THE RESTLESS AUTUMN (completed) (a full-length novel)

Cafe Roma

Chapter 4

The Groove came to life at nine every evening. The rich and the elite from Gangnam-gu made up the exclusive crowd and tonight was no different. Ji-heon drove Mong-ryu to the place without their usual banter. Little came out of Mong-ryu’s mouth; a few selected words in response to Ji-heon’s questions. Mong-ryu couldn’t hide his indifference. Ji-heon knew about his insecurity. Days ago, Euna had distributed invites to the school cafeteria and Mong-ryu who happened to be in the vicinity got one. Without further thinking, he canceled his participation in the student council meeting and kept the news from his friends, including Ji-heon. Guilt hounded Mong-ryu for wanting to go alone but he knew he had no chance if he let his friend come, as it had always been the case.

Dressed in a mustard checkered suit and plum-colored bow, Mong-ryu appeared confident in his avant-garde look and hoped it would give him an edge. Desperate for Euna’s attention, Mong-ryu went as far as finding the latest edition of “Techniques To Get Your Jokes Right” and memorized the one-liners in a rush. Except for the flashy clothes and a witty sense of humor, he knew he had nothing else up in his sleeve. But he built his confidence around the thought that Euna had shown interest in him when they first met. But to his horror, Ji-heon by his door an hour before the party, offering a ride to the bar. He couldn’t decline. A refusal would signify an admission of guilt, guilt of keeping the invitation news to himself. Mong-ryu adjusted his bow and hopped on to Ji-heon’s top-down convertible without further argument.

“Aren’t you going to ask how I came to know about the party?” Ji-heon asked while steering the wheel. Mong-ryu furrowed his brows and looked to his right.

“Is there anything you don’t know?” he mumbled under his breath.

“Excuse me?” Ji-heon bit his lower lip, fighting to keep a straight face.

“I said you arrived, offering me a ride,” Mong-ryu said with an annoyance in his tone, “what else is there to ask?”

“You sound unhappy.”

Mong-ryu pounded his fist on his knee and sighed. “Man, I really, really like her.”

“So?”“I don’t know if she’ll give me the time of the day with you around,” Mong-ryu said, openly conceding to his friend for the first time.

Ji-heon laughed, almost losing his grip on the wheel. “Really?”

Mong-ryu stayed silent.

“Relax. I’m not going to the party. I just wanted to see how you look tonight.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“How’s my attire?” Mong-ryu protruded his chest to give emphasis on his checkered suit.

Ji-heon threw him a look and said, “You’re definitely a head-turner. But you would’ve looked better if you wore black.”

“Black bores me.”

“And these colors excite you?”

“I checked out GQ for reference.”

“Yeah, whatever suits you. But it’s good you’re wearing contacts tonight.”Ji-heon continued driving while Mong-ryu practiced his monologues. He would nod occasionally but his mind went astray, wondering how she looked tonight. “Is something wrong?”

“What?”

“I’ve said my punch line. You didn’t laugh.”

“Can you deliver it one more time? I didn’t hear clearly.”