The Country Life Diary of a Gangster's Secretary - c85

A few days before Dohyun decided to suddenly leave for Seoul, Hyeseong came out to have one last dinner with him.

 

He took him to a beef restaurant in the city. It seemed a bit grand to call it a farewell party, but still, he felt he should at least treat the guy who had stayed at his house for over a month to a proper meal before he left for good.

 

“I really didn’t expect you to come all the way here, CEO.”

 

Dohyun placed the spoon and chopsticks neatly in front of Ihyeok with a shy smile.

 

“Yeah. I didn’t know you’d be here either.”

 

Ihyeok stared intently at Hyeseong, who was busy carefully choosing from the menu, with a sullen face. After much deliberation as  if making an important decision, Hyeseong pressed the call button.

 

“For now, please bring us 3 servings of the top sirloin. Add 2 more servings of the hanging tender. A bottle each of beer and soju please. And  if you could bring out the soybean paste stew first, that would be great.”

 

Having neatly finished ordering, Hyeseong gulped down cold water as if relieved. Seeing that, Ihyeok let out a deep sigh. 

 

Just as he was about to leave work, Hyeseong had suddenly contacted him to have dinner together. It wasn’t just anyone, but Hyeseong asking first to eat together, so Ihyeok had stepped on it like crazy to come here without further questions, but who knew Park Dohyun would be here too.

 

“I thought it would be just the two of us.”

 

While Dohyun was excitedly anticipating the beef, Ihyeok whispered quietly to Hyeseong sitting next to him.

 

“Did I not tell you?”

 

“Yeah. I was looking forward to it.”

 

Feeling the ticklish breath, Hyeseong quickly downed another glass of water.

 

“You’re pretty close with Dohyun too. It’s nice to see him off together.”

 

“Me? Close with who?”

 

Ihyeok shook his head back and forth looking at Dohyun humming like a fool. Although an uninvited guest had joined, it was still nice to sit side by side and eat with Hyeseong. Yeah, he’d have to be satisfied with that for today.

 

Soon, the food they ordered came out and the appetizing beef was placed on the grill. Hyeseong naturally went to pick up the tongs but they were snatched by Ihyeok in an instant.

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

“It’s fine. You kids just eat.”

 

Ihyeok naturally flipped the meat and placed the moderately cooked pieces on the plates in front of Dohyun and Hyeseong respectively. Of course, there was twice as much meat piled on Hyeseong’s plate compared to Dohyun’s, but no one noticed in the boisterous atmosphere. 

 

Thrilled without even realizing less meat was being put in front of him, Dohyun poured soju and beer in turn into the glasses. Finally tapping the bottom of the glass with a spoon, the two liquids mixed perfectly together with the right amount of foam.

 

“Here, Hyeseong! And this is for you, CEO!”

 

The two glasses made like that were placed in front of Hyeseong and Ihyeok respectively. Dohyun, having made his own as well, came to ask the two for a toast. The refreshing sound of glasses clinking together wet the table with splashed foam.

 

The cool somek (soju+beer) went down the throat refreshingly. Last time at the pub, he had chugged it down not knowing if it was going in through the nose or mouth, but now it felt like the stress was melting away for the first time in a while.

 

“So Park Dohyun, where did you get a job?”

 

Ihyeok, who had immediately downed a glass of somek, asked.

 

“Well, I think I’ll probably keep looking into financial companies. There are a few places I have my eye on. The work itself suited me well.”

 

At that, Ihyeok started teasing Dohyun to his heart’s content, saying how could handling money suit someone who looked so sloppy.

 

“CEO, Dohyun is unexpectedly competent despite how he looks. That company he worked at abroad doesn’t usually hire Asians, but Dohyun got in right away.”

 

“Hyeseong, that’s all good, but could you leave out the ‘unexpectedly’ part?”

 

When Dohyun made a sad face, Hyeseong let out a small laugh. Hearing the childlike laughter, the corners of Ihyeok’s mouth also turned up.

 

“Is being good at work all that matters? What else are you good at.”

 

Perhaps getting a taste for teasing Dohyun together with Hyeseong, Ihyeok started provoking him as if to say, let’s hear it.

 

“I’m good at cooking and English too.”

 

Who knows where he got the motivation from, but Dohyun began talking about even trivial things. Saying he got praised a lot as a kid for speaking prettily, that he’s a good listener for his friends’ troubles, he poured out passion as if answering an interview question about his strengths.

 

“Oh! I’m also really good at drinking!”

 

“You? Last time I saw you got drunk quickly.”

 

Didn’t he get drunk and wobbly after a few bottles of soju at the soup restaurant before?

 

“That’s because I was tired from adjusting to the time difference so I got drunk fast. I’m usually a really good drinker. Right, Hyeseong?” 

 

Hyeseong roughly nodded his head while taking a spoonful of the piping hot soybean paste stew.

 

“See? Maybe I’m even better at drinking than you, CEO.”

 

“Oh, is that so?”

 

Ihyeok crossed his arms and dragged out his words. As expected, the two were definitely close. Put them together and they had this much fun. Hyeseong felt reassured and diligently attacked the soybean paste stew. This restaurant was clearly famous for their stew.

 

“Yes! I’m serious!”

 

Dohyun clenched his fists and appealed the unfairness at Ihyeok’s disbelieving attitude. Perhaps recalling all the times he had been ignored and bullied by Ihyeok, or maybe his pride was hurt, but Dohyun seemed to have made a resolution.

 

“T-then why don’t you try me. With alcohol!”

 

At Dohyun’s bold challenge, Ihyeok let out a snort as if it wasn’t even worth entertaining.

 

“But Dohyun really is good at drinking. You just don’t know, CEO.”

 

Hyeseong simply stated it in passing while eating meat, without much thought. However, the problem was that those words lit the fire of Ihyeok’s competitiveness.

 

Ihyeok’s eyebrows wriggled furiously at the words that sounded like they were defending Dohyun in a way. After contemplating something for a moment, he suddenly ordered more alcohol from the waiter.

 

“Then let’s do it.”

 

It was the weekend tomorrow anyway and he had left his car, so there was nothing holding him back.

 

A considerable number of liquor bottles were placed on the table.  

 

“Count me out please.”

 

Seeing that, Hyeseong shook his head as if completely fed up. Why were men so eager to fight over such pointless things, he couldn’t understand despite being a man himself.

 

“Yeah. You don’t drink.”

 

“That’s right, Hyeseong. This is a fight between me and the boss.”

 

Well well, what’s with the gravitas. Hyeseong sighed deeply and finished filling his stomach. In fact, until then, Hyeseong had no idea. What a great disaster would unfold after this.

 

It was true that Dohyun was good at drinking. He was a well-known heavy drinker in the department, a guy who had been in that English conversation club for years where no one could beat him in alcohol.

 

But Ihyeok was the same. He too had alcohol tolerance built up from drinking whiskey together with Sungjin.

 

So no matter how much they fought with alcohol, it was clear they wouldn’t get drunk easily, and Hyeseong thought they would stop after drinking a certain amount. But Hyeseong should have known then. That that was a very naive thought.

 

It was fine until soju and beer bottles were rolling around with no space left to place them. The two were maintaining their sanity to some degree. The great disaster of Dohyun speaking casually to Ihyeok did happen once, but fortunately it didn’t lead to bloodshed as Ihyeok was also quite drunk. 

 

Hyeseong was about to tell them to stop soon, but the two were adamant. Since they still seemed sober, Hyeseong decided to go to the bathroom first.

 

He sighed automatically seeing the two men glaring at each other, only focused on drinking, not even noticing him leave.

 

Perhaps because it was in an alley despite being downtown, the restroom was a bit far away. He had to use the restroom in the next building, and as luck would have it, it was shared with another store so the line was long.

 

“Going to the bathroom took 10 minutes.”

 

Hyeseong, who had finally finished his business and come out, entered the store with a face tired of waiting. He was going to suggest they stop drinking and go back as it was late.

 

“…Huh.”

 

But Hyeseong froze on the spot as soon as he entered the store. For some reason, the two men who had been sitting upright until he left were now collapsed with their heads on the table. 

 

What? Is this a hidden camera? Hyeseong approached the table with a blank face.

 

“CEO, what are you doing?” 

 

He grabbed and shook Ihyeok’s large back but there was no sign of him waking up.

 

“Hey, Dohyun. Get up.”

 

And that wasn’t all. Dohyun was the same. His face was flushed red and he was sleeping with his mouth wide open. As Hyeseong’s sense of reality was slowly returning, what caught his eye were the small glasses placed in front of the two. An unknown dark yellow liquid.

 

He smelled the glass and a strong scent of alcohol suddenly hit him.

 

“What is this.”

 

He was feeling doubtful as he hadn’t ordered anything like this, when the owner came over clapping his hands from afar.

 

“Oh my, these fellas finished it all up already.”

 

The owner clicked his tongue as if it was a shame.

 

“Excuse me, owner? What is this?”

 

“Are you with them?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Well, you see, they kept ordering so much alcohol that I got worried and told them to stop, but then they made a fuss saying they would drink until one of them got drunk.”

 

The owner must have come to clean up the bottles while Hyeseong was out.

 

“So I told them if they wanted to get drunk, the ginseng liquor I made myself would do the trick, and that no customer has stayed standing after drinking that, but then they demanded I bring it out?”

 

“…So you gave them that?”

 

“I clearly only intended to pour them a few shots, but I went to take care of another customer and in that short time they had already emptied a whole bottle. Tsk tsk.”

 

So all of this happened in the 10 minutes he went to the bathroom?

 

That meant, because these people had recklessly chugged the strong ginseng liquor, now the aftermath was all on him.

 

“Sigh.”

 

Hyeseong let out a deep sigh.

 

“Owner…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Could you please call a taxi. And could you help me move these bast-… no, these people?”

 

Of course, the owner also rolled up his sleeves, noticing Hyeseong’s worsening complexion. Hyeseong calmly made a plan to at least get the two home safely. But the boiling anger showed no sign of subsiding. 

 

Just you wait until you two wake up tomorrow.

 

Hyeseong clenched his fists tight.