After work ended, Taeon left for school carrying a small bag containing coffee and cake.
He was going to just bring Sunjeong’s, but somehow figured his friends would be there too, so he also packed a large bottle of coffee and some other desserts.
The night breeze was quite chilly. Burying himself in his jumper and walking around campus, somehow his mood felt fresh. Even though he occasionally came to campus because of Sunjeong, he usually only came during the day, so this was his first time on campus at night.
He thought the campus would naturally be empty since it was night, but maybe because it was exam period, there were quite a few people. One of the passersby even recognized Taeon. It was a face Taeon also remembered because they’d once asked if they could at least be friends with him.
Taeon bowed his head awkwardly in greeting and walked forward.
He hadn’t even sent a message, planning to contact him when he arrived in case he’d distract him from studying, and it was good that he did so.
Because anyway, a voice familiar to Taeon’s ears could be heard.
“Yoon Taeon.”
He could see Sunjeong walking from quite a distance away.
Unlike earlier at the cafe, his face had fatigue settled on it and his hair was slightly disheveled. He was even wearing glasses.
“What are you staring at so much?”
“It’s my first time seeing you wear glasses.”
He couldn’t bring himself to say they suited him well. The round, rimless glasses unexpectedly really suited Sunjeong well.
“Do they look bad?”
“No.”
“Then?”
A persistent question. Taeon scratched the back of his head for no reason in an awkward mood and answered.
“They suit you well.”
“Right?”
As if finally satisfied, a bright smile bloomed on Sunjeong’s face.
It was still a dark night, but when Sunjeong smiled, somehow even the surroundings felt brighter.
“Anyway, thanks, Yoon Taeon.”
Ah, it was a meeting with a purpose.
Only then coming to his senses, Taeon held out the paper bag containing the iPad to Sunjeong.
“Since you said you were studying… coffee and dessert too.”
“Oh, thanks.”
As if it was unexpected, Sunjeong made a surprised expression. He looked into the bag and his eyes grew even rounder.
“Why is there so much coffee?”
“I figured your friends would be with you too.”
“Friends…”
“They’re not there?”
“Yeah. I’m doing it alone.”
“Ah, then this is too much. I’ll take some with me.”
At Taeon’s words, Sunjeong pondered and then said.
“You weren’t going to drink coffee at home anyway, right?”
He didn’t drink it originally, but while working at the cafe, he did occasionally drink a few cups only at the cafe.
“Well, I can take it to the cafe tomorrow and drink it.”
“No. Let’s go to that bench over there and share the bottle coffee between you and me, and I’ll take what’s left to give to my housemates. They’ll like it. They like both coffee and dessert.”
If he meant “my housemates,” it would be Jinhyeok and Yoonwoo. Then what kind of place was “my house” where Sunjeong lived?
Taeon knew absolutely nothing about the house where Sunjeong had been staying for months.
“You want to drink it together?”
“Yeah. Why, don’t you have time to drink? If not, I’ll drink it alone.”
“No, it’s not that, I’m just worried it might interfere with your studying…”
“It’s fine. If it’s okay with you.”
Taeon was now familiar with yet still unfamiliar with the feeling of conversation dragging on in circles.
Words measuring this and that out of consideration for each other. Are all friends like this, friends after turning twenty?
At Taeon’s words that it was okay, Sunjeong started walking ahead without much to say. After walking a short distance, Sunjeong sat on a bench wide open toward the main road by the library. And he tapped the seat next to him with his right hand as if telling Taeon to sit.
Sunjeong’s face reflected under the bright streetlight was exceptionally pale.
When he was young and now, Sunjeong’s face was pale.
If there was something a bit different from before, it was that before he had a pallid feeling, but now he looked slightly mature.
“Why do you keep staring?”
Just pretend you don’t notice. At Taeon’s gaze, Sunjeong asked in an indifferent voice.
“Because you’re right in front of me, I’m looking.”
Answering prickly like this, it felt like returning to the past and made him want to laugh.
“There are no cups. Ah, there are straws. Let’s share with straws.”
“…Let’s do that.”
Sunjeong first opened the large bottle cap and stuck in two straws. Then after taking a big sip, he held out the bottle to Taeon. Taeon hesitated for a moment before receiving the coffee and taking a sip. It was so cold that his head felt tingly and hurt.
At night, if he drank even a sip of coffee, he couldn’t sleep well.
But today wasn’t a day when he’d be able to sleep well anyway, so it might not matter.
“Your cafe’s coffee is really delicious.”
“I can’t really tell the difference between Kanu or this.”
“That means you drink anything well.”
“…”
Sunjeong always interpreted Taeon favorably like this.
Even though he’d quickly fixed the habit of scratching his prickly buzzed head after being discharged, Taeon scratched the back of his head in an awkward mood for no reason.
“But why are you studying alone? Your friends.”
Studying would normally be done alone, but if it was Sunjeong, he thought there’d be a few people with him at the library.
“Because it’s more comfortable alone.”
“I see.”
“I really need to do well on this exam, so I have to study hard.”
“Suddenly why?”
Sunjeong, both when he was young and now, always studied moderately. He didn’t have parents who were strict about grades or anything, and he didn’t feel any interest in studying at all. Instead, he just briefly gave it his all to get into Hanguk University because everyone in his family graduated from Hanguk University and he didn’t want to be left out alone.
“I’m going to transfer departments.”
“Transfer departments? Moving departments?”
“Yeah.”
“Suddenly why?”
At Taeon’s words, Sunjeong fell into thought for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.
“You know, Yoon Taeon, do you remember what we said when we were young?”
Even though he said when they were young, it was actually just a few years ago. But now the days when they wore school uniforms felt too young.
“We said let’s become decent adults.”
The private school Taeon and Sunjeong graduated from operated thoroughly by hierarchy.
Taeon could say he was discriminated against less because he was very much an outsider, but there were times when that wasn’t the case either. Among the teachers who were particularly good at complying with that atmosphere, there were occasionally cases where they openly discriminated against Taeon and children who advanced from the facility.
It was a memory Taeon had forgotten. However, it was also a memory that came back completely vividly as soon as Sunjeong mentioned it, one that would never be forgotten.
“During your incident this time…”
“…”
“I saw too many adults who weren’t decent again.”
“…”
“I wanted to at least become a decent adult myself. So I’m going to transfer to the College of Education.”
At the mention of College of Education, Taeon made a surprised expression.
“To the College of Education?”
“Yeah.”
Sunjeong just answered quietly without adding any further explanation.
Taeon couldn’t take his eyes off such a Sunjeong.
His jawline seems to have become sharper too. Did he lose baby fat? Thinking this, he blankly watched Sunjeong’s pupils beyond the unfamiliar glasses facing forward without wavering before opening his mouth.
“What department?”
“For now, just the Department of Education. I’m going to decide on a detailed major gradually.”
“Ah, I see…”
A quick, firm answer came back to his casually thrown question.
He just thought their relationship was changing, but perhaps Sunjeong himself was changing.
Taeon was still just Taeon as always. After being tangled in silence with Sunjeong for a while, Taeon opened his mouth again.
“That’s cool, Go Sunjeong.”
It was short but sincere. At those words, Sunjeong’s expression slightly crumbled as he let out a light laugh.
“What is?”
“You know what you want to do, and you’re working hard. That’s cool.”
Somehow feeling his throat was parched, Taeon gulped down his coffee.
Sunjeong, who had been watching such a Taeon, made a strange expression for a moment before continuing.
“What do you want to do?”
“Huh?”
“Yoon Taeon, what do you want to study?”
“…Not really, anything.”
Study? If I was going to do that, I would have chosen to go to college in high school.
Taeon, who had nothing to say, rather chose silence. It seemed meaningless to say words that Sunjeong had already heard dozens of times, more than a hundred times and knew. Perhaps it might even sound like an excuse.
Cold night air and silence went well together. It seemed like the first time being this quiet the whole time while being with Sunjeong like this.
“I should go in now.”
It was Sunjeong who first broke the silence that had continued for a while.
Taeon blankly watched Sunjeong get up from the bench and dust off his bottom.
“Thanks for today.”
“What are you thanking me for? Between us.”
When Taeon pointed out the words that had been bothering him the whole time, Sunjeong’s expression became subtle.
“Between us?”
“Yeah.”
“Even between friends, you have to be polite. It’s not like you’re my errand boy.”
“…”
“Anyway, thanks to you I woke up too. Have a good night!”
Sunjeong moved away without even waiting for Taeon’s answer.
Until Sunjeong blankly disappeared into the large library building, Taeon’s gaze followed Sunjeong’s back.
