Chapter 96
“No reply on KakaoTalk either. Did someone pick a fight with you again on your way?”
“…No. Do you think I always get into fights whenever I go out?”
“Wasn’t that the case?”
“…”
“I’m just kidding, just kidding.”
Maybe because I actually had something like a confrontation earlier, I can’t help but get upset at Joo Kwon-oh’s words. Am I really the type to get into fights easily…?
“That’s not funny.”
“Is the peach upset?”
Joo Kwon-oh bent down to examine my expression. His eyes were full of mischief. As his face got closer, I shook my head.
“No.”
“Okay. I won’t joke around. If someone had picked a fight with you, I was going to teach them a lesson.”
“I told you it’s not like that…”
I awkwardly scratched my cheek and avoided his gaze. Joo Kwon-oh grinned and moved even closer to me. A faint smell of alcohol and the cologne he often uses wafted over.
“Ah, so. Why didn’t you check KakaoTalk?”
“Someone briefly asked for directions, so I was answering them.”
I made up a convenient excuse.
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“But Kwon-oh. You know, senior Sung-rok…”
“Why the senior? Did you run into him in front? I think I saw him coming up after smoking.”
“Did you talk well with the senior today?”
“What do you mean… Ah.”
Midway through asking back, he seemed to understand the intention of my question and nodded.
“Yeah. We met face to face and had a drink together. I couldn’t ask in detail about the expo because there were a lot of people. But I can contact him separately about that later.”
Joo Kwon-oh didn’t seem to think much of the difficulty in contacting senior Sung-rok.
Suddenly, I worried that he might be deliberately avoiding Joo Kwon-oh’s contact.
Am I being too sensitive about this based on that very brief encounter? Maybe he really was just too busy to contact. It’s vacation, so he could be doing other work.
And that attitude I found strange earlier…. Come to think of it, he didn’t curse at me or shout. Maybe I shouldn’t think too deeply about it in advance.
I decided to put aside the inexplicable uneasiness for now.
“Is it very difficult if the senior doesn’t help?”
“I guess so? To be assigned as a planning staff.”
“I see…”
“Why are you making such a serious face? It’ll work out somehow.”
Joo Kwon-oh spoke as if it was no big deal and immediately brought up another topic of conversation.
I concluded that I seemed to be too sensitive, fixating on trivial things. So I quickly erased this issue from my mind as well.
*
A few days later.
For the first time in a while, I woke up alone in my studio apartment early in the morning. Out of habit, I reached out to the side of the bed, only to find it empty, and sighed dejectedly.
The room felt empty without the big human who always slept tightly hugging me.
When I checked my phone, there were KakaoTalk messages from Joo Kwon-oh.
[Joo Kwon-oh: Peach, are you up]
[Joo Kwon-oh: ?]
[Joo Kwon-oh: Just arrived in Yongin.]
[Joo Kwon-oh: Probably going to Seoul in the evening ㅜㅜ]
[Joo Kwon-oh: See you later]
[Joo Kwon-oh: (photo)]
[Joo Kwon-oh: Send a puffy peach photo when you wake up ㅇㅇ]
Because of that drunk driving bastard, Joo Kwon-oh had to go to Yongin again early this morning. Although he’s about to get his cast removed soon, I still feel angry at the driver when I think about him traveling alone with his inconvenienced body.
Today isn’t even my part-time job day, so I have to spend time completely alone, which makes me even more annoyed. I barely managed to suppress my boiling emotions with the selfie Joo Kwon-oh sent.
As I was rummaging through the fridge to wash up and eat breakfast, a KakaoTalk notification rang. Thinking it was Joo Kwon-oh, I quickly checked the content, only to be quickly disappointed.
[Kim Jae-hyun: Hey hey]
[Kim Jae-hyun: You alive???]
[Kim Jae-hyun: What are you doing]
It was Kim Jae-hyun. After not contacting me at all until now, he chooses this time…
I pouted and replied immediately.
[Me: Just hanging out..]
[Kim Jae-hyun: How come you never contact me?]
Kim Jae-hyun grumbled as soon as he started chatting. I felt like I could hear his sulky voice breaking through the text, as if he was right in front of me.
[Me: You didn’t either]
[Kim Jae-hyun: That’s why I’m contacting you first now]
[Me: Why are you contacting me]
[Me: Did something happen?]
[Kim Jae-hyun: I came to the school practice room after a long time and I’m so bored……]
[Kim Jae-hyun: You should come too]
I pulled back the curtains and checked outside. The air conditioner was on in my apartment, so I couldn’t tell how hot it was, but seeing the heat haze rising from the asphalt, it was clear that it was hellishly hot outside.
How did Kim Jae-hyun manage to choose a day like this to go to the practice room?
[Me: I’m too lazy ㅠ]
[Kim Jae-hyun: Are you kidding me with your art???]
[Kim Jae-hyun: How can you not come to the practice room even once during vacation ㅡㅡ?]
[Me: What about Yu-rim?]
[Kim Jae-hyun: Ah Bae Yu-rim]
[Kim Jae-hyun: OMG do you know what’s crazy??]
[Kim Jae-hyun: Bae Yu-rim is dating someone ㄷㄷ;;]
I chuckled at Kim Jae-hyun’s KakaoTalk message, wondering why he was making such a fuss.
[Me: I know]
[Kim Jae-hyun: What?? How????]
[Me: I met her when I went to the practice room last time and heard about it ㅋㅋ]
As soon as I sent the reply, Kim Jae-hyun called me. He must have been quite surprised.
“Hello.”
—You traitor.
Even his voice, lashing out without preamble, felt welcome since it had been a while.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
—You knew Bae Yu-rim was dating too? So I was the only one who didn’t know.
“That’s because you don’t contact me.”
—Ah, everyone’s dating except me? What’s this. They should be studying, not dating. Do they think we’re freshmen?
“Who else is dating?”
—You, Ryu Jeong-ha. You had a girl you were interested in too.
“Ah.”
What old story is he talking about? I’m currently dating and almost living together with that person (Joo Kwon-oh) he’s referring to as the girl I was interested in.
—Did things work out with her?
“Ah, no.”
I reflexively lied. I had no intention whatsoever of revealing my relationship to anyone.
—I guess. Dating isn’t so easy that just anyone can do it.
“What are you saying? If you’re jealous, why don’t you date too? Why are you making a fuss?”
—Who’s jealous? Anyway, come to the practice room quickly. I know you’re just lying in bed with nothing to do.
“No, I’m not?”
I replied while sprawled out on the bed.
—Let’s order lunch. I’m starving.
“I told you I’m busy and can’t come.”
—Bullshit. If you don’t come in 30 minutes, I’m barging into your apartment.
“Ah, why are you suddenly making a fuss?”
—Okay, see you later. I’m going to order cold noodles.
Kim Jae-hyun hung up arbitrarily. He’s usually clueless, but he’s oddly sharp today. How did he know I was lying around with nothing to do?
I sighed and checked the time. He seemed determined to really barge in. Should I escape to Joo Kwon-oh’s apartment?
After briefly considering such a silly idea, I decided to just drop by the practice room since I didn’t have any part-time work or anything else to do anyway.
I paid expensive tuition too. Maybe it’s not a bad idea to drop by once in a while to get my money’s worth.
In the end, after lazily getting ready and stepping outside, the stuffy heat immediately enveloped my entire body. The summer air was hot, like being in a sauna.
I don’t understand why Kim Jae-hyun chose to go to the practice room on a day like this. I predict that probably only Kim Jae-hyun and I will be in the practice room today. There’s no way any student would come to school to draw on such a sweltering day.
I wonder how hot Joo Kwon-oh must be, especially with his cast on at a time like this. It’s pitiful just thinking about it.
I headed towards the art department building, fanning my t-shirt with my hand. Naturally, the basketball court on the way caught my eye.
On this suffocating summer day, I could see a group gathered in the shade of the court. They’re quite diligent for it being vacation. Or maybe they’re part of a sports team?
Coincidentally, remembering that I had once spotted Joo Kwon-oh playing basketball here, I deliberately approached the court. Even though I knew there was no way Joo Kwon-oh, who had gone to Yongin, would be here, my heart raced for no reason.
Before I knew it, I could vaguely see the faces of the people gathered in the shade, bouncing the ball and chatting.
Surprisingly, the group on the court was senior Sung-rok and some business administration students. Choi Kyung-won was also among them.
I hesitated the moment I recognized their faces. After standing still in confusion for a few seconds, I was just about to turn around and sneak away.
“Oh! Jeong-ha! Hello!”
I made eye contact with Choi Kyung-won.
Unlike me, who was thinking of running away because greeting felt burdensome, Choi Kyung-won raised his hand high without hesitation and waved it vigorously.
Then all the other students nearby turned to look at me too. Looking closely, it seemed to be a board game club meeting rather than a business administration department gathering.
As a result of diligently stalking Joo Kwon-oh’s Instagram, I had gained the ability to roughly distinguish the faces of the club members.
“Hello.”
I was going to just greet them and pass by, but Choi Kyung-won, seemingly unbothered by the heat, excitedly ran towards me.
