COAC 40

“We were supposed to have gamjatang for dinner.”

As soon as the lecture ended, Seo Jeong came over to his seat and asked. Next to him was Kim Chayeon, who looked displeased for some reason.

“Sorry. It just turned out that way. Seo Jeong, but I…”

“Do Hyeonjun.”

Kim Chayeon cut in, interrupting Do Hyeonjun’s words.

“I don’t think you understood me, but our promise comes first. If it’s not something important, come with us.”

“No. I understood everything you said. And I said it was something important.”

“What is this important thing?”

“I found someone to help with my major assignment.”

At Do Hyeonjun’s words, Seo Jeong’s face lit up.

“You found someone to make the object? That’s a relief. Who is it?”

“A sunbae from the sculpture department.”

“Which sunbae.”

There it was again. Kim Chayeon was persistently cutting into the conversation today. It seemed that what Seo Jeong had said at the drinking party a few days ago about the two of them being awkward was weighing heavily on his mind. He was probably trying to fix the awkwardness by having dinner together as a trio, just like usual.

He’d told him so many times that he wouldn’t make it obvious in front of Seo Jeong. Seeing him go this far, it seemed he really didn’t trust his words.

“He’s a fourth-year sunbae. I was planning to talk things over slowly during dinner.”

“You already found a replacement for the person who took a leave of absence? I know that’s not an easy thing to do.”

What was his intention in asking for confirmation again when he’d already heard?

“That’s why I need to thank him over dinner. Anyway, you two have the gamjatang without me.”

“Ah, we can only order both potato and udon noodles if Hyeonjun comes. Oh well, can’t be helped. Let’s just go by ourselves today.”

Seo Jeong smacked his lips as if disappointed, then slung an arm around Kim Chayeon’s shoulder. Kim Chayeon nodded without any particular response.

The solid balance the three of them had built together had started to crumble precariously from the moment he started living with Kim Chayeon.

The time they spent in a space without Seo Jeong was forcibly increased. The more that happened, the more he felt a sense of debt, as if he was stealing Seo Jeong’s time from Kim Chayeon. Kim Chayeon would surely want to be with Seo Jeong, not him.

So, he decided to sit this one out. Because it was fairer for Kim Chayeon to spend time with Seo Jeong.

The appointment he happened to have became a good excuse. It was a relief.

When he came out with Seo Jeong after their last major class ended, Do Hyeonjun witnessed an unexpected sight.

“Kim Chayeon. You’re here already?”

As Seo Jeong smiled brightly and called his name, the corners of Kim Chayeon’s mouth, who had been waiting while leaning against the building wall, lifted slightly. With that one small change in expression, the bustling air momentarily stirred. Watching all the surrounding gazes get sucked toward him, Do Hyeonjun unknowingly stopped walking.

“Mr. Hyeonjun.”

His head, which had been looking at Kim Chayeon, turned to the side.

“Sunbae-nim? Wasn’t the meeting place the gukbap restaurant? Why are you at our department building…”

Kim Chayeon wasn’t the only one waiting. Lee Dojae, who he was supposed to meet at a gukbap restaurant near the school, was standing in the crowd, craning his neck. Some of the gazes that had been focused on Kim Chayeon shifted to him.

“My class ended early. I figured it would save a lot more time if we went together instead of meeting in front of the gukbap place, so I came to find you.”

Lee Dojae said with a friendly smile. He had nearly missed him and made him come all this way for nothing.

“Hyeonjun, who is this?”

Seo Jeong asked quietly, his face full of curiosity.

“A sunbae-nim from the sculpture department.”

“Ah, the one who decided to help with the assignment? Hello! I’m Seo Jeong, Hyeonjun’s best friend. Thanks to you, sunbae-nim, our Hyeonjun has been saved.”

“Oh, then I’m Mr. Hyeonjun’s savior. Right, Mr. Hyeonjun?”

Lee Dojae cheerfully caught the playful words Seo Jeong had tossed out, and a friendly atmosphere was quickly created.

“Yes. That’s right. I’m very grateful.”

He looked at Lee Dojae, who was nodding in satisfaction, and then shifted his gaze slightly. Kim Chayeon had been silent the whole time after giving Lee Dojae a perfunctory greeting. He wasn’t one to talk much with strangers anyway. With the intention of saying they should get going, he lightly tugged on Lee Dojae’s collar.

“Then, let’s have a meal together sometime if we get the chance, Mr. Hyeonjun’s friends.”

“Yes. Sounds good.”

Fortunately, Lee Dojae understood the signal right away. He skillfully wrapped up the conversation, and Seo Jeong’s positive reply was the perfect final note.

“Let’s go now.”

Kim Chayeon, who had been quiet the whole time, opened his mouth. Both Do Hyeonjun, who was about to leave, and Seo Jeong, who was preparing to see them off, looked at him in surprise.

“When are we going to see that sunbae-nim again? I think that chance is today, don’t you?”

What was this? This unexpected behavior, so unlike Kim Chayeon, was baffling. Could he be on guard because Lee Dojae said, ‘Let’s have a meal together sometime’? That’s usually just a polite thing to say.

“Originally, the three of us, including Do Hyeonjun, had made plans first. We were really looking forward to eating together for the first time in a while, but then he said something else came up.”

Why was Kim Chayeon bringing up something that was already over? He understood his desire to protect Seo Jeong, but he wasn’t keen on using Lee Dojae. He frowned slightly and looked at Kim Chayeon. Cut it out. He was a quick-witted guy, so he must have understood, but he pretended not to notice until the end and didn’t look his way.

“If sunbae-nim insists on going as just the two of you, I’ll accept it. What can we do if our promise isn’t that important.”

“Um. I don’t mind, but I’ll follow Mr. Hyeonjun’s opinion. What do you want to do?”

The gazes of the three people focused on Do Hyeonjun at the same time. How did it come to this?

“This is uncomfortable for you, isn’t it? I’m sorry.”

In the end, as they headed to the gukbap restaurant, Hyeonjun whispered quietly to Lee Dojae. Kim Chayeon and Seo Jeong, walking ahead, were already excitedly talking about what to eat, as if they had already arrived at the restaurant. This was the result of deliberately trying to get out of it because he didn’t want to see that sight.

“It’s fine. I’m actually happy that I got more chances to eat with Mr. Hyeonjun.”

Lee Dojae, who had been suddenly roped into eating sundae-guk with people he’d just met, responded heartily. He had thought it since they’d accidentally met at the park, but he really had a great personality. Of course, he must have many friends too. Unlike in the past when it didn’t matter as long as he had Kim Chayeon and Seo Jeong, now Do Hyeonjun needed other people. To be exact, he needed someone new who could help him escape from this suffocating relationship.

While they waited for their food to arrive at the gukbap restaurant, Seo Jeong and Lee Dojae mainly led the conversation.

“Hyeonjun was really worried. You have no idea how relieved he was to hear that he’d found someone to help. But, how do you two know each other?”

“He’s my youngest’s friend. My youngest likes Mr. Hyeonjun so much that he still looks for Mr. Hyeonjun every day.”

“Anyone who hears that would get the wrong idea. It’s about a dog, a dog. I went for a walk with the sunbae-nim’s dog recently.”

He added, lightly scolding Lee Dojae who was being deliberately mischievous.

“I was running in the park, and Somi mistook me for sunbae-nim’s younger brother and followed me.”

Recalling their absurd first meeting, a small laugh escaped him without him realizing. He remembered Lee Dojae, who had followed him with a dazed expression after already finishing an hour-long walk.

“At the park.”

Kim Chayeon, who had been listening silently, said as if for confirmation. Feeling the subtle thorns in his voice, Do Hyeonjun opened his mouth, as if making an excuse, without realizing it.

“That was the first and last time. We didn’t talk about anything personal, and we only found out we went to the same school later by chance.”

Hoping the meaning that he hadn’t mentioned they were living together, so he didn’t have to worry, would be conveyed.

“Somi is the dog’s name? That’s cute.”

It was Seo Jeong’s bright voice that melted the atmosphere that had begun to freeze over coldly.

“Yeah. I don’t know when was the last time someone followed me around because they liked me. I was so moved that I played hard with him for an hour.”

As he added this quite seriously, Kim Chayeon, from across the table, chuckled. The smile that clearly showed his feeling of disbelief on his pretty face captured his attention. Even in the midst of this, to be thinking that face is cute, I’m really hopeless.

“By the way, if you’re a fourth-year, aren’t you busy preparing for your graduation project? It must take a lot of time to prepare a work for the sculpture department.”

Kim Chayeon spoke directly to Lee Dojae for the first time.

“It’s still the beginning of the first semester.”

“Isn’t it more important because it’s the beginning of the semester? If you don’t manage your time well, you can fall behind in an instant. I’m worried that sunbae-nim will have a hard time later because he’ll be busy.”

…Is that really concern? At first glance, it sounded like he was being sarcastic. But Kim Chayeon was the type to speak directly, not someone who would put others down in a roundabout way, so it was ambiguous to conclude.

“Hey. Kim Chayeon. What are you going to do if sunbae-nim says he won’t help me because of that? I really can’t find anyone else. Sunbae-nim, you absolutely can’t back out.”

Do Hyeonjun deliberately feigned distress and grabbed Lee Dojae’s arm.

“Of course. It was a good thing we all came together. If we had eaten just the two of us, I wouldn’t have been able to see this new side of Mr. Hyeonjun.”

It was a moment where he once again felt that Lee Dojae had a great personality. Since he treated him comfortably first, it was not difficult for him to respond in kind. They hadn’t even started the assignment yet, but he already had a good feeling about it.