Chapter 50
Eric POV
I saw the two of them standing right in front of the restaurant.
"Are we the only ones here?" I asked as I walked closer.
"Thank goodness you are here now," Tae Min said as he immediately went inside.
"Have you been waiting long?"
Nari nodded. "It's still early. We will just hang around first, then the real fun starts in the evening."
"Evening?" I repeated as I suddenly stopped walking.
She looked back at me. "What's wrong?"
"Aren't you allowed to stay out that late?" she asked teasingly.
"No, it's not that. It's just… I didn't say I would be out that late."
"Hmmm, then text him," she said casually. "Why are you worried about nothing?"
Then she waved her hand dismissively.
"Actually, text him later. He won't complain."
Tae Min suddenly pouted dramatically. "Do you miss him that much?"
I smacked my tongue immediately. "No. He might just be worried."
The moment the words left my mouth, both of them looked at me.
Nari slowly handed me the smoothie the waitress brought over.
"Since when do you start caring so much about how he feels?" she asked.
I ignored the question and drank from the cup instead.
The food there was really nice.
We ordered a lot, ate, talked, and laughed for a while before Tae Min suddenly stood up.
"We should go to the gaming spot."
Nari immediately dragged me along. "Hurry up."
We played all sorts of games, but I kept losing terribly.
"This is so weird," I complained as I sat down tiredly. "It's like you all have been practicing for years."
Nari laughed loudly. "Maybe your brain is somewhere else."
I rolled my eyes.
After a while, I checked the time again.
"It's getting late now… should I text him?"
Nari immediately snatched my phone from my hand.
"Bro, it is just 4 PM. You only live once."
Then she grinned.
"Let's go shopping first. After shopping, you can text him, okay?"
I stared at her, wondering if it was really a good idea.
Even when staying with Laurel, I usually told her my plans before going out.
"You only live once," Tae Min repeated dramatically.
I sighed. "Fine."
We entered a nearby clothing store.
It was not too luxurious, but it was nice and affordable.
We tried different outfits, made fun of each other, and somehow still ended up buying nothing.
"That was so fun," Nari said happily.
And honestly… it really was.
It was the first time I had seen her let her guard down that much.
She finally handed my phone back to me.
The moment I tried turning it on properly
Dead battery.
"I should probably go," I said. "My phone died."
"What about our classmates waiting for us?" Tae Min asked.
"I can't just disappear without anyone knowing where I am."
Tae Min scoffed dramatically.
"Of course we get it. The younger brother of a young oil and gas CEO is scared someone might hurt him."
Then he grinned lazily.
"Bro, life is not a film."
"It's not that"
Nari cut in immediately.
"Besides, if someone really needed you and your phone wasn't going through, they would call one of us."
"Hmmm," I muttered. "Friends are such a bad influence."
"That hurt," Nari complained.
Then Tae Min suddenly spread his arms wide.
"Come. Let us show you the stars and moon of Korea."
The moment we arrived, I stared at the building in disbelief.
"…A club?"
"Hmmm," Nari hummed proudly.
One of the bouncers recognized Tae Min immediately, so we entered without stress.
The music was loud.
Too loud.
Lights flashed everywhere while people moved wildly around the room.
I was still looking around awkwardly when suddenly
"Happy birthday!"
I froze.
I looked up to see people gathered around.
The two girls sitting in front of me.
Some classmates.
People I knew.
People I barely talked to.
Even people I could only call acquaintances.
"…Wow," I muttered.
"Please, that was yesterday."
One of the girls laughed.
"We heard you celebrated it old style."
"So we planned the type you would actually like," another added excitedly.
Then she clapped her hands.
Three women suddenly walked out dancing.
I blinked slowly.
"…They are naked."
Tae Min nearly choked from laughing.
"They are called strippers, bro. Since it's your first time officially being an adult, you should be the first to enjoy."
The girls danced around me while everyone cheered loudly, but suddenly everything started feeling overwhelming.
Too loud.
Too close.
Too much.
I quietly stood up and went to sit somewhere else.
A woman suddenly sat beside me.
"Handsome," she said softly, "you won't mind having a drink with me, right?"
"I just want to be alone right now."
She smiled lazily.
"Don't you know this saying? A handsome man shouldn't stay alone."
I looked away without replying.
"What brought you here?" she suddenly asked.
I looked at her briefly before answering quietly.
"Just chilling."
"Oh… business problems?"
I stayed silent again.
Then she leaned closer.
"Heartbreak?"
I immediately stood up to leave.
But she grabbed my wrist.
I looked back sharply.
Then she smiled teasingly.
"Will your lover misunderstand?"
Before I could react properly, she suddenly hugged me.
I tried pushing her away carefully, not wanting to hurt her.
Then I saw someone standing ahead.
I froze.
Nicholas.
I hurriedly pushed the woman away immediately.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Huh… Nari and Tae Min"
But he cut me off.
"That's not the question I'm asking you."
His voice was calm.
But sharp.
I frowned slightly. "That's what I'm trying to explain."
He exhaled heavily before speaking again.
"Your sister is sick. I've been worried about you. Do you even know what she would do if she found out about this?"
I stopped moving completely.
"I'm not a kid," I replied quietly. "I know I should have called you."
"You can go out, yes," he continued, "but must it be now? Especially when your sister is still sick? One of the reasons she works herself that hard is to make sure you are safe, and here you are with"
He suddenly stopped talking.
His eyes shifted toward the girl behind me.
Something inside me snapped immediately.
"Are you saying I'm bringing my sister downfall?" I asked coldly.
His expression changed instantly.
"Huh?"
"Do you think I'm not worried about her?"
Nari and Tae Min quickly rushed over after noticing the tension.
"That's not what I'm saying," Nicholas replied immediately.
But I had already stepped away from him.
I walked past him
And headed home.