ASIAH 6
by soapa“If you come today, I’ll bring that art college noona too.”
“Seonhee?”
The previously slumped hipster perked up like a dog that had just been given a rawhide chew. I just watched, unable to tell whether that bastard Hyun Jaekyung was trying to isolate me or if he just didn’t like having his friend taken away. Then, as if trying to include me, the hipster began to describe the art college sunbae he worshipped.
“Ryu Seonhee…. The ace of the painting department and my fucking lady. She definitely said she likes younger guys.”
“When did you get to know an art college sunbae?”
“They have that nude croquis class over there. Hyun Jaekyung said he was taking it, so I did too. I thought my eyes would rot if it was a male model, but it’s worth the risk, isn’t it?”
What a trashy way of thinking. I shouldn’t have asked. Did Hyun Jaekyung also insult art with such impure intentions? As I was feeling secretly disappointed, Hyun Jaekyung chimed in.
“This bastard got the model’s number during the second class and got punched in the solar plexus by that sunbae.”
“Wow, when she hit me, the sky turned yellow, but I don’t think the sunbae meant to hit me that hard. She hit me with a straight face and then came over in surprise. I fell for her when I saw that.”
“She probably didn’t know you were that weak. But her punching form was perfect. Did she do boxing?”
“She’s fucking Snow White, my ice princess…. This won’t do. I have to study hard in class, make a ring, and go find her. You go to AA by yourself.”
“No, I’m telling you I’ll bring that sunbae.”
“You’re not close to her.”
“Who do you think I am?”
“Hyun Jaekyung.”
“Even if I’m not close, I can make it happen. Do you know how often that sunbae comes to the department office?”
“Hah… but that sunbae is way out of your league. Even you have things you can’t do.”
The conversation went back to square one. The two of them had a ceaseless back-and-forth with me in the middle, and the hipster was resisting in his own way. Wanting to end their war of attrition, I spoke to the source of all conflict.
“What are you going to make, Hyun Jaekyung?”
“Huh?”
“Aren’t you doing the assignment?”
“Uh…”
Hyun Jaekyung pulled the paper he had been doodling on and hid it below his chest. What kind of reaction was that? I caught a glimpse of something that looked like a strange potato.
“I like westerns. So I was going to make a revolver, but it’s too hard, so I’m going to make a cowboy hat.”
“A cowboy hat…”
…It doesn’t look like one. It looks more like a seed potato or a meteorite. I thought I saw Hyun Jaekyung’s cheeks flush red. Right, after making something like that, he has the nerve to talk about luring his friend who had just gotten his act together to go clubbing. He has every right to be embarrassed. And he likes westerns? I thought he only liked messing with me.
Feeling a little triumphant, I said something I normally wouldn’t.
“Let’s just do our assignments together instead of fighting.”
And that night, I regretted that suggestion like crazy. It wasn’t easy to saw while ignoring Hyun Jaekyung, who was staring at me in a burdensome way. If I could turn back time, I would not have made such an impulsive remark.
And this bastard Hyun Jaekyung, despite having clearly taken the same class and even laughing at me when I broke a saw blade before, was terrible at it.
“This damn saw blade is stuck again, can you help me get it out? Huh?”
He kept bothering me like this, slowing down my work. On top of that, as midnight approached, he started doing all sorts of things to get rid of the hipster.
“Ha Wonjong, the last bus is coming soon, right? Your mom will worry if you don’t go home.”
“Are you crazy? How many all-nighters have we pulled together?”
“I’ll work on your stuff for a bit. You can go without worrying.”
“You will?”
“I’m damn good at cutting straight lines.”
It was an incomprehensible act, but Ha Wonjong, who honestly seemed to want to go, pretended to think about it before naturally disappearing. As soon as he left, Hyun Jaekyung assumed his usual arrogant posture (propping his chin on the side of the workbench and looking up at me). Setting aside how burdensome it was, he shouldn’t be doing that for safety reasons.
When I tried to push him away with my elbow, I felt his face resisting. What kind of guy is this? But by this point, I found Hyun Jaekyung’s persistence rather amusing. At least today, he’s not treating me like I’m invisible when we’re alone. So maybe I was inclined to treat him a little more generously.
“What now? Why are you staring?”
“Do you like Geum Juri sunbae?”
“Huh?”
“You seem close. Even if you don’t, I think the sunbae might have feelings for you.”
“…Don’t just ship people for your own amusement.”
“Ah!”
Even though I poked him in the forehead with my elbow, pretending it was an accident, Hyun Jaekyung just grinned. The guy leaned back deeply in his chair, tilting his chin up, and looking at him gave me a strange chill down my spine. He spoke in a jeering tone.
“Just anyone? You think Geum Juri sunbae is out of your league?”
“What are you talking about…”
“Then who do you like? Yeom Hyejin? Your fellow outcast Kim Sanna?”
“That’s not what I meant. Just do your assignment, you have to do Wonjong’s too.”
“I’m not Ha Wonjong’s subordinate, why would I?”
What do you mean, why? You said you would. But telling him off at length seemed like a worse option in every way than just ignoring him.
Did he send the hipster away so he could bother me without anyone watching? In the meantime, Hyun Jaekyung’s chair, which was tilted to its limit, was bothering me so much that I instinctively supported the back of it.
“……”
Hyun Jaekyung, seeming to have noticed belatedly, put his weight into it as if he were going to tip the chair over. Annoyed, I let go, and he frantically grabbed the workbench to steady himself. Sighing at the sight, I started sawing again, and Hyun Jaekyung, in turn, grabbed the bench pin.
For the next ten minutes or so, it seemed we were each concentrating. But, as if he had no real intention of doing his assignment, the guy started talking nonsense again.
“Why don’t you talk to our classmates?”
“I do when it’s necessary.”
“You don’t talk to me much.”
Why should I have to talk to you? This guy is completely ridiculous. When I kept my mouth shut, Hyun Jaekyung said with a sullen expression.
“That’s why I thought you liked Geum Juri sunbae.”
“……”
“…Jooyoon, have you ever had a girlfriend?”
“What are you going to do with that information?”
“You seem like you’ve never even talked to a girl, but you’re surprisingly well-connected…”
Half the world is female, and half my family is female, so have I never talked to one? I’m not an involuntary celibate; I’m a voluntary practitioner of premarital chastity. The last time I dated was… maybe around the first year of middle school? It was a cute relationship, in its own way.
After that, I was too busy watching anime to have the time or desire for it, but because I was good-looking, people kept getting drawn to me. Hyun Jaekyung would probably have enjoyed it, but not me. The important thing is not that I can’t date, but that I don’t, and that I worked hard to hide my good looks and my power.
“There are a lot of girls who only look at height, right? And you’re lanky as a pole.”
For some reason, Hyun Jaekyung’s voice sounded a little anxious. There’s no way I could feel that from his condescending tone, so it must be my imagination.
“What a productive curiosity.”
“But if you dated a short girl, I think the girl would be a bit pitiful.”
Ah, fuck… I barely swallowed the curse word. Judging by Hyun Jaekyung’s expression and tone, that comment had a sexual nuance. The bastard, probably thinking I wouldn’t get it, even pointed it out for me one more time.
“Does it not matter if you just lay her down anyway?”
Disgusted, I chose silence, but the chattering mixed with laughter didn’t stop.
“What’s your type? The tall, strong-willed type like that painting department sunbae? Or Eunha noona?”
“Cut it out.”
“Why? If you’re nice to me, I might be able to set you up.”
“Do your female friends know you’re like this?”
“What did I do?”
“You bring up uncomfortable topics when there’s no one else around.”
“You bring up uncomfortable topics when there’s no one else around—.”
“……”
“Our Yoonie is quite the gentleman, isn’t he?”
Don’t give me that “our Yoonie” crap.
“It’s just that you’re trash.”
“I’m trash?”
Hyun Jaekyung looked strangely pleased. I was on the verge of seeing red with anger, but he might just be doing it to provoke me. There’s a reason why there are so many villains with smiling faces in the world.
In any case, I wanted to stop hearing his talk about women, so I openly changed the subject.
“I noticed you don’t smoke.”
“How did you know? You secretly have a thing for me, don’t you?”
“So annoying…”
“Ah, so is that why you don’t talk about girls? Are you gay, Jooyoon? You are, aren’t you. You’re gay? Hey, Joo-gay!”
Hyun Jaekyung seemed excited as he slapped my arm repeatedly. I’d heard the word ‘gay’ so many times, and the spot he hit hurt, so a curse escaped me automatically. Hyun Jaekyung, whether he knew my state or not, continued to talk without being asked.
“I quit smoking. Someone said they didn’t like it.”
Hmm… I don’t know who it is, but we’re on the same page. If Hyun Jaekyung also smelled like cigarettes, I would have disliked him even more. And even if he said he quit, it’s only been about two months since we started college, and I only noticed it recently. Considering his delinquent appeal, it means he smoked when he was a minor too.
Kids who were preparing for art college entrance exams often smoke a lot. I thought that, but I couldn’t stop my image of Hyun Jaekyung from worsening. Is he proud of being experienced in everything early? Only the guys who admire that kind of thing would be proud of it.
Hyun Jaekyung, perhaps thinking I would agree with him, continued to drone on cheerfully.
“How about it, this determination and execution? It’s charming, right?”
“You smoked in high school and then quit.”
“Hah… it was tough. I used to hang out during smoke breaks and wonder why I was torturing myself, so I don’t go anymore.”
“Well, you did say you drank in high school too.”
“Did I say that? Why do you know so much about me? As expected…”
“Are you a delinquent?”
I asked, looking him straight in the eye. I thought it was a rather provocative expression, but with my safety goggles, mask, and overgrown bangs, it was obvious he couldn’t see it.
“Ahahaha!”
But Hyun Jaekyung, who had been looking at me with a blank expression, suddenly burst out laughing. He laughed so hard, clutching his stomach, that it looked like he had come straight out of an anime. Then, as if he had slammed on the brakes, he stopped abruptly and asked in a slightly grim tone.
“So… are you scared?”
Scared? I’m scared his attention-seeking behavior might be contagious. This guy is a bit strong, but as for whether he’s crazy enough to be scared of, that’s not it, so I have no idea where his confidence is coming from.
I once again observed his face. He looked bored with the world, with a languid feel and delicate lines, but perhaps because of his distinct features, he didn’t seem weak. His personality is only like this with me and the hipster, which is why everyone else likes him. If there was a popularity contest, he’d be the type of character who would rank high even without appearing, the type the protagonist dislikes.
Hard to understand? It’s not easy for me to judge this guy either. But he seems to care about what that person who dislikes smoking thinks. The timing to ask who it was had passed, and I wondered what I would do with that information anyway.
It’s obviously someone he likes, right?