West: The Sun From Another Star

Through the transparent glass balcony door, I saw the landlord busy on the phone, pacing back and forth on the balcony. He looked worried, and I didn't want to disturb him. From here, I couldn't hear the sound, but it seemed like he was arguing with the person on the other end of the line.

 

I'm standing here because I'm starting to feel hungry, and I was going to ask him when we'll go out to eat since the bread in the kitchen is all gone. If I don't eat on time, I'll get a stomachache. Judging by the look on the person on the other end, I hesitated to open the door. But standing still would probably be worse, as it would make me look like I was deliberately eavesdropping on someone else's phone conversation, even though I couldn't hear anything.

 

I decided to open the door before stepping outside, looking up at the person holding the phone to their ear, speaking in a rather displeased tone. They were probably really arguing.

 

"No, Fah! You're wrong," the other person said, running a hand through their hair.

 

"Hey," I called, but he didn't seem to hear me.

 

"I told you it wasn't me! What are you talking about? Who would go..."

 

It seemed his eyes had spotted me first; he stopped abruptly and turned around with a displeased expression. He looked surprised to see me standing there.

 

"When did you get here?"

 

"Just now."

 

"Just now?! Were you eavesdropping on my phone conversation?"

 

"No, I just wanted to ask when we'd be going out for dinner," I replied. He frowned at me, his expression even more displeased than before, then put the phone back to his ear.

 

"Let's talk about this later," he said before hanging up and turning to look at me.

 

"Did you hear that?"

 

"I can't hear anything."

 

"Really?"

 

"YES."

 

"Hmph, really..." He sighed deeply, then ran his hand through his hair. "What's wrong?"

 

"Let's go eat."

 

"Okay, wait downstairs for a bit," he said, waving me away. I turned and walked off the balcony to go downstairs and sit on the sofa as he had instructed.

 

I waited downstairs for almost ten minutes before he came down. He didn't seem to be in any better mood. I followed him to the car; the atmosphere inside was completely silent, not even the usual music. But I didn't feel uncomfortable, even though the person next to me had a very heavy aura about him.

 

It looks like he's arguing with someone else. I think it might be my friend's boyfriend because I heard the other person's name. If they really are arguing, I hope they don't cause my friend too much distress. What time is it in Thailand right now? Isn't it very late? Uncle Jeon, who's staying with my friend, is probably fast asleep by now.

 

The car stopped at the restaurant. I followed him inside before we ordered, and since we were sitting near the window, I could see outside. Suddenly, I felt like someone was staring at me, and it was none other than the person sitting opposite me.

 

"What's wrong?" I asked because he was resting his chin on his hand, frowning, and staring at me with a menacing expression. What did that look mean? Was he suspicious or displeased with me?

 

"You…"

 

“…”

 

"You…"

 

"What is up?"

 

"Why so?"

 

"What?"

 

He didn't answer and sighed again. His face became dejected, and he turned away, but his eyes returned to look directly at me. What the hell is he doing...? Oh well, never mind.

 

I took out my phone, plugged in my earphones, and ignored him, opening a drumming video to watch for fun. Soon after, the food arrived, and only then did I take off my earphones. Thinking back… today is Tuesday.

 

I ate all the vegetables on my plate before leaving the expensive meat because I forgot it was Tuesday. Every Tuesday, I eat vegetarian food because I made a promise when my grandmother was about to have surgery. Since my grandmother was born on a Tuesday, I prayed that if her surgery went well, I would eat vegetarian every Tuesday.

 

"You don't eat meat?"

I shook my head.

 

"Eat up, so you can be worthy of someone like me paying."

 

"Do you want to?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"That meat," I said before glancing at the remaining vegetables on his plate, "How about we swap it for vegetables?"

 

"What are you talking about? Meat for vegetables?"

 

"Today is a vegetarian day."

 

"Today? Why today?"

 

"I eat vegetarian every Tuesday. Would you like to switch?"

 

"Okay, alright," he said before scooping some vegetables onto my plate and taking the meat away. "Are the vegetables good?"

 

"That's fine too."

 

"I don't like it at all."

 

"You can't eat vegetables?"

 

“It’s edible, but if I had a choice, I wouldn’t eat it. I’m the predatory type,” he said, with a wink. Perhaps he’d regained a bit of his cheerful mood, able to joke like this, “You’re so kind.”

 

"What?"

 

"Well, you like eating vegetables, don't you?"

“…”

 

"I'll let you be my vegetable eater forever."

 

"No, don't go."

 

"I didn't ask for it."

 

“…” I remained silent, not responding. I didn't know what the hell he was doing, but whatever. I finished the vegetables on my plate.

 

Vegetables are the only foods I can eat a lot of because they're not too heavy on the stomach and taste good, too. Looking at my plate, I saw the person opposite me still staring at me, only now they didn't seem scrutinising or bored anymore.

 

"Is there anything you're unhappy about?"

 

My question made him chuckle a little.

 

"That's a really tough question."

 

"No, I was just asking directly. I saw you looking."

 

"Just looking," he said before raising an eyebrow dismissively. "You're sitting opposite me, what else could I be looking at?"

 

“…”

"You're really pleasing to the eye."

 

After hearing that, I was stunned. But he was the most taken aback, as if he were surprised that he had said it.

 

"What do you mean?" I asked the question I should have asked. The person sitting opposite me didn't answer, just sat there frowning as if deep in thought, paying no attention to what I was saying. A silence hung between us for almost five minutes.

 

"I don't know either," he replied dejectedly, as if he didn't want to think about it any further.

 

"Ah, um." I nodded in response. It seemed even the speaker didn't understand the meaning of their words or why they'd said them. If that's the case, then so be it.

He called a waiter over to settle the bill for the meal before we both returned to the car.

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

I stood smoking on the balcony as usual, leaving the boy to continue drumming in the practice room alone. The events of the bar earlier came flooding back into my mind.

 

"You're really pleasing to the eye."

 

Why so…I mean, why would I say things like that? Besides, I don't really understand the meaning either. It's kind of like, "it just looks pleasant" or something like that? Yes, that's right, it's like this...It looks pleasant. It's like looking at the sky, trees, the sea—anything natural that feels pleasant to look at, with nothing that feels unpleasant or obstructive. It's like looking at the sea when the waves are calm.

 

Things that are pleasing to the eye, people often want to keep looking at them, right?

So it's not surprising that I sat there staring at that kid for an hour. Nothing unusual, so what's so strange about it? The boy didn't complain at all. Or maybe he did complain, but I didn't hear him?

 

Less than an hour earlier, I had argued with Fah about how I disliked him, how I could possibly like that boy. And Fah didn't pressure me much. His tone sounded more accepting, like we were arguing, but in reality, I was the one yelling to myself.

 

The Fah said that we should talk things out more clearly when we get back to Thailand. Talking on the phone won't make sense. When I get back, there will definitely be a lot to talk to Fah about. Perhaps Fah understands why I've made things so complicated, because for me, romantic relationships are always a distant concept.

 

I never paid attention to it because I thought it wasn't interesting at all, and even found it quite boring. I overlooked what others were looking for.

 

When it first came up, I didn't understand and didn't know how to deal with it. Perhaps everything should start with the delicate lines, called accepting one's own feelings, and from there, many other troubles would follow. If I let myself get too deeply involved, perhaps I wouldn't be able to live without it, just like I can't live without my parents.

So what if it had to be missing? What would happen?

 

I've already prepared myself for heartbreak once; do I really need to prepare for a second time? No, I don't want that. Therefore, it's best to stop right from the start, to prevent yourself from moving forward.

 

"If you miss this person, you'll never meet anyone like them again."

 

Fah's words echoed in my head. Perhaps it was true; a person like that is hard to find a second time. But then what? If having that person meant parting ways someday, it would be better not to have them at all.

 

Damn, that's the thinking of a coward.

Ugh, I don't like myself like this at all.

"This."

 

I turned around at the sound of a voice from behind and saw the dwarf who was making my mind race. He poked his head out of the balcony door.

 

"What's going on?"

 

"I want to ask about the drum, could you help me out a bit?"

 

“…” I didn’t answer, turned away and continued smoking, “I’m busy.”

 

"Okay." It didn't press the matter further. I heard the door close softly and unconsciously sighed. Perhaps it would be better to stay away from it, to avoid the headache of overthinking, to avoid the worry and struggle with strange emotions, and to stay away from paths that could hurt me.

 

Having made that decision, I didn't speak to him again until the next morning. Actually, we rarely spoke to each other anyway. Since I wasn't the one to initiate conversations, we didn't have much to talk about. At the airport, we stopped for a meal before boarding our flight back to Thailand.

 

I took out my newly bought headphones, searched for a song for a while, then remembered that this short guy had just sent me a playlist because I had asked him for it before. When I listened to it, I still liked it a lot.

 

The person sitting next to me is reading the new horror novel we just bought together. I've never really been interested in novels, but after seeing them read, I decided to give them a try and discovered that they can be quite interesting. It turned to look at me with a slightly surprised expression when I handed it the novel.

 

"Here you go."

 

"Aren't you going to read it?"

 

"I'm lazy," I replied. It was a novel I'd just bought, and I certainly wouldn't have time to read it, so I just left it for him. He seemed hesitant, so I placed the book on his lap and turned to look out the window.

 

Time passed until it began to get dark around us, and I glanced over to see that the person next to me had dozed off, still holding a book in their hand.

Is it so interesting that you can't put the book down?

…..

I unconsciously sighed again without realising it. At first, I thought about picking up the book again, but then decided against it. I turned my attention back to other things and soon dozed off too.

…..

I woke up groggily and was startled to find that little guy leaning against me. Looking at him up close, it felt completely different from when I saw him from afar. More importantly, he was so warm and smelled so good.

 

I pushed it aside and got up to go to the bathroom to wash my face and hands. Its scent still lingered on my shirt. It didn't wear perfume; that short guy definitely never wears perfume. The smell on my shirt was probably a light shampoo scent; I couldn't remember if the shampoo at my house smelled that good, so it was probably its.

If that's the case, then the person must smell really good.

...

Damned.

You bastard.

That damn bastard.

What the hell are you thinking, Thit! You're acting like a psychopath!

Come on, stop thinking about that dwarf. Stop making things difficult for yourself!

 

I looked at myself in the mirror and saw that my complexion was really bad, like I was angry. The person who was washing their hands next to me just now seemed scared of something; they finished washing their hands and then ran outside.

 

It was because that short guy leaned against me and left the smell of shampoo on my shirt that I was being looked at so strangely.

 

I returned to my seat and saw that the dwarf had woken up and was reading an old novel. I sat down without paying attention, and after a while, he called me out.

 

"What's going on?"

 

"This story is interesting."

 

"Not at all," I replied without turning to look. It didn't say anything more. Why didn't it ask about buying anything or anything? Anyway, it was too indifferent; I had tried to take it shopping!

...So why should I care? I don't want to read it anymore anyway!

…..

When we arrived back in Thailand, I led the little guy to the car; he seemed a bit tired. I drove straight back to the apartment, without saying a word to him, and went straight to my room. Actually, he was in the room next to mine, wasn't he? But what's the big deal about being in the same room?

 

Soon after, I heard a knock on the door. I went to open it and saw Min standing in front of my room.

 

"Thit, what's wrong with you?"

 

"What's wrong?"

 

"You look really upset. Are you okay?"

 

"What's there to be annoyed about? Why would I be annoyed?"

 

"Are you planning to get angry with me?"

 

"I'm not angry, I'm just... Uh, but why are you knocking on my door?"

 

"You're annoyed just because I knocked on the door?" Min said dejectedly. She didn't look well either, with dark circles under her eyes like a drug addict. "I heard the door open, so I knew you were back. I wanted to invite you out for a drink."

 

"I'm not drinking." That's all I replied, then turned my back and closed the door. Min put her hand out to stop me.

 

"Ouch! You've pinched my hand!"

 

"Why are you putting your hand out to block it?"

 

"Come have a drink with me, please!"

 

"I don't drink, I abstain from alcohol."

 

"Just wait until tomorrow, I can't stand it anymore," Min said sadly, tears welling up in her eyes. I raised my eyebrows in surprise at her trembling voice.

 

"What's wrong with you?"

 

"Yeah, I'll tell you tomorrow. Come drink with me, I can't stand the others anymore. I've been drinking non-stop for days," Min said, shaking my arm vigorously. I sighed deeply and nodded in agreement.

 

"Okay, I'll go take a shower first. What time?"

 

"You can leave as soon as you're done showering. I'm ready; you can invite whoever you want. Oh, let me invite Dao too." Min said, reaching out as if to knock on the next room's door. I pushed her hand down first. The person whose hand was pushed looked at me in surprise.

 

"Why are you pushing my hand away?"

 

"No need to invite him."

 

"Why not?"

 

"Then let's leave it at that."

 

"Huh, what's wrong? It's more fun when there are more people around. I was planning to invite her out for a drink to thank her for helping me with my time in prison."

 

"If he goes, I won't go."

 

"Damn it, what's wrong? Did you fight?"

 

"No arguing," I replied. Actually, I was planning to stay away from him anyway, so why did Min have to invite him out for drinks?

 

"You don't like him? You went abroad together, so I thought you two would become closer."

 

"We're not close at all. Go wait in your room, I'll call you when I'm done showering."

 

"Okay, hurry up."

 

"Okay," I replied, closing the door. After showering, I got a call from North. I got home to a lot of noise; what's going on? I was in a bad mood.

 

"What's up?"

(You've returned from San Francisco, right?)

 

"How would you know?"

(I just spoke with Phi Phung Tai.)

 

"Yes, what's the matter?"

(Let's play a game.)

 

"I'm about to go out for a drink."

(Oh really? That's a shame. Who are you going out for drinks with?)

 

"It depends."

(To be honest, I'd love to have a drink too. Why don't we go together? Is it a big group?)

 

"It's just me and my friend Min, only the two of us."

(Oh, then come along!)

 

"Come on over, but make sure Jo comes along first."

 

(Wait a minute.) North said, then there was a moment of silence. (Okay, Jo said he'll come along.)

 

"Okay, sure. I'll send you the restaurant's address."

 

(There are four of us? Can we invite more people?)

"It's up to you."

 

(Then let's invite Phi Phung Tai along. He lives next door to you, so it'll be convenient for you to go together.)

 

"No need to invite him."

(What's up?)

 

"Well, no need to invite him," I said. What do these kids have to do with that dwarf? They only ever talk about inviting him.

 

(Well, I wanted to invite him.)

"What's up, North? I told you not to invite him."

 

(Oh, he's angry. What's wrong? Did you have a fight in San Francisco?)

 

"There was no argument. Why do you think there was an argument?"

 

(So ​​why not invite him? I won't bother you when we get home, and if he's drunk, I'll take him home.)

 

"Hmph, I told you not to invite him, you little brat."

 

(Do you hate my friend now? What did he do to make you hate him so much?) North started asking too many questions, making me sigh in annoyance, but the other guy didn't notice. 

 

(Phi Phung Tai probably didn't do anything to make you angry, did he? He's so quiet, and he's a good person too; he even helped you at the cemetery. So you really hate my friend now?)

 

“…”

 

(Damn, that ungrateful person shouldn't have helped him.)

 

"What's going on? Why am I being insulted?"

(Please don't do anything to my friend.)

 

"Aishh, what the hell are you thinking? I didn't do anything!"

 

(Ah, so why can't I invite him?)

"It's experiencing jet lag."

 

(Oh, is that all? That's quite something. Let's meet at the cafe. You can send the address to Jo via LINE.)

 

"Yeah." I hung up and sighed dejectedly, deciding to lie about jet lag to end it all. Who knows, maybe it really was jet lag. It looked tired at the airport too.… He looked tired.

 

At first, I didn't think much of it, but what if it gets sick? Good heavens, it looks weaker and weaker every day. Yeah, whatever, it has nothing to do with me!

 

Come on, let's go have a drink to relieve some stress!

.….

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jo asked as soon as he arrived, before sitting down on the sofa next to him.

 

"Nothing at all."

 

"Are you out of your mind?"

 

I arrived with Min and waited for a while. We came in different cars because Min said she would be sleeping somewhere else tonight.

 

Min looked terrible. She said she'd tell me later, but as soon as we got to the bar, she just kept drinking nonstop and refused to say anything. She seemed unwilling to talk, so I didn't ask any more questions and just focused on the glass of wine in front of me.

 

I downed my glass of wine even though I hadn't been at the bar long, but I'd already had a lot to drink.

 

Although Min and this wretched couple didn't know each other initially, that didn't matter to North, who could even befriend aliens. Aliens… like that dwarf, the eccentric only knows how to do strange things.

 

Like an alien, but not from another planet. The name "Daotok" isn't because the parents wished to have a child with a meteor, but because it actually came into this world with a meteor.

 

The story probably goes like this: something fell from the sky; its parents went looking for it and found a spaceship containing a baby boy. They adopted him and named him Daotok because they initially thought he was a meteor…That's ridiculous.

 

Does this bottle of wine make people think stupidly?

 

After sitting around drinking and chatting for a while, Min, the one who drank the most, was still heartbroken. She kept repeating the same old things, probably trying to accept the truth. I understand her, because accepting the truth is really hard.

 

Yes, because accepting the truth is really hard, not just about my mother, but about the dwarf, too. It took me many years to get better about my mother, and maybe I made the right choice by not letting anyone else into my life. Yes, you made the right choice. But why does it still hurt so much?

 

I raised my glass of wine and drank until I started to get tipsy. Wanting to smoke, I got up and went outside to the smoking area. After a while, Jo was leaning against the railing nearby, holding out his hand to me. I immediately handed him a cigarette and a lighter.

 

I remember Jo quit smoking after North begged him to, but there were times North allowed him to smoke. It must not have been easy for a smoker like Jo, but he's trying to quit both alcohol and cigarettes for North's sake.

 

It's strange, I didn't think someone like him would go to such lengths. That kind of devilish love is truly terrifying.

 

"Weren't you drunk enough there? And you're still drinking here?" the person next to him asked, his gaze fixed on the view outside, grey cigarette smoke drifting in the breeze.

 

"You've had enough to drink, but you could have more." My words made Jo smile.

 

"You could die."

 

"I know, I'm a doctor," I said. "I think I'll take some time off after tonight."

 

"But why do I feel like tonight might not be enough for you?"

 

“…” I turned to look at it, not understanding what it meant.

 

"You still don't look well at all."

 

"Before I came here, I was fine."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Nothing." I evaded the question. I'd blurted it out earlier because I was drunk; I meant that I was fine about my mother. Everything was fine before I left, until that short guy came along, and then I started to feel unwell. Because I just can't get it out of my head...

 

Could it become a secret and simply disappear?

 

"Jo."

 

"What?"

 

"Have you ever been like this before?"

 

"What?"

 

"Trying to get something out of my head, but I can't."

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

"Answer first."

 

"Have."

 

"When?"

 

"While trying to forget North."

 

"Ah, so what you said before was that you liked someone but tried to forget them, yet couldn't, right?"

 

"Correct."

 

"So what did you do?"

 

"There's nothing I can do, I can't forget."

 

"The whole year?"

 

"Three years."

 

"Damn, three years." I let out a big sigh as I imagined, "You didn't try to flirt with him at first because he had a boyfriend, right?"

 

"Yeah. But why are you asking?"

 

"Just out of curiosity," I replied. "But one day you'll lose it anyway. Will you be able to handle that?"

 

"I can't handle it," the person next to me replied. "But if North wasn't here, I couldn't bear it either; it might even hurt more."

 

"Why is that? Wouldn't it be better if there were no beginning?"

 

"Do you really think so?" The person next to me exhaled a puff of smoke. "Ask yourself about it."

 

"Why should I ask myself that?"

 

"So who's with you? Is it your brother?"

 

"Damn it," I muttered softly. It was no surprise he knew, since it wasn't hard to guess. Hearing that, Jo chuckled softly.

 

"So, it finally happened to you, huh?"

 

"Yeah, it happened to me. Damn it."

 

"It might not be that bad."

 

"It's terrible, I feel awful right now."

 

"Why?"

 

"Because I don't want to cross that line."

 

"You've crossed that line, Thit."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Otherwise, you wouldn't be thinking so much about it."

 

“…” I glanced calmly at the person standing beside me smoking, “When you first liked North, did you feel this bad too?”

 

"No," Jo replied, "I feel bad knowing North had a girlfriend, and I feel the same way knowing I can't do anything about it."

 

"Really?"

 

"I never thought I'd have to hear about love from someone like you one day."

 

"Fah said the same thing."

 

“Hill probably won’t say anything. I can imagine his face, he’ll definitely be complaining like, ‘What’s this about you guys messing with my boyfriend's friends again?’”

 

"I didn't do anything, don't tell Hill."

 

"That's interesting. I'd like to see Hill in a bad mood. Especially when he finds out about you."

 

"I'm not happy about this. If I’m getting scolded so badly, how am I supposed to live?" I remembered when Hill found out Jo was going to pursue North, Jo got yelled at like a dog. What do I have left?

 

"No, Hill might be able to help."

 

"It'll definitely help me sleep well." I sighed, "Whatever, it's such a mess. You wouldn't believe it, I don't know how to handle this feeling anymore."

 

"What does it feel like?"

 

"I don't know, but I've never had feelings for anyone."

 

"You're so surprised you don't know what to do, aren't you?" Jo chuckled softly. "But you said you'd back down, right?"

 

"YES."

 

"I understand what you're afraid of," Jo said softly. "At first, I thought cutting ties would make things easier, too. But when I finally decided to cut ties, I felt just like you do now."

 

"Like me?"

 

"When drunk, all he can do is babble incessantly."

 

"Damn it... I don't want to fall into the same loop as you."

 

"You might not be like me if you could cut ties."

 

“I think I can do it,” I said, even though I couldn’t get it out of my head all day, and just thinking about backing down hurt. Time would surely pass, and things would get better. Then I’d be back to how I was before I met him, “I can do it, it’s just that short guy, what’s so great about him?”

 

"Yeah," Jo nodded slightly, "But if you ever realise you can't turn back, then move forward quickly before it's too late."

 

“…”

"Because if you can make someone as you like you, then no one else will escape either."

 

"No, that dwarf isn't anything special."

 

"You're talking as if you don't want anyone to see."

“…”

 

"Since it's empty right now, you won't feel anything. But if you're going to back down, you should do it now. Because once he’s taken, you'll just be able to stand and watch, unable to do anything."

 

"But that's where I set my sights."

 

"Yours?"

 

"Damn, well, it's just that I saw it and felt good. Other people probably wouldn't feel as comfortable seeing him as I do."

 

"Yeah, definitely not... What good would he do if you felt comfortable looking at him, when someone else is the only one who has the right to look at him?"

 

"Damn, how stingy, that bastard," I said irritably. Why? I was only looking at that short guy because it felt good. Why did someone have to stop me from looking? I was looking at him even before that person did.

 

"I'm jealous."

 

"What are you jealous of?"

 

"So if it were you, wouldn't you be less stingy? Would you share it with others?"

 

"Why look? There's nothing worth looking at."

 

"Ugh!" Jo sighed dejectedly, "You'd better stop staring before it gets taken. Don't argue with me about where your eyes are or anything. I told you, you have no right."

 

"Yeah, I know. By then, I probably won't want to see it anymore either."

 

"That's good. Hurry up because I heard North say he gave Dao's information to some friends in the engineering department."

 

"Huh?" I frowned and turned to ask Jo immediately after hearing that, "You're from North's engineering department? Wait, what the hell is your wife doing?"

 

"I'll introduce them to my friends. Do you have any objections?"

 

"No, I have no opinion. Why should I have an opinion? But is North's friend any good?"

 

"At least they're all better than you."

 

"You bastard, Johan."

 

"I went inside the shop earlier."

 

"Yeah, I'll follow," I replied, then turned back to finish my cigarette. Meanwhile, Jo hadn't even finished his cigarette yet and had already gone inside. Meanwhile, I was just thinking randomly, wondering why North would do that. He'd definitely betray me. I should have stopped him and Jo a little. No, why should I have stopped them? He gave the short guy's information to his friends in the engineering department, but those engineers aren't good people. As a younger acquaintance of mine, I didn't want him hanging out with bad people. Yeah, that's right, I should have.

.….

"North."

 

"What's up?"

 

"Did you give the alien's contact information to your friends?"

 

"Alien?"

 

"That dwarf."

 

"Short?"

 

"North, you idiot! It's the guy who lives right next door to me."

 

"Hey, why didn't you say so from the beginning? Yeah, I gave it to him, what's wrong?" The kid stuffed food into his mouth, then turned to look at me with a bewildered expression.

 

"Why would you give it to him? Your friend isn't a good person."

 

"Huh? What's wrong with my friend? And how do you know?"

 

"Well, your friend is an engineer, after all."

 

"What about engineers?"

 

"There's nothing good about it except the code."

 

"Hey, I'm an engineer too, you idiot!" North said with a frustrated expression. "So what's your problem? Are you its protector?"

 

"I only want what's best for him; your friend isn't a good fit for him."

 

"Huh? So what does that have to do with you? Do you like my friend?"

 

"Well, I really don't like it! Who would like it anyway!" I unintentionally raised my voice a little. North looked even more bewildered, while Jo secretly chuckled and shook his head. Luckily, Min was completely drunk and didn't notice anything. North looked at Jo, who was laughing, and then suddenly looked panicked.

 

"Hey, really?"

 

"Do not have!"

 

"You… you're a real dog!" North exclaimed, his mouth agape, speechless.

 

"I told you no, you bastard!" I lowered my voice and tried to sound normal.

 

"Damn it, why? Why?"

 

"What are you asking?"

 

"Why does it have to be my friend?"

 

"Yeah, I want to know too… damn it!" I sighed again after blurting it out. Damn it, I don't know how many times this drunkenness keeps coming back to torment me.

 

“…Oh my god, what a dog! What a surprise! Jo, what should North do?” He didn't know what to do, so he asked his boyfriend.

 

"It will let go," Jo replied.

 

"Huh, why is that?"

 

"I have my reasons, too."

 

"What kind of idea is that?" North muttered, running his hand through his hair. "Letting go is better; the chances of success are slim anyway."

 

"Is it really that bad?"

 

"Yeah, all my friends have been blocked on Line by that guy."

 

"Really?" I asked again. North nodded in response.

 

"You seem a little happier now, or am I just overthinking things?"

 

"You're overthinking it."

 

"But will you really let go?"

 

"Correct."

 

"Was he your first love?"

 

"YES."

 

"That's a shame," North pouted slightly, looking disappointed. "If the person you like were someone else, I would have done everything I could to help. But I also want my friend to meet a good person."

 

"Really?"

 

"Just kidding! But you're really going to let go, right? Whatever the reason, I support you."

 

"Oh, thank you."

 

“Let’s raise a glass! To forget about that guy!” North said, raising his glass. I raised mine and downed it, letting the familiar bitterness run down my throat for several more glasses until the images before my eyes began to blur. I was already a little drunk from the start, and now I could barely walk straight.

 

Min had been completely drunk for a while, so a friend came to pick her up and take her somewhere else. As for me, Jo helped me into the car.

 

"You're completely drunk, and you still choose to drive?"

 

"...I didn't think I'd get this drunk at first."

 

"Then just leave your car at this restaurant."

 

"I'm sorry to bother you, Jo."

 

"Sigh."

 

I woke up when someone shook me awake. Slowly, I managed to stand up and get out of the car. I wanted to go up to my room by myself, but my vision was blurry. It seems Jo helped me up, while North went ahead to lead the way.

 

“Is this the room? Damn, just walking past that guy’s room gives me the chills.” I heard North complain, “Where’s the room key card?”

 

“It’s in my left pocket,” I replied drowsily. North carefully searched my pocket, “Don’t let it touch my 8-inch ‘little brother’.”

 

"I'm leaving you here," Jo, who was standing nearby, said. I shifted my feet slightly.

 

"Do not have."

 

"Really? Look to the right."

 

"No, there aren't any."

 

"Did it fall in your car?"

 

"I checked before I got down."

 

"Haha, damn it, I've lost my room key again," I said dejectedly. Every time I get drunk, I lose my key. Tomorrow I'll definitely have to argue with the building manager or find somewhere else to sleep.

 

"Sigh." North sighed before knocking on the next door. I looked up and saw the short, blue-haired guy, the owner of the face that kept repeating in my head, making me lose my appetite for alcohol, peeking out.

 

"What's the matter? Why are you so late?" he said before turning to look at me.

 

"Excuse me, but Thit has lost his room key card again."

 

It didn't answer, looking a little uncomfortable, but after a moment of hesitation, it sighed, 

 

"Yeah, fine."

 

I was sure it wouldn't refuse because it was North who asked. If I had gone up there myself, it would have definitely left me outside to be bitten dry by mosquitoes.

 

"Thank you, sorry to bother you."

 

Then Jo pulled me into the room.

 

"Where should we put it now?" Jo asked.

 

"Um... if possible... could he lie on the floor?"

Damned…

 

"Can't i just lie in bed?"

 

"Don't complain," Jo said before tossing me to the floor. He threw me down like he was discarding me, not caring at all if his friend was hurt or uncomfortable.

 

I heard some mumbled conversation for a while before the door slammed shut. Those wretched couple must have gone out already. Damn, I'm so dizzy, and my throat is so dry too.

 

"You," I called out in a hoarse voice.

 

"What?"

 

"Give me some water."

 

A moment later, he brought water and placed it in front of me. I tried to sit up and picked up the bottle to drink, glancing at the landlord standing there. Everything before my eyes blurred.

 

"You."

 

"What?"

 

"Those engineers are just the name, remember that."

 

“…”

"If you have a choice, choose that doctor. Trust me."

 

“…”