Letting out something close to a sigh as I carefully chose my words, Yoo In-ho, who had been glancing at me, waved his hand as if to stop me.
“Forget it, forget it~ What, you think it’s your fault? It’s obviously Min Siheon’s fault. Yep, in terms of character, Cha Jungwoo wins one hundred percent. Not just a win—a total victory.”
I let out a small laugh at his teasing, and seeing that, Yoo In-ho clasped his hands behind his head and sank into the sofa.
After some time passed, as if on cue, other students started pouring into the department club room. Fortunately, it was a group of classmates and juniors—Min Siheon wasn’t among them.
They looked surprised to see us already there. That didn’t last long, though; soon they were waving cheerfully, asking what we were doing here.
“Oh? What’s this?”
“Hello~!”
“What brings you guys here?”
“What, are we not allowed to come?”
“Hey now, Yoo In-ho’s getting prickly again~ I was just happy to see you. What, you offended?”
Maybe because it was exam season and everyone was tired, the conversation didn’t grow too lively.
Yoo In-ho and I rested while the others worked on assignments or did their own things, scattered around the room. A good amount of time passed like that.
…The phone should be fine, right?
Suddenly, I thought of my phone in my bag. Just seeing the screen light up had startled me so much that I’d turned it off completely.
As I stared blankly into the air with a tired face, one of the guys who had turned his head toward me—perhaps bored—brought up a new topic.
Everyone in the club room except me carried the conversation from there.
“Anyone going on a training program this vacation? Other departments seem to be preparing a lot of external activities.”
“Training? Hey, you need money, time, and grades for that.”
“My TOEIC score isn’t even out yet~ If I go, I’ll just stammer and come back.”
“Like anyone goes because they’re good at it. It’s just to add a line to your résumé. If you get the chance, apply~”
Right. I should just join in. It’d be better to forget about Min Siheon for a bit than let my head ache over him.
I leaned forward, resting my arms over my knees as if to participate in the conversation.
“You mean overseas training? Where are they partnering with this time?”
“Hm? What, Cha Jungwoo, you’re interested in that?”
“No, just. Curious.”
“I heard the competition’s intense. Oh, but with your grades, you’d probably get in. The professors like you too, Cha Jung.”
I’d only chimed in to avoid my complicated thoughts. But hearing Yoo In-ho talk made my ears perk up.
…Language training abroad. It’d only be for the vacation at best, but still—that was something. They say when distance grows, feelings fade. It felt like it could be a chance to forget Min Siheon, even briefly.
When I asked with genuine interest, one of the guys turned his body toward me and draped an arm over the back of his chair, amused as he shared what he knew.
“This semester it’s the U.S., I think…. Last time it was Europe, and people said it wasn’t that helpful. The guy who came back with a weird mixed accent was hilarious. But the sightseeing was top-tier. Since it’s partnered with the school, costs are reduced too. It’s pretty decent.”
“Really? …I should look into it.”
“Great, now Cha Jungwoo’s joining as competition? Tch, that’s one slot gone.”
“It’s not decided yet.”
“You’ve got a good image, so the academic office will probably help you out. If you’re serious, apply soon. The deadline can’t be far off.”
“Thanks, for now.”
As I organized the information in my head, another classmate who’d been listening threw out a joke.
He probably meant it lightly, but to me it was like tossing a stone into still water, sending ripples across the surface.
“If you’re gonna do external activities, come to the club room more often. You get a lot of info here. Now that I think about it, didn’t you used to come pretty often at the start of the semester?”
At his words, my eyes widened, and Yoo In-ho, sitting beside me, nodded.
Crossing his arms with a knowing look, he started listing off things I hadn’t even realized myself.
“Was it late April? I don’t think you came much after that. I stopped coming as often too, since I followed you.”
“Right, In-ho stopped coming after you guys did.”
“…You guys?”
“Yeah. You and Siheon—Min Siheon. …Oh? Didn’t you notice? After you got close with Min Siheon, you came here less.”
“…I did?”
Come to think of it, the time I stopped coming to the club room overlapped with when I got to know Min Siheon.
How did that even happen? I’d started this conversation to avoid thinking about him, yet somehow it circled right back.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
Why did I stop coming here? I began digging through dusty memories one by one.
Late April…. I lowered my eyes in thought when something suddenly flashed through my mind. Right. That was it.
The reason I stopped coming to the club room. It was the second moment that made me certain Min Siheon liked Go Heemin.
I squeezed my eyes shut at the puzzle piece finally clicking into place. …I liked Min Siheon, so instinctively, I must’ve wanted to forget that scene—and avoided coming here because of it.
I’d never had such a wretched crush in my life. Even recalling the past made my insides burn.
***
It was a season when the weather had grown warm. I’d adjusted to campus life, and my relationship with Min Siheon—the so-called sub-top—had grown much closer.
Go Heemin was still wary of Min Siheon, but compared to before, he seemed to accept him more comfortably.
Contrary to my expectation that I’d spend my days trembling under Kang Taeyoon’s chilling gaze, life had been surprisingly peaceful and calm.
After the lecture ended, I figured I should go grab lunch during the long break.
Since I didn’t know anyone in that class, I took out my phone, feeling a bit lonely.
“That bastard Yoo In-ho is still in that meeting?”
Yoo In-ho, who I was usually glued to, had been summoned by a professor.
A few days ago, he’d joked in the hallway about going to grad school, and the professor who appeared around the corner had reacted with interest.
I could still vividly picture him heading off reluctantly after the professor threatened to fail his previously mis-submitted assignment if he didn’t show up.
Serves you right—I told you to watch your mouth. I nodded to myself, proud that I’d kept quiet back then.
“…Heemin and them are probably in class too.”
Right then, Go Heemin was in class as well. I didn’t want to memorize another guy’s schedule just because we were friends.
I hated that I even remembered the location of the lecture building he’d be in with Kang Taeyoon.
Probably because I’d paid attention in the first place trying not to get tangled up with them.
I’d just about resigned myself to it as karma when I saw everyone filing out of the lecture hall and joined the crowd.
Walking through the bustling hallway, the remaining one naturally came to mind. …Min Siheon. The sub-top in the novel. By now, someone I could reasonably call a friend.
Honestly, I hadn’t meant to get this close. But whether he was just born affectionate or what, he kept clinging to me, and as I gradually accepted it, we’d ended up like this.
Even thinking it over myself, I let out a disbelieving laugh. I lifted my phone, considering calling him—then froze without realizing it.
If I’m with Min Siheon, I’ll just get tangled up with Go Heemin and them again. I was with them all the time anyway; maybe it’d be nice to stay apart once in a while.
“Guess I don’t have any friends.”
A quiet sigh escaped me at the self-reproach flooding in. As one group—if you could even call it that—formed, I seemed to have interacted less with others.
Well, it’s true I’ve always had a bit of an outsider streak. Compared to the beginning of the semester, though, this was still major progress—or so I told myself in self-defense.
Then suddenly, one place came to mind. The department club room I’d occasionally visited at the start of the semester.
After transmigrating, I hadn’t known anyone, so I’d gone there to subtly memorize names while blending into a crowd.
Even without Yoo In-ho, I could probably fake familiarity now. And maybe I could find a lunch mate there.
Even to myself, it sounded like a decent plan. So I headed toward my chosen destination.
Unlike the bustling main building, it was fairly quiet here. Maybe many people had gone to attend daytime classes. The club room doors were all tightly shut.
Passing by flashy posters and promotional flyers on the walls, I arrived in front of the Business Administration club room.
Usually, I’d sense people inside. Strangely, today it was particularly quiet.
Could it really be empty? I peered through the small window next to the door—two narrow panes placed side by side.
Bending down and pressing my eyes closer, I saw someone’s silhouette through the cloudy glass that hadn’t been cleaned. It didn’t seem completely empty, but I didn’t see anyone besides that one person.
If it were a classmate or a junior I’d already gotten acquainted with, that’d be one thing—but if it was someone I didn’t know, it would definitely be awkward.
Going in and then leaving right away would be obvious, so I waited to identify who it was.
I raised my fingers and rubbed the glass to clear it.
Just then, the person beyond the glass bent down at almost the exact same moment.
They were facing the shelf attached to the right outer wall upon entering the club room, head lowered toward it.
They were definitely looking at something…. After rubbing the glass a few more times, I realized who it was.
It was someone I knew very well. …Min Siheon. The sub-top of this novel.
“…Why is he here?”
I blinked repeatedly in surprise, mentally retracing his class schedule.
Was his lecture canceled today? If so, he would’ve contacted me.
It felt suspicious that someone who usually stuck to me like glue was here alone.
…Wait, that’s kind of strange too. Why would he need to contact me?
The fleeting question brushed past my mind, but I buried it.
I hated complicated thoughts. So I avoided it.
For a moment, I decided that Min Siheon was still better than some stranger.
Just as I stretched out my arm to turn the doorknob and call him—
Min Siheon picked up something from the shelf. His next action didn’t look ordinary, and my body stiffened.
I lowered my hand from the doorknob and turned my head fully toward him.
“…….”
He stared at whatever he was holding, then slowly brushed his fingers over its surface.
Only then did I realize what it was. The brown wooden frame shown from the side, the metal stand spread diagonally behind it.
It was a framed photograph containing a picture taken with the undergraduates.
