LCL Ch 2

I left my seat in the classroom and walked out into the corridor. Since the semester had just started, the school was bustling with activity. The hallways were crowded with students searching for their classrooms.

Among them, new students like me may have made a big contribution, but current students also wandered around the classroom as if they were confused about returning to school for the first time in a long time.

“…”

The first thing I did when I stepped into the corridor was to glance around to see if there were any familiar faces. I looked around, but luckily there was no one I knew. I walked through the corridor with heavier steps than usual, trying not to attract attention.

I entered the stairwell, which was the furthest from the classrooms in the corridor, and less frequented by people, hence a bit neglected in terms of maintenance.

Though I hadn’t been at the school for long, I knew that few people used these stairs. There were central stairs and elevators available, so why bother using stairs that were far from the classrooms?

Perhaps if it weren’t for this time, I might have graduated without ever knowing about these stairs.

Anyway… where is it?

“Ki Young-hyun.”

The voice came from above. I quickly raised my head. There was no one there, but I heard the voice.

What’s going on? A faint crease appeared between my eyebrows as Lim Dae-han subtly revealed himself. He was standing there, with only his head poking out, then he took a big step forward.

“Come up.”

After hearing that, I quickly went up the stairs. Even though there was nothing particularly joyful about it. I exerted some force on the floor, but I wasn’t out of breath or exhausted.

Lim Dae-han also looked somewhat pleased to see me, and he playfully tapped my cheek with the back of his hand. Of course, he claimed to be controlling his strength, but it was unfortunate that my head turned to the side.

I think my brain was a little shaken. I soon came to my senses and turned my head back to normal.

“Why are you slapping me…”

“Because I’m glad to see you. Can’t I touch you?”

“You hit me.”

“You want to hit me too?”

“I don’t hit people.”

Lim Dae-han laughed slightly after hearing my answer. Honestly, I’m not one to refrain from hitting him. I’ve hit my brother and occasionally even Lim Dae-han himself.

I’m not rationalizing violence, but Lim Dae-han often did things that deserved it. He used to be a bit more shy and serious. It seems like he’s become more easygoing.

“But why did you call me? …At school?”

Didn’t we decide not to talk to each other? I trailed off. Even if I lowered and raised my eyes for a moment, Lim Dae-han was still looking at me.

I bit my lip and asked. I didn’t avoid him or just pass by as I would with my other classmates. I scratched my neck awkwardly and then changed the subject.

“Anyway. Why did you call me?”

“To give you this.”

The hand that was in the pocket of the jumper suddenly appeared. On his hand was the hot pack that Lim Dae-han had shown at the entrance of the building a while ago.

“I have it. The classroom was cold.”

“For me?”

“Should I give it to Park In-gong then?”

Lim Dae-han playfully teased as he handed me the hot pack. It was so hot that I could have said, ‘Ouch, it’s hot.’ The warmth spread through my hand in an instant.

Even if the classroom is cold, is there any reason to give a hot pack? And to call me separately for it. Perhaps… did he hear when I said I was cold at the entrance of the building?

“Did I look cold?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you also hear me say it was cold?”

“Well…”

Lim Dae-han trailed off as if he was at a loss to answer. Maybe he did hear. He was quite far away, though. How could he hear that? Hehe, I made a strange noise and laughed, and Lim Dae-han snorted.

“What’s so funny?”

I was fiddling with a hot pack that felt strange to the touch. The cold that couldn’t be solved by simply rubbing my hands together and tucking them in my pocket was finally gone. It wasn’t solely because of the hot pack.

After finishing his business, perhaps because the main point was just a hot pack, he neatly turned his back on me. I followed Lim Dae-han, who went down the stairs without hesitation.

After dealing with the matter of the hot pack, Lim Dae-han neatly turned his back to me. I followed him without hesitation as he descended the stairs.

“Let’s go together.”

“Are we close?”

“….”

I hesitated at the sudden question. I closed my mouth tightly and stared at him before lowering my head.

“No.”

Lim Dae-han chuckled faintly. Ah, damn you Jung Ji-pil! I cursed at Ji-pil Jung, who was not even around. Lim Dae-han finally turned around as he descended the stairs.

“Let’s go separately. And keep the hot pack in your pocket. Don’t bother taking it out and hearing complaints for no reason.”

Lim Dae-han left the passage after saying those words. Left alone, I tried shaking the hot pack. It’s hot.

It’s hot and affectionate. Affectionate and warm. Warm yet intense. What should I call this?

Love. I grasped the emotion that was so blatantly evident. I tucked the hot pack into my pocket. It doesn’t seem like it’ll feel cold anymore.

After spending some time alone on the stairs, I went out so as not to be late. It was a small major class with few people, but it was a good idea to secure my seat early. As I walked through the corridor toward the classroom, I stopped in my tracks.

Lim Dae-han, who was supposed to have gone to class earlier, was standing in the corridor. He seemed to have been caught by his seniors after the lecture.

“Hey, Lim Dae-han.”

Lim Dae-han turned his face, and one senior who seemed overly fond of him called out. When Lim Dae-han said something, he burst out laughing and started chatting animatedly.

I swallowed dryly. It seems like the seniors were a bit… Maybe I should’ve just stayed on the stairs a bit longer. There’s still about five minutes left until the class starts.

I was afraid that my seniors might recognize me, so I turned around like my life depended on it and hid in a corner of the corridor. Senior students were always uncomfortable to deal with.

It’s only one or two years, maybe three at most, of an age difference, so why does it feel like such a big deal? I licked my lower lip and fiddled with the hot pack in my hand.

Lim Dae-han seemed to get along with the seniors without any issues. Well, if you could use having an older brother or sister as an excuse, I could also say I have an older brother. It just seemed like we had different temperaments. Some people were laid-back while others were not. Lim Dae-han is the former, and I’m the latter.

“Ha…”

I sighed and leaned my back against the wall. I looked pathetic. Even just saying hello to the seniors was uncomfortable, so I ended up hiding.

Maybe if I appeared to get along well with Lim Dae-han, I wouldn’t feel as pathetic. No, this was the right choice. I didn’t want to spend my twenties in confusion just because we were dating.

If you’re a freshman, you should drink alcohol until your nose is crooked, hang out, and study hard when you need to. Of course, the fact that the person giving me this advice didn’t exactly sit well with me… Still, in the end, it was a helpful thing.

For now, let’s just wait until the seniors leave.

I peeked my head out, but they didn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon. Then I heard Lim Dae-han’s voice.

“Let’s go to the cafe on the first floor and buy me a drink.”

“He’s blatantly taking advantage of us.”

“I’m a freshman.”

“Yeah, let’s go. Let’s go. Ah, this guy doesn’t even drink coffee, so every time we go, he ends up drinking something really expensive.”

Contrary to their words, it didn’t seem like they minded. The seniors and Lim Dae-han moved toward the central staircase. Hiding in the corner, I cowered even more before peeking my head out again.

I made eye contact with Lim Dae-han, who was coming down the stairs. Did he know I was hiding here? Is that why he used the excuse of asking them to buy drinks to take the seniors away?

If it were me, could I have asked the seniors directly for drinks? Probably not. Lim Dae-han seemed to know better how to navigate the atmosphere than I had thought or observed.

If I had been next to him as a friend, it would have seemed strange. This level of distance seems fine. It’s actually for the best.

It would’ve been great if the person giving me advice wasn’t Jung Ji-pil. That’s the only regret.

So, this was a month ago, in February. A week before starting university.