ETP Ch 38

It was strange. He’d clearly had no appetite just five minutes ago. But when did he eat all this?

Seongyeon stared at the two empty bowls.

He’d devoured the spicy ox blood soup and the refreshing bean sprout soup alternately with such gusto that beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

“Where did the person who said they had no appetite go?”

“I wonder.”

Seongyeon wiped the sweat from his brow, avoiding Yoohyun’s gaze.

He looked cute with his prim expression, unaware that the tissue was stuck to his forehead because of the sweat. Yoohyun didn’t suppress the smile that crept onto his face.

“All done?”

“Yes!”

Unlike before, he liked Bokseung’s energetic reply.

Yoohyun glanced around the table and stood up. One bowl or two, he figured it was fine as long as the kid ate well.

However, Bokseung seemed to have a different opinion, looking up at Yoohyun with an expression of utter regret. It seemed he couldn’t bear to leave the remaining three bowls untouched.

In the end, Yoohyun gave in.

“Can we get these packed up, please?”

Yoohyun asked a passing employee to pack the remaining three bowls. Bokseung immediately transformed back into a bright, steamed bun.

Given the choice between a sad steamed bun and a happy steamed bun, the latter was the obvious choice.

Yoohyun carefully placed the heavy bag containing the three bowls of hangover soup in the back seat of his car.

“Not late yet, are you?”

“For school?”

“Yeah, for class.”

“No! I’m not late.”

Seongyeon checked the time on his phone as he spoke. There was still plenty of time before his 10 a.m. class. This was why having a car was so great.

Bokseung’s round face bobbed in agreement.

Yoohyun wondered what the kid was thinking about now. It was entertaining just watching him lost in his own world. He thought Yuja, as a human, might be like this.

Yuja was also the type to purr and entertain himself without Yoohyun having to actively play with him.

“Get out.”

They’d arrived at the school gates.

Seongyeon, suppressing his desire to melt into the plush car seat, said goodbye.

“Thank you so much for today! Have a good class, Sunbae-nim!”

Seongyeon bowed his head so deeply that his forehead almost touched the gear stick.

“I don’t have morning classes today.”

“What?! But then why…!”

Bokseung’s eyes widened. Although, with his swollen eyelids, more than half of his pupils were still hidden.

Yoohyun glanced at the packaged hangover soup he’d brought for Bokseung before speaking.

“Come to the parking lot after your afternoon classes and take this.”

“Ah! Right, I’ll take it now.”

“It’s fine, no need to carry something heavy around all day.”

Yoohyun replied to Bokseung and opened the car door for him. It was a clear signal to get out without further ado.

It was true; there were only about five minutes left before class started. They might be late if they kept bickering about hangover soup.

Seongyeon had no choice but to bow his head again and get out of the car.

“Have a good…!”

Before he could finish his short farewell, the car sped off. It was very fast. Seongyeon had to hurry too. Being late under Bokseung’s name was absolutely unacceptable.

9:59 a.m.

Arriving at the classroom with one minute to spare, Seongyeon caught his breath.

The Beagle Trio were already sitting in the front row.

“Bokseung’s here…?!”

“Bokseung?!”

“Huh? Our Bokseung’s face…!”

The trio, who had turned around to greet him after hearing the rustling sound behind them, gasped in shock.

He was so swollen he was almost unrecognizable.

“Hi.”

Seongyeon shyly waved, embodying Bokseung. His voice, which had recovered somewhat, was now hoarse again from running from the school gates.

Well, he didn’t look very “hi” at all.

The trio had a lot to say to Bokseung, but the professor’s arrival forced them to close their mouths.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

It was break time, halfway through the lecture.

However, Seongyeon couldn’t enjoy the true meaning of break time. It was even more tiring than the lecture itself.

The Beagle Trio were taking turns grilling him.

“No, what happened? Why are you like this?”

Jihoon held Bokseung’s puffy cheeks with a worried expression.

“Did you eat something bad? Are you allergic to something?”

Minjun pointed cautiously at Bokseung’s red eyelids with a serious look.

“There’s a really sad drama airing these days, did you binge-watch it?”

Hyunah applied lip balm to Bokseung’s chapped lips, tilting her head.

Seongyeon shook his head at the trio. None of their guesses were correct.

“Um, I drank too much yesterday.”

As soon as he spoke, the trio’s eyes bulged out. Their jaws dropped open in shock. They seemed too stunned to respond.

It was incredibly embarrassing. Feeling his face flush, Seongyeon simply smiled.

Despite being first-year university students, an age where overdrinking was common and often done, the trio thought it was a million light-years away from Bokseung’s image.

No, not just the trio, but everyone who knew Bokseung would probably think the same.

Seongyeon recalled his past life, where he’d overindulged regularly. He hadn’t received such a reaction when he was Lee Seongyeon. This was why image was so important. He realized it once again.

“Overdrinking?! With who?!”

That seemed to be what they were most curious about. Avoiding their burning gazes, Seongyeon pointed at himself.

“Alone.”

That only intensified their stares.

“Why alone?! You should have called us!!”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, who told you to drink so much alone?!”

He could almost see fire coming out of their mouths. They seemed indignant that Bokseung had dared to drink alone.

Did they really want to see their school friends, whom they saw almost every day, on the weekend too?

Seongyeon had always kept his work and personal life strictly separate. Seeing colleagues on weekends was one of his biggest no-nos.

But it seemed different with Bokseung’s friends.

Thinking that the mindset of a 20-year-old was truly unfathomable, Seongyeon responded with an awkward smile.

However, the trio weren’t going to let it slide.

“This won’t do, let’s meet this Sunday!”

Hyunah exclaimed after checking her calendar app. The other two vehemently agreed. They resembled excited beagles presented with a new toy.

Seongyeon shook his head at the suddenly formed weekend gathering.

He had to work part-time every Sunday, without exception. Yesterday had been a truly special case.

“Um, I don’t think I can because of my part-time job…”

Upon hearing this, the three simultaneously narrowed their eyes at him, clearly expressing their displeasure.

“What are you talking about, Bokseung? This gathering is meaningless without you.”

Minjun smiled as he gently pressed down on Bokseung’s shoulders. Hyunah, placing her hand on top of Minjun’s, also smiled and said,

“I know your part-time job schedule, Bokseung. It starts at 6 p.m., right? We can hang out all day before then.”

Like building a three-story stone pagoda, Jihoon placed his hand on top of Hyunah’s, shaking his blond hair and nodding.

“Of course, of course. We’re not the kind of inconsiderate friends who would steal your work hours. So you’ll come, right?”

All three of them showed benevolent smiles. As if they’d never narrowed their eyes, they exuded an air of utter peace.

Seongyeon, on the other hand, felt utterly miserable.

However, he was weak against young people. Moreover, these were friends who sincerely cared for Bokseung, so it was natural for him to melt in front of them.

“W-well then! Of course, I have to go if it’s with you guys…!”

“That’s what I thought!”

“Bokseung’s the best!”

Excited, they marked the date on their calendar apps.

They were quite impulsive, but the way they chattered amongst themselves, shoulders shaking, was quite endearing.

Seongyeon also entered the appointment into his calendar app.

The calendar, which had been packed with memos written by Bokseung until the beginning of September, had become empty during Seongyeon’s time as Bokseung. Only after adding this appointment did a small memo appear on the October calendar.

Seongyeon’s expression hardened as he looked at the empty weeks.

The calendar would never again be filled with memos like before.

Feeling a bittersweet pang of regret, Seongyeon looked through the memos Bokseung had written.

Most of them were about clinic appointments, group projects, and his part-time job. They weren’t much different from the entries in his own calendar back home.

“……?”

He scrolled up, looking at the memos from months ago. Amidst the meticulous notes, a single, discordant sentence caught his eye.

[Blocked Kim Taeun’s number, 4th time]

Who is this person that he keeps blocking? And what’s with the number?

A faint wrinkle appeared between Bokseung’s eyebrows. It was a name Seongyeon had never heard Bokseung mention. But the person he could ask about this had already left his side.