“We’re going to get a good grade. Aren’t you grateful?”
It was half serious, half joking. Jae-min pointed at himself with his thumb, putting strength in his eyes. Receiving a silent look as if to say hurry and say thank you, Hyun-woong’s lips twitched.
“…Let’s go to the café together.”
In the noisy hallway, Hyun-woong’s small voice barely reached Jae-min’s ears. At the out-of-the-blue words, Jae-min’s eyes widened.
“Huh?”
“I’ll buy you coffee. Since I’m grateful like you said.”
Not having expected to actually hear a thank you, Jae-min creaked like a broken robot. Hyun-woong gazed at Jae-min silently with an expressionless face. In the suffocating silence, Jae-min nodded awkwardly.
“Well, free coffee is good.”
At that, Hyun-woong immediately turned his gaze forward and started walking. Jae-min stared in bewilderment at him walking far ahead after asking to go together, then quickly moved his feet.
⁕⁕⁕
The place Jae-min went with Hyun-woong was a franchise café near the university’s back gate. While Hyun-woong ordered coffee, Jae-min went up to the second floor first. It was an awkward afternoon time, so there were many seats and it was quiet. Jae-min plopped his bag down at a window seat and sat with his legs crossed.
Jae-min was reflected in the window. He looked at his dressed-up appearance with a dissatisfied expression.
Having dressed up nicely for the presentation, and now it’s a café alone with Hyun-woong. They hadn’t started off on good terms, and it wasn’t like they teamed up for the project because they liked each other, yet here he was about to get coffee as an after-party for the team project. In many ways, he couldn’t quite grasp what was going on.
After waiting a bit, Hyun-woong came up. He’d thought he would come right up after ordering, but it seemed he’d waited for the drinks to come out. He had coffee in both hands.
“Iced vanilla latte, right?”
“Yeah.”
Hyun-woong set the coffee down on the table and sat. Then he took out his laptop from his backpack. Jae-min picked up the glass placed in front of him.
“I’ll enjoy it.”
At the casually tossed remark, Hyun-woong, who had been setting up his laptop, raised his head. His gaze touched the vanilla latte and then moved away again.
“You eat sweet things.”
“What did you order?”
“Americano. I thought you’d like this kind of thing too.”
“I only drink americano during austerity times.”
Jae-min chuckled, recalling how he’d been forced to order only americano every time when he was really struggling. Hyun-woong raised his thick eyebrows.
“Are you drinking that because it’s free today?”
“Even if I was buying, I’d drink this. I’m not in austerity mode these days.”
“I guess your allowance is generous?”
The laptop powered on, and Hyun-woong, who immediately opened the report file, asked while typing away. Jae-min blankly looked out the window and let a sip of coffee flow into his mouth.
“Ah, well. I got a decent part-time job.”
“What do you do?”
For a moment, he almost choked badly. He’d been answering without thinking when his mind snapped back. Jae-min hurriedly set down the glass and coughed. Hyun-woong, who had been focused on the laptop screen, furrowed his brow and raised his head.
Jae-min, his face reddened with a single tear drop hanging, barely managed to speak.
“What are you going to do with that information?”
It was meant to be evasive, but it came out somewhat roughly. Hyun-woong let out an empty breath.
“…How rude.”
“Just hurry up and finish the report.”
Hyun-woong closed his mouth and moved his fingers again. Listening to the clacking typing sounds, Jae-min shifted his gaze outside the window.
He could see various people strutting down the street. In particular, couples walking around arm in arm with bright expressions caught his eye. The way they stuck close together was really an eyesore. Jae-min, who had been people-watching for a while, opened his mouth.
“Hey, why do you like her?”
At the casually tossed question, Hyun-woong noticeably flinched and stopped his hand. The typing sound ceased and silence fell in an instant.
“…What are you talking about, suddenly?”
“Don’t play dumb. I’m talking about Lee Yun-ji.”
“Ah.”
“What do you like about Lee Yun-ji that you’re dating her?”
Jae-min asked indifferently. Hyun-woong, with furrowed brow, moved his fingers again. The typing sound clacked away.
“Why are you asking that?”
“If you were me, wouldn’t you naturally be curious? Having your girlfriend stolen in an instant. I really didn’t expect her to bring someone she liked in just one day.”
Though the content was terrible, Jae-min asked without putting emotion into it. It wasn’t deliberately controlled. He really didn’t have any particular thoughts.
Whether time really heals everything, or just because he hadn’t seen Yun-ji’s face a few times. The resentment and anger that had been boiling so much at first had now cooled down surprisingly.
He was purely curious. What aspect of Yun-ji had Hyun-woong fallen for that made him pursue her, and how they became lovers in just one day.
As Jae-min gazed at Hyun-woong and waited for an answer, Hyun-woong, who had kept his mouth tightly shut, quietly said:
“I’m sorry about it.”
At the unexpected response, Jae-min’s jaw went slack. Hyun-woong raised his head slightly with an oddly awkward expression.
“You don’t look sorry at all though?”
At Jae-min’s words, Hyun-woong, as if having nothing to say, lowered his gaze again. Jae-min, looking at him in dismay, leaned back against the backrest.
“Forget it. I think I’m okay now too.”
“…Already?”
At the returned question, Jae-min clenched his molars tightly. Other things didn’t annoy him, but Hyun-woong asking “already?” right now pissed him off. It wasn’t something the person who stole his girlfriend should say.
Jae-min abruptly sat up again and glared at Hyun-woong.
“Just tell me how you fell for her. Don’t gradually grate on my nerves.”
At the threatening words, Hyun-woong glanced at Jae-min and let out a short sigh.
“I don’t want to.”
“What?”
Hyun-woong casually grabbed and moved the mouse. After clicking a few times, he soon closed the laptop lid.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Hyun-woong, who spoke curtly, stuffed the laptop into his bag, then gulped down the americano in front of him all the way to the end. Clunk—only ice remained in the cup he set down.
Having emptied his coffee, Hyun-woong stood up abruptly. At his appearance of suddenly trying to storm out of the café, Jae-min stood up in confusion as well.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“I have to go work out.”
Working out at a time like this. As Jae-min made a fed-up expression, Hyun-woong, who had firmly pulled his bag strap over his shoulder and was about to leave, stopped short.
“I submitted the report. Good work on the presentation.”
Without looking at Jae-min, he said quietly.
“And… you really did well.”
Muttering as if to himself, Hyun-woong finally moved his steps. His stride was wide and somewhat awkward. Jae-min watched with his mouth hanging open as Hyun-woong walked out like a giant scrap metal robot that hadn’t been oiled.
Clatter—the ice in the glass on the table made a sound as it melted and collided.
“Huh.”
Left alone after Hyun-woong departed, Jae-min plopped down in the chair and drank the remaining vanilla latte. He glared at empty space and let out a hollow laugh. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it was. It was ridiculous that after asking to go to the café together, he immediately abandoned him saying he had to go work out.
‘He’s the only one acting busy.’
Jae-min chewed the end of the straw. There was a little coffee left, but he didn’t want to drink anymore. Standing up, Jae-min cleared the cup and left the café.
“The one who’s really busy is me.”
Coming outside and stretching, Jae-min’s complexion rapidly darkened. Today was a day he had to go to his part-time job. But the feeling was definitely different from usual.
Sighing deeply, Jae-min got on the bus heading to Apgujeong.
“You’re here?”
When he opened the clinic door and entered, Cheol-hui at the desk spoke to him. Jae-min, who bowed in greeting, hesitantly opened his mouth.
“I’m taking on a new patient today…”
Today there was no appointment for Hyun-woong, and as Cheol-hui had warned before, it was the day to meet a new patient. Cheol-hui nodded.
“That’s right. He’s currently in consultation with the Director.”
Jae-min’s gaze went to the closed examination room door. When he closed his mouth, the murmuring voices of two people could be faintly heard.
“Please change clothes and wait, I’ll call you.”
Cheol-hui said to Jae-min, who was standing still staring at the examination room door. It seemed like a way of saying get in there. Jae-min answered that he understood and opened the changing room door. While taking off the clothes he’d worn and changing into his uniform, Jae-min just sighed deeply the whole time.
Before meeting the new patient, there was one worry filling Jae-min’s head. It was whether his lower body would react inside the treatment room like last time.
