Stranger - Chapter 21.1

Side story 4 Twenty-Eight

 

The sun was shining as I pulled out of the parking lot. The rays warmed the car, but the air outside was autumnal and cool. Since I first met Yeon Woojeong around this time of year, it had been almost nine years. Time seemed to pass faster with each passing year. When I was younger, I hoped that time would just pass me by, but nowadays, I feel sad about it. 

 

I slipped my hand into my suit jacket as I stopped at the light. My heart leaped as I felt the thing that made my pocket bulge. I ran my fingertips over the box and set off as the light changed. 

 

Checking the time, I stopped at a nearby car wash. I had washed my car a month ago, so it was still clean, but I wanted a fresh start. 

 

The car I bought earlier this year was spotlessly clean. Truth be told, there was another car I wanted to buy regardless of my preferences, a foreign SUV that had safety as its priority. However, no matter how much I calculated the installments, the price was unaffordable, so I gave up on it. Yeon Woojeong laughed and told me that it was how things were for a rookie in society, so I decided to buy this car. The price was much lower than the car I wanted to buy, but with all the options, the cost was not small.

 

After getting the car cleaned thoroughly, I got in and opened the glove compartment. I pulled out a tub of hair gel and adjusted the rearview mirror so I could see my hair. I couldn’t afford to make a mistake because I had to go right after this. Although I had never done my hair before, I watched Yeon Woojeong touch his hair almost every morning, so I was confident that I could do the same. 

 

I scooped some gel into my hands and went straight to work on my hair. After flipping it to one side and stroking it a few times, I had a hairstyle that looked just like Yeon Woojeong’s. However, it felt strangely awkward, maybe because I had never styled my hair like this before. 

 

As I finished fixing my hair and straightening my tie, my phone vibrated. I frowned when I saw the name on my phone screen.

 

[Chief~ are you busy? Hehe]

 

It was a message from Kim Dongwoon, my junior. He was a recently joined new employee, and he had quite a hard time at the start because the place I worked for now was quite unfriendly towards newbies. I felt bad about ostracizing a young person, so I took care of him at the start, and he followed me ever since.

 

[I told you to not contact me on weekends.]

 

I wrote back and took off. He wanted to get to know me personally, so we met occasionally and talked on the weekends. At first, I didn’t take it too seriously, but when I was with Yeon Woojeong, he called me unexpectedly and interrupted our time together.

 

“Who’s that?”

 

“Kim Dongwoon.”

 

“You talk to him a lot. Work?”

 

“No. He only asked what I was doing.”

 

“He called you on weekends just to ask that?”

 

“Yeah, he’s always like that.”

 

“Things won’t happen for no reason, Jiho.”

 

Yeon Woojeong’s face, his head crooked aside, looking straight at me with one of his eyes squinted was still vivid in my mind.

 

Technically, it wasn’t jealousy. It was the annoyance of having the time only for us disturbed. It meant that Yeon Woojeong wanted to monopolize his time with me, and if he wanted something, I had to make it come true. Hence, I told Kim Dongwoon to not call me outside of work and on weekends, and if he wanted to make an appointment, he had to tell me the day and time in advance.

 

[T_T I’m sorry] 

 

[I was going to invite you for lunch if you’re not busy T_T]

 

I had told him that I would attend a wedding, though. It was a pity that he had bad memories. Ignoring his message, I stepped on the gas. About 10 minutes away from the venue, I got a text from Yeon Woojeong.

 

[Are you done?] 

 

He wanted to know if I was done with my work. I told him I had something to do in the morning, so he thought I was at work. I smiled as I pictured the man I would soon see. I was just fumbling around in my suit jacket when I stopped at the light and hurriedly sent a reply.

 

[Onmywaybetheresoon] 

 

There was a speed limit, so I couldn’t go too fast, but the roads were quiet and I got there quickly. The parking lot was outdoors. After getting out of the car, I checked my hair through the car window, touched the inside of my jacket once, and walked away. I was about to call Yeon Woojeong, but then I saw a familiar face in the smoking area away from the wedding venue building. 

 

I quickened my pace. Dressed in a dark gray coat and black suit, Yeon Woojeong had a cigarette in his mouth. He held a lighter in his right hand, but it didn’t seem to be working. I hurried over to him and placed my hands together to block the wind. Once he lit the cigarette, he lifted his head. 

 

Yeon Woojeong’s eyes widened somewhat. He took a deep drag on the filter until his cheeks hollowed, then took a step back and blew out the smoke. His eyes lazily darted from my head to my toes. Even though he had a cigarette in his mouth, he looked at me like he wanted to smoke.

 

I know those eyes. The ones I could see on the bed, and sometimes off the bed. Yeon Woojeong smoked for a while, holding me in his eyes. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up whenever he lusted after me.

 

“Don’t smoke too much.” 

 

I scolded him, and he took out his portable ashtray, smiling faintly. After extinguishing his cigarette, he reached up and ruffled my hair. There must have been a disheveled spot somewhere.

 

“I was wondering who you were.”

 

“Did you wait long?”

 

“No, I just got here.”

 

“It’s cold, let’s go in.”

 

I put my hand on his back and started walking. He glanced at me and smirked, making me feel awkward, but I quickly shook it off as I realized I had a lot of things to look forward to today. 

 

There were quite a few people at the wedding. It must have been difficult to choose who to invite, even though she said they were going to keep it small. After paying the congratulatory money, I followed Yeon Woojeong into the bridal waiting room. Sitting in a chair, Jang Heemang was pleased when she saw us.

 

“Yeon Woojeong! You’re here? Ow, Jiho, long time no see. Thank you for coming.”

 

Her cheeks were rosy and youthful. She had always been cheerful and easy-going, but today she seemed unusually upbeat. Maybe that was to be expected because she was the bride-to-be.

 

Compared to her other friends, Jang Heemang was late to marry. Once, Yeon Woojeong had to empty his weekends a lot in a year, making me wonder if all of his friends had planned to get married within the same year. There were many times when he only sent congratulatory money, but if I counted his colleagues at the prosecutor’s office as well, I could see that attending events was another challenge.

 

“Congrats. It feels like just yesterday you were crying and going to break up, and now you are getting married.” 

 

“Hey, are you picking a fight at this moment?”

 

Yeon Woojeong had a talent for making the bride’s face twist in an instant. A mischievous grin flashed across his face as he looked down at Jang Heemang, and soon, she also had the same grin.

 

“You know, I can’t believe this day finally came.”

 

Her smile soon faded, replaced by a blend of emotions I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Jang Heemang sighed, her shoulders heaving, and Yeon Woojeong took a step toward her and squeezed her shoulder. She put her hand over his, which rested on her shoulder. 

 

The time they shared, which I didn’t know, but I felt like I knew. Well, maybe I didn’t know, but I understood. When I looked into Yeon Woojeong’s eyes, his emotions seemed to expand into me. Sometimes I thought marriage was a strange thing, but I realized that it could mean different things to both of them. 

 

I took a step back, but Yeon Woojeong’s gaze returned to me. He reached out his hand as if to invite me to come closer, and I went to his side. The smile came back in Jang Heemang’s eyes.

 

“Jiho, why are you so big? You become a man every time I see you. Wow.”

 

“Thank you. Congratulations on your wedding.”

 

“Mhm. Eat a lot here later.”

 

Yeon Woojeong squeezed Jang Heemang’s shoulder once, strongly, before letting it go. There were no special or cringe words exchanged between them. Meanwhile, other people began to enter the bride’s room, so we left.

 

“I think I have to show my face there, can you wait?” 

 

Yeon Woojeong pointed to a spot, where Kim Sarang and his friends gathered. I would have joined him in greeting them if I saw them often, but except Kim Sarang and Jang Heemang, I rarely see them, so I nodded.

 

“Go ahead.”

 

“Alright, wait for me.”

 

Yeon Woojeong tapped me on the shoulder and started walking toward the group. Feeling awkward to stand idle, I looked around to find a place to wait, and my eyes locked with a woman standing alone in front of me. She bowed her head in greeting, and I returned the gesture.

 

“The bride’s guest…?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Oh, I’m also here to see Heemang Unnie. Are you alone?”

 

“No, I have company.”

 

“Oh, I see.”

 

She looked so eager to talk more with me, so I couldn’t just leave. I checked Yeon Woojeong, who was chatting with his friends.

 

“Did you see Heemang Unnie? Isn’t she beautiful?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“She’s a good person, so I wished he met a good husband… And I’m glad that her husband seems to be a good person.”

 

“I know.”

 

She seemed to be quite close to Jang Heemang. Meanwhile, I only talked with her once in a while, when I went to drive for Yeon Woojeong when he was spending time with Jang Heemang and Kim Sarang. Still, I could tell they were good people, though I had no idea if they were good to Yeon Woojeong.

 

“I’m so excited for lunch today. Heemang Unnie tasted it earlier, and she told me it was super delicious.”

 

This woman was an easy-going person who could talk to strangers. Looking back, I often met sociable people in places like this and on the street. I supposed all people who talked to strangers were like that, but I didn’t have the same friendly nature as them. I was just at the level of customer service dealing with their customers.

 

“Really? Now I’m looking forward to it, too.”

 

A steady, somewhat slow tread of shoes sounded among the many footsteps. I turned my head and Yeon Woojeong approached and grabbed my arm. He greeted the woman with a nod and then started walking. With him, I walked into the ceremony hall.

 

“Are you done talking to them? You’re early.”

 

“There wasn’t much to talk about. Who was that person?”

 

“I don’t know. She’s Mrs. Jang Heemang’s friend.”

 

Yeon Woojeong’s eyes arched. He tilted his head at an angle as he sat down.

 

“Someone always accompanies you when I leave you alone, making me have to wait.”

 

“…”

 

“Mr. Kim Jiho’s popularity is skyrocketing by the day, and I feel myself in crisis.”

 

I stared at his face. Crisis? The word didn’t suit Yeon Woojeong at all. 

 

“You don’t feel it though.”

 

“It’s because you’re good at behaving yourself.”

 

Seeing Yeon Woojeong sitting cross-legged and leaning against the backrest, I had a sudden urge to provoke him. It wasn’t an urge to make his face crumple, or a curiosity to see if he would get angry. It was more of a pure question.

 

“What if I can’t behave myself?”

 

Yeon Woojeong raised his eyebrow and lightly eyed me from my eyes to my lips.

 

“Why don’t you try it once?”

 

There was no way I wouldn’t behave myself, and I had no intention to do so, so I wasn’t really curious about the outcome. I caught Yeon Woojeong’s hand and brought it down between our chairs.

 

“I heard the food here’s good.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. Are you going to a drinking party with your friends after this?”

 

“No, I’m tired.”

 

“You’re tired? I was thinking of going for a drive.”

 

“Not for you.”

 

Yeon Woojeong laughed, saying I asked for nothing. He came in late yesterday, but he wasn’t working overtime.

 

“But why are you tired? Did you stay up late?”

 

“You took your car, so I came here by bus. There were a lot of people on the bus.”

 

“They must be on a trip because it’s the weekend. You should have taken a cab.”

 

“I wanted to take the bus for a change.”

 

I raised my hand and touched Yeon Woojeong’s ear. There was no reason, I just wanted to touch him. He looked at me and smiled. The MC asked the guests to take their seats as the ceremony was about to begin. 

 

Jang Heemang and her groom walked down the aisle beneath sparkling chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. The ceremony was smaller than other weddings I had been to, but the sound of applause filled the room along with congratulations and blessings. There was no guest of honor or officiant at this wedding. The couple looked at each other, vowed their love, and promised to be each other’s forever companions. After exchanging rings, the couple, who had been facing each other the entire time, turned to the guests. 

 

The groom took the microphone first. He thanked the guests for coming and promised them they would have a peaceful and happy marriage. He then handed the microphone to Jang Heemang. After clearing her throat with a cough, she spoke in a slightly trembling voice, similar to the groom’s.

 

“And…”

 

Jang Heemang looked around the room as if searching for someone. Her gaze landed somewhere around the front row.

 

“Sarang, who always encouraged me and supported me, who stood by me so that I never let go of me. Thank you.”

 

Her eyes darted around again, and I realized she was looking for Yeon Woojeong next to me. Her eyes landed on Yeon Woojeong as I involuntarily stretched my back.

 

“Woojeong, who helped me so that I could get here safely. I’m always sorry and grateful to you. I hope… you’re always happy.”

 

I glanced sideways. A light smile spread across Yeon Woojeong’s lips. It was good to have someone who wanted him to be happy. It was their right to wish for it, and it was my role to be with him. I took his hand and squeezed it. His gaze returned to me, smiling. The light from the chandelier illuminated his face.