Formless Chapter 47

Watching Heewoon’s face for a moment, Gangwoo laughed as if sighing and pulled Heewoon’s shoulder toward him. He stroked the back of his head, which fit in one hand, and patted his back.

“You have to call me when you’re scared. I’ll hold you like this.”

At the affectionate voice, Heewoon nodded his head. The shoulder touching his cheek was hard, and the scent wafting under his nose was the same as the one from his own body. Heewoon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The tension that had filled his body slowly receded.

Heewoon decided to think of it as a positive thing that Seo Gangwoo was not watching him. Isn’t being surveilled truly suffocating? It was truly strange that he had felt anxious. Heewoon kept reminding himself that he was being blackmailed and forced to obey Gangwoo’s words.

While thinking that, Heewoon kept glancing around his surroundings. The black van was not visible today. Was that not the car…

It seemed like the surveillance had started because it was almost time for his brother to return. He was clearly waiting for the money. What if his brother didn’t come back after all this? It also seemed stranger for his brother, who had abandoned his mother and him so easily and run away, to keep a promise to return within three years.

His rising anxiety stopped when a vibration went off in his pocket, then strangely subsided when he checked the name on the screen.

“Hello—.”

—Have you met up with everyone?

a soft voice asked.

“No, I’m on my way to the meeting spot now.”

—What did you say you were eating?

“Pork belly.”

—That’s what Woo Heewoon likes.

Yeah. As he answered, a low laugh could be heard.

—I am on my way to the airport now.

Heewoon had already heard that Gangwoo was going to Guangzhou on a business trip, so he replied, I see.

—Is that all?

“Huh? Uh… have a safe trip, Gangwoo.”

Seeming to like the words he had blurted out in a fluster, Seo Gangwoo asked softly.

—When will you be heading in?

“I’m planning to head in before the last train. I’m not going to drink anyway….”

—Good boy.

A hint of laughter was in his voice. As Heewoon hesitated, Gangwoo said he would see him tomorrow night and hung up. After looking at the [Seo Gangwoo] call log for a moment, Heewoon shivered.

“…It’s cold.”

He blew on his quickly frozen hands and put them in his pockets.

He took the TOEIC exam yesterday. He felt he did well on the exam, so he thought he probably wouldn’t have to attend the academy next month. Right now, he was on his way to eat with his study group members.

[Where r u]

Just then, a KakaoTalk message came from Jihwan. Replying that he was almost there, Heewoon quickened his pace. It was a gathering where all six study group members were present.

In front of the barbecue restaurant, the meeting spot, Jihwan stood smoking a cigarette. Jihwan, who waved his hand upon seeing Heewoon, stubbed out his cigarette butt in an ashtray.

“It’s cold, let’s go in.”

“Has everyone else arrived?”

“Yeonji said she’s having dinner at her parents’ house today, so she might be a little late.”

Heewoon nodded his head. Then he suddenly stared intently at Jihwan.

“What, you punk.”

“Since when have you been speaking informally?”

“…Ahem, since last week.”

Jihwan said awkwardly and strode ahead. They must be seeing each other. Heewoon checked the group chat and knew for sure. In the group chat, she had only said she would be late, not why she would be late. On top of that, the way he addressed her, which used to be Mr./Ms. Yeonji, had become very casual.

“Who wants beer and soju mix?”

“I’ll have soju.”

“I’ll have a beer and soju mix!”

With the meat sizzling on the grill, people filled their glasses. The eyes of the group leader, who was leading the mood, turned to Heewoon. Heewoon smiled awkwardly and said.

“I’ll have a Sprite. It’s because… I’m taking some medication.”

“Aw. Isn’t one glass of beer okay?”

After a few more attempts to persuade him, the group leader and the others gave up and backed off when Heewoon shook his head firmly.

The atmosphere gradually warmed up, and some people’s faces turned red.

“Are you that drunk already? You brat. When I was your age, I could drink 10 bottles.”

The group leader sitting next to Heewoon said to Jihwan. The group leader said he was 31 this year and was attending the TOEIC academy to find a new job. But maybe because he was drinking and they had decided to speak informally, he kept clinging to Jihwan.

“Punk, what’s the point of bumming around traveling. In the end, we’re attending TOEIC together.”

“Yes, yes. Let’s have a drink, hyung-nim.”

Jihwan and the group leader sat facing each other and drank soju.

“The group leader becomes a bit of a boomer when he’s drunk.”

“He’s usually quite decent, but he’s like that only when he drinks.”

The other two women whispered to Heewoon. Heewoon nodded his head awkwardly.

“That’s true. He’s originally like that, so he must be hiding it when he’s sober.”

“But Mr. Heewoon, you can’t even have one glass of beer?”

What a shame. One of the women sighed and mixed a beer and soju. Heewoon absentmindedly watched as she struck two chopsticks together, making a cheerful sound. As the foam rose as if it would overflow, the woman put her mouth to it, drank, and made a sound, ahhh.

Heewoon’s gaze could not leave the glass. It seemed he had not had a proper drink since the end-of-semester party. When he ate with Seo Gangwoo, they sometimes had alcohol, but it was literally just on the side. Besides, they always drank things like whiskey or wine, so it did not feel like he was drinking.

Suddenly, Heewoon became a little depressed. He could not drink outside, and he had to report wherever he was going…. The restrictions were only increasing. Oh, right, he had also said he would cut off his penis if he had sex with someone else.

“I’m going to go to the restroom.”

As he walked to the restroom, Heewoon took out his phone and tapped on the message window.

Gangwoo, if I just have a little bit of alcohol….

He typed the message and then erased it all. Seo Gangwoo would be on a plane right now anyway, so he would not see the message. Heewoon let out a deep sigh.

Just then, a message came from Jihwan.

[This bastard is a total pain in the ass. Save me T_T T_T T_T T_T]

“……”

Seeing something like this made him think that maybe it was a good thing he wasn’t drinking. Heewoon sent a dancing emoticon to cheer him up.

“Oh, Mr. Heewoon is back. Let’s head out now.”

“We decided to go to a singing bar. Mr. Heewoon, you’re coming too, right?”

“Ah… I don’t like singing, and I can’t drink….”

As Heewoon waved his hand in refusal, Jihwan rushed over and put his arm around Heewoon’s shoulders.

“You don’t have to sing! We’re going to drink comfortably. No, you can drink Sprite.”

Right? Jihwan asked the two women as if seeking their agreement. The two women agreed, saying that was right, and the group leader was outside smoking a cigarette.

As Heewoon was contemplating, Jihwan gestured with his eyes to look at his phone.

[Please save me.]

[Then just go home.]

Heewoon replied.

[Yeonji isn’t here yet!]

“Ah….”

As Heewoon nodded his head slightly, Jihwan patted his back and asked, you’re coming, right? Heewoon looked at Jihwan’s desperate face and then nodded. He could not understand why he was so insistent on taking him along, but he found out while walking to the singing bar.

It was because the group leader had now attached himself to Heewoon. Perhaps the group leader was giving advice fairly to everyone as a senior in life.

Stamina is important in everything, you need to work out a bit, you shouldn’t be complacent trusting in your prestigious university’s name value, kids these days are raised too coddled so they don’t know how to do hard work…. To the string of advice, Heewoon just kept nodding his head.

When they arrived at the singing bar and entered the room, it was a relief that the group leader went back to Jihwan and the women. It seemed he had naturally lost interest in Heewoon, who was not drinking.

Of course, sometimes the sparks would fly to Heewoon when he was scolding Jihwan for being a lightweight. Then Heewoon would clap his hands, pretending to enjoy the song.

Still, it was nice that no one forced him to sing. Seeing people dancing and singing did make him crave a drink a little, but it was enjoyable enough.

Heewoon checked his watch again on his way back from the restroom. It seemed Seo Gangwoo would still be on the plane. It seemed like it would be much more fun if he were drinking too. It was just a shame.

When he opened the room door, the group leader and Jihwan were shouting at the top of their lungs and singing. Seeing them like that, they looked like they were getting along well again. Heewoon watched them and went to his seat in the back.

He sat in the seat where he had been sitting and picked up the water glass he had been drinking from. Taking a big gulp, Heewoon’s eyes widened.

“Cough— cough—.”

It was not water, but alcohol. Heewoon, clutching his throat, immediately turned pale. This was truly, truly unfair. He really had not been drinking.

Looking at the spot, it seemed the group leader had pretended to drink and secretly dumped it here. He had mistaken it because it was too close to Heewoon’s water glass.

Clutching his throat, which had a burning sensation, Heewoon glared at the group leader who was playing the tambourine. It was because of that person. If he got scolded by Seo Gangwoo, it would all be because of that person.

If he told Seo Gangwoo he had drunk it by mistake, would he let it slide? He had been nice lately, so maybe he would. But there was also a very high chance he would not.

‘If you drink with another bastard, you’re going to be in real trouble.’

As he remembered the look in his eyes, his heart began to pound, thump thump, and his hands grew sweaty.

Just then, the noisy 2000s song that had been playing ended. Everyone came back to the table, letting out long breaths as if they had had a good time.

“Ah, we’re out of alcohol. I’ll go order some.”

One of the women got up and picked up the receiver next to the sofa.

“Yes, two sojus and two beers here.”

Heewoon was staring at her blankly when he had a sudden thought.

There was no way for Seo Gangwoo to know that he had accidentally taken a sip of soju here. Even if someone was watching, they would be outside, and this was a private space with only the study group members. They even ordered with a receiver.

Besides, hadn’t Seo Gangwoo said that no one was watching him lately?

A laugh escaped him out of futility. It felt ridiculous and miserable how he had acted as if Seo Gangwoo was watching even when he was not here. His own submissive behavior provoked a sense of revulsion.

“Heewoon is a pretty good drinker. It’s a real shame.”