🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 9
Aside from his friends back in his hometown, Yoon Yeon-woo didn’t have many people he could call friends. If he had to name any, maybe a few army buddies in Bucheon? That was why on his days off from the company, he usually spent his time at home watching movies or reading web novels. It was all there was to do. Still, occasionally, his friends would come up to visit him. Although he never made a big deal out of it, to be honest, it made him happy. That good mood made a single drink feel special, and he often wished those “country bumpkins” could stay just a little longer.
When they first visited, it was hilarious watching them struggle to use the subways and buses. He remembered how they were amazed that the doors opened by “rotating” (revolving doors). They wandered around saying there were way more people than in Gwangju, Mokpo, or Yeosu—which are considered cities—and once, the whole group got lost at a station.
When it was time to say goodbye, he acted cool as if it were nothing, but he actually felt quite sad. That’s how special those guys were to Yoon Yeon-woo. They were a bit lacking, so none of them were married yet or even dating properly, but since he wasn’t in any position to talk, he didn’t bring it up.
“Yeah.”
— “What do you mean ‘Yeah’? Where are you? Did you finally wake up?”
It was Jang Hoe-cheon’s voice.
“Yeah.”
— “…? Did you become a fish in your dreams or something? Why are you just saying ‘Yeah’ (sound of a fish breathing)?”
“What kind of joke is that?”
— “Anyway, did you eat? If not, do you want to meet up with the guys? I asked Seung-tae, and he said he can’t make it this weekend because of freelance work. Coincidentally, Yuna came down too.”
It seemed like the weekend plan had been moved forward. It couldn’t be helped.
“I just finished making some stir-fried pork to eat… well, it’s fine. I’ll come out.”
— “Alright, come on out. I’ll pick you up in my car.”
Click. The call ended.
Usually, if someone just repeated “Yeah,” a person might get angry, but Jang Hoe-cheon wasn’t like that. He had let out all his anger back in his student days. It was a dynamic only possible between best friends.
“Hmm… then what should I do with this?”
He took the spicy stir-fried pork (Jeyuk-bokkeum) out of the frying pan and put it in a bowl. He placed a matching silicone cover over it so it wouldn’t get cold.
[It’s stir-fried pork. Please enjoy it.]
“This should do.”
After sticking a yellow post-it note with those words on it, he grabbed his jacket and headed outside. He hoped his parents would enjoy the meal.
***
When he stepped outside, a car was waiting in front. Anyone could tell it was Jang Hoe-cheon’s car.
“What’s this? Isn’t this the dream car you’ve wanted since we were kids?”
“Yeah.”
The guy answered in short, one-word replies, just as Yoon Yeon-woo had done. It seemed he was trying to get revenge. He learns fast, but he’s still clumsy.
Though he acts differently in society, Yoon Yeon-woo is an absolute pro at teasing his friends.
“Was it Tran■formers? You always said since you were a kid that you wanted to buy the yellow car from that movie.”
“Yeah…”
“What was the name of that car again…”
In times like this, there’s a trick. You bring up a topic the other person can’t help but correct—especially something they love.
“Ca… Ca…”
Gulp. Jang Hoe-cheon swallowed hard, feeling frustrated.
“Was it… Ka-izer?”
“Argh! Ca■aro! It’s a Ca■aro, man!”
As expected, he got angry as soon as the name was wrong.
“Right! Camiro!”
“It’s a Ca■aro, you jerk!”
Hehehe. Jang Hoe-cheon sighed deeply when he realized Yoon Yeon-woo‘s intention.
“I should just stop talking. Sigh! Just get in.”
He raised his hands as if surrendering and—Beep!—opened the door. The door rose upward like a wing.
Cool, right? The flashy yellow body was sleek and well-designed. The long black racing stripes on the hood were almost beautiful.
Hoo—. The sound escaped him involuntarily. He looked it over. The tires were wet as if it had just been washed.
He must have polished it until it sparkled because he wanted to show it off, huh? If that was the case, he couldn’t just give a straight compliment.
“Wow, was it an airplane? Can it flap like a bird?”
A sudden nonsense comment. Knowing he would do that, the guy replied slyly.
“I told you not to act like a country bumpkin. It’s a helicopter, man.”
“No, that makes no sense.”
“Aw, forget it. Let’s just go.”
Endless pranks and selective seriousness. Yoon Yeon-woo rode in his friend’s dream car, the Ca■aro, and headed to where Park Seung-tae was.
‘It’s quieter than I thought.’
He thought it might be too loud for the countryside, but it seemed tuned to be quiet. He liked that he couldn’t hear any “popcorn” (exhaust) sounds.
***
What do friends usually do when they all gather? Usually, there are three cases:
- Gather and drink.
- Drink and go to an internet cafe (PC Bang).
- Or drink and go play billiards or bowling.
You’re asking if it’s all just about drinking? Well, is it any different for women? I’m not sure, but since we all live similar lives, it’s probably much the same.
Anyway, when friends gather, many stories are bound to break out. One fellow was particularly loud. Technically the person is a girl, so not exactly a “fellow,” but…
“That son of a b■tch!”
Looking at her, she’s definitely one of the guys.
“Yuna, the more I see you, the more your cursing improves.”
“Whatever. I’m holding back because I’m in front of you Oppas.”
“Yeah, for someone holding back… you’ve been quite foul-mouthed since school, haven’t you?”
— “XX-er!”
— “Shut your trap.”
— “This is f■cking trash, seriously!”
He still remembered the famous quotes Jo Yuna had left behind. And she was holding back? That was actually more shocking.
“No! But that guy stole my project idea! That son of a b■tch!”
“That guy is a total scoundrel!”
Usually, Jang Hoe-cheon played the role of stopping Jo Yuna‘s explosions. It was the same now.
“How is it that none of you have changed at all?”
“I haven’t changed jo-tto (even a bit / play on Japanese ‘chotto’).”
“Seung-tae, you’ve changed too much…”
The baseless “Konglish-Japanese” made his head spin.
Park Seung-tae. He had been interested in Japanese since a long time ago, so he even majored in Japanese in college. He worked in the publishing industry but after various events, he was now working as a freelance Japanese translator.
This friend was the type who often stayed glued to his house. Even when Yoon Yeon-woo called him to come up north, he rarely did. He would just pop up occasionally in chat apps to recommend this season’s anime or light novels. Since guys don’t usually call or text outside of group chats, he hadn’t known, but this guy…
“That’s zettaini (absolutely) not true.”
Not only had his speech style changed, but his head was also completely shaved. He had gained some weight too. He used to have a decent face. Now he looked like a private about to enlist tomorrow. He already finished his service, so was he planning to become a non-commissioned officer?
“What happened to your hair?”
“Ah, I cut it because it was a hassle. Nani (What)?”
“He had a really bad case of hair loss, so he shaved it. I did it for him.”
“…”
Jang Hoe-cheon cut in to give the blunt truth, while Park Seung-tae remained silent.
“So that’s why you’ve lost your mind?”
There was something the guy used to say all the time in school.
— “I have way more hair than you guys, so I’ll never go bald, you punks~. Especially Yeon-woo, you better take extra care of yours!”
He had pointed me out specifically. But the guy who said that went bald faster than anyone and shaved his head? This was clearly… an invitation to be teased, wasn’t it? Still, he couldn’t do that to a friend who was deeply hurt.
“Hang in there.”
Pat, pat. Oh? As he tried to put his hand on the shoulder, his hand slipped. He ended up stroking Park Seung-tae’s prickly head (how could hair feel like that?). It felt like touching a face that hadn’t been shaved for two days.
Seeing that, Jo Yuna, who had been swearing at her former boss, burst out laughing.
“Uwahaha!”
She then pressed her lips together to hold it in, but her lips were trembling.
“Don’t say such hossori (nonsense)…”
“Phew! It’s been a while since I laughed this hard. Anyway, I quit because I hated that guy, but why did you come down, Oppa? Weren’t you doing quite well?”
Now getting to the point, Jo Yuna asked while chewing on some dried squid dipped in sauce. The eyes of the joking guys all landed on Yoon Yeon-woo.
“I was just exhausted, and I wanted to rest. And there’s something I want to try doing. Ah, maybe it’s not ‘work’? More like a hobby.”
They nodded at the mention of being exhausted, but all three pairs of eyes widened at the mention of something he wanted to do.
“Oing? You found something like that, Oppa?”
“Wow! You finally found it, you rascal!”
“Hontoni (Really)?”
“Yeah, I found it.”
Feeling awkward, Yoon Yeon-woo laughed softly and emptied his glass.
“Then you should have said so sooner!”
Thwack! Jang Hoe-cheon grabbed his shoulder and shook him wildly. He seemed genuinely happy.
“Exactly. If it’s something like that, you should’ve told us earlier.”
“Yooouu! Your con-con-cept broke!”
“Eh?”
Because his head was being shaken so much, the words weren’t coming out right.
“Oh, I’m curious. What is it?”
Slap! Jo Yuna roughly swatted Jang Hoe-cheon’s hand away as if he were being a nuisance. Then, she looked straight into Yoon Yeon-woo’s eyes and asked.
“It’s just something simple. I’m going to try cooking.”
“Huh? Cooking? That’s not as ‘simple’ as I thought.”
She didn’t expect the word “cooking” to come out.
“Cooking is good. That’s a skill you can use for a lifetime. I’m glad. Honestly, I was curious but also a bit worried about what would happen to you, Oppa.”
Usually, if someone has nothing they want to do, they have no vitality in life. In extreme cases, they leave the world early. She had been worried about that. It was a great relief.
As Jo Yuna smiled in relief, this time Jang Hoe-cheon asked.
“So, you’re going to live at your parents’ house and study cooking?”
“No, not that. You know the country house where our grandfather lived, where we used to play all the time? I decided to live there.”
“What?!”
“Hey, I told you your concept broke.”
“Ah, gomen (sorry).”
Was it really a “concept”? Anyway, he continued.
“So I went to the country house earlier. I saw some things that need fixing.”
“Aha, right. It was a pretty old building even when we went there as kids. So are you going to remodel it? That’ll cost quite a bit.”
It was an interesting topic. They were at an age where they were starting to take interest in land and buildings. Especially when a guy who they thought would stay in the city forever suddenly returned and said he was remodeling a country house—they couldn’t help but be interested.
“Well, I have enough money to remodel it and play around while resting.”
“Yeah, you deserve a break too, Oppa. If you miss the timing to rest, you might end up working every single day without ever getting a real break.”
Jo Yuna smiled faintly. Looking at her, he suddenly thought of her older brother, Jo Hyun-jun.
“By the way, when did that guy get married? Did you guys know?”
“He didn’t have a wedding because it costs too much money, but he said he couldn’t stand to lose her… or something like that. Anyway, yeah.”
The corners of Jo Yuna‘s smiling mouth dropped slightly. She seemed like she didn’t want to talk about it further.
“Oh, right! Oppa, since we’re all gathered like this after so long, how about we try being in a band again?”
Then, suddenly changing her expression, Jo Yuna asked.
A band? It was a word he hadn’t even thought of.
