“…Yoo In-ho.”
So the person that came to mind was Yoo In-ho. The guy whose schedule most closely matched Cha Jungwoo’s, and who was quick to pick up on news about people around him.
It left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth, but if it was something trivial, there was a higher chance he’d know rather than me. Forcing down the expression that was about to crumple, I contacted Yoo In-ho.
—Huh? Min Siheon? What’s gotten into you, calling me of all people?
“I have something to ask. Is Jungwoo next to you by any chance?”
—Cha Jungwoo? He should be in class right now. Why?
“Oh, I see.”
It seemed I’d come up empty. Hearing the puzzlement in Yoo In-ho’s voice, I cast my eyes aside.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t guess why Cha Jungwoo hadn’t come to class.
In the end, I decided to go look for him myself and ended the call.
“If you don’t know, then that’s fine. I’m hanging up.”
—What? Hey, hey…! At least tell me why you’re looking for Cha Jun—…
Sorry, I’m in a hurry. Staring at the screen showing the disconnected call, I quickly began typing a text message.
If I acted too persistent, he might run away, so this was my own version of restraint.
[Jungwoo, where are you?]
But even after standing there for more than five minutes, no reply came. It seemed he hadn’t seen it at all; his phone remained silent.
If I’d followed my temper, I would’ve called immediately, but preparing for any possible situation, I exercised the last bit of patience I had left.
I checked the department club room he’d visited recently, the cafeteria café he used to escape to with Yoo In-ho complaining about the heat, and even the back of the building that had been his regular smoking spot.
Even after visiting all three places, there was no sign of him. My expression hardened as I lowered the unresponsive phone. This time, I turned my steps toward Daehangno.
“This is the last place.”
If he’s not here either, I’ll call. Maybe to justify it to myself, I repeated those same words over and over.
Was it because it was a weekday packed with lectures? The scene was quieter than I’d expected.
Ten minutes on foot from the hill by the university’s main gate was the café—my final destination.
If the cafeteria was full or there were too many people, this was the place he most often came to.
When Cha Jungwoo said “café,” it was either Dream Port or here. That was why I came, clinging to a faint hope.
I was standing at the crosswalk right in front of my destination when I saw him. Through the second-floor glass window of the café building, Cha Jungwoo was sitting there. His expression looked unusually serious, as if something had happened. And across from him—
“…….”
…Kang Taeyoon. The guy who hated seeing Cha Jungwoo alone with me more than he hated seeing him alone with Go Heemin.
He was sitting across from him, arms crossed, just the two of them together.
Jungwoo, why?
“…You chose to find him instead of me.”
No matter what the circumstances were, it was a sight I couldn’t tolerate.
What made it worse was that he knew I didn’t have class, yet he had called Kang Taeyoon—who should’ve been in his lecture hall. It was infuriating beyond words.
I restrained the crease forming between my brows, and in its place, I felt my face go cold. Thinking it wouldn’t be good to reveal myself like this, I glanced down at the phone in my hand.
Trururu— As the long ringing tone continued, I watched the second floor through the building’s glass windows from outside.
The signal changed several times, but I had no intention of moving until the call connected.
Beyond a slight jerk of Kang Taeyoon’s chin, I saw Cha Jungwoo hurriedly grab his phone.
And then I witnessed it. With the phone in his hand, Cha Jungwoo turned to Kang Taeyoon with a look that seemed to be asking something.
Why do you need Kang Taeyoon’s permission to answer my call? My grip tightened around the phone. A dull ache spread through my palm, but I couldn’t stop.
Discomfort swelled in my gut, my temples throbbing with a headache.
Finally, Cha Jungwoo answered. The way his voice sounded like he was watching someone’s mood made me nauseous.
—…Uh, Siheon, what’s up?
“Jungwoo, where are you right now?”
Why didn’t you go to class? Why did you hesitate before answering? …Why are you alone with Kang Taeyoon?
I swallowed all those words and performed a gentle tone instead. If I’d just gotten a proper answer, I might’ve been able to maintain this composure.
The moment I heard Cha Jungwoo’s reply, the corners of my lips—barely held up—dropped.
—…I was meeting for a group project and ended up being late for class. …So I skipped it and I’m heading home.
“…Really?”
Cha Jungwoo lied to me. And he did it while sitting with Kang Taeyoon.
Through the window, I saw Kang Taeyoon let out a disbelieving scoff. And across from him, Cha Jungwoo raised a finger to his lips.
The last of my patience shattered right there. Normally, I would’ve coaxed and persuaded him until I got the truth, but I no longer felt like doing that.
“…You’re really heading home, right?”
—…Huh?
Just what are you doing, Cha Jungwoo? I swept him with a relentless gaze. The green light of the blinking signal wavered before my eyes.
It was just as it turned red. Beneath Cha Jungwoo’s answer, a ringing filled my ears.
—Th-then I’ll go home. Where else would I go?
“…….”
Beep— A thin, piercing tone tore through my head. I closed my eyes and waited for it to fade, again and again, but it showed no sign of subsiding.
The murmur of noise stirred through my entire body, and at the sound of Kang Taeyoon’s voice coming faintly through the phone, I lifted my head.
Through the second-floor window, Kang Taeyoon was resting his chin on his hand, looking at me. Our eyes met. The faint laugh on his face made my stomach churn.
Maybe it was the red light of the traffic signal, but in an instant, a red haze rushed across my vision. …Jungwoo, I’m sorry, but—
—Uh, Siheon, I’m on my way to the subway right now. Is it okay if I call you later?
“…Ah, the subway.”
I think I’ve lost it.
—Yeah. Have a good weekend, and I’ll contact you again.
“Cha Jungwoo, you—”
I stared at the phone as the call ended just like that. If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. All that remained was a few minutes’ worth of call history showing I’d spoken with Cha Jungwoo.
I didn’t look up at the second floor anymore. I just waited for the signal in front of me to change once more.
The moment that red light turned green—I decided to stop being considerate toward Cha Jungwoo.
***
As the light changed, I stepped forward and entered the building through the first-floor entrance, climbing the stairs.
Thud— Thud— The heels of my shoes made dull sounds.
And on the second floor, I was met with crushing emptiness.
“You’re here.”
The only one sitting there was Kang Taeyoon. Cha Jungwoo, who had been sitting across from him, had vanished without a trace.
With his body sunk into the sofa, still looking out the window, Kang Taeyoon spoke in a flat tone.
It was an indifferent attitude that suggested it didn’t matter whether I answered or not.
“You were pretty relaxed. Ah, or was it impatience, in another sense?”
Hearing that, I couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Where’s Cha Jungwoo?”
“I told you. You were too relaxed.”
Crossing his legs, Kang Taeyoon lifted the cup on the table and took a sip of coffee. It didn’t seem like I’d get an answer out of that bastard, so I looked around instead.
That was when I spotted a door beyond the innermost seats. …A side exit. A door that led outside via an external staircase, not the main entrance on the first floor.
“It was you.”
The one who advised Cha Jungwoo. There was no way that dense personality of his would’ve noticed me outside on his own.
If that were the case, there’d have been no need for him to use the side exit.
Which meant the culprit had to be someone else. The one who had been looking down at me the entire time during the call—Kang Taeyoon.
I bit down hard to suppress the nausea rising in my throat. At that, Kang Taeyoon finally turned to face me.
With an expression so calm it bordered on blank, he set down his cup and spoke. Every word that left his mouth turned my insides over.
“Min Siheon, aren’t you going to manage your expression?”
I’d known it since the time we ran into him alongside Go Heemin next to Cha Jungwoo. Just like me, he’d probably been pretending to be mild-mannered. But this changed things.
He had broken the unspoken rule we’d both been keeping. And the fault lay entirely with Kang Taeyoon.
“Shut up.”
The reason I’d tolerated whatever interference Go Heemin caused wasn’t for Go Heemin’s sake.
I knew that the once-closed-off Cha Jungwoo had opened his heart to the group he moved around with—including Go Heemin.
There was no way Kang Taeyoon didn’t know that. And in that situation, what he was doing now was no different from declaring war on me.
“You want to kill me right now, don’t you?”
Kang Taeyoon’s voice felt like it struck straight into my brain. My upturned eyes throbbed; it seemed a blood vessel might have burst.
I clenched the phone in my hand as if it were his collar. Click— A cracking sound I couldn’t place rang out, and the side button of the phone dug into my palm.
With my stomach burning and my mouth dry, I answered. It had been a while since I’d used this voice—so dry and sharp that Cha Jungwoo would’ve been startled if he heard it.
“You know me well.”
I turned my back and walked away from Kang Taeyoon. Not toward the side exit where Cha Jungwoo had disappeared, but toward the stairs by the main entrance.
If he came back even now, I was willing to pretend none of this had happened and return to being the quiet, well-behaved Min Siheon that Cha Jungwoo liked.
The gentle and kind classmate Min Siheon.
But once Cha Jungwoo disappeared, he didn’t come back.
Then I guess there’s no choice. Jungwoo, let’s see this through to the end.
Unlike my measured steps, the fingers typing out a text message trembled with fury. Waiting was starting to make me sick.
***
“…….”
It’s been days, and I still haven’t been able to reach Cha Jungwoo. Why? No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure out the reason.
I may have shown a bit of impatience on Friday, but I’m confident I maintained a reasonably gentle attitude.
Even after my insides had been turned upside down by Cha Jungwoo’s lie, I resolved to calm down and approach him slowly again.
He said he was going home, so he’ll reply when he arrives. Ah, maybe he fell asleep early today. Then I’ll hear from him Saturday morning. …He must’ve been busy Saturday. He’ll probably rest on Sunday, so maybe he’ll call then.
The automated message saying the call couldn’t be connected and was being forwarded to voicemail had already played dozens of times.
By the time Sunday night came around, I was barely in my right mind.
