At himself for even feeling a bit conceited now, Wooyeon let out a self-deprecating laugh. There had been many people who approached him like this before. Jeonghan too probably had feelings that weren’t serious, just like them, but paying attention to him somehow felt like losing to him. Come to think of it, was this class one he was taking together with Jeonghan? It bothered him that his attention kept drifting in that direction.
Before he knew it, Wooyeon had arrived at the lecture hall. There were about 11 minutes left until class, but the lecture hall was deserted. Looking around the lecture hall with a strange feeling, even the few students who had been in the lecture hall began packing their bags and leaving. With an uneasy feeling, Wooyeon took out his phone and checked the group message window.
「Professor Kang Seonwoong’s class has been changed to Liberal Arts Building 4103.」
“No way.”
After checking the message, Wooyeon ran right out of the lecture hall without even grabbing the Americano he’d briefly placed on the desk. It wasn’t far, but it was a completely different building, and the campus was so large that time was tight. About 9 minutes left. To avoid being late, he had to run at full speed, but the weight of the bag hanging on his back wouldn’t help Wooyeon at all.
When Wooyeon ran out of the College of Commerce and Economics building and turned a curve, the weight suddenly disappeared as if the bag had vanished. When Wooyeon looked to the side in surprise, truly surprisingly… Kwon Jeonghan was there. Wooyeon’s bag was hanging comically under Kwon Jeonghan’s arm. Wooyeon twisted his body to avoid Jeonghan’s hand.
“You, what are you doing?”
Suddenly the bag drooped back over Wooyeon’s shoulder, showing off its weight. Too flustered to speak properly, the bag of Wooyeon running toward the Liberal Arts Building again lost its weight and dangled in the air.
“It looked heavy!”
From the side came Jeonghan’s voice full of laughter. He didn’t even have the strength left to retort. Wooyeon, who wasn’t even good at running, was out of breath up to his chin from this untimely run.
Only after finally arriving at the Liberal Arts Building did Wooyeon slow down while catching his breath. It was a 4th floor class, but fortunately the elevator was on the 1st floor. When Jeonghan leisurely pressed the elevator button, Wooyeon leaned against the elevator wall while panting. They’d run together, but how was Kwon Jeonghan so fine? Even while barely able to breathe, Wooyeon thought such things.
“Should I carry it all the way for you? It was pretty heavy.”
“It’s not heavy at all.”
Wooyeon, who had caught his breath in the elevator, snapped and got off first. In the distance, he could see the sign for the lecture hall where class would be held. Looking at the clock, fortunately it seemed he’d arrive on time.
“Sunbae.”
Wooyeon didn’t answer and looked up at Jeonghan standing next to him.
“Sunbae, by any chance, am I making you uncomfortable?”
About to answer “yes,” Wooyeon just closed his mouth instead. Jeonghan nodded with an expression that said he roughly understood.
“Can I call you hyung?”
“No.”
This time the answer came immediately. Wooyeon’s face was slightly scrunched up.
“Do you prefer being called sunbae? Isn’t it a bit cringeworthy?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Then……”
“Don’t mess around and call me sunbae.”
Without even looking at Jeonghan, Wooyeon cut off his words and entered the lecture hall. Behind Wooyeon entering like that, Jeonghan’s face as he entered the lecture hall couldn’t hold back his laughter, as if somehow pleased.
“Ah, yes. Sorry……”
Because Wooyeon deliberately sat next to a student sitting alone, Jeonghan who followed Wooyeon in had no choice but to settle into the seat behind him. And until the professor came in and called attendance, Jeonghan kept quietly laughing with his hand covering his mouth.
* * *
Time passed and it was already Friday. Each day flowed slowly for Wooyeon because it was a continuation of endless labor, but when those days gathered, a week or a month would pass by quickly.
Perhaps because of the late cold spell, cold wind was still blowing through the March campus. Wooyeon blew breath into his hands that were frozen red without even wearing gloves. He was soaked in fatigue from not being able to sleep well because of an unreasonable customer who came to the convenience store at dawn.
Another group meeting in two hours…… Fortunately, the required major class from before had ended a bit early, so there was free time. It was a bit much to go all the way home, so Wooyeon thought he should at least get some sleep in the department lounge.
Wooyeon, who had somehow arrived in front of the department lounge, hesitated for a moment and rolled his eyes. Because he hardly participated in department life, even coming to the department lounge was an extremely embarrassing thing. However, fortunately, perhaps because it was early, or perhaps because people generally didn’t come here much, there was no sign of people in the department lounge.
What was the password again? When Wooyeon, who barely remembered the password written in the pinned notice at the top of the group chat, entered the password on the door lock, the door opened with a mechanical sound. Through the cautiously opening door, the inside of the department lounge was empty except for furniture like computers and sofas that had been put in for show.
Whew, Wooyeon, who let out a sigh, closed the door and went inside the department lounge. Wooyeon put down his bag and large major textbook, and immediately laid his body that felt heavy on the sofa. It wasn’t a particularly clean-looking sofa, but Wooyeon wasn’t in a position to be picky about such things from the start. Looking at the clock again, there was about an hour and 20 minutes left until the next class.
Wooyeon took off his shoes and curled up his body on the sofa, closing his eyes. Whether it was a place with good sunlight, even with his eyes closed, he wanted to cover his eyes from the sunlight he could feel, but his body that had become heavy as a weight couldn’t move. He should set an alarm too…… Wooyeon fell asleep just like that with his eyes slightly scrunched.
How long had he been immersed in sleep? Even at the murmuring sounds from outside, Wooyeon couldn’t wake up yet and was still drunk on sleep. His consciousness had returned a bit, but it seemed he still didn’t want to open his eyes. Warm, and a good smell…… In the comfort that seemed to burrow under the sofa, Wooyeon just tossed and turned without waking.
“Hey, were you here?”
With the sound of the door bursting open, light poured over Wooyeon’s face again. It felt like a screen had been removed in an instant.
Because the light was dazzling, Wooyeon rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and sat up from the sofa. A few people whose faces he recognized from the same department were entering the department lounge.
“Oh.”
Perhaps that word wasn’t directed at Wooyeon, as they looked slightly surprised when they saw him. Wooyeon, embarrassed about having fallen asleep, put his sneakers back on without greeting. Looking at the clock, there was still time before class. Should he be grateful they woke him up?
As Wooyeon got up from the sofa, someone tall standing next to him came into view.
“I was looking for you for a while, man.”
It was Kwon Jeonghan. It seemed the person the group that just entered had been looking for was also Kwon Jeonghan, as Jeonghan smiled at them without words. In Jeonghan’s hand was a large camera.
“Were you here the whole time?”
“I just got here too. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the department lounge, so I was curious and all.”
Jeonghan’s gaze slowly moved. He could have just left, but Wooyeon somehow couldn’t move and just stood still. Jeonghan smiled and asked toward Wooyeon.
“You were here too, sunbae.”
“Yeah.”
At the feeling of somehow getting hot, Wooyeon pressed down on his cheek with his hand. Should he express this as being embarrassed? Sleeping in the department lounge wasn’t a crime, but the feeling was just like that. It seemed like he kept suffering from such emotions in front of Kwon Jeonghan. The emotion of embarrassment.
“Anyway, are you coming tonight? Yujin’s birthday party.”
Fortunately, the others in the department lounge spoke to Jeonghan again. Still, having closed his eyes even briefly, his head felt much lighter. Wooyeon slung his bag that had been under the sofa back over his shoulder.
“I have family business tonight.”
“Hey, Yang Yujin will be so disappointed if you say you’re not coming.”
“Really?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know? If you don’t come, it’ll be super depressing from the girls’ perspective.”
“Ah, what about you, sunbae?”
What stopped Wooyeon from leaving again was, as expected, Jeonghan. Jeonghan asked Wooyeon as if he was truly curious. Who was Yang Yujin again? For Wooyeon, she was just a department person he didn’t really know. In the first place, if it hadn’t been for Jeonghan, no one would have told Wooyeon to come to her birthday party—just that level of department person.
“I have something today too. Sorry.”
Even if there was nothing special, going to such a place was uncomfortable. It wasn’t even an invited occasion, and moreover, today he had to go to the “Night of Sponsorship.”
“It’s not something to be sorry about.”
At Wooyeon’s gentle refusal, Jeonghan smiled toward Wooyeon while fiddling with the camera in his hand. Wooyeon just felt uncomfortable being in the department lounge together with Jeonghan like this right now. It was when Wooyeon grabbed the door handle to pull it down to leave quickly. Jeonghan’s voice caught Wooyeon again.
“Sunbae.”
A pleasant low tone settled down. Through the gap of the open door, the noise of people passing by in the hallway leaked out.
“Sunbae, would you like to join a club? It’s a photography club.”
So that’s why he’d been carrying the camera. The lens of the camera that looked expensive even at a glance sparkled and shone.
“……No. I don’t have time for that.”
He didn’t have the leisure time to enjoy such entertainment, and Wooyeon didn’t even have money to buy a cheap camera. At the inferiority complex that arose for no reason, Wooyeon’s insides hurt.
Wooyeon, who escaped from the department lounge through the gap of the open door, left the building with quick steps.
