CHAPTER 43 …………………………………
“A loafer?”
“Yes. A loafer.”
When I tried to think of an image that was the complete opposite of Peredil, loafer was the only thing that came to mind.
Maybe it was because I always felt frustrated watching him work—so sensitive he couldn’t even eat properly, stubbornly going to work no matter how sick he was, constantly achieving outstanding results yet forever pressuring himself that he wasn’t even close to his father’s level.
“Of all things, a loafer! He’ll think I’m pathetic!”
He leaned close to my ear and complained, clearly unhappy with the hastily made-up occupation.
“I’m sorry. I just tried to think of a character that was the farthest from the Duke.”
I whispered back into his ear and apologized.
Contrary to my expectation that the topic of occupations was finished, Kyle’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Peredil. He seemed very interested in him.
“Then how does he live? I mean, can he really maintain a living without working?”
“He lives at my place. I bring in the money.”
“What does he do at home?”
“He just lies around all day doing nothing.”
Feeling like an interviewer, Kyle kept asking questions, and I became Peredil’s self-appointed spokesperson. I answered his questions rapidly, like it was a speed quiz.
Since Peredil couldn’t possibly improvise, I had to do it for him.
“And he never gets tired of doing nothing every day?”
“No, he says there’s nothing in the world he loves more than play.”
When Kyle finished his questioning, he burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
“Henry! You’re truly someone I’ve never met before. I’ve never seen anyone live like that!”
Still marveling, Kyle suddenly stood up and reached out his palm for a high five toward Peredil.
When I glanced at Peredil, he was listening with an expression that looked like he was about to explode. Kyle held his hand out awkwardly in the air longer and longer.
Yikes. At this rate, he might storm out.
I prepared to change the subject to save Kyle from embarrassment.
But Kyle didn’t seem bothered at all—he simply lowered his raised hand and smacked it on the table. Then he shouted with admiration:
“How can you live like that? Amazing!”
Kyle’s unexpected reaction left Peredil stunned. Honestly, so was I.
A-amazing?
“Your lifestyle—it’s really admirable!”
“Admirable?”
For the first time that night, Peredil, who had been silent all along, spoke first.
“What’s admirable about a life of doing nothing? Are you mocking me?”
“What? Mocking? Not at all. I honestly think it’s admirable.”
Kyle’s earnest face made it clear he had no intention of making fun of Peredil. Peredil must have thought the same, because the suspicion in his gaze faded—well, halfway.
“Sigh. The truth is… I’ve been really troubled about work lately.”
Kyle let out a pained sigh and sat back down heavily.
“I used to play music just as a hobby, but ever since I turned it into a career, I’ve been terrified of making a mistake on stage. It’s been stressing me out like crazy.”
He suddenly opened up about his worries. Peredil listened attentively.
“So someone like you, who doesn’t work yet feels no anxiety, seems amazing to me. If I don’t practice even for a day, my heart gets restless and I feel like I’m going to lose it. How can you be so relaxed?”
He was asking Peredil about relaxation? “Unemployed loafer Henry” was just a character I invented—Peredil had no way of answering that.
I was about to step in again. But unexpectedly, Peredil continued the conversation himself.
“Isn’t staying tense more helpful? Right now I’m… a loafer, but if I had a job, I would also devote all my focus to it.”
I never imagined he’d bare his thoughts to someone he’d just met.
He was pretending to be someone else right now, but it still surprised me to hear him share his honest thinking.
“Haha, but now I’m confused. I started music because I loved it, yet at some point it stopped being fun. So I was wondering if you might give me some advice. I want to go back to the days when I played guitar happily.”
I wondered what Peredil would think. The man I knew was someone who lived far away from anything like happiness.
“Happiness…”
He repeated the word happiness, but no further words came.
Kyle smiled and held out a beer bottle, maybe hoping a toast would lighten the mood.
“I guess that was too heavy a question. I didn’t mean to dampen the mood at a fun drinking party. Let’s just forget my ranting.”
“…Sometimes I’d like to stand in line for a crust of bread that won’t even fill me up… or go outside and try my hand at hitting a target… maybe even take on a foolish challenge like finishing a giant bowl of noodles within a time limit… That kind of thing sounds nice.”
His explanation wasn’t exactly clear, but Kyle understood and smiled brightly.
“You mean I need some relaxation too, right? To step away from my guitar for a bit. That’s good advice, friend.”
“Yeah… friend…”
Kyle and Peredil clinked beer bottles.
“Hey, thanks.”
“Hm? For what?”
Jina leaned close to me and whispered into my ear.
“Kyle hasn’t been doing anything other than practicing lately, so I dragged him out today. But after hearing your boyfriend talk, he looks a little lighter.”
“I see. I’m glad it helped.”
Time had passed, and the once-empty pub was now full. Finally, it felt like the lively pub atmosphere I knew.
“To friendship!”
“Forever!”
“Let our wallets be full!”
“And our bellies slim!”
Cheers roared from all directions. Peredil quietly watched the lively scene.
“Henry, since you met a good friend today, why don’t you give a toast?”
“Yeah, do it. Make it loud, friend.”
“Right. I’ve been thinking your voice sounded nice all night—I’m excited to hear it.”
The three of them urged him at once. He blushed slightly and cleared his throat.
“Ahem… It’s my first time giving a toast, so I hope you’ll forgive me if I’m not good at it.”
Was it the alcohol? He accepted without hesitation—a huge improvement.
“When I heard the word happiness, I looked back at my recent days. It turns out… I was actually quite happy without even realizing it. Maybe the things I listed earlier were just the extras that come with happiness. I’ve begun to think that who you do things with is more important than what you do.”
He recited his toast smoothly, staring straight into my eyes. It felt like he was saying that I was the person who had made him happy. My heart swelled.
“And I think… my friend’s happiness hasn’t drifted far away. He just forgot it was there for a while.”
He looked at Kyle this time. Calling him “friend” sounded a bit awkward, but Kyle grinned.
“When I shout ‘Happiness is—’, shout back ‘close by.’ Happiness is—!”
“Close by!”
The four of us yelled so loudly the pub shook, then clinked our bottles and laughed loudly.
It was Peredil’s successful first toast.
As I set my beer bottle down, Jina was already showering Kyle with a fierce kiss.
Wow, bold move. Even I was surprised—so Peredil must be…
I turned to look at him and saw he had gone stiff, like he’d been sitting there frozen for days.
“Sorry, sorry! Your toast was so touching. I suddenly felt overwhelmed by the fact that Kyle was right next to me.”
Jina stopped devouring Kyle’s lips and wiped her smudged lipstick. Resting her chin on one hand, she looked at us curiously.
“But the two of you are awfully stiff for a couple.”
“Oh, it’s just because we haven’t been dating for long.”
“Hmmm… really?”
This time, the pause she took before speaking made me nervous.
After thinking to herself for a moment, she seemed to come up with something entertaining and looked at us brightly.
“Hey. Want to play a couple game?”
