Speak of The Devil

“What do you mean, “patch up”?”Jaeoh entered, grumbling, and sat down. However, despite his clearly relaxed expression, the air in the room instantly lightened. Taehoon seemed to have eased some tension, and Siwoo had a displeased look on his face but remained silent. Clearly, he was not someone I liked very much.I couldn’t understand why Jaeoh, with such an obsessive personality, liked me enough to go through such emotional turmoil. I had my share of intense love for Jung Yiyeon as well. If only I had loved Jaeoh instead, things might have been better. The human heart was truly a complicated thing.“Hey, let’s drink first, drink up. Jaeoh has been through a lot with work lately, so let’s have some more drinks.”At times like this, it was always Oh Taehoon who set the mood. Soju glasses circled around. Despite only drinking moderately, the alcohol hit me strongly. Jaeoh, Siwoo, and Taehoon were all getting drunk. Even though we were regulars, the owner seemed to recognize us and kept sending snacks without us asking, and we ended up eating and drinking until our stomachs were about to burst.Jaeoh looked completely relieved, Taehoon, as usual, created a lively atmosphere. Siwoo occasionally made a resentful face when he looked at me, but overall, he laughed and chatted well. I was also having a good day.However, during the enjoyable drinking session, a moment came.“Lee Nan, have you found a job yet?”Suddenly, the atmosphere froze at Siwoo’s unexpected question. The topic he brought up wasn’t pleasant.“I’m looking into it.”“Tsk.”I doubted my ears. Was what I just heard correct? Did I hear things because I was drunk?However, looking at Siwoo’s eyes fixed on me, I confirmed that what I heard was indeed correct. The look in his eyes seemed to say, ‘You’re pathetic,’ and at that moment, I felt truly insulted.“Isn’t it strange? You don’t even know about my situation, yet you judge me so confidently based on your standards.”“People worry about others, it’s natural.”“Who asked you to worry about me? Why? Worried I’ll cause trouble for Jaeoh? I’ll handle it myself, punk.”“The reason why Siwoo was acting so petty towards me was obvious. Not only did he upset Jaeoh, but he also seemed to be jealous because I easily appeased Jaeoh’s mood. However, does that give him the right to treat me like this?“Hey, Siwoo, stop it.”“…No, whatever.”Ha. When Jaeoh intervened with a word, Siwoo, who had been acting all high and mighty, seemed even more twisted in his behavior. He was just creating a fuss with me?Damn it, this complicated animal-like gathering, we should just stop it. Until a while ago, I was feeling quite good, but in an instant, my mood turned filthy, as if thrown into a cesspool. Siwoo was the best at provoking someone who remained silent.No, there was another guy who was even more infuriating. That was Jung Yiyeon. The moment Siwoo complained about his job, the unpleasant thought of him crossed my mind.‘No thoughts of going back to work?’How could Jung Yiyeon ask such an audacious question? Once again, anger surged up like a raging fire, making my insides feel suffocated. I wanted a cigarette desperately.Now, complaining about going back to work. What a damn bastard.“Should we start getting up now?”I tried to tidy up the place as I felt like I might lose my temper if I stayed any longer. However, Siwoo seemed too drunk to grasp the atmosphere.“But why did Jaeoh get angry?”Due to Siwoo, who brought up a topic that had already been settled, irritation erupted again.“Why are you suddenly asking about something that’s already over? Just had some issues.”“What kind of issues?”As before, Siwoo couldn’t stand it when people remained silent. Even the guy who was heavily intoxicated was persistent.“Did you hook up with Park Heewon in the bathroom?” And he remained consistently rude.Damn it, whether someone has sex or not is none of his business. Of course, it wasn’t great that I had sex in someone else’s business bathroom. But I didn’t want to hear this disrespectful talk treating me like trash.“You keep this up, you’ll catch a disease, you punk.”“Hey, this guy’s drunk. Hey, stop it, cut it out.”Sharp-witted Taehoon intervened to restrain Siwoo. I felt my anger flare up to the point where I almost wanted to punch the guy, but I managed to suppress my rage.“Siwoo, cut it out. Hey, let’s get up.”It was undoubtedly a pleasant drinking session, but the end turned into a disaster that no one had anticipated. If I drank with these guys again, I wouldn’t be a decent person. I got up from my seat, determined to leave. In the meantime, Jaeoh sneakily glanced at me, making me feel even more miserable.Eventually, all four of us got up and left the room. And when we arrived at the counter, I attempted to pay. Now was the time to settle the bill without worrying about my balance. Taehoon might have mentioned treating us to drinks; it was time to settle the score with these damn people and move on.“Ah, I’ll take care of it. I got it, I’ll handle it.”However, Seo Jaeoh pushed me aside and stepped forward. But when he tried to hand over his card to the owner who was guarding the counter, it happened.“Huh? Um, someone, a man, already paid the bill and left.”The owner’s words left us all perplexed. The term “a man” did not refer to any of us. Surprisingly, the owner’s finger pointed towards me.“He came in right after you guys and paid in advance for the room and drinks. He said there’s no need to return any change and left. Didn’t even finish his order and already went inside.”For a moment, the three pairs of eyes were directed at me, and I was speechless.There was no need to ask about the identity of the man who came in with me. Of course, it was Jung Yiyeon. I had thought the owner was offering service, but it turned out Jung Yiyeon had paid a considerable amount in advance, and the owner generously provided the snacks.It was unbelievable. What the hell was I supposed to say? What kind of relationship did I have with her to pay on my behalf?“Hey, Lee Nan.”Siwoo called out to me with disbelief. As I turned my head, he, too, had a face of utter bewilderment. A sarcastic smile played on his face.“So, is this the method you mentioned earlier to avoid causing trouble for Jaeoh?”A voice that barely concealed disdain. And an unfortunate expression. With just that, it would have been enough, but he stubbornly continued speaking.“You’re quite talented. Who else did you charm into paying for your drinks this time?”At that moment, a sound like something snapping echoed in my mind, which always advocated non-violence.“Hey, Lee Nan!”Startled, Taehoon shouted, but my fist had already been unleashed.Thud! Along with the sound, shock and pain spread through my fist. In that instant, my mind turned white with anger. My fist had landed square on Siwoo’s face.With a clatter and a loud noise, Siwoo’s resentful body crumpled and rolled away into the distance.