LCL 64

“Why do you always go to and from school together but pretend not to know each other at school? Why were you two out separately earlier? Why did you secretly give Dae-han a hangover cure?”

“…”

“Why does Dae-han keep looking for you when he’s drunk? When seniors ask to bring you, why does he drink everything saying you can’t drink and it’s no fun for you? If you’re just friends, it shouldn’t matter, right? It’s better to share the drinks. I didn’t understand why he bothered acting like a white knight to get this drunk.”

There was a reason he got unusually drunk. It was to protect me. The seniors must have asked to bring me once they noticed me there, and Lim Dae-han, knowing I’d be uncomfortable, blocked it all alone.

Now I understood the situation. Still, did he need to drink this much? What an idiot.

“You both have girlfriends, right?”

My head got heavier with each rapid-fire question. So, so…I quietly looked at Lim Dae-han, who was sleeping while holding my hand, face-down. So…

“…Actually, neither of us has a girlfriend.”

I couldn’t look at the senior.

“The relationship we said we’ve had since high school…it’s me and Dae-han.”

The senior didn’t say anything. I bit down hard on my lower lip. 

“This is why we pretended not to know each other. But it must have been obvious.” I took a short breath instead of sighing.

“…So, the two of you are dating.”

The senior muttered in a somewhat self-deprecating voice. I lowered my eyes and answered quietly in a small voice.

“…Yes.”

“I was right.”

“…”

“You should have been more careful outside. On the first day of the MT, you two went to sleep first, right?”

Anyway, it seemed like our relationship appeared strange to the senior. I wonder if it seemed that way to others too. Not just Moon Ji-woo, but others as well.

Despite being drenched in sweat, I felt a chill crawl up and down my spine. The ache that started at my temples spread to the back of my head. I raised my anxious eyes to meet her gaze.

“Don’t worry. It’s not very noticeable. I just figured it out on my own. Once I became aware, I kept noticing things.”

“How did you find out? During…the MT?”

“I noticed something strange even before that.”

“…”

“Dae-han kept looking. At you and your friends. When I asked if he wanted to get closer to his classmates since he wasn’t close to you guys right then, he said he wasn’t interested, but he kept looking. At first, I thought he was looking at the girls, but as it turned out, he was looking in a different direction.”

Honestly, Senior Hyuna’s story was unfamiliar to me. I was often with my classmates waiting for class, but had no idea Lim Dae-han was looking at me.

I only noticed his gaze when I looked at him and Senior Hyuna because I was concerned about the two of them together.

“So I thought Dae-han just had a one-sided crush. Even though he said he had a girlfriend, I thought liking someone was different, so I tried in my own way, but gradually…you two started sticking together more often. …But it turns out you were dating.”

“…”

“You’ve been dating since high school and were hiding it all along, right?”

The senior muttered in a low voice. I rubbed my eyes. Fatigue suddenly washed over me right then. I wanted nothing better than to go home and rest.

I just wanted to run away from here and to go home. What if she spreads rumors? I was suddenly afraid of the arrival of tomorrow.

I had boasted that I’d retake the entrance exam and go to another university if necessary, but I was scared of hostile emotions. Jung Ji-pil and Park Yeo-seon were good people. They naturally accepted the relationship between Lim Dae-han and me. But I didn’t know about the other.

I cautiously opened my mouth, watching her reaction the entire time.

“Sunbae, but…”

“Just call me Noona. What’s with the ‘sunbae’?”

“Uh…Noona, but…”

“Mm,” Senior Hyuna responded briefly.

“Could you…keep our relationship a secret…?”

“What would I gain from spreading rumors? I’m living a normal department life now, but I know how hard it is when bad rumors spread about you as a freshman. I even took a leave of absence, remember?”

The nature of rumors in high school and university was different. Just taking off a school uniform raised the level unimaginably. I couldn’t ask Senior Hyuna, no, Noona, what rumors there were about her. Just asking could bring up hurtful memories and I didn’t want to do that to her. Instead, I bowed my head and said, “Thank you.”

“In return, you keep a secret too, Young-hyun.”

“…What secret?”

“That I told you I was going to confess to Dae-han.”

“Were you really going to confess to him?”

“Of course not.”

Noona put a cigarette in her mouth. After lighting it, she inhaled and continued speaking as she exhaled smoke. She spoke with a dejected laugh.

“If I really wanted to confess, I could have done it anytime. We take classes together, so we run into each other often. But I wanted to hear it directly whether you two were dating or what. I felt like I needed to hear it straight out of your mouths to sort out my feelings. How could I like someone who’s the department CC? But when he gets drunk, he only talks about you. I’m not even interested. He was saying how cute you are, and he called you, ‘That punk.’”

Hearing about your lover’s sappy behavior from someone else was quite uncomfortable. My face flushed, and I fanned myself. Still, I was glad Hyuna noona wasn’t a bad person at all. You know how some people would do just about anything when blinded by love.

Even I ran a 30-minute distance in 15 minutes, blinded by jealousy.

“But, how did Dae-han get here? I…uh, thought he came here after your confession.”

“He said he was drunk, so I was going to take him home and go back to school. But suddenly in the taxi, the alcohol hit him and he collapsed. What could I do? I thought he’d be okay if he got some fresh air…But this happened. You were worried, right? I’m sorry.”

Hyuna noona took out a card from her phone case.

“Want to have some beer together before you go? Well, it’s the first time we’ve gotten close like this.”

“Ah. Um…”

I looked down at Dae-han. He was sleeping so well. Suddenly, I felt angry and wanted to pull his hair.

Why does he make people worry so much?

Still, it was a relief that he was sleeping with a tired face, hopefully without a hangover. My gaze shifted from him to Noona. I nodded my head.

“I think I can’t drink much because I need to go home. And I have to take care of him too.”

“I’ll go buy a four-pack and some snacks. Wait here.”

“…Thank you.”

While the senior went into the convenience store to buy some beer, I put my lips to Lim Dae-han’s ear.

“Lim Dae-han, just try drinking like this again. Got it?”

“Ki Young-hyun…”

“What?”

“…Give me a kiss.”

Instead of a kiss, I pinched his cheek. Lim Dae-han didn’t even flinch as if it didn’t hurt. It made me even more annoyed.

In the midst of all this, what worried me was that I would have to drag this guy home later. To exaggerate a bit, how am I supposed to take this boulder of a guy home alone? Should I order a tow truck…?

* * *

“It’s hot…”

It was the end of the semester, with summer just around the corner. In fact, it was so hot that it was hard to even call it early summer.

It’s so hot…I touched my cheek with the back of my hand. My cheek was burning. I was still weak from the heat. All I wanted was to rest under a cool air-conditioner. I wanted to get to the lecture hall quickly.

“It’s so hot I could die.”

Why is the School of Business so far from the College of Liberal Arts where I take my elective classes? I thought about taking the shuttle bus, but there would be too many people at the stop at this hour and I didn’t want to wait, so I chose to walk. Now I regret it immediately. Even though I was just on my way back from submitting an assignment, it was too much.

Of all places, the College of Liberal Arts was in a corner of the campus with many hills. I touched my forehead, feeling dizzy. My breathing came out in rougher spurts by the minute.

“This is tough….”

I stood still in my spot. I tried sticking out my tongue, but of course, that wouldn’t make the heat go away. If it was already like this now, I was scared to think about what it would be like going forward heading into the height of summer.

Maybe it’ll be okay since I’ll just be staying at home anyway. Oh, come to think of it, I think Lim Dae-han has to go back to his family home during the break.

He said he needed to spend time with his family and help his parents with work. Should I go home and stay with my parents too…After all, Lim Dae-han wouldn’t be around.

Whew! I sighed deeply and fanned myself with my hand.

“Young-hyun!”

A high-pitched voice rang in my ear. Startled, I immediately stepped back. It turned out to be Hyuna noona. Gosh, what a shock. I put my hand on my chest.

“N-Noona, you startled me.”

“Why do you get surprised so easily? You’re going to the School of Business, right? Let’s go together.”

“Yes. Did you just finish a class?”

“No, I had an exam. I totally failed it. I have one more exam the day after tomorrow, and then the semester’s over. I hope I did well on that one, but I have no expectations for the one I just took. I’d be content with just a B.”

Hyuna noona and I had become closer since the last day of the festival. We exchanged contacts separately and made time to go to cafes or have meals together.

Noona turned out to be a better person than I thought. I could understand why Lim Dae-han was closer to her compared to other seniors.

Park In-gong, who had feelings for Hyuna noona, whined about wanting to set up meetings with her too, but unfortunately, Noona had very high standards.

“Are you hot? Your face looks really pale.”

“Yes. I’m weak from the heat…”

“Young-hyun, close your eyes for a second.”

It was sudden, but I obediently closed my eyes. A hand with a thick scent of perfume lightly touched my forehead.

I slowly opened my eyes to see noona brushing off an eyelash from her fingertip. Ah, so there was an eyelash stuck there. Feeling awkward, I rubbed my eyes.

“What are the two of you doing?”

Why do these people keep popping up out of nowhere today? A gloomy voice fell from above. It was a very familiar yet gruff voice.

I turned around without even being surprised. A shadow fell in front of me.

“Lim Dae-han, did you just finish an exam too? Wasn’t your exam in the morning?”

“No, I just submitted an assignment. But what are you two doing? Cheating?”

“What cheating…?”

“If you see opposite-sex friends together, is it always cheating to you? Lim Dae-han, you’re so old-fashioned.”

Hyuna noona chimed in. Lim Dae-han, who had been standing there with a blank face, squeezed between Noona and me. Then he pretended to speak only to me, but in a voice loud enough for Hyuna noona to hear.

“That Noona always whines about being lonely. Be careful.”

“Geez, Lim Dae-han….”

Hyuna noona glared daggers at Lim Dae-han. I waved my hand dismissively.

“Noona, don’t you have someone you’re talking to in the Physical Education department? That taekwondo guy, right?”

“Yeah. I think if we meet one more time, he might confess. Honestly, he’s really handsome, Young-hyun.”

“How would you know that?”

Lim Dae-han butted in again. “How would I know? I heard about him and saw his picture, that’s how.”

“Don’t get too close, you two. And don’t meet separately.”

Lim Dae-han unnecessarily threatened Hyuna noona. She sighed and clicked her tongue.

“Don’t you know what opposite-sex friends are? You must have female friends too. Right, Young-hyun?”

“That’s right. Lim Dae-han has a lot of friends. He’s always in the hallway with girls….”

“What are you talking about?”

Lim Dae-han cut me off sharply. Did I say something wrong?

“Ki Young-hyun is different from me. His heart is like a feather, so he might fall easily.”

“I’m not like that at all!”

“Why would I like someone who doesn’t even know how to respect his seniors….”

Noona trailed off. I could guess what she wanted to say. Why did I like him? But well, I only thought this and didn’t voice what I was thinking.

Anyone who kept Lim Dae-han close would end up liking him. I wasn’t saying this because I was his partner, but because that was truly the case.

“Sigh, let’s just go quickly. Young-hyun said he’s hot. Noona will buy you some ice cream.”

“Yes! Ice cream.” I took a big step forward. At the same time, my bag strap was pulled, and my body fell backward. Lim Dae-han caught and steadied me.

Lim Dae-han held a portable fan in front of my face. The wind blew gently, but it wasn’t cool at all. When I just stared at him silently, Lim Dae-han furrowed his brow.

“I’ll buy you ice cream, so don’t go with her.”

“What are you doing, not coming?”

“…Lim Dae-han said he’d buy me ice cream?”

“You’re being too pathetic, Dae-han.”

Hyuna noona shook her head, standing at a distance.

“Ah, really….”

Lim Dae-han mumbled softly. Watching him, I giggled. I was glad it was Senior Hyuna who found out about us, not someone else.

There was a different kind of comfort compared to Moon Ji-woo. Instead of threatening and pressuring, she accepted us as we were. I reached out my hand to Lim Dae-han.

“Let’s go quickly. We’ll be late for class at this rate.”

Lim Dae-han laughed. Then he placed his hand on my outstretched palm. They clapped together like a high-five and then separated.

Though it was just a brief touch, the warmth lingered on my palm.

My heart swelled in my chest. Lim Dae-han wiped the beads of sweat on my forehead with his palm. Then he directed the fan toward me. The hot air made my bangs flutter. It was still hot though.

“It’s really hot,” Lim Dae-han muttered as if to himself.

“Yeah,” I readily agreed. I was afraid of the heat to come. Summer was just beginning. But still…it wasn’t bad. Because I had someone by my side to fan me.