"Hyung what was that? that was awesome!" Kim Taewon stared at Lee Dojin with newfound admiration; At the same time, he shadowboxed into the air, trying to imitate his moves.
His girlfriend was a lot more sensible, apologizing first for the problem they had created, with her head lowered deep. "I'm sorry, you know, Taewon has this tendency of starting reckless fights. I usually don't stop him, but on rare occasions, it ends up like this. I don't know how he does it either, maybe it's his style" the woman looked at her boyfriend and sighed deeply.
"Honestly I get it." "And don't worry about it. That was a great after-meal workout. So I'm rather thankful."
The mother nodded in full agreement. "If my son says he'll solve it, then he'd solve it. He's no man to go retract his words." She looked like a proud mother. Well. She was a proud mother.
The girl felt her eyes twitch. The infamous hooligans he had just one-sidedly beaten were no more than a simple workout for him? Based on how casual he appeared, that seemed not like a lie, but that made her feel all the more incredulous. And what the hell was wrong with that mother of his? The two-person family before her seemed like an enigma to her. "My name is Yoo Dahee. May I know yours?"
"I'm Lee Dojin," he answered.
"Lee Seunhee," his mother, too, answered.
Kim Taewon nodded at the two, then looked at the many people laying on the ground. "Uhm, Hyung, maybe we should leave before things go out of hand." Though he himself believed that things had long gone out of hand already. "I know a good place, if you want to, may I invite the two of you for some dinner?" His eyes lit up as he asked.
Lee Seunhee replied first. "I'm sorry, thank you for the invitation, but we've—"
"Actually, that sounds like a great idea!" Lee Dojin his mother off. He took Kim Taewons hand and nodded enthusiastically.
His mother was at a loss for words, seeing his gluttonous son act like that. "Didn't you just eat?"
"So?"
"...Nothing."
Kim Taewon grinned and looked at his girlfriend, Yoo Dahee, who in turn nodded. "Great, then why don't we go to Hana Barbeque right around the corner?" Kim Taewon led them out with a broad smile.
Lee Dojin's mother gasped in shock, however. "What the barbeque around the station? The big one right next to TK-mall? Isn't that too expensive?" She eyed the youngster in front of him. Though he appeared flashy, with his dyed hair and piercing, he didn't seem like he possessed a lot of money.
"Noona, please don't worry about that! Your son saved my life, I owe him at least that much." He walked over the unconscious people on the ground while doing so.
Lee Dojin, while listening, did not really know how to butt in. He had never heard of these places, whether they existed in his previous life or not. He had never been rich enough to enjoy such luxuries, and by the time the apocalypse began, he had other things to worry about. Be it as it may, a barbeque sounded great. In the past, he'd always watch from outside, the bright lights, the chattering customers, the rising smoke, and that savory aroma of grilled meat; even just thinking about it made him salivate.
His mother sighed, realizing it wasn't possible to change his son's mind. She followed the three people outside. The sun had slowly begun to set. At times like these, the night really crept in fast. One minute, the light shone upon the people, and the next, it disappeared as if non-existent, leaving everyone only with the pale moon and the stars.
Yoo Dahee walked center, and she asked Lee Dojin what he had done for New Years'.
Well, for one, he had died. But that wasn't something he could say now, was it? No, instead, he replied, "Nothing too notable, really, I was with my family and we all celebrated together. There were some friends with me, but that was it. I'd say, rather peaceful."
The girl thought for a moment. "Hmm, that's rather hard to believe seeing how you handled the bad guys over there."
"Dahee!" Kim Taewon shouted. For a second, his face went pale. It was because of his girlfriend's loose mouth that they'd always end up in trouble. Of course, his Dahee thought otherwise, as she believed it was her boyfriend's provocative looks that got them targeted all the time. Sufficed to say, they had gotten through many ups and downs in their relationship.
Lee Dojin wasn't the person to mind these details. "What have you done?"
"Well, it's rather complicated," Yoo Dahee chuckled wryly. "You see, we spent New Year's Eve with just the two of us, and we walked through the streets and watching all the beautiful fireworks when suddenly some kids threw a firecracker our way. Of course, seeing that we weren't people to take such disrespect, Taewon started to squabble with those kids." She sighed. "Next thing I know, we were chased by an angry mob of parents."
"You two seem to pull aggro quite often."
She shook her head. "No, please don't think that. I swear, it never happened before. I don't know, maybe it's because the stars have changed or something, but even the two of us had never gotten involved in this much drama."
"Who knows." Lee Dojin shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe it's also something else entirely."
"Here we are," Kim Taewon said, and stopped at a huge restaurant. "Hope the walk wasn't too cold. But even if, the food here will warm you right up, I promise! It's to die for."
Lee Dojin whistled in amazement. He now understood why his mother had been hesitant on following Kim Taewon to this place. One look at the scenery—valuable porcelain, golden lacquer, individuals wearing fancy clothes—and one could tell this place was for the rich. In other words, a place Lee Dojin would have never frequented. Meanwhile, Kim Taewon had gotten a table already. He seemed used to doing this stuff.
Taking a seat and then ordering, Kim Taewon started chatting. In his hand, he held a bottle of soju and mixed it with his beer. He had taken a few shots already, and with it, his initial hesitance had all washed away. "Hyung, how come you are so strong, are you some kind of martial artist?" He imitated Lee Dojin's moves and punched in the air.
"No, I don't do anything like that. Well, none that you are used to seeing."
"What, are you some underground fighter? UFC? Or are you part of an illegal ring?" Kim Taewon asked. "Don't tell me you have ties with the mafia?"
"Taewon!" Yoo Dahee stared daggers into her boyfriend. "His mother is right next to us."
That seemed to have sobered him up. He quickly lowered his tone. "Oh, sorry, sorry. I was just joking." He lowered his head. "Noona just looks so young, I can't help thinking we are the same age. I apologize."
Lee Yeunhee chuckled. "No need to. It's a compliment after all."
Everyone continued talking, sometimes about mundane topics, sometimes about more serious ones, but the atmosphere had always been merry. For Lee Dojin, it was the first time after death that he could do something this relaxing, without worrying about where to head next. It felt like a day of rest within a lifelong war. As the food began to be served, and they put the juicy red meat on the platter, a sharp sizzling sound escaped together with a lovely charred smell. Lee Dojin ate as much as he could, from rice and side platters to the expensive beef and green vegetables.
Kim Taewon, who had been placing the meal on the grill, put his beer down. "Seriously, Hyung, thank you for saving us today. I'm not sure how I could have escaped the predicament without you." He bowed his head. "And also, I apologize. If these people went after you, if anything were to happen because of me, I'd not be able to live life with a good conscience."
"It's fine. There is no one stronger than me. Also, please don't call me Hyung. I'll start to feel old." Lee Dojin placed rice into his cabbage and wrapped it up with some pork belly. "In return, continue doing good. Having a conscience, that's already better than many. Better than me. That's enough."
Kim Taewon sighed. "That's no request, is it? Following my morals, that's what every human does is it not?"
"Trust me. It will be a lot harder than you can imagine. No, maybe even impossible." Lee Dojin placed his bowl down. "You'd be surprised how we take 'making our own decisions' for granted."
"Lee Dojin." Kim Taewon narrowed his eyes. "Who really are you?"
"If I told you I knew the future, would you believe me?" He drank his glass of water. Sadly, he was not of age to drink alcohol yet. "If I told you, soon this world is coming to an end, reality and fantasy would have no borders, death was to descend, and there was no one who could stop it, would you believe me?"
Kim Taewon looked at Lee Dojin. He gulped. Then he laughed. "What? Like something out of a cheap web novel you mean? Oh, yes, that would be a catastrophe. People like me who have no talent would perish without anyone remembering. Though I'm sure you'd be fine." He took another shot "Yet, for some reason, that'd also be interesting, I believe. Like a chance to prove myself, since I have no goal in life anyway. So what is there to lose?"
Lee Dojin smiled. He knew that feeling well, actually. "This might be one of the reasons the system chose us as its next target."
"The what?" Kim Taewon tilted his head.
"Nothing," Lee Dojin said. "I'm just blabbering to myself."
Kim Taewon did not mind at all, since by that point he had gotten a small buzz, even his cheeks had started to redden. "Hey, are you free tomorrow? If you want I—"
"Oops. I have to stop you there." Lee Yeunhee, his mother, butted in. She placed her chopsticks down. "Since he as school tomorrow."
"He has what?"
"I have what?"
His mother continued. "And don't even tell me your tummy aches, I've seen how you downed the food. With an iron stomach like yours, I bet you'd be immune to poison."