Chapter 5 (Part 3)

Jinwon felt heartache because In-ah’s eyes were so empty. He felt frustrated and anxious, knowing that there was no other way right now.

Jinwon opened his arms towards In-ah, and she slowly leaned into his embrace. He shielded her from the pouring rain as much as possible and ran out into the storm from the entrance of the studio apartment.

The fire was found to have started in the recycling area of the parking lot of the studio apartment. Smoke spread to quite a high floor, causing a commotion with all the residents evacuating, but fortunately, no one was injured. In front of the studio apartment, it was chaos with fire trucks, ambulances, escaping residents, and onlookers all mixed together.

The convenience store where In-ah and Jinwon were was no different. It was bustling with people trying to escape the rain and find some stability. Jinwon managed to secure a spot for In-ah to sit. He soon handed her a cup of warm coffee.

“Drink something hot today.”

Without a word, In-ah accepted the coffee Jinwon offered.

“It’s hot. Be careful…”

“Ouch, hot!”

“I told you it’s hot, drink slowly.”

In-ah gave Jinwon a slight glare, then blew on the coffee and brought it back to her lips. Watching In-ah take a sip, Jinwon finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Shouldn’t you call home?”

“Home?”

“It might take some time for the smoke to clear. You should sleep at your parents’ house tonight…”

“I’m not calling.”

In-ah finished her short reply and slowly sipped her coffee again. She probably didn’t want to worry her family. Jinwon, who knew In-ah well, understood that it was useless to say more.

Jinwon was deep in thought. His car, which he had parked haphazardly in front of the studio apartment in his panic over the fire, was currently unusable.

“Then, do you want to stay with me tonight?”

In-ah looked up and stared intently at Jinwon.

***

‘Clatter!’

Jinwon opened the door to a street vendor-style pub and went inside. In-ah followed Jinwon slowly into the pub.

A large man approached Jinwon with a booming voice that sounded like he had swallowed a train whistle.

“Hey! Who do we have here? I can’t remember for the life of me.”

The moment In-ah looked at Jinwon, he responded with a bright smile.

“The owner here is hopeless. I thought it was just your looks, but your memory’s no good either.”

Laughing loudly, they hugged each other, looking like they were more than just ordinary friends.

“Do you still operate until morning these days?”

“Of course. It’s hard to make a living, you know?”

The man, who belatedly noticed In-ah, widened his small eyes.

“Who’s this?”

“Oh, this is…”

“Just by looking, she’s totally our Jinwon’s type.”

A flustered Jinwon smacked the man’s back. The man, seemingly unaffected by the hit, stretched his mouth into a wide, pleased smile.

“I’m Hong Jeong-ho, friends with this guy since, well, not childhood, but high school.”

In-ah’s eyes widened, but she quickly masked her surprise and greeted him.

“I’m Seo In-ah.”

“Welcome, welcome~”

Despite his large build, his playful eye smile and gentle words slightly eased In-ah’s tension.

“Something warm, please.”

“Warm is good! Sake? What kind?”

Without fail, Jinwon’s palm landed sharply on Jeong-ho’s back.

“Not alcohol, warm food! Food!”

“Oh, food~ You should’ve said so earlier. In-ah, just wait a bit. My cooking skills are top-notch. Get ready to be surprised!”

Jeong-ho hurried into the kitchen. Left alone at the table with In-ah, Jinwon suddenly felt shy.

“That guy may look like a mountain bandit, but he’s a great cook.”

In-ah nodded slightly. Seeing this, Jinwon cautiously continued.

“But are you okay with going straight to work from here? If not, we can go to a hotel…”

“No, I like it here.”

In-ah smiled. Jinwon felt like he was melting at In-ah’s smile.

Jinwon realized he was more tense than he thought. From the sudden fire incident to escaping with In-ah, he hadn’t been in his right mind.

It was past 2 a.m. Jinwon, sitting across from In-ah, was dozing off.

Seeing Jinwon nodding off, Jeong-ho, who had brought new snacks, gently moved Jinwon’s head to lean against the wall.

In-ah watched Jeong-ho closely. His careful actions with his large build showed how much he cared for Jinwon.

Jeong-ho’s gaze at Jinwon, who was asleep with his head against the wall, seemed affectionate.

“How did you two become friends?”

In-ah remembered hearing about Jeong-ho when she was dating Jinwon. They were friends who loved, trusted, and relied on each other.

She thought she had heard he went abroad, but it seemed he came back and opened a shop.

“Looking back, it was destiny between this guy and me, destiny.”

Jeong-ho put special emphasis on the word “destiny.”

***

In high school, Jinwon was always the center of attention due to his dazzling appearance. Loved by teachers and female students alike, Jinwon was, conversely, the enemy of male students. He was the main character who proved that jealousy wasn’t just a woman’s emotion to the whole world.

To male students, Jinwon was a thorn in their side. He was just someone they didn’t want to see. No one wanted to admit that jealousy was the underlying emotion.

As a result, Jinwon often became the target of crooked guys.

“Hey! Beef brisket! Does your family sell beef brisket?”

That was the nickname given to Jinwon because he often got beaten up. Jinwon pretended not to hear and continued walking.

Seeing Jinwon not responding, Jeong-ho, who had initiated the conversation, got heated. He couldn’t save face in front of his henchmen standing behind him.

Annoyed, Jeong-ho roughly grabbed Jinwon’s shoulder and spun him around.

“Hey! Where are you going when your elder isn’t done talking? You cheeky brat.”

Suddenly, Jinwon began taking off his top. He started removing one piece of clothing after another until he was shirtless.

Surprised, Jeong-ho tried to pretend he wasn’t, but failed when he saw Jinwon’s bare body.

Jinwon’s emaciated body, with ribs showing, was covered in bruises and unhealed wounds.

Jeong-ho involuntarily frowned.

“What are you doing?”

“Weren’t you picking a fight to hit me? Hit me. But…”

“But what?”

“Hit only where it doesn’t show when I wear clothes. If you hit where it shows, I’ll kill you.”

***

“I thought lasers were going to shoot out of that guy’s eyes back then.”

Jeong-ho shivered slightly, recalling that time. In-ah found his reaction cute and let out a small laugh.

But Jeong-ho’s face quickly turned serious as he continued speaking.

“Turns out, he did it because he was worried his mom would be sad if she saw him beaten…”

Jeong-ho suddenly stopped talking and sniffled.

What a sentimental guy.

While In-ah was pondering how to react, Jeong-ho wiped his eyes and continued.

“Back then, I was raised by my grandmother, so I was pretty rebellious. But this guy, he let his whole body get beaten to avoid causing trouble for his mom, who was raising him alone…”

Seeing Jeong-ho sniffle again, In-ah carefully reached out and patted his shoulder.

Jeong-ho’s shoulders shook as he cried even harder.

As his sobbing subsided, In-ah looked back and forth between the sleeping Jinwon and Jeong-ho and spoke.

“You two seem very close.”

“What’s the use of being close? I wasn’t there when he needed someone the most.”

“What?”

“I feel so guilty whenever I see this guy. When they said he’d never walk again…”

What on earth does that mean?

In-ah held her breath, focusing on his next words.

Jeong-ho, who seemed to choke up again, wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

“…How fortunate. Heaven helped. Huh? Jinwon! You’re awake?”

Jinwon rubbed his eyes, struggling to open them. Jeong-ho tugged at Jinwon’s clothes, giving him a knowing look.