#051
“Huh. Yechan oppa, are you going on a blind date today?”
Lee Hayeon, who saw Yechan sitting in the very back row of the lecture hall, asked. Hayeon, who had become close with him after meeting at the orientation camp, was the first-year class representative.
The coat draped over Yechan’s broad shoulders in his black knit rustled. The creases in the coat fell like waves.
Yechan roughly shook his head and turned his gaze back to the front. Hayeon, who stuck out her tongue saying he looked even more handsome when he swept back his hair, looked for a seat and soon grumbled as she went to sit in the front.
Yechan rested his chin on his clasped hands and scrutinized everyone entering the lecture hall. And shortly after, Yechan’s eyes flashed when he spotted Inyeong entering through the front door.
“Ha…”
Yechan let out a hollow breath. An indescribable overwhelming sensation filled his entire body. Yechan clenched his fist at his heart that began beating madly.
Lee Jiwoon was here.
Jiwoon’s eyes were still clear as he squinted one eyebrow, seemingly bothered by the overly bright lighting in the lecture hall. His hair had grown out quite a bit too.
Perhaps because of that, his white face looked even smaller, and Yechan kept taking deep breaths. Right now, he didn’t need any senses other than sight. Yechan just drilled Jiwoon firmly into his eyes.
Even though the orientation had started, not a single word from the professor entered his ears. All of Yechan’s nerves were focused on Jiwoon.
Jiwoon, who sat at a moderately diagonal position, chewed on a lollipop with his white face. The stick held between his lips appeared and disappeared repeatedly.
Yechan thought he wanted to shove that candy all the way down Jiwoon’s throat. Strange imaginations kept filling his head.
He hated how Jiwoon nodded and listened to the professor’s voice as if nothing had happened. Without realizing it, Yechan briefly imagined Jiwoon’s face choking and gasping for breath, then furrowed his brow.
He felt like he was going crazy.
* * *
There are so many people. Well, that’s how you start businesses, run companies, and keep the country alive.
Thinking this, Jiwoon drew several circles on his handout while listening to the orientation.
It had been a while since he studied. His mind, which had been submerged in sleep for so long, seemed to be awakening, and the professor’s words were quite interesting. His expectations for major courses rose.
The orientation wasn’t long. Among the people who started getting up in droves, Jiwoon also got up.
“Excuse me, are you by any chance a first-year business major?”
“Yes.”
A girl suddenly approached and spoke to him. Jiwoon tilted his head and answered. The short-haired girl with a small stature and round features lit up.
“Hello! I’m also a first-year business major. What’s your student number?”
Jiwoon told her his student number and continued speaking.
“I took a leave of absence and… went to the military.”
“Ah, I wondered! I’m this year’s first-year class representative, but I hadn’t seen you before. You didn’t come to the orientation camp, did you?”
“No.”
Come to think of it, there was something like that. He recalled the contact from someone who claimed to be the class president, asking about his attendance.
Of course, Jiwoon didn’t participate. The class president had sent Jiwoon various information about how to create a class schedule and campus life.
“Ah, the class rep was chosen during the orientation camp! I’m Lee Hayeon. I’m twenty, so please speak comfortably.”
“Okay.”
Hayeon, who smiled warmly, held out her phone.
“It’s needed for events and when professors call, so please give me your number. I’ll also share exam materials when they come around.”
Jiwoon took Hayeon’s phone as she spoke cheerfully and entered his number.
“What’s oppa’s name?”
“Lee Jiwoon.”
Lee Jiwoon, twenty-two years old… Hayeon muttered as she finished saving it. Hayeon, who smiled saying she’d contact him again, left.
Jiwoon, who came out of the lecture hall, found the campus cafe. The schedule he had put together with required liberal arts courses and essential major courses recommended by his cousin hyung who had contacted him recently was moderately packed.
Since the orientation ended early, Jiwoon spent the remaining time at the cafe, then headed to the smoking area after finishing orientations for other courses.
In early March, still chilly, Jiwoon checked his messenger app while smoking with his hood collar pulled up, and found a new group chat had been created. Jiwoon checked the group chat where over forty people were creating endless scrolls.
Perhaps because Hayeon had invited Jiwoon, most of the messages in the chat were greetings. Jiwoon didn’t read them and scrolled all the way down before typing a message.
Me: This is Lee Jiwoon. I came back from the military. There’s only a two-year age difference, so please treat me comfortably.
After sending the message written in imitation of Jukyung’s tone, Jiwoon immediately turned off notifications for the group chat and turned off his screen. Then he forgot about the group chat’s existence entirely. The bustling department life would only be tiring.
Kim Hyeonji: Nice to meet you~
Kim Hyeonji: Who were the ones who took a gap year?
Choi Taewoo: The error of putting gap year and military leave on the same level
Go Jun: Me! I’m twenty too~!! Yechan is also twenty
Cutie: Me too me too
Kim Hyeonji: What’s the error in that? It’s just a type of age discrimination
Lee Hayeon: Lots of old people haha
Go Jun: What’s wrong with that, we’re all first-years ^^
Lee Hayeon: Is this the part where we can drop honorifics?
Cutie: We’re on the grade system
Go Jun: Yeah but you’ve all already dropped them, so what;;
Lee Hayeon: But Jiwoon oppa is using honorifics;;
Lee Hayeon: Oppa, please use casual speech ã… ã… Business department uses grade system, not student number system
Lee Hayeon: Why are upperclassmen using honorifics in the first place? It’s presumptuous (I want to be friends ^^)
Me: Please share your schedules
Choi Taewoo: Oh wow, Yechan hyung
Cutie: What brings you to the group chat? Didn’t you block all of us?
Lee Hayeon: No, he replies to me!!!!111!!
Go Jun: You’re the class rep though…………….
Kim Hyeonji: Hehe, catching the class rep’s favoritism
Cutie: Oh wow, group blocking is too much, Yechan-kun!
Hanahana: So who bought the College Korean textbook?
Park Cheolsoo: Haha, planning to drop College Korean from my schedule
Park Cheolsoo: (Photo)
Soon, schedule screenshots flooded the group chat. Yechan, who had been watching the chat for a while, clicked on Jiwoon’s profile.
Even though the profile had no photo or status message, Yechan’s heart raced. Yechan repeated Jiwoon’s single-line message as if memorizing it. This is Lee Jiwoon.
The pounding sound echoed in his ears. Finally, he was connected to Jiwoon again. Although he had no intention of contacting him first through messenger, his name was already being mentioned in the group chat.
Thinking it would be better to strike first, the message he typed with the most necessary content received no reply. The next day, and the day after that were the same.
He seemed to have just sent the message and then stopped paying attention. Yechan, who confirmed his message where the number decreased but the last “1” never disappeared, felt secretly relieved.
* * *
The first week of the semester wasn’t bad. Jiwoon knocked out orientations one by one. He had a decent lunch, moved according to his schedule, and returned home.
And when he got home, he looked up reference materials from the handouts or watched movies. If he had time left, he slept. Sometimes when he woke up at night, he smoked and read books.
Jiwoon’s nights were still quiet. And that quietness brought about contemplation.
Even though two years had already passed, this room still had traces of the time spent with Yechan remaining like stains. Knowing this but not moving was surely because of lingering attachment.
It was Friday. Ah, fuck. Jiwoon, who was about to enter through the back door of the lecture hall, realized he had entered through the front door again this time and frowned. He had even entered through the front door yesterday in a lecture where the professor had already entered.
Perhaps because of the numerous students filling the lecture hall, the air felt stuffy. Jiwoon, who furrowed his brow once more at the stale air in the major lecture hall, roughly found a seat in the front and sat down. There was still a little more time until the lecture started.
“Oppa, hello!”
“Oh, class rep. Hi.”
As soon as she saw Jiwoon, Hayeon greeted him and came running over. Hayeon giggled at Jiwoon’s somewhat languid response.
“I’m Lee Hayeon. You forgot my name, didn’t you?”
Jiwoon, who was hit right on target, chuckled. Hayeon didn’t mind and continued talking.
“You know today is the general meeting, right?”
“No, I don’t know.”
“Ah… I really hoped it wouldn’t be the case… You’re killing me. Oppa, you don’t check the group chat, do you?”
“You caught me.”
Hayeon giggled once more.
“Ah, I knew this oppa would be like this. No wonder that one ‘1’ wouldn’t decrease no matter what. You didn’t do any voting or anything.”
“Do I have to?”
“No. The majority rule works fine without you, oppa. But you have to come to the general meeting. The professors said they’re coming too, and it’s a gathering where everyone meets and greets each other. I was going to call you if I didn’t hear from you by today, but I’m glad I met you.”
Hayeon smiled warmly. General meeting. Jiwoon, who wasn’t inclined to go, answered.
“Hmm… I don’t have friends.”
“I’ll be your friend. Please come.”
Seeing Jiwoon tilt his head to one side as he spoke, Hayeon waved both hands as she said.
“But this is only the second time I’m seeing you, oppa, so it’s awkward to say this… but you’re really handsome. Ugh, you’ll bewitch people.”
“I know.”
At Jiwoon’s words, Hayeon opened her mouth and made an “uhaha” laughing sound.
“Ah, oppa is unexpectedly funny. Somehow I thought you’d be funny from the first time I saw you. Anyway! You really must come today. Especially Professor Jin, he really hates it when people skip the general meeting, welcome party, and department events. The seniors said it might affect your grades.”
Jiwoon pondered for a moment. Then he really should go. He had heard that university was about connecting department life and grades, but since it was really true, he was even less inclined.
“Really?”
“Yes! So please come!”
Hayeon looked at Jiwoon’s handout on the desk, took out a pen, and even wrote down the location and time emphatically.
“I’m worried you might not come saying you didn’t see the group chat announcement. It’s ironclad evidence now!”
Perhaps afraid that Jiwoon might refuse again, Hayeon quickly left after saying that.
Ah, this is fucking annoying. Jiwoon took a photo of the location and time Hayeon had written with his phone camera.
Still, if they tell you to do it, you have to do it. He was fortunate to have gone to the military.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
