By Zephyria 
‘Perhaps, maybe, by any chance.’
I was fully aware that running into these guys, or meeting Do Yun-hyeok, went beyond the assumptions of the ‘what if’ game. Min Si-hu had called me unimaginative, but I was already living with impossible fantasies every day.
Even though I thought I might meet them someday, but it would be difficult for now, I couldn’t stop searching for them.
While I was rubbing my temples and resting for a moment, Seong Hae-min and Min Si-hu returned with cake. Even though I said it was okay, Seong Hae-min had brought a fork for my share.
If they were offering, I wouldn’t refuse. Even though they bought two pieces of cake, it was gone in an instant, with three lanky guys sharing pieces smaller than my palm, leaving the plates clean.
“Seong Hae-jun, you said you wouldn’t eat, but! I knew this would happen!”
“You should have eaten it right away when it was there. Ah, it’s sweet.”
Min Si-hu, who had been playing around with his fork so much in that short time that he barely ate any cake, grumbled. Seong Hae-min, wiping his mouth with the napkin Min Si-hu had brought, smirked teasingly. The ends of Min Si-hu’s eyebrows shot up.
Min Si-hu proudly claimed that he didn’t act cute or speak with a lisp, but his occasional habit of speaking in the third person (which he consistently attributed to his girlfriend’s influence) and his affectionate personality were the same in the novel and in reality. He just didn’t realize it himself.
Still, seeing him whine like that without being annoying, I thought he definitely had the personality to succeed as an entertainer. Seong Hae-min and I just smiled and shook our heads.
“Then now, what if…”
“Again?”
“Yeah. What if Lee Beom…”
And after that, Min Si-hu’s ‘what if’ game, which refused to yield, continued.
❖ ❖ ❖
It seemed like an ordinary daily life continued. Until I received an unexpected message from Min Si-hu.
There was nothing special about my first university vacation. I wasn’t taking any summer courses, nor was I involved in any clubs or study groups. Do Yun-hyeok, whom I thought we might hang out with, was away on a family trip…
So, I mostly met Seong Hae-min or Min Si-hu, or studied English, which I felt I lacked last semester.
And recently, to supplement my allowance, I had started giving online tutoring, introduced by a university senior as a great part-time job.
“Let’s try problem number 32 again.”
[Yes.]
As the student on the other side of the monitor calmly worked on the problem, I took a sip of water to catch my breath. Suddenly, like a hack, a stream of notification windows began to pop up in the corner of my laptop.
“Min Si-hu: Yo”
“Min Si-hu: Yooo”
“Min Si-hu: Lol”
“Min Si-hu: What the heck”
“Min Si-hu: Is this real?”
I thought it was Min Si-hu. Only he would text like this, making a fuss. It was his usual pattern to draw attention by calling someone urgently about something trivial.
As I was about to dismiss the KakaoTalk notifications with a blank expression, I saw:
“Seong Hae-min: What is it?”
“Seong Hae-min: Stop the fuss.”
“Min Si-hu: No, seriously.”
“Min Si-hu: Don’t be surprised when you hear it!!!”
“Min Si-hu: I saw Lee Beom!!!”
“Seong Hae-min: Lol”
As I quickly scanned the rapidly scrolling messages, I couldn’t help but smirk at Seong Hae-min’s firm, immediate reply. I desperately tried to suppress my smile by tightening my lips.
Fortunately, the student on the other side of the monitor didn’t seem to see me. The diligent student was still holding their head, focused on the problem I had asked them to solve again.
I tilted the laptop screen back slightly, setting it up so the keyboard and my hands weren’t visible on camera, and opened the chat window.
“Me: Here we go again.”
“Me: Habitual offender lol”
“Seong Hae-min: You boy who cried wolf.”
“Seong Hae-min: Do you think we’ll fall for it?”
“Min Si-hu: No.”
“Min Si-hu: Ha.”
“Min Si-hu: Shit!!!”
In the past, I might have doubted for a moment, thinking, ‘Could it really be true…?’ upon hearing Min Si-hu’s exasperated words. But now, even such a reaction didn’t faze me. The character of Lee Beom had become a meme among us.
Min Si-hu already had a colorful history. He had not only fixated on Lee Beom and conducted his ‘what if’ games solely with him, but recently, he had even used the excuse of seeing Lee Beom to get our attention when we were just hanging out and not replying quickly enough. He had figured out that if he talked about Lee Beom, we, who usually took things calmly, would perk up our ears. It became a keyword that, even knowing it was a trick, we fell for, and he seemed to have gotten quite addicted to it.
“Min Si-hu: He looks so much like him.”
“Min Si-hu: No, it’s the real Lee Beom, seriously.”
So, was it Lee Beom himself, or just someone who looked like Lee Beom? It was impossible to tell from his rambling. Seong Hae-min, judging it to be another attention-seeking ploy, clicked his tongue.
“Seong Hae-min: Stop fishing.”
“Min Si-hu: I swear on everything.”
Swearing on everything, his effort was truly commendable. If it were Min Si-hu, he wouldn’t stop here and would likely embellish it further. I pondered what to say to turn it back on him. My fingers, poised over the keyboard, twitched involuntarily.
I pretended to play along with Min Si-hu and asked,
“Me: Where did you see him? lol”
“Min Si-hu: Seriously.”
“Min Si-hu: I’m busy right now.”
“Min Si-hu: I’ll tell you later.”
“Me: ?”Seong Hae-min: —” But as soon as I asked, Min Si-hu vanished, leaving only the message that he was busy. I had intended to find fault and corner him, but his timing was uncanny. Left alone by Min Si-hu, who had slithered away like a slippery eel, only Seong Hae-min and I were left spamming question marks.
“Seong Hae-min: Ha.”
“Seong Hae-min: I was fooled again.”
[Teacher, I’ve finished it all.]
“Ah, so what was the answer?”
But I wasn’t in a position to be casually chatting on KakaoTalk either. At the student’s words that they had finished the problem, I quickly closed the KakaoTalk I was looking at and resumed the lesson.
I felt indignant towards Min Si-hu. How could he have sensed my timing for turning the tables and disappeared at that very moment?
Then again, we were fools for falling for Min Si-hu’s tricks even knowing this would happen. However, at this moment, ‘Lee Beom’ was an undeniable cheat code that captured our attention.
Still, his excuse about being busy didn’t seem like a lie to get out of the situation, because after the tutoring session ended, the ‘1’ in the chat room hadn’t disappeared. Or perhaps he was still in hiding. Min Si-hu showed no signs of reappearing.
And Min Si-hu finally reappeared in the chat room late at night.
“Min Si-hu: Everyone, pay attention.”
“Min Si-hu: Hyung has something to say.”
“Min Si-hu: This is a major announcement.”
“Seong Hae-min: lol”
“Seong Hae-min: Don’t tell me you saw Lee Beom again?”
“Min Si-hu: I really did lol;”
“Seong Hae-min: Argh.”
“Min Si-hu: ? ”
“Min Si-hu: What’s with the ‘argh’?”
“Min Si-hu: I’m serious;”
While I was washing up and getting ready for bed, a flood of KakaoTalk messages had piled up. Wondering what was going on, I frowned and checked the chat room, only to find Min Si-hu stirring up trouble again. I clicked my tongue. He still hadn’t stopped playing pranks!
“Me: Si-hu, just one round.”
“Min Si-hu: But a shocking fact.”
“Min Si-hu: Lee Beom is a high school student;;”
“Seong Hae-min: lol”
“Me: lol”
Here we go again. Lying in bed, I looked at my mobile phone and let out a small, wry laugh. Even though no one was watching, I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my smile. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks; Min Si-hu’s schemes seemed endless.
“Seong Hae-min: Is it another ‘what if’ game? So persistent.”
“Me: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
“Seong Hae-min: A high school student?”
“Seong Hae-min: If he’s a high school student, I’ll tutor him haha.”
“Me: College admissions consultant lolllll”
“Min Si-hu: I’m really telling the truth!!!”
Seong Hae-min and I took turns teasing Min Si-hu when suddenly, a ringing sound announced an incoming voice call on my screen. Unable to bear it any longer because we weren’t falling for it, Min Si-hu had called. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Thinking his persistence was touching, I accepted the call with a magnanimous gesture. Instantly, Min Si-hu’s booming voice filled the air.
[Why don’t you believe me!]
“Your ears are going to burst.” Seong Hae-min, who had lowered his voice because it was late, chided him. But he couldn’t dampen Min Si-hu’s volume, which was like a foghorn.
[Ah!!! I’m telling the truth!!!]
“Right. Of course you are.”
[This time it’s real!]
“Where did you see him?” I asked indifferently to Min Si-hu, who kept emphasizing his sincerity. Min Si-hu lowered his voice, like a shaman revealing secrets.
[You guys will be really surprised.]
[There’s nothing more to be surprised about.]
[No? You definitely will be surprised?]
“So where is it.”
[The school I went for mentoring!]
“Mentoring? What school?”
[The high school I went for mentoring! Isn’t it unbelievable?]
[…….]
“…….”
After Min Si-hu’s exclamation, a brief silence followed on the call. I held my breath without realizing it. And I recalled the words I had just heard.
‘Mentoring?’
I was about to scoff, but for some reason, my lips wouldn’t move. The location was strangely detailed and realistic to dismiss Min Si-hu as just a fraud.