#086
“Now, who will do setup and cleanup? Setup first!”
Jiwoon hesitated then raised his hand for cleanup. Seeing Jiwoon’s hand go up, Yechan also raised his arm.
“Go Jun, Kim Hyeonji. And… ah, you oppas are definitely serving.”
However, they were flatly rejected. Hayeon grinned while looking at Jiwoon and Yechan.
“Why?”
“What kind of obvious question is that? People come to see the department’s signboards, so of course you’re serving. We set our sales target high this time, so please do your best!”
At Jiwoon’s question, Hayeon even bowed while speaking. Teasing reactions of “ooh” erupted from around them.
Seeing his and Yechan’s names written first under the text that said “Serving Team,” Jiwoon muttered curses quietly about what signboards they were talking about.
At that, Yechan took out candy from his pants pocket and pushed it between Jiwoon’s lips.
“Let’s just half-ass it.”
“Yeah, just don’t drop anything or fall… as long as we don’t cause accidents like that.”
Jiwoon said while chewing candy with clouded eyes. It came with a deep sigh.
Yechan thought of servers at typical university area pubs. They ran around busily working with dry attitudes, finding it tiresome to even exchange words with customers, let alone have conversations.
Of course, he didn’t want to see Jiwoon conversing with random people, but taking orders at least seemed bearable.
I should massage his shoulders when it’s over. Yechan put a candy in his own mouth too.
After finishing their afternoon lectures, the two headed to the dance club’s room located in the student union building. The posters stuck all over the old metal door caught their attention.
“Very wild.”
Yechan said, looking at the poster with a black background and paint-like splotches here and there. It felt exactly like a poster befitting a dance club’s name.
At Yechan’s words, Jiwoon snorted and stood crookedly while banging on the door – bang bang bang.
“Hello!”
Soon the door burst open. A man with brightly bleached hair dyed purple in places showed his teeth while smiling.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Park Jiyul, president of Wild.”
The man suddenly extended his hand. He was wearing a loose short-sleeve shirt and training pants.
Jiwoon ignored that hand and stepped inside boldly. He grabbed a chair next to a small table, pulled it out, sat down and said:
“I’m Lee Jiwoon.”
Jiyul lowered his arm with a nonchalant face as if he had never extended his hand and smiled brightly.
“I know, I know. And next to you… wow, you’re really handsome.”
“I’m Seo Yechan. I’m hyung’s roommate. Is it okay if I stay?”
Yechan said with a slight smile. Jiyul looked back and forth between Yechan and Jiwoon for a moment before answering.
“Of course you can stay. Wow, I’ve heard both your names as the business school signboards. I was curious what you looked like in person… it really feels like opening my eyes. If it’s okay, can we speak casually? I’m twenty-three.”
When Jiwoon nodded, Yechan answered briefly, “Yes.”
“Then I’ll speak casually. It’s not anything else, but this festival is our class’s last performance and one of our members broke his leg. But he’s someone who really dances well and has an important role… if he’s out, the whole composition falls apart. So we’ve been asking around somehow to find a substitute, and I contacted you after seeing the community post. I’m really sorry for suddenly making you uncomfortable.”
Jiyul, who had rattled off the situation, put his hands together as if praying and bowed his head.
“But I really like your dance style! I absolutely won’t tell you to join the club, so could you just perform with us this once? Please.”
“Professor Kim contacted me. Also our department president and department head.”
Jiwoon said with an expressionless face, chin propped on the table. His eyes seemed to say ‘go ahead and explain if you have something to say.’
“Ah… that, I pushed the department head and president because I was too urgent, and the professor… that was Hyeonwoo… There’s Professor Kim’s nephew in business school. He performs as a sub with us. He brought it up so I told him not to, but he said he’d already finished talking about it. I’m really sorry about that too.”
Jiyul put his hands together once more.
“I’m really sorry. I was too urgent. I really wanted to do it together too. Since it’s the last one, I got too ahead of myself. But I really want to do well. We all worked hard planning and practicing together, but this suddenly happened… I’m really sorry, but couldn’t you just do it with us this once?”
Jiyul, who was rubbing his hands together while glancing at Jiwoon, looked ready to grab his pants legs. At Jiyul’s attitude of apologetically clinging while being almost servile, Jiwoon said:
“First, tell me about the performance content.”
“Huh? Oh! I’ll explain while showing you the video. Pad, where did the pad go…”
Jiyul, who brightened at Jiwoon’s words, brought over a pad that had been rolling around somewhere on the sofa and played a practice video. It was about a ten-minute video with several short songs remixed.
“Here, this is the kid who got injured. You can focus on him.”
“Yes.”
Jiwoon, who received the pad, concentrated on the video. Yechan stared intently at such Jiwoon’s eyes. The way his eyes repeatedly narrowed and widened, and his eyelashes fluttering, seemed like something he’d never tire of watching.
“It’s difficult. There aren’t many days left either.”
“It’s not an easy dance, but with your skill level, you could really do well quickly! We’ll really do our best to teach and help you. Please… couldn’t we work something out?”
Jiwoon had intended to help if possible because of Professor Kim, but the song was longer and the dance more difficult than expected. Jiwoon frowned while gauging how long it would take to dance it properly.
There was only this week left until the festival. Jiyul continued talking while waving his clasped hands.
“Please… Lee Jiwoon-nim. Just help us this once.”
“What’s the compensation?”
“Uh, huh? That, I’ll really do anything I can for you.”
“Then from today, two hours every day. Attach someone good at it, whether it’s a senior or whoever. If you don’t do it properly, I quit.”
“Oh! Oh! Of course!”
“Additionally, get me a practice room for two hours of individual practice daily. And thirty meal tickets.”
“For the practice room, we have a place we rented exclusively. I’ll clear time before and after group practice. Let’s make the meal tickets fifty.”
Jiwoon nodded. Jiyul smiled brightly, showing his teeth.
“And Professor Kim’s nephew needs to explain properly to me.”
Suddenly Jiwoon’s gaze turned cold.
Ah, he’s angry. Scary. Jiyul, who saw Jiwoon’s face, froze with a start. Cracks appeared in Jiyul’s cheerfully smiling expression.
Jiyul unconsciously gulped and answered:
“I’ll take responsibility for Hyeonwoo and handle it well. I’m really sorry!”
“Senior, stop apologizing. Can we practice right away?”
“Oh! Yes! Wait, let me call the kids who’ll be doing this together.”
Jiyul, who had become cheerful again, went outside the club room while making phone calls. Jiwoon said to Yechan sitting next to him:
“The dance is a bit difficult. From today I’ll have to practice like crazy. Go back first.”
At Jiwoon’s words, Yechan glanced toward the club room door. The sound of Jiyul talking on the phone leaked in from outside.
Yechan made eye contact with Jiwoon and grinned.
“Can I give you a kiss?”
“What?”
Taking that as rough permission, Yechan grabbed Jiwoon’s cheek and pressed their lips together.
Peck peck peck. After making three sounds and pulling away, Jiwoon’s eyes widened at Yechan’s lips.
Crazy, crazy. His heart was pounding. The puzzle pieces filled up with a splash.
“You’ll get in trouble.”
At those words, Yechan slightly tilted his head to look up at Jiwoon. It was an expression that made Jiwoon particularly weak. As if he had never been glaring, Jiwoon’s face softened.
“Ha, really.”
Jiwoon laughed while exhaling. At Jiwoon lightly pinching his own cheek, Yechan’s lips rose to the fullest.
Jiwoon was affectionate today too. Too affectionate. Yechan wanted to stay frozen in this moment.
“Can’t I watch you practice?”
“It’ll take a long time. It won’t be fun either.”
“I’ll watch for a bit then do my own things nearby. Let’s go home together.”
At Yechan’s words while patting his backpack containing his laptop, Jiwoon blinked several times while thinking of the puzzle in his head.
“…Okay. Let’s go together.”
Then Yechan smiled prettily. Jiwoon didn’t take his eyes off that smile until Jiyul, who had finished his call, returned.
Practice continued late into the night. There were many unfamiliar faces so it felt awkward, but it was rather comfortable because the purpose was clear.
Jiwoon learned by checking each movement one by one. Yechan watched such Jiwoon and the dance club people, then ordered ingredients on his laptop.
He put portable-sized drinks and water in his shopping cart and finished ordering fruits and shake ingredients like powder. Only then did Yechan start his assignment.
“He’s really good?”
“What’s with his learning speed?”
“Are we recruiting him~?”
“Don’t even mention the ‘re’ in ‘recruit.’ Jiwoon said he’s only helping this once as a condition. Don’t sprinkle ashes on cooked rice!”
Jiyul immediately handled the dance club people who were coveting Jiwoon as promised.
That’s when it happened. The practice room door opened and a man with a young impression and droopy eyes crept in.
“Hey! You come here. Stand right there.”
The president who approached the man grabbed him. Then he dragged the man’s arm and stood him in front of Jiwoon.
“That… Lee Jiwoon hyung? I’m Jung Hyeonwoo, Korean Education Department freshman…”
Jiwoon looked at the man without saying anything. With the conversation not continuing even after his self-introduction, Hyeonwoo continued while reading Jiwoon’s mood:
“I’m the one who contacted Professor Kim. You must have been very displeased… I was thoughtless. I’m really sorry.”
Hyeonwoo bowed his waist ninety degrees deeply. Jiwoon still said nothing.
Hyeonwoo, who had slightly raised his head to look at Jiwoon, lowered his head again. The shining black pupils above his pale face were a bit… scary.
“I shouldn’t have done that… everyone tried to stop me, but I got impatient for no reason. I’m really sorry. Sorry!”
Contrary to his impression, Hyeonwoo continued speaking respectfully. Soon Jiwoon let out a small sigh and uttered his first words.
“Twenty meal tickets.”
“Pardon?”
Hyeonwoo slightly raised his head. Jiwoon, who had a deeper voice than expected, still had cold eyes.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
