She was a woman, and was standing in front of some seemingly elaborate unfinished work. Yeonjun spoke to her with an attentive expression, then suddenly stood up and wandered around in front of the work. He pointed somewhere and said something again, then bent his back toward the woman, and talked again…….
It was a pleasing scene. At the same time, a very appropriate and fitting scene for him to belong to.
Eunha gazed at that sight for a moment with a strange expression as if appreciating it. He wondered if he should wait like this for a bit. That was his purpose in coming anyway. Because he thought he would be staying at school until the appointment time. Because he thought he would be somewhere around here.
Since he had waited a whole week for him. Thinking it wouldn’t be bad to come out to meet him a little.
Did he wait? When he sent a message with that thought a few hours ago, a call came not long after. That immediate contact was somehow a bit funny, so he delayed before answering, and Yeonjun bluntly conveyed first that he had no schedule today at all. So if hyung was okay with it, it would be fine to meet right now.
It was a low voice, and the speed of his words wasn’t rushed and was proper, but Eunha got the impression that the voice was somehow excited. So he let out a soundless laugh again.
The reason such frivolous laughter kept leaking out was because the emotion he showed without even thinking of trying to calculate and embellish it was somewhat absurd. That attitude of acting so transparently as if asking him to look at him was really…… felt ridiculous.
How did we part ways in the end? And after that, he was neglected for over a week, yet he thought he was really dripping with signs of missing him.
‘Aren’t you at school right now?’
– I am, but…….
At the evasive tone, a somewhat old-fashioned feeling rose up. If you keep neglecting your studies. If it’s an art major, there must be a lot of assignments anyway. There were quite a few people around him who majored in arts and physical education, so he vaguely knew how fiercely they had to live. Even his own noona had been having a hard study abroad life in Canada for several years, and among his friend group, Park Hyeonji happened to major in art at exactly Yeonjun’s school.
‘Don’t do that and let’s meet at dinner time. Around meal time.’
– ……Okay.
‘I’m saying let’s eat. You like that?’
– Yes. I know.
‘What do you like? This is contact after over a week.’
When he deliberately pretended to speak sharply, after a brief silence, laughter that seemed to slightly crumble came through.
– That’s right.
‘……’
– I should feel a bit bad…… but I don’t.
‘I swear……’
– Why did it take a whole week?
‘To make you lose interest in me.’
– ……What’s that?
‘……I’m joking. I was organizing my thoughts a bit.’
Both were correct. It took time to organize his thoughts, and in the meantime he hoped Yeonjun’s thoughts would change a bit too. It seemed regrettable that it didn’t seem to be the case at all.
And he felt regretful again. With the messenger bag strap in hand, Yeonjun, who had been languidly walking out of the work space with the woman he had been with the whole time, discovered Eunha by chance. The face he met immediately changed very dramatically.
Eunha, who was watching Yeonjun blink his eyelids hard as if grasping the situation, then slowly open his eyes wide, and finally make a bright expressionless face, let out a soundless breath. He tilted his head lightly.
* * *
“How did you come here?”
“I had time left. I walked without thinking and ended up here.”
At the question where he could immediately feel the joy inside, Eunha replied simply. He pretended not to notice Yeonjun acting like he was leaning his upper body and peering from beside the walking person, and gestured with his eyes toward the direction where he had been just before.
“Are you doing assignments or something over there too?”
“Ah, that place is mostly used by sculpture department people. I have a separate space I use.”
“What department are you in?”
“I’m in the Western painting department.”
It was the same department as Park Hyeonji. It was a coincidental common point. I see, he was nodding when Yeonjun, who had spun half a turn, suddenly blocked Eunha’s path.
“Since you’re here, want to see it for a bit?”
It was a tone like asking him to look just once. Eunha, who stared blankly at the pupils that seemed to be sparkling, turned his gaze to the surroundings where the sun seemed about to set.
“Time-wise it’s fine…… but is that okay?”
“There’s no reason it wouldn’t be. It’s dinner time so there won’t be anyone inside.”
Right. There’s no reason it wouldn’t be okay. Eunha nodded. He followed behind Yeonjun who subtly curled his lips and led the way. During the short approach, everyday conversation was exchanged. Did you think about what to eat? I did narrow it down, but what do you like, hyung? I eat anything well. Let’s go somewhere you like. No. I narrowed it down while thinking about what hyung might like. I don’t care. Go where you want to go. No, hyung…… Eunha eventually raised both hands.
The studio they arrived at was empty as he said. Eunha looked over the messy interior for a moment while holding onto the doorframe. All the windows that existed were open, but even so, the smell of oil paint pungently stabbed his nose.
“Do you do assignments here every day?”
He asked while slowly stepping forward. The lights were off, but it was still quite bright inside so he entered without turning them on.
“Not every day, but often?”
“You have a lot of assignments. A lot to do too.”
“That’s true. I honestly didn’t know it would be like this from the first year.”
“I don’t know how you came to the cafe so diligently in the midst of all that.”
At the lament made as if muttering, Yeonjun turned around. Eunha showed a deliberately firm expression to him who made a flawless face as if he knew nothing.
“I mean attend school well. Don’t keep thinking about how to skip.”
You’ll regret it later. Before he could add that, he heard laughter inside his throat.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s just, it feels like something I would have heard when getting scolded when I was young.”
“I am scolding you.”
“I’m not a kid. Hyung.”
The fact that you’re saying you’re not a kid makes you a kid…… Because I still think I’m not an adult at all either.
While he was mulling over this to himself, Yeonjun led Eunha to a corner. Eunha, who took in the canvas placed on the easel, opened and closed his lips as if swallowing air. Then he closed them. And said.
“……You’re attending school well.”
Yeonjun laughed out loud. Eunha sat on the edge of the work desk nearby.
He looked at the painting properly. It was quite a large-sized canvas, and some form was melting inside it dryly yet gloomily. It was mostly like that, but bright colors that seemed to pop out were mixed in each part, breaking up the overall dreary flow. Thus it was a painting that conveyed a subtle atmosphere.
His eye for paintings wasn’t exceptional, but at least he could tell there were no inadequate parts. Well. He wouldn’t have entered here without basis.
“Abstract painting…… You draw this kind of thing from the first year?”
“Ah. It’s not necessarily like that. This is what the professor……”
Yeonjun, sitting in a chair, continued explaining something. The topic continued for a while on the subject of painting and school life. Yeah, I see, while occasionally adding interjections, Eunha carefully observed Yeonjun who somehow seemed a little happy. At some point he bluntly said.
“Looks like you’re all over your bad mood.”
“Huh?”
“Back then you were just…… crying.”
He had been watching continuously since they met earlier, but there was no sign of finding even a trace of that day the whole time.
Yeonjun, who blinked his eyes a couple times as if grasping what he heard, soon raised indignation in those pupils. He let out a laugh close to a sigh awkwardly.
“I really didn’t cry, hyung.”
“Okay.”
“I really didn’t cry.”
“I got it. Yeah. Really. Actually I know too. Tears were just pooled up.”
“Ah, hyung-……”
At the sound of “hyung” extended with much inflection, Eunha let out a breath through his nose. While doing this, what did he mean he wasn’t a kid?
