Eventually, the contract with Yoo Na-yeon as an editor fell through.
Still, oh my, it’s not like there’s only one editor in the world, so there’s no need to worry too much, but the thought that someone I trusted has slipped away leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Sister, have you been to Italy?”
“Yeah, I’ve been around here and there abroad. This is a photo I took when I went to the USA….”
“Wow, isn’t this the Grand Canyon!? And you look so model-like in this photo….”
“M-Models. Don’t exaggerate.”
Regardless of all that, Yoo Na-yeon, oblivious to others’ feelings, has gotten so close with Seo-ha that they’re now casually chatting.
How many photos did my sister show her in the gallery? Every time she turns the page, she’s exclaiming in awe like a naive child.
I felt like I wanted to smack her in the back of the head.
“Oh, it’s already this time….”
While they had exchanged seats, Seo-ha, who was clinging to Yoo Na-yeon, let out a sigh.
Only then did I check the time and see it was already 4 o’clock. It must have only been a little past 2 when we entered the barbecue place.
“Why, Sister? Do you have an urgent appointment?”
“Uh, yeah. Actually, I just came here to help out for a bit, so I should be heading back soon.”
“Right, you said you’re an office worker, didn’t you?”
It’s surprising to think that even with her own job, she came all the way to a barbecue place to help a friend. I guess it shows how kind she is. No matter how high the hourly wage is here, it can’t compare to what she earns at her company, so it’s basically like she’s losing money to help out.
Truly a good person.
“Then let’s head out. We’ve eaten enough meat, and we need to send Sister off.”
Feeling a bit flustered that she couldn’t peel Yoo Na-yeon away, I decided to take the lead and get up from our seats.
After clapping a couple of times to liven up the mood, Yoo Na-yeon sulked her lips out and pouted.
“Aww, it’s a shame to part ways like this….”
“We can contact each other later; we exchanged numbers, right?”
I felt a strong urge to punch something, but even that cringy pout, my sister embraced warmly as she wrapped her arm around Yoo Na-yeon’s shoulders.
Wow, is she really an angel?
“What’s wrong, are you leaving?”
“Uh, we’ve eaten all the meat, so it’s time to head back. Sister has to go for other work too, right?”
Just as I was trying to get up and tidy up, Park Jae-seong returned from the bathroom. Perfect timing.
“Oh, are you all leaving?”
As Park Jae-seong joined us heading toward the exit, the sturdy-looking owner from earlier came over to greet us. I could see the group of employees gathered behind him.
If someone saw this, they might think that the chairman was leaving and the employees came out to see him off. Is it always like this here?
They all have such impressive physiques that it gives off an intimidating vibe. If you squint, it looks like a scene from a noir film.
“Ah, yes. Thanks to you, we had a great meal, Mr. Owner. About the bill….”
You called it a service, but I felt too guilty to leave without paying for such a large amount of food, so I cautiously opened my mouth.
The owner immediately waved his hands emphatically and bowed his body.
“No, no! I told you, it’s a service!”
“No, even so….”
“If you really can’t shake the feeling, just think of it as me giving this in hopes that our Director… ah, no, that you’ll get along well with Seo-ha.”
“Hmm….”
The owner rejecting the money so earnestly made me feel embarrassed instead, so I unconsciously glanced at my sister standing next to me.
As our eyes met, my sister seemed to say with her smile, ‘Let’s go with that.’
Right, it wouldn’t be polite to reject him after such insistence. But I should definitely come back next time and order something expensive.
“Okay, then I’ll be back next time.”
“Oh, no need to go that far!”
……?
At times like this, shouldn’t you typically respond with something like, “I would appreciate that”?
Feeling weirded out by the owner’s reaction, which seemed to strongly indicate he didn’t want me to come back, I tilted my head.
The owner, not just him but all the employees standing behind him, seemed to flinch as if they had spotted a beast.
It was odd that everyone reacted similarly.
“Ah, anyway, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the meal. Please take good care of Seo-ha from now on.”
The owner seemed to want to brush off the situation, quickly wrapping up the previous conversation with his final words.
I felt uneasy about a lot of things, but shrugged it off, thinking good is good.
“It was really delicious, Mr. Owner!”
“Thanks to you, I had a great meal.”
Following up, the lovey-dovey couple greeted as well, but for some reason, Seo-ha only waved lightly and turned her body. It’s hard to imagine my sister greeting someone older like that.
They must be really close. Otherwise, I can’t imagine her being that casual with someone older.
“Take care!”
Just as we turned to leave the place, we heard the employee’s loud farewell behind us. Their voices were so loud that even from a distance, it felt like my ears were throbbing.
With massive people like them, it really felt like we were in a mob movie.
“…Huh?”
As the sliding door closed behind me, I was startled to see a sign hanging in front of the sliding door, widening my eyes.
Huh? This is….
“Mr. Cosmo, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s just that the sign says CLOSE. It was OPEN when we came in, right…?”
As my sister tilted her head and came closer to me, she expressed her confusion while pointing to the sign before our eyes.
It was a bit strange. If it had been CLOSED when we entered, I could have assumed it was just an employee’s mistake, but if it changed after we came in, then something seems off.
“Maybe it flipped over because of the wind? It’s pretty windy today.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
While I tried to come up with a logical deduction, Seo-ha was a step ahead in her reasoning.
After all, it is still winter, and it’s quite windy. Moreover, the sign was hanging rather loosely, so one strong gust could easily turn it.
I felt embarrassed that I got lost in thought like a detective while not even considering such a simple explanation. How many times have I embarrassed myself today?
“Hey, what do you want to do? It feels a bit sad; should we have a drink before we part ways?”
While we were huddled in front of the shop deciding on our next destination, Park Jae-seong nudged my foot with his and made the suggestion, to which I immediately shook my head.
“No, I’m going to take my sister home and then head back. You guys enjoy yourselves.”
Although it became a situation where my sister joined the three of us who were meeting, I still couldn’t just let her go alone in this situation. At the very least, I need to see her to the subway station or bus stop.
“Oh, wow, when did you start acting like a gentleman?”
“Hey, where in the world would you find a gentleman like me?”
Seemingly surprised by my words, Yoo Na-yeon feigned shock by poking her elbow into her waist.
As I defiantly raised my chin, she shot me a cold glance, as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’
Why does she have to make things chilly like that?
“Pfft, Mr. Cosmo is a gentleman, right? At least I agree.”
As I cleared my throat awkwardly, my sister chimed in to back me up, bringing the mood back up.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere flipped in an instant, and I felt uplifted, looking down at Yoo Na-yeon with an ‘I told you so’ expression.
“Wow, I never expected Sister Seo-ha to side with Kang Woo-joo here. I guess arms will bend inward, right?”
“Huh? Wh-What are you talking about…!”
In response to my teasing, Yoo Na-yeon, now pouting furiously, switched her target from me to Seo-ha and began making gestures with her fingers, putting on a lewd expression like a middle-aged man from an adult comic.
Looking thoroughly flustered, my sister seemed to check if I was watching, and she hurried toward Yoo Na-yeon to shut her up.
Whoa, I’ve never seen my sister look so flustered before.
“Hey, hey, stop teasing Sister Seo-ha and just go your own way. Unlike us, she has things to do.”
“Tch, I’m going to go anyway!”
To help my sister out, I gently pulled her back while sending a waving hand gesture in the direction of Yoo Na-yeon.
With that, the sulky girl clicked her tongue and latched onto Park Jae-seong’s arm, turning away without hesitation.
Even amidst this, their skinship was thorough. Having been together for almost a decade, they’re still acting lovey-dovey. It’s really impressive. Do they not have a phase of boredom at all?
“Hey, hey, let me know when you get home!”
“Got it, just take care of your girlfriend.”
“Yes, Sister, take care on your way home!”
“Yeah, thank you for today.”
Thanks to that, Park Jae-seong was dragged away like a cow to the slaughterhouse, waving us goodbye, and despite the chaotic scene, Seo-ha only lowered her head as if nothing happened.
She’s amazing in so many ways.
“Shall we go now? Sister.”
“Yeah.”
Once the two of them disappeared, we moved our feet.
My sister said she only wanted to be seen off at the franchise café near the taxi stand, so it didn’t require traveling far.
“I’m sorry for today. Just because of me….”
While we walked, my sister brought up her apology again, as if feeling bad about intruding on our gathering with her friends.
“Hey, it’s really nothing. Thanks to you, the atmosphere was lively and nice; what are you talking about? The friends seemed super happy too.”
“That’s not the only reason….”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, never mind.”
I felt like she was about to say something more, but since it seemed like a slip of the tongue, I decided to let it slide.
“Hey, Mr. Cosmo.”
“Yes, Sister.”
“By the way, does Na-yeon not have any work she’s currently doing?”
As we reached the café I mentioned earlier after crossing the intersection, Seo-ha suddenly threw out a rather unexpected question.
In the meantime, it felt very sisterly how she consistently used casual speech with Yoo Na-yeon and formal speech with me.
“I don’t think so. That’s why she was going to join us as an editor.”
“Oh, so Na-yeon has always been interested in editing or that field?”
“Yeah, I heard she applied to several companies in the past but seemed to have fallen through.”
Unlike us, Yoo Na-yeon didn’t pursue higher education, so she started job hunting a bit earlier. I’m not too clear, but I vaguely remember hearing about it from Park Jae-seong.
As I explained vaguely, Seo-ha, who had seemed to contemplate for a moment, nodded like she was deciding something.
“Then there’s a vacancy at Changseong Planning, so maybe she could go there….”
“…Sister?”
Then, she murmured something to herself, sounding unclear, and I cautiously called her name.
“Ah! S-Sorry, I was just thinking for a moment.”
The sister, reacting a beat late, was startled as if she had been burned, awkwardly smiled, and soon noticed a taxi that had arrived at the stop and waved.
“Oh, the taxi seems to have got here. I’ll head off first. Thanks for seeing me off.”
“Take care on your way home, Sister. Let me know when you arrive.”
I waved back and smiled in response, and my sister, who had been staring at me, gave me a shy smile as she offered her final words.
“Yeah, see you again, Mr. Cosmo.”
Hearing those words, I felt something inexplicably positive, as if I would see her again soon, so I nodded absentmindedly.
“Oh… yeah, see you again, Sister.”
My sister, who was looking at me with a beaming expression, soon got into the taxi and disappeared.
For some reason, that last image of her remained in my memory, leaving me standing there for quite a while.
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