#029
Yechan’s academy had organized Spartan intensive classes for the weekend. The schedule was to continue lectures from 9 AM to 6 PM, then self-study until 10 PM.
It was a schedule that ran without a moment to breathe. Thanks to that, Yechan was now frantically finishing Saturday’s intensive class, grabbing a quick dinner, and heading to the academy’s self-study room.
“You’re Seo Yechan, right?”
A girl sitting in the rest area of the self-study room corridor spoke to Yechan. She was a beauty with long straight hair who looked great in a white pique dress.
When Yechan stood silently and stared at her, the girl laughed with a “puhup.” At her unpretentious laugh that reminded him of someone, Yechan’s wariness softened a little.
“I’m Yujin’s friend. Ah, Yujin is the girl who has a thing with Kim Minho.”
Come to think of it, he seemed to have heard that name. Yechan nodded slightly.
“I’ve known about you since first year because I’ve been coming here. Since we’re going to play together, I thought I’d say hi in advance.”
The girl who continued speaking energetically suddenly held out her hand. Even at the hand boldly extended as if asking for a handshake, Yechan just stared at the girl’s fingertips.
When Yechan didn’t show much reaction, the girl shrugged and soon lowered her hand.
“I’m Cha Yewon, my name. Anyway, we’ve greeted each other now, right?”
“Yeah.”
Yechan’s answer was brief. At that, Yewon, who had a strange smile, said.
“You took advanced math earlier, right?”
“Yeah. You too?”
“Yeah. I know two different solutions for the highest difficulty ones, should I send them to you? My tutor is pretty good at picking them out.”
Yechan thought of the complex problem he had barely managed to derive an answer for after going in circles, then nodded.
“Give me your number.”
Yechan tapped his number into the phone Yewon held out. Yewon, who smiled brightly as if satisfied, soon said she’d take a photo and send the solutions before leaving.
It seemed she was leaving without self-studying. Yewon, who had packed her bag and left, immediately sent a message.
Cha Yewon: I’m Cha Yewon 🙂 Â
Cha Yewon: (Photo)Â Â
Cha Yewon: This uses the formula below here that’s in university math. You should be able to find it if you look a little! Â
Cha Yewon: (Photo)Â Â
Me: Thanks Â
Cha Yewon: Study hard~ 😀 Â
Me: You too Â
Yechan entered the self-study room and became absorbed in the solution Yewon had sent. The problem he solved a while later was much easier than before, and the process was also cleaner than the previous solution.
Yechan’s lips curved upward. Yewon sent problem solutions even after the next day’s intensive class ended. Yechan quite liked the helpful solutions she sent.
When he replied with thanks, Yewon asked several personal questions. Yechan answered them curtly.
Yewon was attending the neighboring girls’ high school and said she was aiming for Korea University like Yechan. She also had the commonality with Yechan of targeting both early admission and regular admission.
Contact with Yewon continued intermittently through the weekend and into the weekdays. Yewon talked almost exclusively about studies and career paths. Her attitude seemed to have no particular ulterior motives.
* * *
“Did you have a good weekend?”
“Yeah. How was the intensive class?”
“It was tough.”
On Tuesday, Yechan, who was walking home with Jiwoon, leaned his head against Jiwoon’s shoulder as if acting spoiled. Jiwoon stroked Yechan’s back of the head several times.
Yechan, who had been curving his lips, soon let out a small exclamation as if something had occurred to him. Then he held up his phone and showed a math problem.
“Hyung, is it right that this works out like this?”
“Let me see.”
Jiwoon, who had been looking at Yechan’s phone, nodded after a moment and returned the phone.
There’s stuff that only appears in university math. Having that thought, Jiwoon turned his head again when he saw Yechan texting someone.
The humid summer air was still heavy. Jiwoon felt the moisture sticking to his arms and breathed in the damp smell of trees and grass.
* * *
Was it because he was excited about finally going to the beach, and with girls no less? Taehyun overslept. Minho clicked his tongue saying he knew it would happen, thinking of Taehyun who had been calling on every god that existed or didn’t exist while cursing gods.
Thanks to that, Taehyun could only barely arrive at the platform in time for the train by taking an express taxi. Of course, he had to gasp for breath even inside the train.
On a midsummer weekend, the KTX going down to Yeosu was fully booked. The man sitting next to Taehyun frowned and plugged his ears with earphones.
“Wow, huk, hueok, I thought I was going to die…”
“The girls would have liked it better if you hadn’t come.”
At Minho pointing to his and Yechan’s faces with his fingers, Taehyun waved his fist. Yechan, who couldn’t stand watching the two making a ruckus, put his index finger to his lips.
Seeing him, Taehyun shut his mouth. Then he breathed a little more quietly and picked up his phone.
Oh Taehyun: Did the girls leave? Â
Kim Minho: They left earlier when you were sleeping, only you were late Â
Oh Taehyun: Fuck sorry ã… ã… ã…—Â Â
Oh Taehyun: Keep my being late a secret Â
Kim Minho: The kids all know already Â
Oh Taehyun: ㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ Â
The girls they were supposed to meet in Yeosu said they were coming in someone’s older sister’s car. The train was quiet.
Taehyun soon fell asleep. Minho was absorbed in his messaging trance with Yujin. Yechan plugged in his earphones and closed his eyes.
Yechan, who had been sleeping for a while, woke up from the train’s movement stopping at an intermediate station.
There was still quite a long time left until the expected arrival time. When he glanced at his phone, there was a message from Yewon.
Cha Yewon: See you later~ Did you get on the train okay? 🙂 Â
Instead of replying to Yewon, Yechan moved his finger to enter the chat room with Jiwoon.
The “sleep well” message Yechan had left after coming back from academy last night was still unread. Yechan’s finger moved.
Me: Are you going to Yeosu? Â
Me: I’m on the train but I’m bored ã… ã… Â Â
Me: (Photo)Â Â
Beyond the train window, a river could be seen among lush trees and grass. Yechan, who had taken a photo of the scenery with the river visible and sent it to Jiwoon, cast his gaze out the window.
* * *
“Fuck.”
Jiwoon, who had tossed and turned until dawn, cursed as soon as he opened his eyes. It was because the image of Yechan being with a girl whose face he didn’t even know came to mind.
Jiwoon picked up his phone and deleted the message preview window floating on the screen. Then he finished his daily morning stretching, gulped down a shake, and started strength training.
After finishing his workout, his whole body was soaked with sweat. After showering and devouring the meal the housekeeper who came in the morning had prepared, he finally felt like he had some energy.
Jiwoon, wearing a light green short-sleeve shirt, blue shorts, and sandals, looked in the entrance mirror and fiddled with his hair. The bell rang.
A van had arrived in the underground parking lot. Jiwoon entrusted his suitcase to Yoon Jukyung’s driver and immediately got in the van. Choi Min, Park Kyungjun, Yoon Jukyung, and Han Seungwoo were already on board.
“Jiwoon Jiwoon, congratulations on the 100-day countdown to Suneung.”
Seeing Jiwoon, Jukyung smiled and held out orange juice. At Jukyung’s words, Kyungjun made a disgusted expression and squawked.
“Ah, Yoon Jukyung. Stop saying that! It’s fucking stressful!”
Jiwoon opened the juice bottle cap. Even though it was still early, the blue sky was full of the heat radiating from the sun.
The weather’s fucking nice. Jiwoon, who had unconsciously thought of Yechan again, shook his head.
“Look at Choi Min, this bastard. He’s holding a vocabulary book even here. Creepy.”
Kyungjun shuddered looking at Choi Min who was wearing glasses and memorizing English vocabulary.
“Makes me wonder why he came if he was going to study.”
All the imaginings gnawing at Jiwoon’s nerves were unpleasant ones. If it was going to be like this, it would have been better to just sleep well and wake up to call Yechan.
Jiwoon, who had bitten his lips, held out the finished orange juice bottle to Jukyung. Jukyung took the bottle and threw it in the trash bag.
“They say you have to play on the 100-day countdown to Suneung to do well on the actual test.”
“Yeah right.”
Jiwoon, who had curtly dismissed Seungwoo’s words, plugged earphones into his ears. The surrounding voices were drowned out by the thumping beat.
“…Lee Jiwoon! We’re here, wake up.”
Jiwoon opened his eyes and looked around. The car door opened and as the kids started getting out one by one, a bright ocean spread out beyond them.
Jiwoon unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.
“Wow, this is really fucking moving. Look at the waves.”
As Kyungjun said, the ocean was movingly blue. Jukyung’s villa, positioned with an ocean view on a beach that wasn’t too crowded, was excellent.
Jiwoon walked toward the three small buildings built on the grass while checking his phone. Jiwoon, who had only looked at the message notification and turned off the screen, followed Jukyung into the building.
“This way, guests.”
After unpacking, the four immediately headed to the barbecue area. The barbecue area, which separated the grilling area from the eating area, had air conditioning running.
“We’ll eat seafood for dinner, I wanted to eat meat for lunch so I asked them to prepare it in advance.”
“Looks delicious. The beef has good color.”
Choi Min, who had lightly responded to Jukyung’s words, quickly sat down. The beef grilled by the caretaker on charcoal was truly delicious.
The five young men only relaxed with satisfied faces after devouring several pounds of beef.
“We’re going swimming, right?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Jukyung immediately answered Kyungjun’s words. He grinned and received an ice box from the caretaker.
The group, who headed straight to the beach, lay down on sun beds under parasols that had been set up in advance.
Jukyung held out sunblock to Jiwoon.
“Jiwoon Jiwoon, sunblock.”
Jiwoon took the sunblock. Kyungjun and Seungwoo were already shirtless and jumping into the ocean.
“Wow! This is fucking great! Hey, hurry up!”
Kyungjun, who had screamed as soon as he got in, swam around various parts of the ocean in freestyle with big shoulder movements.
Jiwoon, who had applied sunblock, also held it out to Choi Min. Then he leaned against the sun bed and watched the ocean.
Choi Min and Jukyung, who had been watching Jiwoon like that, grinned. At the same time Choi Min gestured with his chin, Jiwoon’s arms and legs were grabbed.
“Ah, let go.”
“If you came all the way here, you have to get in the water!”
Jiwoon had just wanted to look at the ocean, not thinking about getting in. Two sturdy high school boys lifted his body up.
Ah, fuck, I’ll go on my own! Jiwoon’s startled cry was swallowed by the splash of water.
Euhahaha! At the two’s laughter, Jiwoon shot up from the ocean.
“Lee Jiwoon is pissed!”
Jiwoon, who had waded over splashing, grabbed Jukyung’s leg. Choi Min quickly lifted Jukyung’s other leg and threw him into the water.
Jukyung’s bright brown hair got wet and hung down like seaweed. Jiwoon, who had perfectly completed his revenge by immediately pushing Choi Min’s back, wiped the water flowing down his face.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
