It’s night and you have finished work for the week, being a civil servant isn’t easy, but you love it. You look around and find yourself alone in the restaurant with only your food and soju for comfort. How did it get like this? You shouldn’t be out drinking alone not only is it embarrassing, but it was making you self-conscious.

(A few hours earlier)

You were asked by your colleges to come out and drink with them and as always you said yes. You were expecting an amazing night of fun and karaoke so you quickly went home to change, before going to the restaurant that you said you were going to meet at. No one had arrived yet so you got a table for the group and waited. 15 minutes later you got a text into the work group chat with your manager saying that he couldn’t make it anymore as he had to do something with his wife. He could have at least come for a couple of minutes you thought but at least the others were coming. Suddenly your phone was vibrating again with messages saying that if the manager wasn’t coming then they would just stay at home. You frantically texted them to come, but they declined.

You felt like a fool, now you were sat alone in a restaurant with no one coming. The waiter came over for the fourth time asking when your party was going to arrive and if he could get you anything, you were about to leave when you realised that you had no food in the fridge “” you said to yourself and ended up ordering some galbi and a bottle of soju.

(Present day)

You start to look around the restaurant while slowly sipping your soju. After looking around for a few seconds to make sure no one was watching you spot a man sitting on a table not too far from you eating and drinking alone also, but he looked completely content in comparison to how you were feeling.

In a split-second decision, you jump out of your seat and stand in front of the solo drinker “Annyeonghaseyo” you bow slightly and await a response, but you don’t get one. You decide to try again but this time you tap him lightly on the shoulder. He looks startled, but composes himself quickly and gives you a quizzical frown. “I am sorry, but I was wondering if I could sit with you seeing as we are both drinking alone”, you wait in trepidation about what he is going to say to you, but he finally breaks the silence “I’m afraid not I drink alone” “Oh” was the only response you could give. You begin to walk away until he speaks again “Fine, come and sit down quickly, but don’t get the wrong idea I’m still drinking alone”. “Oh, gamsahamnida!” you nearly shout and quickly explain to the waiter your new table situation.

After sitting yourself down you realise he was not joking and was serious about drinking alone. You try to do the same and take a photo of your food to put on Instagram and slowly eat your meal. After a while of silence, you decide to address the situation “So, why did you say you drink solo? Do you not have anyone to drink with?” He looks up at you “I have plenty of people to drink with, I have my bandmates, manager, and family that I could drink with I just prefer to drink alone.” You try to process this information if he is in a group and has a family to go out with, why wouldn’t he? “Really? But why?” “It’s quite simple. I am a singer so I spend my entire day with the rest of my group singing, talking and rehearsing. I never stop, so I like to go drinking and eating alone so that I can have some time to myself and just enjoy the peace and quiet”.

He was strange but quite likable and you gave him a smile and he gave on to you back. After a while, he started to talk to you more about his band Exo and more about why drinking solo is the only way to drink (even if he was contradicting himself by drinking with you). In the end, you had both finished way too much soju and eaten so much you thought you were going to burst. You had a brilliant time and had forgotten completely about being stood up by your work colleges.

After paying your bills you both got up to leave and went outside. “Gamsahamnida again Baekhyun it was great meeting you and drinking with you” “That is okay, but we didn’t drink together we drank solo remember”. You looked at him confused for a moment then nodded your head and laughed “Okay drinking solo it was then. Anyway I have got to go home now so annyeong” after waving at him you turned around to walk away until you felt someone tap you on the shoulder “Baekhyun?” you asked puzzled. “I’m sorry, but I had a really wonderful time drinking solo with you tonight, so I was wondering if we could drink solo together another time?” he smiled at you in a way that seemed to go all the way into his eyes, you couldn’t help smiling back “I would love to go drinking solo with you again.”

-THE END-