WYK 5

The reddish sun was setting as he stepped out onto the first floor of his apartment. It was 30 minutes before the agreed meeting time with Chae-heon, and he had just received a text from him saying, “I’ll be there in 20 minutes.” However, for some reason, Jeong-yoon felt like he shouldn’t make him wait, so he came out immediately after receiving the message.

‘It’s not like I’m making him wait for 5 minutes.’

Jeong-yoon smiled and straightened his back. The air entering the autumn was refreshing. He headed towards the bench under the hackberry tree where he was planning to wait for Chae-heon.

As he walked slowly around the building and headed there, he suddenly stopped his footsteps. It wasn’t because of the beautiful sunset and clouds in front of him; it was because he spotted someone leaning against the railing next to the hackberry tree.

“…”

The person seemed to have not noticed Jeong-yoon yet, as he focused on the left side of the tree, smoking a cigarette. The red glow of the cigarette quietly burned between their fingers.

It was Kang Chae-heon. His face, visible through the hazy smoke, looked strangely unfamiliar today. Maybe it was because the usual light smile he wore was gone. His eyes, expressions, and everything about him seemed like that of a perfect stranger. Jeong-yoon wondered if it was even okay for him to dare to ride in his car as he was a complete stranger.

Jeong-yoon on what to do and decided to act like I didn’t know he was there. It was not like he can turn back now.

“Kang Chae-heon.”

Chae-heon slowly turned his gaze toward him. Just as Jeong-yoon hadn’t expected him to be there, he seemed equally surprised by Jeong-yoon’s appearance. A hint of surprise briefly flickered in his eyes before he quickly put out the cigarette he was holding. The smoke dispersed faintly.

It was unusual to see someone else smoking here. All he usually saw were middle-aged men with cigarettes. It was kind of strange to see Kang Chae-heon here. Amidst all this, Jeong-yoon found himself having such a meaningless thought.

“You came early?”

“Yeah.”

“I came down immediately after I got your message. I was a bit surprised to see you here already.”

“I see.”

“You are smoking?”

“Sometimes.”

“…”

Ah, why is he so curt in his responses? Jeong-yoon cursed a few times inwardly but then chuckled as she watched Chae-heon take out an alcohol sanitizer and rub his hands. She had sensed it occasionally, but it was still refreshing to see how tidy he was. The grape scent of the sanitizer wafted through the air with the breeze.

Chae-heon smoothly interlocked his smooth fingers, and the tendons on the back of his hand flexed as he briskly sanitized them. His hands were big, fitting for his tall and masculine figure. After finishing the process, Chae-heon soon walked over.

Jeong-yoon tilted his head slightly to the left at the sight of him. They were not close, but they’ve known each other for a long time. Jeong-yoon had never smelled cigarettes from him or seen him smoke.

Chae-heon, who had approached before he knew it, passed by Jeong-yoon. The faint scent of his cologne brushed against him too. He gestured as if to say, “Let’s go that way.” It was the direction where his car was parked. Jeong-yoon obediently followed him like a well-behaved student.

‘I’ve known him for years, but I never knew he smoked.’

Jeng-yoon chuckled inwardly while thinking about that. Well, they might have been close enough to know many things about each other, but who knows what terrifying secrets could be hidden within Chae-heon’s mind. Of course, there were parts of him he could never know in his lifetime.

***

Upon arriving with Chae-heon, there was a white SUV parked. It was a famous sports car brand. Just by looking at the logo from afar, one could sense that it was the kind of car that required maintaining a safe distance from behind.

Chae-heon moved Jeong-yoon’s luggage without explanation and lifted it roughly into the back seat. Then he nodded toward the passenger seat.

“Get on.”

Somehow it felt more like a command than a request.

Jeong-yoon hopped in without hesitation. But not before carefully dusting off the soles of his shoes. It felt wrong to just get in as if he was committing a crime. It was like stepping on pure white snow untouched by anyone.

As expected of a good car, the feel of the seat was incredible.

‘It’s worth buying.’

Jeong-yoon’s home was quite comfortable, but it wasn’t enough to buy a car like this for a university student. Jeong-yoon pretended to be indifferent and glanced around inside the car.

There was only one air freshener hanging inside the car, and there were no common decorations at all. There wasn’t even a speck of dust on the dashboard. If Kang Chae-heon were to become a car, he would probably look like this.

“SUV, that’s unusual, isn’t it?”

Jeong-yoon asked Chae-heon. It was rare for someone his age to drive an SUV. These kinds of cars were usually driven by dads, weren’t they? Chae-heon replied as if it was nothing special.

“Passenger cars are inconvenient. There’s not enough space.”

“… Ah.”

Chae-heon’s answer was not the kind that Jeong-yoon expected. He didn’t choose it for his taste but for practicality. Well, he was quite tall, so a regular car might feel cramped for the driver’s seat. The steering wheel might even touch his legs.

‘Envy you. It’s convenient to consider the car type due to your height.’

Jeong-yoon felt a bit jealous but didn’t show it.

As the car drove in silence for a few minutes, an ambiguous silence filled in the car. The only sound was the friendly voice coming from the navigation system.

“After 80 meters, turn right.”

Jeong-yoon glanced at Chae-heon. He was turning the steering wheel to the left to exit the apartment complex. As Jeong-yoon watched him, he let out an unwitting sigh. His eyes kept going to Chae-heon’s slightly rolled-up sleeves, the hard forearms beneath them, and the high cheekbones.

‘His biceps are crazy. …But why is the atmosphere so awkward? It wasn’t as awkward as it is now in early high school.’

Jeong-yoon reclined his seat a little further back as he reminisced on the past. Now, the city lights were settling down dimly on the streets after the sun had fully set.

***

A few years ago.

Now that Jeong-yoon had just become a high school student, he looked ahead with half-expectation and half-nervousness. He wondered how the new school would be, whether he could make good friends, and whether he could maintain his top grades. There were some minor worries, but excitement overwhelmed them.

Right in front of the podium, the male student he saw earlier was sitting in a dignified posture. Jeong-yoon turned the pen holder around with a grave expression.

‘Did he say his name is Kang Chae-heon?’

Since the first time he saw him, he caught his attention. It wasn’t just because of his good looks that anyone would notice. It was his relaxed expression that seemed to know everything about high school life, or his subtly confident posture. Every aspect of him was captivating.

Chae-heon became the temporary class president based on his grades, and it seemed like he would continue to hold that position in the future. Maybe that was why. Jeong-yoon, who usually didn’t pay much attention to those around her, found herself constantly glancing at Chae-heon.

Jeong-yoon stopped the hand that swung the pen and rested his chin loosely. Words came out of his mouth involuntarily.

“Kang Chae-heon.”

It was a voice so low that no one could hear it. However, Chae-heon turned around quietly as if he had heard the muttering. The two’s eyes met quietly in the slightly noisy classroom.

‘…’

Seeing Chae-heon looking at him, Jeong-yoon gently removed his hand from his chin.

At the same time, Chae-heon slightly raised the corner of his mouth toward Jeong-yoon. He had that friendly face as if he had never been expressionless.

That gentle smile he showed when their eyes met for the first time seemed as if it were perfectly crafted. Yet, it looked so pretty that his heart trembled.

Jeong-yoon narrowed his eyes and stared at Chae-heon’s back. Even though he turned his head again and now all he could see was the back of his head.

‘What. Why am I nervous when that guy is looking at me?’

Jeong-yoon placed his hand over his pounding heart. It felt like his neck was getting hot and flushed.

Thinking about it, that might have been what people easily describe as the moment of ‘love at first sight.’ The fluttering flower petals, the pink fireworks exploding in his mind, and the jingling sound of the bell, all silently seeping into his heart without a fuss.

From the first day, Kang Chae-heon, who made Jeong-yoon’s heart race, became the class president as expected.

And that was when a strong relationship began.

***

Chae-heon, whom Jeong-yoon observed was undeniably mysterious. He would happily buy things for others at the school store, but he never let anyone take advantage of him. He naturally gained the favor of everyone without any effort. He had a group of friends he hung out with, but he didn’t always follow them around, like going to PC rooms together.

Although he was sociable, he always seemed to keep a slight distance from the crowd, as if observing from afar. If someone asked, ‘Who is the closest to Kang Chae-heon?’, it was clear that everyone would not be able to answer easily.

Jeong-yoon was also very sociable, though it wasn’t as much as Chae-heon. Jeong-yoon got along well with his classmates and mostly went out with model students, but maybe because of that, he hung out with Chae-heon from time to time.

However, even though they spent time together, they didn’t have deep conversations or form a close friendship. To Jeong-yoon, he was only a ‘sometimes friends’ to him. In addition, he said that he had a crush on Chae-heon, but he wasn’t the type to get close to someone just because he liked them.

The first time Jeong-yoon and Chae-heon had their “private” conversation was about three months after the start of the semester.

‘Next week, you and I will be the ones on duty.’

On a Friday, just before dinner, Chae-heon approached him while distributing the school newsletters. Jeong-yoon took out a piece of paper from under the bag and looked up at him with puzzled eyes.

‘It’s me and Jun-young next week.’

‘Jun-yeong sprained his wrist, so so we switched.’

‘Really?’

Jeong-yoon took out a crumpled piece of paper, folded it up, and handed it to Chae-heon. After organizing the correspondence, Chae-heon was about to pass by Jeong-yoon. Jeong-yoon called him back.

‘Class president.’

‘Yeah?’

‘You don’t have to come early next week.”

‘Why?’

Chae-heon reached out to the student in front and asked for the newsletter. Jeong-yoon smiled somewhat awkwardly.

‘I’m the first one to arrive in our class, earlier than the class president. So, I’ll open the door.’

‘Well, okay, thanks then.’

After that answer, Chae-heon went to pick up the correspondence from another student. Jeong-yoon clicked his pen.

‘He’s, a fairly sincere type.’

Jeong-yeon couldn’t help but smile proudly at the thought.