By Zephyria 
Aftеr thаt day, Wоo-yеоn immеrsеd himsеlf sоlely in studуing fоr his еxams. Нe minimized his cоntaсt with Do-hуun as muсh as роssiblе and cоnsciоusly shook оff any distraсting thoughts. Although thеy hаd а class together оn Friday, Do-hуun didn’t раrtiсulаrly try tо strike uр а convеrsаtion with him.
A week рassеd, аnd the cаmрus wаs dуеd in the соlors оf spring. Scattering cherrу blossoms сaught his eуe, and bladеs of grаss brushed agаinst his fеet with evеry steр. It was thе kind оf weаthеr wherе оne didn’t fееl сold evеn in just а hoоdiе аnd shоrts. However, as if envying the season of full bloom, news of rain in the afternoon arrived.
“Noona, I’m here.”
Woo-yeon visited the club room for the first time in exactly one week. It wasn’t by choice, but to decide on a location for the study session scheduled for the afternoon. Since he had promised at least once a week when first planning the study group, this was the one thing he couldn’t skip.
“Oh, is class over?”
Ga-ram was in the club room. Do-hyun was nowhere to be seen, but several other club members were there instead. Flustered by the crowded interior, Woo-yeon offered an awkward greeting as he stepped inside. For some reason, hamburgers were piled high on the table.
“Did you eat lunch? Want a burger?”
“Oh, yeah. Have one. There’s bulgogi and shrimp.”
“You can have two.”
“Three is too many.”
The hamburgers, wrapped in thin paper, were slightly squashed and lukewarm. Out of politeness, Woo-yeon thanked them and scanned the wrappers. Despite being told three was too many, there were a total of four placed in front of him.
“Where’s Seon-kyu?”
“He said he was heading to the department office for a bit.”
The yellowish ones were bulgogi and the white ones were shrimp, but neither appealed to him. Based on his experience eating in the States, perhaps the latter would be better than the former. Even if a shrimp burger tasted bad, at least the patty wouldn’t smell.
“Eat some fries too. Want a Coke?”
“No, I’m okay.”
Woo-yeon shook his head and unwrapped a burger. As he fidgeted and prepared to eat, Ga-ram wore a satisfied expression. She looked as if she were full just by watching him eat. (Of course, Ga-ram had already eaten two burgers herself.)
“By the way, why the hamburgers?”
“Ah, Kim Do-hyun…”
The moment she opened her mouth, the club room door swung open. Ga-ram pointed toward the door, remarking, “He’s never going to be a gentleman.”
“I buy them occasionally when the kids pester me. To tell them to do well on their exams.”
“Is the delivery already here?”
Do-hyun was wearing black slacks and a beige trench coat. The thin hem of the coat was long enough to fall below his knees, and as Woo-yeon inadvertently looked down, he caught a glimpse of a rounded ankle bone. Secretly entranced, Woo-yeon admired Do-hyun’s appearance.
“Oppa!”
“Hyung! I missed you!”
In all his life, he had never seen someone look so good in a trench coat. He wondered if a catalog for some famous brand looked like this. Because he was tall and had a straight frame, the coat’s strengths were highlighted perfectly.
“You guys are so transparent.”
Do-hyun smiled softly and closed the club room door. Even the way he approached with long strides was impossibly cool. This wasn’t why he had tried to forget Do-hyun. Forcing his gaze away, Woo-yeon took a large bite of the hamburger.
“Only when he buys food…”
As expected, the sauce-soaked burger was not to Woo-yeon’s taste. The bun was soggy, the lettuce was wilted, and even the shrimp patty tasted bad. He forced himself to swallow what was in his mouth, but he didn’t dare attempt another bite.
Thus, Woo-yeon didn’t realize that Do-hyun had stopped speaking and instead glared at the hamburger. The ones he had eaten with Daniel certainly weren’t this bad. Whether it was a problem with the brand or the fact that they had gone cold, either way, it was cruel.
“Oppa, what’s wrong?”
At those words, Woo-yeon reflexively looked up. His eyes briefly met Do-hyun’s, but Do-hyun quickly looked at someone else. Then, with that same kind face, he shook his head.
“It’s nothing.”
Something surged up inside him. There was no mention of it being a long time, nor did he ask a simple “hello.” Do-hyun simply walked around the sofa and took a seat as far away from Woo-yeon as possible.
“Hey, is class over already? I should have taken that professor’s course. It’s always only an hour.”
“Isn’t the professor just slacking off then?”
“You think so?”
For some reason, his chest felt tight. It felt like he was nauseous, or perhaps like something was squeezing him. His appetite vanished completely, but Woo-yeon kept his head down and continued eating the burger. Since it still tasted like nothing, he chewed two or three times and swallowed.
“What’s the point of ending early? I heard he’s going to make up for it with supplementary classes later.”
“Ugh, what is that? I’m glad I didn’t take it.”
He could feel the hamburgers piling up in his stomach. It felt as if his throat had narrowed, making it difficult to swallow properly. One bite, and then another. Only after finishing everything in his hand did Woo-yeon abruptly stand up.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go first.”
The wrapper crumpled in his hand. Ga-ram looked with surprised eyes at the trash Woo-yeon was setting down. He had seemed to struggle with it, but in the end, he had devoured it in the blink of an eye.
“You’re leaving already?”
“I have something to take care of for a group project.”
It was a half-lie, but the words came out naturally. Just as he was about to turn his back, Woo-yeon’s face crumpled in distress.
“The, uh, study room is…”
“I already reserved it.”
A gentle voice cut Woo-yeon off. Woo-yeon looked at him, but this time, the one who didn’t return the gaze was Do-hyun.
“They said there are seats left at the cafe in front of the school. Just come toward the main gate after your lecture.”
“…….”
Woo-yeon interlaced his fingertips and looked down. An inexplicable frustration kept blocking his throat. He gave a slow, slight bow and walked toward the exit.
“Then, I’ll see you later.”
He heard the club members saying goodbye behind him. Some said they’d see him next time, some told him to get home safely, or some told him to take another burger. He didn’t look back, but he could tell that Do-hyun’s voice was not among them.
* * *
Paradoxically, the emotion Woo-yeon felt was disappointment. Disappointment that he was being ignored, disappointment that he wasn’t given a glance in the end, and disappointment that all of this had been the same last Friday.
In truth, it wasn’t something to be disappointed about. Woo-yeon was the one who had pretended not to know him, ignored him, and even avoided him first. Strictly speaking, the one who should be upset was Do-hyun, not Woo-yeon.
“Today, gather in the groups we divided last time and discuss what leadership is…”
‘The nerve of me.’
To avoid someone because he didn’t want to like them, and then feel depressed when the other person avoids him. Moreover, Do-hyun hadn’t even really avoided him. At most, the frequency of him speaking had decreased and their gazes had crossed a few times. Even that was understandable considering how Woo-yeon had behaved.
“I will give you 30 minutes.”
As soon as the professor finished speaking, the students stood up. Watching them seek out their group members, Woo-yeon let out a powerless sigh. To make matters worse, he saw Kang Jun-seong approaching from afar.
“Seriously, so annoying. Why make us do a presentation?”
Jun-seong naturally sat down next to Woo-yeon. The other three group members also gathered around, with Woo-yeon as the center. Feeling a faint Alpha pheromone, Woo-yeon widened the distance between himself and Jun-seong.
“What should our topic be?”
In the previous meeting, it was decided that Jun-seong would be the group leader. It was because no one else stepped forward, and surprisingly, he had shown enthusiasm. Dejected by the fact that he was in the same group as Jun-seong, Woo-yeon didn’t interfere with whatever they did.
“Do we get extra points if we do the presentation in a foreign language?”
Jun-seong said this while looking back at Woo-yeon. When Woo-yeon gave him a sidelong glance, Jun-seong shyly rubbed the back of his head. Woo-yeon moved his chair aside and spoke to the other group members.
“I’ll do the presentation. Another Seonbae told me that this professor gives good grades for foreign language presentations even if they aren’t great.”
“Oh, you will? Then Woo-yeon can present and…”
He felt like he had indigestion. Seeing as his stomach churned to the point of nausea at the mention of ‘Woo-yeon.’ It would have been better if the other three were proactive, but they remained tight-lipped, listening only to Jun-seong.
“Let’s start by sketching out a brief outline. Woo-yeon, let me use your pen.”
Jun-seong picked up the ballpoint pen before he could even answer. Woo-yeon flinched back as Jun-seong leaned his face in. He wasn’t a guy who acted this friendly, yet he kept narrowing the distance, pretending to be close.
“For the script, we can just use a translator…”
“You don’t need a translator.”
Woo-yeon answered indifferently and pressed firmly on his solar plexus. Perhaps due to stress, his stomach was twisting violently. Seeing this, Jun-seong widened his eyes and examined Woo-yeon.
“What’s wrong? Does your stomach hurt?”
For a moment, he was speechless. It was because Jun-seong’s gaze was filled with genuine worry. Without realizing it, Woo-yeon asked back in an incredulous voice.
“Are you worrying about me right now?”
Jun-seong blinked. The way he stared blankly at Woo-yeon looked utterly foolish. Soon, the guy frowned with an awkward expression.
“No… I just said it because you look like you’re in pain.”
In the past, a torrent of curses would have poured from that mouth. He might have mocked Woo-yeon, saying he was in pain because he ate too much. He certainly wouldn’t have asked, “Am I not allowed to worry?” with such an embarrassed expression.
“…Whatever, just finish the outline.”
Woo-yeon pressed his solar plexus and swallowed hard. His stomach stung as if being pricked by needles. Jun-seong seemed displeased, but he changed the subject without further comment.
They decided to present on the character a leader should possess. However, between the group members who remained shut like clams and Jun-seong, who was getting irritated, muttering, “It’s not like they’re mute…,” Woo-yeon instinctively realized that this group project was doomed. It was a miracle they managed to sketch out an outline at all.
“Hey, by the way.”
While Woo-yeon was organizing the presentation content, Jun-seong spoke up tentatively. Woo-yeon didn’t answer, but Jun-seong continued regardless.
“Is the name Seon Woo-yeon common?”
Snap. The tip of the mechanical pencil lead broke. Pretending it was nothing, Woo-yeon pressed the eraser and rewrote ‘Definition of Leadership’ in English. Jun-seong was observing Woo-yeon’s profile with his chin resting on his hand.
“There’s a Seon Woo-yeon among the people I know.”
“…….”
“The surname Seon is damn rare, and the name Woo-yeon doesn’t seem common either.”