The Best of Tomorrow-Chapter 6Vol 2. .2

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Im Sol, worn out from another grueling late-night shift, walked out of the building with a face that screamed exhaustion. Her footsteps were sluggish, her whole body seeming to droop. Sitting in the driver’s seat and watching her approach, Seon-jae’s lips curved into a soft smile.

“She really is dead on her feet... just like she said.”

At that moment, someone stepped toward her.

Sol, her shoulders slumped, straightened up when she recognized the man and widened her eyes in surprise.

They exchanged a few words—whatever was said made them both laugh.

Seon-jae’s upturned lips slowly returned to their original position.

The man handed her something. Sol accepted it. After a few more words, the two parted ways.

The passenger door opened, and Sol climbed in along with the cool night air. She slumped into the seat and shut the door.

Click.

With that soft sound, the outside noise was cut off, leaving the inside of the car quiet.

“Did you wait long?”

“No. I just got here too.”

Sol had come out of the building carrying only her bag, but now she had a can of coffee in her hand.

Noticing it, Seon-jae turned slightly and rested his arm on the steering wheel.

“I tried to finish early, but it’s been all late nights lately.”

“Who was that?”

“Huh?”

“I saw someone talking to you while I was waiting.”

“Oh, just one of our field staff. He had an appointment nearby and ran into me. Said he bought the coffee for himself but gave it to me since I looked like I’d been through hell with all the overtime.”

Sol shook the can like it was nothing, then placed it in the cup holder beneath the center console, clearly not planning to drink it right away.

“...Mm.”

Seon-jae looked out the window.

The man was already gone.

Sol thought it had been a coincidence—just someone she’d run into on the way.

But Seon-jae knew better.

He’d been parked on the curb, watching that guy loiter out front like he was waiting for someone.

And now here Sol was, saying it was just chance? That guy had “ulterior motive” written all over him.

Still, Seon-jae said nothing.

Sol reached over and tapped his shoulder.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t we going?”

“...Yeah, let’s go.”

He shifted gears and turned the wheel. The car moved forward smoothly.

He swallowed his words—words like draw some boundaries—because saying them would’ve made him the one crossing the line.

He knew being in a relationship didn’t give him the right to control every moment, every person, every exchange.

He knew. But still... something about it left his thoughts tangled and heavy.

Even as he looked ahead at the road, Seon-jae’s expression remained frozen—right at the moment when Sol and that guy had laughed together.

□ ■ □

[Noona.]

[Stop leaving me on read...]

[I know you have the day off tomorrow.]

[I also know your boyfriend has a schedule tonight and you’re not seeing him.]

[No, I’m not asking for a treat—I said I’d buy. Just meet me, please.]

By the time the meeting ended, I found several messages waiting for me.

All from Kwon Eun-chan.

The main point? He wanted a drinking buddy tonight.

Apparently, he’d confessed to someone a few days ago and got rejected. The heartbreak seemed to be lingering.

I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him—how few people must he have to talk to if he was reaching out to me?

I tapped the reply box and typed:

[I’ll buy the drinks. I’m leaving work soon—grab a cab and come.]

His reply came almost immediately.

[That’s my Sol-noona. ( ˘ ³˘) ♡ ]

[I’m already in the lobby.]

I stared at the message on my screen and burst into laughter in disbelief.

I wrapped up work, packed my things, and headed downstairs.

As I shoved my work badge into my bag, I scanned the lobby.

There, waving enthusiastically, stood Kwon Eun-chan.

“When did you even get here?”

“Not too long ago. Maybe... one or two hours?”

I stared at him, jaw slack.

He grinned and held out his phone, the battery icon flashing red—2% left, in power-saving mode.

“Leveled up a ton while I waited, though.”

He slipped his phone into his pocket and took the lead.

“Where are we going?”

“I already searched the area and found a spot while I was waiting.”

Watching his bright demeanor, I smiled to myself.

I’d been worried—wondering if I’d have to console a miserable wreck.

But he seemed surprisingly cheerful.

I was relieved.

Or so I thought.

“I mean, she said it’s not that she doesn’t like me. She just doesn’t know if it’s the kind of like you feel for a guy or just... as a friend.”

As soon as he’d had a few drinks, the cheerful mask came off.

He started pouring out his misery.

“She said she didn’t want to ruin our friendship by dating and breaking up, so...”

His head drooped, and he let out a heavy sigh.

The kind of sigh only drunk people make.

His bangs fluttered slightly with the force of it. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“Noona.”

I patted his back, and he abruptly raised his head to look at me.

“I confessed. Told her I liked her. So what, now we can’t even be friends?”

“...Yeah, that does suck.”

“I mean, come on, how does that make any sense?”

Apparently riled up now, he swept his hair back and filled his glass again.

“Hey... Eun-chan. Are you really gonna drink all of that?”

At least pace yourself, I wanted to say.

But he downed the shot without a word, wincing at the bitter taste.

“Why does the alcohol taste sweet today...”

With that face? What’s sweet about it?

He poured himself another.

I quickly snatched the soju bottle.

“Hey! Slow down! You’re not even a strong drinker. You’re gonna black out at this rate!”

Eun-chan grabbed the bottle back with a deadly serious face.

“Noona, getting drunk is my mission tonight.”

“Why do you have to complete that mission with me? Go home and get wasted alone.”

I reached for the bottle again, and he blocked me with a loud, “Nooo!”

“I’ve got to say some drunk truths tonight. This is my chance.”

I flicked his forehead with a loud pop and took the bottle.

He rubbed his forehead and looked like he might cry.

“You’re gonna regret this in the morning.”

“Regret? I’ve got nothing left to lose.”

His glass was empty. I was holding the bottle.

And then—he reached over, grabbed my glass, and drank it instead.

I sighed in disbelief, staring at my now-empty cup.

Eun-chan looked back at me with his brows slightly furrowed.

And just like that, after a few more stubborn rounds, he ended up completely plastered.

“Hey! Wake up!”

He couldn’t even stand.

I half-dragged, half-carried him to a bench and collapsed onto it.

Eun-chan’s arms, which had been draped over my shoulders like shackles, fell limply.

His backpack and denim jacket were dumped unceremoniously on the ground.

I couldn’t even manage to put them back on him—I’d been hauling them like deadweight the whole way.

“Aaagh, Eun-chan...”

Mission accomplished, alright.

We’d been drinking in a residential area, which meant no taxis on the narrow roads.

I had to piggyback this giant all the way to the main street.

Now, I reached into my pocket to grab my phone—

But there was nothing there.

“Wait. My phone.”

She searched through every pocket on her clothes and even checked her bag, but the phone was nowhere to be found. Then, like a sudden flash of light, she remembered she’d left it at the counter to charge.

“God, seriously...”

She rummaged through Kwon Eun-chan’s pockets next. He was wearing beige cotton pants and a hoodie, but no matter how thoroughly she checked, there was no phone. When she picked up the denim jacket lying on the floor and looked through it, she finally found the phone in the right pocket. But no matter how many times she tapped the screen, it didn’t respond, like it was broken. Then she remembered when she had seen Kwon Eun-chan earlier in the lobby—his phone had been overheating. The battery had been down to 2%.

“It’s dead... Just like you...”

She couldn’t tell whether the phone had foreshadowed its owner’s future, or if its owner had simply followed it into shutdown. She put the drained phone back into Kwon Eun-chan’s jacket and leaned her head back.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t even tell Seon-jae I was going to see Eun-chan.”

She stared blankly at the sky, scattered with stars like dots.

□ ◆ □

As soon as filming wrapped, greetings echoed from all directions. Seon-jae bowed his head and greeted everyone he passed before exiting the studio.

“Hyung, my phone.”

He retrieved his phone from his manager, who had been holding it during the shoot, and checked his missed calls and messages. Among them was one from Im Sol.

— The number you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave a message after the beep.

He pulled the phone away from his ear and checked the screen. After hanging up, he tried calling several more times, but it kept going straight to voicemail.

[Are you still at work?]

He sent a message and checked the time. It wasn’t unusual for her to stay late at work, but she had never been out of contact before. If anything, when working overtime, she usually answered the phone more comfortably since her bosses would have gone home. Then he suddenly remembered the man who had approached Sol in front of the office building. Seon-jae’s brows furrowed.

“Ah...”

When he opened the chat window again, he saw that his messages remained unread. A strange sense of unease crept in, and he dialed again. After a moment, there was a click, and the call connected. Seon-jae halted mid-step.

— Hello?

The unfamiliar man’s voice on the other end made Seon-jae’s insides twist.

“Who is this?”

He ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ asked in a slightly lowered voice, and the reply came after a beat.

— This is a bar. The customer left their phone here.

“A bar?”

— Yeah, yeah. It’s been a while since she paid and left, but she hasn’t come back for it.

“...Where exactly?”

— Gamgam Newsilence in Gamja-dong. Looked like she drank quite a bit when she paid.

As soon as the call ended, Seon-jae started walking toward where Sol’s phone was. “Hey, where are you going all of a sudden?” his manager called after him in concern. “I’ll be right back,” Seon-jae replied, quickly flagging down a taxi.

The place he’d looked up was at the end of a narrow alley lined with houses. When he opened the door and walked in, a few tables were crammed into the small space. After saying he was there to retrieve a lost phone, the owner stared at him. Feeling the gaze a little too blatantly, Seon-jae pulled his mask up higher.

“You’re not the guy who was with her earlier... You do know the phone’s owner, right?”

“...Yeah, I do. Wait—she was with a guy?”

The owner handed over the phone and nodded.

“Totally plastered. He carried her out.”

At that moment, a customer at another table called for the owner. The man told Seon-jae to deliver the phone safely and rushed over. Though the bar owner walked away, his voice rang louder and louder in Seon-jae’s head, like the sound of a ship’s horn.

So... some guy carried Sol out?

Seon-jae stepped outside and stood blankly at the door. He couldn’t bring himself to move. Was this the kind of expression people wore when they lost their direction? A wave of confusion crashed over him and receded, leaving behind a clear irritation. After all, no one likes imagining their girlfriend being carried out by another man.

With Sol’s phone in hand, he wandered the alleys. Sometimes walking, sometimes running. When he ran, anxiety surged. When he walked, a strange calm took over. He worried that something might’ve happened to Sol... then grew twisted with jealousy over whoever she was drinking with. He hoped she hadn’t gone far, that she was still somewhere nearby.

“Im Sol, where the hell are you...”

Whether from running or from emotion, his heart pounded. When he reached the end of the alley, a wide road opened before him. The broad, unobstructed view only made him feel more lost. Running a hand through his hair, he turned his head—and saw two people slumped on a bench. His hand, which had been resting on his head, dropped limp to his side.

A girl with long hair was leaning back on the bench, head tilted up, while a guy lay stretched out, occupying the rest of the space. From the positioning—his legs on her left, his torso on her right—it was clear she was sitting in the middle of his body.

A cold chill ran down Seon-jae’s spine like he’d been drenched in ice water. His mind stopped. Or rather, it should stop—because any thought that came now couldn’t be good.

He pulled his hat down over his head and walked forward, forcing himself not to break into a run. He stopped in front of the bench. The girl, who had been gazing up at the sky, slowly shifted her eyes toward him. When their eyes met, hers widened in shock.

“Oh? Wh-What? What are you doing here?”

Sol straightened up and looked around. Seeing no one else nearby, she looked confused—wondering what Seon-jae was doing all the way out here in remote Gamja-dong.

“You know you left this behind, right?”

He held out the phone he’d been gripping the entire time. Sol’s face turned to surprise.

“I knew, but I couldn’t go back for it. Wait, you came all the way here for this? What about work?”

“It was over, so I came.”

Unlike Sol, whose voice had risen with alarm, Seon-jae’s tone was quiet and composed. Sensing something off in his mood, Sol blinked and reached out to hold his hand.

“Were you worried?”

“Who's the guy next to you?”

Seon-jae’s gaze landed on the guy slumped like a fallen bowling pin. When Sol pulled the denim jacket covering the guy’s face away, a familiar face appeared.

“...Eun-chan?”

“He drank in a rush and got wasted.”

“That’s who you were with?”

“Yeah. He came to the office today.”

“So you weren’t the one being carried... you were carrying him?”

Sol nodded.

‘Totally plastered. He carried her out.’

Recalling the bar owner’s words, Seon-jae realized how badly he’d jumped to conclusions.

“Ah...”

He lowered his head and rubbed at the edge of his eyebrow. Sol, still sitting on the bench, quietly looked up at him.

“Seon-jae?”

Her fingers tugged lightly at the hem of his shirt. He lowered his gaze. Sol was looking straight at him. His emotions felt tangled and strange. When he thought about how he had run around in worry, he was angry—but looking at her now, his feelings softened. He didn’t know how to match the rhythm anymore. It all felt like a mess.

“Let’s go. I’ll carry Eun-chan.”

Grabbing Eun-chan by the collar, Seon-jae hoisted him up. He picked up the denim jacket with one hand and slung Eun-chan over his back. Sol hurried to grab Eun-chan’s bag from the bench and darted toward the road. She quickly flagged down a taxi. As the cab slowed and approached, Sol glanced up at Seon-jae.

“Seon-jae, are you mad?”

The taxi came to a stop. Seon-jae stepped forward, his voice barely audible and his eyes not meeting hers.

“I don’t even know.”

Sol, holding the taxi door open, watched as Seon-jae gently shoved Eun-chan into the back seat. She bit her lip. There was a chill in his voice when he said he didn’t know.