Chapter 39

Chapter 39 – With the Night’s Protection

“Come in . ”

As Jongjin went in, a woman in her 30s greeted them with a smile . The stress was evident beneath the makeup of hers .

Jongjin was shaking as a he went over to the counter and asked .

“You can call her?”

“Yes, of course . ”

“2 people . We’re only gonna be here for 2 hours . Just give us 4 bottles of beer . How much is it . ”

“156 dollars . ”

Jongjin put down his card and paid .

“……”

Jaegun was shocked that he couldn’t say anything . He had no time to stop him . It happened so fast .

“Go in and sing some songs . The second room . ”

“Yes, Jaegun, let’s go,”

Jongjin pulled Jaegun into the room .

Not understanding the situation, Jaegun asked with a pale face before he sat down .

“Hey! Park Jongjin! What are you doing!”

“What am I doing . Let’s have fun . ”

“What are you talking about . How is the fee over 150 dollars? What is this place?”

Jaegun’s two eyes were looking at the room .

It was a room with a huge tv on the wall, with two mikes . It was a plain karaoke bar .

“You idiot, how do you not know this when you’re writing . I called a helper . ”

“Helper?”

Jaegun asked since he didn’t understand .

Jongjin laughed and continued as he took off his coat .

“A karaoke helper . ”

“What?”

Jaegun squinted immediately .

He had never experienced this before . . He knew it through the internet but he only had a little information about it .

“Don’t be nervous . We’re only singing together and having fun . I don’t know what you’re thinking but it’s not a disorderly, chaotic environment so be a.s.sured . ”

“Where did you learn this?”

“I got it from my superior . We came here once . We just cleanly talk and sing and then we just leave . It’s much better than just two men singing here alone . “

“I don’t understand you . ”

Jaegun shook his head .

Jaegun’s actions right now weren’t very good in his mind .

“Did you have this feeling to play because of Hyojin?”

“Ahh, it’s not what you think . And it’s already fate that

I’m not getting with Hyojin . ”

Jaegun thought Jongjin was already drunk as he was laughing like this . He didn’t know that he would get drunk this easily .

Jaegun asked as he sat beside him .

“Were you working overtime a lot?”

“How did you know?”

“I can tell from your face . I feel like you might collapse if I just tap you . Let’s go to my room and sleep . ”

“I’m not tired, idiot, and I already called them . ”

“Then I can go out and cancel it so let’s…”

Creak!

As Jaehn was saying, the owner opened the door and came in .

4 bottles of beer, with snacks, and a plastic cup came on the table quickly .

Jaegun said to the woman .

“Ma’am, I’m sorry but we’re about to go?”

“Going?”

“Ah, Ha Jaegun . What are you doing?”

“You be quiet, I’m sorry . I’ll give you the beer cost . ”

With Jaegun’s words, the owner pointed behind her back sullenly .

“The girls are already here?”

“Yes?”

Jaegun could see them .

Two girls were standing behind the woman’s back

They were both in their early 20s . With a see through short hotpants, with black stockings, with heels, they were very skinny .

“We just go?”

The girl on the left asked . She had a pretty face that looked like a cat . With heavy makeup and hair that was pulled up, the two girls looked the same like siblings .

“No, come in . ”

Jongjin stood up and pulled them together . At the same time, he pulled out 30 dollars and gave it to the woman .

“Bring me some more beer . As much as the money gets . ”

“Yes, I’ll bring it . ”

The woman closed the door and left .

Understanding that it was too late, Jaegun gave up and sat down on the couch as he fell down . The two woman sat beside Jaegun and Jongjin and opened the beer bottle .

“Should I pour it?”

“I’ll just drink it . ”

Jaegun took the bottle and drank a sip . It was a uncomfortable and weird feeling . His heartbeat was faster than usual .

“What’s your names?”

Jongjin asked .

The two people looked at each other and answered .

“It’s Dasul . ”

“Sulgi . ”

They were names that was felt spontaneous .

But anyway, it was all fine . The girl that called herself Dasul was beside Jaegun . She lifted the remote?

“Can I sing a song . ”

The girl picked a song and stood up . As if he waited, Jongjin shook the tambourine and shouted . Jaegun looked at the screen and simpered .

‘There was nothing that isn’t too much . ’

It was the thought that came as time went by .

As Jongjin said, it wasn’t a chaotic atmosphere .

They sang songs alternating and danced when they felt like it . In between, they drank and said small things .

That was it .

They were people that they weren’t going to see each other after this, there was no need for heavy talks .

‘How many drinks do these girls drink each day . Can their bodies stand this?’

Jaegun clucked his tongue as he looked at the empty bottle below the table . After our time is up, they’re going to sing with others and drink more . It felt like even if he was paid, he couldn’t drink this much .

“Yah, Ha Jaegun . Go sing a song . ”

Jongjin shouted as he was singing and having fun til he was sweating .

Jaegun shook his head and refused .

He wasn’t the type of person to have fun in front of strangers .

‘Yes, Park Jongjin, thank you, for letting me have this experience . ”

Anyway, it was a positive thing as a writer to have a lot of experiences . Maybe the day will come when I write about these 2 days . Jaegun thought this as he clapped to Jongjin’s singing .

At that moment .

“Are you mad?”

The girl next to Jaegun asked .

As Jaegun wrinkled his forehead because he didn’t hear,

the girl said louder to his ear .

“Are you angry! Why do you have no words!”

“That’s not it . I just can’t sing . ”

“Not singing! You’re not talking! Do you not like me?”

“No, if I tell you truthfully, I never had an experience like this so it’s awkward . ”

“Phew, so boring . What’s your job? I feel like it’s nothing with strength?”

Jaegun thought for a second .

He didn’t want to tell her that he was a writer . So the thought that came up was the job was his debut work .

“I go around markets and I sell electric pads . ”

“Electric pad? If you’re talking about market, you go around the entire country? With a truck?”

“I have a lamborghini . ”

“What, a lamborghini? Makes no sense . ”

Even though she said that, she was smiling as if it was funny .

Jaegun smiled with as an answer . They knew that nothing was truthful in this place . This place was somewhere that even lying didn’t feel bad .

“Just work hard . There is an easy job to get money . Just working everyday to eat and live is something to be grateful for . ”

The woman said after the song was over and it was less loud .

Jaegun was thinking .

It was something that didn’t fit with a girl who looked to be in her early 20s .

‘Yes, everything is hard . ”

He could see through the heavy make up . A look of sadness in her eyes . The chin that was shaking because of her sighs . It was a feeling that the girl’s hard life was pa.s.sing through him .

“Want to drink?”

“Yes, gimme it . ”

Jaegun’s mind was solemn all of a sudden .

Thinking that it was a reader’s over thinking, he berated himself and drank the cup .

Time went by very fast .

The 2 hours pa.s.sed by and the alarm that sent the message of goodbye was ringing .

“I had fun . ”

Jaegun stood up quickly and pulled up Jongjin who was moving limply . Jongjin drank a lot and he was out of control for the 2 hours, so he was completely tired .

“Good bye . ”

“It was nice to meet you . ”

The two women waved their hands and said their superficial goodbyes . As the women stayed as if to calculate something, Jaegun and Jongjin left .

As they left, the cool air was pushing on to the,

Jongjin stretched and he yawned . Jaegun asked as he was stretching .

“Is your mind a bit better?”

“Ah, hm… . ”

Jongjin scratched his nose, looked around, and shook his head .

“Seriously, it was a waste of money when I woke up . ”

“Why did you get drunk so early?”

“I must have been tired . I had a lot of fun but it’s too

expensive . Next time if we’re going, you stop me . ”

“You insane person . Let’s go get some seolleongtang . ”

“Good . Can I stay at your house for today?”

“Yeah, I can get some blankets . ”

The two people ate a hot dish of seolleongtang and came back to his house with a taxi .

As he opened the door, Rika jumped out from the cat tower and greeted him .

“Rika, It’s Jongjin . Come to me . ”

Jongjin said as he opened his arms .

Rika glared at him with a sharp glance and went to the cat tower to avoid him .

“What? Are you discriminating? Right now?”

“She sort of is a bit shy . Go ahead and clean up . ”

Jaegun took out the clothes to change in to .

As he took them, Jongjin looked around the one room and said .

“You get a lot of money . Can’t you move to a larger

place/”

“Why, this is the best place to write . ”

“You have a cat so isn’t this a bit stuffy? And even so,

the location is a bit too weird . Move to a place where the subway is 5 minutes away . ”

“I like this place . It’s quiet . ”

The place where Se Gunwoo was resting

He might think about moving to a larger house nearby, but he wasn’t going to leave this place .

Jongjin, as if he didn’t understand, shook his head and went into the bathroom and locked the door .

Using this time, Jaegun took about a 100 dollar bill and put it secretly into Jongjin’s wallet . It was half of the cost of the karaoke bar .

‘I want to give everything but, if I did, he’s going to get made later . So, how about we write today’s diary . ”

Jaeun sat on the chair and turned on the laptop .

He was rewriting the diary that he hadn’t written for a while . Maybe writing a diary would help him find a good plot and a story .

‘I wrote Pegelon’s Swordsman … I went on a drive with Rika… I went to the grave of Se Gunwoo… I met with Jongjin and went to a karaoke bar… . ’

There were so many things to write about .

It doubled up to twice the size with Jongjin entering the day instead it only being with Rika and him . Jaegun,

feeling the heat of Rika on his knees, wrote the diary .

‘What did that girl say . ’

After he finished writing

He thought of the words that the girl had said .

Looking through his memory, Jaegun quickly remembered and typed on the keyboard .

-Just work hard . Where is there an easy job to get money . Just working everyday to eat and live is something to be grateful for .

‘This has a good feeling to it . ’

A sentence that’s plain but has human feeling and emotion to it .

Jaegun repeated the words in his head .

He didn’t even know that Jongjin finished washing and was standing there right behind