WYK 3

The pubs near the school were already crowded as the weekend approached.

Jeong-yoon was drinking with Kwon Mi-hee. Mi-hee, the girl known as the prettiest in their department. Of course, it wasn’t a romantic encounter, just a meeting based on their friendship. According to Mi-hee, Jeong-yoon was the most comfortable and likable person in their department.

They both tilted their glasses under the dim lights and drank together. Jeong-yoon, who usually looked directly into the other person’s eyes when talking, silently gazed at Mi-hee sitting across from him. His pale brown eyes were shining brightly under the light.

Mi-hee clenched her fists on the table with a flushed face.

“Can you believe this? He’s completely out of his mind, seriously.”

A mix of beer and soju, the perfect 7:3 ratio, was poured into Mi-hee’s mouth.

The current topic of their conversation was Mi-hee’s boyfriend, or rather, her ex-boyfriend. Mi-hee’s hidden lover that even her classmates don’t know about. But Jeong-yoon happened to find out about him.

Thanks to that, Jeong-yoon was currently listening to Mi-hee’s lament mixed with curses. The main point of the story was that her boyfriend got caught cheating in a big way.

“While he was working at the movie theater, he went out for a company dinner, or whatever it was. Who the hell has a company dinner for a part-time job?”

“A company dinner?”

“Yeah. He got a girl’s number who was the same age as me during that dinner. I saw the messages, and they were definitely not innocent.”

“What did the messages say?”

Mi-hee took a deep breath at Jeong-yoon’s question. It seemed like she was getting angry just thinking about it.

“He said things like ‘Next time, Oppa will buy you even more delicious meals. Next time, Oppa definitely take you home.’ ‘Oppa this. Oppa that.’ He kept saying ‘Next time.’ I thought this ‘Oppa’ was absolutely crazy about that girl.”

[mfn] A woman might call her older brother or an older male friend 오빠 (oppa). It literally translates to “older brother” and is used in close relationships.

You would not call someone 오빠 (oppa) unless you are close to that person and usually have been told before to call them 오빠 (oppa). 오빠 (oppa) is also commonly used in romantic relationships.[/mfn]

“He does sounds crazy.”

“But when I confronted him, he just said it was a friendly message to a close younger friend. Do you think it made sense?”

“It doesn’t make any sense. He’s definitely crazy.”

“He is!”

Jeong-yoon shook his head and slightly frowned. He felt somewhat resentful towards himself since he knew Ka-jae (her boyfriend) to some extent and had a certain level of friendship with Mi-hee. It was unfair that she had to suffer alone after ending the relationship due to his wrongdoing. Even though it was someone else’s business, it felt quite unjust.

Mi-hee slammed her forehead on the table and started to sob.

“I like handsome guys….”

“Yeah, that’s right. Handsome is good.”

Jeong-yoon thought of Chae-heon without realizing it.

“He was really great… Being handsome was his best quality. Why did my handsome ex-boyfriend cheat on me…?”

“Because he’s trash?”

As Mi-hee lifted her head from the table, she refilled Jeong-yoon’s empty glass with beer. The alcohol bubbles rose quickly inside the glass.

“If a guy is half-decent in appearance, he’ll have one of two problems: either a problem with women or communication problems. I wonder if it’s the value of looks or if I just can’t judge men properly.”

“Maybe both.”

“I’m pretty, I don’t cheat, I communicate well, and I have a good personality, but it’s unfair.”

“Don’t be so sure. Someone might think you’re pretty but have a terrible personality.”

“…Jeong-yoon, shut up.”

“Okay.”

Jeong-yoon nodded and immediately shut up.

Mi-hee looked at him and smiled. She knew that despite Jeong-yoon’s harsh words, he was trying to console her and ease her pain. Thanks to his casual response, the seriousness of the situation was alleviated, and her wounded heart felt a little better.

Mi-hee mumbled incoherently, “If my boyfriend was someone like you, Jeong-yoon, it would have been great.”

Her voice seemed sincere yet insincere at the same time. She buried her upper body on the table with a melancholy expression, her round face fitting perfectly between her arms.

“Egh, come on, cheer up.” Jeong-yoon stared at Mi-hee with sympathetic eyes and also leaned on the table. Tap, tap. He gently tapped her hand with his fingers as he looked at her round head.

“Mi-hee.”

“…”

“Kwon Mi-hee. Pretty Kwon Mi-hee.”

“…Why.”

Mi-hee carefully raised her head. As if she had been crying for a while, a few drops of tears were forming on her cheeks. Why was she crying like this? Jeong-yoon clicked his tongue.

“It’s not your fault that the jerk cheated.”

It was a decisive statement. Mi-hee pouted her lips and choked on her tears.

“Really? But I keep thinking all day if I did something wrong or if I’m lacking in some way.”

“The fault lies with the other person, so why do you blame yourself?”

“…”

“Cry today, and let’s go to the farm tomorrow and pick some apples, okay?”

Jeong-yoon wiped the tears from Mi-hee’s cheeks, carefully removing the slightly smudged mascara under her eyelashes. Mi-hee finally stood up and pressed the tissue firmly under her eyes.

“That’s right. You’re right. Let’s clean up nicely. Fighting!”

Jeong-yoon added a cheerful tone to his laugh.

Since childhood, Jeong-yoon’s older sister, Seo Jeong-seon, had been saying things that stuck in his ears. He should treat his friends with respect and affection. He shouldn’t bully them just because they like him, and he should always maintain a kind attitude. In particular, the closer he was to them, the more he will cherish them.

Jeong-yoon always followed those words faithfully. He was doing the same for Mi-hee now. Mi-hee was a precious friend, and he had to treat her with care and affection.

Mi-hee wiped her under eyes and patted her face with powder, then finally raised her head. Her face was sparkling and smooth as if she had never cried.

“Jeong-yoon-ah. I wish you were my boyfriend.”

“Really? Then be my girlfriend.”

Jeong-yoon replied casually, with a gentle lift at the corner of his mouth. In fact, he knew at least that she didn’t mean it. That’s why the word ‘be my girlfriend’ came out easily. Mi-hee sighed deeply and twirled her beer glass around.

“You give answers so easily even when you don’t mean it.”

The liquid in the glass gurgled, creating air bubbles. Jeong-yoon, who relaxed his chin, just smiled quietly and stared at Mi-hee. She sighed again before speaking.

“But it’s not right. If I date you, I’ll be a public enemy.”

“A public enemy?”

“Yeah. There are many girls in our department who like you.”

“Who? Me?”

Jeong-yoon asked back as if it was not possible. His eyes were filled with bewilderment.

Many girls like him? That can’t be true. Even though he considered himself decent-looking, there was no way he would have that much popularity. All the admiration and gifts he received were mostly directed toward Kang Chae-heon.

Mi-hee shook her head.

“Look at you. Oblivious and didn’t care about it… If I hadn’t initiated the conversation, you probably wouldn’t have saved my number.”

“…”

Jeong-yoon couldn’t reply immediately to Mi-hee’s words. Well, she had a point. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t recall ever approaching someone of the opposite sex first. It wasn’t solely because he had someone he liked, but rather because it was just his nature. He was naturally timid and shy.