“Are you taking a cab?”
“Yes.”
“Then—”
“I’ve called it.”
“When?”
“Earlier through the app. Oppa, you should utilize the new culture. Well, this isn’t a new culture, tho.”
Lee Jooyeon waved her phone in her hand, which had a notification that a taxi would be arriving in a few minutes. I knew this one. I just didn’t install it since I rarely took a taxi.
“Should I call one for you, too?”
“No. I’ll hail one after you go.”
“Really? Thank you.”
The taxi would be here in 5 minutes anyway, so I didn’t mind the wait. The air was quite cool as fall arrived. While I was looking around leisurely, Lee Jooyeon took out a little bottle from her bag.
“I made this new thing. Do you want to smell it?”
“Perfume?”
“Yes.”
Lee Jooyeon said her hobby was making perfumes. For now, she was only using it for herself and sharing it with others, but she said she would sell it later as a side job. As Kang Wonwoo said, she was too active.
“Here.”
Lee Jooyeon took my wrist and sprayed the perfume. I immediately put my wrist right under my nose and pulled away for a moment as the smell pierced my nostrils. Soon, a faint scent wafted around me.
“What is this? It… it smells kinda delicious.”
“Can’t you please say it’s a sweet scent? It’s got blackberries in it. It’s good, isn’t it?!”
Suddenly, she got excited and started talking about what was in the perfume. I understood only half of it, but in any case, it didn’t smell bad, so I figured she must do a good job. I nodded and listened, and then a taxi pulled up in front of us.
“Oh, here it is! I’m going, see you next week.”
“Yeah.”
After Lee Jooyeon left, I hailed a taxi right away. I looked at the time and it was past 10 o’clock. Is Yeon Woojeong going to be late? If he eats this right away, it won’t get cold.
I looked down at the bag giving off heat and then back out the car window. I wanted to quickly get home, shower under warm water, and get into a fluffy bed. I was definitely tired, but I didn’t feel like quitting. In the past, I used to be ashamed of myself and I had barely anything left for myself even though I ran so hard. Compared to that, the hardships I was facing now were rather pleasant.
Home was soon in sight. I got out of the taxi, stretching my stiff neck. As I made my way into the house, somehow, I felt energized in my steps.
I had just taken off my shoes and was about to enter. A pair of shoes was on the entryway and the light shone across the hallway. It was Yeon Woojeong. I hurriedly walked inside. He was sitting on the sofa, casually dressed, looking at some papers. His head turned toward me.
“You’re here?”
“When did you get home? You said you’d be late today.”
“It was canceled, so I went home early.”
“Really? You should have called me, I would’ve come early, too.”
Yeon Woojeong smiled and tapped next to him. I put the bag I held on the coffee table and then sat.
“But you also had an appointment, right?”
“It was sudden.”
“You should go and play when it’s time to play. What is this?”
His gaze went to the bag I brought home. I took the bag and went to the kitchen. After taking out a plate and moving the contents inside, I called Yeon Woojeong. Luckily, the skewers didn’t cool down, so he could eat it while it was still warm.
“The food I ate today.”
“Was it a drinking party?”
“It was just a light drink. You already had dinner, right?”
“Mhm, a simple one.”
“Great. Do you want some beer?”
“Just one.”
I put down my spoon, took out a can of beer from the refrigerator, and poured it into a glass. Yeon Woojeong took a seat, picked up his chopsticks, and put the meat he’d removed from the skewer into his mouth. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly as he chewed on what was in his mouth.
“It’s good, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. It’s perfect as a snack for drinks.”
He sipped the beer with a smile. If he ate this a lot, I would remember it and buy this from time to time. He ate so little, so it was fun to check on things like this.
“Who was that appointment with?”
“My superior. It was canceled, and I didn’t feel like going back to work, so I just went home. On the way, I got your message.”
What a shame. If I had known a little bit earlier, I would have come home sooner and spent time with Yeon Woojeong. However, I got to know a good skewer restaurant, so that wasn’t too bad.
“I think I can go home earlier tomorrow. I’ll pick you up. You should get off work on the dot, too.”
“Okay.”
“Who did you meet today?”
“Kang Wonwoo and Lee Jooyeon. Oh, Mr. Yeon, do you know what fossils are?”
“Fossils? I believe you aren’t asking for a dictionary definition.”
“Lee Jooyeon told Kang Wonwoo he was like a fossil. He said something, and she said he smelled like a fossil and then she said I was also like a fossil.”
“Hmm.”
Yeon Woojeong picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks, rolling his eyes, and then parted his lips.
“I guess it must mean old. It means you’re giving off an aged air.”
With his answer, I thought back to the situation where the word fossils came up. Yeon Woojeong’s interpretation seemed to be right.
“I think that’s it. How did you know?”
“Well, all those words are just the same. But did people already say that about you?”
“I don’t know. Oh, it fell here.”
I picked up the thing that fell on Yeon Woojeong’s clothes and wiped my fingers with a tissue. Suddenly, he caught my wrist and brought it under his nose. I met his glaring eyes while his nose was on my wrist.
“Perfume?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you buy it?”
“No, Lee Jooyeon sprayed it. She said making perfumes is her hobby. I think she’ll sell it later.”
“Aha.”
He rubbed my wrist with his thumb before letting it go. I pushed the plate to him, signaling to eat more, but Yeon Woojeong didn’t eat and stared at me intently with a strange gaze. To be precise, his eyes were eager to tease me.
“What? You want to have fun with your peers now?”
I reflexively opened and closed my mouth. “Having fun” wouldn’t mean in the simplest sense. If it had been that case, he wouldn’t have asked me with those kinds of eyes. I frowned, and he continued.
“I came early, but the home was empty. How upsetting.”
I studied Yeon Woojeong’s face as he said that with a voice that didn’t sound upset at all. It was to confirm whether there was another meaning behind his words, or whether he was upset but pretended not to. But Yeon Woojeong’s face was the same as usual. Would I be able to tell if he hid such expressions? I furrowed my brows.
“Don’t play around with this. What if in the future you’re really upset but I think you’re only playing around?”
He raised both of his eyebrows, seemingly not expecting my words. However, as though he was amused with something, the smile in his eyes thickened. His smile was light, free of teasing intention. I felt my palms itch, so I clenched my fists.
“No, you won’t do that.”
Yeon Woojeong picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and brought it to my mouth. I reflexively ate it, and he gestured with his chin and lightly flicked my wrist.
“Go wash up.”
“Okay.”
The meat in my mouth still felt warm. I rubbed my wrist roughly with my palm and went to the bathroom.