#99
“Retro?”
At Kang Jihan’s blatant mockery, Kim Minhwan slumped his shoulders. Though Nam Seonwoo felt a bit sorry for him, he didn’t commit the foolishness of taking his side. Instead, he lowered his hand under the desk. When he grabbed Kang Jihan’s hand as if to say stop this childish behavior, Kang Jihan interlaced their fingers.
The professor continued with questions. Finding the topic selection quite interesting, the professor threw sharp questions, and Park Jiyoung answered all of them without hesitation. After the interrogation-like Q&A ended, the professor applauded again and said:
“Perfect. It was the most interesting topic. But one more thing. Are all the cases sampled here sourced from the team members?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Hmm. As the team leader, have you noticed any dynamic changes between team members?”
“…Pardon? I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Haha! It’s a joke. Whenever I assign group projects, at least one or two couples usually form. Looking at some of the cases presented here, it seems like it’s happened again this time.”
Laughter erupted throughout the classroom. Feeling his face reddening for some reason, Nam Seonwoo bit his lip, and the handclasp tightened. When he glanced at Kang Jihan, he returned an eye-smile. As if whispering, “We’ve been caught.”
“Suddenly an interesting story comes to mind. According to one theory, the origin of ‘manito’ (Secret Santa) came from the word for ‘lover.'”
Nam Seonwoo asked with his eyes. Is that really true? Kang Jihan just smiled meaningfully.
“That would mean deep friendship and love are no different, right? The implications of kindness and goodwill found by our team 13 would ultimately be in the same context. Anyway, thank you for conducting such an interesting study.”
The lights came on in the classroom with applause. Nam Seonwoo tried to naturally free his hand, but the fingers, clinging like leeches, showed no intention of letting go from the back of his hand. So when he shook them off forcefully as if shaking off water, he felt a gaze from beside him. Somehow feeling like he knew the expression without looking, Nam Seonwoo suppressed a smile and packed his things.
The presentation ended right at the end of class time. While thinking about how perfect even the presentation timing was, Park Jiyoung approached their seats. Her usually expressionless face was slightly flushed.
“Everyone worked hard. Seeing the professor’s reaction, our grade seems guaranteed. The PowerPoint also seems… adequately mixed together.”
“Aha! That’s too much praise, noona. It’s thanks to your excellent presentation!”
Three pairs of eyes landed on Kim Minhwan. But taking the good as good, the topic naturally changed.
“By the way, Jihan, you’re not using crutches today? Are you already fully healed?”
“Oh, that’s right. Hyung, didn’t you say it was a fracture? I’ve broken a few bones myself, so I know—if you try to recover too quickly, doesn’t it actually heal more slowly? How did you heal so fast?”
“I need to be someone’s chauffeur.”
“…Hup, whose? Don’t tell me it’s your girlfriend?”
Kim Minhwan flared his nostrils. Nam Seonwoo desperately ignored Kang Jihan, who was openly staring at him, and smiled at Park Jiyoung.
“The team leader worked hard too. I think the topic selection was good from the start.”
“That’s a relief. I was a bit worried because Seonwoo didn’t want to do the Secret Santa.”
Come to think of it, it had only been two months. Just two months ago, he had been anxious in front of Kang Jihan, trying not to get involved somehow, but now, after just two months, he was once again deeply entangled with Kang Jihan. Recalling how he had acted like a hedgehog back then, Nam Seonwoo scratched his cheek, feeling sheepish.
“Haha… Shall we get going then?”
“Eh, leaving like this? Let’s at least have an after-party! Hyungs and noona, everyone has free time after this, right?”
Kim Minhwan seemed to attach great significance to his first university team project. Of course, Nam Seonwoo agreed it was a successful project, but it was, after all, a one-time gathering with the purpose of completing an “assignment.” Having experienced numerous team projects, Nam Seonwoo wasn’t particularly moved, and Park Jiyoung seemed to feel the same way.
“I’m sorry. It’s exam period after all.”
Rejecting it flatly, Park Jiyoung pushed up her glasses and said:
“Anyway, thank you all for helping. Fighting with your other subjects too. I’ll be going now.”
As she left without any lingering attachment, Kim Minhwan was so shocked that he even stammered. He turned his head abruptly with a hurt face.
“Then at least the three of us…”
Kang Jihan stood up from his seat. Understanding that this was a rejection, Kim Minhwan looked at Nam Seonwoo as a last resort. It seemed to mean “Hyung will hang out with me, right?”, but that gaze was blocked by Kang Jihan’s back and didn’t reach him.
“Seonwoo is busy.”
Kang Jihan looked at Nam Seonwoo with a bag hanging from one shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
Where? To Nam Seonwoo’s questioning gaze, he nodded slightly.
“I’ll give you a ride.”
Nam Seonwoo burst into a hollow laugh. After talking about being a chauffeur and whatnot, now he was openly showing it. The reason it seemed oddly childish was probably because he knew how Kang Jihan had thought of Kim Minhwan.
‘He’s not a child.’
He had sufficiently explained that there was nothing between him and Kim Minhwan, and he was even dating Kang Jihan now. Yet, rattling the car keys in his pocket for everyone to hear was really childish, childish indeed.
“What, are you two going out by yourselves? Excluding me?”
Kim Minhwan asked with a voice full of betrayal.
“I mean, when did you two get so close? You keep having conversations only you two understand!”
“Because we’re Secret Santas.”
Nam Seonwoo answered concisely. It wasn’t a complete lie. It was true that they had become entangled again after becoming each other’s Secret Santas. At that moment, a light laugh was heard.
“We are secret friends, after all.”
Looking up, Kang Jihan was wearing a lavish smile again. Somehow annoyingly, it looked like the smile of a victor.
Unable to stand it any longer, Nam Seonwoo also stood up. He was sure Kang Jihan would say something strange in front of Kim Minhwan again. It seemed it was good that he hadn’t mentioned about receiving a confession from Kim Minhwan. If he had told that too, it was clear how much more childishly Kang Jihan would have acted.
“We should get going too. We have plans to go somewhere.”
Kim Minhwan’s mouth gaped. “Hyung? I thought you didn’t like Jihan hyungnim?” That’s what he seemed to be asking. It was his usual self, his pre-confession self.
Kim Minhwan had been awkward for a week after the confession. But Nam Seonwoo had also been busy visiting Kang Jihan in the hospital right after classes ended, naturally reducing the time spent with Kim Minhwan. Whether he had sorted out his feelings in that time, or if his feelings weren’t that serious to begin with, Kim Minhwan had started talking to him comfortably again. Of course, he no longer suddenly put his arm around his shoulders like before or showed affection saying “I like hyung,” but Nam Seonwoo was relieved.
“See you tomorrow.”
Moreover, seeing him nod with a glum face, it seemed he was now trying to restrain himself from clinging too much as he had done before without reading the room. Feeling reassured in many ways, Nam Seonwoo waved his hand plainly.
When Nam Seonwoo extended his arm backward to put on his bag, Kang Jihan grabbed the shoulder strap. Kim Minhwan’s gaze lingered long on Kang Jihan, who was straightening the twisted strap on his shoulder, and Nam Seonwoo, who naturally accepted the gesture.
Unaware of that gaze, Nam Seonwoo left the classroom immediately. Kang Jihan, following him, paused briefly at the classroom door and looked back. More precisely, at Kim Minhwan, who usually left the classroom with Nam Seonwoo.
“What are you doing?”
Only at Nam Seonwoo’s call did Kang Jihan move his legs. The corner of his mouth, which had been raised on one side, immediately formed fresh dimples the moment he turned toward Nam Seonwoo.
Befitting a building filled with large lectures, the corridor was noisy. As they walked side by side through the crowd, the backs of their hands lightly brushed against each other. Nam Seonwoo quietly smiled at the scene that suddenly came to mind.
The light clothing and the green trees visible through the corridor windows. It felt like drawing the way home after evening self-study ended. Just like back then when even the sound of insects couldn’t be heard because of the ticklish sensation on the back of his hand, now too, none of the surrounding noise could be heard. Did Kang Jihan have a mute function? While having this idle thought, Nam Seonwoo spoke.
“So, where are you giving me a ride to?”
Although he had gone along with it for now, there was no scheduled appointment. Now that even the rehabilitation treatment that they used to go to right after Hyunsa University ended was over, he had completely free time afterward. Recognizing that the question was chiding his childishness, Kang Jihan laughed softly.
“Want to come to my place?”
It was a low voice as if discussing everyday matters. But the words that followed somehow sounded secretive.
“There’s no one at home today.”
The voice, close to a whisper, quickly disappeared into the corridor’s noise. But not for Nam Seonwoo. He mulled over the words echoing in his head several times. They were no longer high school students in uniforms, so it couldn’t be interpreted as an invitation to study together like when they were nineteen.
‘He said let’s go watch a movie, but suddenly what…?’
Perhaps because he had been reminiscing about the innocent way home from school just before, the abrupt comment left him somewhat stunned.
At that moment, fingers brushed over the back of his hand. The fingertips tracing over the veins on the back of his hand felt too intentional to be an accidental touch.
“I’ll cook something delicious for you.”
Maybe that’s why. Behind those words, a tease he had heard somewhere before overlapped.
‘Will you eat it every day if I make it so you don’t get tired of it?’
Nam Seonwoo closed his mouth without answering. But his faintly reddened cheeks were already serving the function of an answer.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
