By Zephyria 
A new chat room was created.
As soon as the notice confirming participation in the retrospective exhibition staff went up, someone with good initiative was the first to open a room. Once the headcount was done, the conversation topic quickly settled on one thing.
Cheongwoon Art Museum was located in Gangwon Province. Transportation options from Seoul were also limited. So, how would they get there?
Those who had cars took the lead in the discussion.
While people were being designated one by one for carpooling, a message popped up asking Haon what he planned to do.
“How are you getting there?”
Haon, who read it as is, stared at the ceiling for a moment, pondering.
Then he replied that he had somewhere to stop by, so he would go separately. It wasn’t exactly a lie.
A few more messages followed, asking if he was sure that was okay.
“No, no.”
Haon’s interest was focused on the bait.
He tapped away diligently on the screen to leave a reply. He wrote that since his family home was in that area, he’d probably need to stop by briefly.
After all, some people already knew he was from Gangwon Province.
With that, things were quickly settled.
Haon leaned back against the bed and looked at the ceiling. Then he picked up his phone again.
No matter how much he scrolled up the screen, one person remained silent.
It was Cha Jeong-won.
“Busy, I guess…”
Seeing the hundreds of messages piled up in the chat room, his phone must have been ringing noisily.
After pondering this and that, Haon eventually tried calling him.
The ringtone sounded twice before a dry voice answered.
[What.]
“You answered. Do you know about the chat room that was made?”
Cha Jeong-won replied without missing a beat.
[I know.]
So he does know.
Well, he did answer the phone right away.
Haon subtly bit his lip and then released it.
“How are you getting there?”
[Car.]
Haon let out an unnecessary “Ah,” mixing it with a sigh.
“Right. Of course you’d take a car, sunbae. I was thinking of taking a bus.”
After tossing out the words lightly, the other side fell quiet for a moment. The silence felt long, making Haon press the phone closer to his ear for no reason. Then, Cha Jeong-won tossed out, [Come with me.]
“Huh?”
Haon pretended to ask again on purpose, but in truth, his heart leapt first as if he’d been waiting.
He tried to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible, but he could feel a hint of anticipation mixed in himself.
“Really, I can come with you?”
[Yeah.]
Haon pressed his lips together once and then released them. If he said ‘good’ right away, it would seem too excited.
But he also knew that calculation was pointless.
‘I shouldn’t be this happy.’
He did think it would be nice if he could go with Cha Jeong-won.
But it wasn’t so much about any personal ulterior motive… It’s because being close to Cha Jeong-won is good for that person.
It’s for that person, not for Haon himself.
Hypnotizing himself like that seemed to calm him down a little.
“Okay.”
Haon said very briefly. Then, realizing he had answered too quickly, he added, “What time should we meet? Should we meet at the school?”
[No need to go all the way to school.]
They did live in the same building.
After setting the meeting time, the call ended.
Compared to the times he had stayed up all night with Cha Jeong-won, it was a very clean finish.
Yet, strangely, Haon found it hard to put down his phone. Even with the screen off, it felt like warmth remained in his hand.
“Ah, what’s the big deal about going together… Let’s just sleep.”
He didn’t know how many days it had been since he’d slept properly. So, at least for today, he needed to sleep soundly to handle tomorrow’s schedule.
Haon forcibly pulled the blanket up and closed his eyes. But as soon as he closed his eyes, Cha Jeong-won’s voice became clearer.
“Ahh… No way.”
Haon buried his face in the pillow and gritted his teeth. He was exactly like those excited kids the day before a field trip.
He thought tossing and turning would make him sleepy, but the more he tossed, the clearer his mind became.
What might happen tomorrow while going with Cha Jeong-won?
Come to think of it, what is Cha Jeong-won like when driving?
“Huh?”
Suddenly remembering something, Haon sat bolt upright.
“Can he drive?”
He hadn’t seen Cha Jeong-won drive during this time. Mostly, they had taken taxis together.
Back then, he hadn’t thought anything of it.
Because the reason Cha Jeong-won had been on a long leave of absence was a traffic accident.
Even before knowing the original work, news related to his accident had circulated widely, so he already knew well.
He didn’t know how the accident happened, but he heard it was a major one where the car overturned. And that he was alone in the driver’s seat…
Haon ultimately couldn’t fall asleep properly until dawn.
＊ ＊ ＊
The next morning, Haon went out early and descended to the parking lot, scanning the surroundings.
He wondered if he’d be able to recognize Cha Jeong-won’s car right away, but no particular car caught his eye.
Fortunately, however, Cha Jeong-won had arrived early.
Seeing him leaning against the car, looking at his phone, Haon felt an indescribable emotion.
What is it about that…
Sensing Haon’s gaze, Cha Jeong-won looked up and met his eyes.
“The rabbit’s here.”
He said as if referring to Haon’s red eyes. Why did even that voice sound so sweet?
“Don’t tease me.”
Haon hurriedly managed his expression.
He couldn’t say that Cha Jeong-won, who had just been waiting for him, looked like a man waiting for his lover.
“Shall we get going?”
“Yeah.”
As soon as he heard the answer, he quickly opened the passenger door. Even the sound of the door closing seemed oddly cheerful, making Haon suppress himself once more inside.
Cha Jeong-won sat in the driver’s seat.
And until he started the engine and the sound roared, Haon didn’t take his eyes off Cha Jeong-won.
Just when they were about to depart, Cha Jeong-won suddenly turned his body toward Haon.
“Are you going to keep looking at me like that all the way?”
“Are you okay to drive?”
At Haon’s question, Cha Jeong-won looked at his own injured wrist.
Seems he thinks I’m worried about his wrist again. He openly rotated his wrist right in front of Haon.
“Getting hurt in front of you is scary.”
It seemed like a remark because Haon kept paying attention to it, but contrary to the words, his voice was gentle.
“That’s not it…”
Haon shook his head lightly.
“It’s… the driving.”
He was speaking indirectly, but ultimately, Cha Jeong-won needed to understand.
“If it’s because of the accident…”
He turned his body away from Haon and looked ahead.
The smile from when he rotated his wrist had completely vanished.
“I haven’t forgotten yet.”
The car started smoothly.
He turned the steering wheel steadily and continued speaking.
“But if I were anxious, I wouldn’t have offered you a ride.”
“Sunbae, you really have a way of talking around things.”
Still, the calmness in his voice was reassuring. Haon felt slightly relieved.
The car ran steadily.
Haon thought for a moment and then spoke up.
“If it gets difficult while driving, hold my hand.”
Wouldn’t that make him feel more at ease?
Cha Jeong-won glanced back at Haon.
“First you say to hug, now to hold.”
“I thought it might make things a bit better.”
“Alright, I’ll be waiting.”
Cha Jeong-won didn’t refuse this time either.
At the answer that made his chest tingle, Haon felt like saying something unnecessary.
Not because he couldn’t bear the silence, but because he was worried he might hear his own heartbeat in the silence for no reason.
“But, sunbae. It’ll probably take longer than expected to get to Gangwon Province, should we get some coffee?”
Cha Jeong-won asked briefly while holding the steering wheel.
“Now?”
“Yes. You shouldn’t get drowsy. Do you need something like anti-drowsiness gum? If I stop by a convenience store, I can get some too…”
“I don’t sleep.”
“I know you don’t sleep, but the problem is drowsiness setting in.”
Haon kept talking.
“And I know the rest stops well. I’ll tell you which ones are good as we go. Actually, if we just pull into a rest stop, I’ll go buy it.”
Only then did Cha Jeong-won glance at Haon.
“Why?”
“You seem excited.”
At those words, Haon closed his mouth, making his earlier enthusiastic chatter seem pointless, then quickly shook both hands.
“Excited? This is all part of the plan. Besides, since you’re driving, I should do something.”
Instead of answering, Cha Jeong-won turned on the turn signal. The car quietly took the curve.
“Coffee.”
Haon reflexively nodded.
“Yes, coffee. I know it well. You drink Americano, right? Or do you prefer something sweeter lately?”
Before the words even finished, Haon wanted to punch himself.
Why bring up something sweet here? Yet, his mouth wouldn’t stop.
Just sitting in Cha Jeong-won’s passenger seat, Haon found himself rambling on without even realizing it.
＊ ＊ ＊
As the car got on the highway, the scenery began to pass by quickly.
The sky, not yet fully awake in the morning, was a pale gray. Soon after passing through a tunnel, a blue hue spread.
Cha Jeong-won focused on driving. Even that stable appearance was enough to steal his gaze, so Haon chattered more, trying not to be conscious of it for no reason.
“But Gangwon Province really seems close yet far. Don’t you think?”
When Cha Jeong-won didn’t answer, Haon filled the silence with his own words.
“I’m from Gangwon Province. So, since my family home is there, I always feel that way.”
“So that’s why you said you know the rest stops well.”
“Right.”
Just then, a rest stop sign appeared.
“Let’s stop there. I’ll get it quickly. And some snacks too.”
“Why snacks?”
“Your mouth gets bored when you’re driving, right?”
Cha Jeong-won nodded without saying much. Feeling it was like permission, Haon felt oddly proud.
As they entered the rest stop, the morning air brushed his cheeks even colder.
“Wait just a moment.”
Haon moved quickly to reduce the time Cha Jeong-won had to wait, even if just a little.
79 – NOT 79