Pulling out my phone, I waited for a response.
“Oh, do you get major exam guides from upperclassmen you’re close with?”
“I don’t. There’s no such thing.”
At that, Sa-yoon clicked his tongue softly. Not even that kind of person, yet saying that kind of thing. What a character, really.
The contrast was even starker because the person saying it had such an upstanding, wholesome appearance.
The business department, categorized under the broader faculty, had a large student body, making social life more flexible. However, that also meant it was harder to get close to seniors.
‘Still, isn’t he a special case?’
He thought Shin-jae would be popular. And he had his reasons for thinking so.
First, Sa Shin-jae was famous enough to stir up the school community. Second, his celebrity-level looks had earned him a massive social media following. Lastly, his mother was a well-known actress.
Usually, meeting even one of these criteria would be enough for seniors to swarm him out of sheer curiosity, trying to strike up a conversation. So why did he not have even a single senior close enough to ask for an exam guide instead of paying for it?
At that age, when Sa-yoon went out for drinks, he would naturally mingle with people from the next table and head to the second round together. So he found it utterly incomprehensible. And this wasn’t even the first semester; it was already the second.
Sa-yoon scrutinized Shin-jae as if observing him under a microscope. Since he put quite a bit of effort into maintaining his image, Sa-yoon had assumed he’d be well-liked and getting along fine in his department.
“…Ah.”
Could it be that he had a habit of snapping and lashing out at people who tried to get close to him?
A sudden, reasonable suspicion made Sa-yoon’s eyes narrow.
“What’s with that look?”
“…You didn’t go around acting like a complete asshole to your department mates too, did you?”
“Sunbae! Who are you calling a complete nutjob?!”
His broad chest expanded slightly, and the resulting voice was almost a lion’s roar. Since the place was spacious yet sparsely occupied, his voice echoed even louder. The few people sitting at scattered tables turned their gazes toward them.
“…You knew, didn’t you?”
Perhaps he was startled by his own outburst because his next words came out much softer. His bright-colored irises darted around uneasily, unable to settle. At the same time, he kept sneaking glances at Sa-yoon from the corner of his eye, as if—
‘Like a puppy that just made a mess and is checking for its owner’s reaction.’
The thought made Sa-yoon chuckle a little. At the sound of that small, low laugh, Shin-jae’s fingertips, which had been resting on the table, flinched.
“And I already apologized for that… Are you still not over it?”
“I told you it was a mistake.” Though he grumbled, his usually sharp, well-defined eyebrows and lips drooped downward. And with those big, moist eyes added to the mix, he looked heartbreakingly wronged and pitiful.
Maybe it was because of the impression his appearance gave off, but Sa-yoon couldn’t shake the feeling that he was bullying some poor, helpless kid.
Feeling embarrassed about his outburst, Sa Shin-jae slumped over the table, resting his elbows on it and lowering his head as he let out a groan of self-reproach.
“Ah, seriously…”
Sa-yoon had never noticed before, probably because Shin-jae was so tall, but his hair was so thick that not even his parting was visible. He was blessed with good genes. Unlike Sa-yoon’s straight hair, Shin-jae’s had a natural wave to it, making it appear even fuller.
The voluminous mop of hair swayed slightly in front of Sa-yoon’s eyes.
“I mean, I was just…”
Sa-yoon, unconsciously fixated on the light brownish-blond dyed hair, found himself reaching out without thinking, gently ruffling the soft strands.
“I was just worried since you said you weren’t close with any of your seniors.”
At the touch, Shin-jae subtly lifted his head. His slightly exposed eyes were brimming with displeasure.
“Sunbae, why do you always take every chance you get to touch people?”
“Oh, right. You don’t like physical contact.”
Sa-yoon withdrew his hand. He’d always been comfortable with touching others, but strangely, with Shin-jae, his hands kept reaching out on their own. Maybe it was because instead of being six years younger, he sometimes felt like a six-year-old.
“It’s fine.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t really dislike physical contact that much.”
Where did the guy from earlier go? The one who had backed into the corner of the couch just to avoid brushing against No Seok-jo?
“So… you can touch me if you want.”
“Uh… okay? Thanks?”
Was this his way of asking to be petted? Or was he just saying he wouldn’t make a fuss about it anymore? While Sa-yoon was caught in brief contemplation, Shin-jae straightened up.
Judging by his reaction, it seemed like he was just saying he wouldn’t throw a fit like before if Sa-yoon touched him. Shin-jae appeared to be the type to ease up on those he let into his personal space.
Realizing that he’d been accepted into that space gave Sa-yoon an odd sense of satisfaction, like a warm feeling bubbling up inside him.
“So, what classes are you taking this semester?”
I’m officially inside the circle, huh? The words naturally rolled off his tongue, smooth and warm like freshly baked castella.
“Why are you suddenly talking like that?”
“I’ve always talked like this.”
His relaxed tone was met with a curt response, but Sa-yoon was too pleased to care.
Unlike the perpetually irritable and sensitive Shin-jae, Sa-yoon was easygoing. Now that his bratty, little mad-dog of a junior had been reclassified in his mind as a small, harmless animal, nothing he said had much of an impact.
After all, no one gets genuinely mad when a sulky duckling peeps indignantly or when a tiny puffed-up kitten hisses at them.
“You look really cute right now.”
“You look really fucking annoying right now, sunbae.”
“Thanks.”
Ignoring his grumbling, Sa-yoon opened his contacts. Typing in “Business,” a list of names matching the criteria appeared.
“You’re taking Introduction to Business, right? It’s a core requirement, so getting an exam guide should be easy.”
At those words, Shin-jae suddenly shot up from his seat. His sturdy thighs pushed against the fixed sofa, forcing the table to slide instead, creating an unpleasant scraping noise. Sa-yoon winced, narrowing one eye.
“How do you know I’m taking that? Do you know my schedule?”
Seeing how easily startled he was, Sa-yoon thought life must be exhausting for him. Then, Shin-jae spoke again, his voice trembling slightly.
This time, he didn’t even care about the attention he was drawing. Instead, he just stared intensely, demanding an answer. Was it really that shocking that someone knew his class schedule?
“How the hell would I know your schedule?”
“Who… Who told you?”
His face, suddenly drained of color, looked unnervingly persistent.
“Uh…”
Sa-yoon’s face flickered with hesitation. The truth was, he really had found out by following Shin-jae around. His past antics of tailing the younger guy just to mess with him were now coming back to bite him.
“That time, uh… when I sat with your classmates for lunch, remember? They spent the entire break complaining about how your Friday class never ended on time.”
As soon as he admitted how he found out, Shin-jae’s expression turned even more unreadable.
“I didn’t dig for that information on purpose. You guys were the ones who said it first.”
“…Back then, I wasn’t exactly acting like a mature adult.”
Sa-yoon rarely regretted his past decisions. But for some reason, he had been a bit unhinged back then. Maybe it was because a kid six years younger had cussed him out right to his face?
Thinking about it now made his face burn with secondhand embarrassment. He hadn’t realized back then that his childish antics would become a stumbling block in his current dealings with Shin-jae. If he had known, he never would have done it.
Shin-jae still looked suspicious, but after a moment’s hesitation, he slowly sat back down.
“You really don’t know my schedule?”
Sa-yoon let out a small sigh, and Shin-jae’s shoulders flinched slightly in response.
“Shin-jae, I already apologized for following you around back then. You did some shit, I did some shit, and we made up. We agreed to let it go, remember?”
“…Yeah, we did.”
“Right? But at this rate, I’m gonna end up leaving after only confirming your damn class schedule. If it weren’t for the exam guide, I wouldn’t even care what classes you were taking.”
Raising his hands in mock surrender, Sa-yoon added, “So, can we just wrap this up and head out?”
Shin-jae’s gaze shifted from Sa-yoon’s open palms back to his face. After a brief pause, he nodded slowly.
Korea University’s campus was vast enough that it had its own shuttle buses. Since his graduation project was primarily set on campus, Sa-yoon had planned to spend the day running around, taking test shots at various locations.
But between the drinks, the meeting, and now this whole exam guide discussion, he hadn’t even stepped outside yet. The delay was making him impatient.
“Sa Shin-jae?”
“…Special Lecture on Financial Accounting.”
“A special lecture?”
Courses labeled as special lectures were typically pass/fail. As long as he attended and submitted the weekly assignments, he could earn the two credits—meaning there was no need for an exam guide.
“What about your other classes?”
“…Modern Society and Psychological Well-Being.”
“That’s an online course, isn’t it?”
Despite being a freshman, he had a knack for picking the so-called “easy A” courses—special lectures, online classes, and anything rumored to be a light workload. At a glance, he seemed like a master of course registration. Not that he seemed to know which of his classes actually had exams.
“And?”
The maximum number of credits per semester was 21. Even after adding up the classes Shin-jae had listed, it only totaled 11. If he had packed in one-credit courses, he might have taken four more classes; otherwise, he still had at least three left.
“…”
Sa-yoon was busy selecting the best person to ask for an exam guide when he finally noticed that Shin-jae hadn’t responded. Looking up, he saw the younger guy frowning deeply, fidgeting with his hands.
