“Did you come to see me?”
“No. I came with a friend.”
“A friend……?”
“Park Hyeonji. You know her, right? She came to the birthday party last time.”
“Ah.”
“She’s in the same department as you.”
To be precise, she was in the same department and graduated four years ago. Yeonjun blinked his eyes as if surprised. Then he looked around at the bustling surroundings once and made a slightly sulky expression. When Eunha raised his eyebrows to ask what was wrong, he muttered quietly as if complaining.
“There are too many watching eyes here.”
Meaning he was very disappointed about that. What’s he saying? Eunha snorted and leaned his back against the wall.
“Are you finishing up your assignments?”
“Yes. I’ve almost finished two of them and only one is left. I think I can roughly wrap that one up by today too.”
“Good. You seem to be working hard.”
“……Ah. I look kind of rough right now, don’t I?”
As if belatedly recognizing his appearance, Yeonjun took a step back. He fluttered up the paper he was holding in his hand and quickly covered his lower face with it. The face visible only above his nose bridge was excessively gorgeous, so Eunha had to swallow a hollow laugh inwardly. Was he being modest, or was he incapable of self-objectivity?
Then suddenly his train of thought jumped in another direction. Come to think of it…… Isn’t this the first time seeing him look like this?
Although Eunha had walked here almost every day these past few days under the pretense of a stroll, what he’d encountered each time was only Yeonjun in his usual neat appearance.
Which meant that until now, he’d gone through the trouble of tidying up his appearance before meeting. Just to see him for about 5 to 10 minutes.
It was while Eunha was making a somewhat subtle expression. Someone who appeared from the corner of the hallway showed signs of recognition toward them and approached with quick steps.
“Hey…! Baek Yeonjun.”
Yeonjun turned his head toward the woman who suddenly stuck out her face and placed her arm on him. In that instant, the woman’s gaze briefly touched Eunha sitting in the chair. After sending a curious look briefly, she eventually pulled her gaze back up to Yeonjun.
“Minyeong unnie has been looking for you.”
“Sunbae has?”
“Yeah. I mean, Kim Yeongmin sunbae……”
Yeongmin. Just earlier, it was the name of the man the teaching assistant had called to see together with Park Hyeonji. A member of the group that showed hostility toward Yeonjun.
From the particularly stark emotions he’d shown even within that group, and judging from the scene unfolding before his eyes now, it was possible to deduce that Yeongmin was the party involved in that series of incidents entangled with Yeonjun.
While Eunha pretended not to care but paid attention to the woman who was making a serious expression for some reason, the woman grabbed Yeonjun’s sleeve as if she had something to say quietly and dragged him to the other end of the hallway. Yeonjun awkwardly took steps while glancing to make eye contact with Eunha. His eyes were slightly stiff as he did so. Like someone who’d become dissatisfied at having their brief time interrupted.
His inner thoughts really are transparent…… Eunha pressed down the corners of his mouth and deliberately crossed his arms while turning his gaze away. It meant to come back after talking. While casually glancing sideways at Yeonjun who had reached the other end of the hallway with his classmate, Eunha concentrated on his hearing. Because of the distance, he could barely hear what they were saying, but thanks to the woman who would whisper quietly then raise her voice as if provoked by something, he could vaguely pick up a few keywords.
Anyway, be careful, as much as possible, scary…… He succeeded in eavesdropping, but the information was impossible to piece together.
Before long, Eunha immediately asked Yeonjun who returned after finishing the conversation.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You always say it’s nothing……”
When the person involved says it’s nothing, it’s awkward to pry further. At the muttering that came out sulky without realizing it, Yeonjun’s eyes widened slightly and a hint of laughter settled in his eyes. “Anyway, hyung. For lunch—” It was the moment he was casually bringing up the topic.
The door to the department office that had been left ajar opened. The teaching assistant followed Park Hyeonji and Yeongmin who stepped out into the hallway as if seeing them off. Quite a warm atmosphere emanated from them. And that was when it happened. A momentary strange sense of discord suddenly intruded.
He could read a flow where those who were in the hallway waiting their turn or passing by that area by chance seemed to be conscious of something, knowingly or unknowingly keeping it in mind. What they were concerned about was clearly Yeongmin and Yeonjun who had ended up in the same space.
Soon, Yeongmin’s gaze, which had been smiling slightly with a friendly demeanor toward Park Hyeonji, inadvertently reached toward where Eunha was. Precisely, toward the person in front of Eunha.
It immediately hardened with malice, and Yeongmin’s group standing at a distant point had been glaring this way from the start. Eunha clicked his tongue inwardly.
With the department atmosphere being like this, what exactly is “nothing”?
“Then I’ll contact you separately.”
“……Ah. Yes. Thank you.”
“What. I’m more grateful. Did you say any time is fine?”
“Yes. It’s the end of semester now so really anytime is fine.”
Park Hyeonji showed quite a gentle expression toward Yeongmin who answered nicely while managing his expression smoothly. While Park Hyeonji and Yeongmin, who seemed like a quite capable and kind alumna, exchanged greetings, several students who had been waiting their turn glanced around knowingly or unknowingly then quietly approached the teaching assistant and asked. Teaching assistant-nim. About the assignment I submitted yesterday…… The teaching assistant’s response to that echoed through the hallway.
Thus, it seemed only the teaching assistant and Park Hyeonji were the only ones who felt no sense of problem in this strange space. To add to that, there was perhaps Yeonjun who didn’t care at all despite being the person involved.
Park Hyeonji soon turned toward Eunha who was quietly observing the situation. As soon as she did, she discovered Yeonjun beside Eunha and hesitated.
Eventually she widened her eyes and approached, raising her curiosity in a bewildered manner.
“Uh…… We’ve met before, right?”
At the attempt at conversation directed at him, Yeonjun first looked down at Eunha. As if unconsciously seeking a guardian. He blinked a couple times then turned his gaze to Park Hyeonji.
“Yes.”
“Right. What is it. Western painting department?”
“That’s right.”
“Wow~. What a coincidence.”
Park Hyeonji brightened up considerably and came right up close. Over her shoulder, Yeongmin’s group moving away toward the opposite end of the hallway came into view. It was when Eunha was briefly casting a displeased look at them.
“I knew you were acquainted with Lee Eunha, but I didn’t expect to run into you like this.”
“Hyung talked about me?”
“Hyung? Are you two really close?”
“Yes.”
“Oh~.”
At the plain affirmation, Eunha looked up at Yeonjun pointedly. He felt slightly amused by the unhesitating answer, but thinking about it, it didn’t seem particularly wrong either, so he had nothing to say.
Close…… roughly right. He was the person Eunha shared the most time with these days.
It was while he was silent like that. Park Hyeonji began bringing up light questions on the topic of the same department.
Eunha had to moisten his lips halfheartedly while alternately looking at Park Hyeonji who seemed somehow happy, and Yeonjun who received the conversation compliantly without much reserve. Recalling anew the characteristic of his friends, that they all had good sociability.
Eunha parted with Yeonjun in front of the department office where he had business.
On the way to the school research building following Park Hyeonji’s remaining schedule, Eunha had to receive a barrage of questions from Park Hyeonji. Most of the content consisted of prying about Yeonjun’s existence. He was dealing with a friend full of interest. Suddenly, a certain aspect of hers came to mind.
But what kind of interest was it made of? Eunha tilted his head suspiciously and asked.
“Why. Are you interested?”
“Are you seriously asking that right now?”
“……Isn’t he too young for that?”
Park Hyeonji was someone who steadily continued dating without forgetting even in her busy schedule. There was one consistent pattern in her dating pattern of repeatedly meeting and breaking up normally—that the other person was younger than her.
However, Park Hyeonji stiffened her expression as if understanding what she’d heard, then merely let out a laugh as if it was absurd.
“What are you talking about? He’s painter Baek Seungtaek’s grandson. That’s why I said I was interested.”
Ah. That kind of meaning. Eunha awkwardly fiddled with the back of his neck. He somehow felt his face heat up at himself for jumping to the wrong conclusion.
“And, hey. Even though I like younger guys, twenty years old is too far gone.”
“……”
An explanation followed that no matter how much of a younger-guy-lover she was, she still had something called a conscience. It was a remark that made Eunha even more speechless.
“And even if I was interested in the first place, he wouldn’t even glance my way. When there are kids his age all over the university, what would he do that for?”
“……”
“Exactly. It must be that time for him. Really the best time in the world.”
“……”
Eunha had to keep losing his words. It even seemed like he could hear the sound of bones breaking somewhere.
Park Hyeonji, who had unintentionally beaten Eunha with facts, leisurely clasped both hands behind her back. She walked refreshingly with large strides.
“Being like this reminds me of when I was a college student.”
It was so good back then, she wants to go back, after reminiscing about memories like complaints for a while, Park Hyeonji suddenly looked at Eunha as if returning to the main point.
“Anyway, how did you become friends with him?”
