……Come to think of it, hyung made a similar misunderstanding too.
Hyung. At that one syllable, Yeonjun’s face quickly withered as he let out a long sigh. Right. His nerves were always drawn only there. For the past few months, the whole time.
To that hyung.
“Anyway, that’s not what’s important……”
“Why isn’t that important?”
“Jiyu.”
“Yeah.”
“What does it mean to say you’ll contact me and then have no word for over a week?”
While quietly looking down at the black screen, Jiyu tilted his head and soon sparkled with curiosity.
“Who are we talking about?”
“That’s…… don’t ask.”
“Who else would it be? It’s obvious. Either that cafe part-timer or a customer.”
Yeonjun averted his gaze diagonally to the side. With a face that looked suspicious to anyone.
“It’s neither.”
“You’re lying. Everyone at our school knows you’re a earth-bound spirit there.”
It was when Yeonjun weakly let out a breath at the boast that mentioned the school level.
“What does it mean to say you’ll contact me and then have no word?”
To Jiyu who was retracing past words, he gave a calmly settled look for a moment. As if watching for an answer.
What do you want? Jiyu clicked his tongue.
“What does it mean? You got rejected without even a look.”
“……”
Yeonjun slowly lost strength and tilted. Plop, dropping his head to the side, he lowered his eyelids gloomily. I guess that’s it…… Right. After all, that was the only way to interpret it. There would be no firmer expression of intent than this silence.
“Were you here like this because of that?”
“Yeah……”
“Why not try contacting them first instead?”
“That seems way too pathetic……”
It didn’t seem like a very good method. No, it didn’t seem like an effective method. He’d already approached several times, and each time the man was cold. Or cruelly kind.
Yeonjun operated his phone with a completely drained touch. He stared for a long time at the chat room where the read receipt had just disappeared with no reply, then found and pressed the profile.
A background photo that was empty like the default picture. He thought that emptiness suited the owner’s temperament quite well. Dry, cold, and hollow.
He was like winter. That’s why his gaze had gone there from the beginning.
The beginning. Yeonjun unconsciously recalled a certain autumn night when he first saw Eunha.
A certain November that showed abnormal weather with falling snow.
“Who on earth is it to make you like this? I’ve never seen you like this in my life.”
Jiyu looked at his friend as if it was fascinating. As far as he remembered, Yeonjun had dated exactly once until now. At eighteen, he accepted a confession from a senior one year above and continued the relationship for about half a year before breaking up. Even at that time, Jiyu was fascinated. Although they’d attended everything together from elementary school to high school, he’d never seen him take interest in romance.
Whenever he was bored, he never once responded to confessions that someone or other conveyed. So he’d been interested in his old friend’s first romance, but it didn’t last long and fell flat. Because he dated so quietly that it made him question whether they were really dating. Without any indication or mention.
But to be withering away like this. To have a face that looked like his insides were all twisted.
Jiyu, who had been strangely watching his friend’s unfamiliar aspect, soon felt the scene was a bit pitiful and began to offer his own advice. He probably wouldn’t know much about romance. At least he himself had dated about three times.
He emphasized to Yeonjun the importance of charisma. Because the friend he knew was, unlike how he looked, a person with a heart like tofu.
To capture a woman’s heart, one had to have force. The bold and audacious one wins love.
“Either way it’s all or nothing, Yeonjun-ah. It’s better to just go for it boldly.”
“……Is that so?”
“Right. Rather than waiting like this, it’s way better to approach and try something. Take control. Like a man.”
“Like a man?”
“Yeah. Bam. Just-. Forcefully. You know what I mean.”
“I really have no idea at all.”
What does ‘like a man’ mean? He’s already a man, so what does he have to do to be ‘like a man’…….
It was difficult. If he contacted him, would he even answer? Should he go to that cafe after a long time? He hasn’t been going lately. Because hyung said he’d contact him. Because he definitely said he’d contact him first. While waiting.
“Hmm…… Ah! Right. How about this? Ask to meet exactly ten times.”
Jiyu clapped his hands as if a good idea had occurred to him.
“Ten times?”
“If you speak in such a specific number, human psychology makes it hard to refuse. They think, should I meet just that much more?”
“Why exactly ten times?”
“Actually it’s a scene from a webtoon I saw yesterday.”
“What’s that?”
“No. Really. Look.”
Jiyu, who sharpened his eyes dramatically, poked Yeonjun’s forearm with an exaggerated motion.
“Then meet with me exactly ten times.”
“……”
“Because I’m confident I can seduce you within that.”
“……”
“And a fucking attractive eye smile.”
“Please, Jiyu. I’m serious.”
“It was a legendary scene.”
Jiyu said he should watch it again and took out his phone. His cheekbones were already rising. His interest had definitely turned to a suddenly recalled topic.
Yeonjun left behind his friend who began to giggle alone while looking at something and plop, leaned the back of his head against the wall again. He thought of Eunha. Neatly lifted eyes. Lips pressed in a straight line. A solid expressionless face. A face that smiled faintly toward the part-timers occasionally.
A slender neckline. Hands bringing a cigarette to his lips. All the scenes that felt particularly slow or static.
That languid and cold atmosphere. An atmosphere where if he bled, it would be blue.
Only ten times? Seduce? An attractive eye smile?
It seemed like he’d only get sneered at.
Yeonjun, who lightly scrunched his nose bridge like resignation, let out a feeble laugh. Soon making a slight groaning sound in his throat, he buried his body deep into the wall and fell into thought. He thought of Eunha again.
Because he came to mind. Because he kept coming to mind. Regardless of his will.
It was then that two vibrations occurred in his hand. Yeonjun unconsciously lowered his gaze to check the screen. A breeze from somewhere coolly tickled his nape as it passed.
It’s me, Lee Eunha
What are you doing today?
Because he was already in the chat room, the messages didn’t generate an unread notification from the start. Realizing that fact at the same time he noticed, Yeonjun felt his throat grow hot, then soon it didn’t matter at all.
Biting down on his lower lip, he read the short two lines over and over several times, then gently covered his mouth with his hand. Because it felt difficult to hold back his laughter.
While needlessly touching the corner of his mouth with his thumb tip, he eventually squeezed his eyes tightly shut for a long time.
Really. How could he possibly feel this embarrassed?
* * *
It took about 15 minutes on foot from the officetel to the university. Eunha, who arrived in front of the university’s west gate where they’d promised to meet, confirmed there was still plenty of time left and slowly moved his steps inside.
Though he’d occasionally come in while taking night walks, this was the first time he’d entered while students were still around. People in noticeably lighter clothing due to the sharply risen temperature passed by around him. Walking along a path where trees extended long on both sides and facing the cool air, he naturally thought of his own college days. Though it somehow felt like an event from the distant past, when he thought about it, it wasn’t that long ago.
Eunha had unremarkably graduated with a business administration degree. Though he didn’t come to this place, Hankuk University, he still graduated from Yeonhui University, which was considered the next best university. Regarding his failure to get into this place, Father at the time said it was rather a good thing. That place is where people trying to rise from nothing go, and people like us generally go to Yeonhui University or Gowon University for the alumni network.
Of course, he knew it was just rationalization. Because Father was a person who valued saving face.
Korea’s first university in name and reality. As befitting a hotbed of learning, the campus brought good energy just by walking through it. Eunha was able to reach the College of Fine Arts while looking at a map app. What immediately caught his eye was a sculpture of a unique style. While moving his steps between buildings, his gaze went to a somewhat noisy spot. Looking at it, it seemed to be a space where people could work separately outdoors. Even though it was approaching evening time, he could glimpse students busily absorbed in something.
Eunha paused because one particular person caught his eye. The large height visible even from afar and the overall shape of the back were familiar. He approached a bit closer to look, and just then the other person turned their body diagonally to the side. As expected, it was Yeonjun. Eunha smoothly came to a stop. Sitting perched on a large work desk, he was comfortably talking with someone.
