“Minseok?”

Her voice raises to a high-pitched squeak as the familiar figure comes over them, all smile and crinkled eyes.

“Nice to meet you here, Yong-sun. I realized after I left the other day that I had not told you I’d be working for the same company.” He says, smiling widely at the cat owner, without paying much attention to Jongdae, who has remained completely silent from his arrival.

“You must be the newest member of our office, I suppose? What about getting a drink? Everybody must be waiting for us.” He says, raising his voice as though he wanted to show the world how happy he was to be there. Solar knows his friend has always been quite expressive, but she did not know he could speak that loud. She barely manages to hear Minseok telling her he is starting to work the next day.

“You can go ahead, Jongdae. We’ll join you in a minute.” The accountant says softly, smiling to her friend has offering her friend a smile as they part ways and he enters the building.

“Is he always that loud?”

As they enter, the room is filled with people, but not packed. One can easily finds one’s way without disturbing the waiters and waitresses. Solar leaves her light coat at the entrance, where a steward politely takes it in before indicating them the long and wide table where their colleagues are seated. Waving frantically among them sits Jongdae, wearing his bright and wide smile. Beside of him are two empty chairs. Ours, Young-sun thinks as they approach.

Just as she is going to seat next to her friend, Minseok gets in her way and pulls her chair, leaving her with knitting brows and a look of deep surprise marking her face. Jongdae, who has witnessed the entire scene, is cut half way in is attempt at speaking, and if Young-sun did not know him well enough, she would assume he is mumbling under his breath. Jongdae cannot mumble; he can just whine and speak out loud when he has something to say.

“Thank you?” She sits and gives him an uneasy smile, but the accountant seems unruffled by the uncertainty in her voice, since he continues speaking as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

And maybe it is, when looking at it properly, because Young-sun is not used to this kind of attentions.

They order aperitive drinks and chatting, together or with Jongdae, when Minseok is not sitting so straight in his chair that he prevents the cat owner from seeing her friend. She remembers him several times before he finally sits back and continues talking about his former job and city. It appears the new accountant is quite talkative and easy-going. He tells them a lot about his habits and likings, ignoring the joking “you sound like you’re applying for a new job again” Jongdae throws in here and there.

At the end of the evening, Young-sun is considering writing Minseok’s biography in details. Jongdae is sipping his eleven’s glass of wine, as he states while bringing his drink to his lips, looking as though he could start crying every second.

“I think it’s time to go home, Jongdae.” Solar decides, leaving her chair to go to her friend and make him let go of his glass. He looks at her like a kicked puppy and she can hear Minseok snickering in her back.

“Do you think you can take him home?” She asks, realizing how badly drunk his friend was as he starts singing some electro sound that has no actual lyrics. He sure cannot drive this way.

“Sure.”

Almost all customers have left the restaurant when they finally decide to go. Jongdae has miraculously managed to reach the fifteenth’s glass without throwing up and is fumbling onto his feet, gazing at the floor as if he was going to suddenly disappear. His lips look even more curled as usually, but it only worries Young-sun, whose brows knit softly as they cross the area in front the restaurant, reaching Minseok’s expensive-looking car.

Jongdae sings all the way to Young-sun’s place, shouting his lungs out of his chest for dear life.

“I’m sorry.” The cat owner says as she leaves the car after giving Minseok the address of Jongdae’s place.

“Don’t worry, I’m used to this kind of things.”

“Well, you don’t know Jongdae.” She answers, smiling amusedly as she leaves after wishing them goodnight, trying to forget Jongdae who keeps asking her to not leave him alone with Byul’s friend.

She does anyway, and as she walks to her flat, she cannot see the lopsided smile appearing on Minseok’s face.

Author's Note : Hi everyone ! I'm sorry I forgot to update two days ago I've been too busy. There will be not update during the week-end since I'll be very busy as well, so you know ♥ Thanks for bearing with me o/