LCL 43

The weather was particularly humid today. Students’ outfits varied widely. The lengths of sleeves, pants, or skirts were all different.

I absent-mindedly observed the clothing of passersby. I should have worn short sleeves. Maybe it feels a bit hot because I came out in long sleeves.

I touched the nape of my neck. Despite the body heat I felt, it wasn’t damp or hot.

I had agreed to meet Moon Ji-woo in front of the Department of Business Administration. My class had ended early, so I was waiting for him. He said he was taking a day off from his part-time job, so we planned to have a late lunch slash dinner together. Honestly, I still had no idea what to talk about.

From the few times I’d met Moon Ji-woo, he tended to initiate conversations. So I probably wouldn’t have to lead the conversation. I guess that’s fortunate, at least.

With my arms crossed, I tried to recall the man’s face. He’s quite tall and handsome in a clean-cut way. He always dresses neatly too.

But the strange thing is, when I see his face, I can think, “Oh, it’s Moon Ji-woo,” but once he turns around, I can’t remember what he looks like. It’s odd, considering he doesn’t even have a plain face. It’s fortunate that he’s tall, otherwise I might not have recognized him at all.

“…”

Is it because he sometimes wears glasses and sometimes doesn’t? He’s definitely good-looking, but that’s about it.

Lim Dae-han has thick eyebrows, and while he doesn’t have double eyelids, the area from his brow bone down to his nose bridge is very prominent. It makes his face very recognizable.

In comparison, Moon Ji-woo doesn’t have any distinctive features. Except for his weird personality. No, why are all the people around me so strange? I have such an ordinary personality.

“Oh, Kiiiii Young-hyuuun…!!”

A high-pitched, bouncy voice called out to me, different from the one I was expecting. I turned my head towards the source of the sound.

Park In-gong appeared from the shortcut leading from the sports field to the building. He was waving both arms excitedly as he approached me. Despite his energetic appearance, he somehow looked pitiful.

His hair and clothes were drenched in sweat, and his face was bright red, as if he’d been rolling around in the dirt. He must have been playing hard in the soccer club.

He seemed to be in an even better mood than usual, probably from running around under the scorching sun. Emotions are contagious, after all.

Seeing him smile with such an excited face, I couldn’t help but smile too. My uneasy feelings completely disappeared. I greeted Park In-gong cheerfully as well.

“Park In-gong! Shouldn’t you be playing soccer right now?”

“Yeah. But I heard Senior Seong-hong went to buy ice cream, so I came to help. Trying to score some points.”

“Ah, I see…”

It seems Senior Seong-hong took a few freshmen to buy ice cream. Park In-gong probably plans to subtly join them to score some points. I can’t believe how predictable his thoughts are.

I wondered if Lim Dae-han went along too, but I knew he didn’t. Lim Dae-han would act indifferently and tell the senior to buy it for him.

I shifted my gaze towards the door, pretending not to care. Speak of the devil. The saying fit perfectly.

“So, he was there…”

As Senior Seong-hong came out nagging, I saw Lim Dae-han beside him. It was just the two of them, no one else. Lim Dae-han was dressed similarly to the morning, but fully prepared for soccer.

He wore socks pulled up over his jogging pants, an anorak with a sports brand logo in the center, and a vest he probably got from the club draped over his shoulder.

The soccer shoes he was excitedly packing in the morning were nowhere to be seen; he was wearing slippers. Did he leave them behind…?

The weather seemed hot for him too, as he was flapping the neck of his anorak. Normally, he would have taken it off already, but he seemed unable to because of the plastic bag in his hand.

Surprised by our unexpected encounter, Lim Dae-han’s eyes widened. Soon, his eyes crinkled mischievously.

“It’s Ki Young-hyun.”

The hand that was flapping his clothes pointed at me. I greeted Senior Seong-hong first, who was standing next to him.

“Hello.”

Then I raised my hand to Lim Dae-han. Senior Seong-hong, who had been giving a long speech, belatedly noticed me and acted friendly, saying, “Oh, Young-hyun!” It was the senior’s role to continue the conversation.

“Young-hyun, want to come kick the ball?”

“Ah, I have prior plans…”

“Is that so? Come next time. The more, the merrier.”

Although it was probably just a polite offer, it didn’t feel good to reject the senior’s words. Lim Dae-han, who had been quietly looking at me, suddenly thrust the plastic bag he was holding onto the senior.

“Just a moment.”

“Hey, sh- it’s heavy! You said you’d carry it!”

Ignoring the senior who was raising his voice, he rummaged through the handed-over plastic bag and pulled out a drink. Then he strode towards me with big steps. His walking style looked more like a returning student than a freshman.

As he approached, Lim Dae-han took off his anorak. He was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt underneath. I wondered why he wore the anorak in the first place, but I didn’t like how the t-shirt fit so tightly, revealing his body lines. Who was he trying to impress?

Lim Dae-han, who was originally in good shape, really showed his true value after becoming a college student. He always liked exercising, so he still went to the gym whenever he had time. These days, he was into weight training.

He asked me to go too, but… I refused. Unlike weak me, he was improving by leaps and bounds every day.

A shadow fell in front of me. Park In-gong, who was uncomfortable with Lim Dae-han, slightly moved his body away. I thought they should get closer…, but they probably won’t.

Originally, Lim Dae-han didn’t get along with guys like Park In-gong or Jung Ji-pil. Noisy and boisterous guys.

Lim Dae-han draped even his anorak over his shoulder. He offered me the drink and asked.

“Want to drink?”

“Didn’t you buy them according to the number of people?”

“I bought a few extra. Drink it.”

He pressed the drink into my hand. It was cold enough to make my palm tingle.

“Thanks.”

I awkwardly accepted the drink. When I smiled sheepishly, Lim Dae-han grinned and smiled back. Park In-gong and Senior Seong-hong were silently watching us.

Feeling the atmosphere had become somewhat strange, I casually slapped Lim Dae-han’s shoulder with my palm.

“Looks like you’re working out hard. Your body’s in great shape. Haha…”

I tried to laugh heartily on purpose, but the atmosphere became even more awkward.

“You guys are funny. Are you being awkward with each other? Lim Dae-han, come here!”

Senior Seong-hong, unable to watch any longer, shouted at Lim Dae-han to come quickly. He said he was dying from the weight. Senior Seong-hong was about two centimeters shorter than me but weighed more.

Anyway, he wasn’t particularly large. Honestly, it probably wasn’t that heavy, but he was exaggerating. Cold sweat ran down my spine. I fidgeted with the icy cold plastic bottle. I suddenly felt thirsty.

“I’ve always had a great body. You know that.”

I know, I know… Lim Dae-han only said what he wanted to say, ignoring Senior Seong-hong. I liked how carefree he was in these situations.

I was the only one feeling uncomfortable. I chewed on my lower lip. Lim Dae-han, who had been quietly looking at those lips, snatched the drink from my hand and pressed the bottom of the bottle firmly against my mouth. He stamped it down hard.

The coldness made me alert, and I hunched my shoulders. He smiled broadly. He was the only one laughing when no one else was. Well… there are many things to laugh about.

Lim Dae-han, who had once again pressed the drink into my hand, said,

“Let’s go together when it’s over.”

“Okay.”

“Are you drinking a lot?”

“No, I don’t think I’ll drink that much…”

In the first place, I didn’t particularly like the person I was meeting. I was just planning to subtly pry into his intentions. What exactly did he want from me? Park In-gong, who had moved aside, interjected.

“Young-hyun, you’re drinking? With whom?”

“Ah, with a hyung I just met recently.”

After giving a brief answer to Park In-gong’s question, I turned my head back to Lim Dae-han.

“You’re eating dinner, right?”

“Yeah, after the club ends. I’ll contact you. See you later.”

I nodded in response. Lim Dae-han looked satisfied, as if he liked the answer. Just when I thought he was going to move away, he suddenly grabbed both my cheeks with one hand.

“Ah!”

When I screamed, he applied more pressure with his fingers. This guy pretended to go easy but actually showed off his strength a lot.

Who doesn’t know he’s strong?

It hurt this time too. My cheeks were pressed, making my lips protrude and then slowly deflate. My gripped cheeks stung and felt hot.

I wanted to say it hurt, but as a healthy young man of Korea, I decided not to whine.

It hurts, sh-… I grumbled only inwardly.

Half embarrassed, half shy. I raised my hand to caress my cheek. I tilted my head slightly.

As I moved my gaze around aimlessly, I made eye contact with Park In-gong. Ouch. A part of my heart felt pricked by a needle. Wasn’t this a bit strange just now?

“Why, why…?”

There were many things that made me feel guilty. I played too affectionately with Lim Dae-han. Aoh. I tried to act nonchalant, but all I could do was scratch my head.

Tsk… Park In-gong, who approached while clicking his tongue, stood close by.

“Hey, Young-hyun, you know.”

He cautiously started.

“Um…”

I answered in a weak voice. Feeling anxious, I repeatedly opened and closed my fist.

My mouth tasted bitter. I twisted open the drink cap and took a sip. My thirst was quenched, but meeting Park In-gong’s gaze made me more uncomfortable. Park In-gong, standing in front of me, licked his lips and carefully spoke.

“You know, Young-hyun.”

Why is he repeating himself…? I vaguely urged him to continue.

“Yeah, what is it? Say it quickly.”

It was ten seconds that felt like ten hours.

“Can I ask Lim Dae-han to give me a ride too?”

“What?”

“He drove his car here, and you guys are going together, right? You live in the same neighborhood… and my place is actually on the way. So I was wondering if I could ask him to give me a ride too. He doesn’t seem like such a bad guy when he’s with you.”

Jung Ji-pil was quick-witted, but Park In-gong seemed to have given his sense away to a dog. He had no suspicion about the relationship between Lim Dae-han and me.

Relief followed as my strength drained away. Instead of sighing in relief, I just shrugged my shoulders.

“I don’t know… ask him. See what he says.”

I thought about Lim Dae-han’s reaction. In fact, there was an 80 percent chance that he would ignore me, asking why he should give you a ride, and a 19 percent chance that he would readily agree, like he did with Jung Ji-pil, because Park In-gong was my friend anyway. I don’t know about the 1 percent chance.

Lim Dae-han had always shown a consistent reaction, but he would suddenly change direction.

Park In-gong scratched his neck. Was it still awkward to talk to him? I understood Park In-gong’s feelings. If I met Lim Dae-han at university, I would have been a little scared to talk to him too.

“Well… we’ll see.”

“Hey, Park In-gong!! Come here!! The guy who came to help is carrying the lightest load!!”

As soon as Park In-gong finished speaking, Seong-hong, who was walking ahead, shouted. He must not have returned the plastic bag, because Lim Dae-han, who was standing nearby, was empty-handed. So he grabbed Park In-gong for no reason. Park In-gong pretended to run and waved his hand.

“I’m going.”

“Okay, see you if I can.”

The noisy commotion swirled like a wind and disappeared. It hadn’t been long, but it was so chaotic that I was completely out of it.

I sat on a bench near the building and sipped the drink Lim Dae-han had given me. My parched mouth became moist again.

While waiting for the man and drinking the drink, I had already emptied one. I quickly threw away the trash and returned to find Moon Ji-woo coming out of the building. I had said his impression was vague, but when I encountered him again, I could recognize him.

Seeing him fiddling with his phone, I thought he would just pass by, so I ended up going to greet him first.

“Hello.”

The man’s face, expressionlessly touching his phone, was colder than I thought. When our eyes met, the man slightly raised his eyebrows. His eyes didn’t smile, only the corners of his lips turned up. He was the one who made the appointment first, but he didn’t seem very happy to see me.

“Oh, Ki Young-hyun.”

He belatedly called out my name and acted friendly, but I had already read the man’s expression.

“I was just about to send you a KakaoTalk.”

The man showed me the screen. “Where are you?” The short message was unsent. Anyway, since we had met, there was no reason to send it. Moon Ji-woo pushed his phone into his pocket.

“Let’s go.”

I didn’t know where we were going, but I followed the man.