#11
“Yeseong! You fucking bastard Han Yeseong! I could have finished the research by now instead of wasting time talking, right?”
“……”
“I don’t give a shit if my grades go to hell, I’m removing your name, so say that shit in front of the professor. And if that trip you’re planning is overseas, tear up your passport right now. If you even graze a country where gun ownership is legal, I’ll follow you there and shoot you dead.”
It seemed like a voice could be heard from the other end of the phone, but Taeseong just said what he wanted to say and hung up. Then he buried his face in both hands as if trying to calm his anger. Though his face was covered, his exposed ears were red as if they might burst.
“Sorry, it’s because of a group project.”
“Huh? No, it’s fine.”
Taeseong apologized in a low voice with his face still covered. Wait, isn’t this an opportunity? Bonoh, who had been about to focus on his report again, had a good idea at just the right moment. But this was all or nothing…
Bonoh took out the last pack of soju he’d hidden in the closet. After hesitating briefly, he offered it to Taeseong.
“Want to drink this…?”
“……”
Taeseong raised his head and alternately looked at the soju pack and Bonoh.
“Ah, this is the last one I have left, no! There’s only this one, so don’t report me.”
Worried about being reported again, Bonoh quickly waved his hands and spoke. Taeseong silently took the soju pack. Seeing this, Bonoh let out a sigh of relief. If I take care of him at times like this, he probably won’t make a big deal even if I break some rules later, right? Maybe he’d even allow cup ramen in the room.
No, since it’s ramen anyway, maybe it’d be better to get a ramen pot instead of cup ramen… Bonoh smiled wickedly to himself, imagining making even rice porridge with a ramen pot.
Taeseong stared at the soju pack, then placed it on his desk and took out two paper cups. Instead of using the attached straw to poke a hole in the pack, he used clean scissors to cut the edge of the pack and poured the soju into two paper cups. Then he silently placed one paper cup with soju on Bonoh’s desk.
The amount from splitting one small pack wasn’t much. Taeseong sipped his soju while keeping his eyes fixed on his laptop screen from his seat. Bonoh smiled contentedly without Taeseong noticing and downed his drink in one go.
Perhaps thanks to the alcohol, the report that had seemed overwhelming now seemed to flow smoothly. While moving his fingers briskly to type on the keyboard, he thought he should never mess with Taeseong again. Bonoh vaguely realized he was currently in a cheerful state.
As Bonoh licked his lips, a thought of “Huh?” crossed his mind. Come to think of it, wasn’t this one of my roommate dreams? It wasn’t like they had a cozy chat in the quiet dormitory room, but sharing secretly hidden alcohol in paper cups was one of Bonoh’s dreams.
Bonoh’s hands stopped writing his report for a moment. He glanced at Taeseong and opened his mouth.
“Did I just fulfill one of my roommate dreams?”
“…What nonsense are you talking about.”
Taeseong looked like he was wondering what story would come next. Though his annoyed expression was obvious, Bonoh didn’t notice and continued talking.
“This, sharing secretly hidden alcohol with my roommate.”
Bonoh grinned while lightly shaking his paper cup. Taeseong watched this quietly, then snorted as if it was pathetic.
“Everything’s a dream to you.”
Taeseong muttered while bringing the paper cup to his lips. His voice sounded slightly muffled because of the cup covering it.
“Then what about you?”
“What?”
“Didn’t you have any roommate dreams or anything like that?”
Bonoh asked with an expectant expression. He looked like he’d make a fuss saying he’d help if Taeseong just said something. Taeseong avoided such a gaze from Bonoh and lowered his eyes. Acting this friendly felt strangely uncomfortable.
“Not talking to each other like this.”
Taeseong deliberately answered more curtly.
“Ah.”
Bonoh let out a short exclamation, then became dejected and turned his gaze back to his laptop screen. Taeseong couldn’t help but chuckle for a moment at that reaction.
Ha, seriously, look at Kim Bonoh’s expression.
However, realizing that laughter had leaked out, Taeseong quickly composed his expression. Then he awkwardly picked up his paper cup and took a sip of the soju Bonoh had given him. The bitter sensation spreading in his mouth erased the laughter that had come out without his knowledge.
***
“Uh… Then I’ll start talking about the exam scope… Since the materials we use are PPTs and handouts anyway, there’s not much to specifically designate, but… everything up to what we’ll learn next week…”
While writing down the exam scope given by the balding professor whose retirement was imminent, Bonoh teared up. The amount is fucking insane, crazy… Sighs could be heard from all over the lecture hall, but the professor asserted that the exam scope would never be reduced. Knowing that those who would do well would do well anyway, it was such audacity that only made muggles like Bonoh suffer.
Among the timetable packed with major courses, the one thing that provided some breathing room was a single general education class. While diligently writing down the professor’s words roughly indicating the exam scope, Bonoh raised his head.
“By the way, they say the flower language of cherry blossoms is midterm exams, and that’s not wrong, is it?”
Following the professor’s words and gaze, he turned his eyes to look outside the window. It was the time when cherry blossoms were just budding to bloom. Looking at the trees with pink hues softly swirling around them, Bonoh squinted. He could picture his future self walking among fully bloomed cherry blossom trees on such a beautiful day while burying his nose in printouts.
“First-years, our campus is famous for its beautiful cherry blossom trees. When you have time later, hang out with friends and such. Some seniors even bring mats and have picnics under the cherry blossoms.”
Bonoh had once been among those ‘seniors.’ Fitting in among the otaku. There was a time when he had the absurd thought that since he studied similarly and acted leisurely, maybe he could get similar grades. Now it was all just old stories.
Someone tapped the wilted, thoroughly boiled spinach-like Bonoh. When he looked up, there was Hyungwoo, who somehow felt like he hadn’t seen in a long time. It wasn’t really that long since they faithfully ate lunch together, but since it had been quite a while since they’d drunk alcohol, he had that illusion. Since he’d finished all the soju packs, he’d have to bring more in somehow. Tsk. Bonoh, who clicked his tongue, sluggishly got up from his seat.
“Why are you so down, bastard?”
“Because exams are right around the corner, why.”
“Even 2.35 worries about exams.”
This bastard. Now he really had to get away from the 2.35 GPA. Bonoh’s heart became loaded with burdens. Even while crunching on today’s school meal of chicken cutlet, he didn’t feel refreshed at all.
“We’re going straight to the library. Wouldn’t it be better for you to go to the library too before class?”
“Yeah, yeah, I should.”
Bonoh, who usually went to the dormitory to lie down during free periods after lunch, couldn’t act so carefree with exams approaching. When he lay down, Taeseong would sometimes look at him as if he was utterly pathetic. That gaze also stung. Since he couldn’t go back to the military again, he really had to become diligent.
“Do you have stuff to study?”
“Hey, what do you take me for? Of course I carry it around. Looking closely, you’re worse than that bastard Shin Hyungwoo.”
Bonoh smacked the shrugging Junghwan once and started striding toward the library. It was truly very sad that he had to go to the library on such a nice day when even distant mountains were clearly visible, but it couldn’t be helped. I have to study. Now I’m really going to make up for my grades. Bonoh resolved this way.
It was while he’d been looking at printouts in the library for a while. Hyungwoo, who was sitting right next to him, tapped Bonoh and whispered.
“Why do you keep fiddling with your phone? It’s distracting.”
It was really unfair. Bonoh had to periodically fiddle with his phone for studying. With a whole bucket of unknown words, how could studying be possible without a phone? Those not in language and literature departments could never understand, but he definitely wasn’t fiddling with his phone to play around.
Of course, after searching for one word, he’d slyly pull down the top bar to see if there were any new notifications. But feeling frustrated was unavoidable. Bonoh shoved his phone screen, which still had the Naver Japanese dictionary open, right in front of him with the feeling that he had done absolutely nothing wrong.
“Ah. Sorry.”
Hyungwoo nodded and turned his gaze back to his study materials. However, his concentration was already broken. Bonoh despaired. He also became depressed at the fact that no matter how much he studied like this, he wouldn’t be able to keep up with friends who had blonde hair and pink-eyed beautiful girl profile pictures. That’s when he got a message from Room 309 Sunfish.
[ã…‡]
What’s this? Taeseong had never sent something like this first, while Bonoh always sent messages. It was practically like a memo pad recording when Bonoh drank alcohol. Bonoh sent a question mark in confusion. Taeseong read it immediately, but no particular response came back.
If he sent it by mistake, he could just say he sent it by mistake, but he’s ignoring that too. Bonoh cursed Taeseong once in his mind. Anyway, he’d thought the atmosphere had loosened up recently, but that wasn’t really the case either. Their relationship had become moderately lukewarm and moderately good enough to acknowledge each other’s existence.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
