Yes, It’s Me. The Obsessive Side Top

#017

I wasn’t the only one surprised by his intervention. Beom-jun also had his eyes wide open, seemingly shocked by Sun Woo’s behavior. Kim Shin was surprised at first but quickly looked at Sun Woo with a smiling face. When everyone at the table turned their attention to Sun Woo, he frowned and withdrew his hand.

“You said you weren’t drinking because of the wound on your face.”

Although he spoke casually as if it meant nothing, wasn’t the fact that he stopped me proof that he was concerned about me? Could this be a green light in our relationship? Hope began to bloom in my heart. I straightened up when Kim Shin, who had already refilled his glass, clinked it against my glass on the table.

“It’s soju. Good for disinfecting, right?”

Kim Shin gestured toward the soju bottle beside me and smiled. Understanding his smile, I picked up my glass and slowly drank. Sun Woo didn’t stop me this time. He just watched with a cold gaze. His eyes were so cold that it seemed more like a red light than a green light for improving our relationship. Maybe he was worried I might do something strange again while drinking. That explanation made sense.

‘Damn. Should have known better than to get my hopes up.’

“How is it, Ha Jin? Is the drink good?”

Kim Shin kept smiling. I just nodded, and he refilled my glass with soju. The bottle he was holding had been next to me the whole time.

“Oh, Ha Jin, you must be good with alcohol. You’re drinking really well.”

“Ha Jin can handle his drinks.”

Kim Shin agreed with Beom-jun.

“Are you drinking straight soju? Aren’t you eating anything? Your stomach will hurt.”

“Our Ha Jin likes fruit as a side dish.”

Kim Shin answered for me and pushed an apple toward me, firmly pierced with a fork. Though I felt slightly embarrassed by Kim Shin treating me like a child, I was receiving his help, so I took the fork he offered without saying anything.

“Wow, I thought Ha Jin only drank western liquor.”

Beom-jun kept his mouth open, apparently amazed at me drinking soju. Kim Shin lightly tapped Beom-jun’s chin with his hand, and only then did he close his mouth. Kim Shin winked at the soju bottle next to me. Then another loud voice was heard from somewhere.

“Kim Shin, come here right now!”

“Oh no, Ha Jin. I’m being summoned by the class rep again.”

“Kim Shin, why are you doing the same thing as Min-ha over there when you’re banned from that table? Want to get scolded? Did you get dust in your eyes too, huh?”

“Ha Jin, I’ll come back when the class rep’s guard is down. Don’t drink too much.”

After Kim Shin left, others came to fill the table. Conversations about midterms and ordinary college life flowed naturally. When someone offered a drink, I emptied my glass along with everyone else’s cheers. Each time, I could feel Sun Woo’s cold gaze on me, but I deliberately ignored it and filled my glass with the soju bottle next to me.

“Hey? You shouldn’t pour your own drinks.”

“I don’t like others filling my glass.”

“What’s this? Kim Shin can do it but we can’t?”

Beom-jun made a deflating sound with his mouth pouting. Since it obviously wasn’t allowed, I just smiled. After all, this soju bottle beside me was filled with water. It was a bottle Kim Shin had prepared to help me fit in since I couldn’t drink alcohol. That’s why I could drink without worrying about getting drunk, and why Kim Shin had winked and smiled.

The drinking party continued naturally. After drinking all the water Kim Shin had prepared in my soju glass, Beom-jun noticed the empty bottle and poured me real soju.

“Wow, finally got to pour Ha Jin a drink!”

I smiled at Beom-jun’s proud comment while thinking of a way to escape. Knowing Ha Jin’s drinking habits, I had no intention of drinking real alcohol. Finally, I got up while fiddling with my phone that wasn’t even ringing.

“Where are you going?”

“Phone call.”

I answered naturally and went outside the bar. The university district was bustling with many students. Young people filled the streets, enjoying their post-midterm happiness.

As I was taking in the atmosphere of ordinary college students, scenes from the webtoon came to mind. His messy drinking in dark bars. Suddenly, it felt surreal that Ha Jin was in an ordinary university district bar. Ha Jin as a normal college student? I laughed absently.

While leaning against a wall in the alley, someone approached. Since people usually came here to smoke, I tried to move away. I didn’t like secondhand smoke. However, when I turned to leave, I froze at the sight of who had entered the alley.

Tall with a sturdy build. The protagonist whose eyes now held only fierce intensity.

It was Sun Woo.

“Oh, hi?”

In my confusion, all that came out was a greeting. My empty head was saying hello despite being ignored earlier when I tried to talk to him. Since Sun Woo didn’t smoke, I quickly tried to think of why he might have come to the alley, but I couldn’t figure it out. It certainly couldn’t be that he followed me out.

I was about to move aside to avoid irritating Sun Woo. If only he hadn’t blocked my way. He suddenly stood in front of me. It was such an intentional gesture that I was taken aback. What could he want with me?

“Are you okay?”

Sun Woo asked me the question but then made an unpleasant face as if I had been the one to approach him. Even though I was trying to avoid him as he’d wanted, he was the one blocking and talking to me. I couldn’t understand why he was acting this way toward me.

‘If you dislike it that much, why even talk to me?’

Since Sun Woo was still blocking my way, I decided to answer even though he probably hated interacting with me.

“I’m fine.”

Even after my response, Sun Woo didn’t move aside. Instead, his demeanor became even more intimidating. He bit his lip before finally letting out a sigh. When he looked at me again, his fierce gaze had softened slightly.

“Look at you. You can’t handle alcohol well.”

His voice had a hint of gentleness. Sun Woo reached out and held my chin, turning it slightly left and right to examine me.

“Sun Woo, I’m really… completely fine…”

Embarrassed by his close inspection, I stepped back to escape his hand. Though Sun Woo withdrew his hand, his gaze remained fixed on me.

“You were drinking soju continuously?”

“It’s not like that.”

I see. Sun Woo thought I was drinking real soju. Well, having seen my drunken behavior before, he must have been concerned. Our kind protagonist was worried that this bastard Ha Jin might do something strange while drunk again.

Since I was guilty of past behavior, I felt small under his gaze and decided to try to slip past him. As I brushed past Sun Woo, he quietly watched me go. Like proving sobriety to a police officer, I walked as straight and properly as I could. I thought I walked perfectly straight in a line. Just when I thought I’d made it through safely, a chilling voice called out from behind me, stopping me in my tracks.

“Ha Jin.”

Unfortunately, even my proper walking wasn’t enough to pass. When I turned toward Sun Woo, he strode toward me with his long legs. His face up close was unfamiliar. Instead of his usual neat and melancholy appearance from the webtoon, he wore the expression of a dangerous predator.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

Before I could say anything, Sun Woo grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the alley. His hand was hotter than I expected, and I was surprised by the strength of his grip on my wrist. If we were to fight, I’d raise my hand in defeat. No, this isn’t the time to be gauging fighting odds. At this rate, I might end up being dragged home by Sun Woo.

“Sun Woo, I’m not drunk. I’m really fine?”

“When you’re drunk, you’re good at pretending you’re not.”

Ah, well, that was true.

“I’m really not drunk.”

Sun Woo wouldn’t listen to my words. With no choice, I stopped walking and pulled him back. Since I had a similar sturdy build to his, Sun Woo stopped. His face turned toward me was distorted with complex, unidentifiable emotions.

‘Why is Sun Woo acting like this?’

“Let’s go back inside. They’ll worry if we’re missing.”

I pulled my wrist free from Sun Woo’s loosened grip. Then I left him there and went back into the bar. Glancing back, I saw him still standing there, staring at his own hand.

‘Is he going to sanitize his hand because it touched me?’

Sun Woo remained standing there until I was completely inside the bar.

“Where did you go?”

Mi-eun must have been less vigilant because Kim Shin was sitting quietly at the table, greeting me.

“Oh, phone call.”

“Hmm, Ha Jin got a phone call?”

Kim Shin looked at the empty seat beside me and smiled knowingly.

“The mood’s winding down, let’s leave, Ha Jin. I’ll take you home.”

Everyone’s offering to take me home today.

“How can someone who’s been drinking offer to take anyone home?”

“I called our manager. I wasn’t planning to drink and drive.”

“It’s fine. I haven’t been drinking, so I can drive my own car.”

“You brought your car?”

“Yeah.”

“Then can’t you give me a ride?”

“Didn’t you say you called the manager?”

“I can just cancel that. It’s just one phone call.”

“Have you ever seen me let anyone ride in my passenger seat?”

“No. Tsk, that’s harsh. You can’t even do that much for me?”

Kim Shin made a pitiful expression that wouldn’t work at all while spinning his glass around.

“Wow, did Kim Shin put honey on himself?”

Mi-eun, looking disgusted, lightly dragged Kim Shin away. Even as several others filled the table, Sun Woo hadn’t come back.

“What’s this? Did Sun Woo leave?”

Mi-eun had returned to the table and asked while looking at the empty seat beside me. And Beom-jun, who had briefly left his seat, came back and sat down.

“Seems like it? Haven’t seen him for a while.”

“Ah, Sun Woo. He should have said something before leaving. If I see him at school, he’s not getting away with this. Hey, Beom-jun, have you been at this table the whole time?”

“Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? I told you to change tables every 30 minutes.”

“When? I didn’t hear that.”

“What? How could you not hear me with how loud my voice is?”

“I really didn’t!”

“Look at this bad habit of lying with such an innocent face. Huh?”

Mi-eun, who had been fuming, attacked by wrapping her arm around Beom-jun’s neck and squeezing.

“Ugh, kek kek. Hey, isn’t this school violence?”

“Then go report it to the professor.”

While standing between the two bickering, I spoke to Mi-eun.

“I think I’ll head home now.”

“Why! No way. If you leave too, this place will get dirty.”

“Right. Ha Jin, if you leave, who’s going to hold Mi-eun back?”

“My wound is pulling. I think I should rest.”

When I made up an excuse about my wound that didn’t actually hurt, Mi-eun dramatically fussed over me.

“Ah! That won’t do. Let’s get you home quickly, our Ha Jin oppa. We can’t let your face scar!”

Mi-eun urgently pushed my back, leading me toward the entrance. Thanks to that, Beom-jun, now free from Mi-eun, mouthed “thank you” to me. When I tried to leave, Kim Shin immediately grabbed his bag to follow. But Mi-eun caught him.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I need to go home too.”

“Who said you could go?”

“Huh?”

Mi-eun, with strength from who knows where, held onto Kim Shin while heading inside and waved to me.

“Get home safe. Let’s see that pretty face next week, Ha Jin.”

Next to the brightly smiling Mi-eun was Kim Shin, muttering, “But the manager is coming… I really need to go…”

“I’m off then.”

I said goodbye casually and left the bar. The weather was now practically summer.

Though my head should have been clear after solving the problem of the imminent midterms, it was heavy and confusing because of Sun Woo. It was especially frustrating that I couldn’t even drink in Ha Jin’s body. I wanted to get drunk and shake off these feelings lightly.

I really needed to get rid of these emotions somehow…

I walked through the crowds to where my car was parked. After paying the parking fee and getting my car key, I went to the car and opened the driver’s door. Just as I was about to get in, someone slammed the door shut, preventing me from entering. I turned my head to see who it was.

“Sun Woo?”

Sun Woo, who I thought had already gone home, was standing behind me. The gaze of a predator who had caught its prey shifted to me. The hot summer air brushed coolly across my nape and disappeared.