Chapter 34: Chapter 34.
Chapter 34.
Eejun Bae whined loudly, “Gosh, finally! Do you realize that this is the first time we are eating a proper meal in three days? We have barely touched our food budget for this trip! Don’t you think that’s crazy?”
“…”
“This is why I hate going on business trips with a.s.sistant Manager Woojin Choi.”
Woojin was quietly eating french fries dipped in mayonnaise. Eejun smiled at him.
Shin Kim took a sip of his beer and looked around the pub. It was a pub-restaurant located near their Hamburg hotel. The restaurant seemed a bit dark and empty.
In Germany, most stores closed by 10 PM, so they were worried they might not get much time to eat. However, when asked, a blonde woman at the bar replied coldly that they closed at 11 PM.
Eejun continued to grumble, “I am so sick of eating sandwich bread and cold coffee!”
Woojin replied, “Just eat your food.” Woojin ate quietly as he looked around the bar as well.
He showered recently; his hair was still a little wet. It looked very light. With his vanilla colored sweater, Woojin looked like a college student. His eyes looked puffy all day, but they now seemed a little better.
Eejun turned to Shin and asked, “Did you know that Woojin Choi graduated from a university in Germany?”
“…”
Woojin seemed indifferent as he drank his wine. This was already his second cup and Shin was getting a bit worried about him.
Shin replied, “Is that so?”
“I guess you didn’t know. Woojin and I have been friends since childhood.”
“…”
Suddenly, Woojin stated as he cut into his steak, “We aren’t friends.”
Eejun asked, “What? Then what are we? Brothers?”
“Just acquaintances from the same neighborhood.”
Shin wondered if Woojin was a bit intoxicated. He still had a calm blank face, but Woojin seemed a little less tense.
Eejun’s eyes widened, “Did you hear that. Mr. Shin? He said we are acquaintances from the same neighborhood! Hahaha!”
“…”
Woojin mumbled, “What’s so funny?” Shin studied him and he was now sure that Woojin was a bit drunk. It made sense; Woojin was so thin and lost even more weight during these last 3 days.
And when Woojin ordered wine, Shin heard clearly Eejun mumbling, “You are going to get drunk so fast, Woojin.”
Eejun ate a piece of his salad and whispered to Shin, “Woojin has always tolerated hard liquor well, but he is very weak against wine. He has been like this ever since we were young.”
Woojin protested, “Don’t talk like you know me.”
Eejun grinned, “Look at you acting all grumbly and stubborn.”
Woojin was looking at Eejun with a pouty annoyed face. Shin had never seen Woojin looking this way, so he stared in amazement.
Light brown eyebrow, pink lips, and slim fingers that held the wine gla.s.s.
Shin couldn’t help staring at Woojin. There was just something about him.
Woojin mumbled, “Excuse me.” He wiped his lips with the napkin and left to go to the washroom. When Shin followed him with his eyes, Eejun smiled oddly and said to him, “He is so drunk. He is insisting he isn’t, but he totally is.”
“You guys must be very close.”
“I think so, but Woojin doesn’t.”
“…”
“We pretend we don’t even know each other when we are at work.”
Eejun was smiling, but oddly, his eyes looked said. Shin watched him silently and Eejun took a sip of his beer.
“I wanted to tease him a little.”
“a.s.sistant Manager Choi?”
“No, you, Mr. Shin.”
Eejun smiled and continued, “You didn’t seem surprised when I told you Woojin’s family owns the company.”
“… I was surprised.”
“Then I guess you are very good at hiding your emotions? You don’t usually show your feelings?”
“I’m the complete opposite. My emotions usually show very clearly on my face.”
Shin replied calmly and drank his golden ale. The bubbles seemed like they reached and knocked on his heart.
Eejun asked, “Hmmm… Then you were surprised but you pretended not to be for Woojin’s sake? Because you were afraid he might worry about it?”
“…”
“Woojin Choi is astonishing.”
“How so?”
“For some reason, he grabs people’s attention. He is the type that makes people worry about him. He… makes people wonder about him.”
“…”
“And that’s why… I feel bad for him sometimes. His life… must be unhappy.”
“That might be because…”
Shin stared at his empty gla.s.s and continued, “You like a.s.sistant Manager Woojin Choi, Mr. Eejun Bae.”
“You think so?”
“And I don’t think a.s.sistant Manager Woojin is a very noticeable type.”
“…”
“The problem is that he is noticeable to ME.”
Eejun’s eyes widened just slightly. Thankfully, Eejun didn’t get a chance to comment because Woojin was coming back to their table.
***
“Gosh, you are so heavy! You are killing me! a.s.sistant Manager Woojin Choi! Wake up! Come on!”
“… Scheisse…(In English: sh*t)”
“You need to watch your language, Woojin.”
Eejun yelled in annoyance as Woojin grabbed his shoulder.
By the end of the dinner, Woojin ended up drinking a whole bottle of wine. Shin couldn’t understand why, but as soon as Woojin returned to the table, Eejun offered him a fresh gla.s.s of wine. He kept getting Woojin to drink as if he was angry at something.
When they were ready to leave, Woojin was out. It didn’t seem like Woojin would be able to wake up, so Eejun and Shin helped him to the hotel.
That was a few minutes ago.
They were able to get him into the elevator, but Woojin kept slipping onto the floor. They finally arrived in front of his hotel room door. While Shin held him up, Eejun searched Woojin’s pockets for his room key card. When the only card he could find was his credit card, Eejun frowned and exclaimed, “What the h.e.l.l! This is his company credit card. Where is his room card?”
“Maybe he left it at the reception?”
“I already checked it before we took the elevator and they don’t have it. Dammit! Stupid Woojin.”
Eejun continued to swear as he searched Woojin once more. Unfortunately, there was nothing.
Eejun said to Shin, “What should we do? Should I have him sleep in my room? But I only have a single bed.”
“We should go down to the lobby and check with the reception again.”
“I told you, they don’t have it! Woojin probably hid it somewhere! Gosh, he is such a sneaky b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
Eejun searched all of Woojin’s pockets. Meanwhile, Shin pulled Woojin up because he kept slipping. Just then, Woojin placed both his arms around Shin’s neck. Shin could smell the sweet wine on Woojin’s lips; it made his back stiffen.
Eejun announced, “He doesn’t have it. He hid it somewhere.”
“…”
“Wait a minute. Didn’t you get a rollaway bed yesterday? Because we were pulling an all-nighter in your room last night?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“Well, then there is our solution. Take him to your room and let him sleep there. Man, he looks so thin but he is still too heavy… Gosh!”
Eejun dumped Woojin on Shin.
“Good luck. Please take care of him. When is our checkout time tomorrow?”
“It’s 11 AM.”
“Alright. I’m sure you’ll be fine with him. Sorry about this. I feel like I’m dumping a burden on you.”
“It’s alright.”
“Good night.”
Eejun went into his room. Woojin was about to slip again, so Shin pulled him up closer to him.
Woojin was definitely not light. Awkwardly, Shin took out his room card from his jacket pocket and opened the door to his room. As he walked into the dark room, he could feel the welcoming warmth.
Shin sighed heavily as he closed the door. Just then, he could hear Woojin’s voice.
“Shin Kim…”
When Shin didn’t reply, Woojin called him again, “… Shin Kim.”
It felt like a dream to him. They were still in the dark and Shin looked down at Woojin. Woojin’s face was buried against Shin’s shoulder, so he couldn’t tell what kind of face Woojin had.
“… Shin…”
Woojin’s hot breath burned Shin’s heart. Then… Shin heard Woojin say the words.
“Let’s date just for a month.”