For My First Love

03

This story is fictional

/

Ah, my head. How much did I drink? My head hurts and my stomach hurts from the hangover

I woke up early in the morning with a furrowed brow, sat up, and looked around

It was definitely my room. Huh? How did I get here? I remember drinking with Beomgyu-ssi,

but I can’t remember how I got home. I tried to think back to what happened yesterday,

but I couldn’t think of anything. And the important thing is that my bag is completely gone,

even my phone. What is this? I was zoning out, totally out of it, when

there was a knock and I thought Mom was coming in, but it was Subin, not Mom

“Huh? Why are you in my house? Geez, Seo Yeoju, drink some honey water.” He handed me

a cup of honey water. “Drink it and go out to recover from your hangover,” Subin said as he left the room for a moment

“This isn’t a dream, right?” After downing the honey water in one shot, I went to the kitchen a little embarrassed.

I wondered when he’d ordered delivery, and hangover soup was sitting right on the dining table










"You know I can't cook, right? So I ordered hangover soup from the best place."











"Oh, um, where's Mom?"









"Ah, your mother said she was going out to meet your aunt, so she left an hour ago."











"Subin, did you sleep over at our place?"










"Yeah. I went in because I thought your mother wasn’t home, but she was there?
   She saw me carrying you too. It got late, so she told me to stay over."












"Ah... sorry. She’s staying home for a while."












"And don’t worry, I wasn’t the one who changed your clothes. Ahem."












"Oh, I don’t misunderstand;; I’ll enjoy it, Subin."














"Yeah, hurry up and eat. It’ll get cold."(hands Yeoju a spoon)















I ate the hangover soup without saying anything. Wow, this is really good. Right? I thought you’d like it, he said,

and when I saw you smiling so prettily, something in my heart swelled up. It’s been a while since I saw you smile like that

Have I gotten old? Why does my nose feel so stuffy? I cleared my throat and went back to

eating












"Yeoju, next time I’ll be your drinking buddy. Don’t drink with strange men."














"Ah, Beomgyu-ssi is my junior. Don’t worry."













"The one who answered your phone said where are you? so I asked, and they said Moa Bar, so I
ran straight to you. But you were drunk and lying face-down on the table, and
I carried you and even carried that guy’s bag out too... Oh! The bag!"















Ah... my face suddenly started burning. Embarrassed, I covered my face with both hands.

Why did I have to remember this exactly now? Subin said the bag was probably with that guy,

and handed me his phone so I could call. I dialed my own number, and it was saved as Yeoju♡

After a long, long ring, Beomgyu answered in a low voice

I awkwardly cleared my throat, feeling guilty.










📞 Yes, hello,










"Ah, Beomgyu-ssi, it’s Seo Yeoju!"












📞 Ah, senior. Hello. You seem to have had a lot to drink. Are you okay?












"Huh? Ah, I’m fine. By any chance, do you have my bag...?"











📞 ...Ah, yes. I have it, and I was thinking about how to return it to you,
     I’m sorry. I should have handed you the bag right away,
     but I forgot too."










"No, it’s fine. It’s not urgent, so
   please put it on my desk at the company on Monday."













📞 Yes, understood.













"Then I’ll see you on Monday."













After the call ended, Beomgyu became very curious about the man who had carried Yeoju yesterday.

Even if he was just a male friend, leaving work aside and taking her straight to a bar—maybe

he likes her? He had all sorts of useless thoughts. But that guy, Choi Yeonjun, was

crying while looking at her, so maybe they fought? Beomgyu was full of all kinds of thoughts.

It was the first time he’d had Yeoju’s phone and bag and had to wait until Monday.










/











Monday, which felt like it would never come, finally arrived, and Beomgyu went to work with light footsteps.

He quietly placed the shopping bag on top of Yeoju’s neatly organized desk and sat down at his own.

A little later, after Yeoju arrived at work and checked her bag and phone, she let out a sigh of relief.

[Senior, I’ll be your drinking buddy again next time^^ Fighting today too]










After reading the note, Yeoju glanced once toward Beomgyu’s seat, and their eyes met.










She mouthed, Thank you for the bag. Then work started, and the once-quiet

office was filled only with keyboard typing sounds before Yeoju’s phone began to vibrate,

and the light blinked as the word message appeared.

💬


[Yeoju, I’m out on a work visit. I’ll come to the front of the company after work later. Let’s go home together]


It was Subin. Since learning about the broken engagement, he had been taking extra care of me. On weekends, it almost felt like we were










together 24 hours a day, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Subin said he stayed close because he was worried I might

have bad thoughts. Is he trying to say I have too much time on my hands? He even nagged me to

go get a girlfriend instead of worrying about him. His answer every time was that he wasn’t interested.

I felt bad just thinking about Subin. Maybe I sighed too deeply without realizing it, because the colleague next to me

asked if I was having a hard time lately because of wedding preparations. Since he’d find out anyway,

I had to tell him, but I couldn’t get the words out. Workday ended, and with the other employees, I

got off the elevator when Subin, who had on a long coat and a suit, greeted me.

The women employees looked at him with envious eyes and asked who he was, and

the employees mostly already knew who my fiancé-to-be was.

"Oh my, Yeoju-ssi, who is this handsome man? I thought he was someone educated."








"By the way, why haven’t we seen Yeonjun-ssi lately? He used to come often— is he busy with work?












   He said he’d treat us to a fancy dinner before, so ask Yeoju-ssi."
"If your friend doesn’t have a boyfriend, please introduce him to me."












And so on, nosy comments flew around, and with an embarrassed expression I said I’d go first and













grabbed Subin’s arm and headed outside. Beomgyu, who had been watching from behind, looked

very displeased.

"Hey, Choi Subin, what are you doing coming to the company?"












"I told you to come home with me. Sorry if that was a hassle."













The way his eyes drooped as he admitted fault made him look like a puppy being scolded by its owner.












How could I scold you? Let’s go home! Your mother said she’d make us a delicious dinner and told us to come over. Really, are you that happy?

Subin was grinning from ear to ear as we headed home. It was when we were passing the playground near my house.

When Yeoju saw a familiar figure leaning against a utility pole and looking at Subin and Yeoju, she stopped walking.

His black eyes trembled. Subin’s face darkened in an instant when he recognized that figure,

and Yeonjun walked toward Yeoju. Subin hurriedly hid Yeoju behind himself

and said in a cold voice,

"Choi Yeonjun, who said you could come here?"

"...Subin, go inside first."












"Yeoju..."












"Subin, please..."











"...If anything happens, call me."












At Yeoju’s plea, he sighed and reluctantly turned back. After Subin disappeared, Yeonjun













pulled Yeoju into a tight embrace. It smelled like Yeoju. A warm scent. He held her for a long time without saying anything.










"...Yeoju, don’t forgive me. I know I’m not even qualified to say this."

"...."















"Forget a guy like me quickly. As if I was never in your heart from the start."














"..Bastard."













"...."













How could you? How could I forget you? For all that long time, it was only you.











I can’t exist without you. Yeonjun’s arm, which had been holding Yeoju, slowly fell away,














and he was moving farther from Yeoju. The tears that seemed like they’d never come were pouring down

as if a faucet had been turned on. Afraid Yeonjun might disappear, she hugged him from behind. Yeonjun’s

eyes trembled, and Yeoju’s shoulders shook from crying. He resented himself for not being able to hold her again.

Yeonjun, choked up, bit his lip and cruelly

pulled Yeoju’s arm away from his waist, and as soon as Yeonjun disappeared, she collapsed and cried.

I had hoped, maybe. I thought he’d tell me to hold onto him, to say he couldn’t do without me.

You’re cruelly abandoning me again without any excuse. If only you’d made an excuse, at least.

After 8 years, it becomes nothing like this... I’ll try to forget you.

I’ll do that. So please, you too, live happily.

My first love, who I met at 19 and spent 8 years with... goodbye, Choi Yeonjun.

ㅡ

Thank you for reading🫶






So cringey🫠.