“Ah, I feel refreshed now!” exclaimed Ji Soo after taking a long gulp of her beer. “As expected, drinking is the best way to unwind after a hectic day!”
“Says the person whose fault it was that the day was so hectic,” responded Jong In as he took a sip of his own beer.
Ji Soo laughed loudly and slapped him on the back, “Hey, if we don’t follow through with the schedule, we’ll never get done. Who knows where you will all be after graduation. I’m not exactly skilled at hunting people down, you know.”
“You had no problem with me,” chimed in Si Woo as he sat down next to Jong In. He smiled at the younger guy who promptly turned away from him. Si Woo chuckled.
“Oppa," Ji Soo said to Si Woo, having missed the interchange between him and Jong In, "you answer anyone who contacts you. You even respond to your ex’s. You’re the easiest person to track down, well, when you're in the country, that is. It’s Jong In here that I am worried about.”
“Oh?” he replied, leaning back as he curiously glanced at Jong In, who now seemed uninterested in the direction of the conversation.
“Yup, he’s notorious for not answering unless Ye Jun is involved.” She took a large bite of the green onion pancake Hwan held out to her. “Thanks,” she mumbled, chewing her food quickly before continuing. “Though he’s been much better lately. But like I said he has a tendency to just disappear. The only reason we’ve stayed friends for so long is because we all ended up at the same school.”
“And maybe because you are one of the few people who keeps trying to keep in contact with him?”
She grinned, passing Hwan the dipping sauce. “Well, I guess you’re not wrong there, you know how stubborn I can be.”
He returned the grin. “No one more so.”
She laughed, “I’m sure you two would give me a run for my money.” She then gave him a long look before turning to Jong In, “So have you heard from “the prince” lately? Bastard barely responds to me.”
Jong In put down his glass. “No,” he replied tensely as though he wished the conversation would steer elsewhere.
"What a jerk," she grumbled and continued to grumble with her mouth full as Hwan served her another piece of pancake, seafood this time. "No loyalty, that one, I swear. If it wasn't for Jong In I'ff slaff –."
Si Woo, who had been closely watching Jong In, decided to take pity on him. He raised his glass, “Let’s cheer the work we’ve done so far. Ji Soo’s coding skills and Jong In’s excellent graphical skills. His mood board was rather impressive - cohesive and made excellent use of color theory to match the theme.”
A touch of color appeared on Jong In’s cheeks and his eyes widened slightly but quickly flitted away when Si Woo tried to catch it. He was so easily embarrassed.
Cute.
“I second that! Let’s drink to our heart’s content!” Ji Soo exclaimed, her mouth finally free of food and raised her glass with exuberance. Hwan followed, though in a much more subdued manner. They all turned to look at Jong In, who still sat quietly, cheeks still pink. Beneath their excited gazes, he sighed and lifted his glass to join theirs, a small smile on his lips.
Several hours passed as they continued to indulge themselves in drink, light conversation, and plenty of jokes and teasing. When the clock hit 2AM, Hwan spoke up, gazing at the drunken forms of Ji Soo and Si Woo, “I think we should call it a night.” He brushed off a strand of hair from Ji Soo’s sleeping face.
Jong In nodded, moving to the counter to pay. When he returned, Hwan had already gathered up Ji Soo on his back. “I’ll take her home,” he said and jerked his head in the direction of the other sleeping form, whose head was still somehow elegantly laid on the table. “You handle him.”
“I don’t know where he lives,” Jong In replied.
“His apartment is in the Rose Village, room 2304.”
Jong In picked up Si Woo’s bag and slung it over his shoulder. “How do you know that?”
Hwan walked toward the exit as he responded, “I had him write it down before we began drinking.”
Jong In nodded, it was just like him to be prepared for everything and anything. He sighed as he crouched down by Si Woo’s face. He placed his hands on his shoulders and shook. “Sunbae. Sunbae,” he called, as loudly as he dared in the crowded restaurant.
Si Woo tossed but did not open his eyes.
“Sunbae! Wake up! It’s time to go home.”
“Five more minutes, Dae Ho-ah,” he mumbled.
“Sunbae,” Jong In shook him again. “I’m not Dae Ho. This is Jong In, Lee Jong In. We're still at the restaurant and Ji Soo and Hwan have already gone home. Please get up – you are too big for me to carry.”
Si Woo finally opened his eyes and peered up at Jong In’s face, “Ah, it’s you, the straightforward hoobae.”
Jong In sighed in relief, “Yes, yes, that’s right, it’s the straightforward hoobae.” He placed his hand under Si Woo’s arm to help him up.”
“Are we done drinking already?” he asked.
Jong In sighed again. This sunbae was a bigger bother than he had originally thought. “Yes,” he replied as he led him toward the exit.
“I'm too tired to walk. Dae Ho can carry me on his back. Where did Dae Ho go?” he asked. It was evident that he was drunk but his words were oddly clear. Jong In briefly wondered just who this Dae Ho was.
“He was never here.” Jong In winced as his shoulder hit the door frame as he tried to maneuver sunbae through. Though Si Woo was slim, he was taller and larger than Jong In.
“Ah, of course he's not here. I guess he wouldn’t want to see me afterall.”
Jong In didn’t reply. It was an odd thing to hear from this sunbae’s mouth when he rarely seemed to take anything seriously. He wondered again just who this Dae Ho was.
They walked for a few minutes in the cold night air. Thankfully, the sunbae’s apartment was in walking distance and though he leaned heavily upon him, Si Woo was not so drunk that he was unable to walk.
“You know, Jong In,” said Si Woo, his words slurring just very slightly, as he suddenly pushed away from him and sat down on a plastic chair outside of a nearby convenience store. “I think you’re an incredible guy.”
Jong In didn’t respond.
“I mean, to love your best friend all these years–” he stopped suddenly. “Do you think loving someone continuously as you do will result in a happy ending for you both?” Jong In blinked, he wasn’t sure how to respond, he wasn’t sure if he needed to. But then Si Woo let out a laugh, one that sounded oddly self deprecating, “Love’s not enough.”
Jong In watched him for a little while, he had no desire to discuss this with a drunken man he didn’t know that well. “Who said anything about love?”
“Oh? Was I wrong? Aren’t you in love with Han Ye Jun?”
He didn’t respond, instead fishing out his phone to look at the illuminated time on its face. He sighed again but sat down when it looked as though the sunbae would not budge from his seat.
“You really are incredible,” he began again. “Your expression was so different that day when he came in.” He placed his elbows on the table and leaned his chin upon his hands. “Your face is always so indifferent to everything else, the stark difference intrigued me. I wonder…” He reached out a hand and placed it over his. “I wondered if I could ever get you to look at me like that.”
Jong In was unmoved, neither flinching nor moving away. For a moment, Si Woo wondered if perhaps he was losing his touch but then noticed that he did not retract his hand and so he decided to press on. “At first, I thought you were quite plain but the way you act and the way you respond to things just kept making me more curious about you. I couldn’t help but watch you and now I find you quite adorable.”
Si Woo noticed that though his fingers flinched several times, he waited until he was finished before removing his hand. That too made him cute. “What are you trying to say?” there was exacerbation in his voice but also a hint of uncertainty.
Si Woo smiled. “I am saying that I am interested in you. I am saying,” he said leaning back and crossing one leg over the other, “I am going to get you to date me.”
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