
Chapter 79: <1001> #7.
“I want the same thing as that man.”
When he looked to his side, he met eyes with a man sitting two seats away.
‘I am a person with no standing point.’
Sangwoo silently complained in his heart, and then waited. As the bartender brought a glass in front of him, he took a couple of sips of the bitter liquor. Suddenly, he felt heavily drunk and blinked several times. He felt better after he put his face down on the table. He did not know how long the man who was sitting with his legs swinging in a restless position was sitting there before someone put a cocktail glass of clear liquor with a cucumber next to him.
“I’m happy. I met someone who has the same taste here.”
The man who used to sit two seats away leaned in towards Sangwoo.
Sangwoo replied while still having his face on the table.
“I’m not drinking this because it’s tasteful, but because I don’t like the other options.”
“I didn’t mean the taste of the liquor.”
“If so, then I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Are you looking for a man?”
The man leaned down and whispered in his ear. Sangwoo lifted his head and asked.
“How do you know?”
“Because I see you looking at men.”
“Please don’t assume things. It’s not about you.”
“Why wouldn’t it be about me? I’m a man too.”
‘That’s true.’
After being shown a significant and unforeseen loophole by the other party, Sangwoo scrutinized them once again. The individual had short, light-colored hair and was dressed in a suit. His eyes were piercing, and his demeanor was not very amiable. He had a tall, sturdy build, wore round, dangling earrings, and had a tattoo on the neck which boosted the score slightly. Despite all of this, Sangwoo still didn’t feel like they were similar to Jaeyoung.
“I don’t really like you. Don’t bother trying to talk to me.”
He shook his head and slumped his face onto the table again. Suddenly, a loud chuckle came from the side. The man sitting there remained still for a moment before leaning back on the bartender who was walking to the left. He pulled the chair close to Sangwoo.
“You have charm.”
“Please don’t use intimate language without permission.”
“How old are you? 23? 24?”
Sangwoo decided to just ignore the man’s lack of knowledge. But this time, his gaze wandered to the man’s hand as it moved closer to his face.
“Don’t touch me. Consider yourself warned.”
However, the annoying man didn’t listen to what he said. Sangwoo didn’t feel like dealing with such stubborn behavior and just sat there quietly for a moment. As the man’s finger was about to touch his cheek, he grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back. The man tried to push Sangwoo, but he twisted his hand even harder. The other party grunted and cursed repeatedly.
Sangwoo opened his phone to prepare for an emergency.
“I told you.”
“Ow! Wait!”
“I’ll report you for sexual harassment.”
“Ouch. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.. Enough!”
As soon as he let go of the man’s wrist, he swore and muttered that Sangwoo was an annoying bastard. He opened his phone to deal with the emergency situation.
When he looked at the time, it was displayed on the screen in large letters— 21:41. His eyes widened. It had been this long since he started drinking without realizing it. He had no idea that it was already three in the morning. As he was drinking, he absentmindedly opened his phone and found a notification. ‘36, missed call’ and ‘6 new messages.’ Sangwoo panicked and opened the messaging app.
[Jaeyoung, ㅅㅂ♨: Are you sleeping? Are you okay? _20:42.]
[Jaeyoung, ㅅㅂ♨: I’m in front of your door. Let me in, _20:44.]
[Jaeyoung, ㅅㅂ♨: Why did you go to Yeonsokdong? _21:02.]
[Jaeyoung, ㅅㅂ♨: Why did you turn off your phone? _21:03][1.]
[Jaeyoung, ㅅㅂ♨: Sangwooya _21:06.]
[Jaeyoung, ㅅㅂ♨: Where are you? _21:30.]
He didn’t intend to make the other side worry, he just kept drinking and relaxing. There was no clock in the shop, the phone battery was dead, and all these excuses made Sangwoo not care about Jaeyoung, and it was true that he didn’t want to care too, because the other side was bothering Sangwoo. It’s no different from a thorn on the sole of the foot.
He stared at his phone screen. At that moment, a call came in. Sangwoo felt like his heart had fallen to his stomach and his breathing quickened. As soon as he touched the answer button, he attached the communication tool to his ear, and the sound of a long, heavy breath came through the line.
[What are you going to do?]
The sound of Jaeyoung’s voice sounded so pitiful that Sangwoo didn’t know how to respond.
[I asked what you’re going to do, damn it?]
The voice that he had been thinking about for the past four days, which made him feel confused, soon turned into sorrow. Sangwoo blinked and opened his mouth.
“So, what right do you have to be angry with me?”
[Why did you go there?]
“Well, you disappeared. I called and you didn’t pick up.”
[So, did you have to wear the outfit I bought for you to go see someone else?]
Jaeyoung asked crudely. At the same time, every word from the other side was filled with anger. Sangwoo didn’t answer, if he said no, it would be a lie. Sometimes, if he liked the guy who came to talk to him for a moment, he might leave his contact information.
[Why didn’t you answer?]
“It’s because you didn’t give me a clear answer. So I came to change my mood.”
He coughed after saying those words, and then took a breath. The subsequent silence was as cold and heavy as a lump of iron.
[Do you think I’m too kind to you?]
“...”
[Hey, where are you? Let’s meet in person and then talk.]
Although it was a voice that he wanted to hear for several days, the longer the call lasted, the stronger the feeling of discomfort grew. The heart that wanted to see Jaeyoung and the heart that didn’t want to see Jaeyoung had never clashed so fiercely before. What Sangwoo wanted from accepting the other side into his daily life was happiness. Not sadness and pain.
“Why didn’t you pick up my call? Are you bored of me?”
[Tell me where you are.]
“I won’t tell you, answer me first.”
[Do you really want me to scold you?]
Jaeyoung stopped talking abruptly, speaking quickly.
“I’m already crazy, so don’t make me angrier than this. Tell me where you are.”
Yoona only said that Jaeyoung would definitely come to find him, but she didn’t say if he would be extremely angry. Sangwoo felt conflicted, resisting the others who had done wrong but at the same time being angry himself. He had a flaw in controlling his anger, and had lashed out before. And he still hadn’t explained anything.
“There’s also a limit to how much I can tolerate. You keep doing whatever you want and how can you expect me to react? I already feel like my head is about to explode.”
He gritted his teeth and spat out cruel words. Jang Jaeyoung, the Veggie Venturer, studying abroad, and the waves of depression that had come in during this period were too much for Sangwoo to handle. Sangwoo tried to breathe with all his might, but he was about to drown. Even though he hadn’t done anything wrong at all, it wasn’t fair at all.
“Enough already, you stop contacting me. And then you come and insult me again, you heartless person.”
[Hey... Chu Sangwoo.]
“No matter what, I’ll already be a fucking loser.”
[I asked where you are! How many times do I have to ask?]
“Don’t try to push me around!”
He was so frustrated that he wanted to cut off the call and disappear, but the screen went black just then because the battery had died. Sangwoo laid his mobile phone on the table as if throwing it away with a feeling of hopelessness.
As he saw the bartender in the distance moving closer, he ordered another glass of liquor. He didn’t know how many glasses he had already had.. If it was a matter of calculation, he had never failed before, but he couldn’t remember at all, he felt nauseous and dizzy. The image of the bartender pouring the cocktail began to blur.
At that moment, the cocktail glass was in his line of sight. Sangwoo took a strong sip, the liquor he drank wasn’t what he ordered, it was handed over to him by the man sitting next to him. He took out a ten thousand won bill from his wallet and put it in front of the other person, but the other person’s face turned pale and he couldn’t say anything.
“Ugh... how annoying.”
Sangwoo evaluated the other’s words, there was still half a glass of liquor left, but the liquor he had ordered had been served, he sighed with his face on the table, thinking that if he drank everything he might die. At that moment, the sound of Jaeyoung’s voice grew louder in his head, making him feel restless.
“You’re a straightforward person.”
Sangwoo considered the words of the other person, there was still half a glass of liquor left, but the liquor he had ordered had been served, he sighed with his face on the table, thinking that if he drank everything he might die. At that moment, the sound of Jaeyoung’s voice grew louder in his head, making him feel restless.
‘How annoying, goddamn.’
He changed his mind and drank the remaining half glass of alcohol in one go. Then the man sitting quietly beside him annoyed him again.
“How old are you?”
“It’s private.”
“Are you a student?”
“It’s private.”
“Why are you looking for a man?”
“...”
“Why? Is your hole itchy?”
Sangwoo took a deep breath and turned to look to his left. He might be sexually harassed by these human remains. The situation was so absurd that he had to laugh it off.
“Laughing like this during a crisis is sexy.”
That remark immediately put Sangwoo in a bad mood.
‘You look cute. The more you smile, the cuter you get.’
Jaeyoung’s voice played repeatedly in his mind, causing him to feel the four emotions - anger, sadness, frustration, and annoyance - boiling inside him like a crazy person. Sangwoo rubbed his face with his hand before he was surprised to find that his cheeks were as hot as flames.
“The person you were talking to earlier, where did they go? Did they go to the office?”
‘This damn animal.’
The trifling words of this stranger he didn’t even know kept irritating him.
Sangwoo argued that he wasn’t a boyfriend and didn’t want to admit that Jang Jaeyoung would be leaving in the near future.
“Why do you talk like we’re close?”
“Sorry.”
The man easily backed off more than he expected. As soon as Sangwoo picked up the untouched glass of cocktail that was next to the on the last seat of the row, the other party also followed and sat a bit further away.
“Thank you.”
“...”
“I might be too forward, but I really like your style. If it makes you uncomfortable, I apologize.”
Sangwoo looked at the other party with a suspicious gaze, but did not take the extended hand.
“You are a student. I’m thirty-four years old and I own a fairly good personal business. I’m confident that I can take care of you. Would you like to talk to me? I’m not the type to play games and hide things.”
That man didn’t realize that a smile would make him look more polite, but Sangwoo remained unchanged.
“No, thank you.”
“May I ask why?”
“I’m quite picky about looks. They have to have a nice voice, be good at drawing, skateboard, and play basketball. And also be 27 years old.”
He finished speaking and immediately lifted the glass to drink. On the other side, the person muttered in frustration, having heard a disappointing story.
“Is he crazy or something?”
He was drunk. Very drunk. Sangwoo could feel it, after drinking all the alcohol. The annoying man still hadn’t left, the plan had failed miserably, and it was time to go home.
He went to the bathroom, planning to pay the bill afterward, but there were two English-speaking women who followed him in and invited him to chat, causing him to lose a little time. Sangwoo was confident in his English reading and grammar skills, but conversation was still difficult. No matter how hard he tried. Moreover, the music was so loud that he could hardly hear what they were saying. They handed him their phones and kept asking questions, but Sangwoo couldn’t help.
Sangwoo apologized and took his debit card out of his wallet to hand it to the bartender along with the bill.
“This is an ID card.”
“I’m sorry.”
After correcting the mistake, the woman smiled and calculated the amount, the amount written on the receipt was 45,200 won. Sangwoo wondered if he had been drinking only ten thousand won liquor. Then why was there a balance left and why was there a phone number and a smiley face symbol on the receipt? But he stopped thinking because of his headache.
When he got up and stood, he staggered. Sangwoo put his hand on the wall, walked for a while, and thought that he couldn’t go anymore, so he leaned back against the wall at one corner and sat down. As he closed his eyes for a moment, he felt sleepy and woke up again, the song had changed, and there were many people walking around the club.
‘Ex-Friend, can’t remember which album or the name of the album, can’t remember which song, name of the song, Silence.’
Sangwoo sat there, immersed in the booming music, “thud, thud, thud.”
Jaeyoung had played this song from his phone in the office to kill time. Four days ago, when he was riding in a car along the Han River with another person, he heard this song.
‘Sangwoo-ya.’
Sangwoo turned pale, feeling like tears would start pouring out.
‘Sangwoo-ya.’
He couldn’t remember what they fought about, and didn’t know why the other person was so upset.
‘Sangwoo-ya.’
In his head, there was only longing.
__________________________________________________________________.
[1] The sentence with a typo or an extra word in the chat was a typo according to Jaeyoung.
Chapter 80: <1001> #8.
Sangwoo quickly got up and grabbed the store employee to borrow their phone. The funny thing was that he was able to accurately recall the ten-digit phone number even though he was drunk and forgot everything else.
However, Jaeyoung’s line was busy, so Sangwoo walked out of the store.
He climbed the stairs with both hands and feet without any special reason, only feeling more comfortable doing it this way. Once he got up to the street, he chose to walk straight again. He had to take the bus at the stop across from the subway station, but he could not remember where the subway station was, so he just kept walking.
‘So annoying, should I take a taxi?’
He spent forty thousand won on alcohol without thinking, “I can’t remember anymore.” And now he was thinking about taking a taxi again. Today was a day where he only spent money without gaining anything.
Sangwoo was confident that he was walking, but then he realized that he was sitting on a saddle, and he couldn’t tell when he started sitting like this. Then, when he started to come to his senses, he found that there was someone sitting next to him.
“What is this fate?”
The other person acted like they knew him, but Sangwoo had only seen that face for the first time, so he was too shocked to ask who that person was.
“You students have bad habits. You don’t even think that we might meet again.”
Hearing that, it seemed like Sangwoo finally realized who the other person was. He turned to look to the side and met the gaze of a man with brightly dyed hair.
“Are you looking for a hookup?”
The guy spoke softly, seeming to understand all of Sangwoo’s sorrows. Sangwoo couldn’t say that he didn’t, so he answered like he didn’t feel anything.
“I’m not to the point of addiction. I did a self-diagnostic test.”
“But your beautiful eyes are telling me that you’re dying of loneliness.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Let’s go back to my place. The car is parked over there.”
“Drunk driving is a crime.”
“I’ll call a driver.”
Sangwoo ran out of words at this point. At this moment, when he was so stressed out, he wanted the physical pleasure that Jaeyoung had given him intensely, but he could easily give in to going to a stranger’s house just for sex.
‘Either way, it’s not going to work out with Jaeyoung.’
When he thought about it, Sangwoo had been on the wrong path ever since what happened with Jang Jaeyoung. The situation started after the other party had persuaded him that he could solve his sexual needs by giving him exactly the opposite result. Many nights spent with Jaeyoung had only heightened his desire instead of calming it down. Intense happiness had seeped into his daily life... and now Sangwoo could never go back to the days when he had no experience with men.
He had done it with one person, so why not with another? After Jaeyoung had left, it was possible that he needed to find a new bed partner. If that time came sooner than later, what could go wrong?
“Are you good at this or what?”
Those words came out of Sangwoo’s mouth. He felt surprised by his own words inside, but that wasn’t a problem. If he borrowed Jaeyoung’s words to use, he would have to tell the truth about the current situation, “There’s nothing to lose.” The man laughed and leaned in towards Sangwoo, the smell of alcohol mixing with cigarettes and cologne until it overwhelmed his nose.
He had never hated all three scents before, but at that moment, he felt uncomfortable and had to distance himself a little.
“Just kids who used to be happy with me, and now they are addicted to me.
Just after you try it and don’t fall in love later, I hate these clingy types.”
“If the satisfaction level is low after trying, how will you compensate?”
“Try it first and then we’ll talk, I’m like this because of you, so you have to take responsibility too.”
The organ at the zipper of his jeans was sticking out noticeably. The moment his own hand touched his neck, the man’s hand had moved closer to Sangwoo’s face. Fingers trembled like they had Parkinson’s disease. Sangwoo tried to ignore the other man’s finger. When the finger touched his cheek, he felt so uncomfortable he almost used violence.
Judging by his posture and not sitting up straight, that man probably wants to kiss. Sangwoo was thinking for a moment whether to escape or not before deciding that things had turned out this way. Try giving a chance and see if it really meant something or not. He closed his eyes. Then the other man said, “So readily submissive,” and laughed out loud.
Sangwoo had expected a gentle touch on his cheek, but the man had grabbed his neck and squeezed it tightly. From the moment their lips met, the feeling of dislike surged in. The other party’s mouth made a popping sound, and his fingertips rubbed above the sexual organs of Sangwoo, who had not yet felt any sexual feelings at all.
‘The worst of the worst.’
Sangwoo dodged the other’s tongue and ended up being caught in the end. The man groaned and made Sangwoo feel queasy with his saliva before shoving his tongue down his throat, causing waves of nausea. Sangwoo pushed the other guy away and felt even more sorry. He was in complete darkness and didn’t know where to find someone to sleep with like Jang Jaeyoung or how to do it.
“I haven’t sucked something this big in a long time. Can I just swallow you here and now?”
“What are you saying? I’m not a fruit.”
The man leaned in again and sucked on Sangwoo’s skin, knowing a few people who liked to do the same thing, but giving different feelings like the sky and the earth. Sangwoo sank into his sorrow before the man bit his neck really hard, causing him to regain consciousness. He used his hands to wipe off the saliva of the other person that clung to his chin and neck before speaking out.
“Ouch. That’s enough.”
“Or is there a problem with your eagle not catching prey?”
“Well, that’s good.”
The test was finally over. Sangwoo got up from the chair, wiped off the other guy’s drool with the back of his hand, and spoke out.
“You’re not my type, I’m leaving now. Don’t follow me this time.”
“Come on... give me a little, play along.”
Sangwoo walked away quickly, but the man followed him with a look of annoyance, as if he had nothing else to do.
“Do you mean it? We’ve gone this far?”
“It’s no big deal. What do you want me to do?”
“Still not over your old boyfriend? Did he go somewhere else? You need to find a new person.”
The guy teased him again. Sangwoo felt tired as he pointed at the other guy.
“Stop teasing me, I warn you.”
“Just say it... do you think you can beat me?”
“I’m a black belt, level 4.”
It seemed like his mother sent him to learn taekwondo eight years ago to prepare for situations like this. Sangwoo didn’t have to use force, but that didn’t mean he was weak. If it weren’t for the law, the other guy would have been sleeping on the floor a long time ago.
“Fuck you. You’re too small to fight with me.”
The guy was so annoying with his excessive kissing. Sangwoo just wanted to shut his mouth up, even if it meant paying another 10,000 won.
“If you want a criminal record, start now. I won’t be a party to it. I’ve never agreed to it before and I won’t now.”
Sangwoo said he walked quickly, but as soon as he was grabbed and pulled by the man, his body turned the other way. Sangwoo looked at the other person angrily, the floating hair almost got into his eyes, but he quickly bent down to avoid it. The man then stretched his arms wide into the air.
‘Even so, it doesn’t mean that I have to actually hit him. This crazy guy has gone too far.’
Sangwoo quickly looked around but there was no one who could be a witness, and the phone had been turned off in this situation where he had to call the police like this. If that was the case, there were two options left. It had to either let the other person fall or run away.
“Annoyed, just got into trouble with this nervous guy, hey. If you don’t get along with me, come and fight me again.”
If he was caught by the police even once while confronting the other person, then both sides would be considered guilty. Sangwoo decided to choose the safer option, he started to run, and the man immediately chased after him, both of them were drunk. Even though they stumbled, they chased each other as fast as they could, then they reached a busy street where people were passing by.
‘Protect the witness.’
On the opposite side of the street, he saw a blue sign of a police station next to an underground subway station. For now, Sangwoo had nothing to fear. Therefore, the tension seemed to relax.
“Stop it now, you crazy person!”
Sangwoo ran smoothly until he heard a curse, and in a moment his legs tangled, causing his chin and knees to collide with the ground so hard that he couldn’t get up for a moment, and then his shirt was pulled from behind and he was dragged down completely.
When his body was grabbed and turned back, he came face to face with the other person. The other man climbed up and sat on his legs, then grasped the collar of Sangwoo’s upper body. Then he used his fist to hit Sangwoo’s cheeks with an angry face.
“Why did you have to make it so bloody? It would have been better if you had gone along with me when I was still in the mood instead.”
“The police station is right over there.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll kill you first before I go to jail, you son of a bitch.”
It seemed that the other person was angrier than Sangwoo thought, and he suddenly kicked up and slammed down onto Sangwoo’s face. Sangwoo used his palm to defend himself before using his arm to hold onto the other person’s neck tightly. Then the other person screamed and used his knee to hit Sangwoo’s legs aggressively and pulled his hair until it hurt.
They took turns flipping each other over and over, fighting each other ruthlessly. The people around them began to come and make noises and take videos. Although Sangwoo had yet to aggress against the other person, the fact that it would continue like this could be seen as a physical altercation between both parties. While he was thinking about running away to seek refuge at the police station, the other man hugged his waist tightly. Sangwoo used his leg to kick as hard as he could.
“Would you just agree to even one round so that it can be over?”
“You bastard!”
Sangwoo heard the loud curses and at the same time felt exhausted and defeated.
‘Come on, punch me then.’
Sangwoo reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged away, feeling furious. The situation was already extremely dire. Getting punched would probably not be worse than this. Sometimes, he might even feel better if he saw that guy paying the fine.
‘Choi Yoona, I won’t let you go.’
Sangwoo gritted his teeth, feeling as if his body had been twisted. He never thought that there would be a day in his life that would be as infuriating as this. He wanted to erase this day from the calendar completely.
‘Jang Jaeyoung, you son of a bitch.’
The feeling of resentment was building up inside him, but it wasn’t just today that was a problem. His life had been chaotic because of that damn error unfortunate of a person. As soon as he realized it, the other party also threw a punch. Seeing that, Sangwoo closed his eyes tightly.
Thump!
The sound of flesh hitting flesh grew louder, but he didn’t feel any pain.
“...”
When he opened his eyes again, he found that there was someone holding the man’s wrist. Sangwoo didn’t have time to understand the situation before he and the pervert who was punching him were pushed hard and fell to the ground.
Sangwoo turned over and put his hands on the ground. After a few attempts, he found a clean-looking shoe in front of him. He placed his foot on the ground, which felt familiar. Sangwoo was scared and excited at the same time, looking up slowly.
Jang Jaeyoung was breathing heavily and looked down at him with a terrifying look he had never seen before.
SEMANTIC ERROR VOLUME 4
Chapter 81: Black #1.
Jaeyoung was confident that he could feel love from Sangwoo’s actions during this period. It was a feeling that was difficult to pinpoint exactly where it came from.
His demeanor had changed slightly, his actions had changed slightly, and his way of speaking had changed slightly. At the same time, there was a certain point where his voice changed. When Sangwoo stood there silently, a sweet scent wafted out, causing Jaeyoung to feel intoxicated and lost in the other party.
Although their relationship had started with the utmost wickedness, he believed that Sangwoo was gradually climbing up the steps after they became involved in each other’s affairs, until now, where their bodies and hearts had become one. He guessed that Sangwoo’s heart was now aligned with his own. When it seemed as though he was annoyed, he pulled the other party close, as if he were a proud child learning to walk, hugging and sinking into the blissful feeling as if he himself had become Sangwoo’s lover. But that was a big misunderstanding.
“If the milk runs out, should I change my eating habits or go buy some from the supermarket?”
Since the day they agreed to release their desires (screw) under the agreement, Sangwoo, who had declared that he would transform Jaeyoung as if changing obsolete computer parts, had not changed at all, as if Yoona had said before, “Don’t fool a helpless kid”. But Jaeyoung, on the other hand, was completely different, having misunderstood without a clue and feeling as if they were the only ones in love.
“You’re the worst, I’m so stupid to have thought that I could feel good feelings from you.”
He was bored with the utilitarian way of thinking that treated people as objects, and with the business-like thinking that only consumed what was necessary and discarded the rest. At the same time, Jaeyoung thought of the words of his three ex-girlfriends, who had spoken particularly harshly and left him behind.
“It feels like you’re only dating my body.”
“You despicable person, you can’t recycle someone like me.”
“Jaeyoung-ah, do you love me?”
How does it feel now? Good, I might as well just die. Who said they liked my coolness? Now that you’re back, you’re cursing me again, pretending to be like Chunhyang [1] or being that crazy lover.
But even so, the knife he threw at others had turned around and aimed at himself.
“You’ve never been clear from the beginning.”
That is the voice of the subconscious, because he is unsure of how to convincingly reject Sangwoo, because he does not have enough time, because he hates the intense relationship, for various reasons. Jaeyoung therefore tried his best to show his determination, and the price he had to pay was too heavy.
“Stay calm. You don’t have your senses yet.”
The young man decided that he would not let Sangwoo drag him down. Otherwise, he might become a pair of pants that the other party could easily discard and replace at the airport. Therefore, he had to “be prepared”, as someone once said.
Jaeyoung resolved to distance himself from Sangwoo. He felt the need to step back and look at this overwhelming relationship in perspective. At the same time, he despised Sangwoo who declared that he could live without him and wanted the other party (Sangwoo) to experience it for once.
The first day went well, the second day he restrained himself in every way possible, but on the third day, it became so difficult for Jaeyoung himself.
[Bebe: I miss you, brother. Can we meet today? _21:00.]
Because he knew that the other party saw him as a sexual object that could be easily manipulated. Jaeyoung had to try every possible way not to run into Sangwoo. He watched movies at home, went to drink alone in places where Sangwoo couldn’t show up, and spent two to three hours skateboarding at the riverside park.
Life felt so monotonous. Without Sangwoo, there was nothing exciting, nothing fun. Jaeyoung felt lost in a gray dust because of the worst villain, Blackout, an unforeseen nuclear explosion. After that, Jaeyoung’s world lost its color, he severed ties with Chu Sangwoo after only four days.
For Jaeyoung, that day felt like sitting on a runaway train.
Jaeyoung had no plan. He had lived like this all along, he only went to the workplace because he missed Chu Sangwoo so much. Jaeyoung showered, chose an outfit that looked neat and tidy that the other party might like, and drove there. He wanted to wear bunny earrings and buy flowers again, so he headed to the office and arranged the words he wanted to say to the other party in his mind.
“I didn’t just see you as a casual fling. I love you with the most passionate love.”
After that, he didn’t think further. The other party probably wouldn’t understand and would choose hurtful words and run away. Then, he would become a person covered in wounds once again. But even so, Jaeyoung still stood firm, ready to say those words for the other party to hear, at least to prevent the other party from speaking pointless things about intimacy like that again.
When he saw the empty office, his hope turned into disappointment. And Sangwoo couldn’t be reached as usual, so he went to the front of the other party’s house and wandered around near the dark windows. Then he went up to the 4th floor and pressed his ear against the door to listen if there were any sounds inside, while waiting there, worry and uneasiness grew more and more.
When he saw the short text message that came with a picture, his head was violently hit by a wave of excitement.
The current situation feels like a climax in a teenage movie. Chu Sangwoo, who only knows home and university, wears the clothes he bought in the Rangrom district. It is a low-budget scene that clearly has a purpose. In this repetitive scene, the role prepared for Jaeyoung is that of a man who is in pain and restless, trembling with worry and frustration. At first, he thought it would be fun.
“Where could that kid be going? Probably just going to eat.”
The confident statement he said to himself sounded more like selfencouragement, because after that, there were nothing but frustrating issues.
Jaeyoung followed the anxiety and anger honestly according to the role assigned by ChoiYoona, saying, “Chu Sangwoo has no way of thinking about anything like this, for sure.”
Then, as he swept his gaze and looked around the brightly lit streets in Yeongdong, he had to call Yoona and ask her how she would take responsibility if something happened to that kid because she meddled without understanding the situation. After that, he received the message from Sangwoo through the phone that he did not answer
He searched every corner of the room and the bathroom in the semi-bar club where he had been a few times before, but did not find Sangwoo. So he asked the bartender and showed him a picture, confirming that Sangwoo was hiding in a corner, heavily drinking and then leaving. Jaeyoung exhaustedly wandered the streets, going to every place where a drunk person might fall, including the underground train station, bus stops, main roads, and side alleys.
Then, when he tried to go to a place where people were gathered and watching, he found Sangwoo fighting and wrestling with someone fiercely. The moment he saw the other person, his body immediately rushed forward. Jaeyoung intervened in the fight without thinking. When he regained his composure, he found Sangwoo lying on the floor, and the jerk who was about to punch the other person had run away... If he had been a little slower, Sangwoo could have been seriously injured. Just the thought of that made Jaeyoung tremble.
“Hey, why... why did you...”
His emotions were in turmoil to the point that he couldn’t speak. He didn’t know whether he should pull the other person in for a tight hug filled with concern, or should he ask calmly why Sanwoo made him worry like this? Should he sarcastically ask why he put down his phone and came here to wander, or should he ask calmly why he was fighting with the locals on the street? His conflicting emotions made Jaeyoung breathless as Sangwoo struggled to get up from the floor.
Sangwoo was in a drunken state and unconscious, but he didn’t seem to be injured. The drunk person in front of him could barely stand and had a frightened expression on his face. Jaeyoung caught a strong smell of alcohol from the person in front of him, and he thought that first of all, he had to suppress the swirling emotions and take Sangwoo home.
While carefully slipping his arm under Sangwoo’s back to support his body, Jaeyoung noticed a kiss mark imprinted on the spot he loved the most on Sangwoo’s body. From that moment on, everything changed. Concern was replaced with anger, the support turned into a tug. Jaeyoung suppressed his longing for several days, holding back the words he wanted to say to the other person, and the admiration he had for the clothes Sangwoo chose for himself behind the scenes. Then, he abruptly pulled and dragged Sangwoo towards the car. Jaeyoung adorned himself in a black suit called “anxiety” and “apprehension” and stepped onto the stage that awaited him.
The car raced, pounding his mind until it spun. Jaeyoung held onto the steering wheel tightly and remained silent, feeling like a fool who knew nothing. He didn’t know what to do, where to go, and how to deal with Sangwoo.
“No...This isn’t the way.”
Suddenly, Sangwoo straightened up. Jaeyoung noticed the abnormal fearful expression on the other’s face. Was it the way... Jaeyoung didn’t care in the slightest. The car passed the toll booth and soon left the city.
“This isn’t the way to my house.”
This time the voice grew slightly stronger, but Jaeyoung continued to evaluate the other’s words.
“Where are we going? Why are you making that face? Do you want to argue?”
The more he repeated the question, the louder his voice became. Sangwoo hugged himself, looking at Jaeyoung with a twisted neck, trying to suppress his anger. “Hey.”
“Why?”
“Shut up, please.”
Jaeyoung said softly, a time before the fuse was blown. He wanted to grab Sangwoo and take off his clothes right now, to see if there were any more kiss marks on him. But he restrained that desire. However, when he heard the other’s words, Sangwoo remained silent for a moment before speaking up.
“I’ll get off.”
“I said, be quiet.”
“I’ll get off.”
Sangwoo unlocked the doors while the car was still moving. Startled, Jaeyoung locked them again, but the same situation repeated itself until he pressed the lock button for the fifth time. Jaeyoung exploded.
“Hey, just tell me straight.”
When being pushed into the corner, Sangwoo withdrew his hand from the door. His left hand, resting on his knee, trembled weakly, and he turned his face towards the window on the right side, avoiding eye contact.
“Why... did you have to put me in a corner, insult me, and make me scared?”
It was a humorous conversation that Jaeyoung had adapted to tolerate the superficial separation between good and evil for so long. But now it meant nothing at all, just a minimal return for his efforts to be a good person. Is it really that he likes the other side sincerely? Pointless, lucky enough that he didn’t say it out loud.
“Hey?”
Jaeyoung gritted his teeth and spoke.
“Tell me how you really see me.”
“...”
“Why aren’t you answering? Normally, you’re not good at thinking before speaking, right?”
Jaeyoung’s anger built up until it became a loud, noisy voice. Does Sangwoo know that while he couldn’t contact him, he traveled around in fear that something might happen? Does the other side know that he lost his mind because of worrying and wanted to know why he is so angry? Jaeyoung felt the anger that clouded his eyes and spoke again.
“Am I just an object of desire to you, or not?”
Sangwoo didn’t say anything. Jaeyoung chose not to be right, either by keeping the other side’s mouth shut or by letting them speak an uninteresting word over and over again.
‘Allow both parties to do normal things when dating.’
‘I haven’t thought about myself having this kind of preference.’
‘If I still couldn’t handle it at that time... I would just find someone else to replace you.’
Let’s think about it.. There is only Jaeyoung who refuses to accept the truth.
While Sangwoo continues to fluctuate constantly. If those words came from Sangwoo’s true heart, their relationship wouldn’t be so complicated. At the same time, there is only one thing left.
Jaeyoung clenched his fists tightly, slowly releasing his words.
“Don’t want to talk, huh? Then communicate with your body, alright.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means let’s have sex. Besides that, what else do you and I do together?”
“I don’t want to.”
The other party replied immediately. Jaeyoung clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white.
“Why? Don’t you want to do it with me anymore?”
“I don’t need to, hyung.”
With each increasingly harsh word, he wondered if he had misunderstood something all along. Did he come to this point just to feel this heartbroken?
The image in front of him turned pitch black.
“Let me warn you.”
Jaeyoung gritted his teeth.
“If you want to see me lose control, feel free to keep speaking like that.”
“What I say is my business.”
Then the other party took it further. Determined to unlock the door from the inside of the running car. Despite being forbidden, Sangwoo still struggled to open the door like a madman in a car running at seventy kilometers per hour. The other party was thinking of doing something. Jaeyoung was furious, but tried to regain his composure and looked around, amid the dark and desolate scenery consisting only of condominiums and factories, there was no suitable place to talk before Sangwoo randomly jumped onto the highway. So Jaeyoung made the decision to pull over on the shoulder of the road.
“Are you crazy? Do you want to die?”
Jaeyoung lost his senses, his clenched fists were tight but he didn’t know where to put them, so he sat trembling on his knees. Sangwoo stared out the car window, his expression blank, sounding ignorant.
“I asked where you wanted to go, but you didn’t tell me. Instead, you just insulted and belittled me. And even threatened me...”
Sangwoo’s face turned pale with pain. Then he raised his hand and rubbed his face. Jaeyoung felt like he wanted to gently embrace those trembling shoulders, at the same time, he wanted to inflict pain on the other party.
“I’m too drunk. I’ll go now.”
Sangwoo tried to open the door, but Jaeyoung grabbed his shoulder and held him back, making him turn his body to face him. Jaeyoung’s hand moved up to hold his chin, revealing a noticeable red mark on his neck, causing Jaeyoung’s grip to tighten.
“I’m very drunk. I’ll go now.”
Sangwoo tried to open the door, but Jaeyoung grabbed his shoulder and held him back, making him turn his body to face him. Jaeyoung’s hand moved up to hold his chin, revealing a noticeable red mark on his neck, causing Jaeyoung’s grip to tighten.
________________________________________.
[1] Chunhyang, the heroine in ‘Chunhyangjeon’, or Chunhyang’s Story, an ancient novel, is a woman who firmly adheres to her virginity.