“Hey! Over here!”
As I got caught up in work, lunchtime snuck up on me. I headed to a restaurant near the company where I was supposed to meet Sung-Hyun, who was already seated and waiting for me.
I approached him, noticing his happy expression, and greeted him with a chuckle.
“Yo, it’s been a while.”
“Yeah, it really has. Have you been doing well?”
“Yeah, I’ve been good. Has it been six months since the reunion?”
“Six months? Has it really been that long? Wow, I’d like to meet you and the others more often if I could; it’s just that I’ve been so busy lately, I feel bad.”
“It’s fine, I don’t expect anything from a married man. Just show your face whenever you have time, like today. Speaking of which, is kimchi stew okay for the menu?”
“Sure. This place is pay-in-advance, right? Hey, boss! We’ll have two servings of kimchi stew, please. I’ll pay with this.”
While casually ordering our meals, Sung-Hyun told the boss to charge it to his card.
I pulled out a 5000-won bill from my wallet and handed it to him.
Sung-Hyun looked at the bill like he couldn’t believe his eyes, saying,
“Wow… you’re something else. It’s just 5000 won for a kimchi stew; can’t you just let it slide this time? You never let a single one go for free. And besides, I’m avoiding carrying cash because it’s a hassle now.”
“Then should I just send you the money through bank transfer?”
When I replied, Sung-Hyun shook his head as if to concede, stuffing the 5000 won bill haphazardly into his back pocket.
A moment later, we both burst out laughing.
Sung-Hyun is the son of a well-off family. I’d known something was up since elementary school when he’d buy chicken for the class during school trips, but later found out his parents were local dignitaries or something like that.
Maybe that’s why, since childhood, he often found himself treating close friends when we went out.
I always made sure to gather what I could and pay him back the exact amount for the meals he treated me to.
At first, he accepted it because we were guys and he thought it was just a matter of pride, but it went on so long that one day he got annoyed and challenged me.
He said, “Why can’t you just accept a treat? You’re the one with little money at home.”
That touchy subject could have easily led to a fight among our young hearts, but Sung-Hyun flinched after raising his voice.
But I had noticed something.
He always included me when hanging out with friends because he knew about my tough family situation and wanted to treat me.
That’s when I opened up to him completely. I told him about my struggles and how it made me uneasy to owe someone money without repaying it.
After listening to my story, Sung-Hyun hung his head and I could hear him stifling sobs before he eventually cried a little.
That was the first and last time I saw tears from him, someone who had always played the leader role among our group of friends.
After that, he hardly ever tried to treat me to anything. If it ever happened, he accepted what I returned without a word.
But that was when it all started.
Sung-Hyun began bringing game consoles and comic books to school, hiding them like it was a secret.
He’d say he brought them to enjoy together with everyone because playing alone wasn’t fun.
Though he said it was for everyone, I knew it was only after it became my turn to play that he finally took everything back home.
If I was able to enjoy games and comics as a kid despite my tough situation, it was all because of him.
He has always been a dear friend to me, now and forever.
“Ah, the stew must be out already. Let’s eat. You must be starving after working all day.”
As I nostalgically remembered our past, the steaming kimchi stew arrived.
As I scooped some into my plate, I said to Sung-Hyun,
“By the way, your wife must treat you well; your face gets better every time I see you.”
“Hehe, you’re quite observant. Honestly, I think I married well! No one can compare to my wife. She’s gentle, has a kind personality, she’s truly an angel. …But wait, who are you calling my wife? You need to call her ‘sister-in-law!’”
“‘Sister-in-law’? Be born a little earlier than me if you want that.”
“Hah, if only my parents were just a little more diligent back then.”
Sung-Hyun’s wife is genuinely like an angel as he described.
Her looks and, more importantly, the warmth she exudes—like a fluffy blanket dried in the spring sun—makes being around her incredibly comforting.
I had heard that their families had been engaged since childhood, but I only saw her for the first time at the wedding. My friends and I had all jokingly teased him about being the lucky jerk who had money and a beautiful wife.
While I was chuckling at memories from that day, I noticed Sung-Hyun had suddenly gone quiet.
He seemed to be sneakily watching me, which took me aback for a moment, but then I realized why.
It was about his mention of parents, a subject I had grown to accept, but it was evidently still touchy for those around me.
Anyway, since he had been such a great help when my mother passed, I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, so I quickly changed the subject.
“Well, you should feel lucky. I need to meet a nice girl and get married like you soon.”
“…Uh, yeah, you really should meet a kind girl like my wife and get hitched, but that’s impossible for a poor guy like you….”
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt, no matter how good of a friend he was.
Since I had never really dated, his words struck deep, and I shot back at him.
“Hey, Sung-Hyun. No matter how good you are, it’s a bit much to belittle someone else like that, don’t you think? Even someone like me could find a nice partner one day!”
“…Wait, hold on. I didn’t mean it like that─.”
“Sure, I must look like a loser to you, a regular office worker without parents. But you shouldn’t say that openly; it can hurt the people around you. We’re friends and…,”
“That’s not what I meant!!”
Bang! Sung-Hyun banged the table loudly, his voice echoing throughout the restaurant.
Everyone turned to look at our table, probably wondering what the commotion was.
Sung-Hyun then bowed his head to the surrounding tables, apologizing profusely, before taking a deep breath and looking at me.
“…Listen, I really didn’t mean it like that, so stop misunderstanding! Why would I think of you as beneath me? I’ve never thought of you that way, not once. If anything, it would be the opposite!”
With his serious expression, I momentarily had no clue what he was trying to say, but from the look in his eyes, he seemed sincere, so I decided to listen.
“What made you think I see you as inferior? Just because you don’t have much money at home? Or your looks? Well, sure, that’s one way to think, but look, that’s just luck, right? Being born with good conditions doesn’t make someone a good person.”
“…….”
“I’ve seen many people who’ve had a good upbringing but ended up being really awful. It makes sense when all the people around them only care about their money and looks. They get away with anything.”
“…….”
“Honestly, if it hadn’t been for one person, I could have easily turned out to be one of those awful people.”
Sung-Hyun spoke with a bitter smile, as if he was confessing.
“That person, you always called me a nice guy. I really wasn’t. I was just a careless kid who flaunted money for attention. But then I met someone special. That person was unique—cheap on the surface but standing tall with a strong will. Totally different from the people who just wanted to leech off my money.”
I had a feeling I knew whom he was referring to.
“At first, it was mere curiosity about this unique person that drew me in. But before I knew it, I found myself sticking to her side. She had something about her that made you want to be close and keep that friendship alive.
“Then it hit me; she was so wonderful, while I was just a loser. I got scared thinking, what if she got dragged down because of me? But my desire to stay close to her outweighed those fears; I knew I needed to change.”
“……”
“So, I started to fix my flaws one by one so I could be worthy of her and, in the process, I ended up becoming a good person myself. It was her who saved me from becoming a bad person… all because of you, really.”
Sung-Hyun stopped there and awkwardly cleared his throat before looking at me and said.
“Cough, do you understand now? I’m not saying this because you’re my friend; you really are one in a million. You’re a true good person who can inspire those around you. That’s what makes you special.”
“Uh, um. Yeah.”
“And logically speaking, how could I ever think negatively of you? You saved me when I almost got involved with some bad guys, even called the police. You were also the one who straightened me out when I was lost during adolescence. You helped me study for the entrance exam, getting me into a prestigious university—all of that was you. You’re more than just a friend; you’re a benefactor. I could never think poorly of you no matter what. So don’t turn me into an ungrateful jerk.”
“…Got it, I got it, so just stop.”
My face felt hot, overwhelmed by the unexpected compliments.
Wow. I appreciate the kind words, but it’s hard to listen to it calmly.
I gulped some water to cool my burning throat, and Sung-Hyun’s playful voice broke through.
“…But hey, I get why you misunderstood. I mean, I should have been better looking. It’s only natural to feel inferior around me.”
“…Haha, sure, whatever.”
“Don’t get too down, though. You’re still good-looking enough for people to notice.”
“When I was in high school, I got confessions from girls at nearby girls’ schools, and you tell me that?”
Right, thinking back, even at that time, he had been dating his wife and still getting hit on? Life really is unfair.
“Hey, you realize how that sounds, right? The second those unpopular kids hear that, they’ll cuss you out. But still, there were girls who liked you in school.”
“What are you talking about? Don’t need to lie to cheer me up…”
I’d had girls who were nice to me, but they were just being friendly.
Given my complete lack of experience with dating, I dismissed Sung-Hyun’s comments as nonsense.
“…What, you really didn’t know?”
“Huh? Wasn’t that a lie?”
Sung-Hyun’s surprised reaction made me doubt my understanding of things.
He seemed to be figuring something out.
“…Oh right, they never confessed openly. So from your perspective, it makes sense you wouldn’t know. But back in middle school, at least ten girls had crushes on you.”
“Ten girls in middle school liked me?! No way, that’s nonsense…”
“I’m serious. You treat everyone kindly, regardless of gender, while others usually hint at their feelings for guys they like. So, while you were genuinely nice, they probably thought, ‘He’s just being nice’. Think about it; didn’t you have girls who were especially friendly during school?”
Sure, there were girls who were nice, but I figured it was just their nature.
Honestly, it was hard for me to accept Sung-Hyun’s words as truth because I had never gotten a confession before.
“…Okay, but even if there were some girls like that, why didn’t any of them confess to me?”
“Hmm, I think I know. Until you enlisted, you worked hard to lessen your mother’s burden, studying and working. Anyone seeing you would recognize you were too focused on work to care about dating. In watching you, it’s only natural for them to want you to succeed, which would have made them hesitant to confess.”
Hmm, I certainly recall being busy, putting dating on the back burner….
But if that was true, it felt like I had wasted my chance at school romance.
Feeling a bit miffed at the thought, I poked at Sung-Hyun’s words, asking,
“Then what about when I came back from the military? Were there girls who liked me back then? If what you said is true, they had no reason not to confess then.”
“Uh, about that…”
At my question, Sung-Hyun’s face momentarily displayed confusion, which immediately alerted me.
Ah, I get it. There probably weren’t any girls who liked me after I returned, and he was trying not to hurt my feelings by avoiding that truth.
I appreciated him for trying to protect me but thought it was all in the past now.
I couldn’t honestly feel bad about it, so I smirked and said to him,
“Aw, you don’t have to hold back. So there weren’t any girls who liked me after I came back, huh? I mean, who would like a guy that’s already a returning college student?”
However, Sung-Hyun hesitated before seemingly mustering courage, then sighed and said.
“…No, that’s the opposite. If anything, it was when you had the most admirers.”
“Eh? The most? What do you mean…”
“Remember, after that incident? After you went through that tough time, you worked to stay bright and cheerful? That whole effort sparked admiration and a protective instinct in many girls. You might even have gotten girls asking to be introduced to you.”
“Introduced…?”
Intrigued, I encouraged him to elaborate.
“But why didn’t any of them confess?”
He frowned for a moment, clearly frustrated, before finally saying,
“I don’t know; maybe someone was stopping those who wanted to confess.”
“Pfft, come on. Wouldn’t that be absurd? Even if someone did obstruct those girls, how on earth would they stop them?”
“…Well, maybe if it was a secret daughter from a wealthy family, it could happen.”
Sung-Hyun’s absurd statement couldn’t help but crack me up.
A secret daughter of a rich family? That’s straight out of a novel!
“Haha! A secret daughter of a billionaire? You’ve got one wild imagination! You reading some web novel?”
“Um, actually, there’s this novel about a rich daughter falling for an ordinary guy.”
“Oh, that makes sense. Said something so outrageous that it’d be hard for you to jump to that conclusion. So, is it any good?”
“It’s entertaining enough; the oblivious male lead makes for great comedic moments.”
“Oh….”
“Recently, the granddaughter fell for an unheard-of guy who hardly even comes home, angering the grandfather who happens to be the family’s chairman. He told her if she liked him so much, she could go live her life with him. That broke things down to the point of chaos for the company, leaving the male lead to struggle as the female lead felt guilty for months.”
“Hey, that’s a spoiler! But even so, it doesn’t sound like my style; I’m not too fond of stories with clueless leads.”
Sung-Hyun looked at me as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
“What’s the matter? You think it’s strange I’m not into that kind of thing?”
Having spent a moment talking about novels, I suddenly recalled a question I wanted to ask and turned to Sung-Hyun,
“Hey, why did you say earlier I’d never find a kind girl to marry anyway?”
He looked at me with a pitiful expression and whispered,
“(…You already tried and failed.)”
And just then, a voice interrupted,
“You guys look like you’re having fun?”
“—Ack?!”
I whipped around at the unexpected voice, revealing my junior standing next to our table.
Startled, I proceeded to ask my junior, who had caught us mid-conversation.
“How did you find us?”
“It’s right in front of our company. I was just on my way to grab some food and saw you two chatting, so I thought I’d drop by and say hi.”
The junior replied before turning to Sung-Hyun, now looking pale, and smiled.
“It’s been a while, Senior!”
“Uh, hey! It has been a while!”
“I caught a glimpse of your conversation just now…”
The junior leaned closer, bringing his mouth close to Sung-Hyun’s ear.
As they whispered together, I couldn’t quite hear what they were saying.
“(As I recall, I asked you to keep my story to yourself. Did you forget that, perhaps? Huh, Sung-Hyun?)”
“(N-no! It wasn’t on purpose! I can explain! Just let this slide… she doesn’t suspect a thing about you yet…!)”
“(…Well, thank goodness for that. If I were to find out someone violated my request, I wouldn’t hesitate to give out repercussions. But again, about today’s incident, you understand it can’t just be overlooked, right?)”
“(Ugh, what can I do? I’ll just do whatever.)”
As they conversed out of earshot, I saw Sung-Hyun nodding.
Then, glancing down at his phone, he suddenly stood up and spoke to me.
“Uh, woah! I’ve got something important that just came up; I need to go right now.”
“Wait! What about our dinner plans?”
“Sorry, it’s getting canceled. I really need to run.”
“Oh, if it’s urgent, I guess that’s that.”
“Right, I’ll head out first. Take care…”
“Sure, see you later.”
After abruptly canceling our plans, Sung-Hyun left with a nervous expression.
Once he scurried off, my junior took his place at the table with a bright smile.
“Hey there, Senior. So, your dinner with Sung-Hyun was canceled?”
“Yeah, looks like it…”
“Then since you’re free now, how about grabbing a meal with me? The promise you made to treat me to a meal is still valid, right?”
“Sure, if you insist. So it’ll be on me today.”
“Really? Awesome~!”
Wondering just how much he intended to feast, I chuckled at how cheerful my junior got after I offered to treat him.
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