Epilogue Chapter 1
The journey to the east following Joo Kwon-oh felt unusually long.
I kept biting my lower lip with my upper teeth to hide my quivering mouth. I had so many questions for him.
How have you been? How was life abroad? Although I lied and said I was doing well every day, there were many nights I went to sleep feeling gloomy because I missed you so much. Was it the same for you? When I woke up in the morning, while eating, even during classes at school, I kept thinking about you. Did you also think of me at every moment in your daily life?
I was full of curiosity. I was tense, fearing that if I let my guard down even a little, all of this would spill out of my mouth incoherently.
Not now. I should wait until we’re alone and then ask. One by one, slowly.
Thanks to our hurried pace, we soon arrived at the club room building. We walked down the hallway, catching our breath after rushing.
And when we reached the door of the club room, we held our breath as if on cue.
Joo Kwon-oh stepped forward first and grabbed the doorknob.
“Yes! I won!”
As soon as the door opened, a loud exclamation burst from inside.
“Kim Tae-young lost, so he’s buying lunch.”
“Oh, no…”
“Yay!”
“Jackpot.”
Startled by the sudden noise of people pouring out, I hesitated and checked the club room. The inside was crowded with people.
It seemed Joo Kwon-oh hadn’t expected this either, as he frowned and let go of the doorknob.
“Oh? Isn’t that Joo Kwon-oh?”
One of the students who was shouting and laughing while playing a board game on the long table noticed Joo Kwon-oh standing at the door.
“It really is Kwon-oh!”
“Hey, didn’t you say you went abroad for an internship?”
“Oh, is that so? No wonder we haven’t seen you lately.”
“When did you get back to Korea? You should have let us know. We could have gathered all the club members for a reunion.”
Suddenly, all the attention from the students playing the game turned to Joo Kwon-oh.
“I arrived today.”
Joo Kwon-oh answered bluntly. Although his tone wasn’t much different from usual, I could sense a faint disappointment in it.
“Today? But why did you come to school?”
“Wow, Kwon-oh, you cut your hair. It suits you well.”
“That guy always says everything suits Joo Kwon-oh.”
“Who’s that behind him?”
Someone pointed at me, who was still struggling to adapt to the bustling atmosphere, wondering what to do.
“My friend. We met in front of the building.”
Joo Kwon-oh answered on behalf of me, who was mumbling. His expression was full of dismay. There was no sign of joy at reuniting with his board game club members after a long time.
“Was he a member of our club too…?”
“No. He said he wanted to take a look, so I brought him along.”
“Oh, really?”
“But why are you all here at this time?”
“There are a lot of people with free time these days, so we often gather here.”
“I didn’t know.”
Joo Kwon-oh ran his hand through his hair, swallowing a sigh.
“You said he’s Kwon-oh’s friend? Come in and sit down.”
“Ah, I… I have a class soon.”
When a member gestured for me to come in, I took a step back instead.
“Then come visit next time. We don’t accept new members in the middle because it’s hard to manage, but you can come and join us anytime regardless of that.”
“Yeah, I will. Well, now that I’ve seen where the club room is… I should go now.”
I felt regretful that I couldn’t even properly greet Joo Kwon-oh, let alone hug him, but it couldn’t be helped inside the school.
To think that our touching reunion would end so anticlimactically. I guess we’ll have to have a proper greeting after classes, when we go home.
“…I’ll walk you there.”
Joo Kwon-oh whispered softly, looking in my direction, but I shook my head.
‘I can go alone. Hang out with your friends.’
After mouthing those words, I waved my hand. Seeing Joo Kwon-oh move to follow me, I shook my head once more to indicate it was okay. Then, after gesturing that I would contact him, I turned around.
I had a class anyway, so there was no need to separate Joo Kwon-oh from the friends he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Hey, tell us about your internship.”
“Did this guy get kicked out? Why did he come back so early?”
“Yeah, come to think of it, Minju and Jaeheon who left with him haven’t returned yet.”
I glanced at the club members gathering around Joo Kwon-oh before quickly leaving the building.
Just as I was about to reach the studio, I received a KakaoTalk message.
[Joo Kwon-oh: Sorry]
[Joo Kwon-oh: Ah why are these guys gathered here ffs]
[Joo Kwon-oh: This is driving me crazy]
[Me: It’s okay haha]
[Joo Kwon-oh: Let me know when your class ends]
[Joo Kwon-oh: I’ll go to the front of the Art College]
[Me: Okay]
[Joo Kwon-oh: Ah–]
[Joo Kwon-oh: I wanted to see your face more]
[Me: We can see each other later]
[Me: I’ll contact you]
Well, it was disappointing, but we could see each other continuously after a few hours. The club room not being empty wasn’t really a big problem.
*
When I entered the studio, the professor was just starting to call attendance.
“What were you doing to come in just now?”
Kim Jae-hyun nudged me with his elbow as he asked. I just shrugged, not feeling the need to explain. Kim Jae-hyun didn’t probe further and focused on the class.
Come to think of it, the final exams were just around the corner. Because of this, the overall atmosphere in the painting department was gloomy. We had to somehow complete and submit what we were currently working on by the set deadline.
“Everyone, are you preparing well for your practical exams?”
The professor surveyed the students’ paintings while walking around the studio. Even though it wasn’t an evaluation yet, I felt nervous as the professor approached me.
“Many of you haven’t finished yet. Hmm.”
“We don’t have enough time, Professor.”
One of my classmates whined in the middle. The professor’s expression wasn’t very bright after checking all of our paintings.
“I see. There are many disappointing points. Was the time really that tight?”
The professor crossed his arms and seemed to ponder for a few seconds before continuing.
“How about having another interim evaluation before the final evaluation? It would be a good opportunity to give detailed feedback as well.”
“…”
“I see quite a few paintings that could greatly improve in quality with just a little modification.”
That doesn’t seem right… How did he come up with such a terrible idea?
I glanced at Kim Jae-hyun next to me in surprise. He seemed to share my thoughts, his pupils shaking wildly.
Kim Jae-hyun adjusted his glasses while lowering his head, trying to hide his agitation.
Bae Yu-rim’s expression across from me also visibly contorted.
But the professor apparently judged that we desperately needed an interim evaluation and quality feedback.
“Let’s have an additional interim evaluation next Monday. This time, it will be in the form of individual consultations, so you can ask all the questions you have then. Arrange the order as you like and inform the teaching assistant.”
A chilly silence fell over the studio. Kim Jae-hyun leaned towards me and whispered.
“He’s crazy. It’s already tough just meeting the deadline, why is he doing this?”
I agreed. As if we weren’t busy enough preparing for major practical exams, major written exams, and liberal arts exams, now an interim evaluation was added. Does the professor think we only take this class?
“Then, let’s end here for today. Everyone, prepare your assignments well.”
The professor ended the class thirty minutes earlier than usual in exchange for adding a huge burden. However, even after the professor left the studio with his printouts, the atmosphere remained miserable.
In any case, although it was a headache to have additional work, it wasn’t such a big problem for me. Because Joo Kwon-oh had returned.
I quickly sent a KakaoTalk message to Joo Kwon-oh.
[Me: Class ended]
[Me: Somehow it ended a bit early haha]
[Me: Are you still in the club room?]
Kim Jae-hyun grabbed me as I was excited about meeting Joo Kwon-oh.
“Ryu Jeong-ha, where are you going?”
“I have somewhere to drop by for a moment.”
“Aren’t you doing night work?”
“No. I’m going home today.”
“What about the assignment? We agreed to take turns modeling for each other until next week. I haven’t finished coloring yet.”
“Ah.”
Right. This semester’s liberal arts assignment included portrait painting.
Since it was quite troublesome to find a new model, we usually paired up with classmates to draw each other. And my partner was Kim Jae-hyun.
“Can’t we do that tomorrow?”
“Where do we have time to postpone now? Didn’t you hear about the additional interim evaluation on Monday?”
“Then, then at least by photo… I’m sorry, but I have something to do today.”
“You… You’re going to meet your girlfriend, aren’t you.”
Kim Jae-hyun said, adjusting his glasses with a sharp expression.
“Umm.”
“Ah, geez. I’ll let you off just for today.”
I was worried he might make a fuss about not leaving, but it seemed he was willing to let me go.
“Thanks.”
“But if you try to run away tomorrow too, you’re dead.”
“I won’t…”
I left the studio while keeping an eye on Kim Jae-hyun and checked my phone. But there was still no reply from Joo Kwon-oh.
I thought about calling him, but since the class ended early, I decided to go directly to the club room. My steps were light, probably because I had been waiting for the day of his return.
What should we eat for dinner? I need to see him as much as possible today, since we’ll be busy until next week due to the final exams.
Ah, do I have any condoms left at home? I think we’ll need them….
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
