Jang Juwon, who had crossed the last step and discovered him, smiled brightly. At the same time, the loose slippers caught on the floor. His body, having lost its center of gravity, began to topple forward. The ground was getting closer and closer to him.
“Jang Juwon!”
Suppressing the instinct to brace himself with his hands, he held the camera tightly in his arms. And he squeezed his eyes shut. Even if he fell and got hurt, he had to protect the camera. People could recover from injuries, but this fragile camera couldn’t.
“Huh?”
Jang Juwon’s cheek hit something solid. But it didn’t hurt at all. Soon he felt someone firmly holding his body. When he sneakily opened his eyes, Baek Iseon was looking down at him. What Jang Juwon’s cheek had touched wasn’t the cold brick floor but his chest.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine so… why don’t you let go now?”
Before he knew it, Baek Iseon’s hand was sneakily groping below his waist. Jang Juwon glared at him with stern eyes. Baek Iseon suddenly played innocent as if asking what the problem was and feigned ignorance.
“I’m checking if you’re hurt anywhere.”
“……”
“You’re not saying anything, so I guess you are hurt somewhere?”
“Sunbae……”
“Should we go inside and take a look?”
Jang Juwon wanted to kick him, but it was hard to move his body much because of the camera. So he decided to use another method. Jang Juwon stood on tiptoe and whispered in a very small voice in his ear.
“Later… I’ll do it for you.”
“This is driving me crazy, seriously.”
Baek Iseon’s face instantly turned red and he soon staggered backward. Jang Juwon let out a snickering laugh. This was the first time seeing him so flustered. How naive, when it’s a lie.
Jang Juwon walked past Baek Iseon with the leisurely smile of a victor and took one step forward. Crack. At that moment, a sound that shouldn’t be heard was heard. He had stepped on something. But the camera is in his arms……? He had an ominous feeling. Silence flowed for a moment and Jang Juwon slowly lifted his foot. Goosebumps rose all over his body.
“No!”
“Ah……”
There was one person’s cry and three people’s sighs.
“My phone!”
Everyone paid their respects for a moment looking at Jang Juwon’s phone that had been smashed to pieces. When Jang Juwon picked up the phone with trembling hands, glass shards that had originally been the screen fell down to the floor with a patter.
“Give it here, it’s dangerous.”
Baek Iseon took the phone and pressed various buttons. But the phone couldn’t be revived. Jang Juwon’s face turned tearful. Baek Iseon comforted such a Jang Juwon, saying:
“It’s okay. I’ll buy you one.”
Huh? A question mark floated up in Choi Yeonho’s mind as he quietly watched the situation. He’d heard he had a lot of money, but was it enough to readily spend over a million won on a hoobae?
“No. I have my part-time job pay and I got some allowance, so I’m fine.”
“I want to buy it for you. If possible, the same one as mine……”
“The same one……”
Baek Iseon trailed off and fidgeted with his feet. Jang Juwon also didn’t seem to dislike his suggestion, as instead of refusing, he blushed slightly. An even bigger question mark floated up in Choi Yeonho’s mind as he watched them. Both of them had definitely gone crazy. Why in the middle of the night were they standing facing each other, blushing and making a fuss? The way they were awkward with each other like people who were flirting was funny. Haha, laughter came out without him realizing it. Anyone watching would think they were dating.
“Haha, ha……”
Choi Yeonho’s laughter gradually slowed and then stopped. No way, right? Jang Juwon with that weird person? Choi Yeonho’s eyes began to wander. When he turned his head with a flustered face to look at Shin Jisu, she was looking at him with a pitiful gaze while putting peach in her mouth. That gaze seemed to be saying, ‘You finally figured it out, you idiot.’
Click! Shin Jisu, who had been eating peach, widened her eyes at the sudden shutter sound. When she looked straight ahead, Jang Juwon was slightly lowering the camera while smiling mischievously.
“What? Take one of me too!”
Choi Yeonho rushed over and sat down stuck right next to Shin Jisu, making a V with his fingers. Click. The shutter sound was heard once more as the camera captured the image of the two laughing young man and woman.
“Jang Juwon, you go sit too. I’ll take one for you.”
“Sunbae, do you know how to take pictures?”
“……I’m Baek Huiseon’s younger brother.”
“Right, of course.”
Jang Juwon entrusted his camera to Baek Iseon’s hands without any doubt. Of course, since he’s Baek Huiseon’s younger brother.
“Jang Juwon, come here!”
Choi Yeonho made space between himself and Shin Jisu and gestured. Jang Juwon quickly walked over and leaned his back deeply between the two.
“Hey, you’re heavy!”
“Ahahaha!”
Giggling laughter filled the spacious yard. Click, even though Baek Iseon pressed the shutter, no one looked at the lens. The three people were busy facing each other and laughing. The shutter sound was almost drowned out by that laughter.
“……”
Baek Iseon’s hand pressing the shutter gradually slowed and eventually stopped. The hand holding the camera dropped limply downward. He felt strange. His heart felt unsettled and uncomfortable for no reason. What was this emotion called?
‘Hurt? Me?’
Maesu (매수/妹嫂) – Younger brother’s wife / sister-in-law
“Sunbae!”
“Huh?”
When he quickly lifted his head toward where the sound came from, Jang Juwon was waving his hand at him. What had he just been thinking about? In an instant, his head emptied and filled up with what was in front of his eyes.
“Sunbae, come here too and let’s take a picture of the four of us. I’ll take it.”
“Me too…?”
“Why, don’t you want to unless it’s a pro like Photographer Baek?”
“No, no, of course not…”
“Damn, I really can’t watch this. Sunbae, hurry up and come here.”
“Y-y-y-yes. P-please come!”
Baek Iseon approached them with hesitant steps, yet somehow lighter steps. Baek Iseon wondered if he’d ever been this awkward in front of a camera in his entire life. Thunk, Shin Jisu casually placed her hand on his shoulder. Naturally he should dislike it, but somehow he didn’t want to shake it off.
Jang Juwon crouched down in front of the wooden bench, turned the lens toward them, then stretched out his arm and pressed the shutter with a trembling hand. Click. The focus and aperture probably weren’t set properly so the result would likely be a mess, but not a single person cared. It seemed like they didn’t even intend to come out well in the photo.
“Give me the camera for a second.”
Shin Jisu held out her hand. She took the camera and captured in the lens the image of Baek Iseon and Jang Juwon sitting with their backs leaning against each other.
“Do you know how to take pictures? This isn’t on auto.”
Jang Juwon’s eyes widened as he asked, seeing Shin Jisu naturally handling the camera.
“Yeah, I learned a bit. Somehow.”
“From who?”
“…”
In an instant, Shin Jisu’s face turned red. She kept her mouth tightly shut and smiled faintly.
“Hey, you…!”
Baek Iseon’s eyes and mouth opened wide as his face filled with shock. Jang Juwon also couldn’t continue speaking with a surprised expression. Shin Jisu shyly announced her new news.
“It happened.”
Choi Yeonho felt a strange sense of déjà vu from her attitude. That suspicious atmosphere he’d felt from Baek Iseon and Jang Juwon earlier was also wafting strongly from Shin Jisu.
No way, it couldn’t be. Tears welled up in Choi Yeonho’s eyes as he desperately denied it.
‘Everyone’s a couple except me?’
It was the worst. And so the first night drew to a close.
* * *
The next morning, the four college students were once again thrown into the middle of the peach orchard. Looking at the peaches hanging in clusters, all four had the same thought.
‘I really don’t want to do this…’
But there were still peaches everywhere ripening red, and they didn’t want to complain in front of the generous couple. Jang Juwon forced himself to perk up and, just like yesterday, gathered his basket and ladder and headed to his designated area.
“Jang Juwon!”
“Hm?”
