By Zephyria 
As I entered the distance where Jeon Jae-hyung’s face was clearly visible, I slowly reduced my pace. My heart, which had been pounding from running, fearing I might miss him, thudded. I swallowed dryly. As I got closer, my mind went blank.
Just as my steps, which had been heading directly towards Jeon Jae-hyung, began to circle to buy time, I heard a sound.
“Hmm?”
My eyes met Jeon Jae-hyung’s, who was talking with a friend while holding his prize. Startled, I tried to look away, but Jeon Jae-hyung made a sound of surprise.
Jeon Jae-hyung slowly raised a finger and pointed at me. Because of that, I froze in place.
“Why?”
Jeon Jae-hyung’s friend, standing beside him, looked at me, following Jeon Jae-hyung’s gaze. My cheek felt a sting.
‘Does he… remember?’
My heart raced. I stared at Jeon Jae-hyung, forgetting to even blink.
A moment later, Jeon Jae-hyung released his statue-like stiffness and walked towards me with steady steps. As he approached, he soon smiled faintly. It was the same smile I remembered.
His first words to me were this:
“You can call me by either name, whichever is more comfortable.”
❖ ❖ ❖
“What? You met Jeon Jae-hyung too?”
Clang!
Min Si-hu shouted in exasperation. Simultaneously, the sound of tableware hitting the floor was loud. The attention of the people eating in the student cafeteria turned to the source of the noise.
“Calm down, calm down.”
Blushing with embarrassment, I tried to calm Min Si-hu. Normally, Seong Hae-min would have taken charge of such a situation, but today, even that calm Seong Hae-min had dropped his spoon, so I had no choice but to try and calm him.
“But!”
Min Si-hu, holding chopsticks upside down in each hand, bit his lip and exclaimed softly. His face was trying to suppress his excitement.
“The Four Heavenly Kings are finally… again…!”
“You really like calling them the Four Heavenly Kings.”
Seong Hae-min, having regained his composure, picked up the spoon he had dropped and placed it on his tray, shaking his head. Min Si-hu cleared his throat.
“Ahem. We call them that for convenience.”
“Right, right.”
“Anyway, I thought it was impossible, but to have met both of them…”
Min Si-hu trailed off. It was something no one had expected, and he seemed amazed that it had happened. I felt the same way.
“I was really surprised when I saw Jeon Jae-hyung.”
“That’s how I felt when I saw Lee Beom!”
“Then imagine how I felt when I saw you guys.”
“Indeed.”
Min Si-hu, now calm, nodded his head. Seong Hae-min chuckled and asked what Jeon Jae-hyung was like. I answered seriously.
“His first impression was that he… speaks…”
“Speaks?”
“Well.”
Jeon Jae-hyung, who started by saying I could call him by whichever name I preferred, displayed the same skillful eloquence he had on stage. He explained that he had changed his name in middle school due to lineage issues, so his previous name, Jeon Jae-hyung, was familiar, and some friends still called him by it.
Jeon Jae-hyung asked if I had also met Lee Beom, Seong Hae-min, and Min Si-hu, and inquired about the others. We talked for a long time about that. Even when he heard that Lee Beom didn’t remember the events from the novel, Jeon Jae-hyung accepted it, saying it was possible.
He was surprisingly calm, without any of the confusion that I or the others had experienced. I wondered if he had remembered earlier, and asked, but that wasn’t the case either. He said it only came back to him after seeing my face, yet how could he maintain such composure? It was truly astonishing.
“He seems as indifferent as ever.”
Seong Hae-min chuckled and shrugged his shoulders after hearing the story.
“Though his eloquence is different.”
“I’m curious! I want to see him!”
Min Si-hu’s eyes sparkled. Indeed, Jeon Jae-hyung was different from his novel counterpart, yet also similar.
Though I didn’t mention it, his sharp observation skills were exactly the same.
‘Were you with Do Yun-hyeok?’
I was so creeped out when he suddenly looked around and asked that.
Following Jeon Jae-hyung’s gaze, I looked back and saw Do Yun-hyeok waiting at a distance. Thanks to that, I became the only one among the Four Heavenly Kings members to have exchanged greetings with Do Yun-hyeok, but such things should be kept a secret…
In the novel, perhaps due to his speech pattern, he seemed slow-witted, so I hadn’t realized how sharp he was, but now it was the opposite. His perceptiveness was clearly evident.
With sharp observation skills, quick wit, and eloquent speech, he seemed destined to hold a key position as soon as he joined a company.
“Lee Beom is busy with the college entrance exams, but let’s at least try to arrange a gathering among ourselves!”
Min Si-hu suggested, jumping up. We nodded. I was inwardly curious about what kind of gathering it would be if we all met.
However, arranging a meeting for all of us proved quite difficult. It was different from my vague assumption that meeting each of the Four Heavenly Kings individually would somehow lead to returning to ‘the past’ or something similar. Each of us was busy with our own schedules, making it quite hard to find a time when all four of us were free.
‘Well… I guess this is natural.’
In fact, even Seong Hae-min and Min Si-hu, who attended the same university, were hard to see often. It was a completely different situation from high school, where we spent 12 hours a day on campus. Seong Hae-min would have been difficult to see if we didn’t have any classes together. We would only talk via messenger.
Of course, Do Yun-hyeok, who came to see me frequently despite attending a different university, was an exception.
After that, a surprisingly ordinary and simple daily life continued for a while. I felt a bit amazed and excited about having met all the Four Heavenly Kings, but without arranging separate meetings, there were no dramatic changes.
‘He’s changed a lot too.’
Thinking back to the immense mental shock I experienced when I first encountered Seong Hae-min and Min Si-hu, I realized how much both I and the situation had changed.
Of course, back then, I didn’t care if my memories were fake, as long as I knew Seong Hae-min was alive…
Looking back, Do Yun-hyeok was always at the starting point of the changes. Without Do Yun-hyeok, I wouldn’t be who I am now.
Would there ever be a day when I tell them about Do Yun-hyeok? I suddenly wondered.
❖ ❖ ❖
It was a few weeks later when Jeon Jae-hyung, Min Si-hu, Seong Hae-min, and I all gathered in one place.
“You’re here!”
“Sorry. I’m a bit late. It’s my first time here, so I got a little lost.”
“No, there’s still plenty of time. The bus to school is a bit complicated. Should we have met at the station and come together?”
“No, I was trying to secure seats, so don’t worry. I should have come earlier, I’m the one who’s sorry.”
I warmly greeted Jeon Jae-hyung as he descended the spectator stairs.
He was quite dashing, dressed neatly and holding a bouquet. I still couldn’t get used to him laughing and chatting.
“Seong Hae-min! Long time no see.”
Upon spotting Seong Hae-min, Jeon Jae-hyung rushed over and embraced him in a warm hug. Seong Hae-min, caught in the greeting, had his hands flailing in the air before he patted Jeon Jae-hyung’s back with a bright smile.
Even though it was their first meeting in reality, the scene, filled with such intimacy, felt strangely poignant.
“I’m looking forward to it. I wanted to say hello to Si-hu after arriving early.”
“We can do that after it’s over.”
The reason we could all gather today was thanks to Min Si-hu. Today was the regular concert day for Min Si-hu’s orchestra club. It was the day Min Si-hu proudly showcased the results of his intense practice from before the break, throughout the break, and into the beginning of the semester.
As the performance time approached, the spacious cultural hall filled with people. Latecomers looked around for seats. I was glad we had come early to secure seats. Following Min Si-hu’s prior instructions, we took seats in the left section, offering a good view of him on stage.
Under the orange lighting, I could hear the murmurs of people anticipating the performance. We also waited with excitement for the concert.
Just before the house lights dimmed, I handed Jeon Jae-hyung the concert program and reminded him of when Min Si-hu would take the stage.
Soon, the house lights went out, and silence fell. As the curtain rose, bright lights illuminated the stage.
The performance was a success. Although they were amateurs, I could imagine how rigorously the orchestra members had practiced during the break. It was a moving performance that even piqued my interest, despite my lack of knowledge in classical music.
“He’s not just good at singing.”
Jeon Jae-hyung, who remained seated, lost in the afterglow until everyone else stood up, left a single comment after the performance concluded. It was an undeniable statement.
“I got goosebumps during the violin solo in the middle of the piece.”
“And right after that, the clarinet and bassoon…”
As we discussed which parts we liked, we also left the auditorium. Then, we headed towards the performer waiting room to meet Min Si-hu.
The waiting room was bustling with people who had come to see their friends perform. The sound of camera shutters and the exchange of bouquets filled the air.
“There are so many people.”
“I know. Everyone must have come here after the performance. Should I call Si-hu and ask him to meet us outside?”
“Isn’t that Si-hu over there?”
“…It is.”
“That saves us the trouble.”
I had been worried about finding Min Si-hu in such a place and was about to call him, but there was no need at all. This was because a crowd had gathered in a circle around Min Si-hu.
Even though people were starting to leave the building as we came out late, only Min Si-hu’s vicinity was packed.