Place to Be Chapter 27

Clatter, the cup struck the plastic plate, making a small noise. Seo Chiyoung, who had instinctively stiffened his hand, silently cleared the table as if nothing had happened, and Yoon Junyoung, after drinking the beer in his cup, replied shortly, “No.”

“Oh, really?” Jang Wigeon asked back lightly, and he didn’t bother bringing up the topic of Kwon Kanghee any further. He shifted his gaze to Seo Chiyoung, who was wiping the tabletop with a cloth after loading all the empty dishes onto the tray, and struck up a conversation with a broad smile.

“The seats in front of the prep table are better, though. It’ll be hard to eat while chatting with the Boss today. That’s a bit of a shame.”

“Pardon? Ah… yes.”

As Seo Chiyoung mumbled bashfully and gave a bow, Yoon Junyoung put down his glass and muttered as if it were peculiar.

“Since when did you two get so close? You’re the type who never tosses out social pleasantries, even if you pretend to get along with everyone.”

“My, social pleasantries? It’s troublesome to have you say things like that where everyone can hear.”

Jang Wigeon spoke like a joke and laughed, then moved his gaze back to Seo Chiyoung.

“No, but it’s not just a social pleasantry, I’m serious. Besides, how should I put it, as you get older, the chance to become close with new people gets rarer and rarer…. I wonder if we’ll end up becoming friends at this rate.”

Ending his sentence with a half-joke and half-truth, Jang Wigeon smiled with his eyes. Seo Chiyoung hesitated for a moment and then just gave a single bow. Having finished tidying the table while looking sheepishly at nothing but the tabletop, Seo Chiyoung quickly turned around to leave, and a low sound of laughter followed from behind him.

Days where they faced each other once or twice a week were continuing. And within such a relationship, the thought would occasionally cross Seo Chiyoung’s mind as well that his connection with them was becoming more comfortable and relaxed. Just as the man said, as if they had truly become friends.

“…”

He felt a brief sense of regret when they sat inside the shop in a spot not visible from the prep table, but then he felt that today, it might actually be better not to stand in a spot facing them. He felt that if he kept looking at Yoon Junyoung today—even if his outward attitude was the same as any other time—his heart would feel heavy the whole time. Seo Chiyoung let out a bitter sigh.

However, he couldn’t dwell on those thoughts for long. There were still many people in the shop, and Seo Chiyoung had to chase after the sounds calling out “Over here” from various places. Perhaps he looked quite busy, as Jang Wigeon, sitting in his seat, would occasionally catch Seo Chiyoung’s eye as he moved busily in and out of the shop and send a glance with a slightly pitying face. Each time, Seo Chiyoung would give a bashful, barely visible nod.

The busy time, during which he didn’t even have a moment to rest his hips on a chair, subsided around 20 or 30 minutes before midnight.

Only after most people had left and only a couple of tables remained did Seo Chiyoung catch his breath. One of those spots was the table of those two sitting inside, and although he now had enough leeway to exchange a reasonable amount of conversation with them, Seo Chiyoung stole a glance toward them for a moment and then sat in the seat he usually occupied in front of the outside prep table. No matter how much he felt he had become friends with them, it wasn’t a relationship where he would go to that table specifically to chat. He was a shop owner and they were regulars who were fairly close, nothing more and nothing less.

The outside seats were empty. Seo Chiyoung sat alone in that spot, where only the quiet and secluded night air lingered, and let out a quiet sigh.

Once he sat in the chair, the fatigue he had forgotten came rushing in. Seo Chiyoung, who was massaging his legs that were swollen from being overworked all afternoon, suddenly felt a vibrating sensation in his pocket and thought, Ah, a text.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t been able to even look at his phone all afternoon today. It felt like it had rung a few times, whether it was a text or a call, but every time he thought he should check it, he was overwhelmed with work and kept forgetting.

It’s probably mostly spam texts anyway, Seo Chiyoung thought as he pulled the phone out of his pocket and was just about to open the flip cover.

“Hey, Seo Chiyoung, I’m here.”

“Huh?” Seo Chiyoung stared blankly ahead with the phone still in his hand.

He blinked for a few seconds at the face of his friend, who was setting down a large liquor bottle while sitting in front of Seo Chiyoung—the spot where Yoon Junyoung or Jang Wigeon usually sat—before opening his mouth.

“What are you doing here without any notice?”

“I sent you a text.”

“…Oh. I just saw it now.”

Seo Chiyoung muttered as he dropped his gaze to the small screen, looking at the short sentence: ‘Got a hold of some good liquor. I’m coming over tonight. —Kim Kyungchul.’

Seeing the friend who had arrived out of the blue, a feeling of welcome came first despite his tired body. They used to see each other often in the past, but after the friend got married, even if they stayed in touch, meeting in person became rare.

“But why so sudden? You said work at the company was going to get busy again soon.”

“Yeah. That’s why.”

The friend spoke nonchalantly while unwrapping the paper tightly wound around the liquor bottle.

“It’s your birthday soon. I’m starting a new project next week, so I think I’ll be out of it for a few months. I have to celebrate in advance.”

“Huh…? Oh, ah, that’s right. Already…”

Only after looking at the calendar hanging on the wall did Seo Chiyoung realize his birthday was approaching. Now, even if it was his birthday, there was no particular excitement, but still, even though it was something even he had forgotten, his heart felt warm when he received congratulations from someone else.

Seo Chiyoung laughed bashfully and said, “Thanks.” This friend, whom he had known for over ten years, couldn’t always celebrate Seo Chiyoung’s birthday right on time every year and sometimes forgot, but he always made sure to congratulate him, even if it was late. It’s people like this. The ones who provide a breathing room in his life that sometimes feels like it’s suffocating him to death.

“Well, I’m using this as an excuse to have a nice drink myself,” the friend said as he took out the bottle, and Seo Chiyoung laughed silently while taking out a glass for him. Seeing his friend humming a tune with a pleasant face as he opened the bottle without even needing snacks, Seo Chiyoung’s mood also improved.

“Let me tell you how good this liquor is; it’s something I happened to try just once a few years ago,” the friend said, starting to brag about the alcohol with great joy. Seo Chiyoung was smiling broadly as he listened, when he suddenly noticed the clock in the corner of his vision. The clock was just about to point to midnight.

“But if you go home this late, won’t your wife say something?”

“Ahey, you punk, calling your sister-in-law ‘wife.’ My lady went to her parents’ house yesterday. She won’t be back until next week.”

“…Have you been abandoned already? I told you to drink in moderation.”

Seo Chiyoung frowned, speaking half-joking but half-seriously. The friend was flawless in every way but loved alcohol so much that among their friends, the talk often came up that if a problem ever arose in this friend’s family life, the cause would undoubtedly be alcohol.

However, the friend widened his eyes and shouted, “No!”

“My mother-in-law called her, so she went to nourish herself.”

“Why, is her health not good lately?”

“No. I’m going to be a father at the end of this year.”

The friend spoke with a feigned blunt face, yet a smile was slowly creeping into the corners of his mouth. Seo Chiyoung stared at his friend with wide eyes and laughed, “Really? Wow, congratulations!” To his friend, who replied with an “Uh, thanks,” with a face that looked slightly bashful but full of joy, Seo Chiyoung quickly took the bottle and poured him a drink.

In days spent being chased by the struggles of life, hearing happy news was not very common. It was especially so for Seo Chiyoung, who didn’t have a wide social circle and only stayed deeply acquainted with a few friends. That’s why he was even happier when such welcome news reached him.

“You actually just came to brag, didn’t you?” “Can’t I brag a little?” “The baby really should take after your wife, though.” Sharing such talk, Seo Chiyoung tilted his glass with his friend.

Seo Chiyoung was the type to always be happy for the good news of his few friends as if it were his own, but among them all, this kind of story was the most welcome. News of a family growing, whether through marriage or a child.

Perhaps it was even more so because both were things that might never have anything to do with him for the rest of his life. Along with a bit of envy, he felt the wish that his precious people would be happy enough for his share as well.