By Zephyria 
We exchanged glances in silence.
If an ordinary person had said that, we would have dismissed it as them getting serious, but it was different when Lee Beom said it.
‘The first day of the new semester.’
For us, the first day of school was not an ordinary day.
That was the day I returned to reality, and the day Do Yun-hyeok began to keenly feel a strange sense of loss. It was also the day Min Si-hu and Seong Hae-min, recalling memories from the novel, looked back and thought, ‘Come to think of it, that was strange.’
Therefore, Lee Beom’s sudden decision to study hard might have been influenced by the novel’s world. What manifested as déjà vu for us might have appeared in a different form for Lee Beom…
As we remained silent, Lee Beom added a sheepish explanation.
“I guess I just had that thought suddenly because it was the first day of the new semester. Many people asked me why I suddenly became serious, and when I said the thought just struck me, everyone said it was about time I got my act together.”
“It’s beneficial to get serious before it’s too late.”
“R-right. It’s a good time to start studying.”
“Exactly, even friends who were straying start studying then. Anyway… do you have any other questions? Did we cover everything?”
Min Si-hu chuckled playfully, smoothing over the potentially awkward atmosphere. I nodded in agreement. Seong Hae-min quickly lowered his gaze, trying to hide his flustered expression.
We had a few more conversations with Lee Beom. After Seong Hae-min finished his remaining advice on study methods, the atmosphere naturally shifted towards parting.
Lee Beom, who had been listening intently to Seong Hae-min’s advice, couldn’t hide his disappointment that the meeting was ending.
“Um… if it’s not too much trouble, can I keep in touch even after the college entrance exams are over?”
“Of course! You can contact us anytime.”
Min Si-hu, ever the good-natured one, nodded at Lee Beom’s words. There was no time to exchange glances.
Seeing Min Si-hu so excited, Seong Hae-min sighed, resigned. Judging by his demeanor, Seong Hae-min had intended to maintain a certain distance, but it was too late to say no.
“Thank you.”
Lee Beom’s face brightened after receiving confirmation, and he smiled radiantly. That unfamiliar expression was quite fascinating.
And so, we returned to our respective homes without much further conversation. It was an anticlimactic and hollow farewell.
Since Lee Beom hadn’t seemed to recall anything about the novel until the end, our worries about ‘what if Lee Beom called us because he knew about the novel?’ or ‘what if he hated us after remembering the novel?’ turned out to be unfounded.
‘Will there ever be a day when Lee Beom remembers the novel?’
Even if he didn’t remember today, it was possible that he might if we continued to meet.
Whether that would be good for Lee Beom or not, we couldn’t tell.
Still, since he seemed to think positively of us in reality, it seemed Seong Hae-min’s worries wouldn’t come to pass. He didn’t seem like the type to cut ties or reject someone just because they remembered things from the novel.
Of course, whether that would be good for me, I still didn’t know.
‘Feelings from the novel don’t necessarily carry over to reality… so it should be fine?’
Even if Lee Beom liked me in the novel, this was reality, not a novel. Lee Beom, starting with his personality, was different from his novel counterpart in many ways.
There was no need to worry about things that weren’t certain to happen.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Hae-jun!”
My heart pounded powerfully at the sight of a familiar face after so long. Do Yun-hyeok greeted me with a wide smile. The trip seemed to have suited him well; Do Yun-hyeok, slightly tanned, looked even more dashing.
Do Yun-hyeok and I shared a warm embrace. Even with just a brief touch, I felt an astonishing sense of relaxation in mind and body.
I tried to let go after a short hug, but Do Yun-hyeok tightened his grip on my arms before releasing me. I playfully tapped his arm.
Perhaps it was because we hadn’t been apart for this long since I returned to reality, but I was overjoyed to see his face again. We went to a cafe first and settled in. There was so much to talk about after not seeing each other for so long.
Do Yun-hyeok, who had been on a family trip abroad, brought out a pile of gifts he had bought for me. From snacks to souvenirs and practical household items.
It was too much to unpack one by one right there. I decided to open them later at home and carefully set the gifts aside.
“How was your trip?”
I couldn’t help but ask about his trip, seeing his face after so long. I hadn’t had any significant overseas travel experience myself. My situation was different from Do Yun-hyeok’s, who had apparently gone on family trips quite frequently.
“I wished I could have gone with you.”
“No, about the trip. Was there anything fun or delicious?”
“I thought of you no matter what I saw.”
‘He’s teasing me again with his sweet talk,’ I thought, chuckling as I looked at Do Yun-hyeok, but his expression was surprisingly serious.
“I wanted to show you the beautiful scenery, I wondered what your review would be after seeing a performance, and when I ate something delicious, I wanted to bring it back for you to eat. I could buy you snacks, but I couldn’t bring back an entire meal.”
“That’s disrespectful to the person you went with.”
“That’s why I felt so sorry. But what could I do when the thoughts came to me uncontrollably?”
Do Yun-hyeok held his clasped hands near his mouth, wearing a seemingly serious expression. It was hard to tell where the joke ended and the sincerity began. Knowing Do Yun-hyeok, it could all be sincere…
“We can just go on a trip together then.”
I replied casually, subtly avoiding his gaze. To shake off my embarrassment, I mentally ran through the estimates for the travel destinations I had thought of during our last call.
“But if we’re going on a trip, we need to plan in advance. First, where are we going? Which continent, region, or country? Which city will we stay in? What will be the main focus, for example, civilization and culture, or relaxation in nature? How long will the trip be? These things need to be decided.”
I took out the tablet PC I always carried. I opened the memo app and started listing the potential travel destinations I had already thought of right after our last phone call.
For common destinations, there were neighboring countries like Japan, Taiwan, and China, then Southeast Asia, Oceania, and further afield, Europe, North America, or island resorts like the Maldives, Guam, or Hawaii…
“The required budget varies depending on the location and duration, and even the details change the budget, so to secure the finances…”
I lowered my voice when I belatedly realized Do Yun-hyeok was staring intently at me as I spoke passionately.
Do Yun-hyeok was watching me with a pleased smile. It was like a parent watching their child perform in a talent show, feeling proud.
“…Why?”
I asked hesitantly, feeling inexplicably shy. Do Yun-hyeok smiled faintly.
“This is why I like you.”
“Suddenly?”
“No. Always.”
“……”
He was an expert at leaving me speechless.
“By the way.”
Do Yun-hyeok subtly pushed aside the checklist I was writing on and leaned his face closer. His smiling, handsome face was uncomfortably close. I pushed his shoulder and leaned back.
“How did your meeting with Lee Beom go?”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, I had only said I would tell him what happened with Do Yun-hyeok and hadn’t actually told him yet.
“He didn’t remember anything. Nothing particularly unusual happened, but there was a strange detail. Lee Beom wasn’t interested in studying before, but he said he suddenly decided he needed to study when he became a third-year. That’s normal so far, right? But he specifically mentioned that the day he had that thought was the first day of the new semester.”
“The first day of the new semester, you say…”
“Yeah. He doesn’t know it yet, but it seems related to the time I returned to reality. The expression Lee Beom used was funny, what was it again?”
I pondered Lee Beom’s words.
“Right, divine possession.”
“Divine possession?”
“Yeah. People don’t usually describe suddenly deciding to study with such intensity.”
“Does that mean he’ll remember everything soon?”
“But there were no other signs besides that.”
“Hmm… What will happen if Lee Beom remembers?”
Do Yun-hyeok muttered to himself, rubbing his chin.
“He’s not going to confess to you again, is he?”
“What? Did I tell you Lee Beom confessed to me?”
“So he did.”
“Ah, no. No, no.”
As I jumped up, Do Yun-hyeok shook his head, saying it was obvious. I had fallen right into his leading question. I frantically waved my hands to deny it.
“Lee Beom didn’t formally confess, I just noticed it because it was so obvious.”
“You noticed it?”
“Is there a problem?”
“If it was that obvious, it was practically a confession.”
“Ah, damn it!”
I punched Do Yun-hyeok’s forearm in anger as he teased me. I hit him hard enough until he clutched his arm, not pretending to be hurt.
“I don’t know exactly what the real Lee Beom is like, but I don’t think he’d confess, would he?”
I said, shaking my arm. Do Yun-hyeok, rubbing where he was hit, looked at me with a questioning expression.
“Min Si-hu also didn’t understand why he confessed to me in the novel.”
Min Si-hu had even asked me to consider his novel self as a different person from his real self. And indeed, he seemed different in reality. Do Yun-hyeok and Seong Hae-min, while somewhat similar to their novel counterparts, also had distinct differences.
But Do Yun-hyeok shook his head.