The Best of Tomorrow-Chapter 5Vol 2. .4

□ ■ □

I was converting a backup file when Shim Won-jun knocked on the door, looking pale. His eyes were glazed over, like someone who should’ve stayed home but had dragged himself to work anyway. With his mask pulled up to just below his eyes, he gave me a weak look.

“Are you okay?”

Shim Won-jun shook his head.

“My head’s been pounding nonstop. What if I die like this? I wonder if it’d count as a workplace accident.”

He turned his head and coughed harshly. He’d said his body started aching last night and worsened drastically this morning. He’d managed to come in because he couldn’t bring himself to call in last minute, but the moment he scanned in for work, it was like all his energy drained away.

Seeing Shim Won-jun coughing constantly and looking half-dead, the CEO finally told him to go home. But, Shim Won-jun said, if PD Yang Ji-woon or PD Kim Myeong-hyeok had told him to leave, he would’ve gone—coming from the CEO, he just couldn’t. So he stayed.

“Just go. You said the CEO told you to.”

Shim Won-jun let out a sigh and handed me his card.

“The CEO did, but the PD gave me an errand.”

“Oh no.”

“Could I ask you a favor? I don’t think I can go out again.”

Looking genuinely apologetic, he hunched his shoulders. I took the card and gently patted him.

“I’ll go. What is it?”

This time, Shim Won-jun clasped his hands together with a face on the verge of tears.

“Thank you so much. Sol-ssi, you’re the only one I can count on.”

□ ■ □

The errand was to get coffee. Four Americanos, four café lattes. I was thankful it wasn’t nine cups. I walked with a four-slot carrier in each hand. As I made my way down the sparsely tree-lined path, someone appeared beside me and snatched one of the carriers from my hand.

I turned—and there was Seon-jae. My mouth dropped open. I quickly looked around and reached out.

“What the heck? Give it back.”

“It looked heavy.”

My face flushed with embarrassment. I widened my eyes and glared at him to give it back.

Seon-jae pouted, like I was just trying to help, why are you so mad?

I nearly snapped, Are you serious right now?

There was no one around to hear, but I muttered quickly under my breath.

“Come on, just give it back.”

“I’ll carry it just until you get there.”

He’s going to drive me crazy.

“What if someone sees? Give it back right now.”

I snatched the carrier from his hand and rushed forward. Behind me, Seon-jae muttered that helping someone shouldn’t be such a big deal.

I didn’t look back. I just walked faster.

Ryu Seon-jae, what is this? I thought you said you’d be careful.

He kept following me, so I ended up breaking into a run.

□ ■ □

By the time I got to the office, the coffee carriers were a mess. I was on the verge of tears.

PD Kim Myeong-hyeok opened one and said half the Americanos were gone, asking what the heck happened.

He said that if I spilled it, that’s one thing, but if the café packaged it like this, there’s a real issue.

It felt like the kind of thing you say just loud enough for me to hear.

I bowed and muttered, “I’m sorry. I ran...”

Kim Myeong-hyeok shook his head and walked off.

When I got back to my desk, Shim Won-jun had apparently taken a half-day and gone home.

PD Yang Ji-woon, who’s always extra cautious about his health, already had a mask on and was dousing his hands in sanitizer.

I figured the errand must’ve been from PD Kim Myeong-hyeok and the half-day push from PD Yang Ji-woon.

I sighed as I looked at Shim Won-jun’s now neatly cleaned desk.

So it’s lunch with just PD Yang Ji-woon, PD Kim Myeong-hyeok, and me today?

“Ugh, no thanks...”

I curled my lips downward and grabbed the mouse. As I scrolled, my phone buzzed.

I took it out of my pocket. It was a message from the secondhand market seller.

[ㅠㅠ]

A laugh burst out of me. What is that supposed to mean?

[What’s that?]

I replied and spun around in my chair, waiting for Seon-jae’s response.

It didn’t take long. My phone buzzed again.

[Cold, Im Sol.]

What even is that?

Thinking back to earlier, I was so stunned I wanted to beg him not to approach me in public. But maybe that would’ve embarrassed him too... It was kind of cute.

[You said you’d be careful.]

[Got it. Maybe I should buy a mask or something.]

Leaning back in my chair, I laughed out loud.

Was I too loud? I bent forward and covered my face.

Even when I tried to compose myself, the corners of my mouth kept lifting.

What do I do? Ryu Seon-jae is too cute.

As I rested my chin on my hand, I caught sight of myself in the mirror on my desk. My cheekbones weren’t just sticking out—they were flushed red.

Even though I was clearly happy, I hated seeing myself grinning like that. I flipped the mirror over.

At lunch, I headed to a nearby kimchi stew place with PD Yang Ji-woon and PD Kim Myeong-hyeok.

PD Kim Myeong-hyeok loved the hot stone pot rice there.

He always finished off the meal with scorched rice, saying it was the perfect way to end, and gave a big thumbs-up after paying.

As I stirred the kimchi stew with a ladle, my phone vibrated.

I set down the ladle and checked my phone under the table.

[Chun-baek, you eating?]

[Yeah, came out for kimchi stew. You?]

[About to eat now.]

Lately, I’d been messaging Seon-jae a lot more.

It made sense, but it still felt kind of strange.

As I picked up a rolled omelet, PD Kim Myeong-hyeok spoke.

“Should we add ramyeon noodles?”

He asked, and I immediately raised my hand.

Then I stared hard at the owner.

You had to make eye contact to place an order.

The owner was busy peeling a peppermint at the register and wouldn’t look over, so I waved my hand.

“Excuse me, one ramyeon, please!”

Finally, the owner nodded.

We broke the noodles in half and added them to the stew.

PD Yang Ji-woon, arms crossed, was staring at the TV on the wall.

“You can eat now, you know.”

I spoke, and his gaze shifted to the table.

As we silently focused on eating, I suddenly heard a familiar voice.

I looked up, glancing between the shoulders of PD Kim Myeong-hyeok and PD Yang Ji-woon, and spotted a diagonal table.

Seon-jae and Seo Yun-jae were sitting there with what looked like their manager.

Seon-jae and I locked eyes.

He held his spoon, looking at me like, Yeah, I’m here to eat too.

I dropped my gaze and fiddled with my spoon.

My phone vibrated.

[I didn’t know you were here. Really.]

Yeah right...

[No one said anything. Enjoy your meal.]

Thinking he wouldn’t reply, I pocketed my phone and focused on eating.

If I moved too slow, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with PD Kim Myeong-hyeok’s speed.

If that happened, I’d have to put my spoon down before I finished.

I ate some tofu and picked out a piece of pork from the stew.

Once Kim Myeong-hyeok was done, he opened the lid of the hot stone pot.

Scorched rice phase.

He scooped up a big spoonful and started chewing.

My phone vibrated again.

Before checking, I looked at Seon-jae.

He was sitting with his chin in his hand, staring at me.

Focus on your own table, will you...

I checked my phone.

[But why are they all guys?]

I held back a laugh.

“Eat up, rookie.”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

I put my phone away and picked up my spoon.

Still holding onto that smile I couldn’t erase, I moved my spoon while sneaking a glance.

Seon-jae, clearly unhappy, was looking between PD Yang Ji-woon and PD Kim Myeong-hyeok.

As I spooned food into my mouth, I kept repeating to myself: Sad thoughts, think sad thoughts.

But I couldn’t stop smiling.

I was smiling, and Seon-jae wasn’t — a strange little exchange of glances.

□ ■ □

Seon-jae was technically my boyfriend now, but since we watched that movie, we hadn’t gone on a single real date.

What even is a date? We hadn’t even sat down for a proper conversation.

Occasionally, we’d run into each other in the street and share a glance.

Sometimes he’d ask what I was eating and where—and then he’d bring his group over to the same place.

He’d just sit and smile while watching me eat with my coworkers.

Sometimes, if Shim Won-jun touched my shoulder while laughing during a chat, Seon-jae’s face would immediately go cold and he’d glare daggers at him.

It was all so nerve-wracking—for me alone.

Seon-jae said, No one else notices. You’re the only one who cares.

But was it really just me?

Maybe. Shim Won-jun, who was second youngest in our team at twenty-nine, hadn’t said anything.

On Friday nights, I always bought beer on my way home.

It was my personal ritual to welcome the weekend.

It felt unfair to just fall asleep.

Drinking beer, watching movies or bingeing overdue dramas into the early morning—it felt like compensation for the weary weekdays.

Dragging my feet home with a bag of canned beer, my phone vibrated.

I switched the plastic bag to my left hand and took out my phone.

Seeing the caller, I smiled.

“Hello?”

— Chun-baek, where are you?

“I’m home. Almost there.”

— No plans tonight?

“Nope. Nothing.”

A quiet “Ah, I see...” came through the receiver.

I walked down a street where the streetlamps were especially bright.

A soft orange glow lit the night road.

It was the same street I’d run down with Seon-jae, holding a bath basket.

That day, Seon-jae had said he hesitated over whether to call me or not, worried that if I didn’t answer, only his number would be left there as a lone missed call in my call log. So instead, he sent a message first. The message said, ‘Kim Chun-baek. Do you still not know how to answer the phone?’ He said he was planning to call me if I replied. But instead of a reply, he suddenly got a call from my number, and he said his heart nearly dropped.

He told me about that day. When I burst out laughing at how ridiculous the whole thing sounded, Seon-jae said in a serious tone that it wasn’t something to laugh about—he’d been so shocked. Hearing that, I said, “Okay, I won’t laugh,” but the smile already spreading across my face wouldn’t go away. Ever since we started dating, I kept saying “cute Seon-jae” without realizing. Cute Ryu Seon-jae.

—I want to see you.

“Huh?”

It was just as I stepped out of the streetlight’s glow.

—We haven’t even seen each other properly since we started dating.

“Oh, yeah, that’s true.”

—Kim Chun-baek keeps saying people will see us and won’t meet me.

“Hey, when did I...?”

My voice trailed off. I added, “It doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

—What’s your number?

“What is?”

—Your address.

I froze. It was right at the entrance where Seon-jae had stopped.

“My place? Are you coming?”

—If you say I can.

Oh my god...

I stood still, staring into the empty alley. Seon-jae said he was coming over. I hadn’t told him to, and it wasn’t confirmed yet, but my heart was racing. I had to answer, but the words wouldn’t come. What should I say? Was the house clean? No, more importantly, is it really okay for Seon-jae to come over? But then again, if we were to meet somewhere that’s not home, where else would we go? Honestly, home was probably the safest. Im Sol, what are you even thinking right now?

Maybe he found the silence strange, because Seon-jae called my name. It sounded like he was checking whether the call had been disconnected.

—Im Sol.

“Huh?”

—Why aren’t you answering?

“Oh... I was just thinking.”

—Is it a bit weird? Me going to a place where you live alone?

“What?”

—Then when will we see each other?

Ugh, is he really Baek In-hyeok’s friend? I couldn’t out-talk him. He’s right though. When will we see each other? I tightened my grip on the plastic bag in my hand, like making a fist.

“You can come. It’s Unit 301. But, um... cover up well, okay? There’s a Seo Yun-jae fan living downstairs.”

Seon-jae gave a silly laugh at the mention of a Seo Yun-jae fan. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

—Got it.

“Okay. Text me.”

—See you later, Chun-baek.

The call ended. I stood there blankly, then shoved my phone into my pocket and dashed up the stairs. Crap, I need to clean up the laundry first.

□ ■ □

I did a rough clean-up of the place and waited for Seon-jae, but when he seemed to be running later than I expected, I cracked open a can of beer. He said he was coming, but something might’ve come up to stop him. Like his manager suddenly blocking the door. Even with that thought, I hadn’t taken off my makeup. Normally, I’d be in a stretched-out T-shirt and underwear, but out of courtesy, I stayed in my outside clothes.

I sat on the sofa, turned on the TV, and sipped my beer. My upright posture gradually slumped over time.

Ryu Seon-jae, if you weren’t gonna come, you could’ve at least said so...

I pouted as I looked at the clock. It had already been three hours since our call. After finishing the can of beer, my face was flushed. I used a hair clip on the table to pin up my bangs. I leaned on my chin and shifted positions, but my pants were uncomfortably tight.

“Ugh, whatever.”

I jumped up and went into the room to change out of my outside clothes. I’d already tied up my hair—no point in keeping the clothes on now. While cleaning the room earlier because Seon-jae might come over, I had tossed the stretched-out, wrinkled T-shirt straight into the washer.

I opened the wardrobe and pulled out another T-shirt. I was about to walk out of the room when I stopped and looked down. Just underwear on my legs. I didn’t think he would come—but just in case... I really shouldn’t be lounging around in just underwear. I turned back around and opened the closet again. I pulled out pants with Mickey Mouse prints all over them and slipped my legs in.

I grabbed another beer from the fridge and plopped back down on the sofa. Propping my feet up on the table, I flipped through channels. A documentary on the mysteries of the universe was airing. I set the remote down. I put cone snacks on my fingers one by one and bit them off. I liked the sensation of the snack crunching in my mouth.

“Ten fingers challenge.”

Sitting cross-legged, I put cone chips on each of my fingers. I finished the left hand and was carefully working on the right when I tried to put the last cone on my right thumb—and my phone vibrated. I looked at it on the table. It was a call from Seon-jae. I suddenly felt petty. My eyes sharpened as I swiped to answer and put it on speakerphone.

“Yeah.”

—Huh? What’s that tone?

“What do you mean?”

—You’re not being sweet.

“When have I ever been sweet?”

My voice came out more annoyed than I meant it. All that time spent frantically cleaning the room and not even drinking the beer I bought—waiting like a rock—for what? It felt like such a waste.

—Open the door.

My eyes widened.

“Open the door?”

—I’m in front of your place.

What the hell. My head whipped toward the door. I shook off the crumbs from my hands and rushed to the entrance. I didn’t even check the peephole before unlocking and opening the door.

“...Oh.”

Standing there was Seon-jae, looking a bit sheepish. I opened the door, but maybe it was the buzz from the beer, or something else—I just stood there holding the doorknob, staring at him. Maybe because I didn’t say “come in,” Seon-jae stood still too. All I could say was a dumb “uh.”

Then—beep beep—the door lock on some other unit clicked open. Ours was already open, so it had to be someone else’s. That brought me back to my senses. I quickly reached out and grabbed Seon-jae’s wrist, pulling him in. He stepped forward and came inside. I didn’t even check whose door had opened—I just closed ours.

“...Whew, that was close.”

I exhaled and turned around. In the tiny entryway, we stood close together. Seon-jae faced me, staring right into my face. I was about to say “come in,” but suddenly, his face moved in closer. I widened my eyes and held my breath.

“Im Sol.”

“Huh?”

“Did you drink?”

“Uh... I was waiting for you. You weren’t coming.”

He pulled back slightly. When I looked up, I saw the faint smile on his face.

“I had to sneak out.”

“Oh... you snuck out...”

My voice came out hollow with embarrassment. At my flat tone, Seon-jae chuckled under his breath. He then patted my head and took off his shoes.

I looked down. His shoes were neatly placed, heel to heel, right by the door. That was so him. It was nothing, just his shoes, but seeing them there in my doorway made me smile without realizing. I quickly shook my head to brush it off.

Awkwardly standing there, I mumbled, “Wanna look around the room?” Seon-jae nodded. I rubbed at the blank wall. The truth was, this wall had once been plastered with photos of him. That thought lingered in my mouth but didn’t come out.

As he looked around, Seon-jae noticed the iPod on the desk.

“This... this is that thing.”

I’d found it while deep-cleaning to get rid of thoughts of him. I’d left it out instead of putting it back in the drawer.

“Oh, I found it while cleaning recently. It wouldn’t turn on, so I charged it.”

I picked it up and turned it on. The Apple logo lit up. I turned my head and looked at Seon-jae. Maybe because it had been so long, he looked fascinated.

“Oh, there’s something even better.”

“What?”

Suddenly excited about sharing memories, I turned around and dug through a drawer. At the very bottom was a pair of his gym pants.

“Look at this.”

Seon-jae burst out laughing. It was the kind of laugh you give when you see something completely unexpected.

“You can wear this if you ever stay over.”

His smile slowly faded as he looked at me. In that wordless stare, it suddenly hit me: What did I just say? Am I crazy?

My face flushed hot. I yanked the pants out of his hand and stuffed them back in the drawer. One pant leg was still sticking out as I shoved it shut.

“Uh, get out of my room now.”

I mumbled and rushed out. When did he ever say he was staying over? Get a grip, girl. I sat on the sofa. Seon-jae came out and pointed to the fridge.

“Got beer?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“Then I’ll have a can too.”

I nodded, reaching for a can on the table. Drinking with Seon-jae—this was surreal. He opened the fridge and let out a laugh. My head whipped around. He was leaning in, rummaging through, then pulled something out and waved it over the door.

“What’s this?”

“Ahh! No! Not that!”

I jumped up and ran over. I snatched the sikhye from his hand, gave him a beer instead, and shoved the sikhye back inside, closing the door. Seon-jae took the beer I handed him, still smiling.

He’d made that sikhye for me last time, and I couldn’t bring myself to drink it, so I stored it away. The problem was that while sitting in the office spaced out, I had scribbled on the bottle with a marker: Ryu Seon-jaeㅠㅠ.

“Your place is like a treasure vault, Im Sol.”

Treasure, my ass. I cleared my throat and sat back down. Seon-jae’s lips were still curled in a smile that wouldn’t go away. He came over and sat next to me, popped the can open, and held it out—wanting a toast. I clinked my can against his with a sulky grunt and took a sip.

The TV noise filled the space. We leaned back on the sofa together. Seon-jae rested his arm over the backrest, head propped on it, eyes fixed on the screen. We laughed at the same moments now and then.

“You good with alcohol?”

I glanced sideways at his face and asked.

“Me? I’m average.”

From what I knew, the drinking tolerance ranking in Potato Pancakes went: Kwon Seong-jun first, then Woo Hyeon-seong, Ryu Seon-jae, and Baek In-hyeok. But I’d also heard somewhere that in the new year, the younger blood, Seo Yun-jae, had climbed the ranks. I knew the group’s drinking stats, but I didn’t know how many beers it took for Seon-jae to get drunk—or if he even could get drunk. I was curious about all the little things about him.

“Why?”

“Just... wondering how much it takes to get you drunk.”

“You’re drunk already.”

Seon-jae stared quietly at my face. I looked up at him and shook my head.

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

He lightly tapped my forehead with his finger.

“You’re drunk.”

“No I’m not...”

I bit my lip and turned my gaze away. Seon-jae’s hand left my forehead. He tilted his head back and rested against the sofa. My body sank further down the cushion. Even though I’d said no, I guess I was drunk. My limbs felt heavy, my thoughts fuzzy.

Lying there, head resting on the back of the couch, I looked up. My blinking eyes stared at the ceiling. Seon-jae suddenly stuck an earbud into my ear. When I turned to him, he already had the other bud in his.

In his hand was the iPod I’d seen earlier. He must’ve brought it out from the room. There was only one song on it. We both knew what song it would be. A soft melody began to play.

“That MP3 you gave me—I memorized all the songs in it.”

I looked up at Seon-jae’s face. He met my eyes.

“The things I ended up liking just because you liked them... When the person who liked them with me disappeared, it felt so lonely. Like I was the only one left who still liked them.”

“......”

My eyelids fluttered slowly. Blinking in and out, my vision filled with Seon-jae’s face.

“Kim Chun-baek.”

“Yeah?”

“For the amount of time I liked you, I want you to like me back just as much.”

His gaze lingered gently.

“Even if you turn seventy and forget how to answer a phone—I hope I’m still right next to you.”

I looked at his face and smiled faintly. My lips parted just slightly. Seon-jae reached out and brushed his hand across my forehead, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to it. The touch was unfamiliar, soft, and brief.

“Sincerely.”

I bit my lip, then nodded. I meant, me too. I hope so too. I met his eyes with a smile.