21
He was already holding his phone up to his mouth. Taein saw the screen cut off with an “uh-oh” and came outside. If he hurried and got ready, could he make it before first period? Standing in front of the dining table, Taein pushed his hair back and stared blankly at the money before turning around. He figured he should wash up first. Taein made an “ugh” sound as he entered the bathroom. Yesterday he had soaked in the bathtub and taken a bath. He usually washed his hair in the morning, but since he had washed at night, only about 8 hours had passed. Holding the showerhead, Taein debated whether to wash his hair or not, then turned the water on full blast and only wet his face.
After washing just his hands, feet, and face, Taein came out and dried the dripping water with a towel. He went into his room, quickly put on his school uniform, and came out. He thought to himself that there weren’t many days left to wear this. Especially the summer uniform, which was scheduled to start next week – he’d really only wear it for about two months before it was over.
Taein came out toward the kitchen area, fully dressed in his uniform. He grabbed his bag that had nothing in it and stood blankly in front of the dining table.
What a waste of money.
Still, he couldn’t ignore Gu Wanjae’s thoughtfulness in leaving taxi money for each day. After thinking for a few minutes, Taein took one 50,000 won bill and left the house. There happened to be an elevator passing by, so he got on right away. He rode down to the first floor with a stranger. After passing through the hallway and going outside, it already felt like summer had arrived. The weather was somewhat hot for wearing a long-sleeved shirt.
It wasn’t like this yesterday.
Scratching his ear, Taein passed the bus stop and approached an area where many taxis were lined up. He got into the front taxi and told them the name of his school. The taxi departed immediately as if it had been waiting, and inside, Taein wrote and sent a text message.
[I took a taxi why is it so hot outside]
Just as he was arriving at school, a reply from Gu Wanjae arrived.
[me too. fucking hot]
Gu Wanjae rarely used proper spacing. Maybe he’d separate things with periods once in a while. Looking at the text saying it was fucking hot, Taein pressed the reply button. He was entering the school building and climbing the stairs.
“Kang Taein.”
Since Gu Wanjae had quit school, no one called his name this loudly. Taein looked around, wondering what was up. Lee Wuyong was walking toward him from the end of the hallway. It seemed his pace had quickened a bit after spotting him.
“What, you came early?”
“I think class just started.”
“No, there’s about 4 or 5 minutes left.”
“You’re the one who… came early in the morning, didn’t you.”
Saying this, he finished climbing the stairs. It was a greeting only possible because there were so few students who came to school at the proper time. Lee Wuyong responded to Taein’s words with “Yeah, I came a bit early,” and walked in the direction Taein was going. As Taein walked down the hallway, he looked toward Lee Wuyong.
“What class are you in again?”
“Class 3.”
“The last class.”
“Yeah.”
Even saying this, Lee Wuyong continued walking toward Class 1, which was Taein’s class. Only when Taein arrived at Class 1 did Lee Wuyong stop walking.
“We’re still meeting that day, right?”
“Ah, yeah.”
He had meant to reply but seemed to have forgotten. Actually, he couldn’t remember exactly whether he had replied or not. Had he?
“I’ll tell the noonas too.”
“Yeah.”
When he answered roughly that he understood, Lee Wuyong nodded his head greatly. The way he stuck his tongue out under his lower lip and smiled seemed to convey the meaning of “you’re that kind of bastard after all.” Taein quietly looked at Lee Wuyong before entering the classroom.
After that day, until the day of the appointment, he didn’t meet Lee Wuyong. It seemed like he wasn’t coming to school. Usually when he was at school, he’d constantly roam the hallways. He hadn’t seen even a strand of his hair. Taein liked the quiet classroom where Lee Wuyong was absent and now only the guys who were really going to graduate remained. In the end, compared to the first-year classrooms, the number of students was cut in half. At the time, he didn’t know that most of the entering students enrolled without graduation in mind. It seemed there were hardly any guys like him who wanted a diploma.
Even when lunchtime came, Taein just sat in the classroom. He had no appetite, so he simply ate some bread from his bag for a quick meal. His stomach was growling, but he didn’t want to eat anything and didn’t want to go to the basement floor, so he had put in his mouth some bread he didn’t remember when he had put in. It seemed to taste a bit off. It should be fine. Taein looked at the cream puff that was half-torn open, then turned his gaze to his phone.
The screen lit up and an notification appeared saying one text message had arrived.
It was Gu Wanjae.
[did someone come out at your school] [Gu Wanjae]
He usually asked about the lunch menu around this time.
Taein opened a new window and wrote a reply.
[is it your school now? i don’t know i didn’t go]
As soon as he sent it, another screen appeared. A green receiver shape appeared, indicating an incoming call. This time too, Gu Wanjae’s name was visible.
“Uh… why.”
-Aren’t you eating lunch?
“Yeah. I ate bread. What are you doing?”
-Ah, I don’t know… Shit. I’m just fucking climbing mountains.
“You’re climbing mountains.”
-Yeah.
“What kind of work do you really do?”
-If you’re curious, want to do it together?
“Like I’d be good at it.”
-Right, you should do something else. What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it yet.”
-Haven’t you thought about making a living with your looks?
“Yeah, never once.”
-You’re better than the kids who appear in TV commercials. In my opinion.
“Who would film me?”
-If I were a director, I would have cast you right away.
“Hey… that’s enough. Let’s hang up. I want to sleep.”
-Got it.
“Yeah.”
After answering, he pressed the call end button. Before the screen could even switch to the background, Taein put his head down on the desk. Then he fell asleep in less than 30 seconds.
When he woke up, the class bell was ringing. Looking at the teacher in front gathering files and books, it seemed class was completely over. This wasn’t Taein’s first time doing this, but he felt dazed because it felt like he had just fallen asleep a minute ago. Looking around, half the guys were sleeping and half were awake.
Taein looked at the clock, blinked his eyes, then put his head back down on the desk.
That day passed like that.
And the last day. The day Gu Wanjae was supposed to return.
Taein took a taxi to school and wasn’t even late. He sat there long before first period, just waiting for the teacher to come in. The other guys had fairly regular arrival times, but he often either came very late or very early. Especially when he was at the facility, he would extremely early to school. Coming to school while living at Gu Wanjae’s house had somewhat regulated this.
After second period ended, Taein read the text messages he had exchanged with Gu Wanjae the day before.
A text saying he’d come around eight o’clock. A text saying that day he had wanted chicken but today he was craving spicy soup.
Taein raised the corners of his mouth slightly, turned off the screen, and looked toward the front.
Then, he saw someone poking their head through the front door.
It was Choi Chan and Lee Wuyong.
He wondered why those two had come together. Lately it seemed like Lee Wuyong was often alone. Choi Chan was the type who got along better with the school guys than Lee Wuyong did. If Lee Wuyong stirred up the school in his own way, Choi Chan was a guy who felt much more like a student than Lee Wuyong or the old Choi Seonyeong. Taein looked at the two guys then subtly turned his eyes away.
“Kang Taein.”
“……”
Lee Wuyong was the first to call his name. When Taein turned his head, Choi Chan was following behind Lee Wuyong. For some reason, Choi Chan didn’t seem to want to come very much. He was smiling but looked somewhat reluctant. Taein’s eyes met Lee Wuyong who was approaching.
“You’re coming with me today.”
“…Yeah, I know.”
“That noona’s name is Jia. Choi Jia.”
“Yeah….”
“Hey.”
“What.”
“How far can you go on your first day meeting a girl?”
Looking around here and there, then bringing his face close to say this. Taein looked at Lee Wuyong with a blank stare as he moved away after whispering. Then he turned his eyes to the other side and let out a hollow laugh.
“Hey, I’m joking. Joking.”
While Lee Wuyong was making lame nonsense, Choi Chan just kept smiling. It wasn’t because it was funny, but like he had no other expression to make and was forcing the corners of his mouth up. Only Lee Wuyong was saying anything worth calling words. Though the content was shitty.
“But I can’t stay long.”
“Why?”
“I have another appointment in the evening.”
“Hey, did you make another appointment after making one with me?”
It was a slightly aggressive tone. Taein looked up at Lee Wuyong blankly before opening his mouth.
“Is that an appointment with you? You said it was to see the noonas. If you want to stay longer, you can stay.”
“Ah, so you’re leaving early because you’re seeing the noonas?”
“It’s not leaving early. I think I can stay for about two hours after school ends.”
“Hmm.”
Whatever he was thinking, Lee Wuyong made a light “hmm” sound. Choi Chan’s mouth was still closed until then.
“Hey.”
Then, Lee Wuyong poked Choi Chan’s stomach and spoke commandingly.
“Huh?”
“Go get some drinks.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
