Chapter 1 — My Friend's Boyfriend - Part 1 (1)

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination. All characters are adults aged 18 or over.

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It was around the time summer was beginning.

I was on my way to meet Sarah, someone I'd known back when we studied abroad. We'd kept saying we should meet up since she came back to Korea for work, but it wasn't until summer finally arrived that we actually made it happen.

I told my husband I might be a little late—just going to catch up and chat with a friend—then told him to head home first, and I headed off to Apgujeong.

The evening air, carrying that first hint of summer, felt really nice.

I'm terrible with directions, so I got a bit lost, but eventually I found the Korean restaurant we'd agreed on.

“Wow~~ It's been so long! How have you been? When did you even get married? I was so surprised! But you haven't changed at all. How's your husband?”

“My husband already went home. But seriously, it's been ages. What about you? Are you married?”

“No, not yet… Probably next spring, I think.”

“Oh really?? Then… take it slow while you can. Once you're married… you can't really play around anymore…”

“What? You've only been married a short time—what do you know?”

“Hey… it's been over two years for me now.”

“Do you have kids?”

“I'm only 28, you know? Hmm… I've been thinking maybe around 30, but with work and everything… it's hard to imagine having a baby right now. Ugh…

Honestly, there are still things I want to do. If I have a kid, well… sigh.”

We chatted about this and that over dinner. Sarah was slimmer than me, a bit taller, but… well… my chest was way bigger.

Anyway, we were deep in conversation when Sarah's phone rang.

She lit up—clearly her boyfriend—and after a flustered, “Yeah, but…” trailed off, glancing cautiously at me.

“What is it?”

I didn't speak, just mouthed the words.

“Babe, just a sec… Hey, Emma, is it okay if my boyfriend joins us tonight?”

“Oh~ Sure.”

“Babe? Remember that Korean restaurant in Apgujeong? Come here. We're almost done eating… Yeah, okay~”

Curious, I asked her.

“Your current boyfriend?”

“Yeah. He should be here in about… 15 minutes.”

“Ah, got it.”

But 15 minutes passed. Then another 15. It took him nearly half an hour before he finally showed up.

A large build, slightly round face, a few acne scars, black-rimmed glasses—he approached our table with a smile, heading straight for Sarah.

“Babe, I'm here.”

“Yeah, took longer than I thought. Sorry… Hi, I'm David.”

“Hi, I'm Emma.”

“Oh~ So you're Emma. I've heard a lot about you. Haha.”

Honestly, I thought Sarah was such a waste.

“Did you eat?”

“Yeah, I was out with coworkers from the office.”

“We're done too. Should we move somewhere else?”

We debated where to go for round two, and ended up at a small soju bar downstairs. Honestly, I don't handle soju well, so I wasn't thrilled.

But David insisted the Korean drinking food there was amazing, saying Koreans have to drink soju, and with Sarah backing him up, we ended up going anyway.

We talked about work, reminisced about our study abroad days, and drank soju as the night wore on.

Of course, my limit always comes eventually.

“Emma, doesn't your husband worry when you're out drinking like this?”

“He's super cool. Sometimes, back in the day, I'd feel a little guilty, but now it's just easy.”

“But you got married so young.”

“I know, right? Maybe I should've enjoyed myself a bit more before settling down.”

Despite his first impression, David was actually pretty funny. And seeing how he gently looked after Sarah as she started getting tipsy, I thought—maybe he's not so bad after all.

Plus, he kept stepping outside to smoke instead of stinking up the place—such a small thing, but I appreciated the manners.

Time passed, the alcohol crept higher, and I started thinking we should call it a night—when David suddenly suggested we move again.

Right after he said, “Let's go when I get back from the bathroom,” and headed off, a slightly drunk Sarah leaned in.

“What do you think of David? He's okay, right?”

“Yeah. He's fun, seems stable, has decent manners. For a guy, he's not bad at all.”

“Really?”

Sarah's flushed face looked proud, satisfied.

“Emma, later you have to show me your husband too.”

“Of course.”

“Emma, I need the bathroom.”

“Okay. You drunk?”

“Nope. I've got David.”

“Right.”

While Sarah was gone, David returned, smiling, and slid back into his seat across from me. He took a sip from the leftover soju and said with a small smirk:

“Heard you were quite the party girl back in your study abroad days? Hahaha.”

“Huh? Oh, I was kinda popular, yeah.”

I answered with a playful shrug—my inner self kicking in, like so what?—but suddenly, a strange irritation bubbled up.

“To be honest, I didn't even know you two were close… because of something I heard before. Sorry if this sounds weird. Haha.

I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable, so don't take it the wrong way. Haha. But seriously, you're really pretty. Slim, great figure…”

He was slurring slightly, speaking too freely—was he that drunk?

What did Sarah say about me? I wondered. We used to be so close back then…

Just then, Sarah came back, smiling brightly.

“Babe! I'm back! Let's go now.”

David gave me one last glance, smiled, and stood up.

We paid and headed to a karaoke room for the third round.

Inside the dimly lit karaoke room, I sat alone while Sarah and David sat together.

It was a small room with a D-shaped sofa.

We ordered more beer as soon as we entered and started singing, but Sarah—always the weakest with alcohol—eventually slumped onto the sofa closest to the screen and fell asleep.

Before I knew it, it was just me and David singing.

We were both sitting at the corner of the D-shaped sofa, but the room was so small it was like we were right next to each other.

Every time I sang, David would glance at Sarah to make sure she was still asleep, then tilt his head back and forth—was he following my song, or was he just drunk?

Midway through, David said, “I'll go smoke and grab a drink,” and stepped out.

Honestly, singing alone in a karaoke room with no one around… it's kind of awkward.

Anyway, when he came back, he suddenly pulled a tiny bottle of whiskey from his jacket.

“________”

I was genuinely shocked.

“Huh? Where did that come from?”

“Hahaha, grabbed it real quick from the convenience store? Hahaha.”

“Oh. I see.”

Drinking whiskey from a paper cup was a first for me. After two cups, I started thinking—this guy's acting a little off.

Does he really love drinking this much? He keeps pushing it… it's weird.

Lost in thought, still singing, when suddenly—he leaned against me.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah… I think I'm pretty drunk. Come on, have another.”

“I've already had so much…”

“So what? We're both with someone. Haha.”

I was drunk too—why else would I have downed another cup in one go?