Time passed, and it became the night before the end of the semester. I was studying late into the night for tomorrow’s final exam—the last one.
11:00 PM. I checked the clock on my desk and rubbed at my tired, gritty eyes.
Normally, I would’ve used campus life as an excuse to stick close to Min Siheon while studying. But today, I’d come straight home as soon as my usual schedule ended.
I absentmindedly brushed a hand over my empty side before picking up my pen again and looking over my major textbook. Siheon probably ate dinner, right?
I remembered him grabbing the hem of my clothes and looking at me with an intense gaze as I was about to head home.
He hadn’t said much, but the way he stared at me so persistently made it hard to pull my feet away from that spot.
“Anyone watching would think we’d never see each other again.”
“Can’t you just sleep over tonight? We can study together.”
“I’ve already stayed out three nights in a row.”
“…It’s already been three days?”
“You’re seriously ridiculous. Excuse me, you’re the one who wouldn’t let me go home.”
After hearing that, Min Siheon had made a slightly dumbfounded expression. Was he being shameless, or did he genuinely not realize it? The way he acted like he had no idea made me let out a hollow laugh.
Hey, if I don’t go home today, I’m seriously getting kicked off the family registry. Watching his dazed face, I lifted a hand and lightly stroked between his brows. At the time, I’d probably exaggerated a bit in my urgency, joking around.
That morning, I’d gotten a call from my parents. They suggested that, considering my underage younger sister, it might be better if I came home today.
And honestly, that brat Seung-ah. After seeing me constantly staying out to be with Min Siheon, she seemed to want to sleep out too.
A few days ago, while passing through the living room, I’d seen her grab Mom and complain that if her brother was allowed to do it, why wasn’t she?
Cha Seung-ah in this world was still just eighteen—still a kid. Having witnessed that scene, I could understand how my parents felt. So at least for today, I decided to obediently follow their wishes.
I told him I’d hang out with him as much as he wanted once break started, then left campus with him while he kept his lips tightly pressed together.
We reached the fork where I’d head for the subway and he’d go toward the bus stop. Min Siheon let out a small, resigned smile.
“You don’t have to look so anxious. I’m not going to hold you back today.”
“What?”
Did I look anxious? Standing in a quiet alley with barely anyone around, Min Siheon glanced around, then grabbed my hand that had been hanging loosely at my side.
My hands weren’t particularly small, but next to his, they looked smaller. It was strangely fascinating.
Lowering his head slightly, Min Siheon pressed his lips firmly against mine and pulled me close.
Since we were outside, we couldn’t stay like that long and separated quickly, but even that brief touch made my heart pound violently.
“Ugh.”
“If you keep reacting like that, it’ll be hard to let you go.”
When I opened my eyes—eyes I’d instinctively squeezed shut—Min Siheon had just pulled his lips away and was whispering while looking at me. It was the season when the days had grown longer, and bright light poured down like midday.
Swallowing dryly as I looked into his sparkling eyes, I saw a trace of reluctance cross his face.
“You’re really ruthless.”
You’re talking about yourself, Min Siheon. Even though he knew exactly what I meant, he only smiled leisurely, which made him annoyingly smug. If I stayed any longer, I felt like I’d get swept up in him again, so I lightly punched his shoulder.
Thud—though it wasn’t hard at all, Min Siheon took a step back. I used that opening to brush past him and take a step out of the alley first.
A few more steps and I’d reach the main road. Just before that, I subtly slowed my pace.
“That’s what I should be saying.”
It was then that I realized Min Siheon had said something to me. Thinking he had more to say, I hurriedly turned back.
But we’d already put some distance between us, and I couldn’t hear him clearly. The sound of car engines and city noise from the nearby road seemed to block my ears.
“Hey, I didn’t catch that. Can you say it again?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
I tilted my head, not understanding. He smiled calmly as if to say it didn’t matter and walked toward me.
Closing the distance quickly, he pressed his shoulder against mine and guided me out of the alley.
“Jungwoo, what am I supposed to do if I miss you?”
“You’re being dramatic. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
It’s not even twenty hours, idiot. I’d meant it as a joke. But Min Siheon didn’t laugh.
Just moments ago he’d been grinning. The last image I had of him was him waving the whole time I walked down into the underpass, telling me to eat dinner properly.
Of course, we talked on the phone and exchanged messages later that evening.
Remembering the voice I’d heard just three hours ago, I tightened my grip on my pen.
I must’ve drifted off thinking about him again. There was a mountain of material to review, yet my mind kept wandering elsewhere.
Pull yourself together. I flipped through the thick textbook and clenched my teeth, forcing myself to push through what I had to do.
One hour, two hours… Before I knew it, the desk clock was pointing at 1 a.m.
They say your environment shapes you. I think I’ve changed a bit too.
I need a short break. My brain felt crammed full from the sudden study sprint.
I set my pen down to cool my overheated head. It rolled across the desk and stopped at the edge. That’s when I noticed my phone beside it.
Without thinking, I picked it up and looked at the conversation I’d had with Min Siheon earlier.
Min Siheon: [How late are you planning to study? Don’t push yourself too hard.]
Me: [I haven’t even really started yet. You act like you’re not, but you worry a lot, Min Siheon. You’re the one who shouldn’t overdo it. You get sick easily.]
Min Siheon: [Yeah, I will. By the way, this is a problem.]
Me: [What? Did something happen?]
Min Siheon: [When someone says something like that, you’re supposed to reassure them and say it’s okay. I think I’ve turned into a spoiled brat. Keep paying attention to me.]
Cha Jungwoo: [What the hell are you talking about, you psycho. Are you performing a ritual because you want to get sick now?]
Min Siheon: [Is that it? Maybe it’s because you’re not here. The house feels empty, Jungwoo.]
The content was embarrassingly sweet. It was enough to make me wonder if everyone dated like this, with such clingy words back and forth.
I reread the few characters where he said he missed me. When we were actually talking, I’d been too shy to properly respond and just told him I had to go.
I was rubbing my aching face and about to focus on studying again when I noticed a new notification at the top of the screen.
It hadn’t just arrived—it looked like I’d received it before midnight.
When I scrolled down to check, I saw not one but two notifications blinking.
“Huh?”
Both were from people I rarely saw on my phone. I decided to check the one that seemed to have come first.
[Choi Jun-gyu (Business Class Representative)]
When I tapped the icon, a newly created group chat appeared along with unfamiliar names.
Only after clicking the notice at the very top did I grasp the situation.
Choi Jun-gyu (Business Class Representative):
[Hello. This is Choi Jun-gyu, the Business class representative. I apologize for the late message. I’m leaving this urgently due to the end of the semester.
For those who applied for the vacation training program, the confirmed list will be released after 12 p.m. tomorrow.
If you visit the department office, they will inform you there, so please don’t forget to stop by.
Student ID required, and since your student number will be checked, only in-person visits are allowed. Those who applied, please make sure to confirm as soon as possible.]
…Ah, fuck. I’m screwed. I had completely forgotten about this. Cha Jungwoo, you idiot. Acting fast over the most useless things. My vision went dark.
I’d heard about the overseas training program during break sometime after I realized my feelings for Min Siheon, back in the club room.
At the time, I didn’t have the courage to confess and had mistakenly thought Min Siheon liked Go Heemin. So I’d considered going somewhere I wouldn’t run into him, trying to settle my feelings.
I’d heard the application process wasn’t that difficult, so I’d headed straight to the department office the moment I left the club room. It had felt like an emergency.
Siheon, your boyfriend might end up spending the entire break in the U.S. if this goes wrong. And the best part? You have absolutely no idea.
We don’t even know the results yet. I tried to calm myself, but the anxiety wouldn’t fade.
Damn my decisiveness. I wanted to punch my past self.
The problem was how I was supposed to explain this to Min Siheon. We’d barely just gotten together, and now we might be facing a forced separation.
Is he asleep right now? It was well past 2 a.m., and I hesitated to contact him.
After telling him to manage his condition properly, it felt awkward to disturb his night now.
So I decided to tell him tomorrow morning when I saw him. The results weren’t out yet, but it seemed better to explain the general situation in advance.
There goes my sleep. Even after finishing studying, there was no way I’d be able to rest now.
…I should’ve just checked it in the morning. I only made myself anxious for nothing.
Staring at the pen on my desk, I turned to the second notification.
Right. What could possibly be worse than this? I decided to read it quickly and get it over with.
“Why is she contacting me now?”
But the world didn’t seem to run according to my expectations.
Lee Chae-won:
[Sunbae Jungwoo, hello. It’s Chae-won. About what I mentioned wanting to talk to you about before. I was wondering if we could talk tomorrow. I’ll wait for your reply. I’m sorry for contacting you so late.]
Lee Chae-won? I’d known for a while that she had something to say to me. The fact that she’d sent a message close to midnight made it seem not so trivial. And even more than that…
“The nuance feels kind of strange.”
There was a subtle hint of something personal in the message.
I should probably tell Min Siheon about this too.
Organizing what I had to do in the morning, I picked up the pen that had been rolling around.
The last day of the semester was shaping up to be busy. My head was already a mess with all sorts of things.
