I am back – Chapter 115

Siyun came home as he said he would, but once I arrived, I felt there were quite a few awkward things.

I wondered if it was right to say this, but still… the friends of Siyun staying at his house didn’t look like anyone you’d see casually on the street.

Moreover, they spoke Korean fluently. Considering they said they came from the countryside, could they really be Korean…? Their names seemed too peculiar to think they were just ordinary Koreans.

Thinking back, Siyun was an adult. My memory of him was stuck at graduation, so even seeing the twenty-four-year-old Siyun made me think he looked ‘young.’ In fact, compared to his peers, Siyun did look a bit younger.

Because of this, I was a little surprised when I saw his friends who were living at his house.

The first person I met, a kid with pink hair, looked younger than Siyun. Well, even so, they were an adult, but at first, I thought Siyun was literally living together for a short while with his friends. I often heard university students say they were living together for rent.

Furthermore, this was not just a studio apartment. Since everyone could have their own room, even if several people lived there, it wouldn’t be a big deal. I didn’t think there would just be one bathroom.

However, my thoughts changed a bit when I saw the three people who came out behind him.

The one who introduced herself as Kalia seemed to give an impression that she was a year or two older than Siyun. Compared to the first person I met, Pia, she acted more calmly and maturely, and her voice reflected a consistent emotion.

Arna was the same. Though her appearance was similar to Kalia’s, her voice had a depth that made it seem even calmer in comparison.

Still, the person in the middle, Dana, looked about the same age as Siyun. Perhaps she seemed the most nervous among the four I met today. Seeing her follow Siyun into the kitchen, she might really be a shy person.

None of the four had appearances you’d commonly see. Even excluding the impression of them looking like “foreigners,” just looking at each individual’s beauty made me feel a little intimidated.

“…….”

“…….”

Listening to the clattering sounds coming from the kitchen, I sat down for a moment in the living room.

No one was sitting directly on the sofa. Was it because I instinctively sat right in front of the living room table? Kalia, Dana, and Arna all sat on the floor rather than on the sofa. They were sitting on cushions, but did they look a little uncomfortable? Should I tell them it was okay to sit on the sofa?

… No. That might be a prejudice. If they spoke Korean so well, they might actually be Korean, not a foreigner. Treating such people like foreigners would be rude.

“So, you are Lee A-yoon, right?”

Kalia gently asked. But somehow, her tone felt strangely stiff, like it carried a hint of formality. It reminded me of people who use a very professional tone. For example… soldiers. Of course, since I didn’t really know any soldiers, this was just a stereotype I conjured in my mind.

Plus, they said they were friends who came up to find a job. It would be more unusual to think of them working in such a profession.

“Ah, yes. I am Lee A-yoon, working at the same place as Siyun. I look forward to working with you.”

After introducing myself in response to greetings, I suddenly recalled that I hadn’t introduced myself separately when I came in. I felt a bit embarrassed.

“To introduce myself again, I am Kalia. I’m staying with Siyun.”

“Ah, yes…”

It felt like she mentioned that it wasn’t rent but more like staying, as she might be helping him find a much cheaper place than surrounding house prices since she said they were friends.

“…….”

“…….”

Silence returned once more.

Even Pia, who had dashed out like a puppy earlier, now wore an expression as if she didn’t know what to say. It was only natural; the person who could build a bridge between us was currently in the kitchen.

I wished she would hurry up and come, but… I understood. We hadn’t brought that little amount anyway. Besides, Siyun was the owner of this house, and I was the guest, so if I took the initiative to prepare, it would make Siyun extraordinarily awkward.

I let out a tiny sigh, very softly.

Alright, while it’s awkward, as a guest, I can’t make the people who live here uncomfortable.

Moreover, they were people who had known Siyun long before I did, so I should try my best to get along. They were people I might meet many more times in the future.

“You said they are friends of Siyun, right?”

I asked that, relaxing my shoulders, and it seemed as if Pia was waiting for exactly that to nod her head.

“Yes, that’s right! They are super close friends.”

At those words, Kalia and Arna nodded as well.

So, it seemed like they really were close friends. Dana, who was in the kitchen, was probably the same.

Hearing this directly after only hearing about them from Siyun gave me a slight pinch in my heart. I thought that each of these people in front of me had spent more time with Siyun and had a stronger bond than I did as I casually interacted with a coworker of the same gender.

“Is that so…”

“Um? Oh, that!”

Automatically responding in a slightly deflated voice, Pia waved her hands in panic and spoke.

“Being close friends just means they are close friends! It’s definitely not meant to imply anything more than that…”

As Pia spoke, Kalia and Arna’s gazes turned towards her, and she soon turned beet red. Was it embarrassment from what she said?

“Did Siyun perhaps talk about me?”

“Uh, um, well…”

Pia seemed like someone who wasn’t good at lying.

Seeing Pia like that, Kalia let out a light sigh and said.

“After work, we gather here and talk about all sorts of things. We hear about coworkers we work with in the same place too.”

Well…

That’s true, I had often talked about various things with Yoori. Though Siyun might not have shown it, he might have had many stories related to me, just as friends tend to share their worries.

“May I ask what kind of things were shared?”

I did my best to manage my expression, trying to make it sound as casual as possible. I’m not sure how well I did.

“Um.”

Kalia pondered.

“I don’t think Siyun would get angry if we shared what we talked about… but before that…”

After a brief consideration, Kalia spoke.

“We speak informally with Siyun. May I ask how you usually get along with him?”

Seeing Kalia ask in such a polite tone, I breathed a sigh of relief internally.

So, it seemed they hadn’t told everything verbatim.

“Siyun uses honorifics with me, but I speak informally with him.”

“I see.”

Kalia briefly showed a thoughtful expression and then, slowly, spoke.

“Well then, I think it’s fine if you speak informally to us as well, like you do with Siyun.”

“Excuse me?”

“It would be uncomfortable for us to keep speaking with honorifics anyway. It’s fine for you to treat us equally.”

“But…”

She might be younger than me, but at least she seemed clearly older than Siyun. Even if Siyun was informal with her, I couldn’t just easily do the same…

Ah.

“Then how about this?”

I decided to make a suggestion.

“If I speak informally, then you all should too.”

“Excuse me?”

Pia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“It would be more uncomfortable if I am the only one speaking informally. Rather, it would be much more comfortable if we all spoke informally together.”

“But Siyun…”

That’s right. Siyun had still been using honorifics with me. Even though we’ve met for nearly three months now.

I hadn’t had any complaints. At least up to now.

However, now that I was seeing Siyun speaking informally with his ‘friends,’ jealousy ignited deep within me.

Speaking informally meant that the other person was close, after all.

“Then, I’ll do the same with Siyun to make things clear.”

I wanted to become closer.

And the closer I got, the more I wanted to know.

Yes, everyone in front of me knew Siyun better than I did. Who knows, if I could get close to these people, maybe I’d get to know much more about Siyun.

Since Siyun was someone who rarely talked about the past, I wanted to dig in deeper.

Yes.

I want to know more about Siyun.

That was my true intention.