DI Ch 134

I didn’t know about the owner, but Woo Ji-min also somehow looked excited. I just stayed calm because it seemed like he was happy. As long as I didn’t appear to be older than sixteen, the rest didn’t matter much, so I didn’t mind.

Before the actual cutting began, I took out my phone and sent a message to Tae Seong-je.

1 [16:09] Hyung, I’m getting a haircut.

I caught a glimpse of Seo Seung-joon and Lee Hyun-wook’s name among the unread messages. Other than Woo Ji-min and Tae Seong-je, I  hadn’t set specific alerts for anyone else, so I didn’t even know when they had contacted me. A lot of things happened and I forgot to contact them. Just as I was about to check, my view was blocked by a cloth. When I lifted my head, Woo Ji-min was brightly gesturing.

“Did you hear?”

“Yes? Ah yes.”

The sound of scissors tickled my ears. The sound of falling hair, the faint background noise of a TV show, and the laughter of people blended together, making me drowsy. Unlike the chilly weather outside, it was warm inside, making my eyelids heavy.

“Feeling sleepy?”

Did I fall asleep again? I suddenly opened my eyes to see Woo Ji-min, now dressed in a suit, on the other side of the mirror. His usually tousled hair looked neat, and perhaps because of his clothes, he seemed different. When I stared at him silently, he awkwardly adjusted his tie.

“I borrowed it. I just need it for the photo, then I’ll take it off.”

“Ah… what a waste.”

I looked him up and down without realizing it. The suit suits him well. I feel awkward just imagining it, but Woo Ji-min is really cool. Even though he usually dressed casually, he looked impressive when he dressed up. I wondered how good he would look in formal attire.

“Sunbae.”

“Yeah?”

Woo Ji-min, with slightly flushed cheeks, hesitated and spoke softly.

“Whatever happens, Sunbae, everything will turn out fine.”

“…Thank you.”

I was dying to contact Tae Seong-je. Maybe there’s a good company available. In movies, even gangsters set up quite plausible companies and hire clueless civilians while running them smoothly. If I ask about this, he’ll probably say, ‘Where do you think you’ll find that? Stop watching movies.’

At that moment, the owner brushed my neck with a sponge and asked, “Is the haircut satisfactory?”

Hmm… It felt awkward.  I stood up from my seat, tousling my newly shortened hair.

“Yes. Thank you. You did a good job.”

While paying the bill and on the way to the photo studio, I kept playing with my hair, so Woo Ji-min scolded me and asked why I kept touching my already-cleaned hair. I cleaned it up again, but that didn’t mean my hands went down.

“Don’t you like it?”

“No. It just feels unfamiliar.”

Maybe I should have just shown Tae Seong-je’s photo and asked for something similar. Would that have been okay? As I kept squirming and feeling awkward, Woo Ji-min tapped my shoulder and clicked his tongue telling me to stop touching my hair because it was good. And then it was the moment when we turned the corner.

“Oh!”

The other person didn’t expect anyone to be there either, so they were startled. We were equally surprised. Fortunately, just before the collision, Woo Ji-min pulled me back, preventing our faces from bumping into each other. One of the people on the opposite side was unfamiliar, but the other was a familiar face. It was the student representative. While they both froze since their gazes were awkward, the embarrassed man quickly apologized to Woo Ji-min, asking if he was injured.

“Oh, no. I’m sorry. Are you hurt?”

“… Where are you putting your eyes?”

Woo Ji-min blinked and roughly pushed the man’s chest. It was an excessive reaction. It caught me, the student representative, and the other man off guard. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. They were just walking quickly, and we were turning the corner without looking ahead.

Before I could fully regain my senses, Woo Ji-min pulled me along. In a situation where it wouldn’t have been strange for someone to start an argument or follow us to say something, nothing happened at all.

There were quite a few people at the photo studio we arrived at, so we had to wait a bit. Sitting a little apart from the crowd, we waited for our turn. Meanwhile, Woo Ji-min kept his mouth shut with a scary expression on his face. The atmosphere was tense. It felt as cold as March, ready to explode at any moment if provoked.

Should I ask why he reacted like that? Or should I stay silent? I pondered, but ultimately chose silence, not wanting to upset the mood. I didn’t expect to encounter a familiar face there, and even though our previous encounter was uncomfortable, I should have at least greeted them. No, it wasn’t the right situation for greetings.

“That jerk ruined my school life. Just because I dressed a little better, that jerk didn’t even recognize me and started talking crap. They said nothing would change just because some trash like me bought designer clothes.”

“…”

“Damn, can’t wait to graduate and get out of here.”

The mocking tone was bitter. It was not a message for me to hear. This was what he said to himself. To himself at the time when he experienced humiliation.

Woo Ji-min remained silent and just stared at the floor. He seemed like a person lost in his own world. It got to the point where I wondered if he would even hear me if I spoke to him. But fortunately, as soon as his name was called, he jumped up and responded. A flash of light went off as the photographer told him to smile. The photographer’s voice was loud, urging him to smile.

Also, I feel strange. With a queasy stomach and a bad mood, I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. He was a person who only looked ahead, but the past didn’t let him go. Why was it said that wounds inflicted by people lingered even as time passed? But why did a spark still remain in his heart? Woo Ji-min was always burnt by people. Even when he didn’t want it, even when he least expected it.

“Sunbae.”

“…”

“Ji-min sunbae.”

“…”

Returning from the photo shoot, Woo Ji-min seemed like his mind was elsewhere. We still had about twenty minutes until the photos came out, so I let him be for now. But even as I casually exchanged messages with Tae Seong-je, even after twenty minutes when the photos were ready, he still seemed lost.

“Sunbae. Hyung, Ji-min hyung.”

“…!”

I held his shoulder and shook him lightly, causing his head to snap back suddenly. His eyes widened in surprise. The sudden expression on his face could have been comical, but there was no such flaw. There was no trace of such absurdity. After firmly gripping his shoulders as if to reassure him, I handed him a small envelope containing the photos.

“The photos are out.”

“Oh. Uh, already? Uh… what? What time is it now?”

Woo Ji-min must have finally come to his senses, hurriedly checking the time and not knowing what to do.

“Just go. Did you wait because of me? Hey. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t have anything else to do anyway.”

“How did I end up dragging you here? Really sorry. I’ll buy dinner. What do you want to eat? Expensive stuff is fine.”

“No, it’s okay. I have to go.”

“Ah… With your lover?”

Woo Ji-min, who seemed greatly embarrassed, relaxed his tense shoulders and let out a tired sigh. Meeting his gaze, I felt embarrassed and awkwardly fiddled my hair while answering.

“Yes.”

“… Don’t touch it.”

As he reached out, I leaned forward and extended my head to him. I offered my head to be touched, and he graciously tidied up my messy hair. His touch was gentle, and it made me feel good. Even Tae Seong-je couldn’t gently stroke my hair like this. There was something strange about it.

As we stepped outside, there seemed to be more people bustling around than before. The setting sun was casting a faint red hue on the blue sky. Distracted by the sights, I momentarily paused to observe. I could hear someone playing the guitar, the sound of the strings reverberating in the air. Despite the impending final exams, the campus seemed lively.

“Sunbae. I’ll go first.”

“Just call me ‘hyung’.”

When I lowered my head at the indifferent voice, Woo Ji-min shrugged his shoulders and said.

“When we first drank together, you called me ‘hyung,’ remember?”

Did I? I did try to act close then… I nodded my head solemnly while keeping a straight face.

“Got it. Hyung, see you next time.”

“Yeah. Go.”

My mood had improved, and my complexion had brightened, my voice becoming more casual. As I turned to head towards the parking lot, I took a few steps before stopping. Should I suggest studying together for the upcoming exams? When I turned around, he was standing there, watching me. I thought he had left, but it was reassuring to see he was still there.

“Hyung, want to study together for the final exams?”

The crimson sunset painted Woo Ji-min’s indifferent face in orange. His neatly combed hair and suit were tinged with red.

“No.”

Just when I thought it looked good on him, he said.

“Let’s just do our own thing.”

“Okay. Then I’ll really go.”

I didn’t feel disappointed. There was no need to gather together to study. I accepted it and we parted ways. When I returned home, the dog house caught my eye again. I’m quite a character myself. No matter how angry Tae Seong-je gets, how could he possibly kick me out there?

I was a little embarrassed that I didn’t even think he would bring a dog. Sometimes he would mockingly ask what kind of person I thought he was, but unconsciously, I think I really saw him as just a jerk. I feel really sorry about that.

When I opened the front door, Sand that had been rolling around in the living room came rushing out. It had been only a short time since we last met, yet it showed no signs of shyness. Its happy demeanor at our reunion was so adorable that I couldn’t help but scoop it up in my arms, and it licked my face and wagged its tail vigorously, making quite a commotion.

“You little rascal. Now the dog comes before me, huh?”

Hearing the familiar, grumbling voice from above made me burst into laughter without even realizing it.