ASIAH 19

As I became engrossed, I found myself rubbing or kneading Hyun Jaekyung’s fingers. Hyun Jaekyung, perhaps finding it annoying, flinched but stayed still, looking at his phone. While this was happening, the hipster entered the student lounge.

“Oh, you two are at it again. Jooyoon, why don’t you make things with me?”

“Come and sit, I’ll be done first, so my right hand will be free.”

“But they usually use alginate to cast hands in plaster.”

“Alginate?”

“Yeah, the stuff they use at the dentist… there’s a soft, pink one. Clay doesn’t dry quickly and breaks easily. Are we going to be staring at each other’s hands all night? And with a hand shape like this, how are you going to remove it cleanly?”

“If there’s something that good, why are you telling me now?”

“Well, this was a clay class, and I only know about it because my family’s late-born child used it in kindergarten.”

First, I roughly removed the clay I had applied to Hyun Jaekyung’s hand, and we all headed to the on-campus art supply store. It was a material I had never heard of or seen before, so I was wondering if I had to order it online, but perhaps because there are many art students on campus, they were selling it.

Hyun Jaekyung, who had tagged along as if he were going to buy some too, just loitered around, asking me to give him any leftovers. Then again, for a handprint, clay would be sufficient.

After buying even the plaster powder and returning to the student lounge, we made the alginate mold as the hipster read the instructions he found online. All we had to do was put our hands in the alginate mixed with water and stay still, so there was no process of kneading Hyun Jaekyung’s hand, which made it much more comfortable for me mentally.

The hipster was explaining how to handle the alginate, then he shut his mouth and only showed me the text that said it would harden within a minute. While the two of us were exchanging glances, Hyun Jaekyung kept whining.

“Ah, this feels weird. It’s like touching a whale’s stomach.”

“Have you ever touched one? Just bear with it.”

“I think it’s hardened…”

“Already? No way, it’s still soft.”

While Hyun Jaekyung’s hand was shackled, the hipster and I put our heads together and started making an otaku sculpture. Unlike Hyun Jaekyung, who had no dexterity to speak of, the hipster was quite good when he tried. It might have been because he could touch the clay much more comfortably since he wasn’t allergic to it.

As we were whispering in low voices and giggling, Hyun Jaekyung, who had been quietly looking at his phone, asked in a loud voice.

“Want to order something to eat? I’m hungry.”

“Already? We just had bread.”

“Is bread a meal?”

He said he liked bread…. But I also felt like my stomach was empty, and the hipster said he was hungry, so we ordered pig’s trotters.

But Hyun Jaekyung, who was the first to suggest eating a late-night snack, seemed unenthusiastic from the menu selection and barely ate. When we split the bill, if he eats less, it’s only a gain for us. After we finished the pig’s trotters, Ha Wonjong, in a charming way, quickly cleaned up.

“Since I’m indebted to Jooyoon. And Hyun Jaekyung can’t use one hand.”

That’s right, Hyun Jaekyung still had his left hand stuck in the alginate, which had hardened a long time ago. I held back my laughter and patted the back of Ha Wonjong, who was also trying hard to keep a straight face.

“Wonjong, you were raised with good table manners.”

“Jooyoon, you’re strangely… like my grandfather. I feel like you see me as a grandson.”

“A grandson!”

Ah, that’s funny. I often think this guy has a cute side to him, so it’s not entirely wrong. I burst out laughing for a moment, and then I suddenly realized that Hyun Jaekyung had been keeping a disturbingly long silence.

Ha Wonjong, oblivious to Hyun Jaekyung’s death glare, went around the student lounge, filling up the trash can.

“It’s already overflowing, we must have thrown away a lot today. While I’m at it, I’ll be a good person to the end.”

“See you later.”

After the door closed, I looked at Hyun Jaekyung, wondering why he was being a pain again. As soon as he felt my gaze, he relaxed his eyes, but his stern expression remained.

“What’s wrong? Do you have indigestion?”

“Are you two dating?”

“What nonsense are you talking about now?”

“You and Ha Wonjong seem to be having a lot of fun?”

“You might not know this, but you don’t have to be dating to treat each other pleasantly.”

“You.”

As the door to the student lounge opened again, Hyun Jaekyung shut his mouth and pretended to be focused on something. Ha Wonjong and I decided to free Hyun Jaekyung only after we finished the characters we were making. When we said we were done, Hyun Jaekyung gently pressed the alginate mold that had swallowed his left hand and tilted his head.

“It’s as hard as before?”

“That’s fully hardened.”

“……”

Honestly, I was looking forward to seeing his reaction when he realized he had been tricked. Because this kind of annoying prank was Hyun Jaekyung’s specialty. And wasn’t he the type to show not a shred of shame, looking up at the sky?

But as expected of a selfish guy, when it happened to him, he made a face as if he had bitten into something foul. Which means his already bad expression got even darker. I thought he might tear the mold apart, but perhaps he had a shred of conscience, as he gently pulled his hand out.

After that, he couldn’t just coolly let it go, so he walked around like a pissed-off elementary school kid, putting things down with a thud or making his footsteps echo. Then he suddenly approached Ha Wonjong and asked in an incredibly cold tone.

“Did you by any chance clean my desk earlier?”

“Desk? I threw away all the trash earlier.”

“Ah, you threw away my mask too.”

“Mask?”

“Fuck, do you know what kind that was!”

That crazy bastard Hyun Jaekyung shouted as if he were exploding. I stood between them, blocking Hyun Jaekyung who was pushing Ha Wonjong.

“What kind of mask is it that you’re getting so angry about?”

“The black one with a valve on the side.”

“Is it expensive?”

“…I don’t know. That, before…”

I held out my palm, signaling that I didn’t want to hear it. If it’s a disposable mask with a valve, I have a bunch of them as spares. A new one that came out as soon as I opened the drawer, I placed it in front of Hyun Jaekyung with a thwack.

“There? Now stop.”

“……”

Hyun Jaekyung, who was showing a bewildered reaction, took it and went to his seat. Poor Ha Wonjong, who was completely terrified, only regained some of his spirit after a physical distance was put between him and Hyun Jaekyung.

“Hey, then why didn’t you tell me it wasn’t trash when I was about to pick it up? You were just sitting there while I was cleaning…”

“……”

“Hyun Jaekyung, Wonjong is talking to you.”

“Who asked you to clean up?”

As Hyun Jaekyung was about to stand up again, I quickly shielded Ha Wonjong from his view.

“Why are you embarrassing your friend over something so trivial? I gave you a new one.”

“Are this and that the same? Are you blind?”

“You look like a fucking ill-mannered teenager getting angry at his mom, it’s not a pretty sight.”

“Did you give birth to Ha Wonjong?”

“What?”

“Okay, mom.”

“You…”

Hyun Jaekyung sat back down on his seat and started grinding something he had picked up, making a grating sound.

Is this guy a university student? Isn’t he acting way too childish? And I felt so sorry for the hipster. I patted Ha Wonjong on the shoulder to encourage him.

“You should say something too when Hyun Jaekyung is being a pain over something ridiculous.”

“…Haha…. I should go before the last bus. Don’t work too hard on your assignment.”

Ha Wonjong tucked his tail and ran away. Like a dog that had been properly bitten on the neck. It’s a bit awkward for me to leave now, I should have stood up when the hipster left. It was uncomfortable to be alone with the nagging Hyun Jaekyung. The only saving grace was the fact that Hyun Jaekyung was keeping his mouth shut.

For now, should I clear my head and try pouring some plaster into the mold I made earlier? If it comes out well, I might as well make a plaster mold of it and use it for a long time. I really wanted to display Hyun Jaekyung’s wrist at the accessory sales event. Stated like this, it sounds a bit gory.

Since I’m going to make silver rings, a dark-colored mannequin would stand out. If I’m short on time, I could probably just paint the plaster with special paint. Most of them are thin rings with cubic zirconia, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be a male hand, but Hyun Jaekyung’s hand would be like a decorative object in itself, so I’m definitely going to make it.

“Ah.”

But pouring the plaster also required more skill than I thought. I took out a plaster lump with a few missing fingers and contemplated what method to try next. If I’m going to submit it as a final assignment, just a straightforward cast won’t do.

It’s a bit ambiguous to apply, so should I add some decoration? I could go with the display hand mannequin as is, but instead of it just being a holder for ready-made jewelry, I could try for a haute couture feel. Since we’re pulling an all-nighter like today, couldn’t I just make both hands? Alginate hardens quickly anyway.

When I looked at Hyun Jaekyung, he was building a wall on the clay plate where he had imprinted my palm earlier. It seems he’s planning to pour plaster into it to make a relief. I waited until he finished his work, then I mixed the alginate with water and asked.

“Are you done now?”

“Yeah, once it hardens.”

“Then, your right hand, please.”

Both of Hyun Jaekyung’s hands were empty. But as soon as I pulled his right hand, didn’t the guy scowl just like in class and swing his arm?

With that force, the container of alginate mixture also went flying and hit the clay figure on the hipster’s workbench. No, it was more like it crashed into it, and if this were bowling, it would have been a strike. I also received a shower of pink slime that looked like Teletubby goo, but I benefited from having diligently worn an apron.

“Ah…”

Hyun Jaekyung looked at the disaster he had left with a bewildered expression and clenched and unclenched his hand. Pretending to be surprised, what a temper! No, is it something to get so worked up about twice? He ruined my work in the classroom earlier, and now he’s crushed the hipster’s too.

“Cut it out, if you don’t like it, say so with words.”

“…That’s-.”

“You really have a shitty personality.”

“Fuck, my leg is half-crippled, so what am I supposed to do? Why are you just grabbing people?”

Leg? You chose your words well.

“If your leg hurts that much, you should have just walked on your hands, shouldn’t you? You were flying around during footvolley. Everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie.”

That’s right, there’s probably nothing that bastard has said so far that isn’t a lie. Except for when he yelled at Yeom Hyejin about why he would date a gloomy otaku like me.

But. Nevertheless, I can’t stoop to the same level. I will achieve my goal in a mature way.

“Give me your right hand so I can cast both. One hand seems too poor.”

“……”

I was trying to get what I wanted while suppressing my anger, but the guy was strangely quiet. Wondering when he would explode again, I looked at Hyun Jaekyung, and his eyes and the area around them were all red, as if he couldn’t overcome his anger.