Winter Season Chapter 67

“Hello.”

“Ah…. Yes. Hello.”

Yihyeon bit his lips as he saw Haewon rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. The man sitting opposite was staring intently up at Yihyeon as if observing him.

“Shall I give you the usual?”

As Yihyeon spoke while handing over a coaster and a glass of water, the man nodded. He took out the whiskey bottle displayed at the back, poured it into an on-the-rocks glass, and set it down in front of the man. Then, pretending he had work to do, he took a lemon from the refrigerator and picked up a paring knife.

“Did you get home okay yesterday?”

A pleasant voice resonated softly. Yihyeon kept his eyes lowered and gave a silent nod.

“Yes.”

He knew a one-word answer was inadequate, but he was conscious of Haewon standing next to him. As Yihyeon sliced the lemon without a word, the man spoke to him once more.

“You look very tired. I guess you didn’t sleep well.”

“Just so-so.”

He had just come out after tossing and turning all night due to a recurrence of insomnia, but instead of telling the truth, Yihyeon smiled faintly. Seeing Yihyeon like that, the man took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table. It was a fatigue recovery drink sold at pharmacies.

“Drink this at least while you work.”

His hand slicing the lemon faltered at the kind voice he hadn’t heard in a long time. Was it because he felt empty inside, or was it a craving for affection? No matter who it is, when someone approaches warmly like this, one becomes helplessly shaken.

Yihyeon, biting the inside of his cheek, lifted his head to look at the recovery drink and then gave a slow, polite nod. The man watched quietly as Yihyeon reached out his hand, unable to refuse. The moment he handed over the glass bottle, their fingertips touched briefly before parting.

“…Thank you.”

It was around that time that the owner visited the bar. Yihyeon and Haewon bowed their heads toward the back of the man who was hurrying into the staff room while answering someone’s call.

“The owner seems especially busy today.”

“I know, right.”

As soon as the words were out, the owner reappeared from the staff room. He was frowning while scratching near his eyebrow.

“Is something the matter, Mister?”

When Haewon asked affectionately, the owner spoke as if he had been waiting.

“Honey, do you happen to know how to ride a motorcycle?”

“Me? No, my father said motorcycles are an absolute no.”

“Ah, this is a disaster. A younger brother I know asked me to bring some alcohol he left here right now, but this is incredibly expensive, so I can’t send it by quick-service delivery. I was going to go myself, but I just got a call telling me to come somewhere urgently…. He said he needs it right now, ah, I’m going crazy.”

Haewon laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. Yihyeon took a fleeting look at the man sitting opposite and turned his head toward the owner.

“I’ll go.”

The man’s gaze, which wouldn’t leave him, was burdensome. Rather than leaving an opening for a man he had no intention of pursuing, he thought it would be better to do an errand for the owner.

That would be better for the man, for Haewon, and for himself. When Yihyeon spoke while setting down the paring knife, the owner’s complexion brightened in an instant.

“Oh? Yihyeon, you know how to ride a motorcycle?”

“Yes.”

“That’s great. Here, take this. It’s really expensive, so you have to handle it carefully, okay?”

What the man handed over was a heavy glass bottle wrapped several times in plastic bubble wrap. To Yihyeon, who had brought out his coat and scarf from the staff room, the owner showed a screen with someone’s face displayed.

“I’ll send the address by message. And this person, her. You have to hand it directly to her and not someone else, okay? Since she’s being cheeky, tell her to hand over thirty thousand won, charging double for the delivery fee.”

In the photo on the phone, a pretty-looking woman who appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties was smiling while holding a fancy cake. Yihyeon nodded and wrapped his scarf more meticulously.

“Haewon hyung, I’ll be back. Please take care of things here.”

Yihyeon gave an eye greeting to the man sitting opposite and spoke to Haewon. Haewon smiled and patted Yihyeon on the back.

“Get there safely.”

As he took the motorcycle keys from the owner and came out to the parking lot, a blade-like wind dug into the hem of his coat. He regretted doing something unnecessary in this weather, but it was already too late.

Fortunately, it was a helmet that covered his entire face, so it seemed he could at least avoid the wind clawing at his face. Yihyeon patted the motorcycle seat twice and pulled the helmet over his head.

Driving quickly and arriving at the address the owner had given, indeed, a flashy building appeared starting from the parking lot. The interior finishing materials, which were undoubtedly high-end, seemed to flaunt their majesty as if trying to intimidate people already.

After parking the motorcycle in a corner of the parking lot lined with luxury sports cars and boarding the elevator, the lobby floor button was pressed automatically instead of the 14th floor the owner mentioned. The doors opened, and a hall even more flashy than the underground parking lot greeted Yihyeon.

“What business brings you here?”

Young men dressed in black suits and wearing walkie-talkies approached Yihyeon. He felt belatedly embarrassed about the helmet he hadn’t taken off out of laziness, but Yihyeon spoke to the man as if it were nothing.

“14th floor. Quick-service.”

When he gestured with his eyes toward the bottle wrapped in cushioning material, the man reached out his hand.

“If you give it to us, we will deliver it on your behalf.”

“They said they would receive it in person. Please check.”

When Yihyeon spoke while pulling the bottle back, the man gripped the back of his neck as if troubled. Then, he seemed to say something into the walkie-talkie, and after a moment, he called Yihyeon and led him to the elevator.

The man, who tapped a card against the closed elevator, personally pressed the 14th floor for him. It was a building with excessively thorough security and opulence. Yihyeon let out a hollow laugh as he looked at his reflection on the smooth surface after the elevator closed. Maybe I should have taken the helmet off before coming up.

Ding.

The notification sound indicating arrival at the 14th floor rang, and the elevator doors opened. In the middle of a wide hallway leading to a powder room, a large soundproof door was situated.

Yihyeon, instinctively realizing that the owner of this object was in there, stood in front of the door, clenched his fist once, and pushed the handle open.

Wahahahahaha.

As soon as the gap in the door opened slightly, the laughter of men and women leaked out. As he opened the heavy soundproof door wide and stepped inside, several pairs of eyes were fixed on him at once. Yihyeon faltered.

“What is it?”

About a dozen men and women were sitting on a large sofa. Some of those who looked to be in their twenties were half-undressed. There was a man not wearing a top at all, and a woman who was only in stockings without a skirt.

Into his vision, which he turned quickly in embarrassment, came stacks of bills and checks, and liquor bottles piled on the table. Whether it was a club or a place like this, it seemed the way people with money played dirty was all the same. If he hadn’t had the helmet, his scowling face might have been exposed. He belatedly thought it was a relief.

The people, realizing Yihyeon had come on an errand, quickly withdrew their interest. Yihyeon regained his senses and quickly scanned the faces of the people sitting on the sofa to find the woman he had seen on the owner’s phone.

“…!”

The moment Yihyeon stopped moving as he was casually turning his head was right after he discovered a man leaning against one side of the sofa with his arm around a young woman’s shoulder. His Adam’s apple moved significantly beneath the helmet.

“Ah, I guess my alcohol is here!”

Even as the woman who must be the owner of the object approached from the opposite side, Yihyeon’s gaze did not know how to move. His shaking gaze inside the helmet was fixed on Seunghyeok, who was leaning on the sofa with a languid face.

Seunghyeok was not in his usual suit and flashy shirt, but in slightly more comfortable attire. Wearing slacks and a mandarin collar shirt with several buttons undone, he was exuding a less overbearing atmosphere than usual.

“This is the one sent from Hubert, right? Give it here.”

Even though he knew Gu Seunghyeok couldn’t recognize him because of the helmet, his heart pounded fast with unnecessary tension. Whether she knew Yihyeon’s state or not, the woman simply snatched the liquor bottle from Yihyeon and quickly tore off the cushioning material.

“Hey, hey! It’s here. I stole this from my dad and kept it, fuck, it’s a waste to drink. Hey, since I put this out, it’s my turn now, right? Number 3, take off number 7’s panties with your lips.”

“Who is number 3 and number 7?”

“Ah, fuck. Are you crazy?”

“Ahahaha! Fuck, hey. This is totally insane. Is it Kim Myeongseok and Park Hyochang? Ah, really fucking funny. Hey, I’m filming? I can film, right?”