Life, Once Again!

Chapter 921. Crank Up 3

"I want to barge into the house above us," Yoojin said, looking at the ceiling.

She had been acting like that ever since she learned that the people living above and below Maru were indeed Hong Geunsoo and Kim Suyeon.

"Go on then. Tell him that you're from the house below."

"I'm just saying. I know how important privacy is. I'm just grumbling about it so don't mind me."

Yoojin sipped on the beer in her hand. Maru opened another bottle of beer and filled the empty glasses. As their objective wasn't to get drunk today, there were only six empty bottles despite having drunk for three hours.

"It's good to meet up and chat like this. I didn't get to do things like this in Japan," Yoojin said as she latched onto Gaeul.

Gaeul smiled and asked,

"From the photos you sent me though, you seemed to be getting along with your Japanese friends."

"They're good people, but I can't get truly down to Earth with them. Maybe it's because I befriended them through work. We do talk about our personal lives from time to time, but I found myself keeping a certain line. I'm sure they're doing the same."

"How long are you going to be staying in Japan?"

"I'm not sure. If I'm fed up with what I'm doing, I'd wrap up and come home, but it's pretty fun in its own way. Sometimes, it makes me think that quitting actor work might not be a bad idea."

Yoojin grinned and downed the beer that Maru just poured in one go. After exclaiming due to the fizziness, she put out her glass again.

"You're suddenly drinking too much. Slow down a little."

Maru only filled half the glass. Gaeul had told him beforehand how much Yoojin could drink. She was rather weak considering that she liked drinking. She would start grinning for no reason from four glasses of soju and would start talking by herself after one bottle. Any more than that and she might not have any recollection of it on the next day. He had to feed her moderately since it would be a pain to look after her once she loses herself.

"Your boyfriend is way too naggy. I just asked him for a glass of beer, but he wants me to slow down. Gaeul, just what do you like about him so much that you hooked back up with him again?"

"You know that's the third time you asked that, right?"

"Really?"

Yoojin stood up, her hair draping down. She staggered her way towards the bathroom, and anyone watching would be worried about her. Gaeul stood up and caught up with her to support her.

"She always does that even though she can't drink. She should just forget about drinking like me."

Jiseok clicked his tongue.

"There are people who need to drink in order to speak, so be a little more understanding. Not anyone can blab on about everything without the help of alcohol like you. Do you want more juice?"

Maru brought more grape juice for Jiseok, who nodded. After grabbing the juice bottle with a simple 'thanks', Jiseok yawned. It was past midnight, so Maru wondered if they should wrap up. He looked at the bathroom. Gaeul had pushed her body inside the half-open bathroom door.

"Yoojin, if you're going to throw up, drink some juice beforehand! It'll taste like grapes!"

Jiseok ran to the bathroom with the juice bottle. It was obvious that he would receive a backlash, but clearly, his innate prankster nature couldn't be fixed. A shout that made Woofie and the Pit Bull flinch escaped from the bathroom. After that, Yoojin said something for a long time. To sum it up, she was going to push Jiseok off the veranda.

"Is Yoojin okay?"

"Looks like she has a bad stomach."

"Wait a sec."

Maru poured some green plum extract into some warm water and gave it to Gaeul. Gaeul passed the cup inside the bathroom. The door was blocking his vision, but it seemed like Yoojin was drinking while crouching down.

"Let's put it away before she comes out and asks for more."

He cleaned up with Jiseok. He put away the plates, mopped the floor, and laid out futons in the living room. As the two ladies would be taking the bedroom, the men had to spend the night in the kitchen. He went inside the bedroom and cleaned up the bed before placing a small pillow. It was just high enough for Yoojin to fall and pass out.

"Han Maru."

When he came back out to the living room, he saw Jiseok waving at him from the veranda.

"How's everything going with Lee Miyoon? Was I helpful?"

"We don't know yet, since we haven't approached her. The one in charge of this case went to Busan. If things go well while he's there, he should be able to get to Lee Miyoon directly."

"So are you going to make this a scandal and put it on the news?"

"We aren't at a stage where we can say anything, but in order to catch something bigger than Lee Miyoon, we might have to sweep her under the rug. It'll depend on how that hyung-nim makes the deal."

"If it does erupt in a scandal, it will be quite huge. It might even be called an entertainment scandal to conceal political news, you know? Lee Miyoon is a super actress after all."

"A conspiracy to hide political news, huh…. That might not be entirely wrong."

"What the hell? That sounds so ominous."

Maru smiled and patted Jiseok on the back. Jiseok no longer asked any questions either. It seemed that he had noticed that this was what he was allowed to know.

"It's nothing dangerous, right?"

"I'm only watching everything from the back, so it's fine for me. The problem is that hyung-nim. I'm worried too. Things might become really dangerous after all."

"Isn't it better to contact the police beforehand?"

"The thing is, it doesn't look like any legal procedures will solve this problem. That's why that hyung-nim is taking direct action, and why I am as well."

"I hope I only see movie-like plots at the theater. You know what I mean, right?"

Maru looked at Jiseok as he turned around after grabbing him on the shoulder. He was laughing and smiling while they drank, but it seemed that he was worried. He was grinning foolishly whenever he made eye contact with him while drinking, but that was probably his way of hiding his inner worries about his friend potentially getting into trouble.

"I'll ask you for help if something happens."

"Forget about it. I hate scary movies."

Jiseok walked over to the bathroom, asking if Yoojin had finished vomiting.

Perhaps thanks to the green plum extract, or perhaps thanks to her objective of beating up Jiseok, who infuriated her, calming her down, Yoojin came back out of the bathroom looking rather clean. The prankster Jiseok was able to return to the living room after being locked up on the veranda for about ten minutes.

"Where's the beer?"

"You're quite something to look for beer after going through that. I put it all away so go to sleep already."

"It's not even one o'clock yet, yet you want me to sleep? Hell no. Do you think I came to Korea for that? Gaeul, why don't we go to Hongdae right now? Apparently, the DJ-oppa at a new club is really good."

Yoojin was quite up-to-date with Korean clubs despite living in Japan. They had to console this little kid, who didn't want to sleep.

"I have ice cream. Do you want some?"

"Even though it's winter?"

"You don't want it?"

"No, give it to me."

Maru stabbed four spoons into an ice cream pot and placed it in the living room. Yoojin, who took out a spoon first, took a big scoop and ate it. Looking at her eyes turning into a curve made him relieved.

"I want to date a man who looks after me like this. Maru, isn't there anyone decent around you? Someone who's as caring as you but doesn't go missing like you."

"I recommend Yoo Jiseok. Having him by your side will bring you joy every single day."

"You mean every day will be hell. Who's ever going to date that chatterbox?"

Jiseok sucked on his spoon and replied that he didn't want her either, saying that he would look for a monkey to find love if they were ever left alone in a dying world. Yoojin's spoon flew at Jiseok's forehead. Along with a crisp sound, the spoon that hit the forehead fell down on the floor. The sound was so loud and clear that it made the four of them burst into laughter simultaneously. Jiseok laughing about how it hurt made the laughter even bigger.

"It's so good here. This place is really relaxing," Yoojin said as she lay on her side.

As she scanned the futon laid out on the floor, her eyes looked like they were filled with trouble in contrast to her words. It seemed like her eyes were saying what she couldn't say with her mouth. When Maru unintentionally focused on her, a speech bubble popped up above her head – Maru, I'm so frustrated.

"Did something happen?" Maru asked.

Since he found out, he couldn't just turn a blind eye to it. As most worries tend to be resolved just by listening, it would help her calm down if he created an atmosphere where she could talk.

"I don't think I showed it."

"It just felt like it."

"If I think about it now, you always felt like you could see into people's hearts."

Yoojin sat up. A lock known as hesitation firmly sealed her smiling lips. Maru exchanged gazes with Gaeul. They may be friends, but it could be that she was having a hard time talking about it in front of men. Gaeul grabbed Yoojin's hand and took her to the bedroom. From how she obediently followed, it seemed that she was going to talk about it.

"Was she looking to drink today for a reason? I was wondering if something might have happened since her face didn't look too well, but it looks like I was right," Jiseok said, looking at Yoojin with pity as she went to the bedroom.

"You noticed?"

"Somewhat. But I couldn't pinpoint anything like you did. What about you, did you hear anything? It's curious that you noticed it immediately."

"Well, it was a coincidence for me. Maybe I just had an easier time noticing it because it has been such a long time since we last met."

Jiseok nodded in understanding.

"But I wonder what happened that made that girl act like that. She should have revealed most things thanks to the alcohol, but the fact that she's hiding it even now feels like it's something serious."

"If it's something that she can tell us, I guess we can hear it through Gaeul too."

Jiseok lay down on the sofa.

"I hope it's nothing much."

"True."

Maru lay down on the floor as he replied. He could faintly hear the two people conversing inside the living room.