It was impossible to figure out what was going on inside his head.
“You’re seriously weird.”
“I know.”
Normally, when Sa-yoon threw the first punch like this, Sa Shin-jae would always fire back. But when he obediently admitted it this time, there was nothing left to say. As the car pulled out of the parking lot, their conversation came to an abrupt stop. A suffocating silence filled the space.
Come to think of it, when he was with Sa Shin-jae, Sa-yoon was usually the one talking. There was something oddly satisfying about watching the other guy look completely disgusted every time he called him our Shin-jae.
Just earlier today, he hadn’t even imagined he’d end up in Sa Shin-jae’s car. Still feeling dazed, he stared out the window when a cool scent lingered at the tip of his nose.
Sometimes, when he got close to Sa Shin-jae, he would catch a faint trace of a fragrance—so it must have been this. The realization that he had entered such a deeply personal space hit him all over again.
“Do you spray perfume inside your car?”
“I put it on before leaving home.”
And just like that, the conversation died again. Unable to bear the awkwardness, Sa-yoon fidgeted with his hands resting on his lap, intertwining and loosening his fingers repeatedly. He even cleared his throat a couple of times.
“Do you want me to turn on some music?”
“Huh? Oh. Yeah.”
Having some music was definitely better than nothing, so Sa-yoon quickly agreed. With a simple adjustment, Shin-jae turned on the audio system, and music began flowing through the speakers.
The song playing was nothing like what Sa-yoon had expected. He glanced to the side, but Shin-jae remained unfazed, eyes fixed on the road ahead.
“Can I change it?”
“Sure.”
With that, Shin-jae reached for the controls and skipped to the next track. As the melody began, Sa-yoon’s expression shifted ever so slightly.
“You really listen to this kind of music on your way to and from school?”
“Yeah.”
Bach, Debussy, Schubert, Chopin… Even Sa-yoon, who had zero knowledge of classical music, recognized the famous composers as their pieces played one after another. It felt like he had been forcibly dragged back to his high school music class.
“I bet you got teased a lot for having such an old-fashioned taste when you were a student.”
“It’s my father’s taste.”
Ah, fuck.
“If you put it another way, old-fashioned could also mean deep-rooted tradition or timeless classic, you know. This is actually really nice. Feels like I’m enriching my soul all of a sudden.”
Hearing him try to backtrack, Shin-jae let out a quiet chuckle.
“This is the first time you’ve listened to classical music since graduating high school, isn’t it?”
“Uh… yeah, pretty much.”
“Since I was a kid, this is all I ever listened to, so I still don’t listen to pop songs.”
That’s unexpected. I thought he was spoiled growing up, but a household that forbids pop music? Maybe his upbringing was stricter than I thought. Is that why he ended up so rebellious?
While Sa-yoon was lost in thought, the soft, delicate sound of piano notes filled the car.
***
“At least the bone isn’t broken. That’s a relief, right?”
The doctor diagnosed it as a Grade 1 minor ligament tear. Considering how swollen it was, the result was better than expected.
Sa-yoon, stepping out into the waiting room, forced a bright tone as he spoke to Shin-jae, who was sitting there.
Even though no bones were broken, he still had to wear a partial cast for a while and come in regularly for physical therapy. On top of that, the bruising on his back ached, his face had three bandages from where glass shards had cut him, and his knees—slammed hard against the floor—were a complete mess.
The worst concern had been his knees, so it was a relief they weren’t severely injured.
But Sa-yoon brushed it all off in one sentence. The reason? He felt guilty for making Shin-jae wait an entire hour and a half while he went through physical therapy.
The doctor had casually suggested, since he was already there, to at least get some cold therapy—it wouldn’t take long. Figuring it’d be quick, he agreed, but the wait time ended up being longer than expected. Had he known, he wouldn’t have done it.
The second reason was that the big guy sitting across from him seemed to feel somewhat responsible for his injury.
Shin-jae’s expression in the waiting room wasn’t great. He had been left waiting without any explanation, so it was understandable if he was pissed.
“Did you wait long?”
Sa-yoon wanted to tell him he could’ve left first, but he didn’t have his contact information.
“Shin—”
He stopped himself before finishing the name. Hadn’t he told him not to call him so casually?
“Sa Shin-jae, junior?”
Calling him that, Sa-yoon sat down a seat apart. Only then did Shin-jae finally look at him.
“Senior.”
“Huh?”
“Come here.”
As soon as Sa-yoon sat, Shin-jae shot up and walked off somewhere.
Was he so pissed that he didn’t even want to sit next to him? With no choice but to follow, Sa-yoon trailed after him, only to find that their destination was the restroom.
Why here?
Before he could voice his confusion, Shin-jae approached and abruptly lifted the back of his shirt.
“Hey!”
Startled, Sa-yoon tried to shove the junior off his back, but a strong, solid arm easily overpowered him with one hand.
“It looks like you’re bruising.”
Even with their size difference, it was difficult to win against someone with both arms free.
Sa-yoon had never been considered weak, but this guy had no regard for personal space when they were alone. Realizing resistance was futile, Sa-yoon let out a sigh and said,
“Yeah, probably.”
In a few days, his bruises would probably turn into a colorful display that could rival the autumn foliage.
“Alright, get off me now… Ugh.”
His face was a mess. He hadn’t been able to check it inside the doctor’s office or the physical therapy room. Only now, in the restroom, did Sa-yoon get a good look at himself.
His naturally sharp features already gave him a rough impression, but with the bandages and plasters haphazardly stuck all over his face, he looked like some thug squatting in an alley, smoking a cigarette.
A nasty bruise had spread across his cheekbone. Seeing it in the mirror, he realized it throbbed more than he initially thought.
Guess I won’t be walking around at night for a while. Sa-yoon let out a small sigh. The moment he did, Sa Shin-jae’s expression stiffened.
Meanwhile, someone who had just entered the restroom for actual use took one look at the scene and instantly gasped before backing away in quick, startled steps.
“Hey, people are gonna get the wrong idea!”
Only then did Shin-jae finally step away from his back. Sa-yoon adjusted his shirt, which had ridden up to his shoulders, and by the time he turned around, the other guy had already left the restroom.
“Let’s go.”
By the time he caught up, Shin-jae had already stepped away from the reception desk.
“How much was it? I’ll transfer you the money.”
As soon as they stepped out of the hospital, they headed straight for the elevator. Shin-jae, who had just pressed the button to call it down, turned to him with a confused expression.
“Why would you?”
He looked genuinely clueless.
“What do you mean, why? You shouldn’t have to pay for this.”
“I told you I’d cover it. You’ll have to keep coming in for physical therapy, so just let me handle it.”
From past experience, Sa-yoon knew Shin-jae would never tell him the amount. And even if he somehow found out, there was no way the guy would accept repayment.
“Really?”
Fortunately, South Korea had excellent health insurance. There was probably an extra charge for the late-night visit, but it shouldn’t have been too expensive.
Still, dumping his hospital bill on someone else left him feeling uneasy. Before he knew it, it was already nearing nine o’clock—way past dinnertime.
“Then how about we grab some food? My treat.”
And just like that, they settled the debt over a meal.
***
There weren’t many decent places to eat near the main entrance, so they ended up taking Shin-jae’s car back to the north gate. The two of them decided on chicken.
It was definitely a Friday night. Every restaurant was packed with college students out enjoying the start of their weekend. After scanning the crowd, Sa-yoon pointed to one place, and Shin-jae simply followed along without objection.
As soon as they sat down, Sa-yoon unfolded the menu and quickly made a recommendation.
The truth was, Shin-jae wasn’t particularly fond of fried food. But he figured it’d be easy to eat with one hand, so he went along with it anyway.
That was the only reason he picked chicken.
Even though he had decided on it quickly, Sa-yoon didn’t place the order right away. Instead, he kept staring at one section of the menu.
“What are you doing?”
“I was just thinking… should I get a 500cc beer?”
At those words, Shin-jae’s expression darkened. Was this senior out of his mind?
“You’re injured, and you want to drink?”
“Yeah, you’re right…”
The fact that he agreed so quickly made it obvious he had already been debating it himself. His hand, as he set the menu down, was practically dripping with regret.
Pretending not to notice, Shin-jae pressed the call button on the table. After finishing their order, he took a look around the place. The restaurant seemed to have been remodeled recently—small but clean.
Since they had walked a bit farther from campus, the crowd was thinner compared to the restaurants right in front of the school. He hated noisy places, so this was a relief.
“By the way, did you tell Ha-rim or Myung-woo?”
“No.”
“Really? Then should I tell them?”
When Shin-jae nodded, Sa-yoon grabbed his phone with one hand and started fumbling with it. The glow from the screen lit up his face, and the slight furrow in his brow made it clear—typing with one hand wasn’t easy.
“I’ll just do it—”
Right as he spoke, a group from inside the restaurant stood up and shuffled out. Not all of them, just a few, so they were probably heading out for a smoke.
Shin-jae, seated near the aisle, pulled his chair in to make space, but just then, someone passing behind him suddenly let out a startled sound.
“What the—Cha Sa-yoon!”
At the unexpected call of his name, Sa-yoon looked up from his phone to check who it was.
“Oh, Yong-seon!”
“Man, long time no see! Whoa—what happened to your face? Did you get into a fight?”
A hand shot out from behind. Sa-yoon lifted his uninjured hand, and their palms smacked together in a high-five.
Meanwhile, Shin-jae, still facing away from them, subtly furrowed his brows.
