By Zephyria Ki Young-han often recalled the professor who used to recommend communication courses, saying he lacked communication skills.
He remembered the professor even more frequently after creating his course schedule, as if the professor’s words were a prophecy; he ended up enrolling in ‘Performance and Communication.’
There was no particular reason. While resting his chin on his hand and browsing the course registration site to make his schedule, the professor’s mentioned Performance and Communication class caught his eye. It had remained in his subconscious, and the title was long. He clicked it with a face devoid of any particular emotion. He just intended to check the class time.
The class was on Thursdays, once a week, a three-hour consecutive lecture, and luckily, from 12 PM to 3 PM. It fit perfectly between his major courses. It felt like heaven was helping him complete the Tetris of his schedule, so there was no reason not to take it.
He successfully registered for ‘Performance and Communication,’ ranked number one among popular elective courses at Korea University, without much difficulty. They say coincidence, when repeated, becomes fate. It was exactly like that.
The lecture hall was Mugunghwa Hall on the first floor of the Humanities building. It had a sloped structure, getting closer to the professor as you descended the stairs. There were just over 100 students.
Ki Young-han glanced around and settled into a seat in the middle of the lecture hall. He wasn’t the type to fawn over professors to get on their good side, and he detested students who sprawled in the back, fiddling with their mobile phones.
Ki Young-han placed his bag on the adjacent seat and idly killed time. It was unfortunate that the course syllabus was not filled out. If it were the usual Ki Young-han, he would have cursed the irresponsible professor and chosen another class, but he figured there must be a reason for the class’s popularity, so he decided to go with it for now.
He took his mobile phone out of his pocket. There were many messages. They were from his classmates in the Political Science and International Relations department, who were in charge of the student council, urging him to come to their opening party and freshman welcome event.
They were guys desperate to pick up girls. Ki Young-han read all the messages starting with ‘Young-han-ah’ and ignored them. Then, a familiar name caught his eye in the message window.
Ki Young-hyun
Are you coming home this week, hyung?
11:57 AM
It was Ki Young-hyun, Ki Young-han’s one and only younger brother. He was in his third year of high school this year and, uncharacteristically for his age, had a large, burly boyfriend. The unfortunate part was that Ki Young-hyun was also a boy.
Ki Young-han lived by the motto of not interfering in others’ lives, but he wondered why he couldn’t do that for his brother. As he pondered, he unconsciously narrowed the space between his brows and tapped on the keypad.
Me
Why.
12:01 PM
Ki Young-hyun
No… Mom and Dad are going on a trip this time so….
12:01 PM
There was no subject, but he understood. Ki Young-han cursed under his breath without hesitation.
“Is this bastard crazy?”
Me
I’m coming home.
12:02 PM
Just study.
12:02 PM
Ki Young-hyun
It’s lunchtime….
12:02 PM
A crying emoticon quickly followed. Such a grown man acting cute.
Ki Young-han flipped his mobile phone over as if unimpressed. Just then, the professor entered the lecture hall. He was relatively young for an old professor, perhaps in his late thirties. Still, he was much younger than professors who seemed on their last legs.
“There are a lot of students.”
The professor stood at the podium and looked around the lecture hall. Ki Young-han followed his gaze, scanning the room. But soon, he lowered his eyes with a look of disinterest.
“Since this is a communication class, instead of electronic attendance, I’ll call out names directly. It might be a bit much with so many students, but it’ll be fine, right?”
‘Yes….’ A half-hearted response came back. The professor held up a stack of papers. “Please pass it back.” The students exchanged glances and passed the papers along. Ki Young-han also received one. It was the course syllabus.
Course Objectives
Understanding of Performance and Communication
Understanding ideal love and gender roles in current society, and learning desirable views on affection.
Week 1 Orientation
Week 2 Understanding of Performance and Communication
Week 3 Gender Roles in Modern Society (Date Plan)
Week 4 Human Relationships and Communication (First Meeting)
•
•
•
It was a typical syllabus for an elective course. However, Ki Young-han frowned. Setting aside the table of contents, the words in parentheses like Date Plan, First Meeting, Getting to Know Each Other, First Date… felt unsettling.
The thing Ki Young-han hated most in college was group projects. And this was clearly going to involve group projects. His anger immediately turned towards the professor who recommended the course. You want me to take this kind of class? He heard voices whispering behind him.
“They say you really start dating if you take this class.”
“Is the group project really about going on dates?”
Whispers. Ki Young-han squeezed his eyes shut. He loosened his grip on the syllabus. Just drop it. The fact that this is popular is insane. The world must be going mad.
I need to cancel the class. Ki Young-han decided without a moment’s hesitation.
“I’ll call attendance.”
The professor called out names one by one. “Ki Young-han.” he called, and Ki Young-han casually replied, “Yes.” He hated group projects, and he hated assignments that required face-to-face interaction even more. And dates? The worst. From the very first day of the semester, his luck was terrible. They say starting is half the battle, but he concluded this semester would be the worst.
Just then.
Screech…. With an unpleasant sound, the back door of the lecture hall opened. The professor continued calling out student names. Ki Young-han turned his head with an annoyed expression to see who had entered. The moment he saw the face, even though it had been months, the voice echoed in his ears.
‘Why does the professor favor me so much? We’re all students.’
That was exactly what the man had said, feigning humility. He remembered him because his face stood out compared to other students. He was quite good-looking. That is, he was someone whose face was hard to forget once seen.
Like diluted cocoa.
Having thus judged the man, Ki Young-han turned back to the front. He continued to watch the professor calling out student names.
Thump, thump…. The footsteps grew closer. Despite sensing someone’s presence, Ki Young-han didn’t turn around. He felt someone standing still near him, but Ki Young-han only looked at the professor. Even with so many students, there were plenty of empty seats. He didn’t want someone next to him.
“Excuse me, my bag….”
But at the worst possible timing, the man spoke in a hushed tone. Stuck in the middle. I should have sat in the back since I was going to cancel anyway. Ki Young-han glanced at the man and moved his bag.
“Thank you.”
The man’s voice was mixed with rough breaths. He must have run. He turned his head away, fearing the smell of sweat. The man who sat down rustled his clothes. Each time, a sweet scent wafted. He must use a lot of fabric softener.
“Yoon Ye-jun.”
“Yes.”
The man answered, raising his hand.
The man’s name was Yoon Ye-jun. He had a sharp appearance, but his name sounded soft and round. Still, he wasn’t someone he’d see again anyway. Ki Young-han accepted it.
Soon, attendance check was over. The professor, with a good-natured face, spoke smoothly.
“It’s hard to call attendance with so many people. Starting next time, we’ll call from the front and then from the back. Mr. Kang’s friends had a lot of complaints.”
After a brief joke, the explanation of the syllabus began. As written, it was the first class, so it was an orientation. The students laughed heartily every time the professor spoke, as if it were so funny. It was just the professor’s usual, predictable jokes. Ki Young-han idly spent time with the syllabus placed on his desk, his face showing no emotion.
“As you can see. After today’s class, you need to form pairs for the next session. You all know what kind of pairs, right? It’s a pretty famous class at our school.”
Murmurs could be heard. Ki Young-han remained still. It was a class he was going to cancel anyway. He wasn’t interested.
“Those who join this class and form a pair will be a couple until the end of the semester. Just in case I need to say it, if you have a partner in another class and came alone, drop the course. You won’t get good grades if you’re caught.”
“…….”
“Also, to prepare for cases where the gender ratio is uneven, male-male or female-female couples are also allowed. It’s the 21st century, you know?”
The students laughed again at the joke. Ki Young-han, who had no idea what was so funny, muttered to himself.
“Disgusting, really….”
He didn’t care if his brother, Ki Young-hyun, dated men. Nevertheless, Ki Young-han was a person who had lived a relatively normal life. In fact, when his brother started dating a man, he was quite shocked, but he pretended to be okay. He thought that since he was still in high school, it might just be a phase, and if he opposed it, his brother might become even more rebellious, so for now… yes, for now.
“…….”
Ki Young-han leaned back in his chair, tilting his head to look at the ceiling. He wished the class would end quickly. Soon after, the professor, having finished explaining the syllabus, called out to get the students’ attention.
“Today, we’ll finish early. But I’d like you to form your pairs before you leave. Since you won’t have time to meet separately outside. That’s all for today. See you next week.”
“Thank you.”
The professor looked around the lecture hall with an interested expression and left without hesitation. Ki Young-han picked up the syllabus he was holding with one hand. Yoon Ye-jun, who had been sitting next to him, was already heading for the back door of the lecture hall. He was fast. As Ki Young-han was about to get up from his seat, a woman sitting in front of him turned her head.
“Have you formed your pair yet?”
“No. I’m not taking the class.”
“Ah….”
Ki Young-han answered without hesitation. Then, as he was gathering his bag and about to leave the lecture hall, he heard a voice call out again, “Excuse me.”
“Have you formed your pair?”
“No. I’m canceling the class.”
He finally managed to escape the lecture hall. He picked up the syllabus he was holding and threw it into the trash can next to the lecture hall. He didn’t need it since he was canceling anyway. Should I go smoke a cigarette?
He walked out of the building and headed towards the smoking area. He lit a cigarette and chewed on it. What class should I take? Will any decent elective courses be available on the course registration site? The timing has to work, though. I don’t want to come to school on Fridays. He lowered his head, lost in thought.
He exhaled a puff of smoke. At the same time, he heard a voice.
“Excuse me.”
It wasn’t the high-pitched voice he had just heard.
“…….”
Ki Young-han maintained his furrowed brow and raised his head. He tilted his head sideways and met the gaze. Yoon Ye-jun. He remembered the name because it was soft and round, unlike his appearance. He stared at the man, who was a head shorter than him, with a look that asked if he had something to say. The man asked in a calm tone.
“Have you formed your pair?”
What kind of nonsense is this now?
Ki Young-han straightened his tilted head. He brought the cigarette in his hand to his lips and let out smoke. Then he flicked it into the flower bed used as an ashtray. The cigarette died in the flower bed, piled with sand. Ki Young-han blinked and faced the man.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Are you asking if I’ve formed a pair?”
“Yes.”
“I’m a guy.”
His mouth felt dry. Ki Young-han’s furrowed brow showed no sign of relaxing. Surely the man in front of him knew he was a guy. Just as he knew the gender of the person standing before him was male.
“Yes. I know. The professor said it doesn’t matter if it’s male-male or female-female.”
What is this now….
Ki Young-han was dumbfounded and couldn’t reply. The man asked again.
“If you haven’t formed a pair, let’s be partners.”
“No. I’m canceling.”
“Ah, I see….”
The man nodded, looking quite disappointed. Then he gave a slight nod and walked away.
“Huh….”
Ki Young-han stared blankly at the man’s retreating back. Who is this guy? Curses escaped his lips. Is he gay? Why are there so many gay people around me? He still found it hard to accept his brother’s sexuality. Suddenly, the world he had just become aware of swept over him like a wave.
But he quickly changed his expression. He should go and attend his major classes. If it’s my bad luck, then…. He had experienced all sorts of things in his life.
A week passed.
Thursday noon. Ki Young-han sat in the middle seat in Mugunghwa Hall. It was unexpected, considering he had confidently declared he would cancel the class. He opened a notebook and stared straight ahead.
Fuck….
He tried to swallow the curse, but it slipped out on its own.
The professor entered the lecture hall. Some students in the front rows greeted him. The professor returned their greetings with a wave and opened the attendance book to call names. As mentioned last time, he started from the back.
“Yoon Ye-jun.”
The familiar name was heard.
“Yes.”
The voice was also familiar. He wasn’t late today, it seemed. Yoon Ye-jun was not someone who could leave a good impression. Setting aside his pretense of being nice, not keeping time was one of the things Ki Young-han hated most.
The professor continued the attendance check. He called out dozens of students.
“Ki Young-han.”
When his name was called, Ki Young-han replied casually and raised his hand. He was about to pretend he didn’t hear and wait for the next name, but the professor suddenly began.
“Young-han student, I noticed from last time.”
“…….”
“You’re quite handsome.”
At that remark, a few students in the front rows turned to look at Ki Young-han’s face. Ki Young-han cursed inwardly and lowered his head slightly. Is he crazy? This mad professor. If that’s communication, then give it to the dogs. I’ll just live alone forever. Chewing gum constantly.
After finishing the attendance, the professor began, “Alright.”
“Let’s talk about pairs before we start the class.”
Murmurs could be heard.
“Have you all formed your pairs?”
‘Yep.’ A man with a deep voice, who clearly looked like he liked to be the center of attention, replied. Ki Young-han, of course, had not formed a pair. But it was okay.
Ki Young-han, who had lived a generally smooth life, believed it would be the same this time. Of course, he ended up taking the damn Performance and Communication class, and he tried to find something else to switch to, but only elective classes that required him to be on campus on Fridays or had a gap of three to four hours between his major classes remained. If he didn’t want to take the former, he would have to take a class like Badminton. If he had stuck to the computer, he might have found something, but he didn’t want to go that far. He chose the lesser of two evils.
“Raise your hand if you haven’t formed a pair.”
There were nearly 100 students. Of course, there would be people who hadn’t formed pairs. He would have been more confident if not for the voice from the back.
“Didn’t you get a lot of emails?”
The people in the back were likely relationships formed just for this group project.
“We got so many. Everyone was in a hurry because you can’t do the assignment without a pair.”
Emails? Ki Young-han didn’t check his inbox unless there was a group project.
It seemed those who hadn’t formed pairs had sent out emails. Ki Young-han raised his hand with relief.
“Young-han student and… what’s the name of the remaining student?”
Unfortunately, the professor had just memorized Ki Young-han’s face and name. This was the worst situation for Ki Young-han, who hated standing out and being noticed the most.
“It’s Yoon Ye-jun.”
Ah, fuck….
He would have preferred swinging a badminton racket.
“Two guys, what do you want to do? It’s too late to drop….”
The professor was playing word games. He wanted the two of them to say, ‘We’ll be partners.’ Ki Young-han, unable to hide his cold expression, squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head. If it weren’t for the word ‘date,’ he might have endured it. Even if he had to do all the work for a group project, it would have been better than this.
A voice came from behind.
“I’m fine with it.”
Of course, you’d be fine with it.* Ki Young-han replied with a flat tone, feeling a surge of resentment. If only he hadn’t refused when they asked to be partners last time, he wouldn’t feel this embarrassed. He moistened his dry mouth. This was punishment. Punishment for living as he pleased until now. That’s why he was suffering this humiliation and had to go on a date with a man. He let out a deep sigh.
When he raised his head again, the professor was watching the two of them as if observing something amusing. Ki Young-han’s lips, forced into a smile, trembled. Though he smiled with his eyes, it didn’t look like a smile. There was no helping it. He was a man who rarely smiled.
“I’m also….”
“…….”
“Fine.”
He swallowed a bitter smile.
Mugunghwa Hall. It was a spacious lecture hall that could seat a hundred students, but all eyes were fixed on Ki Young-han and Yoon Ye-jun. It was because after finishing two hours of class, the professor had suggested using the remaining hour to write their dating plans. The two sat in silence.
Ki Young-han spun the pen in his hand back and forth. Despite the pen moving leisurely across his fingers, he felt anxious. Eventually, he gripped the pen tightly in one hand.
“Let’s do it.”
He finally spoke first.
“Student ID and department, please.”
Only then did Yoon Ye-jun open his mouth, which he had kept shut the entire time. He was two student IDs higher than Ki Young-han but was in the same year, the third year. His major was Media and Information. Since they were in the same College of Social Sciences, they should have run into each other, but it was strange that they had only met last winter. After all, Yoon Ye-jun had a rather striking face, didn’t he?
Yoon Ye-jun kept his eyes lowered. As Ki Young-han wrote down the information Yoon Ye-jun had given him, he glanced over. He hated to say this about a man, but his profile was quite pretty. The tips of his long eyelashes were slightly upturned. His lips were full, his nose was moderately high, and the tip was round. Yoon Ye-jun, who had been staring only at his desk, looked up. Their eyes met, and Ki Young-han averted his gaze without realizing it.
During his school days, even when his parents or teachers scolded him, if they asked why he looked at them like that, Ki Young-han would retort, “This is just how I look, what can I do?” So, averting his gaze felt like a blow to his pride.
“I have a question.”
Yoon Ye-jun’s voice was neither too low nor too high. It was a calm tone. Ki Young-han, who had been resting his chin on his hand and fiddling with his pen, looked up.
“Didn’t you say you were dropping this class?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you here?”
“It’s my choice.”
His pride was hurt. Yoon Ye-jun’s lips curved upwards silently, and he said, “Ah….” The space between Ki Young-han’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. He seemed calm, and his answer sounded devoid of emotion, yet the one-sided smile looked like a sneer. He soon covered his mouth with his fist as if to hide his expression, but Ki Young-han saw it clearly.
Yoon Ye-jun pulled the dating plan sheet, which the professor had distributed one per group, towards him and asked,
“Since we only need to meet once a week, how about after this class?”
“I have a major class.”
“I’m only free on Fridays, other than this.”
“You have a free period.”
Of course, the apartment he lived in now was only a ten-minute walk from the university. However, since he was taking this class specifically to create a free period, he didn’t want to allocate his Friday to a group project.
Yoon Ye-jun said with a good-natured face,
“But it’s a group project, so we need to coordinate our schedules.”
‘Why does the professor favor me? We’re all students.’
The face he had seen last winter overlapped. It was a face that pierced to the bone, or perhaps a face that was mocking him. Ki Young-han scowled. He waved his hand dismissively and asked,
“How about after Thursday’s class?”
“I have a part-time job, but… if you give me your mobile phone number, I’ll contact you.”
Yoon Ye-jun handed over his mobile phone. Ki Young-han typed in his number and handed it back. Yoon Ye-jun pressed the call button. Ki Young-han’s silent mobile phone screen briefly lit up, left a missed call, and turned off. Ki Young-han saved the mobile phone number. Yoon Ye-jun. It was just an instant connection for the semester anyway, but they had to meet often for now.
Ah, just thinking about it was bothersome.
“Then, well, it’s not something to discuss now. We can just write what’s on the lecture plan. What is this?
“Isn’t this our
Yoon Ye-jun said leisurely. Ki Young-han replied perfunctorily, “Yes, yes.” Anyone else would have frowned at Ki Young-han’s attitude and way of speaking, perhaps even clicked their tongue, but Yoon Ye-jun showed no reaction. He merely pulled the dating plan sheet closer to himself. That was even more irritating.
“The report is written individually, so it doesn’t matter… I’ll flesh out the plan and submit it.”
“…….”
“You’ll probably find it bothersome.”
Ki Young-han looked at the plan in Yoon Ye-jun’s hands and slowly raised his head. Every word he spoke grated on him. He was squinting his eyes as if being kind, but his tone made one ponder. If he had just stopped at “I’ll do it,” it would have been fine. But he deliberately added the phrase “You’ll probably find it bothersome,” provoking him. What did he take him for? Ki Young-han extended his hand without hesitation.
“Give it here. I’ll do it.”
“…….”
Yoon Ye-jun looked at Ki Young-han’s hand, then scanned him up and down. Then he asked, “Why?” Ki Young-han urged him,
“I’m just doing it. How do you know how I’ll write it? I’ll finish it by the weekend, so just check it.”
“Ha….”
Yoon Ye-jun laughed again. It was a laugh of disbelief, but Ki Young-han ignored it. Was his work done? He glanced around; everyone else seemed to be having a grand time. He wondered if this was what college was. There were limits to group blind dates. It was too early to call it spring, yet they were covering their mouths and laughing, blushing, scratching the back of their necks, making a fuss. The only two who hadn’t seen spring yet were Ki Young-han and Yoon Ye-jun.
Ki Young-han crossed his arms and tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling. The room, not properly ventilated, smelled musty. He was thirsty. He should start buying coffee from the next class onwards.
“Ye-jun student, Young-han student.”
Just then, the professor approached them and spoke. Ki Young-han lowered his gaze from the ceiling and met the professor’s eyes.
“Don’t feel too burdened. It doesn’t happen every semester, but it has happened occasionally. We can’t perfectly balance the gender ratio. Still, they usually get along quite well.”
“It seems like a special experience, so it should be good.”
Yoon Ye-jun rounded his eyes and replied to the professor. Ki Young-han was taken aback and dumbfounded. Did he not realize that acting so nice would be obvious to everyone else? But the professor let it slide. He was already engaged in conversation with Yoon Ye-jun. Ki Young-han watched the two of them chatting amiably, sighed “Aigoo,” and turned his head. This semester felt like it would be particularly long and arduous.
Yoon Ye-jun. 26 years old, graduated from ◇◇ High School, honorably discharged from the army, 3rd year student in Hankuk University’s Media and Information department. Average GPA of 3.89 out of 4.5, well-adjusted socially, 4 previous romantic relationships. Special note: Likes men. Ideal type: A man with a hearty personality and a masculine face.
Disliked style. That guy.
The man who became his groupmate in the elective course ‘Sexuality and Communication’ left without even a polite farewell after class, disappearing into thin air.
Yoon Ye-jun, watching such a man, let out a small, dry laugh. But as if nothing had happened, he packed his belongings with his usual calm expression. He gathered the materials printed from the course portal system and his pen and left the lecture hall. As soon as he stepped outside, he ran into his close friend Kim Dong-hoon.
“Oh, Ye-jun.”
His friend waved and greeted him. Yoon Ye-jun also spoke to his approaching friend.
“You took a class here?”
“Yeah, ah, it sucked. Understanding Information and Digitalization. My course registration was a total disaster.”
“Why?”
Yoon Ye-jun looked at his friend with a playful expression, his lips tilted slightly.
“You bastard. Are you showing off because you have a good timetable?”
Yoon Ye-jun hadn’t said anything, but Dong-hoon immediately raised his voice. Yoon Ye-jun couldn’t understand failing course registration. You just had to press the button at the exact time, so why fail? Still, he didn’t voice it. What could he do?
Yoon Ye-jun just smiled and said, “What am I showing off about?” letting it pass leisurely. He seemed unaware that his smile held the triumph of a victor.
“Let’s go smoke.”
“Sure.”
The two approached the smoking area in front of the humanities building. Yoon Ye-jun, who alternated between regular and electronic cigarettes, took out his electronic one. As he pressed the button on the device and waited, his gaze fell upon a man smoking and talking on his mobile phone.
“Are you crazy? ……Hey, stop nagging. This is really…. Didn’t I tell you I go home every weekend? Speak properly! …Are you insane? Why are you hitting me again? Hey, forget it. Just make sure the door is locked. Hey, hey!”
Wow….
Yoon Ye-jun exclaimed inwardly.
It was the man from his group. His expression was sharp, and he spoke crookedly every time he opened his mouth. He had thought the man was just displeased because he was grouped with another man, but he spoke to everyone like that. It wasn’t easy to have such a bad personality. Yoon Ye-jun, while writing on his dating plan sheet, summarized the man’s words briefly.
I’m not interested.
No.
Why should I?
He looked pretty, so I thought he was on the same side, but he was actually closer to being homophobic. He remembered the man who had cursed, saying it was disgusting, when the professor said it was okay to be grouped with someone of the same sex. Asking to be in the same group was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Screw you. Because the man you cursed will ask to be in the same group as you.
But they really ended up in the same group. This was something even Yoon Ye-jun hadn’t expected. Did he imagine that people would have already formed their own groups?
If he could rate people based on first impressions, that man would be lucky to get 2 points out of 10. Based on his looks alone, he could get up to 7 points, but since his personality was bad, he got 2 points just for his face.
From 8 points onwards, they were at a level that could enter his romantic consideration, but even if that man somehow reached 8 points, he would refuse.
Even if he were homophobic, at least in college, he would hide it out of shame, but Ki Young-han was different. Yoon Ye-jun smiled faintly. What right did he have to rate people?
“Ah, seriously…. This guy doesn’t listen to me these days.”
The man, having finished his call, turned around with an annoyed expression. Yoon Ye-jun’s gaze naturally followed the man’s retreating back. He approached the ashtray with his half-smoked cigarette and flicked it in. Then, as if nothing had happened, he strode away.
Yoon Ye-jun let out a snort of laughter, filled with unconcealed amusement. His friend, who had been smoking a short distance away, glanced over and spoke to him.
“Did you get too much air in your lungs?”
“What kind of old man talk is that?”
“Then why are you grinning?”
“He’s really funny.”
He pointed with his chin towards the man’s back. His friend started, “Ah. That guy.”
“What was his name?”
“I don’t know.”
Unfortunately, Yoon Ye-jun didn’t know the man’s name. He only remembered him as a pretty but rude psycho. While he didn’t put everyone on his romantic radar, he was the opposite of his type. He detested people who stood out. Mundane people were definitely the best.
“He’s from the Department of Political Science. He’s famous.”
“Why?”
“Did you take a leave of absence? You should have overlapped.”
Dong-hoon scratched his nose with his index finger. He said it casually, as if it were nothing.
“His personality is completely trash.”
Everyone seemed to see it clearly. Yoon Ye-jun nodded in agreement.
“In acquiring gender roles, through observation and imitation… social learning theory… children……”
Sexuality and Communication didn’t have a special textbook. It was a class where students listened to the professor’s words while organizing the materials uploaded to the course portal system.
The content of the class was decent enough. Unlike the troublesome group assignments, the content was primarily memorization-based. Ki Young-han fiddled with his pen, tilted his head, and focused on the presentation screen, then glanced around the seats in front. One might expect people to doze off in a sociology class, but there were few people sleeping with their heads down or fiddling with their mobile phones in this lecture hall.
Ki Young-han concluded that the reason was that students had to sit next to their groupmates throughout the class. How could anyone sleep or do other things when taking a class that required them to act like lovers with a stranger of the opposite sex for a whole semester?
Except for one person.
Ki Young-han glared at the man next to him, who kept nodding off like a chicken pecking at grain. It was impossible to look at him kindly as he nodded so hard his neck seemed about to snap.
Instead of sleeping with his head down, which would have been less bothersome, the way he kept dipping his head forward like a sick chicken was irritating and distracting.
“…….”
Yoon Ye-jun’s head dipped once more, then he quickly jerked it up, startled. Their eyes met. Ki Young-han, with one eyebrow raised, looked at Yoon Ye-jun, who was drowsy, then scanned him up and down in that state.
Yoon Ye-jun felt the gaze but pretended not to notice. Instead, he rubbed his eyes and turned the page according to the professor’s words.
“Excuse me.”
Ki Young-han called out to the man. Yoon Ye-jun stared at him blankly instead of answering.
“Just go ahead and sleep with your head down.”
“…What?”
“No, stop bobbing your head like that, it’s distracting. Just sleep. If you’re not going to study, do it on your own, why are you disturbing others?”
“…….”
Yoon Ye-jun met Ki Young-han’s eyes with a look of disbelief.
“Ha….”
A short, hollow laugh followed belatedly. He lowered his voice.
“You just shouldn’t pay attention. Are you that lacking in concentration? That someone dozing off would disturb you?”
“…….”
“I don’t know how you studied.”
He’s the one disturbing others, and he’s complaining. Ki Young-han gritted his teeth.
“It’s because you keep being annoying. Why did you come to university? To play around?”
“Why are you using informal speech? Like you’re uneducated.”
“Ah. So, the school you graduated from allowed you to doze off in class and disturb others? Don’t you know about the learning atmosphere? Did Mencius’s mother move for no reason?”
The man didn’t back down an inch. It was pointless to argue. Yoon Ye-jun, who had developed patience through countless experiences working various part-time jobs in service, tutoring, and factories, slowly curved his eyes and smiled.
“I’m sorry. I was poorly educated. I’m truly sorry for disturbing your studies. I won’t doze off anymore, so please study.”
He held out his palm, as if showing great respect, and gestured towards the man’s handouts. Of course, it was all sarcasm.
The man’s face turned red with anger. Even when he tried to appease him, he was still being difficult. Yoon Ye-jun shifted his gaze towards the professor and clicked his tongue inwardly. He knew that type well. They would probably never concede a single word to anyone. They would always find a loophole and drag things out. If that was the case, it was better for him to avoid it. Why would he be afraid of shit? It was just dirty.
It was 10 minutes before the end of class. The professor, finishing earlier than expected, spoke.
“The assignment is a report as stated in the plan, and this week’s topic is
The professor finished speaking and began packing up his laptop. A few students who were late for class approached the professor. Ki Young-han sat there blankly. He felt exhausted from paying attention to the man next to him for the entire class.
However, Yoon Ye-jun spoke to him as if he had forgotten the power struggle from just an hour ago. He was surprisingly cheerful.
“What time shall we meet tomorrow?”
Ki Young-han replied curtly.
“Let’s get it over with quickly. Let’s meet at 9 AM.”
“I’m sorry, but I work late into the night, so could you make it a little later?”
“I’m sacrificing my free period to come to school for you, and you can’t even decide the time? You’re truly selfish.”
“Hoo.”
Yoon Ye-jun let out an audible sigh. Ki Young-han felt a pang of guilt for a brief moment, but only for a moment. He had conceded enough. Who would come to school on a Friday, their free day, to do a few minutes of homework?
Yoon Ye-jun pursed his lips for a moment, then nodded as if defeated.
“Alright. Let’s meet at 9. Shall we meet in front of the school?”
“Yeah, whatever.”
After speaking, Ki Young-han packed his bag. Whether the man worked late into the night or not was none of his concern. As soon as he finished packing, he left the lecture hall without a word. He had to move to his major class immediately anyway.
8:57 AM. Ki Young-han looked down at his mobile phone.
“…….”
It was absurd that there was no contact from Yoon Ye-jun. They had exchanged a few short texts the day before. ‘Let’s meet at the cafe in front of the school.’, ‘Yes.’, ‘Until 9.’, ‘Yes.’ The man only replied with ‘Yes,’ ending the conversation curtly. Ki Young-han found it ridiculous but let it slide.
While waiting for the man, Ki Young-han recalled his past relationships. They were short in duration. He received confessions, and if they weren’t bad, he dated them. They went on dates sequentially, and while he couldn’t say he gave his all, he did the basics. Then, he was dumped.
He himself couldn’t understand why he was dumped, so he asked his ex-lovers for reasons when they broke up. At first, the crying partners would list the reasons, curse him, and utter curses.
And then they said, “You’ll never be able to date, not even until you die.” Ki Young-han wasn’t the type to say, “If you’ve said all you need to say, then leave,” when someone suddenly rained curses upon him. They fought on the spot. That was his past.
Why did his past relationships have to surface now? But given the subject matter, it was unavoidable.
“Tsk…”
Ki Young-han clicked his tongue lightly and checked his Mobile phone again. It was exactly 9 o’clock. But Yoon Ye-jun, who was in the same group, hadn’t shown up. He called without hesitation.
“……”
Yoon Ye-jun didn’t answer. What? Ki Young-han looked down at his Mobile phone, hearing only the steady electronic tone. He called a couple more times. The result was the same. And just as it passed 9:02.
“Hah, Ah, Haa… S-sorry…”
The man appeared, climbing the cafe stairs. His exhales were rapid. His ragged breathing sounded strange. His hair, not properly dried, was damp at the ends. It was a miracle he had even managed to get dressed properly. In the midst of it all, he seemed to have ordered coffee, as he held a vibrating pager.
Bzzzzzz- The pager vibrated.
“I’ll go get the coffee.”
The man went down the stairs to the first floor. Then he came back up with an iced Americano, ice floating in it. Ki Young-han couldn’t hide his crooked expression watching the man. The arch of his eyebrows shot up.
“You’re 2 minutes late? And it took you 3 minutes to get coffee.”
“Ah…”
“You don’t seem to be good at keeping appointment times. I was here 10 minutes early. Isn’t that usually the basic?”
While it was rare for people to be punctual, Ki Young-han always arrived early. That way, he had something to say, like now. The man, looking flustered by the sharp words, offered another “I’m sorry,” bowing his head as if to apologize. He seemed to know he was wrong, but Ki Young-han found even that irritating. He didn’t have a single redeeming quality.
Yoon Ye-jun pulled out a chair and sat down. Ki Young-han remained with his arms crossed. He didn’t even bother to lift his head, looking at the man with an expression that clearly showed his displeasure.
Ki Young-han turned on his voice recorder. He had to do the assignment. The man, meanwhile, caught his breath and wet his lips with coffee. Ki Young-han, gazing at the condensation-covered cup, spoke purely for the sake of the assignment.
“Your part-time job must be busy. You’re late.”
But his tone was far from pleasant.
“Ah… Yes, I finish at 2 AM.”
“What. Do you work at a beer house?”
“No. It was tutoring yesterday.”
He sees one thing and thinks of many. Ki Young-han looked at the man, then just nodded his head. Then, he suddenly remembered this was a group project. He tried to maintain his usual tone. If they exchanged words without kindness, he didn’t know what the man might write in his report.
“You seem to have multiple part-time jobs.”
“I have two during the semester.”
“Yes. But usually, people mention what kind of part-time jobs they have, don’t they? Is communication difficult?”
“Tutoring, beer house, and convenience store during breaks. But.”
At the man’s words, Ki Young-han tilted his head, responding instead.
“What should I call you?”
“Your name.”
“What’s your name?”
Ki Young-han’s expression crumpled openly at the man’s question. He felt a surge of unfairness. Ki Young-han hated losing out the most. For the first time, he felt like he was at a disadvantage simply because he knew the other person’s name, and the other person didn’t know his.
“Mr. Yoon Ye-jun.”
“……”
“Shouldn’t you know the names of people in your group? How many group members are there that you can’t remember their names?”
“You never told me.”
This left him speechless again. The reason he knew Yoon Ye-jun’s name, and why he had specifically tried to remember it, wasn’t because he thought he had to, but because he was paying just a tiny bit of attention to him.
“……”
Still, he couldn’t help but be angry. Ki Young-han, unable to hide his disgruntled expression, looked at the man. Yoon Ye-jun, with a composed face, looked down at his coffee and took another sip. Ki Young-han shook his head and replied,
“My name is Ki Young-han.”
“Yes.”
Then silence fell again. Loud voices could be heard. Despite the early hour, there was another table besides theirs in the cafe. As it was the new semester, freshmen and returning students trying to act like leaders among them were chatting with faces still groggy from drinking. When a returning student said something, the freshmen would burst into laughter. Must be nice. Ki Young-han glanced at the noisy area.
“My name is Ki Young-han, and I’m twenty-four. I’m in the Department of Political Science and International Relations.”
“I’m Yoon Ye-jun. Twenty-six. Department of Media and Information. I’m returning this year, so…”
Yoon Ye-jun raised his hand and scratched the back of his neck. His neck was slender. Ki Young-han gazed at the man. He was different from rough, masculine guys. He was rather pretty. Something he had wondered about before came to mind.
“Why did you want to be in the same group at first?”
He was genuinely curious. He knew he wasn’t unattractive. His height was decent too. His family wasn’t poor, so he had lived without feeling inferior. Many people commented on his personality, but he consistently received confessions. This was the first time a man was involved, though.
Suddenly, he thought of a foolish junior who would flirt and date without reading the room. This made him even more curious. Could this man also…?
“Do you like men?”
The moment Ki Young-han asked, the music abruptly stopped. He could feel the few people around them checking his face. Next was Yoon Ye-jun. Yoon Ye-jun replied in a calm voice.
“No.”
“Ah.”
“I thought it would be more comfortable with someone of the same gender. I have many part-time jobs, and often finish late. It’s a hassle to ask a woman to meet at a late hour. Even if it wasn’t you, Ki Young-han, if there was someone else, I would have asked them to be in the same group.”
It was a valid point, but it didn’t feel good. It was a separate issue from his feelings towards the man. It felt like the man was crushing his sky-high pride. Still, Ki Young-han hid his emotions.
Instead, he drank the cold Americano in front of him. The things that had angered him since morning cooled down. He shrugged his shoulders and buttoned up his coat. Despite it being mid-March, the weather was still chilly.
He had nothing particular to say, and nothing to do. He wondered if he should just end the conversation and wrap things up. He had enough material for the report. The man had broken the agreed-upon time, and didn’t even know his name. His first impression was undeniably the worst.
Ki Young-han, touching the bridge of his nose, looked up. Their eyes met. The color of his irises was surprisingly light. Closer to brown than black. It had a peculiar sheen.
Well, there was nothing else to do now.
“Shall we go?”
“What?”
The man asked, sounding surprised. Ki Young-han checked the time. It was 9:12. Exactly 10 minutes after the man arrived.
“I have nothing more to say. I have enough for the report.”
“Um…”
Yoon Ye-jun dragged out his words. He seemed to have something to say. Ki Young-han quietly waited for the words to come from Yoon Ye-jun’s mouth.
“What’s your family situation?”
“Why do I have to tell you that?”
“I’ve thought about it before, your tone is really unpleasant.”
Yoon Ye-jun’s frown deepened. His face looked displeased. Ki Young-han, remaining still, rolled his eyes slightly. What if the man wrote this in the report? Reports were written individually, so you could write all sorts of complaints about the other person, and they wouldn’t know. Just as he intended to write in his report that the man was 2 minutes late and didn’t even know his name, he didn’t know if this man would do the same.
Ki Young-han, biting the soft flesh inside his cheek, straightened his head. Then, he replied in the most polite manner he had used so far.
“I have one younger brother.”
“I’m an only child.”
“No…”
Ki Young-han, about to reply habitually, closed his lips.
“I see.”
He forced himself to answer kindly.
Ki Young-han once again reviewed his past relationships. Had he ever been curious about his partners? Absolutely not. Habitually, they met, ate, watched movies, and so on. He answered questions under the guise of being lovers, but beyond that…
How had he dated until now? His heart felt complicated. Ki Young-han looked down at his Mobile phone, which was recording, with a complicated expression. He hoped his report and the man’s would align somewhat, but he couldn’t grasp where to start or where to end.
Yoon Ye-jun gazed at Ki Young-han and opened his mouth.
“How many relationships have you had?”
“Two.”
“How long did you date?”
“Do people usually ask that on a first meeting?”
“I was curious.”
After speaking, Yoon Ye-jun smiled with his eyes. He did that even in front of the professor. He used to smile like that while talking with friends in the smoking area outside the professor’s office, where he first saw him. His eyes crinkled, his eye-smile gently. The mole under his eye rose and fell with his cheekbones when they puffed up.
“I didn’t date for more than a few months. Is that enough?”
Actually, it was two months at most.
“Ah.”
The man let out a short exclamation. The eye-smile, which he thought had been neatly drawn in, deepened slightly.
“You look like it.”
Ki Young-han’s left eye twitched stiffly. He couldn’t hide his contorted face.
“And you…”
“……”
“How long did you date?”
His tone was aggressive. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Surely Yoon Ye-jun hadn’t dated for long either. With such socially inept speech, how could he treat others?
“Well. I usually date for about a year.”
“……”
Ki Young-han turned his head, having nothing more to say. He had thrown the bait himself. Yoon Ye-jun added, “Ah, you took the bait. Like a fisherman who caught a big one.”
“I don’t act openly rude like some people.”
Ki Young-han’s expression hardened. He found it disgusting that the man spoke without regard for who he was talking to, or what he was saying.
Rude? Who was he to say that?
Ki Young-han bit the straw of his iced Americano, then, finding even that frustrating, removed the straw and gulped down the contents. Instead of feeling refreshed, the cold coffee poured down his throat made his head throb.
“Mr. Yoon Ye-jun.”
Ki Young-han called out to the man before him. Tapping the table with his fingernails, he drew his attention. Yoon Ye-jun, looking at Ki Young-han’s fingertips, raised his head with a look of indifference.
“You’re mistaken about something right now. We have to meet a few more times privately. For the report. Do you know what I’m going to write about you that you’re speaking like that? You acted nice, pretty, and all sorts of ways in front of the professor.”
“……”
Yoon Ye-jun maintained a blank expression. Ki Young-han, with a very displeased look, repeatedly bit and released the flesh inside his cheek. The more he lashed out, the more he felt like he was getting tangled up.
Yoon Ye-jun chuckled lightly. At the short puff of breath, like a snort, Ki Young-han just stared at Yoon Ye-jun. Yoon Ye-jun, pressing his lips together as if swallowing his emotions, slowly nodded and opened his mouth.
“Ki Young-han.”
“What?”
“I only treat well those I want to do well by. I only treat people with respect who I consider worthy of respect.”
“…Huh.”
It was absurd, and he was dumbfounded.
“I don’t care what you write in your report. You know I have a lot to say too. From the start, when we were scheduling, I told you I finish my part-time job late, yet you insisted on meeting at 9 AM.”
“……”
“Generally, who sets the first meeting time for 9 AM? And, about being 2 minutes late, I am sorry for that. But do you have to pick at it like that?”
“2 minutes is enough to cook a cup noodle.”
“Then you must eat hard cup noodles.”
Yoon Ye-jun didn’t back down an inch. Ki Young-han’s insides boiled and felt like they would explode. He had never met such a person in his life. Moreover, judging by his demeanor, it was clear he would continue to be so prickly, and the thought of the time they had to spend together in the future made his vision go dark.
Ki Young-han squeezed his eyes shut. He avoids shit because it’s dirty. Such words were not in Ki Young-han’s vocabulary. Even if he had to scoop shit with a wooden spoon, avoiding it was out of the question.
Ki Young-han lightly licked his lips with his tongue, then leaned back against the chair with his arms crossed. It wasn’t because he intended to listen seriously, but because his body was leaning slightly further forward than Yoon Ye-jun’s, which offended his pride.
Yoon Ye-jun gazed at Ki Young-han. Annoyance was plastered all over his pretty face. Still, seeing that he wasn’t continuing to bicker, it seemed he had no intention of being loud anymore. Perhaps he had been too aggressive. He felt a little apologetic. Still, he thought it was better to get a handle on things early, and took out his wallet from his pocket.
“This.”
He rummaged through his wallet and placed a movie ticket on the table. The cinema was about a 10-minute walk from school. He had booked tickets for the most popular movie recently. He was late because he had gone to book the tickets in the morning. Ki Young-han was openly hostile towards him, and he expected him to respond harshly if he spoke to him, so he planned to watch the movie and then write the report.
“What is this?”
And, as expected, the man before him scrunched his eyebrows the moment he saw the movie ticket.
“I apologize for what I just said. Let’s go see this. We can’t just sit around in the cafe all day.”
“Why would I watch a movie with you?”
Just as he expected.
How am I supposed to get along with this guy in the future… Yoon Ye-jun clenched his teeth.
“I need it for the report too. Wouldn’t it be good for you if I have a lot to write for the report?”
He whispered persuasively in a voice that had lost some of its edge. Ki Young-han, who had been looking at him with a sullen face, lowered his gaze. He seemed to be contemplating as he read the movie ticket. He looked up again. His irises are really pretty. Yoon Ye-jun thought as he met his gaze. They shimmered as if inlaid with beautiful beads. He was curious about his parents’ faces.
If he didn’t talk so much, he’d probably be popular. Of course, he wasn’t my type.
“But why are you buying this?”
“……”
“Ah—you’re trying to write something in your report.”
That mouth again.
* * *
It was early morning, so there weren’t many people at the cinema. Yoon Ye-jun sat in the waiting area in front of the screening room, holding the movie tickets. He was waiting for Ki Young-han, who had gone somewhere for a moment. He had grumbled the entire way here, his ears burning. To think that someone dated a person like that. They must be capable of anything.
“……”
Yoon Ye-jun lowered his gaze. He looked down at the movie ticket in his hand. He hadn’t even seen the trailer, and he bought it because it was ranked number one in bookings. He later looked up what it was about and found it was a romantic comedy. He preferred action movies. Romance still sells these days, huh. It was bound to be a dull story.
When was the last time… I was interested in dating?
Unlike Ki Young-han, who only cared about himself, he wasn’t a lone wolf, so he had definitely liked someone before. Yoon Ye-jun slowly counted the years. It was two years ago. Of course, the end was so drawn out it couldn’t even be called a relationship.
Yoon Ye-jun, with a bitter smile, pulled his lips down and then back to their original position. He had become numb to it now. At most, once a year, he’d wonder what that person was up to.
“When will he come…”
As he muttered to himself, Ki Young-han appeared. Yoon Ye-jun, lost in melancholic thoughts, was horrified by his appearance.
“Are you crazy?”
Ki Young-han’s arms were laden with food. Nachos, popcorn, hot dogs, two drinks. It was a wonder he could carry it all. Yoon Ye-jun, watching Ki Young-han approach precariously, sat up and moved towards him.
“Ah, take some.”
Ki Young-han snapped, as if unprompted. Yoon Ye-jun took the nachos, hot dog, and one drink from his hands and asked,
“Didn’t you eat breakfast?”
Ki Young-han slumped into a seat, placing the popcorn beside him. As if his insides were burning, he gulped down his drink.
“You…”
Come to think of it, Ki Young-han hadn’t used any polite terms like ‘sunbae’ or ‘hyung’ even as a courtesy. Of course, Yoon Ye-jun was accustomed to calling people ‘-ssi’ after their names from his various part-time jobs, but many people found it awkward before they started working. Yet, Ki Young-han had called him by name with ease. ‘Excuse me,’ ‘You,’ ‘Yoon Ye-jun-ssi.’ Especially when he said ‘Yoon Ye-jun-ssi,’ he did it as if adding a staccato to his voice: Yoon, Ye, Jun, ssi.
“I know perfectly well you’re doing this because you want to get good marks on your report by yourself, so how can I just let it slide?”
Yoon Ye-jun swallowed, listening to him speak so rudely, with a casual nod. How could someone’s disposition be so twisted? He had never encountered this type of person before.
He should have been fawning over me, calling me ‘hyungnim, hyungnim’ since he was intimidated by me at the cafe earlier, but this guy seems to be made of sterner stuff.
He had seen people who took favors as their due, but never outright hostility. Yoon Ye-jun, unable to hide his displeased expression, met Ki Young-han’s gaze before bringing his lips to the straw in front of him.
“…Thank you.”
It was such a bother. Even in this situation, the cold cola was excessively delicious.
Ki Young-han stared at the large screen with cold eyes.
The romantic comedy movie, with its bickering male and female leads, was unremarkable. Some people laughed heartily at intervals, but he wasn’t one of them.
“……”
In truth, the movie’s plot wasn’t registering. His attention was focused on Yoon Ye-jun, sitting beside him, rather than the film on screen.
Yoon Ye-jun, who had slept through class, had fallen fast asleep the moment the movie began. Did he think this was a nap room? He had gone on about reports and whatnot, but he was completely self-indulgent.
Even if that guy didn’t know, he had plenty to write about. Yoon Ye-jun had the worst date manners. He was late, then he raised his voice again, and after suggesting they watch a movie, he just slept through it.
Yoon Ye-jun hadn’t eaten much either. He had only picked up a couple of nachos before the movie started, which lay neatly on his thigh. Did I overdo it? Ki Young-han’s lips twitched. He had bought the movie ticket himself because he was annoyed. Honestly, there wasn’t a single thing he liked about him.
“……”
Ki Young-han glanced sideways at the sleeping Yoon Ye-jun. Yoon Ye-jun’s lips were pouting. His eyelashes were quite long, with the tips curling slightly upward. He hadn’t intended to look closely, but as he’d felt the first time, his face wasn’t ugly. Rather than ugly… it was more… what was it…
Ki Young-han stared intently at Yoon Ye-jun’s face, his brow furrowed in an attempt to find a definition for something he had no use for.
Suddenly, Yoon Ye-jun’s head bobbed down and then up, and Ki Young-han quickly shifted his gaze back to the screen. If the sleeping Yoon Ye-jun woke up and realized he was being watched, it would be utter humiliation. Although, in reality, there was nothing to be ashamed of, his body moved faster than he expected.
What kind of plot is this?
He had only looked at Yoon Ye-jun’s face for a moment, but by now, the bickering protagonists were kissing frantically. Do they want to kiss after fighting so much? It was utterly incomprehensible to a normal person’s mind.
Bob. Yoon Ye-jun’s head dipped again. Even without looking directly, his movements were large enough to be seen. However, the weight that landed on his shoulder was unexpected. Yoon Ye-jun leaned his head on his shoulder.
Thump. Without a moment’s hesitation, Ki Young-han nudged his shoulder up, knocking Yoon Ye-jun’s head away. Yoon Ye-jun flinched and looked around, as if waking up. He brushed his lips with the back of his hand, then slyly glanced at Ki Young-han. I didn’t drool. Ki Young-han pretended not to notice and looked at the screen. I love you. I love you. What bullshit. He cursed under his breath at the actors’ earnest confessions.
Yoon Ye-jun stretched as if curling up, then moved his hand. He picked up the cola and took a sip. After a small yawn, he tilted his head back and leaned against the chair. Now he seemed ready to actually watch. That was a small relief. He was an unnervingly bothersome person.
“……”
But as if nothing had happened, Yoon Ye-jun started dozing off again. Surely, after being pushed away once, he should have been more aware and not leaned on someone.
“……”
Yoon Ye-jun leaned his body towards Ki Young-han again. Honestly, he wasn’t heavy, but it was irritating. He even wondered if he was doing it on purpose. Ki Young-han once again nudged the head of Yoon Ye-jun, who was leaning on his shoulder. This time, he didn’t even pretend to wake up.
“Excuse me.”
Ki Young-han leaned his body towards Yoon Ye-jun and whispered. He didn’t even pretend to get up. Ki Young-han gritted his teeth and called out again, as if muttering.
“…Excuse me.”
It was outrageous and absurd. He even wondered if the man had fainted or died, but he could hear his steady, shallow breathing. He was asleep.
How could someone be hit on the head and not wake up even when called? Ki Young-han squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them, and leaned his head down further. It was almost a direct frontal view. He had never imagined he would have a reason to see Yoon Ye-jun’s face this close. His cheek, pressed against his shoulder, was slightly puffed out. His lips, which moved as if chewing, were a bonus. This is so annoying. The more he looked at that face, the more annoyance filled Ki Young-han’s expression.
“Hey, Yoon Ye-jun.”
Finally unable to suppress his stubbornness, he called out to Yoon Ye-jun. For someone whose patience was practically zero, except when studying, this was a situation where he had endured enough.
“……”
Fuck, really… Ki Young-han leaned down further to call Yoon Ye-jun’s name one more time. It was excessively close, but it was unavoidable in a movie theater. He had at least that much common decency. Unlike some people who leaned on others’ shoulders to sleep.
“……”
“……”
As he leaned closer, Yoon Ye-jun, who hadn’t woken up no matter how many times he was pushed or called, opened his eyes. Blink, blink. He slowly closed and opened his eyes a couple of times. The pupils revealed from behind his long eyelashes were so close that Ki Young-han’s body froze.
Yoon Ye-jun’s eyes slowly widened, and so did Ki Young-han’s. Ki Young-han, without the leisure to hide his surprise, held his breath for quite a long time. Yoon Ye-jun hunched his shoulders.
He was clearly misunderstanding. As if Ki Young-han had intended to kiss him, his expression hardened, and he twisted his upper body away from the lean.
Ki Young-han’s face flushed red and blue. He felt wronged, and wronged again. If he had his way, he would have retorted, asking what kind of bullshit misunderstanding he had, but he had to hold back because they were in a movie theater. Of course, he had stolen a glance at his face, but that was all.
Ki Young-han, trying to suppress his wronged and indignant feelings, returned to his original seat.
This is fucked up, really…
He cursed inwardly and crossed his legs. Leaning away from Yoon Ye-jun, he pulled the cola from the armrest on his side and drank it down. Ah, it was disgustingly sweet, and disgustingly cold. The movie theater, which had held no particular thoughts for him, now felt stifling.
“Um, did I sleep a lot?”
As they walked out of the theater together, Yoon Ye-jun asked. A couple, who seemed to have just started dating, passed by, exchanging exaggerated impressions of the movie.
Ki Young-han dumped everything he was holding into the trash can. It felt like his own heart. He wanted to cast away the memories of his embarrassment in the theater just moments ago, like the popcorn falling before his eyes.
Yoon Ye-jun, avoiding his gaze awkwardly, had slept again. Ki Young-han, who had been in a position as if he were about to kiss Yoon Ye-jun, and was actually misunderstood as such, hadn’t been able to properly focus on the movie, but Yoon Ye-jun had slept soundly.
If he had just slept quietly, Ki Young-han wouldn’t have said anything. It would have been a little bothersome, but bearable. However, whenever Ki Young-han’s mood started to improve, Yoon Ye-jun would lean towards him again, and when he was pushed away, he would briefly sit up before leaning towards him again. It was incredibly irritating.
Ki Young-han glared at Yoon Ye-jun and retorted.
“Did I sleep a lot?”
Yoon Ye-jun, waiting for an answer, remained silent.
Seeing Yoon Ye-jun’s slightly slanted eyes made Ki Young-han even more uncomfortable. Honestly, if that guy hadn’t slept, such an embarrassing situation would never have unfolded. It happened while he was trying to wake him up. It was a bit close, though.
And what was even more annoying was that Yoon Ye-jun had misunderstood on his own and turned his head away. Frankly, why would he kiss another man? What was Ki Young-han lacking?
Ki Young-han picked a fight for no good reason.
“You were snoring so loudly. And why do you lean on other people’s bodies to sleep? Are you doing it on purpose?”
“On purpose?”
Yoon Ye-jun also threw his snacks into the trash can. Walking down the corridor next to the theater towards the waiting area, Yoon Ye-jun muttered to himself.
“You were the one who did that to someone who was just sitting there…”
As soon as Ki Young-han heard the low murmur, he reacted immediately.
“What kind of bullshit…”
He was about to retort, asking what kind of nonsense he was spouting, when Yoon Ye-jun dropped a bomb.
“You were trying to kiss me, weren’t you?”
“Argh!”
Ki Young-han couldn’t contain his rage. He ran his hands through his hair and caught up to Yoon Ye-jun, who was walking ahead.
“Hey, excuse me.”
Ki Young-han placed one hand on his hip and raised the other. He even held up his fingers and pointed them at his face, wagging them. Pointing at him like that. Yoon Ye-jun had a retort ready up to his throat, but he decided not to utter it. After all, their conversation was just nitpicking, and if he said anything now, he would be providing bait to the man huffing and puffing in front of him.
He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, then spoke, barely catching his breath.
“You’re misunderstanding something. I wasn’t trying to do that to you. It’s because you kept leaning on my shoulder, so I was trying to wake you up.”
“Yes, I don’t really mind. So… your own sexual….”
“Ah, I said no!”
Ki Young-han, as if he were dying of injustice, raised his voice. People coming out of the same theater glanced at them. The people glancing met Yoon Ye-jun’s eyes. They weren’t fighting, but it could look like it, and he felt embarrassed.
After glancing around at the people nearby, Yoon Ye-jun, with a frown, gave a perfunctory nod.
“Okay. It was a joke.”
He thought he had ended it cleanly, but Ki Young-han’s expression suggested otherwise. People like him, who stubbornly clung to their pride, wouldn’t let go of their indignation even when trying to smooth things over, unless they resolved it properly.
Living in the world with that kind of personality must be difficult. It wasn’t his place to say, but still, Yoon Ye-jun had social skills. In fact, he had too many. Thanks to that, he had never done things like Ki Young-han, who would glare with his eyes rolling in front of everyone and argue so fiercely.
“No… why would I… I’m a guy.”
Ki Young-han was so worked up that he couldn’t even finish his sentence properly. Was the misunderstanding that he tried to kiss a guy that upsetting? Perhaps it was a form of self-loathing. He had heard that people with extreme homophobic tendencies were often strongly gay themselves.
Yoon Ye-jun looked at the man in front of him and thought, but he wasn’t foolish enough to bring that up in this situation. After all, at the orientation, he had said something like ‘disgusting’ in response to the professor’s joke, so he didn’t know if his voice would get louder if he said it now.
Yoon Ye-jun let out a low sigh.
“Okay. I said I don’t mind. I’m sorry if I misunderstood.”
After speaking, he took his mobile phone out of his pocket and checked the time. It was just before 1 PM. While he hadn’t looked at his phone, messages had piled up from the part-time job group messenger, his tutoring student, and classmates from his department.
He had one class on Friday at 2 PM. While some might consider it the worst timetable, it was unavoidable to align it with his part-time job schedule and class times.
Yoon Ye-jun, with a blank expression, checked his mobile phone, then put it back in his pocket. He then straightened his head and met the gaze of Ki Young-han, whose face was still flushed red and blue.
“I have an afternoon class. Let’s part ways here for today.”
He said it calmly, and Ki Young-han squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. Still unable to calm his indignation, he huffed and walked past Yoon Ye-jun. There was no usual farewell. After walking a considerable distance, he stomped his foot, unable to contain himself.
What, a guy in his mid-twenties stomping his foot because he can’t control his temper?
“Tsk…”
Yoon Ye-jun clicked his tongue without hesitation.
He was a person he couldn’t understand and didn’t want to associate with.
A quiet weekend.
Ki Young-han was staring blankly at the monitor.
He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the blank spaces for the report created by the professor. What kind of activity report was this? The content seemed like something elementary school students would write. Activity report, what I felt, one-line evaluation, what I want to do at the next meeting.
“What I want to do, my ass…”
Ki Young-han shifted his gaze to the calendar on his desk. It was still March. How could he wait until the end of June? A sigh escaped him even when he was doing nothing.
“……”
With his brow furrowed, Ki Young-han tapped, tapped on the keyboard, then focused on the monitor.
There was a space to enter the other person’s student ID. Not wanting to contact Yoon Ye-jun separately to ask, he searched for it through the school’s portal system.
He began writing the activity report.
Met at the cafe at 9 AM. I was 2 minutes late, and intending to overlook it, but Yoon Ye-jun argued with me instead. Feeling quite displeased, I was about to go home, but he suggested we watch a movie. The reason… he had nothing to write for the report……. After contemplating, he deleted this part. Instead, he changed it to say he agreed because there was no reason to refuse.
Yoon Ye-jun, without asking what kind of movie the other person liked, preemptively booked the movie tickets himself. He felt very unpleasant. Buying the movie tickets made him feel indebted, so he bought snacks, but the other person barely ate them and slept through the entire movie.
“……”
And│
The cursor blinked before his eyes.
And│
And
And│
He remembered Yoon Ye-jun resting his small head on his shoulder. At first, he had flicked his head away out of annoyance, but he leaned on him again. This repeated several times. In the end, he gave up out of annoyance and watched the movie, but the other person eventually tilted his head and slept on the opposite side.
Yoon Ye-jun had a small head for a guy. He himself was often told he had a small head, but Yoon Ye-jun’s was even smaller. His body, which leaned on him with shallow breaths… had a thin frame. His build was quite small too.
“Ah, fuck…”
Ki Young-han couldn’t hold back and cursed immediately. It came to mind for no reason. Cursing, he deleted everything he had written so far. Then, ignoring the feelings and activity report, he went straight to the one-line evaluation. Without hesitation, he wrote his evaluation of Yoon Ye-jun.
First impression was the worst, but his head is light.
“Hey. Yoon.”
Yoon Ye-jun looked up at the finger poking his side heavily. It was his friend, Kim Dong-hoon. Kim Dong-hoon pursed his lips and made kissing sounds. He could have just said they were going out for a smoke, but he always acted like this. Honestly, it was so easy to be heterosexual in Korea.
Yoon Ye-jun got up. Kim Dong-hoon and Yoon Ye-jun left the lecture hall side by side. They waited for the elevator to go down to the smoking area on the first floor. It took quite some time to reach the 9th floor.
During that time, the two exchanged trivial conversation. School cafeteria food is eaten for its cheapness. He wanted to kill the guys who smoked in the bathroom. The major professor asked Yoon Ye-jun what classes he was taking. Most of it was Kim Dong-hoon talking.
Ding. The elevator doors opened. As Yoon Ye-jun stepped inside, he naturally turned his gaze. He met a familiar face.
“……”
“……”
It was Ki Young-han. Strangely, after recognizing his face, they ran into each other often. It was probably because they used the same building for the College of Social Sciences. Ki Young-han always had a sullen expression. Their eyes met naturally.
Should I say hello…? He pondered briefly, but there was no need. Ki Young-han passed by Yoon Ye-jun as if they were strangers. Usually, if you run into someone you’re working with on a group project in a private setting, you at least make eye contact, right? What a rude person. Who would like someone like that?
He got into the elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, a voice was heard.
“Hey, Young-han!”
The tone was cheerful and quite friendly. Still, it seems he has friends. Is that a good thing? That guy wouldn’t seem to care even if he didn’t have friends. He didn’t give the impression he’d be particularly nice to his friends.
And sure enough.
“Hey, my ears aren’t deaf. Speak a little quieter.”
He talks like that even to his friends. This is really amazing. The door slowly closed. Ki Young-han’s friend’s voice, nagging them to drink, was the last thing heard. Would someone like that even drink? It suddenly made me wonder.
“Ye-jun, today’s not your day for your part-time job, right.”
“Yeah.”
“Want to grab a drink? Min-seok hyung opened a bar. He keeps telling us to come over.”
He was a senior who had looked out for me since my freshman year. How old was the senior again, now that I think about it. I know he’s in his late twenties, but I don’t know his exact age. As my time at school got longer, my seniors also aged, and at some point, I forgot.
I had heard that the senior opened a bar when we exchanged greetings at the beginning of the year. He was already known for being from a wealthy family. He didn’t pay much attention to his studies, but as soon as he graduated, he opened a bar nearby. Truly, the world runs on money. Unlike me, who doesn’t even have time to sleep because of my part-time jobs. Yoon Ye-jun gave a bitter smile and then composed his lips.
“Shall we go?”
“Hey, let’s go, let’s go. Min-seok hyung said he’ll give us tons of service if we come.”
It seemed okay to drink after a long time. Usually, I’m swamped with part-time jobs, so taking a day or two off to relax and have fun wasn’t bad.
Come to think of it, what time was my class tomorrow? As long as it wasn’t an early morning class, it should be fine. Tomorrow is Tuesday… Yoon Ye-jun recalled his schedule. My first class was at 1 PM. That was perfectly fine.
Yoon Ye-jun nodded lightly. Drinking after a long time would be good. As soon as he agreed, Kim Dong-hoon happily pulled out his Mobile phone. Ding. At the same time, the elevator arrived on the first floor.
After class, I was chatting with my friends, and before I knew it, it was time for dinner. Yoon Ye-jun and his friends, who had been lounging in their respective rooms, met in front of the bar their senior had opened and went inside.
It had a dark atmosphere, like freshmen would get together and chug drinks at the beginning of the semester. It was a typical bar you’d find in a college town.
Yoon Ye-jun stopped at the entrance and stood still.
There were two types of bar atmospheres that made him particularly uncomfortable: one was a private room bar in a bustling area where no one seemed to care what anyone else was doing, and the other was a dark, damp atmosphere like this one in a college town.
If I had to give a reason…
It was probably because it reminded him of the past. In Yoon Ye-jun’s life, which he had generally lived with conviction, it was a time when he acted without principles, wavered, and was like a leaky sailboat adrift on a rough sea.
“……”
Yoon Ye-jun, his expression stiff, stood still. His classmates, excluding Yoon Ye-jun, were chattering loudly at the entrance. They waved their hands, calling out, “Min-seok hyung.” The senior, who was enjoying his time as the young owner in the hall, felt their presence and approached them.
“Hey, you guys actually came?”
“Ah, hyung, why are you acting like that? You told us to come first.”
Kim Dong-hoon, with a friendly face, engaged the senior who was playing hard to get. Seeing their conversation bounce around like ping-pong balls, the past memories slowly faded.
Yoon Ye-jun left the guys chatting with the senior and looked around the bar. Even though it wasn’t late, the interior was dark. Seeing the atmosphere that made drinking easy, it seemed unlikely he’d leave sober today.
“This way. This way.”
Yoon Ye-jun went and sat down where the senior guided him. The senior led them to the center and handed them a menu that looked quite complete. “Hyung, you really look like a boss,” his classmates teased, and the senior laughed heartily.
Since it was instead of a meal, they ordered a spicy stew and fried food as appetizers, and pre-ordered three liters of beer and four bottles of soju.
The senior, who seemed to be in a good mood, chuckled and said he’d treat them generously today, so they should eat whatever they wanted, then went into the kitchen.
“Do you know why hyung invited us?”
“Who cares?”
“Hyung’s classmates are all super ugly.”
“That year was famous. The cursed year for guys.”
“Still, we’re decent enough, right?”
Yoon Ye-jun, listening to them whispering with a bored expression, rested his chin on one hand and fiddled with his Mobile phone with the other. It was a rambling conversation. He had no intention of chiming in with their chatter. Waiting for the food with a bored expression, he opened Messenger and scrolled with his thumb.
[Department of Political Science and International Relations Ki Young-han]
The really decent one is right here.
Yoon Ye-jun briefly looked at the profile, which lacked even a common profile picture or status message.
He didn’t see all men as potential romantic partners, but even if they weren’t his type, Ki Young-han was handsome. It’s not easy to be both pretty and masculine, but he managed it. A sharp jawline, deep-set eyes, long eyelashes. Despite his pretty appearance, his strong nose gave him a distinctly masculine side.
If he didn’t flap his mouth so much, he might have been even better. If that were the case, it might have been possible to get along quite well. After all, it’s not easy for two men to act distant while working on group projects.
“Hey, you guys have to stay as long as possible, okay?”
The senior, who had approached at some point, said as he placed the half-cooked stew on the gas stove.
“It’s not done yet, so taste it as you go. Oh, and get your own drinks from over there.”
The senior said this in a seemingly generous manner, pointing to the refrigerator with his chin, and Yoon Ye-jun closed the Mobile phone he was holding. I should drink. He scooped some food onto his plate and sipped his soju cup. One cup, then another, and as time passed, more people came in. The interior became quite full.
“Wow, there are surprisingly a lot of people.”
When a classmate said this, Yoon Ye-jun nodded. Then he brought the soju cup in front of him to his lips and drained it.
The conversation was flowing. It wasn’t the wild laughter and shouting of freshman year, but it was comfortable now. Yoon Ye-jun was moderately drunk. Since he needed to drink three or four bottles of soju to get drunk, he wasn’t completely unable to drink, but perhaps it was because he hadn’t drunk in a while. He felt quite tipsy.
A classmate who had gone to the restroom and then chatted with the senior returned to his seat and said,
“Hey, I just heard from Min-seok hyung.”
“What?”
Instead of asking, Yoon Ye-jun tilted his head and met his eyes.
“Jae-ui hyung is coming back to Korea soon.”
“……”
Yoon Ye-jun’s expression, which had been slightly excited by the alcohol, slowly sank. His lips stiffened. He bit his lower lip slightly. He soothed his dry mouth with water. As expected, a question came his way.
“Jun-ah, weren’t you close with Jae-ui hyung?”
“Jae-ui hyung really doted on you. He practically kept you by his side.”
“……”
“That’s why I used to suspect you two were dating. I was a little suspicious.”
“No, but Jae-ui hyung seems like he might be that way. He lived in America for a long time, right?”
“What are you talking about…”
Yoon Ye-jun tried to brush it off playfully, but the words carried weight. He was doomed. He squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them. He craved the soju sloshing in his soju cup.
Possibility of that? Bullshit. Even if he was, he was just a curious person. It was me who actually liked him.
There might have been times he kept me close. That was when I was wavering without principles. How easy it must have been to play with me. My liking for him must have been evident from my eyes. Yoon Ye-jun tilted his head. Today, the drinks will go down well. He couldn’t even manage a bitter smile for fear his classmates would ask what was wrong.
“I don’t even contact that hyung anymore. We lost touch after he went back to America.”
“Ah, is that so? But if he’s in touch with Min-seok hyung, it seems he’s still in touch with people from college.”
“Whatever. Let’s just drink.”
Yoon Ye-jun returned to his usual expression. A face that was moderately polite, moderately sly, and moderately smiling.
He naturally raised his glass and proposed a toast. With a clink, the lightly clinking glasses mixed with the bar music that rang in his ears.
“I told you I’m not going, how many times do I have to say it? Stop bothering me.”
Ki Young-han replied without hesitation to his classmate Lee Yun-hak, who was clinging to his arm. Yun-hak practically begged.
“Please, just once, huh? Please, please, just once.”
“No, fuck… Did some ghost who died drinking possess me?”
“Yes! Think of it as possession. We haven’t drunk together in so long. Hey, a senior I took a general education class with last year opened a bar and told us to come over, how can I go alone?”
“You don’t have to go.”
“Ki Young-han. You like drinking toooo.”
At Lee Yun-hak’s act of feigning cuteness, Ki Young-han’s expression turned grim. At the fierce gaze directed at him, Lee Yun-hak gave a light cough.
“Hyung said to bring a handsome guy.”
“Are we going to a gay bar?”
“What kind of bullshit is that? No, it’s just… it’s right there, not far at all.”
It wasn’t Friday, why drink in the middle of the week? However, if it were Friday or the weekend, Ki Young-han wouldn’t have come out. Ah. It’s so annoying. Ki Young-han shook his head.
Whether he likes drinking or dislikes it, if he had to categorize, Ki Young-han was definitely in the liking category. But there are days you want to drink and days you don’t, aren’t there? Today was the latter.
“Hey, forget it. I’m leaving.”
Ki Young-han shook off the hand of his classmate holding his wrist and turned back without hesitation. He intended to go straight to the parking lot, get his car, and relax comfortably in his room.
That was definitely his intention. If only his classmate hadn’t grabbed his pant leg…
“Hey, Young-han, please. Just once… Please…”
He not only grabbed his pant leg but also held on as if he were going to take his pants off. Ki Young-han, with an annoyed expression, grabbed the band of his pants.
“Hey, are you going to let go?”
“Ah, let’s gooo. Please. I, ah, I have something on my mind. Really. It’s a serious concern.”
People passing by the social science building glanced at the two. It was already a busy time. What a ridiculous scene. A man kneeling and clinging, and next to him, holding on lest his pants fall down. It was ridiculous to an extreme. Ki Young-han cursed under his breath and squeezed his eyes shut.
Ki Young-han, who hated being noticed and drawing attention the most, licked his dry lips with his tongue and then bit his lip hard. In the end, he gave in first.
“Ah, fine!”
He yelled. He didn’t understand why everyone around him was so brazen. He couldn’t comprehend why they thought they could get whatever they wanted by pestering and begging.
And the place they arrived at was just an average college bar. Lee Yun-hak had gone back to his room to change and then came out. If he dressed neatly as usual, there would be no need to bother changing clothes and coming out again.
Ki Young-han buttoned his coat, which had become thinner in just a few weeks. The bar, though it looked like it had opened not long ago, was quite crowded.
“Hyung…!”
“Oh, Yun-hak. You’re here?”
While Lee Yun-hak was talking to the man who appeared to be the owner, Ki Young-han stood at the entrance and looked around the bar. There were almost no people who came in pairs. Everyone occupied seats in various groups. As expected of a weekday near a school, it was a lively scene.
It was only eight o’clock, not that late, but it was already full of drunkards. It felt like a place only for drunkards. Do we really have to drink here… It wasn’t too late. Should I just leave?
The owner glanced at Ki Young-han. “He’s really handsome,” the owner whispered to Lee Yun-hak, who replied, “Didn’t I tell you?” with a smirk. Honestly, Ki Young-han had heard the comments about his looks many times, so he pretended not to hear.
“I’ll tell the kids to waive the bill, so hang out. If you get a chance, join them. Got it?”
Lee Yun-hak bowed.
“Hyung, I will serve you extremely well.”
“Stop bullshitting.”
It was unfortunate that the two men’s ridiculous conversation wasn’t drowned out by the music. Ki Young-han cursed to himself without hesitation.
Soon, Lee Yun-hak, who had been led to a table by the owner, approached Ki Young-han. Ki Young-han couldn’t hide his reluctant expression.
“Are you here to get free drinks?”
“Yeah. Hyung said he’d buy if I came to hang out.”
“Then you could have come with the other guys.”
“Ah, damn, hyung said to bring a handsome guy… No, wait. I have something to tell you anyway. Let’s go inside and talk. It’s a good opportunity.”
He knew for sure that Yun-hak had nothing to tell him. Yun-hak was always like this. If he wanted to drink, he’d bring up a non-existent problem and get drunk.
Ki Young-han had no idea why Yun-hak cared for him so much. He wasn’t the type to laugh and chat like the other guys, and frankly, he wasn’t a heavy drinker. He could only drink about a bottle of soju at most. That’s why he preferred drinking alone.
I don’t know. Whatever happens, happens. Ki Young-han waved his hand. Well, if I get drunk first, I can just go home, so there shouldn’t be any problem.
“Ah, shit… How much is that bastard drinking?”
He’s a real heavy drinker. Ki Young-han muttered and put a cigarette to his lips.
The bar was located on the top floor of a four-story building, so the rooftop was used as a smoking area. It was nice to get some fresh air. He had barely drunk, trying to sober up as much as possible, but the bar, filled with the smell of food, felt stuffy. It was fortunate that Yun-hak didn’t smoke. If he did, he would have followed me up here and whined again.
Ki Young-han crushed the filter between his teeth and spun the lighter wheel to ignite it. The small flame that rose was transferred to the tip of the cigarette. Once lit, the cigarette burned quickly.
Although it was spring, it was quite chilly. It was noisy beyond the building. Spring songs blared, and it seemed like freshmen had gathered to drink, as they came out and disappeared in a group. They have it easy. Ki Young-han scoffed repeatedly.
Holding the cigarette in his mouth without using his hand, he exhaled, creating a gap. Zzz*. A short vibration rang out.
Only then did he hook the cigarette on his fingers, take out his Mobile phone from his pocket, and check the incoming messages. It was from the department’s group Messenger chat, and messages from about four or five freshmen he had bumped into.
Since it wasn’t important, he just read the content and moved on. Suddenly, Ki Young-han felt a presence. He slowly turned his head towards the source of the presence. In a corner of the rooftop, there was a wooden swing. It seemed to have been made for decoration, but the lights were only on where he was standing, and the area around the swing was dark. It was understandable that he felt the presence late.
On the swing, a person was hunched over, sitting. He wasn’t smoking, so what was he doing there?
After briefly looking at the swing, Ki Young-han turned his head back. He’d rather watch the group inside the bar chatting amongst themselves.
Whether they were drunk or not, he had no intention of meddling. He pressed the nearly finished cigarette into the ashtray and extinguished it. Then, just as he was about to go back down, someone on the bench called his name.
“…It’s Ki Young-han.”
“……”
His head turned back involuntarily. He glanced sideways to check if there was anyone else, but there wasn’t. On the rooftop, it was just him and the person on the swing. It was a calm voice. Before he could recognize the owner of the voice, the person stood up abruptly from their seat and slowly walked towards him.
As he finally reached the illuminated area, Ki Young-han recognized who it was. It was Yoon Ye-jun.
Yoon Ye-jun, after calling him, approached and blinked. His pace was slower than usual. Was he drunk? The reason for coming here to smoke was obvious. He seemed to be drinking at the bar downstairs too. The steady gaze felt strangely uncomfortable.
Finally, Ki Young-han spoke first.
“What are you staring at?”
Ki Young-han said that and turned his head. The college town was as noisy as ever. Freshmen were freshmen, and continuing students were continuing students. He thought the unique, floating atmosphere didn’t suit him.
Even though it was spring, it was quite chilly at night. It was good that he wore his coat. Though it would get hot again in the blink of an eye, as if it had never been cold. He buttoned his coat and then checked Yoon Ye-jun’s condition.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to continue talking with Yoon Ye-jun any longer. Ki Young-han’s mouth felt parched for no reason. He considered smoking another cigarette, then fixed his gaze back with a crooked expression as the approaching figure came closer.
“……”
Yoon Ye-jun, who had come closer, stood with his hand on the rooftop railing. He seemed quite drunk. His usual sharp eyes were softened. Ki Young-han watched Yoon Ye-jun with the same cool gaze as always.
Despite being a good span shorter than him, Yoon Ye-jun tilted his head. Then, what he said was outrageous.
“Why can’t I stare?”
He’s really lost it.
Ki Young-han didn’t reply. If you have a drinking habit, don’t drink. He was picking a fight with someone for no reason. Honestly, there wasn’t a single thing he liked about him. His drinking habits were better off being silly and giggling. He hated this more, grabbing someone and picking a fight.
Ki Young-han silently moistened his dry lips with his tongue.
Yoon Ye-jun continued talking to the unresponsive Ki Young-han.
“I asked, why can’t I stare? I have eyes too.”
“Wow… this is messed up.”
If you have eyes, at least roll them around and look away when you make eye contact. He must be the type to become lawless when drunk. Still, whether it was during class or after a brief conversation, you could usually get a sense of someone’s personality. That’s how Ki Young-han had defined Yoon Ye-jun: someone with a bad personality who hid it, a hypocrite. He’d been all smiles in front of the professor, and hadn’t he acted the same way with classmates he’d run into today? But when drunk, all that was gone.
“Crazy bastard…”
Yoon Ye-jun muttered lowly.
Who was he calling that? Ki Young-han’s lips moved. He had no intention of getting into an argument with a drunk person.
He looked at Yoon Ye-jun for a moment. His hair swayed in the wind. Yoon Ye-jun scowled slightly, as if bothered by the hair tickling his skin.
Objectively. Very objectively. Setting aside his personality entirely and looking only at his appearance, Yoon Ye-jun was quite handsome.
‘Thinking that now. I must be drunk too.’
Ki Young-han suppressed the urge to ask if he was pretty, his voice rising to his throat. He wasn’t so out of touch with the situation as to say something like that now. Even if the person in front of him seemed to be.
“You’re really… such a jerk.”
He knew that. He heard it often. Though this was the first time someone had said it to his face.
He was a strange person, anyway. Coming up to someone minding their own business and talking to them, picking a fight. Of course, alcohol played a big part.
Ki Young-han looked at Yoon Ye-jun with an incredulous expression and blurted out,
“If you’re drunk, just stop and go home.”
They would see each other again, after all. They had to see each other for at least two or three months. Regularly. Not just in class, but there would be many other occasions to see each other, so he didn’t understand why Yoon Ye-jun was acting this way towards him.
“Why am I drunk…”
“Ah, seriously.”
“Ki Young-han, you’re a jerk.”
Yoon Ye-jun didn’t stop at one. Twice, three times, four times… he kept calling Ki Young-han a jerk. It was the first time hearing it to his face, and it rained down like a bombardment. He must have thought he could brainwash him.
Ki Young-han licked his teeth and lips with his tongue, then nodded.
Let’s just go.
It was just as he was about to turn away from Yoon Ye-jun.
His legs gave out, and Yoon Ye-jun’s body tilted.
“Uh…”
He made a bewildered sound, having nothing to grab. And it was Ki Young-han who caught Yoon Ye-jun.
“……”
Yoon Ye-jun, unable to stand, collapsed. He leaned his entire weight onto Ki Young-han. Yoon Ye-jun’s frame pressed against Ki Young-han’s sturdy, solid body. It was a stark contrast to his own. He’d felt it at the cinema too, but his frame was indeed thin. Ki Young-han unconsciously gripped Yoon Ye-jun’s wrist for a moment before releasing his grip.
“Is he a crazy bastard…”
He couldn’t suppress the curses boiling up from his throat. He had no idea why he kept getting entangled with this person. Ki Young-han had lived a smooth, uneventful life. Uneventful. He hadn’t done anything particularly wrong. His words were harsh and he had a temper, but still…
But…
If this was the price for that, he felt he could live a perfectly gentle and kind life from now on.
“……”
With his arm held by Ki Young-han, Yoon Ye-jun, who had been collapsed with his head against Ki Young-han’s chest, lifted his head.
“……”
Ki Young-han’s brow twitched without him realizing it. Yoon Ye-jun blinked slowly. Ki Young-han openly scowled. Why did he have to have a mole under his eye? Why were his eyelashes so unnecessarily curled upwards? Why were his lips so unnecessarily glossy and plump?
He himself was clearly drunk.
He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, Yoon Ye-jun was also slowly closing his eyes.
And simultaneously…
“Ugh…”
Yoon Ye-jun vomited. The terrible sound continued, even just hearing it. The vomit splattered all over Ki Young-han’s beige coat. The food spewed from his mouth dripped from his clothes onto the floor. All the while, Yoon Ye-jun, unable to stand, kept leaning on Ki Young-han.
“Ah, fuck…!”
Ki Young-han, horrified, pushed Yoon Ye-jun away. He stopped himself from pushing hard enough to make him fall and instead grabbed the lapel of his jacket. His fingertips trembled with rage.
“Huh…”
He extended his arm, barely holding Yoon Ye-jun up, and looked down at himself.
“Agh…”
He turned his head to the side, wanting to escape the horrific sight. But he couldn’t.
Yoon Ye-jun, leaning on Ki Young-han’s arm, managed to stand leaning against the rooftop railing. Ki Young-han, unable to even look at his coat, fumbled through his pockets with his free hand. He decided he had to call the police and end this.
Yoon Ye-jun, his mouth smeared with vomit, mumbled.
“The kids… are downstairs… My head hurts…”
“Stop bullshitting me, seriously.”
“I’m gonna… throw up…”
“You already did!”
Is he really a psycho?!
Yoon Ye-jun brought his hand to his mouth. Again, he made a “Ugh…” sound. Ki Young-han’s face turned deathly pale. Without hesitation, he moved his hand to Yoon Ye-jun’s collar and dragged him. He quickened his pace. He decided it would be much better to get rid of this burden than to call the police.
If he could, he would have dragged him by the hair, but he couldn’t, which was a deep regret. Ki Young-han exhaled raggedly, spewing every curse word imaginable as he went. Unimaginable obscenities escaped his lips.
He let out a deep breath of frustration. The wind, which he thought was quite cold, even felt warm, but that was none of his business; it was clearly because he was so angry.
“…My head hurts.”
A cracked voice escaped his lips. As he lifted his heavy eyelids, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
Yoon Ye-jun tried to regain his senses, realizing it wasn’t his 4-pyeong studio apartment, but the ceiling spun. He felt like he was spinning.
He had drunk heavily the night before. He didn’t want to know why – whether it was because of someone whose recent life he’d learned about, or the atmosphere of the bar, or the alcohol he hadn’t had in a long time. He had blacked out and had no clear memories. To retrieve fragments of memory, he first had to sober up.
And this place.
“……”
Yoon Ye-jun sat up abruptly. The blanket that had been covering his upper body slid down. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. He wanted to assess the situation, but the hangover pressing down on his head was too much, and he flopped back down.
There was a sharp, oily smell. Yoon Ye-jun cautiously glanced to the side.
“You awake?”
His classmate Kim Dong-hoon had brought over a low table and was eating ramen.
Ah…
It was Kim Dong-hoon’s place. That was a relief. It wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar space, now that he thought about it. It just wasn’t his own room. Only then did the tension in his body ease. Yoon Ye-jun let out a deep breath.
“Yeah, yeah…”
“You drank a lot yesterday.”
“Haa…”
He covered his throbbing head with his hands, which felt heavier than usual. Heat still lingered in his body. The terrible hangover felt like it was consuming him.
“I blacked out.”
“You seemed to have. I haven’t seen you drunk in years.”
Kim Dong-hoon finished speaking and continued eating his ramen. Slurp, slurp… The oily smell made him feel like he would throw up. Yoon Ye-jun couldn’t stand it and managed to sit up, opening the window next to the bed.
“Want me to make you ramen too?”
“It’s okay…”
Kim Dong-hoon got up from his seat and rummaged through a shelf. The sound of him moving reached Yoon Ye-jun’s ears. He peeled off a plastic wrapper and pressed the microwave buttons. He must be planning to add rice to the broth.
Yoon Ye-jun, experiencing a hangover he hadn’t felt in a long time, couldn’t even lie on his side and just stared at the ceiling. When he opened his eyes, the ceiling spun, and when he closed them, he felt like he would throw up.
He tried to recall his last memory.
His last memory was…
Just going up to the rooftop to smoke. He’d climbed the stairs, stumbling. Did he make it to the rooftop? Did he even smoke? His memory was hazy.
Gulp, gulp. Kim Dong-hoon, who was eating the rice mixed with broth, spoke with his mouth full.
“You know Ki Young-han, right?”
“What?”
Yoon Ye-jun asked again at the familiar name suddenly mentioned by Kim Dong-hoon. There was only one Ki Young-han he knew.
“Ki Young-han. The one from Political Science.”
“Ah…”
How did this guy know? Yoon Ye-jun let out a soft exclamation and took a breath. What did it matter? He must have said something while drunk.
“He brought you over yesterday, saying you threw up. You usually don’t have a drinking habit, so why were you like that yesterday? You threw up all over his clothes and made a mess. Ki Young-han looked like he was about to kill someone.”
“……”
…I’m screwed.
Yoon Ye-jun was considering taking an unexcused absence, something he hadn’t done since his first year.
He had no way of knowing if time was just passing quickly, or if his time was passing faster than others. Regardless, Thursday arrived in the blink of an eye.
Thursday, 12 PM. A three-hour elective course, ‘Performance and Communication.’ As soon as the alarm rang, Yoon Ye-jun buried his head in his pillow. He had no idea what to do. He tried to sort out his thoughts while rolling around in bed, but time just slipped away.
Finally, he waited until the last possible moment before getting up.
“……”
He carefully pressed the power button on his Mobile phone. The messages on the lock screen were all from classmates or group chats for his part-time job. He worried he might have missed something. He opened Messenger and checked the messages he had sent to Ki Young-han.
Tuesday
Me
I heard I caused trouble. I was too drunk… If it’s okay, I’d like to give you money for laundry, so could you please contact me? I tried calling but you didn’t pick up.
2:05 PM
Wednesday
Me
Are you very angry? That, what I threw up… there was a reason. No, regardless of the reason, I apologize. Please contact me.
4:27 PM
Have you submitted the report? I’m confident with reports. If you don’t want to write it, please contact me. ^^
7:49 PM
The language was extremely polite. Yoon Ye-jun didn’t even know what he had said to Ki Young-han. His memory of that night had been completely erased. However, what Kim Dong-hoon had told him was outrageous.
‘You were brought here covered in vomit on Ki Young-han’s clothes. He looked like he was going to flip out. His eyes were glaring, I was terrified.’
‘You have the same elective? Beg for forgiveness first. You might actually die if you run into him. I’ve never seen eyes like that before.’
‘He seemed out of his mind too. Acting like that in such a crowded bar. He was yelling to call the police… he looked terrified, thinking you might throw up again.’
Kim Dong-hoon had described the events in detail to help him recall, but he still remembered nothing. It was just horrifying. He had called Ki Young-han and sent messages, but his calls were never answered, and his messages were only read, with no reply.
“Haa…”
Yoon Ye-jun sighed. It would be better to just go and talk to him face-to-face. Given Ki Young-han’s personality, he would surely tell him to kneel. What should he do then? No, he should probably kneel. As Kim Dong-hoon said, it would be better than dying.
At the same time.
The professor of his major was reading directly from the textbook, lecturing. He simply recited the book and then picked a student to translate the content into Korean. It was called Korean Peninsula and International Politics, but it felt more like a translation class.
Normally, Ki Young-han would have just accepted it as the professor’s teaching style, even if he had complaints. But today was different.
“……”
He had been confident in his studies since childhood. He had never particularly slacked off in class, and as long as he wasn’t disturbed, he would focus reasonably well and listen. But now, he couldn’t concentrate. He didn’t understand any of what the professor was saying, and the letters before his eyes looked like earthworms crawling through wet soil.
He closed his eyes deeply to calm his mind, but it was the same when he opened them.
He wondered if it was because he hadn’t slept properly the night before. He had run into Yoon Ye-jun at the bar on Monday, so it was understandable that he couldn’t sleep in the early hours of Tuesday morning. He felt like he was going to die of anger.
He had rushed back to his apartment and thrown away all the clothes he was wearing, and showered twice, but his anger hadn’t subsided. And even when lying down, the thought of Yoon Ye-jun made him so angry that he kicked his legs wildly in the air, and when he tried to close his eyes, the image of Yoon Ye-jun closing his eyes neatly just before vomiting flashed, making him even more furious.
Yes, it was understandable for the first day. But the problem was that the next day, and the day after that, it was the same. He hadn’t been able to sleep properly until last night.
His mind was filled with thoughts of Yoon Ye-jun. He was angry, and he was still angry. Yoon Ye-jun’s neatly closed eyes, his glossy, wet lips. And the vomit spewing from his mouth. Ki Young-han was already furious with Yoon Ye-jun, and on top of that, Yoon Ye-jun kept calling and messaging him, as if trying to provoke him further. That made him even more distressed.
It was understandable to lose sleep. It was unavoidable to get angry when someone acted out while drunk. But when it started affecting his daily life, the anger he had barely suppressed flared up again.
“Haa…”
Ki Young-han finally rested his arms, crossed on the desk, and buried his head in the textbook. It was impossible to study…
“Young-han, do you want to try? …Young-han, are you asleep?”
As soon as Ki Young-han slumped over, the professor, unfortunately, called his name. Ki Young-han, still lying down, only lifted his eyes, then slowly sat up.
That bastard Yoon Ye-jun. That psycho. How did he get entangled with someone like him?
He couldn’t help but curse.
Yoon Ye-jun came to a cafe near the elective building that primarily did takeout. He planned to buy one for Ki Young-han along with one for himself, as he hadn’t slept well. He had to try and beg with this, at least. Since he wasn’t getting any replies, he couldn’t even tell him what he was buying. They weren’t in a relationship where he could do that anyway.
There were a couple of people ahead of him, but he quickly received his order and moved on. It was Yoon Ye-jun’s turn.
“Welcome.”
The staff greeted him cheerfully. Yoon Ye-jun returned the greeting, saying, “Hello.” Normally, he would have smiled and greeted them brightly, but not today.
Yoon Ye-jun took out his card and handed it over.
“Two iced Americanos…”
His gaze drifted to the advertisement board next to the cafe counter.
Spring, fresh and green, enjoy it with mint chocolate.
The undisputed popular menu of 00 Cafe, with emerald cream and plenty of chocolate chips!
Taste the meeting of rich chocolate and refreshing mint for yourself.
Was an Americano too cheap? Still, he was buying it as an apology. Besides, it was the perfect time for a sugar crash. Although the classes were broken into hour-and-a-half sessions, a three-hour continuous class seemed quite difficult.
Yoon Ye-jun was certainly in good spirits. He had only ever had iced Americanos at this cafe, but they were quite good. Therefore, if it was a popular menu item, the taste should be somewhat guaranteed.
“One iced Americano and one cold mint chocolate, please.”
Picked up the takeout cup. While the iced americano was served in a transparent cup, the mint chocolate latte was in a paper cup. Usually, they only give these for hot drinks, don’t they? That’s unusual. Yoon Ye-jun tilted his head and walked toward the Liberal Arts Building.
Yoon Ye-jun approached Mugunghwa Hall on the first floor of the Liberal Arts Building. Normally, he would have entered casually, but not today.
He had to go in, but his feet wouldn’t move. He took a moment to catch his breath on the bench in front of Mugunghwa Hall, and took a sip of his iced americano, swallowing it down. Finally, after spending about 10 minutes outside, he got up.
‘Let’s go in. I’m going to apologize anyway.’
As he opened the door and stepped inside, a few students who were already there glanced back.
“……”
The familiar lone wolf was also sitting right in the middle seat.
Yoon Ye-jun swallowed dryly. He felt a constant thirst, and his grip on the cup tightened. He slowly approached the lone wolf. Even when he got right next to him, Ki Young-han didn’t turn his head. Yoon Ye-jun tightly rolled his lips inward, then slowly released them.
“…Hello.”
He was the one who finally spoke first. Ki Young-han, who had been mindlessly fiddling with his mobile phone with a blank expression, suddenly turned his head. Displeasure instantly flooded his expressionless face.
…I’m screwed.
“You, you must have been busy.”
Yoon Ye-jun placed the cup on the desk and sat down next to Ki Young-han. Since they had a lot to do for their group project, he had to sit with the person working on it.
Yoon Ye-jun handed the mint chocolate latte, which he had placed on the desk, to Ki Young-han.
Ki Young-han said not a word. It would have been better if he had been his usual sharp-tongued, chattering self. I’m screwed. Yoon Ye-jun cursed inwardly. Then, as usual, he curved his eyes. He felt like he was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Yoon Ye-jun pushed the takeout cup a little closer to Ki Young-han.
“Here, have this. I bought it on the way.”
Ki Young-han looked at Yoon Ye-jun with an annoyed expression. Then he picked up the takeout cup. It was a relief that he didn’t say no, though.
Ki Young-han asked, “What is this?” and then, without waiting for an answer, he put the straw in his mouth. From the slightly thicker transparent straw, a color of green and brown intertwined was sucked up. It was a relief that he didn’t refuse it. Just as Yoon Ye-jun was about to sigh in relief.
Ki Young-han abruptly pulled his lips away from the straw. He lifted the cup and glared at Yoon Ye-jun with sharp eyes.
“…You bought this kind of thing?”
It wasn’t going to end quietly. Yoon Ye-jun’s awkward smile shattered. Ki Young-han handed the cup back to Yoon Ye-jun.
“You drink it.”
Ki Young-han was openly sarcastic. Yoon Ye-jun’s mouth felt dry.
“Ah…”
“……”
“You don’t really like it, do you.”
Still, he was the one at fault, so he tried to smooth things over. There wasn’t anyone around him who disliked mint, so Yoon Ye-jun was at a loss. Or maybe the taste was strange?
Yoon Ye-jun put his lips to the straw stuck in the takeout cup that Ki Young-han had handed back. Ki Young-han’s expression turned to shock. It’s just okay, though…
“You don’t like mint?”
“Who likes that kind of thing?”
He doesn’t like it. Yoon Ye-jun found it perfectly fine.
Ki Young-han looked back at his mobile phone with a sullen expression. Yoon Ye-jun squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them. For now, he took out his printouts and a pen for class, then turned his head to look at Ki Young-han.
“The… message, you saw it, right? I was too drunk that day… I don’t really remember. Did you… get your clothes cleaned?”
“I threw them away.”
“Threw them… Ah, I see. Then should I buy you new clothes?”
“No. Don’t talk to me.”
“Ah, you don’t want me to talk to you…”
Yoon Ye-jun turned his head away. He looked at the students chatting amicably amongst themselves. Those are the good times. I understand why this class is good for making friends. But why do I have to be here, trying to appease the guy next to me? I admit I was wrong, and even though I don’t remember, I know it was my fault because you say so… but separate from that, a jumble of crooked emotions welled up.
Ki Young-han’s personality was not just strange, but bizarre. Since becoming an adult, Yoon Ye-jun had met people with various personalities through many part-time jobs. He had met many good people, many easygoing people, and he had also encountered many strange and bad people to the point where he worried about how they lived in this world. So, he had believed he was confident in handling people to some extent. However, he had never encountered someone like Ki Young-han before.
Ki Young-han was annoying in every way, and he nitpicked. If Yoon Ye-jun accidentally dropped a pen during class, Ki Young-han would glare at him with narrowed eyes.
Even if he was in the wrong, it was excessive. He wouldn’t answer calls even if offered money, told him not to talk to him, and after being given a drink, he snapped that who would drink something like this, yet why was he still being so prickly?
However, that was just his opinion. If Ki Young-han was offended, there was nothing he could do. Still, he couldn’t hide the feeling of sitting on pins and needles.
“……”
Normally, he would have dozed off, but not today. Last time, Ki Young-han had definitely complained about him dozing off, so how much worse would it be this time? He stared intently, fighting a difficult battle against sleep.
While listening to the lecture, Yoon Ye-jun slyly rolled his eyes. He stole a glance at Ki Young-han’s notes. The handwriting as he wrote down what the professor was saying on paper with a pen was neat. It was different from him, who scribbled notes during class and organized them later. Ki Young-han’s handwriting would have been praised as masterful if he had been born in the Joseon Dynasty. In a way, it suited him. He was meticulous and rigid.
The class time, which felt like sitting on a chair with sharp needles, finally ended. Yoon Ye-jun, who had to go to his part-time job in two hours, debated whether to eat dinner at home or not.
Just then, as Ki Young-han was packing his things, he called out, “Excuse me,” to Yoon Ye-jun. Yoon Ye-jun, who was stuffing papers into his bag, replied stiffly, “Yes.”
What else does he want to say?
Ki Young-han was like a broken time bomb. You never knew when he would explode. He wished he had memories of that day he got drunk. Then, no matter what Ki Young-han ranted at him, he could have used the memories of that day as a snack. But he had no memory, had to be careful, and honestly, he felt a little wronged.
Ki Young-han asked.
“We’re meeting tomorrow, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
Yoon Ye-jun nodded and replied. Ki Young-han looked at his mobile phone screen and then stood up.
“Let’s meet at 7 AM tomorrow. I have a place I want to go.”
Not 7 PM? He wished he had misheard. Yoon Ye-jun’s eyes widened. However, the person in front of him repeated it once more in case he had misheard.
“It’s 7 AM. Not evening.”
Yoon Ye-jun, who had been stunned for a moment, blurted out the words that had risen to his throat.
“Are you crazy?”
“No.”
“You’re doing this because I threw up, aren’t you.”
“Yes.”
“You really… are you a psycho.”
Even if Ki Young-han had paid the fare and taken him to Hawaii, it would have been a time to refuse. Yoon Ye-jun had a part-time job until 2 AM the previous day. It was a beer house with many customers. On the day they first agreed to meet, Ki Young-han had insisted on setting the time arbitrarily, even though he must have known because Yoon Ye-jun had told him.
“Then let’s meet after class today. I finish at 6 PM.”
“I told you I have a part-time job.”
“Yes, I understand. Let’s meet at school at 7 AM.”
“Hey.”
Finally, Yoon Ye-jun called out to stop Ki Young-han, who turned his gaze sideways to meet his eyes. His eyes were dry. Yoon Ye-jun couldn’t suppress the boiling anger inside him.
“I said I was sorry about throwing up that day.”
“You think that’s all?”
“What else?”
“You called me rude to my face several times.”
“……”
Yoon Ye-jun averted his gaze. No matter how long it had been since he last drank, why had he gotten so drunk? Was it because he drank only alcohol without any snacks? Was it because he went to the rooftop to smoke when he was quite drunk? If he could go back a few days, he would have grabbed him by the collar and stopped him from drinking.
Yoon Ye-jun finally relented. He forced a smile, which only made Ki Young-han’s expression more grim. He knew Ki Young-han wouldn’t let it go. Yoon Ye-jun cautiously began.
“Can’t we make it eight o’clock?”
“……”
“Please.”
He looked up and asked. He even blinked twice quickly on purpose. Ki Young-han, meeting his gaze, furrowed his brow repeatedly. Pride was a luxury for Yoon Ye-jun. He wanted to sleep even a little longer. He smiled with a friendly face and tilted his head. As he blinked, Ki Young-han quickly turned his head. Then he hastily slung his bag over his shoulder.
“…Fine, do that.”
And then, without a moment’s hesitation, he left the lecture hall. Yoon Ye-jun watched Ki Young-han’s retreating back, then buried his head on the lecture hall desk. And he endlessly repeated, “Yoon Ye-jun, die.”
As expected, drinking did no good.
Ki Young-han, walking quickly towards the College of Social Sciences building, ran his hand through his hair. He was walking almost at a run, so he was out of breath and his heart was pounding rapidly.
“……”
He couldn’t understand Yoon Ye-jun at all. They weren’t close, not particularly friendly, yet he had used the straw he was using without hesitation, and his handwriting was round and soft, not fitting him at all.
Even when he, annoyed by everything, decided to find a nearby mountain during break to tell him to eat shit, and even when he actually said it, Yoon Ye-jun had widened his eyes and pleaded pitifully, asking only to delay the time. That look was pathetic. He had no pride, and he was acting cocky relying on his looks, which was ridiculous. What made him even more angry was that he, who had been swayed by that face, ended up delaying the time.
“Ah…”
Ki Young-han stopped in front of the College of Social Sciences building and stared blankly up at the tall building. Why did he get so annoyed whenever he thought of that man? Moreover, it wasn’t just annoyance; the man kept popping into his head.
It seemed to have started after they met on the rooftop of that bar. His vision went dark. He felt frustrated and pathetic at being swayed.
Let’s just go to class. He composed himself and entered the building. Even while waiting for the elevator, he thought of Yoon Ye-jun. The image of him sucking on the straw he had used and tilting his head was deeply etched in his memory.
Here we go again.
His chest felt tight, and he turned. Opposite the elevator, on the bulletin board of the college building, was a large poster.
Date: XX. 04. 02 ~ XX. 04. 04
Location: Gapyeong XX Resort
Fee: 10,000 won for current students, free for freshmen (Contact student council if student council fees are unpaid)
Usually, other departments go on retreats at the end of March, but the Department of Media and Information seemed to be going the first week of April. Ki Young-han read the crudely made poster while waiting for the elevator. How much would they extort from students who hadn’t paid their student council fees, asking them to contact them separately? What were they doing even as university students?
Just then, the elevator door opened with a ding. Ki Young-han took the sound as a signal and approached the elevator. Whether the Department of Media and Information went on retreat in April or collected a million won in student council fees, it wasn’t his department, so it didn’t matter. But Yoon Ye-jun seemed to be in this department. Well, what did it matter? A guy who was always talking about part-time jobs wouldn’t go to a place like this.
“Ye-jun, you worked hard today. You can clock out.”
“Ah, yes. Just after I finish the dishes.”
Yoon Ye-jun raised his voice, wiping a dish covered in detergent with his gloved hand. The beer house part-time job was more physically tiring than tutoring, but the people were nice. Today was quite bearable. He felt like he would be perfectly fine if he just went home, showered, and slept. He craved a beer, but he managed to resist. It hadn’t even been a week since he caused trouble with alcohol.
It’ll be tough to wake up early tomorrow again. After finishing the dishes, Yoon Ye-jun took off his wet rubber gloves and took out his bag from the staff lounge behind the bar.
The beer house was still noisy and bustling, even late at night. Drunk people laughed loudly. Because there were so many people, the inside was quite warm. Feeling stuffy, he wanted to get outside quickly. Yoon Ye-jun exchanged nods with the remaining staff and slipped out of the building.
Although it was spring, was it due to the temperature difference, or was it because he came out of the stuffy beer house? The air was quite chilly. He walked past the people laughing and chatting to himself and headed towards his rented room.
Near Yoon Ye-jun’s rented room, there were no streetlights, so it was dark and quiet, unlike this street. It felt serene. Apart from the occasional drunken commotion or the cry of a cat, there was no sound.
Nevertheless, the rent was expensive. It was probably because it was close to school, but sometimes he felt it was unfair. How could a room like this cost over 500,000 won a month? He could lament his own situation endlessly. Shaking his head, Yoon Ye-jun took out his mobile phone from his pocket.
“……”
He had a message from Ki Young-han.
Ki Young-han, Department of Political Science and International Relations
See you at school by 8 tomorrow.
7:49 PM
Aren’t you going to reply?
10:29 PM
It was a little past 2 AM now. Yoon Ye-jun let out a deep breath and tapped on his mobile phone.
Me
Just finished my part-time job. I’ll be at school by 8.
2:14 AM
See you tomorrow.
2:14 AM
As soon as he sent the message, the number ‘1’ that had appeared in the Messenger window disappeared. But that was all; there was no reply.
Where on earth did he want to go that he wanted to meet someone at 8 AM? At least there was something to write in his report. Schedule arranged arbitrarily. Not understanding the other person’s situation and acting selfishly. However, no matter what insults he wrote, Ki Young-han wouldn’t be affected. Sigh. If I act the same way, I’ll just become a similar person. Yoon Ye-jun quickly exited the chat room with Ki Young-han.
He’d have to set at least three alarms to sleep. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to wake up at all.
After setting his alarms, Yoon Ye-jun moved his hands quickly. Besides the message from Ki Young-han, he checked other messages. Fortunately, his afternoon class tomorrow was canceled. After meeting Ki Young-han early in the morning, he could take a nap. That was a relief. Even if the sky fell, there was a way out.
Other than that, there were messages urging him to go on the retreat. He knew about the upcoming retreat from the poster. However, he had no intention of going. He could easily skip his part-time job, but that meant losing a day’s wages. He had to work like this just to make a living and save money. Going on the retreat was just a waste of money and time. Yoon Ye-jun replied briefly that he had no intention of going.
I should just go home and sleep. He yawned lightly, his eyelids feeling heavy with fatigue.
Yoon Ye-jun arrived at the main gate of Hankuk University at 7:57 AM.
“That crazy bastard…”
As soon as he saw Ki Young-han standing in front of the main gate, he cursed under his breath. Ki Young-han was dressed in comfortable athletic wear. It was a matching set. Was it because he was tall? Because he had good proportions? He looked like a model.
However, despite his toned body, he was looking at his mobile phone with a sullen expression, just checking the time. He was probably waiting for Yoon Ye-jun to be late. How could his disposition be like that? Yoon Ye-jun let out a short sigh and approached Ki Young-han.
“……”
“……”
The two exchanged no particular greetings. Ki Young-han looked Yoon Ye-jun up and down, then clicked his tongue to himself and turned away.
‘Why is he clicking his tongue first thing in the morning?’
Yoon Ye-jun cursed inwardly as he watched Ki Young-han’s retreating back. However, despite his inner thoughts, a rather polite voice escaped his lips.
“Where are we going today?”
“Follow me.”
Ki Young-han threw out those words and immediately started walking. Yoon Ye-jun had no choice but to follow him. He tilted his head and trailed after the man.
Ki Young-han headed for the parking lot closest to the main gate. “Looks like there are cars too. Or maybe it’s his parents’ car.” Yoon Ye-jun, who had a driver’s license but no car like most ordinary college students, found Ki Young-han fascinating. “Must be from a rich family. That’s why his personality is like that.” He only thought it to himself.
It was a mountain.
A mountain, in every sense of the word.
Yoon Ye-jun looked at the rugged mountain, which seemed like a flat walking path but grew steeper the higher he looked, and recalled his last hike. He thought he had probably climbed it out of necessity during his last retreat. About three years ago? At least three years. He hadn’t really gone hiking since then. That’s why the ferociously steep mountain before him now was only bewildering.
“…….”
His sharp gaze turned to the culprit. Ki Young-han was looking at the hiking trail sign, holding a water bottle bought from the convenience store. Looking at his well-shaped back, curses naturally came out.
Could he just go behind him and hit him on the back of the head? Heat rose in his palms, and impulses surged. Yoon Ye-jun barely held himself back. He was a member of the 21st century, far from violence, equipped with excellent basic qualities based on his unique character and knowledge.
“Hoo….”
Yoon Ye-jun swallowed his breath. He should have realized it when he saw Ki Young-han, dressed head to toe in matching athletic wear, unlike at school where he always wore stylish clothes.
No, if he had said they were going to the mountain, he should have at least told him.
But if he had said they were going to the mountain, there was no way he would have come.
Yoon Ye-jun lowered his head and slowly scanned his own attire. While not as much as Ki Young-han, his outfit was quite comfortable. Since his afternoon class was canceled, he was glad he had dressed comfortably, thinking he would go straight home after meeting Ki Young-han.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Yoon Ye-jun looked around, searching for an excuse. He looked up at the sky to check the weather. It seemed a bit cloudy, and the sky was darker than usual. It wasn’t early enough in the morning to say the mountain was shrouded in fog.
“It looks like it’s going to rain. Is he really planning to go up?” He carefully took a step. As a final act of patience to appease his violent urges, he clenched his fist tightly and approached Ki Young-han.
Even though Ki Young-han must have sensed his presence, he didn’t look back once. He was steadfastly examining the hiking trail.
Finally, Yoon Ye-jun spoke first.
“Are you really going up?”
“Yes.”
“It looks like it’s going to rain.”
Only then did Ki Young-han tilt his head back and look up at the sky. His gaze didn’t linger. He tilted his head and stretched.
“If it rains, we can just come down.”
“You crazy bastard.”
“…….”
He couldn’t hold back any longer, and a curse escaped. Ki Young-han, who had been looking at the sign and checking the course, immediately turned his head when he heard the profanity. His upper lip twisted unnaturally before settling down. Then, he turned his body sharply.
“Take this.”
He tossed one of the two plastic bottles he was holding towards Yoon Ye-jun. Yoon Ye-jun, who caught the bottle flying in a parabola, just stared at Ki Young-han.
‘Is he really going up? Really?’
He asked with pleading eyes. Ki Young-han only scowled. After standing askew and looking down at Yoon Ye-jun for a moment, he took the first step towards the hiking trail without hesitation.
“Just go up.”
Adding words that didn’t need to be said.
Is there really a need to go to such lengths to mess with someone?
Yoon Ye-jun gritted his teeth, watching Ki Young-han’s back walking a couple of steps ahead. If he dislikes it, he dislikes it. If he likes it, he likes it. It should end there. Moreover, it’s not like I didn’t apologize, and he’s the one who ignored my calls, and now he’s messing with me?
It was outrageous.
Grinding his molars, Yoon Ye-jun found Ki Young-han’s retreating figure unbearable. Since he was going up anyway, he didn’t want to look at that back. He took long strides and walked quickly. He strode towards Ki Young-han, who was walking ahead.
He quickly caught up to him, who had been walking on flat ground. Not only did he catch up. He passed Ki Young-han without hesitation. Ki Young-han, who was falling behind, and their eyes met for a fleeting moment.
Pfft. Yoon Ye-jun let out a scoff that escaped his lips unfiltered and brushed past Ki Young-han. Of course, his calves were tensed, and the inside of his thighs ached, but this was manageable. When he was younger, he had stayed at a relative’s house for a while. For about a year. Back then, he had to climb a mountain to get home from school. Thanks to that year of living like that, his stamina was better than average. He could work multiple part-time jobs and study thanks to the stamina he built then.
He also enjoyed sports when he was in school, so he played soccer, basketball, and various other things. Therefore, hiking like this was not exactly a piece of cake for Yoon Ye-jun, but more like eating hot porridge after blowing on it.
He could hear Ki Young-han’s panting from behind. Why is he glaring? Yoon Ye-jun snorted. But he felt no relief from having gotten one over on him. He hated becoming the same kind of person.
Of course, he wasn’t the same kind of person.
It was when he was about 10 meters ahead of Ki Young-han. He heard a rapid pattering sound from behind. The sound of shoe soles crushing sand and stones on the ground, twisting against each other.
Yoon Ye-jun turned around at the unusual sound. Ki Young-han wasn’t just following; he was running. Then he whizzed past Yoon Ye-jun.
Is he really trying to pick a fight?
Yoon Ye-jun stopped in his tracks. His nose wrinkled. Ki Young-han ran past, smirking just as he had. Watching Ki Young-han’s retreating back, Yoon Ye-jun tapped the tip of his shoe on the ground. Then he bent his back and put force into his feet before running off.
It didn’t matter if he became the same kind of person.
Running back and forth, they quickly reached the mountain summit. As soon as Yoon Ye-jun reached the top, his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the lawn. No matter how strong his stamina was, running up the mountain was too much.
At first, it was like a forest bathing path, so he thought it would be quite easy, but by the time he reached the summit, he had to follow a winding path between rocks. Although thick ropes were provided for easier climbing up and down, they felt rough to the touch, so he didn’t touch them, doubling his effort.
There were no people on the way up, and there were none at the summit either. It was probably because it was a weekday morning. The parking lot was large, there were restaurants below, and a health clinic, so he thought it was a mountain with quite a few people, but there was really no one. An eerie atmosphere lingered, but the dense flowers and trees made it bearable. It even felt comfortable.
“It feels like we have the place to ourselves, and it’s nice.” Yoon Ye-jun leaned back on his arms and stared blankly at the wind. A serene breeze settled on his body and enveloped his surroundings. His sweat-soaked body cooled down. Perhaps because he had exercised after a long time, he felt a little refreshed.
“…….”
Ki Young-han sat a little distance away from Yoon Ye-jun. He sat cross-legged and tapped his inner ankle bone with his water bottle. He tilted his head and looked at Yoon Ye-jun. He had been chattering before they came up, but now he seemed to be enjoying himself more than anyone else. “Is he posing for a photoshoot?” He couldn’t hide his sulky expression. Despite his rebellious heart, his body was in agony.
In fact, he had exercised at a fitness center, but he had rarely exercised outdoors. Moreover, Ki Young-han had hardly ever hiked. He had naively thought he could just go up for a light stroll. That’s why he kept looking at the hiking trail. At first, he was very satisfied. But from the middle, what were these rocks, what was this slippery mud, and what were these ropes that made him sway if he didn’t hold on, but felt reluctant to grab?
After all that hardship, seeing Yoon Ye-jun enjoying the atmosphere at the summit made his stomach churn. It was definitely not because the face that always treated him with disdain looked relaxed.
“Ah.”
Yoon Ye-jun, who had been looking up, lowered his gaze. Ki Young-han quickly averted his eyes. Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t noticed his gaze. Well, he would have had something to say even if their eyes had met. He was ready to snap, “What are you looking at?”
Yoon Ye-jun didn’t spare Ki Young-han a glance. He let out a low exclamation and took out his Mobile phone from his pocket, capturing the landscape below like a piece of embroidery. Click! The sound echoed.
“It’s pretty.”
He murmured to himself in a low voice and even smiled cautiously. Seeing that, Ki Young-han felt a pang of jealousy. He turned his gaze away, unable to hide his growing sulkiness.
“Pretty, my ass.”
He grumbled and then lay back. He lay down completely, looking at the sky. His whole body felt twisted from overexerting himself after a long time. Moreover, he was sleepy from being out since early morning. He yawned slightly and closed his eyes.
“I’m dying….”
Just as he was about to rest, muttering low, a sound came.
Tap….
Something touched his cheek. Tap, tap, tap…. Ki Young-han slowly opened his eyes to the raindrops falling at regular intervals.
“…….”
The sky, which had been fine when they were climbing, was now full of dark clouds. Moreover, the raindrops were getting heavier.
“It’s raining. We have to go down.” Yoon Ye-jun, who had woken up at some point, suddenly appeared in Ki Young-han’s vision. Startled by Yoon Ye-jun’s sudden intrusion into his sight, Ki Young-han flinched. Yoon Ye-jun, with his hair falling down, had a handsome face even viewed from below. However, his expression was sullen. It was clearly because he had been startled. Embarrassment and awkwardness followed. Ki Young-han bit his lip and got up.
“I was planning to go.”
“…You’re complaining even when I tell you, seriously.”
He heard the voice but pretended not to.
When they were climbing up, he thought it was quite manageable. At the time, his priority was to overtake Yoon Ye-jun somehow, so he didn’t even realize how difficult it was. However, it was different when coming down.
Ki Young-han looked at the path soaked in rain, and his vision blurred. Yoon Ye-jun, oblivious to his feelings, moved on well. But what business was it of his?
“Fuck… I should have just suggested running along the Han River.”
He regretted it, but it was already done. Ki Young-han barely hooked his hand onto the rope, which felt unpleasant to touch, and carefully took one step at a time.
Why did mountains suddenly pop up on portal sites? He didn’t want to blame himself, but it was partly his fault. He had underestimated Yoon Ye-jun. He was thin and looked far from athletic. At first glance, his body seemed soft. Also, he was much bigger than Yoon Ye-jun.
However, Yoon Ye-jun turned out to be an unexpected person during the hike. It is said that the gap between positive and negative perceptions widens when you are with an unexpected person in an unexpected place, but Ki Young-han didn’t want to categorize Yoon Ye-jun anywhere.
For one thing, there was nothing to be gained from viewing a man positively, and to deny him, he hadn’t done anything particularly wrong today. He knew he was acting childishly. But he didn’t want to admit it.
Unable to sort out his complex thoughts, it was the moment he tried to take another step.
The tree root, which had settled by pushing away the soil, was wet and slippery. Whether it was moss or not, he didn’t care. The problem was that Ki Young-han stepped on that tree root. As soon as his shoe sole touched the root, he slipped. His body fell forward instantly. His knees hit first, then his palms. The parts that touched the ground were crushed.
“Ugh….”
Ki Young-han remained still. Shame took precedence over pain.
“What is it?”
It wasn’t his voice. It was Yoon Ye-jun. Ki Young-han couldn’t even lift his head. He’ll laugh. He’ll definitely laugh. Why was there a tree root there, making a person so miserable…
“…….”
However, he didn’t hear any laughter. Splash, splash. The sound of footsteps grew closer. The tip of a sneaker entered his vision, then a bent knee took its place.
“Are you okay?”
Yoon Ye-jun tilted his head and met Ki Young-han’s eyes. Ki Young-han mumbled and raised his head. He couldn’t even reply and remained still. He felt like he would die of embarrassment. As he couldn’t give any answer, Yoon Ye-jun stood up. Then he reached out, put the hood of Ki Young-han’s windbreaker directly over his head, and grabbed Ki Young-han’s larger arm to help him up.
“What are you doing?”
A gruff voice came from Ki Young-han. Yoon Ye-jun slipped his body under Ki Young-han’s arm and put one arm around his waist. With his free hand, he held onto the rope.
“We’ll be at the walking path soon, so just bear with it until then. Let’s rest a bit at the pavilion and then go. If you’re hurt, wash it with water.”
Ki Young-han squeezed his eyes shut. But he couldn’t say, “Let go,” or “What are you doing?” To be honest, it wasn’t so bad that he needed help, but he probably thought he couldn’t get up and was mistaken. The words “Let go” didn’t leave his lips. He felt like he shouldn’t say them.
Ki Young-han twisted his head slightly towards Yoon Ye-jun. There was a branch near his side that felt like it would poke his cheek. In his sideways vision, Yoon Ye-jun looked tired. He was panting, trying to catch his breath. He was soaked in something, whether it was rain or sweat. It seemed he hadn’t noticed Ki Young-han’s gaze because he was wearing the windbreaker’s hood.
Ki Young-han unconsciously inhaled.
Even though they had both sweated while hiking, Yoon Ye-jun smelled like flowers. He wondered what kind of fabric softener he used. He took another secret, light breath and then, finding his own actions ridiculous, turned his head the other way. What did it matter to him if a guy’s fabric softener smelled like flowers or shit?
They emerged from the rough mountain path onto a walking trail, where a large pavilion stood. Yoon Ye-jun supported Ki Young-han there without a word. Ki Young-han walked stiffly and sat down in the pavilion.
Yoon Ye-jun filled a bottle with water from the nearby mineral spring. The rain was quite heavy, and he didn’t seem to mind being thoroughly soaked.
Ki Young-han watched Yoon Ye-jun and wondered what he himself would have done. What would he have done? If Yoon Ye-jun had fallen, he would have gone down alone. Thinking of him as a bothersome burden.
Why did he help? The question arose. The two of them had always harbored ill feelings towards each other. There was no reason for him to help.
Yoon Ye-jun entered the pavilion with the filled water bottle and handed it to Ki Young-han. The cold water was filled to the brim. Ki Young-han accepted the bottle expressionlessly. He swallowed the cold water, which was enough to clear his head, down his throat.
“Rinse your clothes too.”
As water was poured onto his knees, the fabric became soaked, and pain flared once more. Ki Young-han muttered a low curse, “Ah, shit….” Yoon Ye-jun sat down next to him with a thud. Water spread around where he sat, like ink bleeding.
Yoon Ye-jun tapped the floor of the pavilion with his hand.
“Lift your leg.”
“Why should I?”
“We have to look at the wound, don’t we?”
At those words, Ki Young-han grumbled and lifted his leg. He pulled his pants up to his knees. The wound wasn’t severe, but it was bleeding quite a bit. His palms also had scrapes. “It’s not that bad,” Ki Young-han felt a little embarrassed.
Yoon Ye-jun only looked at Ki Young-han’s wounds, not laughing.
“There’s a clinic downstairs, so you should go there.”
Why is this guy acting like this? Why is he helping, and why isn’t he laughing, which he would have done if it were me? Ki Young-han touched the soft skin inside his cheek with his tongue and then opened his mouth.
“I have a question.”
Yoon Ye-jun, who was gently pouring water on Ki Young-han’s wound, looked up and met his eyes.
“Why did you help me?”
“Anyone would help someone who falls.”
Am I not human?
The words rose to the tip of his throat, but he knew he didn’t have to say that much in this situation.
Yoon Ye-jun continued.
“Let’s go down when the rain stops. It’s raining too hard right now.”
Ki Young-han agreed with Yoon Ye-jun’s words. Swoosh— The rather heavy rain struck the branches and leaves and fell to the ground. The world’s colors became distinct, soaked in rain.
“This isn’t bad either,” Ki Young-han thought, staring blankly ahead.
“It’s cold….”
A voice came from the side. Ki Young-han subtly rolled his eyes to the side at the voice. Unlike him, who had at least worn a thin windbreaker jacket, Yoon Ye-jun was only wearing a sweatshirt. To make matters worse, he was drenched and slumped over, looking like a wet puppy.
Ki Young-han took a short breath and twisted his body. Then, he took off the jacket he was wearing. It was an action he would never normally take. But today was an exception. It was just in case he felt uncomfortable later. That was the only reason.
However, for some reason, it felt bitter to give it to him kindly. He had never done such a thing before. In the end, he threw the jacket he was holding towards Yoon Ye-jun. He hoped it would land properly, but it didn’t. It hit Yoon Ye-jun on the head and fell.
“……”
Yoon Ye-jun, who turned to look at him, had a look of utter profanity in his eyes. Ki Young-han raised his hand and pointed at the jacket.
“That… wear it. Stop whining about being cold.”
“Why?”
Why? He was so suspicious. Yoon Ye-jun was clearly his type.
“Ah, just wear it if I tell you to. What’s with all the questions?”
That was all he could manage to say. Yoon Ye-jun said, “Thank you,” and put on the jacket, which rustled as he did.
The rain showed no signs of stopping. An hour had passed since they sat down in the pavilion. Come to think of it, Yoon Ye-jun had mentioned having an afternoon class. Ki Young-han asked subtly.
“Didn’t you say you had an afternoon class?”
“It’s canceled today.”
“Ah.”
The conversation ended again. Yoon Ye-jun yawned softly. He wanted to sleep just a little. Should he lean against the pavilion post and sleep for a bit? His body felt sluggish. It was just as he was about to move.
“Excuse me.”
Ki Young-han called out to Yoon Ye-jun again.
Why is he calling me so much? He was more sensitive than usual due to his tired body. Yoon Ye-jun, with a frown, met Ki Young-han’s gaze.
“Aren’t you annoyed?”
He seemed to know what he was asking. He was probably referring to himself. Still, he seemed to have the minimum decency of a human being. He lent him his jacket. Even though he was just as wet.
Yoon Ye-jun looked at Ki Young-han indifferently and replied,
“I am annoyed.”
“……”
“I’m so annoyed I want to throw it away and go down. Whether I get rained on or not. Whether I get sick or not.”
“Then why….”
“I’m not such a piece of trash that I’d abandon an injured person. And….”
Ki Young-han’s expression looked strange. He seemed very tense. As if he knew what I was going to say. He even seemed to be subtly anticipating something. It was probably all my imagination. It must be because of the rain.
Yoon Ye-jun’s eyes briefly scanned Ki Young-han’s face, which looked delicate in the rain, and his firm body. He’s in pretty good shape. I thought he was just lanky.
“You have to drive, don’t you?”
Sigh… Thinking about it, it felt daunting. When would they get home? A sigh escaped him involuntarily.
Ki Young-han bit his lip like a dejected child and shifted his gaze forward. At the same time, a thought pierced Yoon Ye-jun’s mind.
Given the mood, and thanks to my help, Ki Young-han seemed to be lowering his pride a bit, which he had held so high. So, I should say what I want to say.
“So, I have a favor to ask.”
Yoon Ye-jun turned his head completely towards Ki Young-han. Ki Young-han’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he gazed at the wet scenery beyond the pavilion.
“Can we get along well for one semester?”
“……”
“I don’t want to be bothered by human relationships. Especially not. We only have to endure for one semester, right? You too, me too.”
He wouldn’t say no after I’ve said all this, would he?
“……”
Ki Young-han stared at Yoon Ye-jun, then quickly shifted his gaze to the opposite side.
“You can if you want.”
He could have just said yes, but he had to say it so rudely.
Still, Yoon Ye-jun was satisfied with just that. Thursdays wouldn’t be uncomfortable anymore. They could get along well as friends. Unlike Yoon Ye-jun, who felt at ease, Ki Young-han’s mind was complicated. His face felt hot. It felt like his face was flushed as if he had been drinking.
‘So, I have a favor to ask.’
What was I thinking? When he said favor, I unintentionally thought of something suggestive.
Get a grip, Ki Young-han. That person is a man. He kept telling himself, barely calming his mind.
“Young-han.”
“……”
Did I hear that wrong? But Ki Young-han quickly turned his head towards the direction of the voice. It was a mechanical reaction.
“Let’s not fight and get along well, okay?”
Ki Young-han’s brow furrowed intensely. It felt like something was stuck in his throat. He couldn’t remember how he had made friends or dated girlfriends. Did he always talk so cringingly and awkwardly? Calling them ‘us’ and binding them together.
Feeling like he couldn’t breathe, Ki Young-han couldn’t smooth out his frown. He felt strange and couldn’t answer, so he looked straight ahead again.
“……”
As if it had never rained, the weather cleared. At most, raindrops dripped from the leaves. The sun peeked out from behind the dark clouds.
Ki Young-han stretched his lips wide to soothe his awkward facial muscles. He jumped up from his seat. His knee still hurt. Turning his back to Yoon Ye-jun, he walked away.
“Let’s go down.”
“……”
There was no sound of him following.
“Ah, hurry up and come!”
He finally yelled. Ki Young-han cursed under his breath the entire way down. I thought they were similar. But Yoon Ye-jun wasn’t the bad person I expected, which made me even more annoyed.
* * *
When they reached the entrance of the hiking trail, Yoon Ye-jun called out to Ki Young-han and stopped him.
“Young-han.”
“……”
“Let’s go to the clinic first.”
As soon as Yoon Ye-jun dropped the honorifics, he spoke to him smoothly. Ki Young-han, who had finally regained his senses after coming down, asked curtly.
“Why are you dropping the honorifics?”
Yoon Ye-jun asked back calmly.
“We agreed to get along, so can’t I be a little informal?”
“That’s ridiculous….”
Still, he had nothing to say, so he just grumbled to himself. The two walked to the clinic side by side. Ki Young-han applied disinfectant to his knee and palms and put on large bandages. Meanwhile, Yoon Ye-jun wrapped himself in a towel, the kind you’d use at the beach, and dried his wet body.
After the treatment was finished, they ate bibimbap and chicken soup at a nearby restaurant, as recommended by the staff there. Yoon Ye-jun offered to pay for the meal, but Ki Young-han glared at him, calling him crazy, in the spacious, empty restaurant.
Ki Young-han admitted that it was entirely his fault today. After they finished eating, as Ki Young-han was paying and leaving, Yoon Ye-jun bought two coffees from a cafe next door and handed one to him.
Chewing on the straw, Ki Young-han got into the car. Yoon Ye-jun, buckled in the passenger seat, stared straight ahead. The car drove silently down the open road. His knee and palms were a mess. But Ki Young-han himself was even more of a mess.
He had poured fuel on the fire for future encounters.
Because Yoon Ye-jun had opened the window, the wind kept blowing in. The faint scent of rain lingered in the air. What should he do from now on? After driving for a while, Ki Young-han asked.
“Then what should I call you?”
Yoon Ye-jun, who had been looking out the window, slowly turned his head. Ki Young-han felt his gaze but kept his eyes fixed forward. He didn’t want to meet his eyes.
“Would you like to call me ‘hyung’?”
The voice that offered kindly felt unpleasant. Isn’t ‘hyung’ too intimate a term? He didn’t want to give Yoon Ye-jun that much of his heart. He hadn’t given it to anyone in the first place. Even the older people he met at school were either called ‘sunbae’ or addressed with ‘ssi,’ or, like Ki Young-han, simply called ‘excuse me.’
Yes, ‘sunbae’ is better.
“I’ll call you ‘sunbae’.”
Yoon Ye-jun found Ki Young-han, who was stubbornly insisting on his pride, amusing. It wasn’t funny in a mocking way, but genuinely amusing because it suited Ki Young-han.
Come to think of it, it wouldn’t suit him to call me ‘hyung’ either. Yoon Ye-jun’s lips curved upwards without him realizing it. Ki Young-han, who had been looking straight ahead, glanced at him from the corner of his eye, then turned his head completely. With a startled expression, his eyes widened, he cleared his throat, and then focused on driving again.
“Ah….”
“……”
“Ah, damn it… why is the traffic so bad….”
Ki Young-han muttered to himself while driving on a road with no cars in sight. The hand gripping the steering wheel tensed, veins standing out on the back of his hand. Knowing he had said something foolish, he kept his mouth shut after that.
Yoon Ye-jun gazed at Ki Young-han. To be honest, he didn’t seem as cunning as he had imagined. He seemed rather simple. He thought he might know how to use him.
Yoon Ye-jun tightened the jacket he was wearing. He leaned back and looked out the window. The dark clouds had completely disappeared, and only clear skies and gentle sunlight filled the heavens.