'I wonder if she really ended up going for that date. If so, is she currently having fun with that guy, smiling and laughing at him?'
While thinking about this, Ji-Won brought the glass to his lips and he absentmindedly drank half the remaining booze in one gulp. When the strong alcohol reached his stomach, he felt a wave of stirring warmth explode in his gut. At the same time, his throat went dry and a rancid taste suddenly raised in his mouth.
Overwhelmed by the queasy sensation, Ji-Won clamped his mouth shut. The roiling in his stomach was becoming violent, resembling a raging storm. Ji-Won didn't want to leave the smallest gap between his teeth, lest he might actually throw up.
Just when he thought the sensations were becoming too unbearable, Seo-Jun returned from having taken that call. As he waltzed back to the table, his eyes happened to fall on Ji-Won's ugly expression.
Glancing at his friend's half-full glass, Seo-Jun couldn't help but joke.
"What's wrong? I've only been gone for a few minutes and you've already gotten drunk?"
Seeing that his friend was currently ignoring him, and was instead focused on his phone, Seo-Jun became even more intrigued. The man was staring at the screen as though he wanted to crush it with his eyes. Yet, at the same time, there was a subtle hint of longing laced in that ardent stare.
'What is he looking at that's causing him to have such an odd expression?' Seo-Jun wondered silently.
At first, he wasn't planning on prying, but how could he not when Ji-Won was acting so strangely?
Therefore, as though he was fearing neither man, nor ghost, Seo-Jun leaped out of his seat and quickly seized Ji-Won's phone.
This unexpected development successfully startled Ji-Won out of his daze. He wanted to grab his phone back from Seo-Jun's hands, but the other man was faster than him.
After snatching the object, Seo-Jun proceeded to act like a monkey that had stolen something precious. As he returned to his seat, he was careful to keep a safe distance from Ji-Won's outstretched arms. At the same time, his hands were clutching the phone tightly, afraid of dropping it.
"Give me back my phone!" Ji-Won demanded with a low growl.
"Not before I see what's keeping you so focused. It must be something very important if you're even ignoring me."
While trying to make sure Ji-Won wouldn't be able to reach him, Seo-Jun found a spare second to steal a glance at the screen. A second later, though, he was left speechless. His lower jaw became slack, causing his mouth to open wide.
And just like that, Seo-Jun stared between the phone and Ji-Won's face in silent stupefaction.
Eventually, after what seemed like half an hour of staring at each other, Seo-Jun finally found his voice.
"Ji-Won, dear…" Seo-Jun cleared his throat, then began speaking in a soothing tone. "Tell me, why exactly were you looking at Miss Park's contact?"
"I wasn't!" Ji-Won hurried to deny it.
Hearing this, Seo-Jun's eyebrow instantly shot up. He clearly wasn't buying anything Ji-Won was saying.
Seeing his friend's skeptical look, Ji-Won let out a groan. Being faced with such a lack of trust, he was ultimately forced to surrender.
Hence, Ji-Won gave up trying to get back his phone and instead leaned back into the chair. Then, he continued to explain.
"I wanted to check something, but my finger slipped and I accidentally opened the recent call log. It was just a coincidence that you happened to find me looking at her contact."
"Hmm, what a nicely woven story." Seo-Jun chuckled. "I might have actually believed it, if not for this…"
Saying that, Seo-Jun turned the screen to face Ji-Won. Then, he used one finger to scroll up to the topmost contact in the log.
"See, Miss Park isn't even the first one on the list. That means you had to scroll down quite a few names in order to reach hers. Why aren't you being honest, Ji-Won? Just admit that you were planning on giving her a call."
"What stupid things are you saying?! Of course I wasn't going to call her!" Ji-Won was so startled that he almost jumped out of his seat. His denial, also, came louder than it was really needed.
"Then do you at least admit that you were thinking about her just now?"
"I…" Ji-Won gulped and bit his lower lip.
There was no need for Seo-Jun to inquire further. With Ji-Won's expression looking guiltier than that of a thief who had been caught red-handed by the owner of the house, Seo-Jun would have to be a complete idiot not to realize the truth.
Ultimately, Seo-Jun decided to show a little pity towards his friend, so he put the phone on the table and slid it towards Ji-Won. But, just as he was about to release the phone, Seo-Jun's hand swiped across the screen.
The screen flashed and changed, followed by the sound of a low ring.
Seeing the dialing screen, Ji-Won's heart stopped. In just an instant, his face was drained of color and his eyes lost their luster, looking as though his very soul had flown away.
Yet, even though Ji-Won currently looked half-dead, his voice was very loud as he rebuked his friend for this mischief.
"Seo-Jun, are you crazy?! What the hell are you doing?!" Ji-Won barked, jumping to his feet.
His movement had been so violent, that the chair scraped the floor with a sharp screech. Several heads turned to look towards their table, but neither Ji-Won, nor Seo-Jun paid them any mind.
The two men stared blankly at each other for a couple of seconds, until Seo-Jun's lips slowly curved into a large grin.
Acting like a cat that had found an interesting toy to play with, Seo-Jun moved his hand away from the phone and leaned back into the chair. There was an air of laziness about him as he replied to Ji-Won's accusations.
"My hand slipped." Seo-Jun answered with a light shrug.
"You…"
As Ji-Won began to curse the other man out, his hand went to grab the phone. His finger was just about to press the red button, when the call suddenly connected.
A second later, an all too familiar voice rang from the other end.