An exhaust sound was heard in a quiet alleyway of Hannam-dong.
“Is it here?”
“It is a real mansion...”
“Isn’t it just a big house?”
Apart from Mason and Dwayne, the Crescent Moon players responded the same way.
“Hyung, isn’t this house huge?”
It was no different for Hyeonu. Hyeonu also had wide eyes as he visited Kim Seokjung’s mansion. They were just looking from outside, but it was amazing.
‘It seems bigger than our house?’
Hyeonu was thinking of the house where he originally lived, which was where his parents now lived. It wasn’t small and plain, but it really was smaller and simpler than this mansion.
“Come in. A lot of time has passed.” Kim Seokjung made his way through the people to the front of the gate. He pressed the bell on the wall next to the gate, and the gate opened with a light sound. Kim Seokjung opened it and went in. Despite his words, this was the first time Kim Seokjung had come to this house. He had rushed to Arena Stadium the moment he arrived in South Korea because of the urgency of the match time.
Seeing Kim Seokjung disappear, Gang Junggu pushed the others on the back and said, “Now, let’s all go in.”
The people entered through the gate one by one. The scenery inside was even more amazing.
“Wow, it is well managed.”
“It’s a nice house.”
“It seems better than that island.”
There was no one who didn’t let out a sigh of admiration. This time, Mason and Dwayne were included with the others. The inside of the garden was neatly landscaped with well-organized lawns and trees. They didn’t know if the white house was new or rebuilt, but it looked very good.
“It is rewarding to see everyone’s surprise.” Gang Junggu showed a satisfied smile. It had taken nearly four months to fix up this place. Shortly after meeting Hyeonu in Arena previously, Gang Junggu bought the house and started construction. From the architectural design to the courtyard, there was no place he hadn’t touched. He had carefully controlled everything. When Gang Junggu saw that everyone had finished viewing the garden to a certain extent, he once again took them forward.
“The first floor is decorated according to Hyung-nim’s preference... I’m sure everyone will like it,” he said while leading them inside the house like a kindergarten teacher with children. It was the venue for today’s party.
“This...!” Yeongchan was the first to enter the mansion, and he showed his admiration. The decorations on the first floor were overwhelming. Clubs, bars, nightclubs, hotels, and so on—there wasn’t a place with alcohol that Yeongchan hadn’t been to, but this was his first time seeing something like this.
‘It is perfect.’
“Peeerfect!!!” Yeongchan was filled with exclamations. There was nothing missing on the first floor. All the bars he knew seemed to be combined together here. One side was filled with games like darts and billiards, while the other side had huge tables. There was a table near the kitchen that was reminiscent of a bar table. All types of electronics were placed around it, along with all types of alcoholic beverages.
“Hyeonu...” Yeongchan approached Hyeonu with a blank face.
Hyeonu was looking at the first floor when he saw Yeongchan approaching with strange eyes and frowned. ‘Why does this jerk look like this?’
“What is it? Are you remembering your girlfriend? Why does your face look like that?”
Despite Hyeonu’s rude words, Yeongchan’s expression remained the same. He seemed to be possessed by a ghost.
“I... have decided,” Yeongchan uttered.
“What decision? Just like that? Are you crazy?” Hyeonu glared at him.
‘I think this jerk should go to the hospital instead of coming here...’ Hyeonu cocked his head. It was obvious that Yeongchan was crazy.
Regardless of whether he knew what Hyeonu was thinking, Yeongchan slowly continued speaking: “I have to sell my house and move out. I’m going to live in a house like this and decorate it like this. It is a bit modern here... I have a slightly wooden interior...”
Hyeonu’s expression distorted even more. He realized why Yeongchan’s state was like this. ‘He is gone, gone.’
Hyeonu had been watching Yeongchan for a long time. It didn’t take long for Yeongchan to fall for things that were harmful to him. Of course, it took him only a short time to get bored.
‘It is good that he has been playing Arena this long.’
From a certain point of view, it meant that Arena was made well since Yeongchan could play it for so long. He would’ve quit if it were a half-baked game.
“So you’ll move? In any case, it will take a few months to renovate like this. If the house is in bad condition, it will need to be rebuilt. It will take at least a year,” Hyeonu said while pulling at Yeongchan’s sideburns. Then he whispered in Yeongchan’s ear, “Think about it, Yeongchan. Please think.”
Yeongchan couldn’t take proper action against the extreme pain. He simply grabbed Hyeonu’s arm awkwardly as his sideburns were pulled.
“It hurts...” Yeongchan groaned. When Hyeonu confirmed that Yeongchan’s eyes had returned to normal, he let go. Yeongchan quickly rubbed his burning sideburns with his fingers.
“Think about it at lunch tomorrow and then again the day after tomorrow. If you really want to move... Do it then.” Hyeonu patted Yeongchan on the shoulder several times. It wasn’t strange because this happened from time to time.
‘I was crazy,’ Yeongchan thought.
He nodded with a thankful expression and said, “Understood. I will think about it.”
There were times like this. Moments when the things one desired appeared in strange circumstances.
Just then, the disappeared Kim Seokjung reappeared. He appeared with other men dressed in white shirts and black slacks who were carrying various foods. Ranging from simple salads to meat for filling the stomachs of the guests, the many different types of foods filled a huge table.
‘Are those people from the island?’ Hyeonu wondered inwardly.
The men looked familiar. They had appeared on the island where the workshop was held. Their outfits were different, but their expressions were familiar.
“Please let me know if you need anything. I will obtain anything that can be gained nearby,” one of the men following Kim Seokjung spoke into a microphone that he pulled out from somewhere. “If you look here, there is a wine cellar. Next to it are whiskey and other types of alcohol. There are baskets and an ice fridge over there. Next to them are refrigerators that contain beer bottles. The fridge on the other side contains soju and sake. We will make non-alcoholic cocktails for those who can’t drink alcohol. Just speak, and there will be handmade coffee.”
After quickly explaining everything on the first floor, the man moved to what looked like a bar. It was like that was where he was originally supposed to be.
Then Gang Junggu began to lead the mood. “Everyone, take a drink. We should do a cheers. If you want to drink with a bottle, take a bottle. Foreign wine, take some foreign wine. Go and take it yourself.”
They all grabbed their desired alcohol in accordance with Gang Junggu’s words. Once Gang Junggu confirmed that everyone had a drink or bottle of alcohol in their hands, he raised up his drink. “Congratulations on Crescent Moon’s victory. Cheers!”
“Cheers!” The others cheered along with Gang Junggu. Then they drank the alcohol in their hands.
“Second, let’s cheers to Gang Hyeonu, the captain of the winning team and the MVP of the Winter League...” Gang Junggu called out to Hyeonu, who was in the middle of drinking. Gang Junggu stood next to Hyeonu, and the latter shrank back with a shy expression.
‘This is embarrassing.’ Hyeonu bit on his lip due to embarrassment. Everyone was looking at him. It wasn’t that he hadn’t done toasts before at university, but he hadn’t been able to avoid blushing every time. Of course, it didn’t matter once he had drunk to a certain extent because his judgment was already poor. However, he was fine right now. He’d only had a sip of beer.
“Thank you for everything so far, and I’m looking forward to the future,” Hyeonu said sincerely. It might just be a sentence, but everyone here could fully feel Hyeonu’s heart. However, there was a side effect. The lively atmosphere subsided rapidly due to Hyeonu’s serious words.
This wasn’t a party atmosphere anymore. Sensing that, the others started to try reviving the atmosphere.
“The atmosphere is sinking.”
“Aren’t there any exciting songs? Please play an exciting song like back then.”
“The atmosphere has been destroyed.”
Lee Hoon, Mason, and Yeongchan clicked their tongues when they heard Hyeonu’s words. They wanted to find a song to revive the depressed atmosphere. They thought an exciting EDM or clubhouse song would do the trick.
“I’ll play the music you said.” The man standing to one side played a song according to their request. He chose a song by one of the world’s most famous DJs. Simultaneously, the lights on the first floor went out, accentuating the existence of the lights from the mirror ball.
“It’s like a party now.”
The people who saw this scene said the same thing. A frenzied party began.
***
“Ah, my head hurts.”
Hyeonu woke up and grabbed his forehead. His surroundings were strange, and he wasn’t lying on a bed.
‘Why am I sleeping on the living room sofa?’
Hyeonu was sleeping on his living room sofa instead of his bed. He carefully looked back through his memories just in case something had happened.
‘10 o’clock? I think we came in at that time...’
Last night, no—when the sun was already up, Hyeonu returned home in a drunken state. Instead of searching for his room, he had buried himself on the sofa in front of him.
‘Why is he sleeping over there?’
“Hey, wake up. Enter the room and sleep.”
Of course, Hyeonu wasn’t the only one. Yeongchan was lying asleep on the floor of the living room. He had his thick down jacket as a pillow and was in a deep sleep. Hyeonu gave up on waking Yeongchan, who showed no signs of getting up no matter how much he called. Then he leaned back against the sofa.
‘Why do I feel so uncomfortable? I think there is something wrong...’
Hyeonu felt uncomfortable for some reason. He hadn’t felt this way for a long time. It felt like he was on the verge of being late for school. Just then, Hyeonu’s eyes widened. He grabbed his down jacket from one side of the sofa, searched the pockets, and took out his smartphone.
Unlocking the screen of his smartphone, he had an expression of disbelief. Hyeonu finally remembered what he had forgotten. “It’s over.”
An exhaust sound was heard in a quiet alleyway of Hannam-dong.
“Is it here?”
“It is a real mansion...”
“Isn’t it just a big house?”
Apart from Mason and Dwayne, the Crescent Moon players responded the same way.
“Hyung, isn’t this house huge?”
It was no different for Hyeonu. Hyeonu also had wide eyes as he visited Kim Seokjung’s mansion. They were just looking from outside, but it was amazing.
‘It seems bigger than our house?’
Hyeonu was thinking of the house where he originally lived, which was where his parents now lived. It wasn’t small and plain, but it really was smaller and simpler than this mansion.
“Come in. A lot of time has passed.” Kim Seokjung made his way through the people to the front of the gate. He pressed the bell on the wall next to the gate, and the gate opened with a light sound. Kim Seokjung opened it and went in. Despite his words, this was the first time Kim Seokjung had come to this house. He had rushed to Arena Stadium the moment he arrived in South Korea because of the urgency of the match time.
Seeing Kim Seokjung disappear, Gang Junggu pushed the others on the back and said, “Now, let’s all go in.”
The people entered through the gate one by one. The scenery inside was even more amazing.
“Wow, it is well managed.”
“It’s a nice house.”
“It seems better than that island.”
There was no one who didn’t let out a sigh of admiration. This time, Mason and Dwayne were included with the others. The inside of the garden was neatly landscaped with well-organized lawns and trees. They didn’t know if the white house was new or rebuilt, but it looked very good.
“It is rewarding to see everyone’s surprise.” Gang Junggu showed a satisfied smile. It had taken nearly four months to fix up this place. Shortly after meeting Hyeonu in Arena previously, Gang Junggu bought the house and started construction. From the architectural design to the courtyard, there was no place he hadn’t touched. He had carefully controlled everything. When Gang Junggu saw that everyone had finished viewing the garden to a certain extent, he once again took them forward.
“The first floor is decorated according to Hyung-nim’s preference... I’m sure everyone will like it,” he said while leading them inside the house like a kindergarten teacher with children. It was the venue for today’s party.
“This...!” Yeongchan was the first to enter the mansion, and he showed his admiration. The decorations on the first floor were overwhelming. Clubs, bars, nightclubs, hotels, and so on—there wasn’t a place with alcohol that Yeongchan hadn’t been to, but this was his first time seeing something like this.
‘It is perfect.’
“Peeerfect!!!” Yeongchan was filled with exclamations. There was nothing missing on the first floor. All the bars he knew seemed to be combined together here. One side was filled with games like darts and billiards, while the other side had huge tables. There was a table near the kitchen that was reminiscent of a bar table. All types of electronics were placed around it, along with all types of alcoholic beverages.
“Hyeonu...” Yeongchan approached Hyeonu with a blank face.
Hyeonu was looking at the first floor when he saw Yeongchan approaching with strange eyes and frowned. ‘Why does this jerk look like this?’
“What is it? Are you remembering your girlfriend? Why does your face look like that?”
Despite Hyeonu’s rude words, Yeongchan’s expression remained the same. He seemed to be possessed by a ghost.
“I... have decided,” Yeongchan uttered.
“What decision? Just like that? Are you crazy?” Hyeonu glared at him.
‘I think this jerk should go to the hospital instead of coming here...’ Hyeonu cocked his head. It was obvious that Yeongchan was crazy.
Regardless of whether he knew what Hyeonu was thinking, Yeongchan slowly continued speaking: “I have to sell my house and move out. I’m going to live in a house like this and decorate it like this. It is a bit modern here... I have a slightly wooden interior...”
Hyeonu’s expression distorted even more. He realized why Yeongchan’s state was like this. ‘He is gone, gone.’
Hyeonu had been watching Yeongchan for a long time. It didn’t take long for Yeongchan to fall for things that were harmful to him. Of course, it took him only a short time to get bored.
‘It is good that he has been playing Arena this long.’
From a certain point of view, it meant that Arena was made well since Yeongchan could play it for so long. He would’ve quit if it were a half-baked game.
“So you’ll move? In any case, it will take a few months to renovate like this. If the house is in bad condition, it will need to be rebuilt. It will take at least a year,” Hyeonu said while pulling at Yeongchan’s sideburns. Then he whispered in Yeongchan’s ear, “Think about it, Yeongchan. Please think.”
Yeongchan couldn’t take proper action against the extreme pain. He simply grabbed Hyeonu’s arm awkwardly as his sideburns were pulled.
“It hurts...” Yeongchan groaned. When Hyeonu confirmed that Yeongchan’s eyes had returned to normal, he let go. Yeongchan quickly rubbed his burning sideburns with his fingers.
“Think about it at lunch tomorrow and then again the day after tomorrow. If you really want to move... Do it then.” Hyeonu patted Yeongchan on the shoulder several times. It wasn’t strange because this happened from time to time.
‘I was crazy,’ Yeongchan thought.
He nodded with a thankful expression and said, “Understood. I will think about it.”
There were times like this. Moments when the things one desired appeared in strange circumstances.
Just then, the disappeared Kim Seokjung reappeared. He appeared with other men dressed in white shirts and black slacks who were carrying various foods. Ranging from simple salads to meat for filling the stomachs of the guests, the many different types of foods filled a huge table.
‘Are those people from the island?’ Hyeonu wondered inwardly.
The men looked familiar. They had appeared on the island where the workshop was held. Their outfits were different, but their expressions were familiar.
“Please let me know if you need anything. I will obtain anything that can be gained nearby,” one of the men following Kim Seokjung spoke into a microphone that he pulled out from somewhere. “If you look here, there is a wine cellar. Next to it are whiskey and other types of alcohol. There are baskets and an ice fridge over there. Next to them are refrigerators that contain beer bottles. The fridge on the other side contains soju and sake. We will make non-alcoholic cocktails for those who can’t drink alcohol. Just speak, and there will be handmade coffee.”
After quickly explaining everything on the first floor, the man moved to what looked like a bar. It was like that was where he was originally supposed to be.
Then Gang Junggu began to lead the mood. “Everyone, take a drink. We should do a cheers. If you want to drink with a bottle, take a bottle. Foreign wine, take some foreign wine. Go and take it yourself.”
They all grabbed their desired alcohol in accordance with Gang Junggu’s words. Once Gang Junggu confirmed that everyone had a drink or bottle of alcohol in their hands, he raised up his drink. “Congratulations on Crescent Moon’s victory. Cheers!”
“Cheers!” The others cheered along with Gang Junggu. Then they drank the alcohol in their hands.
“Second, let’s cheers to Gang Hyeonu, the captain of the winning team and the MVP of the Winter League...” Gang Junggu called out to Hyeonu, who was in the middle of drinking. Gang Junggu stood next to Hyeonu, and the latter shrank back with a shy expression.
‘This is embarrassing.’ Hyeonu bit on his lip due to embarrassment. Everyone was looking at him. It wasn’t that he hadn’t done toasts before at university, but he hadn’t been able to avoid blushing every time. Of course, it didn’t matter once he had drunk to a certain extent because his judgment was already poor. However, he was fine right now. He’d only had a sip of beer.
“Thank you for everything so far, and I’m looking forward to the future,” Hyeonu said sincerely. It might just be a sentence, but everyone here could fully feel Hyeonu’s heart. However, there was a side effect. The lively atmosphere subsided rapidly due to Hyeonu’s serious words.
This wasn’t a party atmosphere anymore. Sensing that, the others started to try reviving the atmosphere.
“The atmosphere is sinking.”
“Aren’t there any exciting songs? Please play an exciting song like back then.”
“The atmosphere has been destroyed.”
Lee Hoon, Mason, and Yeongchan clicked their tongues when they heard Hyeonu’s words. They wanted to find a song to revive the depressed atmosphere. They thought an exciting EDM or clubhouse song would do the trick.
“I’ll play the music you said.” The man standing to one side played a song according to their request. He chose a song by one of the world’s most famous DJs. Simultaneously, the lights on the first floor went out, accentuating the existence of the lights from the mirror ball.
“It’s like a party now.”
The people who saw this scene said the same thing. A frenzied party began.
***
“Ah, my head hurts.”
Hyeonu woke up and grabbed his forehead. His surroundings were strange, and he wasn’t lying on a bed.
‘Why am I sleeping on the living room sofa?’
Hyeonu was sleeping on his living room sofa instead of his bed. He carefully looked back through his memories just in case something had happened.
‘10 o’clock? I think we came in at that time...’
Last night, no—when the sun was already up, Hyeonu returned home in a drunken state. Instead of searching for his room, he had buried himself on the sofa in front of him.
‘Why is he sleeping over there?’
“Hey, wake up. Enter the room and sleep.”
Of course, Hyeonu wasn’t the only one. Yeongchan was lying asleep on the floor of the living room. He had his thick down jacket as a pillow and was in a deep sleep. Hyeonu gave up on waking Yeongchan, who showed no signs of getting up no matter how much he called. Then he leaned back against the sofa.
‘Why do I feel so uncomfortable? I think there is something wrong...’
Hyeonu felt uncomfortable for some reason. He hadn’t felt this way for a long time. It felt like he was on the verge of being late for school. Just then, Hyeonu’s eyes widened. He grabbed his down jacket from one side of the sofa, searched the pockets, and took out his smartphone.
Unlocking the screen of his smartphone, he had an expression of disbelief. Hyeonu finally remembered what he had forgotten. “It’s over.”
