ASIAH 43

I did that on purpose, pretending I couldn’t play basketball, so aren’t they making too much fun of it? But it seemed everyone had dismissed their suspicions.

“You’re right. Only their heights are similar.”

“Wow… this is a great example of what happens when the hardware is similar but the software is different.”

“Joshua of the basketball court is a chiseled beauty, and Jooyoon is just chiseled off.”

Hyun Jaekyung added words that didn’t even need to be said. Why would he say something like that? I’m quite the chiseled beauty myself. I needlessly adjusted my mask and secretly glared at him. This is why they say even a jewel is worthless if you hide it away and look at it by yourself.

Not that I plan on showing it, though…

Around midnight, the smokers went out in a group, but Hyun Jaekyung didn’t follow. Then, a beat later, he started gathering his cigarettes, so I stood up too, thinking I’d grab a drink from the vending machine.

After leaving the studio, we walked silently, one in front of the other. I naturally assumed we would part ways at the fork between the smoking spot and the vending machine, but Hyun Jaekyung, who was walking ahead, turned toward the vending machine.

“Weren’t you going for a smoke?”

“…”

Hyun Jaekyung, who was unusually quiet today, put money into the machine. Then he pointed at the drink he had once described as ‘something even a dehydrated dog wouldn’t lick.’ When I meekly pressed the button, he handed me the can that clunked down.

“I’m not giving this to you to mess with you, so take it.”

“What’s the occasion?”

“Because you don’t smoke.”

“Hmm.”

Because I might be bored by myself? That’s quite… friend-like. It seemed like a purely heartwarming situation, yet for some reason, I felt restless.

“Do you want something to drink too?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

He went to a stone staircase far away from where our classmates were and sat on the railing. It was a mystery why every single one of his movements was so stylish, even though he was about to burn a carcinogen. When I went and stood in front of him, Hyun Jaekyung stopped with the cigarette in his hand.

But for some reason, he seemed uncomfortable with my gaze. It wasn’t the first time he’d smoked in front of me, so why the sudden shyness?

The moment I was about to take a step aside, he lit his lighter and lit the cigarette. What is this déjà vu? I felt like I had stood right in front of him like this and watched him smoke before.

Is it because I’ve imagined various poses while thinking about using Hyun Jaekyung as a model?

The various rings he wore reflected the red embers. Looking at them, I wondered when I would get to make rings like that. We’d be making individual rings for our finals, but that was more like filing training, and the simple bands we were making for the market were the basics of the basics. Looking at such a finished product, I even felt a sense of respect.

I also thought that his hands were the best as ring hangers. Even something I made wouldn’t look like a low-level student project if that bastard were wearing it.

“But don’t you wear any with jewels?”

“No money.”

“What do you mean no money… What about fakes?”

“Not really? Is there any reason for a guy to wear a cocktail ring? He’d look like the boss from Alibaba’s gang.”

“I was talking about something like a melee diamond. And for your information, Alibaba isn’t a thief.”

“Thieves who’ve thieved are thieves.”

“Ah.”

So he did know what he was talking about. Before we made up, he probably would have responded with something like, “A diamond? Are you gonna marry me or something?” I feel like I should be happy that Hyun Jaekyung is saying fewer weird things, but I can’t deny that it feels anticlimactic for some reason.

My goodness, I’ve been acting like some kind of masochist.

The wind changed direction, and the acrid smoke washed over me. When I automatically coughed, Hyun Jaekyung stood up and moved to the back. For that Mr. Hyun Jaekyung, who used to blow smoke right in my face, to be considerate of me.

As Hyun Jaekyung acted like someone who wasn’t good with words, we were easily enveloped in silence. But strangely, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Gradually, I could hear sounds from the mountainside, like something rustling through the undergrowth or the chirping of insects.

With nothing much to do, I observed Hyun Jaekyung’s fingertips holding the cigarette, his lips, his jaw. At some point, being alone with him suddenly started to feel suffocating. Even though I had been perfectly fine just a moment ago.

My throat was parched, so I just kept gulping down my drink, not even knowing what it tasted like. Was it a shitty-tasting drink like Hyun Jaekyung said, and did I just insist I liked it because nobody else did? To pretend I had a unique taste.

Anyway, I felt like I had to break this silence by chattering about something.

“Why didn’t you come to watch the cleanup this morning? Did you really oversleep?”

“…Yeah.”

“It was boring doing it alone.”

“Really?”

“It’s strange, what’s so pretty about a guy who doesn’t even help?”

While I was awkwardly rambling, Hyun Jaekyung just stared off into the distance. Then, after a long while, he chuckled and said.

“You little punk, I was cheering for you in my head, fighting, fighting.”

“No wonder.”

Seeing a Hyun Jaekyung-like reaction after so long, I felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Getting a little excited, I pretended to be affable and gently tugged at his fingers.

“You’re wearing a lot. Let me see.”

Hyun Jaekyung flinched but let himself be pulled along obediently, stubbing out his cigarette.

“You want to try one on?”

“These things don’t suit me.”

“What do you mean they don’t suit you? Fashion is all about attitude.”

That one dimple felt like I was seeing it for the first time in an even longer while. My internal clock must be messed up. Hyun Jaekyung took off the signet ring on his right middle finger and tried to put it on the same spot on my hand, but it wouldn’t go past the first knuckle. Hyun Jaekyung laughed awkwardly and muttered.

“Whoa, tight hole.”

“Ugh.”

I take back what I said about being relieved that he was acting like his usual self. How could he say something like that even in a situation like this? Goosebumps shot up on the back of my neck, and I tried to pull my hand back, but he grabbed my ring finger. When it again failed to go past the second knuckle, he grabbed my left hand this time.

“You’re right-handed, right? Then your left hand might be more delicate.”

“Uh, uh…”

The word delicate doesn’t even suit my pinky finger. But, just as Hyun Jaekyung said, my left ring finger did seem a bit thinner than my right. It was a bit of a struggle getting it over the knuckle, but then it slid on smoothly.

Hyun Jaekyung, a guy who looks cool every moment, even looked stylish putting a ring on someone else’s hand. Watching him, some nonsense slipped out.

“I gladly accept your proposal.”

“…”

“Ah, ah!”

He must have been really pissed off, because Hyun Jaekyung lunged at the ring he had just put on and tried to force it off. But it got stuck at the same tight spot as before, and it felt like my knuckle was going to be crushed.

“Hey! Ow, ow, I’ll take it off, I said I’ll take it off. I’m not gonna steal it, you psycho.”

Even on the way to the bathroom, he was doing all sorts of things, like spinning the ring on my finger. After I finally gave it back with the help of some soapy water, I saw that the cheap bastard’s face was completely red. How worried was he that I was going to steal his ring?

I’m not that kind of guy, and he’s rich, so why is he so stingy… no, could it be that he received it from someone?

“…You’re the one who put it on me first. Is it an heirloom or something?”

“It doesn’t suit you. Never wear a ring for the rest of your life.”

“Whatever, I’m going to wear one.”

When I cupped my hands as if to steal all his rings, Hyun Jaekyung shrieked.

“Get lost!”

I’m not going to get lost, you know? And was it an heirloom? But design-wise, it definitely didn’t have that feel. The feeling of having successfully teased Hyun Jaekyung wasn’t bad. Though if I had taken it off just a little later, my finger ligament might have been sprained.

But to tell me to never wear a ring for the rest of my life? I’ll be making them myself, and I’ll get married someday, so I’ll probably have a chance to wear one before I die. That’s what I thought, but it felt like if I went against Hyun Jaekyung’s words, as if believing in a fortune, bad luck would come my way.

Well, I’ve never really wanted to get married to a real person before, so it’s a thought that’s too vague to even be called counting my chickens before they hatch. For some reason, I feel like I’ll be pushed into marriage, but if I want to live happily without it, I need to find an anime that moves my soul… Lately, maybe because I’m being hounded by Hyun Jaekyung, every day is newly tiring, so I don’t even think about trying. It’s like whining about wanting a girlfriend while turning down all the blind dates.

The next day, Hyun Jaekyung came out to watch the morning cleanup again. It seemed my comment about being bored doing it alone had worked. But instead of standing at the doorway to supervise or sitting at my desk to get attention, he was washing the rags.

I was so touched that I just stared at him for about 20 seconds. That must have been long enough to make it awkward, because a sharp remark immediately flew my way.

“Lower your damn eyes.”

But I could tell he was embarrassed. This was basically <My Jaekyung Has Changed>, wasn’t it? As I savored the touching moment and finished up, Hyun Jaekyung quickly put away my share of the cleaning tools as well and came back.

After that, Hyun Jaekyung and I hung out without any major issues and naturally ended up pulling all-nighters together. Since I was no longer monitoring or wary of him like before, being with him was quite comfortable. In fact, after the MT, Hyun Jaekyung acted so demurely that Yeom Hyejin and Ha Wonjong were disappointed.

“Hyun Jaekyung, you’re really not going? AA?”

“Yeah, go by yourself.”

“Traitor.”

In other words, I didn’t have to see him with a rotating cast of girls, and I didn’t have to hear about his new one-night stand exploits through Ha Wonjong’s mouth. It also meant I didn’t have to see him hungover, but for some reason, he occasionally looked as tired as he did back then.

It’s only natural, since we’re pulling a lot of all-nighters.

But… I was definitely annoyed by the loud attention-seeker Hyun Jaekyung, but even after getting the rehabilitation of Hyun Jaekyung that I had so wanted, I felt strange. The saying that people do things they don’t normally do when they’re about to die came to mind, and anyway, something felt awkward and unsettling.

It’s a needless worry.

It’s not like he had done a complete one-eighty. Hyun Jaekyung still occasionally made dirty jokes, smoked, and as for alcohol… right, he didn’t even pester me to go drinking. Even though he had said something about needing to go out drinking far away to make friends.

…Maybe it’s not a needless worry?

It’s not that I want to be subtly bullied by Hyun Jaekyung and hear his curses again. During basketball practice for the athletic meet, Hyun Jaekyung is flying all over the court. He just doesn’t commit absurd fouls against me anymore.

To feel awkward about him returning to a common-sense trajectory, I must have gone through a lot. Am I not just dazed, like a slave who has just been set free? It seems I had unconsciously come to perceive Hyun Jaekyung’s bullshit as a part of my daily life.

I should just ignore it and do my work. I painted the plaster cast I had made of Hyun Jaekyung’s left hand. To make the rings stand out, I mixed indigo with dark gray.

The rings I was submitting for the market were targeted at women, so the only part of Hyun Jaekyung’s hand mannequin I could use was the pinky finger. I wasn’t even sure if it would fit, but I was actually aware… especially after realizing last time that my fingers are a bit thicker than Hyun Jaekyung’s.

Still, the hand sculpture itself is pretty, so even just placing the ring on the palm would look quite nice. I’ll be making rings that fit later anyway, so I’m very satisfied.

Hmm.

This sounds a bit strange, but what I mean is that I’ll be making men’s rings, not that I’ll be making rings for Hyun Jaekyung to wear. Hyun Jaekyung’s hands also seem bigger than average, but don’t they say that the hands of the statue of David are also disproportionately large?

…Why did I bring up the statue of David? Let’s move on.