22
“Oh, okay.”
Choi Chan turned around without another word and left the classroom. Were these two on such terms? Before he could think much about it, Lee Wuyong looked back with a displeased expression and said:
“Ah, that bastard… attention-seeking little shit.”
“……”
“Taein, don’t even talk to that guy.”
“…Why? You two were close.”
“That shibal… that was back in first year.”
Lee Wuyong spoke roughly in front of him. When he was with Gu Wanjae, he seemed endlessly subdued. But when talking to him, he had no qualms about swearing. It seemed like he hadn’t been like this long ago, but perhaps thinking they’d become close, his way of speaking had changed considerably. Taein didn’t really care how Lee Wuyong spoke.
Taein just listened as Lee Wuyong called Choi Chan loose-lipped and fucking attention-seeking.
Something must have happened.
Not particularly curious, Taein just thought that and left it at that.
Soon Choi Chan came back into the classroom carrying two cans of drinks.
Taein looked at the energy drink placed on his desk, then raised his eyes.
“Ah, mine’s fine… Thanks though.”
Choi Chan just smiled good-naturedly, saying no, drink it. It was similar to the face that had reached out for a high-five back in first year.
Taein looked at Choi Chan, then went “uh, uh” as he took the energy drink in his hand.
“Hey, that’s enough. You go.”
“Huh?”
“I said go.”
“…Got it.”
He spoke insultingly to the end. Choi Chan just said “got it” to Lee Wuyong’s order to leave and turned around. In his hand was an unopened drink can.
“Taein.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m quitting school next month?”
And then, as if nothing had happened, Lee Wuyong was seen smiling mischievously as he said such things.
“Why?”
To Taein’s question, Lee Wuyong shrugged his shoulders and answered.
“What’s the point of graduating from this school? It’s not like I need a diploma. I’ve had enough fun, so I’m stopping here. I probably won’t graduate anyway.”
“Ah…”
“Hang out with me. Even after I quit school.”
“Uh…”
It wasn’t an “uh” meaning he understood, but rather a hesitant, thoughtful tone. Only Lee Wuyong seemed to take it as a positive response. One corner of Lee Wuyong’s mouth was pulled up high.
“Kang Taein.”
“Yeah.”
“See you in a bit.”
“Yeah.”
Lee Wuyong left like that, but he didn’t seem to know the interval of “in a bit” very well. He came back after just one minute and kept touching around his lips. His face looked hesitant to speak. As if it were some sudden proposal.
“Hey, just Taein.”
“……”
“Wouldn’t it be okay if we left now?”
“What?”
“You’re not listening to class anyway. Me neither. Do we need words?”
“Ah… let’s just finish and go.”
“No, the noonas have canceled classes today too. They might come early. Wouldn’t it be better for you to finish quickly and go quickly too?”
That was true. Since they were going anyway, it would be more comfortable to finish things quickly and return home. Taein was silent for a while, then looked toward the window and said he understood. He only grabbed his phone and bag as he got up from his seat. Lee Wuyong seemed to have no bag to carry, and didn’t even stop by the classroom. He went straight down to the first floor and outside.
“Hey, it’s hot.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s wear summer uniforms next week.”
“Yeah.”
“My shirt is fucking small.”
“You’re quitting anyway.”
“That’s next month, so I have to wear summer uniforms for a few days.”
“Ah…”
It was awkward, but the conversation continued in that awkward way. The place Lee Wuyong headed to was the bus stop. There they chose a bus that went near the university area. Most buses passed through that vicinity, but there were many routes or buses that took detours. They chose an efficient bus and got on. Taein sat in front of and behind Lee Wuyong and barely spoke. He only gave short answers when Lee Wuyong made him talk.
Now opening the windows wouldn’t make the air cool anymore.
Taein enjoyed the scenery outside the bus while feeling the lukewarm breeze. It had been a long time since he’d gotten on a bus, and he could enjoy the scenery with summer right around the corner. That was what he liked most.
After a while, Lee Wuyong pressed the bell near their destination and looked back at Taein, saying this was it.
Taein also nodded at that signal and prepared to get off.
The bus stopped, and Taein, Lee Wuyong, and an ajumma got off together. The place Lee Wuyong headed was inside an alley that turned off from the bus stop.
The commercial district spread out from the bus stop. But the place Lee Wuyong found had a somewhat unfamiliar and dark atmosphere. Even in broad daylight, there were many shaded areas, and the occasional shops were all either bars or strange establishments. Lee Wuyong stopped in front of one relatively normal building among them.
“Here.”
“Uh…”
Taein, who had been following without enthusiasm, looked suspiciously at Lee Wuyong going down the underground stairs. Lee Wuyong went down to the landing and called Taein. Aren’t you coming? he asked.
“Oh, oh.”
Taein, who belatedly went underground, saw Lee Wuyong going further inside.
“This is like my secret base.”
“Oh, really?”
He thought the door was closed, but it wasn’t. When Lee Wuyong grabbed and pulled the door handle, the door opened. Inside looked like an ordinary karaoke room. It wasn’t cheerfully decorated because it was near the university area, but rather just a gloomy space with that distinctive karaoke smell that only certain people would visit.
The atmosphere was subtly different from the karaoke place in front of school that he often went to with Gu Wanjae.
That place was frequented by many students, so at least cheerful voices could be heard.
Even when business started in earnest here, the atmosphere itself seemed like it would be gloomy.
While Taein was looking at the ceiling and walls, an ajumma came out from the end of the corridor.
“Noona, you woke up early because of me, didn’t you?”
“What are you saying?”
“Hey, you’re my noona.”
The ajumma looked to be in her 60s, but Lee Wuyong treated her like a woman just three or four years older. He even put his hand on the ajumma’s dress. Taein watched up to that point, then pretended to look away. He pretended to check the bathroom location and stood right against the wall.
Had 30 seconds passed? Lee Wuyong seemed to have finished the conversation and walked this way, calling “Taein.”
“Let’s go over there.”
“Uh…”
Well… considering what Lee Wuyong does, maybe a place like this is better. A karaoke place in a corner with an ajumma he knows. Plus the distance close to the university area. It’s just surprising that such a back alley exists near the university. Taein entered a room with Lee Wuyong that had a <Special> sticker on it. The wallpaper and lighting had a red tint incomparable to regular karaoke rooms. From the outside, this place seemed ordinary too.
He seemed to have been quite mistaken.
“When are the noonas coming?”
“Hey, Kang Taein.”
“……”
At the “hey” sound, Taein tilted his head to the side and looked at Lee Wuyong with puzzled eyes.
“You said you wanted to go quickly because of your appointment with the noonas.”
“Huh?”
Taein narrowed his eyes and said “huh?” not properly understanding Lee Wuyong’s words. Lee Wuyong grinned and leaned back, bringing up the conversation they’d had at school.
“You said that. That you wanted to go quickly because of your appointment with the noonas, to go home.”
“What’s that about?”
Not “what are you talking about?” but unfiltered “what’s that about?” Taein was still looking at Lee Wuyong with puzzled eyes.
“Kang Taein, I actually have something to tell you.”
“……”
At those words, Taein slowly blinked his eyes. It meant go ahead and say it if you have something to say.
“That…”
“……”
“The way you’ve been acting toward Gu Wanjae.”
“……”
“I’ve noticed too.”
“……”
“But somehow, how should I put it. Honestly, you know. This is Korea. There are limits to what I can say openly.”
What was he trying to say? Taein blinked several times due to anxiety, thinking “no way, maybe.” There’s no way he could know. How would Lee Wuyong know that? Taein just looked at Lee Wuyong with his mouth tightly shut. Lee Wuyong kept clearing his throat with “hmm, hmm” sounds, trying to save the main point for last. When another “hmm” sound was heard, this time Taein spoke first.
“…Hey… speak straight. What is it?”
“Are you confident you won’t regret it either?”
“What?”
“Regr…”
It was the timing when Lee Wuyong was about to say “regret” again. Suddenly the door opened inward with a bang! sound. What appeared with the loud noise was Gu Wanjae. Why was this guy who was supposed to come in the evening, at 8 o’clock, here in broad daylight? Taein was so surprised that he opened his mouth and stared at Gu Wanjae. Gu Wanjae immediately approached Taein and moved his eyes up and down.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Huh, hey… it’s not like that at all…”
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Wanjae turned his head minimally and glared fiercely at Lee Wuyong.
“You bastard, isn’t this the place you got caught at last time?”
“Ah… Wanjae.”
“What Wanjae, shibal. Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“You answer fucking well. Bastard. Why did you bring Kang Taein here?”
“Uh… the noonas asked me to introduce him.”
“What?”
“No, the noonas…”
“Speak properly, bastard. If you’re going to.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
