33. The Hopeless Savior
“ I ’m sorry for being useless,” a drunk Yunho says to the green soju bottle in his hand after spending a week mulling over Wooju’s time-traveling revelation and digging up dirt on Noh Jaehee. “Why can’t I do anything right?”
Yunho hasn’t been able to focus on his academics since the beach outing. He’s been floating in space, always reliving the last time he discussed the Jaehee issue with Wooju. In fact, they’ve been pretending the discussion never happened. Yunho doesn’t question why Wooju decided to lay low instead of going back to school, either.
So, for days, Yunho has continued searching for information about Jaehee with Sangheon and Jihoon’s help.
He visited Jaehee’s company building earlier today, after dressing up in his favorite disguise—a black suit. Yunho waited for the man and asked a few employees about his whereabouts. However, other than the sheer panic written all over their faces at the mention of Jaehee’s name, none of them could provide him with the answer he needed.
Who the hell is Noh Jaehee, and how can Yunho take him down before it’s too late again? These questions still linger without an answer.
Noh Jaehee must be a ghost, and Ri Yunho must be a fool who makes Wooju suffer by dying in every timeline.
As he idles at his favorite bar and grill with two empty Soju bottles and one that’s half full, it finally dawns on Yunho that he didn’t save Wooju.
He tried , but he only made Wooju’s life worse.
He wants to save his best friend, but he can’t die either, not again. He doesn’t want Wooju to cry because of him. There has to be another way.
Yunho’s expression twists as he recalls the sad, vulnerable smile on Wooju’s innocent face.
That’s right. I’m the reason Wooju really stopped smiling, the reason for Wooju’s pain.
“What should I do, Jo Wooju?” he mumbles to himself, his cheeks red and his head groggy from overindulging in alcohol. He lifts another bottle to his lips, but a hand pulls it back before he can take even the slightest sip.
“What the hell?” Yunho angles his head upward, only to find Jihoon sighing and, perhaps, subtly judging him.
“Hey, Ri Yunho. Who let you drink alcohol?” Jihoon examines him from head to toe. “Don’t tell me, you’re pretending to be an adult right now?”
“Oh, I’m a regular here,” Yunho slurs with a playful laugh. “So, why are you here, kid?”
“Excuse me!” Jihoon ignores Yunho and calls for one of the waiters. “He already paid for everything, right?”
The waiter simply points at a big rectangular sign on the counter: If you’re here to forget, please pay in advance.
“Okay, I’m gonna assume he already paid then.” Jihoon immediately grabs Yunho by the shoulder, steering him toward the exit. “Come on, big guy.”
“Wait, what? I’m not done yet,” Yunho whines, but Jihoon unwaveringly drags him out of the bar, their loafers thundering on the pavement.
As soon as they reach the empty bus stop, Jihoon groans in frustration. “Are you stupid?” He lowers his voice to hiss. “Do you want to go to jail for underage drinking and get those waiters in trouble?”
“I’m not underage, okay?” Yunho waves his arms in the air. “I’m twenty-eight and counting!” he declares, his confidence overflowing.
Jihoon whacks him in the arm. “You dumbass! You’re eighteen, and hello? You’re in Korea!”
“I’m twenty-eight!”
“In high school!”
“I graduated like a decade ago!”
Jihoon’s jaw slackens. “You mean you graduated from the toddler academy?” he asks sarcastically. “My God, how much did you drink, Yunho?”
“ Aish ! You’re stressing me out!” Yunho grunts and shrugs his coat off, flinging it onto the ground.
“Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?” Jihoon barks back.
“You know what?” Yunho spits on the ground. “I’m going home because you won’t understand anyway. You’re still a kid. I’m a refined adult. So just—leave me alone, kid.”
“Who are you calling a kid? I was born in January, I’m technically older than you.” Jihoon snorts, undeterred.
Yunho casually shuns him and steps onto the last bus, which had just stopped in front of them.
Despite his drunken state, Yunho registers Jihoon’s displeased sigh before scooping up the coat he had discarded and following Yunho into the bus.
It’s going to be a long night.