"But, won't it be really unpleasant to work with me, in the same company?" Lisa tried to pry her hand away from her sister's firm grip. She was aware that Ji-eon didn't like her, and her sudden kindness raised suspicions. Why was Ji-eon being nice all of a sudden? Her history with Lisa had never been friendly.
"It would be really nice to work with my dearest sister. You're the only sister I have. What makes you think I would find it unpleasant?" Ji-eon tightened her grip on Lisa's hand, her smile could easily deceive anyone in the room. Lisa found herself questioning everything. Could it be that Ji-eon no longer harbored ill feelings towards her? She could barely hear their father coughing and Eun-hyeok attending to him. Doesn't Ji-eon hate my guts anymore?
""Well, okay. If you want me to. What time do I have to be there for the interview?"
She figured that even if Ji-eon was being insincere, there was nothing to lose. What was the worst that could happen? The only possible thing was refusing her to work there, and she had already seen a lot of that, so it wasn't something new to her.
"Oh, there's no need for an interview. You can start work as soon as you arrive" Ji-eon pointed out.
Oh wow, are hospitals really that different from other offices? Lisa wondered. "Well then, alright. I'll be there tomorrow. What time do I need to be there?"
"Eight am is fine, actually. Well, I guess we're colleagues now " Ji-eon seemed every bit happy to Lisa, who was trying to figure out how to fix her schedule to be able to meet the time.
Eun-hyeok's gaze darted back and forth between the two sisters. Ji-eon was usually a nice person, but she greatly disliked Lisa. Her sudden pretense of friendliness left him uneasy. The fact that she was pretending to be nice was one thing, and Lisa falling for it was another. Had she forgotten all Ji-eon had ever done to her? Eun-hyeok felt compelled to talk to Lisa before she ended up hurt.
The dinner ended nicely after the offer, though, with Lisa and Ji-eon even hugging before Ji-eon and Do-won left at nine pm.
The pub was mostly noisy, except for the VIP lounge Alex and Do-yun sat in. That one had special noise-cancelling glass. The atmosphere outside was also different from inside the lounge. Outside was hot, evident in the sweaty customers. But inside was cool enough.
Alex was staring dead-eyed at Do-yun as he went on about his wife. He couldn't imagine being tied down to one woman. It just seemed like hell, and he wasn't sure why Do-yun seemed to be enjoying it. He seemed really happy with his married life. Before he had gotten married, Do-yun had been like him, a man-whore.
Back in college and high school, their notoriety was widespread, but that didn't prevent girls from falling in love with them, and they took advantage of that. Between the two of them, though, Do-yun was the actual man-whore. Alex, on the other hand, had been more selective of whom he had sex with. However, he had been more popular among the ladies.
"You were the last person I thought would settle down"
Do-yun pushed down a mouthful of his liquor, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. To be, he never believed he would settle down either.
"You won't understand it. One day, you're the worst heartache, the next, you've found a girl that completes you"
Alex revolted at the sappy remark. Something was definitely wrong with his friend, he concluded.
"I don't get how you can hand over your life to someone. And have sex with the same person repeatedly. I would get bored"
Do-yun laughed at the last statement. "Well, of course once in a while, I do get tempted" He whirled the small quantity of alcohol in his glass.
He turned to look around the VIP lounge of the pub, spotting a dark-haired stripper dancing beside one of the poles. He pointed his index finger at her, still holding his glass in the same hand. "For example, I find her attractive. Doesn't mean I plan on sleeping with her"
"I don't ever want to get married" Alex shook his head, not buying one thing Do-yun was saying. He felt that Do-yun was already trapped in the relationship and his new sentiments was suffering-induced.
"What about children?"
Alex was quiet for a few minutes, seemingly thoughtful. He wasn't sure if he even liked kids. He hardly had any around him, ever since he was young. "I don't know" he stated simply.
A waiter came in and placed another bottle of their drink, and Do-yun's phone vibrated with a text. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, he saw it was a text from his wife, asking him to choose between two dresses from an online store.
Alex silently observed the suffering man as he typed away on his phone. He could tell it was In-hye, his wife, from the mere smitten look on his face. It was very obvious Do-yun liked her at the moment, but that would soon fade away, and Alex could tell. Marriage was definitely a trap, and not something he would want to enter into.
When Do-yun lifted his head, his expression had changed to something Alex couldn't figure out. The shimmer he had in his eyes had faded slightly as he leaned as if to tell him a secret. "I did something really bad though" he whispered.
"Okay...why are you whispering? Is it a problem with the police?" Alex asked slowly, his face expressionless as usual.
"The police? No no no. If it were as simple as that, I probably wouldn't even bother you with it" Do-yun waved his hand as if to dismiss the thought of cops. Having a lot of money meant he could easily buy his way out of any situation, no matter how horrible. However, this money was not money he had made. He had come from a very wealthy and aristocratic family, one of the most noble and exemplary families in the whole capital.
However, Do-yun was like the prodigal son of the family. He was the one always getting into trouble, and he was the only son. He had been over pampered as a kid, and that was mostly why he got into trouble. Despite that, his parents always got him out of any trouble he put himself in. But ever since he got married, he seemed to have learned how to restrain himself a bit more.
"Well then, what's the problem?"
Do-yun quietly tried to decide how to phrase his answer, all the while being scrutinized by his best friend. Alex didn't say anything though. He was a very patient person and could wait for hours.
Clearing his throat noisily, Do-yun croaked "I cheated on In-hye"
"About time"
Do-yun was befuddled. About time? What does he mean 'about time'?
As if reading Do-yun's mind, Alex continued. "I knew it was bound to happen eventually. But I didn't know it would be sooner than later"
Do-yun lightly punched Alex. "You're an ass"
"I'm very much aware of that" Alex's expression was ambiguous.
"I was just reminding you" Do-yun joked.
There was silence after that. Do-yun was was patiently waiting for Alex to ask him how it had happened, but he immediately remembered that Alex wasn't one to care. Sighing, he carried on with his explanation.
"In-hye and I had an argument, and she left the house. I left too...to a bar. And I met some girl there who came to drink because her fiancé had broken off their engagement. We both got drunk, and shit happened"
"By shit happened, you mean you fucked her" Alex meant it to be a question, but it came out as a statement, and all Do-yun could do was to nod. Alex stared at him with an expression of appraisal.
"I'm proud of you. I honestly thought you'd were whipped, but now I'm certain you're still normal"
"You're the worst person to go to for ethical advice. I don't know how we're friends"