7MoH 1.15

He couldn’t quite figure out what kind of person Chase was or what he was thinking. Though his blue eyes, like the clear tropical ocean water, were right in front of him, he couldn’t measure what was inside those transparent eyes or how deep they were.

“Me? Why?”

He wanted to ask him: What are you thinking? Why are you being so nice to me? But the words wouldn’t come out. He was afraid he might give some trivial answer like, “We go to the same school” or “We take the same classes.”

Jeong-in quickly withdrew his hand from Chase’s hair and turned his gaze toward the ocean.

“Just give me back my notebook.”

“I told you, I’ll give it back when I think you don’t dislike me.”

“I…”

I don’t dislike you, but I do dislike you. Jeong-in couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Trying to change the subject, Jeong-in suddenly realized that Darius Thompson wasn’t among the familiar faces.

“Where’s Darius? I don’t see him.”

“…Darius?”

Chase’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“You two got that close? Calling him by his first name?”

“Well, just… But why isn’t Darius here?”

“Thompson didn’t come because he said he had to study. Someone apparently gave him a ton of homework.”

A satisfied smile appeared on Jeong-in’s face. He had assigned hundreds of practice problems to Darius, who lacked basic calculation skills. It was quite touching to think he was doing the homework he’d given him instead of attending the party.

“The sun’s setting.”

At Chase’s words, Jeong-in looked straight ahead. The sun was touching the horizon, and a red glow slowly spread across the sea.

Jeong-in instinctively checked his wristwatch. Seeing that it was already past 7 o’clock, he hurriedly stood up. Today was the day he had planned to make Korean-style chicken with Suzy and watch a Korean drama on Netflix while eating.

“I should get going now.”

As he bent down to pick up his bag, Chase gently grabbed his wrist. Then he looked up with a rather pitiful expression. Eyes like a dog begging to go for a walk.

“Stay a little longer. Please?”

How could he say no to those blue eyes quietly pleading? Jeong-in ended up sitting back down on the sand.

By the time the sun had completely disappeared below the water’s surface, the pizza arrived. It was a mountain of food.

A man in a pizza shop uniform had to make two trips, carrying pizza boxes stacked so high his face was barely visible. Seems like they planned to feed everyone on the beach.

People rushed over with excited voices, and someone shouted toward Chase,
“Thanks for the food, Press!”

Chase casually raised one hand in a light greeting.

“Wait here a moment.”

Standing up, he looked down at Jeong-in beside him and repeated,
“Don’t go anywhere. Got it?”

Not understanding why, Jeong-in simply nodded at his insistence. Chase looked at him a moment longer before disappearing into the crowd. Jeong-in sat there waiting for him to return.

A while later, Chase reappeared. He held paper plates with large slices of pizza in each hand, and a red plastic cup in his mouth.

Jeong-in quickly took the cup from his mouth.

“Here, let’s eat.”

They sat a little distance away from the crowded area and ate pizza. It was simple pizza with just red sauce and cheese, but eating outdoors with the sea breeze wasn’t bad at all.

“Drink.”

Chase offered him the cup. Suspecting it might be alcohol, Jeong-in hesitantly peeked inside, showing reluctance. He laughed and said, “It’s just cola.”

Only then did Jeong-in accept the cup and take a sip. The cool, sweet cola slid down his throat, spreading refreshment. When he put the cup down, Chase naturally picked it up and drank from it.

“Hey? I was drinking from that…”

“So what? Are you afraid of catching a brain-eating parasite from me?”

“…”

He seemed to have read the shame book thoroughly.

His attitude of occasionally criticizing him like this while pretending everything was normal had once been completely disconcerting, but somehow it now felt somewhat comfortable. There was also a sense of resignation—what could he do about it now?

As darkness fell, the bonfires became more atmospheric. The music grew louder, and some people started dancing.

Jeong-in watched them, leaving his hair to flutter in the sea breeze. The vigor and freedom unique to teenagers. An energy he had never experienced before captivated him.

“I think those people are drinking something other than cola.”

Chase said, pointing to one side. Someone had brought a surfboard and was performing tricks on the sand as if surfing, stirring up the atmosphere. On the other side, a man with a pipe-like long straw in his mouth was drinking from a bucket while doing a handstand with the help of others.

Jeong-in put his glasses back on to see the scene properly. Then he burst into laughter, a beat late.

“Let me see your glasses.”

Chase held out his hand, and Jeong-in reflexively took off his glasses and handed them over. Chase stared at the thick lenses carefully, then cautiously placed them on his high bridge of the nose. Then he groaned “Ugh!” and quickly took them off.

“How bad is your eyesight?”

As if familiar with this reaction from having experienced it many times, Jeong-in laughed, took back his glasses, and put them in the pocket on his shirt.

“I’m going to get surgery as soon as I get into college.”

“Surgery? You mean laser eye surgery?”

“Yes. I tried to do it when I went to Korea last time, but they wouldn’t do it because I was too young.”

Jeong-in had gone to Korea once with his mother three years ago. Airplane tickets weren’t cheap, and his mother had to take time off work, so it was a fifteen-day journey that required a major decision.

It felt like they had met every possible relative. He heard subtle expectations like “If our child happens to study abroad, they could stay at Jeong-in’s house” more than ten times.

He had long known that Korean hospitals had much better facilities and technology. While there, he tried to get laser eye surgery, but the doctor rejected it, saying he was still too young.

Listening to Jeong-in’s story, Chase let out a low exclamation, “Ah.”

“So you lived in Korea before. No wonder. You seem to have a slight accent.”

When Jeong-in looked disconcerted, Chase quickly added, as if afraid he might say “that’s racist” or something similar,
“I thought it was cute.”

“…”

Chase was an upper-class white man who had probably never experienced discrimination. There was no way he could understand the life Jeong-in had lived. He probably didn’t even realize that what he said could be considered discriminatory.

“Did I upset you? I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”

“…”

“Are you angry? I’m sorry, Jay.”

Jeong-in could sense Chase becoming uneasy, carefully watching his reaction to his hardened expression. Only after maintaining his silence until his mood improved did he finally say, “It’s okay.”

Seeming relieved, Chase continued.
“I’ve always wanted to visit Seoul at least once, but I haven’t had the chance yet.”

“Seoul? I used to live in Seoul.”

“Really?”

It was surprising that he knew the capital city. Usually when he mentioned Korea, half the people didn’t know about it, and the other half would ask “North or South?” Jeong-in realized once again that he had been prejudging Chase as a mindless muscle head.

“Don’t you miss Seoul?”

“A little… I’ll go back someday.”

Jeong-in fell silent for a moment and looked at the ocean.

The sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon, and darkness gently covered the sea, wrapping the world in a deep blue veil. The sound of gently rippling waves tickled his ears, and the bonfire colored its surroundings with warm light accompanied by crackling sounds.

“Ahh… this is nice.”

The words came out naturally, unconsciously. Jeong-in closed his eyes and gently rested his chin on his arms that were hugging his knees.

The sea breeze softly brushed against his skin, carrying the saltiness of the ocean mixed with the sweet scent of a spring night.

Along with the sound of waves rolling in from the distance, Chase’s low voice seeped into his ears.

“Tell me about yourself.”

At that moment, it felt as if only the two of them existed in this world. Even the sound of waves and the commotion around them seemed like a gentle background music for them.

“I… immigrated here seven years ago.”

“Tell me something not everyone knows.”

Chase’s tone was light, but his eyes held seriousness. As if asking him to share a secret only he would know.

Jeong-in silently gazed at the ocean before slowly opening his mouth.
“…You know that man Steven Fletcher who went to the charity event with me? He’s not actually my father.”

“I could tell.”

Chase responded with a playful smile. No one would mistake the two for biological father and son, given their different races.

“He was married to my mom… but they divorced a long time ago. Steven found out I went to the same school as you when he was looking for a connection to get investment from your father.”

“I see.”

“…Will you tell your father?”

“I don’t know. If I were that loose-lipped, wouldn’t copies of your book already be circulating among the entire student body by now?”

At those words, Jeong-in’s face instantly turned red. He wanted to clarify that most of it was written by Justin, but it felt like making excuses, so he didn’t. After all, he had laughed along, making him equally complicit.

“By the way, how did you end up tutoring Thompson?”

“For community service points and a recommendation letter. The principal promised to write me a recommendation letter if I improve Darius Thompson’s grades.”

“Recommendation letter? Do you have a college in mind?”

“Harvard.”

Jeong-in said calmly, looking at the ocean.

“It’s been my dream since I was young. I want to study biology at Harvard and then work as a researcher at a pharmaceutical company. My goal is to develop medicines for incurable diseases.”

“Wow…”

At the admiring exclamation, Jeong-in turned his head toward Chase. The dancing red light of the bonfire flickered across his face.

“You have a clear picture of your future. That’s really…”

A touch of bitterness seemed to seep into Chase’s expression as he spoke.

“Hmm?”

“No, just… it’s impressive and I envy that.”

Jeong-in tilted his head, puzzled. Wasn’t Chase the one with a clear future? A life with a blueprint drawn before birth, the heir to the great Prescott enterprise.

Jeong-in felt awkward, as if he had been bragging about money in front of a tycoon.

“You should tell me about yourself too, Prescott. It’s unfair.”

“Me?”

“You’re aiming for Harvard too, right? I heard you’re considering business administration…”

“…I don’t know.”

Chase lowered his gaze as he responded to Jeong-in’s words. It was an unexpected answer.

“Darius seems to have his path already set for USC.”

“Are we talking about Thompson again?”

Chase frowned slightly. At this point, he couldn’t help but ask.

“Is there… something wrong between you two?”

At his cautious question, Chase suddenly burst into laughter.

“Not at all. Thompson is a good guy. He really needs that scholarship. He’s serious about football.”

After pondering Chase’s words for a moment, Jeong-in asked curiously.
“What about you? Won’t you continue?”

Many athletes continued football into college. Especially talented players like him.

“Sports are just for high school.”

Jeong-in stared at Chase, as if asking for a reason.

“I started playing because both my grandfather and father did it. Being the quarterback of the school’s varsity football team, I mean. Don’t misunderstand though. It’s fun and enjoyable. But it’s not my dream.”

“What is your dream then?”

Unable to answer Jeong-in’s question, Chase fell into thought for a moment. Complex emotions entangled across his face as he looked at the ocean.

“Do you know what I dressed up as for Halloween last year?”

Was there anyone at Wincrest who wouldn’t remember?

He had worn blue scrubs under a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck—a doctor’s outfit. And beside him was Vivian Sinclair dressed as a nurse.

That scene was also recorded in Jeong-in and Justin’s shame book as a ‘case that set back women’s rights by 5 million years.’

“Ah, you probably remember. In your book…”

“I-I know you dressed as a doctor.”

Jeong-in’s head naturally lowered. Chase laughed briefly before continuing.

“Actually, I dressed as a doctor during my sophomore year too.”

Two years ago on Halloween, he had been walking through a residential area in a doctor’s costume. Someone urgently grabbed him then, and where he was led, there was a middle-aged man who had collapsed in the middle of the street.

Chase began performing chest compressions instinctively, without even being able to mention that he wasn’t a real doctor.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know what I was doing at that time. I think my body just moved on its own. We learned it at school too.”

After a while, life returned to the dazed eyes of the collapsed man. Chase said he felt the previously stopped heart beating again through his palm. He had been seized by a thrill he’d never experienced before.

The man’s wife kept saying “Thank you, doctor!” while grabbing his hands. Even after he belatedly explained he wasn’t a doctor, she said it didn’t matter—he was still the savior who had rescued her husband’s life.

“Of all the things I’ve experienced in my life, nothing was as shocking as that. And the following year, last year, I dressed as a doctor again.”

Chase gazed quietly into Jeong-in’s eyes. His pupils were so dark that the distinction between pupil and iris was barely visible. They were like black holes that absorbed even light and sound. They seemed like the safest vault in the universe, where any secret shared would never leak out.

“This is the first time I’m saying this out loud. You’re the only one who knows.”

Jeong-in nervously swallowed. The atmosphere suggested a heavy confession was coming.

“I think I… want to become a doctor.”

Jeong-in blinked in surprise. It was quite unexpected. He had assumed Chase had a well-paved road as wide as a 16-lane highway laid out before him, and that he would naturally race down it in a fancy sports car.

“It’s a lame reason, right?”

“Are you kidding? You saved someone’s life. There’s no nobler reason than that.”

Chase’s expression, which had momentarily been lost while staring at Jeong-in, suddenly became melancholic.

“It’s just a thought. They wouldn’t allow it anyway.”

So even someone like him has worries.

For the first time, Jeong-in felt a sense of kinship with Chase Prescott. He couldn’t offer a plausible answer or advice without knowing his situation. However, he wanted to make Chase smile, whose expression was gloomy, unlike his usual relaxed demeanor.

“Hey, Prescott. What kind of tea is hard to drink?”

At Jeong-in’s sudden question, Chase looked at him with skeptical eyes.

“Hmm? I don’t know…”

Jeong-in paused briefly before saying,
“Reality.”

“Ha.”

Chase burst out laughing as if bewildered.
“You’re really random.”

Chase looked at Jeong-in with an expression like someone watching a playful kitten.
“Do you have any more?”

“What do you call it when oxygen and magnesium fall in love?”

“What do you call it?”

“OMG.”

“OMG… Oh, because oxygen is O and magnesium is Mg? Haha.”

This time, it was just a laugh of disbelief rather than genuine amusement, but Jeong-in wore a proud smile on his face.

Either way, he laughed. That was enough.