#81
“I’m with a friend.”
-A friend? Who? Jihan hyung?
“Yes. A classmate.”
-…I think your social anxiety was a lie. Why do you have so many friends?
“I guess I recovered. Anyway, why did you call?”
-Um, hyung. You know, this Tuesday. Do you know what day that is?
The way he was dragging it out suggested it was some special day. Nam Seonwoo checked the date briefly. With March coming to an end, there weren’t any notable holidays. In that case, there was only one answer.
“Why, is it your birthday?”
Nam Seonwoo was about to congratulate him and hang up when he paused. If he truly needed to ask Kim Minhwan for help, he should build some goodwill in advance.
“What would you like to eat?”
Park Gyuhyeon gave him an incredulous look. Understandably so, since they’d known each other for years and never celebrated each other’s birthdays.
-Hyuuung…
It seemed to have worked. Nam Seonwoo could almost picture Kim Minhwan’s face, choked up with emotion.
-I’m touched right now… Anyway, it’s not my birthday, but that day is April Fools’ Day!
“…April Fools’ Day?”
-I knew it. I figured you wouldn’t know.
Nam Seonwoo momentarily doubted his common knowledge. He almost wondered if April Fools’ Day was actually a major holiday that he’d been wrong about all along.
“So…?”
-Hyung, don’t you know? College students wear their high school uniforms to school on April Fools’ Day!
Of course he knew. In his previous life, Nam Seonwoo had even persuaded Kang Jihan to match uniforms with him. Walking across the vast campus with only the two of them in the same uniform had felt somehow special. He also remembered not being able to meet Kang Jihan’s eyes despite being the one who suggested it.
“I see. Did you really call just to tell me that?”
-I knew you’d say that… Hyung, come on, let’s wear them together. Some people from my department are doing it too. I heard some students with only morning classes are even visiting their old high schools afterward. It’ll be so fun!
“I’m fine…”
-Let’s wear them together, okay? This kind of thing is only fun when the person next to you is doing it too. Right? Hyuuung!
The deep voice acting cute must have been loud enough to be heard, as Park Gyuhyeon made a bemused face. Nam Seonwoo felt the same way. But he had no choice for the sake of future favors.
“…Alright. But I might forget, so call me in the morning.”
-Hyuuuuung! That’s my hyung! Did I ever tell you how much I like you?
“You did. Stop saying it.”
Between the group meeting and now this, he felt like he was doing all sorts of things because of Kim Minhwan. Still, the fact that he didn’t entirely dislike the silly laughter coming through the phone meant he must have grown fond of the guy.
-Oh right, you said you’re with a friend. I’ll hang up! Friend! I’m sorry! Have fun with our Seonwoo hyung!
Even Park Gyuhyeon, who had been making all sorts of faces at the man’s excessive aegyo, finally burst into laughter at his friendliness.
-But hyung. Are you really going to treat me to a meal on my birthday?
“Would I lie about that?”
-Really? You promised? We’re going out for dinner?
It was a strangely enthusiastic reaction considering they ate together almost every day. After ending the call with an acknowledgment, Park Gyuhyeon spoke up as if he’d been waiting.
“You’re really something. How do you get people to be friends with you when you talk so rudely? Plus, that friend seems to have a good personality. Like me.”
“Am I rude?”
“Yeah. Extremely. Look at high school. Kang Jihan kept hanging out with you despite how badly you treated him.”
At the inevitable mention of that name, Nam Seonwoo closed his mouth.
“Are you in touch with Jihan?”
“Why Kang Jihan?”
“No, when you went off the grid for your college entrance exam retake, he… um, seemed to be looking for you.”
Park Gyuhyeon trailed off with a somewhat disgruntled expression. It seemed he had kept his promise to keep the retake a secret until the end.
“Since you’re both at Korea University, you’ve already met, right?”
“No.”
“Huh? Why? I thought you would have contacted him as soon as you got accepted.”
“It felt awkward to suddenly reach out after disappearing.”
“Oh really? Then why wasn’t it awkward with me? Of course you should contact him! He practically got you into university. Being his meal ticket for your entire college years wouldn’t even be enough.”
“Ah, I don’t know. Why do we keep talking about Kang Jihan?”
Park Gyuhyeon gave him a suspicious look at his heated response. You fought, you definitely fought. His gaze seemed to say this, but Nam Seonwoo remained stubbornly ignorant.
“Fine, whatever. If you want to lose your meal ticket, that’s on you. Anyway, what time do your classes end on April Fools’ Day?”
“Don’t tell me you’re wearing a uniform too?”
“Of course I am. It’s like a college student privilege—why wouldn’t I?”
While Kim Minhwan was a freshman, Park Gyuhyeon was a sophomore. It was strange how they now had this romantic notion about uniforms when in high school they couldn’t wait to get rid of them.
“Want to visit our homeroom teacher? I heard from people who went to school last year that they got treated to really expensive meals.”
“Homeroom teacher?”
Come to think of it, he hadn’t informed his homeroom teacher about his acceptance. Feeling it was proper to at least greet his senior year homeroom teacher, Nam Seonwoo nodded.
“Let’s do that.”
Looking at his Tuesday schedule, he had classes only in the morning. Since it wasn’t Wednesday when he had Contemporary History, wearing a uniform for one day seemed fine. He briefly wondered if Kang Jihan would play dress-up in a uniform with his classmates, but the answer came quickly.
‘No way.’
Kang Jihan had been reluctant when Nam Seonwoo begged him to wear matching uniforms. The idea of him voluntarily wearing a uniform on April Fools’ Day? The sun rising from the west seemed more plausible.
“If you’re done eating, let’s go.”
He called to Park Gyuhyeon, but the guy seemed to be sending an urgent message, saying “Just a minute” while fiddling with his phone. But for an urgent message, the way he kept glancing at Nam Seonwoo was a bit suspicious.
When he finally put his phone away and suggested they leave, Park Gyuhyeon had a strangely satisfied look on his face.
* * *
“Hyung.”
Here we go again. Nam Seonwoo turned to look at Kim Minhwan, swallowing his irritation.
Kim Minhwan stared at Nam Seonwoo vacantly. This was the fifth time he had called him and then said nothing. Since they met this morning in their uniforms as promised, Kim Minhwan had been like this, even poking him in the back during lectures. When Nam Seonwoo turned around, he would just stare without saying anything, and during breaks he would call “Hyung” and then just gaze blankly.
And now, with the lecture over, Kim Minhwan had predictably called him and fallen silent. He seemed out of it, like a malfunctioning machine. Nam Seonwoo stared back intently, having no energy left to respond, until Kim Minhwan finally spoke.
“Hyung, how many Pepero sticks did you receive on Pepero Day?”
“Why suddenly?”
Nam Seonwoo felt deflated. He started packing his bag and said:
“I went to an all-boys school.”
“You went to an all-boys school too?”
As expected, Kim Minhwan seemed to have attended an all-boys school. The assumption that he hadn’t dated before also seemed likely to be correct.
“So how many did you get?”
“I just told you I went to an all-boys school…”
“You didn’t get any?”
“Of course not. Why would guys exchange Pepero with each other? And what’s with Pepero Day? It’s just a marketing ploy. Skip the stick candy and eat rice cakes instead.”
Nam Seonwoo paused briefly. Park Gyuhyeon’s comment about him being rude suddenly came to mind. Since he needed to be kind to Kim Minhwan, he glanced at his face to check his reaction. But far from being offended, the guy was grinning.
“Hyung, why do you talk like an old man when you don’t look like one?”
In that moment, Nam Seonwoo understood Park Gyuhyeon’s point. It did seem like only people with good personalities became friends with him.
Looking at Kim Minhwan’s friendly face, Nam Seonwoo pondered. When should he make the request, how should he phrase it to avoid awkwardness, and was Kim Minhwan really the right person to ask? While he was reconsidering, Kim Minhwan suddenly averted his gaze.
“…”
“…”
He was definitely acting strange today. At first, Nam Seonwoo thought it might be an April Fools’ prank. While calling someone and then pretending not to know why wasn’t much of a prank, it seemed like something Kim Minhwan would do, so he had tolerated it. But this sudden awkwardness when Nam Seonwoo merely stared back was highly suspicious.
Kim Minhwan, who had been looking at a random spot on the floor, suddenly began adjusting his clothes when Nam Seonwoo’s scrutinizing gaze lingered.
“Do I… do I look weird?”
Nam Seonwoo’s eyes followed Kim Minhwan’s gestures. Unlike Nam Seonwoo’s, Kim Minhwan’s school shirt was navy blue. Since he was only wearing a knit vest over it, the shirt that looked ready to burst was clearly visible. Nam Seonwoo had never noticed before since Kim Minhwan always wore loose clothing, but seeing him now, he really did look like a well-dressed gangster.
Sensing the gaze on his forearms, Kim Minhwan hugged his arms and muttered:
“I didn’t realize it was this small until today. I always wore my gym clothes at school… Should I just change? Is it embarrassing to be seen with me?”
“Do you want to die? You made me wear this and now you’re going to change?”
Nam Seonwoo clamped his mouth shut again. Kind words, be nice. Reminding himself of this once more, he looked at the dejected Kim Minhwan and selected a plausible compliment.
“No one will try to mug us if they see you.”
“Is that… a compliment?”
“Of course. It suits you.”
Kim Minhwan glanced up. His eyes couldn’t seem to leave Nam Seonwoo’s spring/fall uniform.
“…Hyung, you really look like a high school student.”
The neatly buttoned cuffs and collar, the shirt that was neither too loose nor too tight but fell just right, and the beige knit vest that seemed to match his hair color. Feeling like he was peeking at a uniform catalog, Kim Minhwan unconsciously swallowed.
“It suits you really well.”
And Nam Seonwoo felt a sense of déjà vu in this sequence of words and actions. He felt like he had seen a similar scene in his previous life.
