LCL 45

Mmm. I answered, stretching out my voice. I put the end of a french fry in my mouth and lifted my head. By the way, did he want to meet just to talk about these trivial things?

He kept trying to make plans, so I thought he had something really important to say, but that wasn’t the case. Rather than silently trying to figure out his intentions, I thought it would be better to ask directly.

“By the way.”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you want to meet separately? I don’t quite understand. From the way you talk about Lim Dae-han… you seem to know everything already, so why bother? It doesn’t seem like you’re trying to threaten me either.”

“Threaten?”

Moon Ji-woo asked back in a bewildered voice. He was sitting comfortably but now straightened his posture. Looking at his face, I was sure.

It was the most genuine expression I’d seen on him so far. He looked that bewildered.

“Do I look like that kind of person to you?”

At his question, I scratched my cheek. I felt embarrassed by my own presumption. But the first few times we met, it really was strange.

Bringing up Lim Dae-han deliberately and all that. Feeling awkward, I turned my gaze back to the window to avoid his stare.

The university area was crowded, busy, and messy as always. But the sunset visible straight ahead and the breeze blowing in erased all the unpleasant and uncomfortable feelings.

Moon Ji-woo also turned his head towards the window, following my gaze. After a moment of silence, he shook his head from side to side.

“There’s no big reason.”

“Then?”

“I told you I don’t have friends.”

So what am I supposed to do about that…? Does he want me to introduce him to friends? I started hanging out with my classmates after coming to university, and as I said, I wasn’t very sociable in high school.

It’s just that Jungji-pil and Lim Dae-han, who I hung out with, stood out particularly, but originally, I wouldn’t open my mouth unless someone spoke to me first. He probably wouldn’t ask someone like me how to make friends.

“…”

Instead of answering, I quietly looked at Moon Ji-woo.

So? When I asked with my eyes, Moon Ji-woo raised his eyebrows.

“The reason I deliberately started the conversation by talking about your lover was.”

“…”

“If it were other people, they wouldn’t have cared what you and your lover were doing. You know, our country is uniquely tolerant of skinship between the same sex. But even though I only saw you a few times, I could tell… you know how birds of a feather flock together. The reason I noticed you was… me too.”

Me too?

“In high school, I liked a boy. I didn’t date him, but anyway.”

Moon Ji-woo shrugged as if it was no big deal. My eyes widened. So, does this mean Moon Ji-woo directly picked me up because of his inclination towards men?

Without realizing it, I covered my mouth with my hand. I remembered what I had thought a few days ago.

‘Could this Moon Ji-woo person also have a male lover? Is that why he wants to be friends? That’s even more absurd. I’m dating a man, and my brother is too, but if Moon Ji-woo is the same, then Jung Ji-pil and Park In-gong must be dating men too.’

Surely not Jung Ji-pil or Park In-gong… No. This definitely isn’t the case. Those guys couldn’t resist women.

Park In-gong was already excited about going to a group blind date on the weekend, and Jung Ji-pil was dreaming of being a campus couple even within his vocational school where there weren’t many people his age.

Even after organizing my thoughts, I couldn’t remove my hand from my mouth. But why is he only probing me and not Lim Dae-han? Could it be…

I lowered my voice as much as possible, afraid someone might hear. I lowered my head and cupped my hand around my mouth to whisper. Moon Ji-woo also leaned forward. I whispered in his ear.

“…Am I your type?”

At those words, Moon Ji-woo’s eyes, which had been quite lively, turned cold. He slowly straightened his back, and I followed suit. I couldn’t meet his eyes though. I guess this isn’t it…

“Ha, hahaha…”

I laughed awkwardly, but Moon Ji-woo didn’t laugh along. He looked at me as if I was pathetic, then deliberately corrected me. Deliberately.

“I have my preferences too, and weaklings like you aren’t my type.”

Is there a need to say it like that? What’s wrong with me? Well… I ran out of things to say and just made a ‘tsk’ sound. If it’s not me, then maybe…

“Lim Dae-han is even less so.”

“He’s not my type either. Looking too scary is a bit…”

This guy is pickier than I thought. Someone might think I’m begging to be his type. It’s not that I’ve lost objectivity, but Lim Dae-han and I… we’re not the type to be looked down upon anywhere. Looks, personality, wealth, everything.

I’m not trying to brag about money, but I lived quite comfortably for a college student. Honestly, I could come to this restaurant every day and still have allowance left over.

As for personality, unlike Lim Dae-han, I’ve only ever been called gentle. Of course, there were plenty of people who liked Lim Dae-han’s personality too. Well, that can happen. Everyone has their own preferences.

Moon Ji-woo must have very low standards. Or maybe he finds really good people burdensome? No, no matter how you look at it, we’re at least…

Forget it. There’s nothing more to say. It’s not like it’s good to be popular with men anyway. I just thought, oh well… and licked my lips. Of course, I was grumbling incessantly inside.

“So that’s why you wanted to get close?”

“Yeah.”

“And that’s all? You harassed people… for that? Couldn’t you just say you wanted to be friends?”

“I kept trying to talk to you. Didn’t you feel that I wanted to be friends?”

“Uh, no, I didn’t…”

“You’re quite dull, aren’t you?”

Wow, this guy… His social skills seem to be lacking as much as anyone’s. Doesn’t he think that it’s not me being dull, but him approaching suspiciously? Not wanting to respond anymore, I pretended to be distracted.

Looking at my phone, I saw another message from Lim Dae-han. Earlier he sent a halfhearted message, but this time it wasn’t bad.

“Excuse me for a moment, I need to check KakaoTalk.”

After asking Moon Ji-woo’s permission, I checked the message. He said he went to eat kimchi stew after the soccer club ended. A photo came with it.

Looking at the message with satisfaction, I sent a short reply “Enjoy your meal” along with a smiling emoticon [^^]. While fiddling with my phone, I suddenly looked up.

My eyes met Moon Ji-woo’s. Somehow, his expression didn’t look good.

“Young-hyun.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking since earlier.”

“…”

“Why do you keep touching your phone? It’s a bit rude.”

“Huh? Oh, oh. Sorry.”

I quickly put down my phone. I was a bit taken aback. I had asked for permission every time I looked at my phone, but it seems he was still upset.

The good mood from the alcohol suddenly dissipated. Feeling embarrassed, I chewed on my lips. If it was Lim Dae-han, he would have asked why I was biting my lips, caring more about my lips than his own feelings, but Moon Ji-woo was still looking at me with a cold face.

Ah. It’s uncomfortable again.

I smiled awkwardly with the lips I had been chewing on. Only then did Moon Ji-woo’s expression soften, and he continued speaking.

“This is the first time I’ve made a friend since middle school. In high school… I liked someone one-sidedly, so it wasn’t really friendship. Well, the other person might have thought we were friends.”

“Uh, uh…”

“My only human relationships are with the older coworkers from my part-time job, but since I’m the youngest, they don’t see me as a friend.”

It seems Moon Ji-woo considers me a friend. Overwhelming feelings rushed through me, but I tried hard to hide them. I hoped Moon Ji-woo wasn’t a bad person.

Since he said this was his first time making a friend since middle school, I thought he might be a bit clumsy at it. I wanted to believe that.

“I’d like to eat together like this often. Young-hyun, what do you think? Wasn’t our conversation today okay?”

What I thought was being blackmailed seems to have been an enjoyable time for Moon Ji-woo. Instead of answering, I forced a smile. I couldn’t just say, “I don’t think I can be friends with you.” Moon Ji-woo chuckled softly.

“Haha, why are you smiling so foolishly?”

He seems to have taken it as a positive response. Ah… damn.

“Entering school earlier than others, there wasn’t much I could do. Since I couldn’t drink, I naturally ended up missing school events.”

“Aren’t there others who entered early?”

“There weren’t any among my classmates.”

Moon Ji-woo led most of the conversation. After the awkwardly concluded meal, unlike me who wanted to part ways, Moon Ji-woo suggested a second round. I honestly said I didn’t think I could stay long.

Since it was awkward to go somewhere, we bought drinks from a takeout-only cafe and went to a park near the school. It was crowded everywhere in this bustling neighborhood. A busking performance was in full swing in the middle of the park.

We sat on the edge of a brick planter. It was okay because we didn’t have to face each other.

Next to the vocalist singing a song that matched the season well, a musician with an acoustic guitar played skillfully, lifting the mood. I thought it was muggy during the day, but it became chilly in the evening.

I’m glad I wore a long-sleeved t-shirt. Even though I had been complaining about the heat until the afternoon, now it was just right. The temperature difference between day and night was quite large.

“Why did you enter university early? I noticed you’re not young for your year.”

I asked carefully. I couldn’t tell at what point Moon Ji-woo might get upset, so I was being more cautious than with other guys. Did he graduate early?

Although not as much as Korea University, our school was still a place where students who excelled in high school came. I’d heard that sometimes there were people who graduated early and then “bombed the college entrance exam” to enroll here.

“I dropped out of high school and took the college entrance exam early.”

“Ah…”

“Aren’t you going to ask why I dropped out?”

“Well, it happens sometimes… kids like that.”

There was usually one student per grade who dropped out of high school, saying their time there was wasted, and took the college entrance exam. According to an unreliable hypothesis I heard from Jung Ji-pil, believe it or not, a quarter of them re-enroll in high school, one quarter go astray, one quarter end up at schools worse than their original grades would have gotten them, and only the last quarter get into top universities.

Since our school isn’t a top university, does that mean Moon Ji-woo falls into the third category? Since asking the reason might be a sensitive topic, I let my imagination run wild.

“I got caught confessing. Rumors spread at school, my parents were contacted, so I dropped out.”

“…The person you liked?”

“Yeah. I thought it was mutual, but it turns out it wasn’t for the other person.”

Since he said the person he liked in high school was a guy, he must have gone through a tough time. Of course, I know Moon Ji-woo’s time must have been difficult.

Moon Ji-woo was talking about it calmly in his own way, but I was a bit… ah, a bit. Honestly, I felt a little uncomfortable. I was on edge, worried about a situation like before happening again.