My Bloody Valentine - 41

“Here, let me take it, Han. I’ll carry it.”

“Huh? No, it’s okay…”

Woo-sin swiftly took a tray from Han, who was struggling with a sweet smile, holding it with his weak arms that lacked any noticeable muscles. Did Han look like he was struggling? Han extended his arm stubbornly, feeling incompetent even in such a simple task where he needed help.

“Give it here. I’ll do it.”

“It’s the last table anyway.”

“…Then I’ll empty the trash.”

Han followed behind Woo-sin, filling a meager sense of pride by doing a task that most waiters disliked.

Though it was Woo-sin’s first time as a waiter, he quickly adapted. He greeted the customers cheerfully and, thanks to his charm, managed to collect quite a few tips.

Unknown to Han, there were different levels among the waiters. The level was determined by how one carried the tray, also known as a ‘tray style.’

Being able to carry a heavy tray full of cups from the empty tables on his shoulder while also carrying another tray in one hand was the multi-tray style, and being able to stack trays into three tiers and carry them was the triple-tray style. Mastering these two techniques in just three days elevated Woo-sin above the existing waiters. Some called him the ‘waiter genius,’ while others urged him never to quit, saying it was his destiny.

The difference between Han, who struggled even with a medium-sized tray, and Woo-sin, who was adept at these techniques, was like heaven and earth.

After finishing work, Han checked the time, which was nearing 7 o’clock. He hurriedly put on his padding over his uniform, leaving only his vest, and took the elevator to the first floor.

As he pressed the button for the first floor and waited, someone’s hand suddenly slipped into the closing elevator door.

“Sorry… Oh? Han!”

The person who just entered the elevator was Woo-sin. Despite treating Han as if they had known each other for a long time, Han, who was awkward in making friends, couldn’t naturally respond to his friendliness.

He had no social experience in Seoul except for working part-time at a convenience store. Moreover, even during his school days, he was as awkward as a person from a different world compared to the popular friends who brought people around like Woo-sin.

“Uh, um…”

“On your way home? Which neighborhood do you live in, Han?”

“Oh… I have some circumstances… So, I’m staying at a lodging here.”

“I see. Where are you going now?”

“Just… to the convenience store.”

Awkwardly smiling, Han prepared to greet Woo-sin as they got off the elevator.

“Thanks for your help today. Well…”

“Let’s go together.”

“Huh?”

“To the convenience store. I also need to buy something there.”

“Buy something? What?”

“Just… contact lens solution.”

“You wear contact lenses?”

“Huh? Yeah. My eyesight isn’t that good.”

As they entered the convenience store through the door inside the building, Han picked his favorite chocolate ice cream.

Woo-sin, who picked up a small bottle of contact lens solution at the hygiene products counter near the entrance, approached Han and looked down at the refrigerator.

“Is that delicious?”

“Well… to my taste.”

Woo-sin grabbed an ice cream similar to what Han had chosen. After they each paid, they stepped outside and found Yujung and Jae-gu sitting under a parasol.

Just the day before, neither Jae-gu nor Yujung had made it, and the three of them hadn’t been together for three days due to Han finishing late yesterday.

Han, who followed behind Woo-sin, felt a bit flustered. Seeing Yujung and Jae-gu blinking at him as if asking who was standing behind Woo-sin, Han wondered whether they should introduce each other or if he should just excuse himself and leave Woo-sin.

It was just as Han was about to awkwardly say something, thinking that it might be better to bid farewell here, that Woo-sin naturally spoke up.

“Hey… Woo-sin.”

“Oh, did you have plans? Were you meeting friends here?”

“Yeah… sorry.”

He was thankful that Woo-sin spoke up for him.

“Can I sit with you guys?”

“Huh?”

Before Han could say anything, Woo-sin approached Yujung and Jae-gu and introduced himself. Woo-sin was truly a person of a completely different nature from him. After smoothly finishing the introductions, Woo-sin naturally took a seat.

“Han, good job. Come sit here.”

Yujung welcomed Han leisurely, while Jae-gu, with his arms crossed, looked at Woo-sin, who had a sharp appearance, with a somewhat guarded look, and then suddenly asked a question.

“You’re a waiter? You?”

Even with a skeptical gaze, Woo-sin didn’t lose his relaxed smile. Taking a bite of his unwrapped ice cream, Woo-sin casually replied to Jae-gu’s inquiry.

“Well, ‘you’ seems a bit too young to say that, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm… A waiter? How about you?”

“Yeah. Well, it turned out like that.”

“How did a solid young man end up like this?”

“I used to work at the racetrack.”

Without needing to hear the rest of the story, Jae-gu shook his head knowingly, clucking his tongue. Scratching the back of his head, Woo-sin continued.

“I used to bet on horses, but they told me not to bet on people, so I started betting on horses. But then I realized people were riding the horses, too.”

“So… how much did you make?”

“Through this and that, about a hundred million won. Luckily, I don’t have any debts. I got kicked out of my parents’ house, and I didn’t even have enough money to pay for the next month’s rent at a goshiwon, so I ended up here.”

“Proud of you, really proud.”

As Jae-gu filled his curiosity by asking various questions to Woo-sin, Han, who had just started working as a waiter, was asked for his impressions.

“So, Han, how’s it going? Must be tough compared to when you were an athlete, right? Any difficult customers?”

“Huh? Difficult customers?”

As Han tilted his head in response to Jae-gu’s question, Yujung quickly hinted to him.

“Customers who can’t behave, right? There are a lot of customers who take it out on waiters. Once, a man gave a waiter a 5,000 won bill and asked him to buy cigarettes, telling him to keep the change. He said he wanted to hit the guy with a bottle.”

“Oh… I haven’t had any yet.”

As they were conversing, Woo-sin leaned forward and asked.

“But what exactly is Han’s identity?”

“Me?”

“I heard you used to be an athlete, and now you’re a waiter… But honestly, you don’t seem like someone who would do this kind of job at all.”

“I just… have debts.”

“Debts?”

“Yeah. To the representative here.”

“Ah. That guy named Jang I-sa, right?”

“….”

The bustling atmosphere suddenly quieted down.

“What’s wrong? Why is the atmosphere like this? Can’t we talk about Jang I-sa?”

Looking around quickly, Woo-sin lowered his voice and continued.

“Is his name off-limits? Is it like a forbidden word or something?”

“…No, it’s not like that.”

Han denied it first, trying hard. Unaware of anything, Woo-sin continued to chatter curiously.

“It’s about that person named Jang I-sa. He’s twenty-seven, right? But isn’t the entire hotel owned by him? Why do they call him a representative instead of calling him the boss?”

Han explained to Woo-sin, who asked the same question I was curious about.

“He holds a position as a director at Cheongsong Construction. An executive director.”

“Oh, I see. But how can someone of that age own a hotel like this? Envious… Even if I won the lottery ten times, I probably couldn’t afford a hotel like this.”

Jae-gu said, sounding pitiful.

“You really don’t understand the world. Even if you win a hundred times, you might hesitate to buy it. They say even if you win the lottery these days, after taxes and all, it’s not much.”

“That’s right. In that case, he’s probably… born with a silver spoon.”

Han’s expression turned bitter at Woo-sin’s words. It reminded him of what the orphanage director had said, dismissing the idea that someone like him, adopted into a wealthy family, could live comfortably. He had argued against it, saying it was nonsense, but it turned out to be true.

Since Yujung and Jae-gu roughly guessed the relationship between Jang Tae-shin and Han, they were very cautious in their attitudes. It was out of consideration for Han. But Woo-sin, who knew nothing, was curious about the truth behind the gossip circulating among his fellow waiters.

“But isn’t there a rumor among the staff that Mr. Jang has a lover? Do you guys know who that is?”

Han’s face turned pale in an instant at Woo-sin’s question. Yujung replied bluntly.

“A lover? That’s all nonsense.”

“Oh, come on. They said his lover ran away and caused a big fuss. They’re still looking for her, and the manager got beaten by Mr. Jang and is still in the hospital.”

Jae-gu quickly intervened, changing the subject.

“Oh? But was that there before? Wasn’t it? Wow! They got a claw machine!”

Jae-gu jumped up and ran to the front of the convenience store. There, there was a claw machine newly installed, filled with dolls inside.

Han also got up as if escaping and looked into the machine next to Jae-gu. Among the various dolls lying inside the glass-encased machine, a white puppy doll with a tail rolled up like a cinnamon roll caught his eye.

“So cute.”

Woo-sin, who had approached from behind unnoticed, leaned on Han’s shoulder with one arm.

“Han, do you want that? Shall I try it for you?”

“No. I’ll do it myself.”

Han took out a 10,000 won bill from his pocket and inserted it into the machine. Perhaps due to the large size of the dolls, the price of ten thousand won for each attempt seemed unreasonably expensive.

Although he knew he shouldn’t waste a single penny, he felt an inexplicable greed today. Despite having nothing but despair, he wanted to try just one cute thing purely out of his own will.

Soon, cheerful music started playing from the machine, and the large claw began to move. As he pressed the button, the claw descended with a clanking sound.

The claw, which descended over the doll’s round head, split into three branches, and pressed down deeply before sliding back up without grabbing anything. With a disappointed expression, Han was comforted by Yujung.

“It’s okay. There are still plenty of chances.”

Han pressed the button again and tried again. The three surrounding him gave him advice without a break.

“Move a bit to the side! That’s right! More! More more more more! There!”

“No, if you aim for the head, it always slips, right? You should go a little further! Try grabbing its tail!”

“If you think about the center of gravity, aiming for the head is better!”

As they became engrossed in the doll machine, the passing Taeshin and Jina didn’t even notice them, busy chatting away.

“Wow! Got it! I got it!”

Seeing them jump around excitedly after successfully getting a doll, Jina, who was passing by, commented with a smile full of laughter.

“Looks like the group has gained a new member?”

At Jina’s words, Taeshin turned around. His gaze lingered on Woo-sin’s hand resting on Han’s shoulder for a while. Then, in a soft voice that no one could hear, he muttered to himself.

“Fluttering around with a sweet scent. Stirring up trouble like flies.”