Chapter 57. The Sound Youth Makes When It Drowns (13)

The place Park Seungjoo brought them to was a famous grill house about 300 meters from the café.

Specializing in a wide range of grilled dishes from beef to seafood, and boasting an especially diverse selection of alcohol, it had quickly become a favorite among the younger crowd. Every seat was semi-private, separated by wooden blinds, adding to its appeal and giving it a cozy, exclusive vibe.

Inside, it was loud and bustling, with smoke rising from grills all around. As Eunkyo stepped in with Seungjoo, she was surprised to see how packed the place was.

With this many customers, she thought, the staff must be going crazy.

“I actually made a reservation in advance. Our crew has a table in the back.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Been here before?”

“No, it’s my first time.”

“Hm. Seems like a lot of things are your first. Guess there’s still a lot for you to experience.”

Instead of responding, Eunkyo just smiled politely. They followed a server through the dimly lit room, passing tables where patrons were half-hidden behind partitions.

Because their table was separated from the group seating by a single wooden panel, the nearby conversations felt especially close.

“Welcome, sir! You’ve brought guests today. Thank you.”

The owner, wearing a friendly smile, handed over a menu—but it was for drinks, not food.

“Haeda can drink pretty much anything. What about you, Eunkyo? What’s your alcohol tolerance like?”

“I can drink anything too.”

“Ah… then, let’s go with some wine. We’ll have this one, and this one.”

The owner said he’d bring it right away and stepped out. As Eunkyo looked around curiously, she caught sight of some familiar faces.

Just a glimpse, but she was sure—those were the kids who’d been with Lee Jaeheon.

Noticing her gaze, Seungjoo explained.

“Ah, those are the students who helped with teardown earlier. They were so diligent and sweet, I wanted to treat them to a meal.”

As Seungjoo casually wiped his hands with a moist towel, Kim Haeda’s eyes narrowed sharply. A moment later, Seungjoo excused himself and stepped through the partition.

Just as expected, beyond it were Jaeheon and several students from the sculpture department. Upon seeing Seungjoo, they all stood up excitedly to greet him.

“Whoa, CEO! This is amazing!”

“Thanks so much, sir. We’re eating so well!”

Smiling, Seungjoo patted one student’s shoulder with pride.

“Eat up, everyone. Order as much as you want. Drink, too—don’t hold back. Tonight’s on me, all the way till closing. You all did great.”

“You already paid us well, too! Man, what a legend!”

One student, playing along, stood up and bowed deeply to Seungjoo, jokingly asking, “Can I start calling you ‘hyungnim’ now?”

Amid all this, Eunkyo quietly kept her eyes on Jaeheon.

He noticed her too, and let out a small, disbelieving laugh. Then, leaning toward the girl next to him, he listened as she whispered something in his ear.

Eunkyo turned away, pressing her hand to the bandage on her burn.

“They’re such bright kids. I wish more young people had that kind of energy these days.”

As Seungjoo returned to the table, the owner followed with the wine and began explaining the selection. Eunkyo nodded politely, pretending to understand the wine jargon, and accepted the poured glass.

“Hyung, what’s with the generosity today? Starting a charity or something?” Haeda said sarcastically, clearly aware of the show being put on.

Smiling faintly, Seungjoo turned his gaze on Eunkyo and replied smoothly.

“There’s one kid in that group—very handsome. My manager really wanted to scout him. Guys like that never go unnoticed by girls. But if someone like that doesn’t get the right support, what’s left? End up working in a host bar or something. Okay, maybe that’s extreme, but at best he becomes one of those influencer types chasing brand deals. He’s tempting, but… a little tough to approach. So I brought him here to make an impression. He’s just a kid, after all.”

His crescent-shaped smile was ice cold.

‘Yes. A kid is a kid.’

Eunkyo picked up her chopsticks and idly poked at the salad in front of her. She didn’t agree with what he said, but she didn’t disagree either. Either way, she saw no reason to respond.

Besides, Seungjoo already knew she was acquainted with Jaeheon—she’d introduced them. And yet, he still said this?

‘What a nasty person.’

“Oh, I’m the king this round! Number 8 and number 2! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

Eunkyo couldn’t help but smile at the rowdy voices coming from the group seating. It was funny that they were still playing those same drinking games she remembered from her twenties.

Do kids these days think of these as retro games?

“Hey, Jaeheon! You’re up again. Stop letting him drink! That’s his fourth round already!”

“Boo! No backing out!”

As the kids shouted, Seungjoo chuckled and muttered, 

“So childish… This really isn’t the place for that kind of low-class behavior.”

Haeda sighed, clearly annoyed. Eunkyo, however, didn’t react.

Just then, two staff members entered with trays of grilled meats. In that fleeting moment, Eunkyo once again locked eyes with Jaeheon.

Arms crossed over his chest, he stared right at her before leaning toward the girl beside him.

‘Ah…!’

Startled, Eunkyo’s hand jerked and knocked her chopsticks to the floor.

At that same moment, Jaeheon grinned and, just loud enough for her to hear, said—

“I’d only kiss if I was turned on. I’m not.”

“Miss, I’ll bring you a new pair of chopsticks,” a staff member said.

Jaeheon’s voice overlapped with the employee’s, but all Eunkyo heard was his.

The girl next to him muttered bitterly, “Ugh, what a jerk,” while the others burst out laughing. The whole scene blurred in front of Eunkyo’s eyes.

Childish.

The game was childish. The behavior was childish. It was all typical of people in their twenties—reckless and immature.

So why did it shake her so much?

Her heart dropped, then bounced right back up, pounding hard.

“Haa… Seontae’s quitting.”

At Haeda’s weary voice, Eunkyo took the new chopsticks from the server and asked, “What do you mean?”

Haeda held up the message Seontae had just sent him:

[Boss, I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I can keep working. I’ll just accept pay for the days I worked.]

It was all so sudden. He had seemed a bit off today, sure—but hearing that the usually reliable Seontae was quitting out of the blue hit hard. A wave of dread washed over her.

“I’m going to run to the pharmacy real quick. They might close soon if I wait too long.”

“Oh, right. Want me to come with you?”

“No, stay with the CEO.”

Her head was pounding.

Eunkyo grabbed her bag and stepped out of the maze-like restaurant, taking in the warm evening air.

She didn’t know what to think anymore.

‘What’s with Lee Jaeheon? Why did he look so angry…? What had she done wrong? Wasn’t he the one who said they should be honest about their feelings? Then why…?’

Just as her thoughts began to spiral and she took another step forward, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Jaeheon pulled her in, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and steering her into the narrow alley between two buildings.