COAC 11

After that, the times I exchanged words with Kim Chayeon gradually increased. We did not converse in a friendly manner, but I was able to naturally join in while I was talking with Seo Jeong. Seo Jeong was still at the center of the three’s relationship, but it felt like the long, straight line between us had become just a little bit shorter.

On the weekend before the June mock exams, the three of them decided to study at Do Hyeonjun’s house. It was thanks to Seo Jeong, who remembered Do Hyeonjun mentioning his house would be empty because of his father’s business trip. Do Hyeonjun also thought it would be better than studying alone, so he gladly offered his home.

“Excuse me for intruding. …Is this Hyeonjun’s house?”

“Yeah. No one’s here, so make yourself comfortable.”

Behind Seo Jeong, who was holding a roll of toilet paper, Kim Chayeon quietly followed him in. Unlike Seo Jeong, who looked around the house with a curious expression, Kim Chayeon did not let his gaze linger anywhere for long. Seeing Kim Chayeon stepping into a space that was entirely my own made me feel strange for no reason. Again, it was a feeling I could not clearly put a name to.

“What’s with the toilet paper?”

“Kim Chayeon strongly recommended it. He said toilet paper is the best for a housewarming party.”

I did not know Kim Chayeon was the type to care about things like housewarming gifts, so it was a little funny. When I let out a chuckle, the person who had recommended the toilet paper glanced at me.

“Practicality is the best.”

Kim Chayeon answered indifferently, holding his removed coat in one hand. It was not a particularly funny story, but I kept wanting to laugh, so I turned my head away, pretending not to notice.

Kim Chayeon, who was not on edge like before, was definitely easier to deal with. Of course, it was still worlds apart from how I treated Seo Jeong, but I was not expecting that much anyway.

Just then, Kim Chayeon put his hand in his pants pocket, took something out, and placed it on the dining table. The sound of metal hitting the wooden table rang out briefly. What is it? Do Hyeonjun, who had lowered his head in curiosity, blinked and picked it up.

It was a key ring with a baseball bat-shaped pendant. A transparent name tag was connected to a small metal ring, and the paper inside it was still blank. It also had a chain attached, so if I hung it on my bag, it seemed like it would make a small clinking sound whenever it swayed.

“I bought it when Jeong bought the toilet paper. That was the only one left.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

I said, looking at the key ring for a moment before putting it in my pocket. Kim Chayeon responded with a slight nod of his head.

After the awkward gift-giving ceremony ended, the three of them settled at the living room table. For the first 30 minutes or so, everyone displayed amazing concentration. But the studious fervor that had begun so ambitiously started to cool the moment Seo Jeong said, ‘Let’s take a short break,’ and took out his phone.

“Hyeonjun, look at this. I seriously thought I was going to die laughing when I saw this yesterday.”

Do Hyeonjun tilted his head toward the phone screen that Seo Jeong held out. While the two of them put their heads together, laughing and looking at the screen, Kim Chayeon kept his head down, opened his notebook, and picked up a pencil. He looked at the two of them for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“Do you really have to watch that right now?”

It was not a sharp tone, but it carried Kim Chayeon’s unique weight. In an instant, it was as if cold water had been thrown on the cheerful atmosphere. I did not know if his complaint was directed at me, or if he was just unhappy with the situation itself.

“We’re just taking a short break. I can’t focus anyway.”

When Do Hyeonjun said this confidently, Seo Jeong, who was next to him, chimed in, agreeing that Hyeonjun was completely right.

“This is how the whole day just goes by.”

“Today is a day where it’s okay for the whole day to go by.”

It was not a rebuttal. It was just that this moment, laughing and chatting in the same space with a guy I thought I would not exchange a single word with if Seo Jeong were not here, was not as bad as I thought. No, it felt quite nice.

“Kim Chayeon, why are you angry at Hyeonjun? It’s my fault for getting distracted when we gathered to study. I get it. Let’s study really hard from now on.”

Seo Jeong mediated as he turned off the video. Angry? Hmm, I thought that was just how Kim Chayeon usually talked.

After that, the three of them focused on their own studies. Do Hyeonjun mulled over the Korean literature passages he was usually weak in, and Seo Jeong, sitting across from him, wrote down math formulas with a rather serious expression before pausing. Click, click. He pressed his ballpoint pen several times and then furrowed his brow slightly. Is it not working? It was the moment Do Hyeonjun was about to speak.

Kim Chayeon’s hand moved first. He quietly slid the pen he was using to the side of Seo Jeong’s notebook. Thud.

“Thanks.”

Kim Chayeon just nodded once, then took another pen from his pencil case and held it. The whole sequence of events flowed as naturally as water. For a moment, Do Hyeonjun was at a loss for words, just watching the scene. Taking care of someone could be so quiet and natural. Today, once again, I experienced the world of those two.

As we focused on studying, the sun had already turned a reddish color. We ordered pizza for dinner. Kim Chayeon, who surprisingly had a small appetite, stopped eating after three slices, and the rest of the pizza was devoured by Seo Jeong and Do Hyeonjun.

“Chayeon is a die-hard home-cooked meal person. Especially Korean food. He doesn’t eat well when he’s out and almost always leaves food behind. Look at him now, while we ate a whole pizza each, Kim Chayeon only ate half.”

Kim Chayeon being a picky eater. It was both unexpected and seemed to suit him. In any case, Seo Jeong and I deliciously finished the leftover pizza.

When it was close to nine in the evening, the two of them got ready to leave.

“I had fun today. Let’s meet at my place next time.”

“Okay. I’ll make good use of the toilet paper.”

Seo Jeong, who nodded with a smile, playfully nudged Kim Chayeon’s side with his elbow. Poke. Kim Chayeon just frowned for a moment and had no other reaction.

In that moment, Do Hyeonjun imagined. If I had done the same thing, would not Kim Chayeon have noticed and dodged it, or perhaps grabbed my arm and drawn a cold line? That kind of reaction was a privilege granted only to Seo Jeong.

“Chayeon, do you really have nothing to say? It’s your first time at a friend’s house other than ours.”

While he might have frequented Seo Jeong’s house as if it were his own, it was hard to picture Kim Chayeon entering someone else’s space. So this was the source of the awkward atmosphere I had felt from him at the front door a little while ago.

“…Had a good time with Jeong.”

As if frustrated by the blunt conversation, Seo Jeong let out a long sigh, “Augh.”

Taking the sigh as a cue, Seo Jeong finally got up from his seat first. Kim Chayeon followed him without a word. Do Hyeonjun went to the front door and watched the backs of the two as they put on their shoes.

Do Hyeonjun watched until the two, who were walking shoulder to shoulder, turned the corner and disappeared from sight before he started clearing the table. The jingling sound from his pants pocket bothered him for no reason whenever he moved.

Late at night, when darkness had completely fallen, Do Hyeonjun sat quietly in his room. He bit his lower lip, lost in thought, then placed his bag on the desk. He took off the squirrel plushie that had been with him for a long time. Then, after a brief hesitation, he attached the key ring he had received during the day to the zipper pull. Clatter, the metal piece made a sound as it hit the fabric of the bag.

The name tag attached next to the bat-shaped rubber was empty. He was about to write his name in the empty space but paused.

He felt hesitant because it seemed like the moment he wrote his name, it would become truly his. Kim Chayeon probably gave it to him without any special meaning, and it was funny that he was attaching meaning to it all by himself. I guess there is no need to write anything right now.

*

Seo Jeong did not come to school today. It was because he was participating in a city-hosted math competition. The classroom, with its usually occupied seat now empty, was a little quieter than usual. Kim Chayeon, who used to visit every break time and felt like a classmate, was also nowhere to be seen. I thought it was only natural.

When lunchtime came, a few kids approached Do Hyeonjun.

“Hyeonjun, let’s go eat. Eat with us today.”

“We’re supposed to play soccer against the next class later. It’d be perfect if you joined. We’ve been losing to those jerks from the next class for over a week now. It’s a total blow to our pride.”

A few of his classmates naturally surrounded Do Hyeonjun. The atmosphere was already leaning towards Do Hyeonjun joining the inter-class soccer match. There was no particular reason to refuse, so he was about to head to the cafeteria with his classmates. Just then, someone appeared at the wide-open back door.

It was Kim Chayeon.

“Seo Jeong’s not here today because he went to the competition.”

“I know.”

Kim Chayeon, who answered calmly, stared silently at the kids flanking Do Hyeonjun. The kids exchanged glances among themselves and then slowly backed away. In an instant, only Kim Chayeon and I were left in the hallway.

“Why did you come if Seo Jeong isn’t here?”

At Do Hyeonjun’s question, Kim Chayeon met his gaze.

“Because I have no one to eat with.”

He says he has no friends so confidently. Do Hyeonjun needlessly touched the back of his neck once and then walked past Kim Chayeon.

“Right. Food is important.”

Without saying ‘let’s go together,’ I started walking to the cafeteria, and Kim Chayeon followed. Kim Chayeon, who always walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Seo Jeong, was now walking about a step behind me.

This was different from the time at the movie theater, which had been purely a coincidence. Today, Kim Chayeon had come to find me on his own, knowing that Seo Jeong was not here. Why? My mind became complicated. It felt like facing a difficult math problem. The problem is right in front of you, but the solution is not visible, making your hand freeze up every time you try to think.

Once we actually sat across from each other and started eating in awkward silence, I discovered an unexpected side of him. Kim Chayeon’s use of chopsticks was quite proper, and he did not make any sound while chewing his food. His table manners showed that he was raised well.

Without realizing it, Do Hyeonjun stopped eating and looked at him. The neat appearance of the guy who had always been on edge somehow seemed to gently tickle my heart. This small discovery made Kim Chayeon feel new all over again.

Unable to understand why, a corner of my heart grew restless for no reason. His indifferent voice saying he had no one to eat with, or his unexpectedly straight fingers, kept flashing before my eyes, making me feel strange all day.