Epilogue Chapter 6
*
As soon as I returned to the studio, I gulped down cold water. I couldn’t contain my anger!
I was irritated by Joo Kwon-oh, who spoke as if he had done nothing wrong and I had deliberately lied and tried to hide things from him.
Already in my mind, very specific images were floating around of Joo Kwon-oh greeting, eating meals, and drinking at parties with a blonde foreign woman whose face I didn’t even know.
When Shin Ji-ye confessed, I immediately told her to avoid any misunderstandings, but Joo Kwon-oh was the one who hid important facts. How can he say this is nothing?
Even in this situation, I checked if there were any new comments on the photo I saw on Instagram earlier. But no new comments had been added.
I glared at the screen while fuming, and unconsciously opened Bae Yu-rim’s newly uploaded Instagram story.
— Anyone want to eat chicken and beer tomorrow! Planning to have one last hurrah before the hell of late-night work begins,,
I didn’t feel like going when Bae Yu-rim actually asked, but as soon as I saw the words “chicken and beer,” I suddenly felt thirsty as if my throat was burning up.
Come to think of it, it had been too long since I’d had a drink. Now that all the plans to hang out with Joo Kwon-oh had fallen through, there was no reason not to attend this gathering with my classmates.
On a day like today, alcohol was desperately needed.
Seeing that Bae Yu-rim’s seat in the studio was empty, I sent her a DM.
[Me: I’ll come tomorrow too]
*
The next day.
A day had passed since the cold war with Joo Kwon-oh began. During that time, I hadn’t received any contact from him.
I sighed as I looked at the KakaoTalk with no notifications.
I thought about contacting him first, but remembering yesterday’s Joo Kwon-oh who blamed everything on me, I still couldn’t stand the anger bubbling up inside me.
“Ah, I don’t know.”
I muttered to myself while scratching my cheek. It’s exam period anyway, so even if I contact him now, it would be difficult to have a proper conversation. I should talk to him after the exams are over.
Swallowing consecutive sighs, I glared at the KakaoTalk chat list. Joo Kwon-oh’s KakaoTalk profile picture, like his Instagram, was a group photo taken at his birthday party before he left for the Netherlands.
Even in the photo where everyone was gathered with cake cream smeared all over, seeing his distinctively handsome face made my heart flutter.
The more I looked at the photo, the more I felt the anger that had been tormenting me gradually subside.
This is why it’s troublesome when your boyfriend is too handsome. Even when you’re upset, just seeing his face quickly melts your heart and makes you overlook things.
We fought childishly out of jealousy… but we should resolve it through conversation after the exams are over.
“Jeong-ha. Let’s leave at 5 PM later.”
“What about the others?”
“They went to the art supply store to buy materials. We agreed to meet at the pub.”
“Okay.”
“And it seems like more people than originally planned might come, is that okay? Somehow there are more people wanting to drink during exam period.”
“Ah, Yu-rim, by the way, is there unlimited beer where we’re going?”
“Yeah. Are you planning to drink a lot?”
“Not really…”
“Right, don’t go too hard. We have to work late at night. If you pass out in the middle, we’re not waking you up.”
“Okay.”
Arriving at the pub at the agreed time, I sat down next to Kim Jae-hyun, who was already eating the fried food that came as appetizers. Since it was a department gathering, the atmosphere was comfortable without any unfamiliar feeling.
The staff quickly brought me a new beer glass. Kim Jae-hyun, who was eating appetizers, greeted me as if surprised.
“Ryu Jeong-ha, what brings you here? I thought you said you weren’t coming.”
“Just, I was bored.”
“The appetizers here are delicious. I was hungry, so this is great.”
Although we see each other every day, sitting together cozily in the pub felt somewhat refreshing in its own way.
After quickly gulping down a few sips of cold draft beer, I felt like the tightness in my chest from yesterday’s events was clearing up.
“Ah, really. I wish the exams would end quickly.”
“How many days have we been working late nights this time?”
“I’m really not going to procrastinate on assignments from next year.”
“They say we start preparing for graduation exhibition from the third year, what are we going to do?”
“Why are we only talking about assignments even when we came to eat?”
I just listened to my classmates chattering idly while sipping my beer. Although I didn’t say it out loud, I was empathizing deeply inside.
Soon, chicken and fried appetizers arrived, and everyone’s voices got louder as proper food entered their mouths.
Then. The pub door opened and some familiar faces poured in.
I was absentmindedly chewing on appetizers when I stared at the entrance and froze.
Surprisingly, Joo Kwon-oh was among the group that had just entered the pub.
“Oh? You came early. Kwon-oh, Eun-su, over here!”
Bae Yu-rim waved happily, greeting the new group.
Flustered, I put down the fork I was holding and looked back and forth between him standing at the entrance and Bae Yu-rim.
“Were people from other departments coming too?”
“Kwon-oh and a few people from the drama club and board game club.”
“Why?”
“I told you earlier that other people were coming too.”
“Still…”
“What’s the big deal? Most of them are probably sophomores. If you feel awkward, just sit with our department people.”
Bae Yu-rim laughed as if it was no big deal and held out her glass. I clinked glasses with her in a daze, but sadly, this was not no big deal.
As proof, Joo Kwon-oh had been glaring at me intensely since the moment he entered the pub.
Judging by his expression, it was clear he came knowing I would be here. How did news of a gathering from an unsociable department like Fine Arts reach Joo Kwon-oh’s ears? Most likely because of Bae Yu-rim’s Instagram.
Ah, this is bad. This is why it’s problematic when your boyfriend is popular. He’s intricately connected to all sorts of places like a spider web.
What should I do? Should I greet him? But seeing his fierce expression, it didn’t seem like the right atmosphere, so I tactfully avoided eye contact.
I said I’d be too busy to even breathe until next week because of exams, but here I was sitting with a beer glass in hand, so it was understandable that Joo Kwon-oh would be upset from his perspective.
I admit there’s room for misunderstanding. But I didn’t lie intentionally. I definitely intended to focus only on practical evaluations and exam preparation at first.
“Everyone, come sit over here.”
“What’s this? Why are people from other departments gathering here too?”
“The drama club’s booth was right next to ours at last year’s festival, so we know most of their faces. The board game club meets around here on weekends, so I just told them to hang out with us.”
“They don’t seem to be in their right minds either. Drinking during exam period.”
Kim Jae-hyun, who usually wary of strangers like me, was unusually observing students from other departments with interest.
Not just Kim Jae-hyun, but other classmates also made room for the newly joined students without resistance. Moreover, the female classmates who saw Joo Kwon-oh seemed to welcome the joint seating.
It was clear that everyone was half out of their minds due to the exam period.
Meanwhile, my face felt hot because Joo Kwon-oh kept glaring at me so intensely. I lost my bearings, not knowing where to look, and then noticed the couple ring on his hand.
Ah. I’m wearing a couple ring too. Wouldn’t it be a bit strange to wear it at the same place? Some people might think it’s weird…
“……”
It doesn’t hurt to be careful. I lowered my hand under the table and took off the ring from my finger, putting it in my pocket.
In the meantime, Joo Kwon-oh sat in the center of the long table. My seat was at the very end corner, so it wasn’t close, but with Joo Kwon-oh in the middle, our eyes were bound to keep meeting.
“Hey. But why does Joo Kwon-oh keep glaring at me? Ugh, it’s intimidating.”
After the newly joined students had settled in and finished light greetings, Kim Jae-hyun whispered to me.
“At you? No way.”
“It’s true. He’s been staring since earlier.”
I glanced at Joo Kwon-oh at Kim Jae-hyun’s words. He seemed uninterested in this direction, talking to the person sitting across from him.
Even if he was glaring, it was at me, not Kim Jae-hyun, but Kim Jae-hyun might have misunderstood because he was sitting next to me.
“He’s talking to someone else.”
“I’m telling you, it’s true! He was staring at me until just now.”
“……”
Kim Jae-hyun complained as if feeling quite wronged.
I stared at Joo Kwon-oh, who was casually enjoying himself after joining a gathering from another department. He seemed to have adapted, happily mingling with people on both sides at some point.
Moreover, he had already emptied two glasses of beer in less than ten minutes since arriving. He was blending in so naturally that someone might mistake this for a Business Administration department gathering rather than a Fine Arts one.
…He looked upset earlier. Watching him laugh and chat with others so ostentatiously made me feel unpleasant.
It was as if yesterday’s argument with me meant nothing.
Without realizing it, I stared at him intently for a few seconds, and our eyes met.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
