“What?”
As I carefully started speaking, Jukyung scrunched up his face again. I thought it might be like that, but this bastard’s personality is really shit. What’s displeasing again?
“What do you mean what, what’s what?”
“You just said we’re people who only know each other’s faces and names.”
This time I frowned.
“Then isn’t that so? Honestly, the one who wants to squeeze out and create a connection even if there isn’t one is rather me right now, but still, that’s how it is. It’s not like you and I overlapped in classes a lot or studied together… Accidentally running into each other at parties and such, that’s all. And the only reason I even remember your name is because you took all my dating partners…”
As I spoke, I nearly brought up a story I’d wanted to forget and that wouldn’t be good to bring up in this situation, so I shut my mouth tight in the middle. That’s right. In fact, this bastard was a low guy who snatched away all my dating partners just when the atmosphere with them was getting good.
At first, I thought well, casually dating and meeting this person and that person, they could overlap, but when that repeated two, three times, uncomfortable thoughts began to arise. I wondered if that bastard had some ill feelings toward me and was doing it deliberately. Like Shane said, I even thought maybe I’d really stolen his lover without knowing it and he was getting revenge.
But since the girls caught in the middle hadn’t actually dated me for a particularly long time or been in a deep relationship, it was ridiculous to go confront him as if a lover had been stolen, so I just thought to forget it. I was so busy with just studying too.
Come to think of it, we were on uncomfortable terms like that. Even during the graduation party at the very end after finishing graduation exams and thesis, I’d thought if he did that then, I really wouldn’t stay still, but after that, Kwon Jukyung couldn’t be seen at Leroy for a while. There were stories that something had happened so he couldn’t attend the graduation ceremony and entered Korea early, and stories that he’d gone to America.
Anyway, after that, graduation came and my first heat that hit me at the graduation party and other personally major incidents burst out consecutively, so I’d completely forgotten his existence. But as his annoying past actions came to mind, I momentarily forgot I was in an important situation making a life-or-death request. I fiercely glared at Kwon Jukyung, swayed by past emotions. But the look in Jukyung’s eyes looking back was just as formidable.
“So what you’re saying is, besides accidentally overlapping dating partners, we’re people with no other entanglements?”
Talking as if dating partners “coincidentally” overlapped, that damned bastard. When he clearly stole them on purpose. And what’s with that annoyingly twisted way of speaking? Like he did something right.
“Then what else is there besides that? If there is, tell me. I’d love that. Let’s try to insist we’re close enough to lend money.”
I crossed my arms, stuck out my chin, and spoke sarcastically. Jukyung closed his mouth and just glared at me fiercely. I didn’t back down and glared back.
“……”
“……”
After glaring at each other like that for a while, the one who first turned their gaze away was Jukyung.
“I really can’t believe this…”
Jukyung muttered as if sighing while holding his forehead. I don’t know what he can’t believe. If anything, I was the one who couldn’t believe it. Right now I’m staying still because my situation isn’t good, but later—if I can borrow money and after paying it back, that is—once I’m in a proper state, I was definitely going to grab him by the scruff and ask.
Just what grudge made him steal all my dating partners? If he’d at least dated them after doing that, I wouldn’t know. If he said he really liked them and did that, I could understand with a broad mind too. But after doing that, I heard he just dated those girls two or three times and then it fizzled out. If it was going to be like that, why did he do such things, really!
“Fine. I’ll lend you money. How much do you need?”
It was a sudden statement while I was cursing Kwon Jukyung internally. My head automatically whipped toward Kwon Jukyung. What, he’s really going to lend me money? I almost unconsciously clasped my hands together demurely and looked up. Jukyung standing with crossed arms had a somewhat tired-looking complexion. No, whatever. How much do I need?
My mind tangled for a moment. Jukyung’s appearance was unexpected, and the idea to borrow money was a sudden notion, so I hadn’t thought about a specific amount yet. As the prices I originally knew and the prices I’d learned about from recent life collided, extreme prices caused confusion in my head.
What I needed was living expenses to sustain myself until I found a job and received a salary. So, immediately needed was lodging and food expenses for about two months, plus new clothes and a phone…
“About fifty million won… no, uh, five million won?”
At my dumb words, Jukyung’s eyebrows curved strangely.
“What are you saying? Do you need fifty million or do you need five million?”
“Well… I’m not sure.”
I answered stupidly. The calculation got tangled. First, I had a rough estimate for inn fees and food expenses. But confusion came with clothing costs. I naturally knew I couldn’t insist on the brands I originally wore. But I had no information about how much I could buy a suit that would look neat and dignified as cheaply as possible.
The only information input in me was still just the prices of inns, jjimjilbangs, regular meal costs, and convenience store items. How much can you usually buy a suit for if you buy cheap? I’d have to buy things like shoes and bags too. Plus, I can’t get by with just one set, so shouldn’t I buy at least five or six sets?
While I was lost in confusion, Jukyung sighed and looked at his watch. It was a weekday and at least close to 10 PM. I became anxious that Jukyung might say he was busy and tired and had to go now. If he left, I had no other way to contact him. Right now, he was the only straw of hope I could cling to.
“Hey. Lend me some. I’ll pay back double.”
I spoke boldly. Even if it’s fifty million won, double is just about 100 million. Calculated as interest, it’s a tremendous murderous interest rate, but in this situation, I could give about 100 million even as a gesture of gratitude.
“Where’s your lodging right now?”
Was he tempted by the double? Jukyung irritably ran his hand through his hair and asked. His long fingers and neatly groomed nails somehow drew my gaze. I answered blankly while unconsciously following with my eyes.
“Don’t have one. Lodging.”
Ha, Jukyung exhaled as if dumbfounded.
“I was hoping not, but is it really true? You’re homeless right now? The great Kang Doyun?”
Am I homeless?
I tilted my head.
I see. I thought not yet. Well, since I’d already started sleeping rough, I supposed I was homeless.
Jukyung looked me up and down once more, then irritably bit his lower lip before sighing deeply again.
“I didn’t know you were such an irresponsible person, but anyway, well, meeting like this must all be my bad luck. Follow me for now. It’s late, so let’s go to my place and talk.”
My eyes widened at the word “place.”
“Place? Your place?”
“Then would it be your place in this situation?”
Whether Jukyung was irritated or not, I burned with hope.
The fact that he was taking me to his place now meant at least tonight’s sleeping arrangements were solved, and the request to lend me money would be discussed carefully at his place. As a bonus, he’d provide a proper meal to a starving classmate. If he was an ordinary human with compassion and common sense.
My haggard eyes began to sparkle brightly for the first time in a while. The corners of my mouth rose on their own. Seeing my face like that, Jukyung’s eyes narrowed as if displeased.
***
Getting into Kwon Jukyung’s car and closing the door, cool air conditioning wrapped around my body. I don’t know how long it’s been since I felt grateful anew for the existence of air conditioning. The cleanly maintained car faintly gave off a new car smell. And also…
I paused for a moment. Though it was just a very faint lingering scent, I felt there was a strangely familiar fragrance mixed in. A scent that was cool yet seemed to wrap around gently. I tilted my head. Air freshener? It was too high-quality a scent to be an air freshener. Was it Jukyung’s perfume? Thinking maybe I felt it was familiar because it was a brand I knew, I dug through my memory, but no name readily came to mind.
“It’s a new car.”
Jukyung suddenly said something I hadn’t asked, scattering my thoughts. I looked at him wondering what he was suddenly talking about.
“I came to Korea, got a job, and bought it with difficulty on installment.”
“Installment?”
I muttered the unfamiliar word in a somewhat blank state.
“Unlike you, I’m an ordinary person, so a car I bought with such difficulty is more precious than my own body.”
He was making increasingly incomprehensible statements. So what about it?
“In other words, be grateful. That I put you in this precious car when you’re not even my lover and you’re in beggar’s clothes.”
“Well… yeah. Thanks.”
I answered obediently without feeling particularly hurt in my pride. It wasn’t wrong that I was in beggar’s clothes, and if the benefactor wanted me to say thanks, I could say it ten or a hundred times. At least while I was indebted to him.
But Jukyung seemed displeased with my answer, glanced at me once with fierce eyes, clicked his tongue, and glared at the road ahead again. He scrunched up his nose and frowned, so I thought he wanted to say something else, but fortunately he didn’t say anything more and concentrated on driving.
I forgot about the perfume and went over what Jukyung had said. It had been less than three months since graduation and he was already employed—it seemed quite fast. At Leroy, it was common to travel here and there for about half a year to a year after graduation to clear one’s head before getting employed.
But to be employed already after coming to Korea, not getting employed immediately in England or Europe. Don’t Korean companies usually do new graduate hiring in winter? Had it been arranged in advance through special recruitment before graduation? Or maybe his family ran a business and he entered there. Considering he attended Leroy, which was famous for expensive tuition, he couldn’t be from a family with no money at all.
