TATMFL - 5

The location for the reunion was a tavern that Jian had shown interest in recently.

It seemed that the entire place had been rented out for the event, as there were many familiar faces right from the entrance.

Raon passed through, exchanging greetings with familiar faces, and made her way deeper into the venue.

And there, she found it.

“Here, here!”

Next to Jian, who was waving both arms enthusiastically, there was someone waving their hand slightly.

Like a delicate flower blooming softly, he was smiling gently.

Raon, momentarily lost in the sight of him, snapped out of it, biting her tongue, and took the step she hadn’t realized she had stopped.

“Hyesung.”

With her expression barely holding together after seeing his face for the first time in months, Raon smiled faintly.

She stood up from her seat and embraced him as he opened his arms toward her.

“It’s been a long time, Raon.”

His voice right by her ear was ticklish. Raon flinched at the scent of his presence brushing against her nose, but it was only a fleeting reaction.

She patted his back and scolded him.

“Why didn’t you contact me? What is this?”

“Surprised?”

Raon let out a puff of air and pushed Hyesung’s shoulder away.

“Is that what you call it?”

“Well, I guess it worked then.”

Hyesung winked down at Raon’s face.

Raon let out a half-laugh at his playful expression and shook her head.

Just then, Jian’s voice came into her ear.

“I waved my hands enthusiastically, but you just ignored me so naturally.”

Sitting down with Hyesung between them, Raon shrugged her shoulders.

She responded with a nod to the greetings coming from all directions.

“You’re someone I see every day, so what’s the point of pretending to be happy to see you here?”

“Ah, I see. You must not want to upset the person you live with.”

Jian sighed as she filled her glass with alcohol. Then, she quickly drank it down, clearly just looking for an excuse to drink.

Raon shook her head at the familiar routine, then shifted her focus to Hyesung and asked,

“When did you get back?”

Just as she was placing a clean glass and a spoon in front of her, Hyesung answered.

“I got back yesterday. I stopped by home, and when I heard about the reunion today, I came over.”

“Jian seemed to know about it. That you were on leave.”

Raon thought back to Jian, who had warned her earlier in the day that she’d regret not coming to the reunion.

“Ah.”

Hyesung squinted and smiled.

“Sorry, Raon. I didn’t mean to keep it a secret from the start.”

Instead of answering, Raon tilted her chin slightly.

At her gesture, Hyesung rubbed his brow.

“Jian said you’ve been really busy lately, so I planned it as a little surprise event.”

The first emotion that came to Raon’s mind after hearing Hyesung’s words wasn’t gratitude for the surprise event he had prepared for her.

It was the bitter feeling that once again, Jian had been the first to get in touch with him.

Raon covered her mouth with the hand that had been resting on her chin.

If she didn’t do that, she felt like a laugh would escape her right away.

It had been the same on his last vacation, the one before that, and even on his first vacation, which was a little over a year ago. She knew that he had always told Jian about his leave before anyone else, including herself.

But even though she knew that painfully well, it was ridiculous how she always felt hurt, as if it were the first time she’d been rejected.

Raon finally managed to compose herself and removed her hand from her mouth as she nodded.

“I’ve been really busy lately.”

Between the seasonal semester, part-time jobs, and now preparing for her thesis, it felt like she needed two bodies to keep up.

To show that she wasn’t just saying that out of politeness, she rubbed her tired eyelids and sighed heavily.

It was at that moment.

“...?!”

Raon’s eyelids fluttered as a warm sensation gently touched the area around her eyes.

She slowly lifted her half-closed eyes and saw Hyesung, with his brows slightly furrowed, looking at her with concern.

“Still, don’t overdo it, Raon. You look really tired.”

Look at those dark circles under your eyes.

His sigh seemed to linger against her cheek, making it feel almost ticklish.

As if her body had involuntarily reacted to the spot he had touched, she scratched around her eyes and leaned back.

“I’ve actually been thinking of quitting the pub job.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

Hyesung smiled lightly, as if he thought she made a good decision, and pulled his hand away. Raon, unknowingly following his hand with her gaze, didn’t realize she was watching it until it was already out of her reach.

“Actually, Jian’s been really worried about you. She said you’ve been coming home late too often.”

“Worrying about me? That’s nothing new.”

Raon shook her head, recalling how Jian always acted like a mother whenever Raon was just a little late.

Seeing her reaction, Hyesung let out a small laugh and shrugged. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like he had had a couple of drinks before she arrived.

Raon asked,

“Did you drink?”

“Mm, about three drinks?”

Hyesung tapped a small glass with the hand that wasn’t resting on his chin, lowering his eyelids slightly.

“I haven’t had a drink in a while, so I think the alcohol is hitting me faster than usual. Does it show?”

He rubbed his cheek awkwardly and smiled with a squint.

“Well, not really.”

Raon shook her head and brought over a glass of water, placing it in front of him.

In truth, it wasn’t even noticeable unless you looked closely, but Raon had keenly noticed it. Watching his condition was something of an old habit for her.

“You’re not feeling sick, are you?”

Hyesung wasn’t known for his high alcohol tolerance, but three shots of soju shouldn’t have made him tipsy like this. Yet, the redness around his eyes made her worried.

“I’m fine, so don’t worry, Raon.”

Hyesung chuckled, shook his head, and sighed as if he had just remembered something.

“By the way, why did you send so many hand warmers? It’s cheaper to buy them at the base.”

At his question, Raon turned her gaze away and picked up her glass. For a brief moment, a hint of bitterness passed through her eyes—something Hyesung hadn’t noticed.

“Just… I felt like sending something, but I couldn’t think of anything else.”

Raon emptied her glass.

Her gaze, focused on the empty cup, held a trace of a smirk.

She really couldn’t think of anything else to send.

Every word she wrote to him, even the spaces between words and the period at the end, every moment spent finishing the letter, she had never relaxed for even a second.

She worried that a hidden feeling might have slipped into the letter.

That’s why, even after completing it, she couldn’t bring herself to send the letter. She had checked it over and over again for several days.

Sending a letter alone had been a series of hesitations for her, so sending a gift was never going to be easy.

When Jian was preparing all sorts of necessary items, Raon had only sent a hand warmer.

...A gift with feelings would have shown in some way, no matter how it was sent.

Raon thought of the protective gear with the name “Ji Hyesung” engraved on it, which she couldn’t bring herself to send and had hidden deep in her desk, and drained another glass of alcohol.

Immediately, Hyesung’s concerned voice followed.

“Drink slowly, Raon. You said you’re tired...”

Even as his words trailed off, his hand steadily refilled her glass. Raon pressed her lips tightly together.

Then, with a slight lift of her lips, she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

“I’ve only had two drinks, what’s the problem?”

Just as Hyesung opened his mouth to say something...

“Hey, why is it so quiet here?!”

The drunkards from the next table crowded around them, holding bottles of alcohol.

Jian, who had sat next to Hyesung, put her arm around his shoulders and looked at Raon.

Her half-lidded eyes made it clear she had drunk a lot.

“What were you two talking about?”

As soon as Jian put her arm around him, Hyesung tensed for a moment, straightened up, and then casually relaxed again. Raon glanced at him but quickly pretended not to notice, focusing on the snacks in front of her.

“Just... a little of this and that.”

“This and that?”

Jian leaned toward her, eyes wide, and Raon bit her tongue.

Hyesung’s neck, practically nestled in Jian’s embrace, was noticeably red, a clear sign of a love bite.

It wasn’t immediately obvious unless you looked closely, but as always, Raon noticed it all too clearly. Hyesung liked Jian.

Raon quietly swallowed her breath and nonchalantly teased him.

“Shouldn’t you drink more? Why come here just for this?”

“Jintaek brought some good champagne, so I came to share it!”

Jian’s face, flushed from the alcohol, smiled brightly as she pointed toward somewhere.

Raon followed her gaze, and right in front of them, a drunkard was struggling to open a champagne bottle, making strained noises. He was one of their classmates who had supposedly brought good champagne. Raon worried that he might break the bottle at any moment.

“Aha.”

Raon let out a shallow exclamation and rested her chin on her hand.

At that moment.

“Ugh!”

With a flustered voice, the cork popped off with a pffft! sound, and champagne began pouring over her head.

“......”

“Uh, uh, sorry, Raon.”

Even though the voice was hurriedly apologizing, Raon couldn’t respond. Her face was drenched, and the champagne was dripping down, so much so that simply closing her eyes was all she could manage.

“No, it wouldn’t open, so I tried to force it open...”

She shouldn’t have been worried about the drunkard dropping the champagne bottle. The real concern should have been that the cork had popped off and the bottle had been tilted in her direction.

Raon, taking the handkerchief being offered by the culprit who had popped the cork, sighed quietly.

The sharp yet sweet scent of champagne lingered in the air, and it was clear her whole face would soon be sticky.

“Ha...”

Just as she was about to wipe her face with the dry handkerchief, something unexpected happened.

“......?!”

Raon suddenly froze, swallowing hard. Someone gently took hold of her wrist as she was about to rub her face, stopping her. Then, soft warmth touched her cheek, and a voice filled with concern followed.

“Wait, Raon. I’ll wipe it for you.”

It was Hyesung.