Part 2
“Eomma, good morning!” I greeted my mother, who was carefully arranging boxes of rice cakes for her morning deliveries. I handed her an envelope filled with the money for our rent.
She took it, examined the contents, and looked at me with a questioning glance. “Is this from Namjoon?”
I nodded. “It’s alright, Eomma. We need it.”
“But it’s too much. Namjoon has already helped us so much.” Eomma was, as always, incredibly humble.
“It’s nothing, Eomma. Actually, if I asked him to buy this house outright, I think he’d do it without hesitation.” I teased.
“Aish, Seokjin!”
I laughed at her reaction. “I’m just kidding. I wouldn’t ask him to do that. But now, you need to give this to Mr. Lee so he doesn’t come here and ruin our day. Is that okay, Mother?”
“Don’t call Mr. Lee ‘that grumpy old man.’ He’s just doing business.” My Eomma. Why was she so relentlessly kind?
“Don’t worry about him anymore. I’m going to try applying for a better job. Namjoon said KTH has openings. I’ll submit my resume today.” I assured her.
“KTH? Really, Jinnie? Wow! I’m excited for you.” Eomma’s face lit up.
“Eomma, please don’t get too excited yet. I haven’t even submitted anything. But I will email it today.” I didn’t want to burst her bubble prematurely.
“Of course they’ll accept you. How could they not?” She sounded utterly confident, more so than I felt.
“I’m not a graduate, so I guess I have a lesser chance.” I admitted, my self-esteem predictably low.
“Aish, Seokjin! You’re brilliant. I’m sure they’ll take you. Stop being so humble. You’re only a year away from graduating, and you’re almost there!” Eomma hugged me tightly.
Still, I just nodded and smiled. Why was she like this? But I was so grateful. Her words always lifted my spirits, as they always did.
After delivering the rice cakes, cooking lunch, and packing it up, I went to my room and turned on my laptop. I’d submit my resume and supporting documents to KTH’s recruitment team. After sending everything, I was ready for my second job at the garment shop.
“Eomma, I’ll be home late. Please don’t wait up for me, okay?” I kissed her forehead.
“And where are you going?”
“Hoseok invited me for drinks. It’s a fancy place. He’s treating me. You know, Friday is funday.” I grinned.
“Don’t drink too much, okay? Last time you did, you fell asleep in the bathroom.” Eomma laughed at the memory.
It had happened once, alright. I couldn’t fathom why Eomma brought it up every time I asked for permission to go out. But yes, I sometimes drank too much. It just felt liberating to be carefree.
I was excited for tonight’s fun. It had been months since I’d gone out for a drink. I’d been a good boy, so I figured a couple of bottles wouldn’t hurt.
Hoseok was always generous. Maybe because he didn’t have many friends.
“This place is amazing! I heard only the elite go there to party. It’s our chance to feel elite.” Hoseok was as excited as I was. We were already in his car on the way to the bar.
“Are you sure? Maybe the drinks there are expensive.” I started to worry. I could drink cheap alcohol at the convenience store. I wasn’t particularly picky.
“Oh, come on! I wouldn’t invite you if I wasn’t prepared.” He insisted, so I figured I’d take the offer.
When we arrived, a few cars were parked outside, but they were all high-end models. I hated to admit it, but Hoseok’s car looked like a wreck compared to a McLaren and a Maserati. But since we were both excited for our Friday funday, who cared?
We entered the venue. It wasn’t huge, but it was cozy and laidback. There weren’t many people inside, not enough to feel crowded.
A waiter handed us a menu. Since I didn’t recognize any of the drinks, I let Hoseok order. He said he’d chosen something… I couldn’t recall the name.
The drink arrived in a classy pitcher, accompanied by lemon slices and a small cup of salt. Appetizers were served as well. Then we were given shot glasses.
“This is strong. Don’t overdo it, Seokjin.” Hoseok warned, smiling.
As we started to drink, music filled the air. The party was scheduled to start at 11pm, and everyone looked cool and collected. Hoseok and I exchanged stories over our drinks. I’d already told him about my desire to apply to KTH. He was happy for me.
When I glanced at the pitcher, I was shocked to see we were halfway through. That explained the haze I was feeling. I was rambling nonsense to Hoseok, jumping from topic to topic. I saw Hoseok laughing at my state. I was a little drunk now.
I spotted a table near the bar with a “Reserved” sign. When I’m drunk, I get adventurous, reckless. You know that feeling—being aware of your actions but unable to control them? That’s where I was now.
I stood up, intending to move towards that table. Hoseok tried to pull me back down, but I just brushed his hand aside. I wanted to go to that table, to remove that sign. My mind screamed no, but my reflexes were hyperactive.
I walked towards the table, ignoring Hoseok’s calls. I sat down, grabbed the “Reserved” sign, and handed it to the waiter nearby.
“But sir, that table is reserved.” The waiter protested.
“Reserved? There’s nothing that says it’s reserved.” I reasoned, sounding increasingly unreasonable.
“But sir, you removed the sign. Please, Mr. Kim will be furious if I let someone sit there.” The waiter sounded desperate.
“Don’t worry about it. He’s just drunk.” Hoseok said, pulling me by the arm. “Seokjin, come on! This is embarrassing.”
“What’s embarrassing? Come on, Hobi, it’s Friday funday, let’s have some fun!” I exclaimed.
“Is this my seat?” A deep voice suddenly boomed. The waiter’s eyes widened as he saw the man whose table I’d stolen.
“Your seat? You said your seat? Where is your name? It’s not written on the chair.” I knew I sounded drunk. Hoseok kept pulling me by the arm, apologizing profusely.
“Can you please ask this drunk to leave my table?” The man in a suit demanded, turning to the waiter, who looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack.
“Hey! Are you the owner? And even if you are the owner, I don’t care. We pay for our drinks here and…and…” I vomited right across his expensive gray suit.
“Holy cow! I’m really sorry, sir.” Hoseok said frantically. “Seokjin, come on!”
“Bring your friend out of my bar before I call security and drag both of you out.” The man ordered.
That was the last thing I remembered.