episode_0088

I thought it would be hard to avoid a fight.

As the saying goes, “A good word is like a good tree; a good word is also beautiful when it comes back,” right?

Having heard his irritated complaint, it wasn’t surprising that he was also getting worked up.

Feeling like I had complained for no reason, I weakly shook my head.

…I shouldn’t have done that.

I should have just joked around, even if I received some flak as usual.

Regretting belatedly, but the deed was already done.

Thinking about the imminent outburst of anger, I closed my eyes tightly…

“…Sorry.”

Contrary to my expectations.

What came out of his mouth was not a furious shout but a guilt-laden apology.

He apologized?

That prideful guy?

Something I thought was least likely to happen became a reality.

Did I mishear? Doubting my ears, I cocked my head, and Jaehyuk spoke firmly as if driving a wedge.

“I… No, whatever I say now will sound like an excuse, right?”

“…”

“Then all I can say is sorry. I’ll do better from now on. I messed up, really.”

Even though he was angry, he humbled himself first, bending his lofty pride.

How could one complain further after witnessing this?

Taking it any further would truly mean starting a fight.

Not willing to squander this precious opportunity, I also offered him an apology in a softened tone.

“Oh, no… I think I overreacted. It wasn’t something worth getting annoyed about, so I’m sorry for losing my temper…”

“It seems like you’ve been holding onto it for quite a while. I feel more sorry. So, did it help a bit?”

“…I wasn’t holding onto it. Just… never mind, if I keep talking, we might end up fighting again for no reason. It’s late; let’s just go home.”

“Okay.”

It should have ended well, but there were many awkward corners in our conversation.

Not liking the uncomfortable feeling it gave me, I cautiously brought up a topic when the atmosphere had somewhat settled.

“Um, now that it’s over, I’m curious… why were you so harsh when teaching me?”

“You’re asking because you’re curious, right?”

“Yeah, I’m really asking because I’m curious.”

Expressing curiosity rather than complaint in my gaze, Jaehyuk sighed and slowly began to speak.

“…Because we’re friends.”

“Huh?”

“So, I was just comfortable telling you things because we’re friends. Treating the new employee harshly… we’ve only just met, right? I couldn’t treat you casually, so I maintained some formality. And…”

After answering my questions for a while, he suddenly looked at me intently, as if asking if I had forgotten something, and continued speaking.

“There’s a bit of unfairness in that you said I needed to soften up. If you get annoyed because of the changes you asked for, doesn’t that seem a bit off?”

“…”

“After hearing your words, I tried to change. But if you get annoyed because of the changes you requested… doesn’t that seem a bit strange?”

“…Oh.”

Listening to him, I couldn’t say anything.

I just wanted to find a hole to hide in right away.

A friend who gets annoyed after pointing out flaws and then fixing them…

Damn, even thinking about it, I really have no backbone.

Even from my perspective, how incredulous must Jaehyuk have felt?

Guilt flooded endlessly.

Feeling embarrassed, thinking there wouldn’t be someone as pathetic as this pathetic person, I repeatedly bowed my head to Jaehyuk.

“Uh, s-sorry…”

“What are you sorry for?”

“F-for everything… sniff…”

Whether it was due to guilt or shame, tears welled up in my eyes.

Hastily seeking forgiveness, Jaehyuk let out a laugh and gently patted my back.

“If you apologize, you can buy me dinner tonight. Are you feeling guilty about something? Seems like you’re really craving alcohol.”

“…Is that all right?”

“I’m not particularly angry, so… anything else you want to say? Don’t tell me you’re trying to confess your feelings?”

“For dinner, what do you feel like eating?”

“Since it’s a bit chilly, let’s go for lamb skewers today. Conveniently, there’s a convenience store over there; let’s grab two cans of Tsingtao on our way.”

…When the alcohol kicks in and intoxication rises, feelings of guilt and shame tend to diminish slightly.

I nodded in agreement to his suggestion and purchased two cans of beer from a nearby convenience store before heading back to my studio apartment.

“Oh, right. How are your cosplay preparations going?”

“Cosplay? Just a moment, let me check the calendar.”

After ordering lamb skewers through a delivery app and engaging in conversation to distract myself from feelings of shame, I heard a single sentence.

Recalling a forgotten appointment, I immediately opened the calendar app to confirm the date.

“Let’s see, today is July 6th, and Hyeeun mentioned that festival in mid-July, which falls on a Sunday, right?”

“July 16th, only ten days left now.”

“…That’s right.”

It felt like just yesterday that there were over two months remaining; why is there suddenly only ten days left?

Realizing that time was running out, a growing sense of embarrassment and unease began to surface.

Should I cancel now, seriously contemplating my options.

I started fidgeting with the plastic bag containing the beer.

—–

Following a tumultuous weekday, I welcomed a peaceful afternoon on a quiet holiday.

Perhaps due to the heavily clouded weather, I woke up earlier than usual.

“…It’s been a while since I woke up during the day.”

Feeling a gradual surge of energy, I checked the time on my phone—it was 1 p.m.

Despite going to bed late after dinner, I still felt hungry, so I headed straight to the fridge from my room.

“Jaehyuk isn’t here… Where could he have gone off to this time?”

Sucking on a piece of dried seaweed, I glanced towards where Jaehyuk should have been, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Did he go out somewhere?

Considering there was only dried seaweed in the fridge, that seemed likely.

“Anyway, what should I do today?”

If he went out without saying anything, he should at least be back before my usual waking time.

Having mentally detached from Jaehyuk, I began to contemplate my plans while lightly washing up.

“Well, while Jaehyuk’s away, I might as well try on the cosplay outfit for inspection… If there’s nothing else to do, maybe I’ll suggest going bowling?”

It seemed like a waste to spend the holiday just chatting in bed.

After roughly planning my day, I came out of the bathroom and retrieved the cosplay costume from the closet.

“…Before heading to that festival or whatever next week, I should probably give this a wash?”

Although it was well kept and in good condition, leaving it unworn would result in that musty smell seeping out.

The smell was indeed emanating from the clothes.

I’m glad I checked ahead of time.

If I hadn’t, I would have surely faced embarrassment.

“Now, let’s try putting it on…”

Trying on the cosplay outfit after two months.

Having worn it before and considering the relatively easy-to-wear design of the clothes.

I quickly put on the outfit and soon stood in front of the mirror.

“The chest area… Feels a bit tight somehow?”

Unknowingly gained weight, or perhaps the clothes that used to fit comfortably just two months ago now felt quite constricting.

…Without being able to see myself in the mirror, I couldn’t tell if I had gained weight or not.

Visually, my body didn’t seem significantly different from two months ago.

A week passes, but will anything change significantly here?

It might be frustrating and uncomfortable, but there shouldn’t be a big issue with participating in the event.

After completing the costume check, I immediately began to take off my clothes.

Zip – zip – zip – zip –

Having undressed and tidied up, I sat at the table, eating snacks and watching a short video for a while.

As I finished watching, just as Jaehyuk was returning, the sound of him entering the door lock code tickled my ears.

Since he probably wouldn’t expect me to be standing up, why not give him a little scare?

Sly mischief rising stealthily.

I turned off the lights, quietly hid my body, and waited for Jaehyuk to come in.

To tease him when he jumps in surprise.

However…

“…Oh my, why is it so dark in broad daylight? You didn’t contact me once; have you turned into a vampire or something?”

At the sound of annoyance-mixed voice coming through the open door, I could do nothing but swallow my saliva.

Yoon Jaehyuk, this crazy guy.

If someone was coming to my place, he should have given me a heads-up.

She wasn’t a stranger.

A woman close enough to Jaehyuk to know the door lock code and freely spew out foul language.

How many people like that exist in the world?

“Wow… overflowing with money, overflowing. Leaving the air conditioning on even though no one’s here. Well, I’ll just rest for a bit. Is there anything to drink?”

Yes, the person who came to my place was his older sister.

If there’s a woman like Jaehyuk, she’d probably be just like this.

If she finds out that I’m living here, or more precisely, living with a woman, things could get quite troublesome.

So, leaving behind whatever she brought, I fervently wished in my heart for her to just leave.

Did she like the cool air in the room?

Jayeon noona, no, unni, complained about the heat, took off her shoes, came inside, and turned on the lights.

“…Who are you?”

Spotting me crouched in the corner, she froze with a puzzled expression on her face.

Yoon Jaehyuk.

You better hurry back when you return.

Seriously.