WYK 27

He doesn’t know how time passed. He studied English at the library, went to the tennis court with his sister to exercise, went to the swimming pool, and wandered around here and there, and before he knew it, the vacation had passed.

He occasionally contacted classmates and had a drink, but he met Min-soo almost four or five times a week. It was because Min-soo said he was bored and came to his house. Now Min-soo has to get a job, or rather take over the company, so he wanted to spend the last remaining vacation well.

But Kang Chae-heon. He had never met him. It was easy to call others, but it was so difficult to send him a single text. This was because there wasn’t a personal reason to meet him, and they weren’t close enough to suggest a meeting.

When he missed him, he opened the drawer and took out a picture. It was a photo of Kang Chae-heon taken during high school on Jeju Island. A photo of Chae-heon with a static expression, leaning on the railing and looking at the schedule. The grass swaying behind and the blue sea spreading out were refreshing. Even his hair blowing in the wind looked cool enough to make his heart pound.

‘I’ll give it to you someday.’

He thought so at the time, but he never got around to it. In the end, it became an improper shot.

The vacation was good but also difficult. He was happy not to have to get up early in the morning, but it was difficult not to see him. Jeong-yoon looked at Chae-heon’s photo from afar. Since Chae-heon doesn’t use social media like everyone else does, this photo was the only thing he could see.

A sigh came out.

“I can’t enjoy my vacation…”

Jeong-yoon couldn’t help but feel bitter inside.

***

Jeong-yoon walked into the classroom with an excited heart. Min-soo, who was next to him, chattered, telling him not to sit in the front. While Min-soo was speaking, Jeong-yoon looked around and immediately spotted him. Kang Chae-heon sat near the window with his earphones on.

The early autumn light sparkled on his hair as he leaned against the window. It was the same appearance as the one Jeong-yoon saw before the vacation. The excitement that kept drawing his attention spread all the way down to his throat. Although the teenage boy’s first love fever had long passed, it was truly ironic.

Min-soo tapped his arm.

“There’s Chae-heon. He’s listening to this lesson as well. Let’s sit next to him.”

Min-soo walked over and placed his bag next to Chae-heon before Jeong-yoon could respond. Jeong-yoon awkwardly followed suit. Somehow, they ended up with Min-soo on one side, Jeong-yoon in the middle, and Chae-heon on the other.

“Hi.”

Chae-heon turned his head at Jeong-yoon’s greeting. The awkward smile on Jeong-yoon’s face became even more awkward. It seemed dealing with him had become more challenging during the vacation gap they missed. Chae-heon turned his head slightly and responded.

“Hi.”

“It’s been a while, Kang Chae-heon. Did you have a good vacation?”

“Not really.”

“Ah, you didn’t spend it well, I guess.”

Jeong-yoon nodded emphatically. Chae-heon calmly gazed at Jeong-yoon. Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Jeong-yoon alternated between looking at Chae-heon’s head and shoulders before lowering his gaze.

Soon, Chae-heon and Min-soo began chatting. They talked about light-hearted things like traveling and about gaining weight. Min-soo’s friendliness seemed so enviable and amazing today.

About five minutes passed in this way. Someone sat down next to Jeong-yoon. It was Mi-hee.

“Jeong-yoon-ah, you left this.”

She passed a portable phone charger into his hands without greeting him. Well, they had seen each other quite often during the vacation, so there wasn’t much need for formalities.

Sometime during vacation. Jeong-yoon watched the movie with Ham Seok-hoon, Seo Hyang-gi, Kim Min-soo, and Kwon Mi-hee. It was a spontaneous gathering through a hurried group chat in the middle of the vacation. They watched a movie where the hero, ironically, destroyed the Earth to save it from villains. Afterward, they visited Mi-hee’s house to eat the pork she prepared.

The charger Mi-hee handed over was from that time. Jeong-yoon fiddled with the portable charger and asked, “I looked for this for a while. Where was it?”

“It was lying in the corner of that bed. That’s probably why you couldn’t find it easily.”

Jeong-yoon nodded and roughly threw the charger into his bag.

Chae-heon, who was sitting next to him, was already reading a book with his earphones on. He was so focused that his expression was frighteningly serious.

Jeong-yoon glanced discreetly at his profile and then gazed ahead again.

‘He’s working so hard even in the sections we haven’t covered yet. …It’s kind of cool.’

Here it goes again. Again.

It felt like Jeong-yoon was finding new ways to be infatuated with Chae-heon every day. Jeong-yoon was twirling his pen around aimlessly and remembered the day he visited Mi-hee’s house. An apartment where many people gathered together and worked together. It was as noisy as a market place and that made it an even more enjoyable day.

Mi-hee also raised two white dogs, whose names were Cheolsu and Deoksu. Those bright eyes were so cute that Jeong-yoon played near the dog cushion for a while after finishing washing the dishes. It was like an addicting cushion bed for dogs or something. It was perfect to say that the dog’s fate should be in the best hands.

Anyway, he must have been wandering around the cushion like he was a dog and ended up dropping the battery.

The professor entered through the front entrance in the midst of various conversations. He thought of Cheolsu and Deoksu with even whiter fur behind the professor’s pale face.

***

The atmosphere inside the pub hosting the welcome party was lively.

The sound of laughter filled the windowless bar. They entered the bar a couple of hours ago. As they looked around, faces with flushed cheeks could be seen here and there.

“Auntie, please bring us a set of potato fries here.”

Jeong-yoon placed an order for a new snack and looked around as he organized the menu. Some people were drunk and made loud noises, while others were playing tricks on their crushes. In conclusion, well, it wasn’t the most graceful sight.

Jeong-yoon, who was looking around, soon stopped his gaze in front of Chae-heon. Under the dim lighting, Chae-heon was sipping on a drink with a slightly sluggish expression. He nodded or responded in some way when the guy next to him talked. However, he didn’t appear to be in a good mood. There was a hazy shade over his face.

‘What happened? This is my first time seeing him drink like that.’

Although it was not clearly visible in his expression or face, Jeong-yoon could sense it deep inside.

‘Kang Chae-heon is drunk.’

There was no flushed face or loud voice. Chae-heon was quietly intoxicated like a calm lake.

Suddenly, Chae-heon’s words came to mind.

“ I don’t drink because I lose control when I drink.”

However, today he was unmistakably drunk. Chae-heon rested his chin on his hand, staring at the table with a sunken face. Jeong-yoon also followed Chae-heon’s gaze and found himself staring at the wooden table. All that was visible were the uneven patterns of the wooden surface.

‘Where’s that lack of self-control? He’s very patiently observing the table.’

Chae-heon remained gracefully intoxicated even while he was drunk. Jeong-yoon’s attention was drawn to the slightly flushed eye area.

What does Chae-heon look like when he loses self-control? Jeong-yoon became curious.

Jeong-yoon frowned slightly after drinking the beer that Min-soo had filled. Despite the cold liquid going down, his stomach felt strangely warm. The beer tasted bitter today. He always gets drunk on days like this.

Discharge. Returning to school. Exams. Vacation. Time was gradually passing by, but his feelings remained unchanged. Even now, his eye still endlessly gazing at Chae-heon. That was really foolish and stupid, but he couldn’t help it because he was the one who ate the seed that was created this way in the first place. Personalities don’t change.

“Hey. Are you enjoying the drinks today?”

Min-soo, who was beside him, refilled his glass. Jeong-yoon drank it in one go. The light above his head flickered like a ghost.

“Hyang-gi, be careful. Rest well.”

“Yes! Don’t worry, Sunbae-nim! I can find my way home even with my eyes closed!”

Seo Hyang-gi answered energetically in a half-crooked voice. Judging from her disheveled face, unclear pronunciation, and staggering steps, it was evident she was quite drunk. It was both sad and cute to see her pretending to be okay

Mi-hee crossed her arms and clicked her tongue as she stood next to Hyang-gi. Hyang-gi, who had been staggering, stood upright.

“Seo Hyang-gi. you’re not going home now.”

“Oh! Right! I need to go to the dormitory! My home is in Changwon!”

“The dormitory gate is locked right now.”

“…Really? Then where should I go? Sleep on the street…?!”

Hyang-gi’s voice trembled. It would be unreasonable for a fresh freshman to sleep on the streets.
Mi-hee laughed as if it was absurd and shook her head.

“We’re going to my place. I’ll tuck you in. Anyway, Jeong-yoon. We’ll leave first. We need to put Hyang-gi to bed quickly. Don’t worry too much.”

Mi-hee held Hyang-gi’s shoulders and said. Jeong-yoon, who had been watching them with a worried expression, handed Mi-hee the bag he was holding.

“Should I take a taxi together with you? It’s not safe for just the two of you.”

“No need to take a taxi. I haven’t drunk at all.”

“Still.”

“You should go back quickly and send the drunkards home. It’s okay, so go quickly.”

Mi-hee tapped Jeong-yoon’s leg with the bag and pointed toward the direction of the bar. The place she mentioned, ‘where the drunks are,’ was there. At this point, Jeong-yoon could only nod as if he had no choice.

Soon, the taxi carrying Mi-hee and Hyang-gi drove away. Jeong-yoon watched the taxi until it disappeared, then wrote down the taxi’s license plate number on his cell phone and then walked to the bar. The neon sign sparkled as he passed through, and he quickened his pace.

By the time the opening party was coming to an end, most people were drunk and only a few were sober. Jeong-yoon belonged to the latter category. As someone with a high alcohol tolerance, he often stayed behind to send off or take care of those who got drunk until the end of the night.

Today was no different. He slapped some of the seniors who were sleeping on the floor like beggars, called Min-soo’s younger brother and sent him away, and picked up some of the juniors and escorted them to the subway station. He also escorted Mi-hee and Hyang-gi to the taxi. It was a routine task. The only difference today was…

He walked briskly past the flashing neon signs. Those smelling of alcohol brushed past Jeong-yoon. There was only one drunken customer still waiting inside the bar. He had to go and take care of him. Feeling impatient, his steps unknowingly quickened.