LCL 42

I was near the school even after class because of a group project. With some time to spare before meeting my group members, I came to a cafe with Lim Dae-han.

Our schedules rarely align, so we don’t usually have time together, but today we got lucky. Lim Dae-han’s elective class was canceled.

I was hungry because I had only eaten a light lunch, but looking at what was on the table made my appetite disappear. I had a mint chocolate frappe, Lim Dae-han had fresh strawberry juice. And between us… a honey bread, something you don’t see often these days.

The frappe was topped with a mountain of whipped cream, and the honey bread was so covered in cream you could barely see the bread. It seemed like I could smell the sweetness without even tasting it.

I took a spoonful of the cream piled high on the frappe. Unlike its appearance, it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet. As I was about to mix it properly, I offered the glass to Lim Dae-han.

Gesturing for him to try it too. Understanding my intention, Lim Dae-han slightly opened his mouth. The gesture seemed natural.

“No, I meant for you to take it yourself…”

If we were at home, I would have fed him already, but I didn’t want to do that in a busy cafe near school. When I nudged the glass towards him insistently, Lim Dae-han made a sulky face but finally took it. Thanks to his lack of picky eating, he ate well. Why did he act like I was going to feed him when he knew better?

Lim Dae-han handed the glass back to me. I stirred the contents with the straw. He pushed the drink completely towards me.

“I’ll try it later.”

I muttered softly, shaking my head. That strawberry juice will definitely be gone in less than five minutes. Sure enough, Lim Dae-han put down the straw and gulped down the juice.

With one sip, half of it disappeared. Watching this silently, I carefully brought up the question I’d been wanting to ask.

“Are you really okay with helping out at the festival for all three days?”

“Yeah, you should do it too.”

“…Why did you agree to help with the festival?”

“Because I’m nice, aren’t I?”

“What are you talking about…”

Lim Dae-han is nice to me, but he’s not a nice person in general. He’s definitely not on the kind side. And he’s even less docile. As someone who’s been with him from high school to university, I know this well.

Even if his personality has mellowed out compared to before, it’s still essentially the same. What kind of nice person asks their senior to buy them this and that, completely shamelessly? Geez. A wry laugh escaped me.

“Be honest. What were you thinking when you agreed?”

“When a senior begs like that, how could a junior refuse?”

“I said be honest.”

As I persistently pressed for an answer, Lim Dae-han touched the inside of his mouth with his tongue. He gave me a look that seemed to ask why I was being so bothersome today, but this is just who I am. And Lim Dae-han knows that well.

We know each other too well. Lim Dae-han smacked his lips slightly and then subtly averted his gaze.

“You want to enjoy the festival, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But if I ask you to hang out with me, you’ll feel awkward and won’t.”

“…”

“So I’m going to keep you stuck at the pub.”

The way he puts it. He could have just said let’s stay at the pub together, but his choice of words was oddly harsh. I tried to make excuses but ended up closing my mouth. Honestly, what he said wasn’t wrong.

It’s not that I wouldn’t hang out with Lim Dae-han, but I might include classmates or friends visiting the school. And if the timing doesn’t work out, we might not be able to hang out at all. There’s a difference between not being able to and choosing not to.

“It’s not like that.”

I tried to deny it, but Lim Dae-han, who had already thought one step ahead, snapped his fingers right in front of my eyes. At the sharp sound, I looked up.

“Don’t go running around with other kids and try to pick up girls or anything.”

“I don’t do that.”

In the end, all I could say were ineffective denials like “It’s not like that” and “I don’t do that.”

“Yeah. Don’t.”

Lim Dae-han responded halfheartedly. Then he proceeded to mercilessly mash the honey bread. Instead of cutting the bread with a knife and fork, he tore it apart.

If you go around trying to pick up girls, this is what will happen to you. Even though Lim Dae-han didn’t say it out loud, I imagined it and felt a chill down my spine. I sat up straight obediently.

The torn bread spilled its cream, screaming for help. I deliberately averted my gaze. Lim Dae-han added, “Anyway, let’s at least be together inside the pub.”

I touched under my nose in embarrassment. I thought it was suspicious that he suddenly wanted to work at the pub, but I guess he had his reasons. I finally properly faced Lim Dae-han, who was tearing the bread with his fork and knife.

Lim Dae-han wasn’t looking at me either. There was a reason the bread was being so miserably mashed. He was pouring all his nerves into the bread.

He was just… embarrassed. I watched him for a while, then cleared my throat and put the straw in my mouth. I sucked the drink like a mosquito sucking blood. Sluuuurp.

“Eat.”

Lim Dae-han pushed the bread towards me.

“Okay, thanks.”

I picked up my fork silently along with my answer. I put a piece of bread heavily coated with cream in my mouth. I offered some to Lim Dae-han, but he shook his head.

After clearing the table, we each did our own thing. Lim Dae-han flipped through his textbook halfheartedly while organizing a group project, and I held a fork with bread in one hand while fiddling with my phone with the other.

Buzz. A short vibration sounded. A message had arrived. I had hoped it was from my group members, but it wasn’t. My expression hardened unconsciously at the series of messages.

Moon Ji-woo: [Student Young-hyun]

Moon Ji-woo: [What are you doing tomorrow?]

The messages were from Moon Ji-woo. Whenever I was alone, he would slyly appear, revealing his cunning intentions while speaking in an overly cute manner.

I thought about ignoring him completely, but the secret this man knew weighed heavily on me. Tomorrow, I didn’t have any plans, but I didn’t want to meet him. I decided to pretend to be busy instead.

Me: [I have to go to my part-time job tomorrow]

In fact, I don’t have any part-time job, but…

Moon Ji-woo: [What about the day after tomorrow?]

Me: [That day too]

My fingertips pressed harder on the keypad. Even though I said I was busy, Moon Ji-woo was persistent and didn’t seem to understand.

Moon Ji-woo: [What about the weekend?]

Me: [I’m busy on the weekend]

Moon Ji-woo: [Because of dating?]

Me: [No]

Me: [But why?]

Me: [Don’t think about blackmailing me!!]

Lim Dae-han often told me I was hot-blooded. That I get upset easily. At the time, I thought it was just simple teasing and didn’t pay much attention, but now I understood.

Suddenly, anger welled up in me without realizing it. I frowned deeply and even added an exclamation mark before sending.

“…”

I felt a gaze from nearby. Lim Dae-han, sitting across from me, was staring at me silently. Meeting his gaze made me more determined.

Lim Dae-han, don’t worry. I’ll handle this myself. Even though I might look weak, I’m someone who dealt with Ki Young-han too. Although the lingering resentment from a few years ago is still scary.

Anyway, I was the one who won in the fight between brothers where knives and spears were flying.

Moon Ji-woo: [I’m not thinking of blackmailing]

Moon Ji-woo: [Let’s eat, go to a cafe, I’ll pay for everything]

Moon Ji-woo: [I just want to get close]

Moon Ji-woo: [I don’t have any friends]

It shows. I started typing ‘It shows’ but then deleted it, thinking it wasn’t right. Why does he want to meet? I pondered deeply.

If it’s not blackmail, could it be… Is this Moon Ji-woo person also dating a man? Is that why he wants to be friends? That’s even more absurd.

I’m dating a man, and my brother is too, but if Moon Ji-woo is the same, then Jung Ji-pil and Park In-gong must be dating men too.

In place of the brief, intense anger that had disappeared, only questions remained. I tilted my head in confusion. As my thoughts delved deeper, I even pushed out my lips.

Thud thud- A heavy vibration sounded along with a steady impact on the table. When I came to my senses and met his gaze, Lim Dae-han had his fist on the table.

“Huh?”

I made a stupid sound. Lim Dae-han hugged a cushion that was in the empty space. Somehow, his expression was unusually sullen, unlike his usual self.

“Ah, um…”

“I asked who it was.”

When did he ask? I must have been so focused on the messages that I didn’t hear him asking. Stammering, I explained the situation to him.

“Ah, that… that guy we met earlier.”

“Central library?”

“Yeah, he said he’d buy me a meal.”

It’s not uncommon for seniors to buy meals for juniors. Our department seniors also tried to buy us meals whenever they had the chance. Of course, the problem was that he was from the Business Administration department and I was from the Economics department.

We were from completely different departments and hadn’t had any contact before. It did seem a bit strange. As expected, Lim Dae-han seemed uncomfortable. His crooked gaze was directed at me. One eyebrow was raised.

“What does he know so well that he wants to buy you a meal?”

That’s what I’m saying. I agree with Lim Dae-han’s opinion. He must be concerned. I wanted to tell Lim Dae-han that there was nothing to worry about.

I wasn’t particularly bothered even if Senior Seong-hong tried to take Lim Dae-han out a hundred times. I just wondered why he was bothering someone who clearly didn’t want to go.

I just shrugged my shoulders. Unsatisfied with my response, Lim Dae-han asked again.

“Are you going?”

“Well, he said he’d buy me a meal…”

“Looks like he wants to get close to you.”

“I don’t know.”

Despite my indecisive answer, which could have been irritating, Lim Dae-han just rolled the pen between his fingers. Meanwhile, I sent a reply to Moon Ji-woo.

The day Lim Dae-han went to the soccer club was the only time I had free time. At other times, I wanted to go home and be alone with him.

Me: [Let’s eat on Thursday. Do you want to eat lunch or dinner?]

Whatever Moon Ji-woo says, I will endure it. Let’s see how the situation unfolds. I hoped I could handle it on my own as much as possible.

If that’s not possible… Lim Dae-han would probably resort to violence first, so that’s not an option. Should I ask Ki Young-han or Ye-jun hyung for help?

Anyway. There were many people who could help me. Am I the type to depend heavily on others? I’m not sure about this.

Moon Ji-woo: [I thought you had a part-time job?]

Me: [I thought about it and I don’t think I need to go]

Moon Ji-woo: [So you lied?]

Me: [If you don’t like it, forget it]

Moon Ji-woo: [I like Thursday too because I can do my part-time job on another day lolㅋㅋㅋ]

Moon Ji-woo: [Pizza and beer?]

Me: [Just pizza]

Moon Ji-woo: [Let’s drink beer too~]

“…”

Why does this person talk like this? Acting all polite in person, calling me “Student Ki Young-hyun” this and that.

His failed attempt at aegyo made me feel like throwing up. I don’t really want to drink… I typed that I don’t like beer.

But I’ll probably end up drinking… I’m originally easy to persuade and quick to give in. Like a sheet of paper, I tend to fold easily under a bit of pressure. And well… with Moon Ji-woo.

To be honest, even though Moon Ji-woo made me uncomfortable and I didn’t like him, there was a tiny part of me that felt slightly more comfortable with him than with other people I’ve met at university.

It seemed to be because of the question of whether he knew about my relationship with Lim Dae-han or not. Whatever his reasons for approaching me, for now…

“Lim Dae-han.”

“Yeah?”

“Is it okay if I have some beer on Thursday? I don’t think I’ll drink enough to get drunk. You have soccer then, right?”

“Ask if you can bring along another cute dongsaeng to hang out. If money’s an issue, say I’ll pay.”

“Cute dongsaeng?”

“He said he’s older than us, right?”

Could he possibly be referring to himself as the cute dongsaeng? I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurd joke. Lim Dae-han responded with a serious face, without his typical playful smile.

“Just ask, once.”

In the end, I waved it off.

“Forget it. No way.”

Of course, I enjoy hanging out with Lim Dae-han the most, but this was one person I shouldn’t introduce. The guy said it wasn’t a threat, and I probably couldn’t say anything in front of Lim Dae-han anyway, but still… I shook my head.

“I’ll meet him alone first, and if it seems okay, I’ll introduce you. It feels a bit weird to meet together since he’s not even in our department.”

“Do that then.”

The affirmative response came more readily than I expected. I’m glad he didn’t get upset, as I thought he might. Well, why would he have any reason to be upset?

I bit my lip and glanced at him cautiously. Lim Dae-han, who had been fiddling with his phone with a disinterested face, looked up to check my expression. Then, a beat later, he pulled up the corners of his mouth. This was the Lim Dae-han I knew.

“I’m not going to eat you. Stop being so cautious.”

As if I thought he was going to eat me. What a ridiculous assumption.

Unaware of my lukewarm gaze, Lim Dae-han checked his phone and said,

“Class is over. Let’s go meet him.”

“Who?”

“Choi Ki-joon.”

There’s nothing in the group chat though.

“How do you know?”

I asked Lim Dae-han as he was packing up.

“Because I got a KakaoTalk message.”

“There’s nothing in the group chat though?”

“Ah, I guess he just messaged me.”

“…You two must have gotten close?”

“Hahaha.”

Lim Dae-han suddenly laughed out loud at something that wasn’t even funny. But that was all the answer he gave. There was no further explanation.

“Did you really get close? With Ki-joon? Hey, Lim Dae-han.”

I called out to him, but Lim Dae-han just packed up silently, trying hard to suppress his laughter.