Today, particularly, Gu Won Hu was irksome!

Alcohol in business, doctors also preferring strong drinks – it’s not just a saying. As businessman Gu Won Hu downed the diluted whiskey, doctor Seo Jun filled his glass to the brim with pure liquor and downed it in one go.

And he did it five times in a row.

“Happy now?”

“Doesn’t it taste bitter?”

“Not really.”

But how could it not? The alcohol scorched his esophagus and heated his stomach as if pouring oil on fire.

However, Seo Jun drank three more glasses.

“You’re tough! Down harsh drinks like that without even a grimace.”

“You too, drink more. Seems like you’re sobering up.”

Even as he spoke to Gu Won Hu, Seo Jun’s gaze remained fixed on So Yeon. He wanted her to know why he was here and that he was barely holding back from bursting out.

“Eom So Yeon. Look at me now.”

It would be better if she spoke first.

“…….”

Seo Jun let out a low voice and mixed a wry smile with his elegant one. So Yeon couldn’t bring herself to raise her heavy gaze.

Frustrated by the pair’s behavior, Gu Won Hu sarcastically commented.

“What’s going on with you two? Anyway, you’re going to make So Yeon cry, you jerk!”

“Jerk, huh…”

Why should I listen to that? Doesn’t he think why? Lost in thought, Seo Jun poured another glass of liquor to his lips.

That was the moment.
The provided Korean text has 18 lines. Here is the English translation, maintaining the exact same number of lines as the original:

It was like the calm before a storm. The subservient posture of So Yeon and the icy gaze of Seo Jun alone indicated the gravity of the problem they needed to address. Gu Won Hu, realizing this, stretched his arm across the table, firmly grabbed Do Soon’s wrist, and stood up.

“Do Soon and I will be in the hall. Call us when you two have finished talking.”

“Wha, what?”

Do Soon found herself at the room’s door in an instant, as if teleported, alongside Gu Won Hu.

As soon as Do Soon and Gu Won Hu completely exited the room, So Yeon lifted her head with determination.

“There’s something I need to say.”

“I have questions too. But first, you owe me an explanation.”

Seo Jun couldn’t help but smile sarcastically.

He couldn’t understand why So Yeon, who had been out of contact for days, was here in the first place.

“Speak. What have you been doing all this time? Why did you even turn off your phone? Despite knowing I was waiting, why are you here with someone else?”

“It’s about what I have to tell you, Seo Jun. That’s why.”

“So?”

“I couldn’t get through to my mother, so I couldn’t even attend to my phone. It wasn’t my intention to ignore you. The situation turned out to be more serious than I expected. And coming here… I needed courage to meet you, even if it meant relying on alcohol.”

“Why do you think? Why did you need alcohol?”

“……”

So Yeon, who had been responding promptly to Seo Jun’s interrogation-like questions, now clamped her lips straight. Confused about where to start with the truth, she had no other choice.

“This photo.”

“!”

Seo Jun stared intently at her pale face with large, trembling eyes, while So Yeon’s eyes were fixed on the photo of Hyun Woo displayed on Seo Jun’s phone screen.