Chapter 37
The next day. I was on my way back from visiting an art supply store near the school with Kim Jae-hyun, who was whining about suddenly needing gesso. I also did some shopping as I had some paint I needed to buy.
“Ah, it’s hot. It’s getting too hot to walk around now. Why is the art supply store so far from the art school? Shouldn’t it be closest to us since we’re their main customers?”
Kim Jae-hyun grumbled non-stop beside me as we walked back to the Art Department building, each holding an iced Americano.
“Now I can’t even go out to eat. I’ll have to order delivery or bring a packed lunch.”
“Packing lunch is troublesome… It’s better to go out and eat.”
“Ryu Jeong-ha, aren’t you hot? How can you not sweat a single drop? You’re unbelievable.”
Kim Jae-hyun, who was sweating profusely, looked at me and said such ridiculous things.
It was true that the weather was getting hotter, but the temperature wasn’t that high yet. In my opinion, Kim Jae-hyun seemed particularly sensitive to heat.
“It’s fine like this.”
“But why are there so many people gathered over there? Is there an event today?”
Kim Jae-hyun, panting and fluttering his clothes, pointed towards the outdoor basketball court. It was a place that was usually empty except when the basketball team had a game or on occasional school event days.
“Someone must be using the basketball court.”
Judging by the occasional shouts, it seemed students were gathered for a game. Some students who had been taking walks or chatting on benches nearby had also gathered to watch, forming quite a crowd.
“Ugh, they have so much energy in this hot weather.”
“……”
“Oh? Isn’t that Joo Kwon-oh?”
“Where?”
I had been walking silently, holding an iced Americano in one hand and a shopping bag in the other, but I lifted my head abruptly when Kim Jae-hyun mentioned the familiar name.
“Over there.”
Kim Jae-hyun pointed to the edge of the outdoor court where the game was in full swing.
It wasn’t easy to find him at once due to the distance. Squinting my eyes and looking carefully, I could indeed see Joo Kwon-oh running among the students!
“It really is him.”
“What do they all eat to grow so tall? It’s discouraging.”
Kim Jae-hyun muttered without stopping his walk towards the Art Department building. In contrast, my legs had stopped dead in their tracks the moment I spotted Joo Kwon-oh, not budging an inch.
“…Ah.”
“Why are you standing there? Aren’t you coming?”
“I… I forgot to buy brushes at the art supply store.”
After thinking for a few seconds, I came up with a weak excuse to send Kim Jae-hyun to the studio first.
“What? You didn’t say anything about buying brushes.”
“I need to buy brushes.”
“You idiot. You should have thought of that earlier.”
“Go up first. I’ll go back to the art supply store alone.”
Kim Jae-hyun, exhausted from the heat, pushed up his glasses and nodded.
“Alright. Don’t think I’m too heartless.”
Kim Jae-hyun turned around without hesitation and went towards the Art Department alone. Far from seeming heartless, he looked admirable in my eyes.
If he had questioned me in detail, my lie would have been exposed. Thanks to Kim Jae-hyun leaving without suspicion, I got the opportunity to freely watch Joo Kwon-oh’s basketball game.
After confirming that Kim Jae-hyun was no longer in sight, I stealthily headed towards the court.
Seeing that there were three people per team, it didn’t seem to be an official game. The students playing were wearing a variety of clothes without uniformity – sweatpants, jeans, Bermuda shorts, etc. It looked like an impromptu game.
I found Joo Kwon-oh very easily. He was wearing a sporty outfit of a dark gray hoodie and Bermuda shorts. As I had learned from eavesdropping in general education classes, his form while holding the basketball and dribbling looked quite familiar.
“Do boys like ball games that much?”
“I know, right? Look at how much they’re sweating.”
“Well, it is nice to watch though.”
I could faintly hear female students sitting on nearby benches whispering as they watched.
Despite the small number of players, the game was quite intense. Joo Kwon-oh running across the court gave a different impression from the one I usually knew.
When the opposing team approached to steal the ball, he would dribble rhythmically between his legs before passing to a teammate. Then he would receive the ball again in front of the hoop and powerfully jump to make a shot.
When Joo Kwon-oh’s team scored, the opposing team let out a disappointed “Ah.”
“Nice!”
Joo Kwon-oh flashed a V-sign towards his teammates, squinting his eyes and grinning. The clear sunlight between late spring and early summer gently enveloped him.
Like leaves soaking up the sunlight of the season with thickening greenery, Joo Kwon-oh displayed his full vitality.
At that moment, the song he had recommended, which I had been listening to on repeat all day yesterday while thinking of him, was automatically playing as background music in my head.
“Senior Kwon-oh must be really popular…”
The female students watching him with me spoke again. Judging by how they called him “senior,” they seemed to be first-year Business Administration students.
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if he wasn’t popular? I heard he has a good personality too.”
“I guess so. Ah, remember at the freshman welcome MT last time? When Shin Sung-gyu insisted that men and women should work equally and made a fuss about female students carrying boxes of food ingredients and supplies.”
“What’s wrong with that guy…”
“That day, Senior Kwon-oh told the girls to go inside and moved everything himself.”
“Right, and at department events, he always moves the heavy stuff.”
“Why isn’t there someone like that in our year… Oh no. Did the senior just fall?”
“What? Why?”
I, who had been secretly watching Joo Kwon-oh from beside a tree near the court, was also surprised. As Joo Kwon-oh tried to steal the ball, an opponent tried to block him, causing their legs to tangle and both to fall.
The game was paused as they had fallen quite hard. Joo Kwon-oh quickly dusted off his hands and stood up, but the other players gathered around him.
I, who had been leaning against a tree trunk, also approached the outdoor court in surprise.
“Are you hurt badly? I’m sorry.”
“Ah, it’s okay.”
The person who made Joo Kwon-oh fall apologized awkwardly. Joo Kwon-oh shook his head while dusting off his left knee, which was bleeding from scraping against the ground.
The sweat drops trickling down his chin and his chest rising and falling rapidly filled my vision dynamically. My gaze was busy sketching each moment of him, not wanting to miss even the slightest movement.
“Haa, haa. It’s bleeding. I’ll put a band-aid on it later.”
“Should we call it a day?”
“Yeah. Let’s meet up properly next time.”
“I don’t mind continuing.”
As the atmosphere turned towards dispersing, Joo Kwon-oh ran his hand through his hair as if disappointed. Then he wiped the sweat that had run down to his chin with the back of his hand.
“Eun-hye. You carry a handkerchief, right?”
“Ah…! But is it okay if I give it to him?”
“Give it, quickly! What does it matter?”
The Business Administration juniors who had been glancing at Joo Kwon-oh with me from the bench stood up. They took out a neatly folded handkerchief from their bag and approached Joo Kwon-oh. Until then, I could only watch from behind.
“Senior Kwon-oh, use this to wipe.”
As the girl stood in front of Joo Kwon-oh, the sun, which had been briefly hidden by clouds, emerged and brightly illuminated the two of them.
No, this isn’t a youth drama, how can there be such timing and direction?
I resented the tactless sunlight that suddenly appeared. I glared at the sky for a moment, but quickly ended my one-sided staring contest as it was too bright.
“For me to use?”
Joo Kwon-oh asked with a grin.
“Yes. You’re bleeding.”
“Thanks.”
“How nice! Some people have juniors who bring handkerchiefs when they fall.”
Someone jeered in a familiar voice. When I turned to see who it was, I realized it was Senior Sung-rok.
I hadn’t noticed because I was so focused on Joo Kwon-oh, but it seems he had been playing on the same basketball court all along.
“Wasn’t our teamwork pretty good today?”
“Yeah. It would be fun to gather five people each and have a proper match.”
“See you next time.”
The male students who had been running around energetically started to gather their belongings while saying goodbye. It was then that Joo Kwon-oh, picking up his bag thrown in the corner of the court, noticed me.
“Oh? Jeong-ha?”
When our eyes met directly, I flinched for no reason even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Ah, hello.”
“How long have you been there?”
Joo Kwon-oh asked with wide eyes as he slung his bag over his shoulder and approached me. The handkerchief in his hand and the wound on his knee particularly caught my attention.
“I was on my way to the studio after visiting the art supply store, and I saw you… so I watched for a bit.”
“You should have said something.”
“You’re good at basketball. But is your knee okay?”
“This is nothing. It’ll heal in a day.”
Joo Kwon-oh said nonchalantly. Blood was still trickling from his knee, which he had only briefly wiped with the handkerchief. Unlike me who was startled, Joo Kwon-oh shrugged as if it was no big deal.
