Chapter 03
“There isn’t. So relax your face.”
“There isn’t?”
“Yeah.”
“There isn’t… then why are you like this?”
“Just because. It’s fun.”
Yeonjae frowned deeply, and Hyunoh smiled in a boyish way.
“You look really ugly when you make that face.”
Her lips stayed tightly pressed, without even a trace of a smile.
“Smile a little. Don’t you know they say you need to smile for good luck to come?”
“I’ll smile when there’s something to smile about.”
“You’re not having fun eating with me right now?!”
“No.”
“Oh. That’s unfortunate.”
Hyunoh laughed with a face that didn’t look unfortunate at all. Even after that, their conversation kept jumping from topic to topic without settling anywhere.
Hyunoh finished his sundae guk cleanly. Meanwhile, Yeonjae’s pork bone soup looked almost the same as when it was first served.
As she watched him eat, Yeonjae made up her mind.
She would withdraw every positive evaluation she had ever made about Kang Hyunoh as Dohan’s friend.
As soon as she got home, she would erase everything written about him in her notebook. Then she would open a new page and write this:
Old-fashioned jerk. Rude. Total pain.
When Hyunoh finally put down his spoon, Yeonjae stood up. Then he said,
“Don’t smoke, right? I’ll go out first and have one. Come out in three minutes.”
“Ah, okay.”
Yeonjae awkwardly half-stood, then sat back down again.
Hyunoh got up with his major textbook and the cigarette pack he had just taken out of his pocket. As Yeonjae started to move, he looked back and added,
“By the way, you’re paying. I’m broke.”
Haah.
She needed to add one more thing. Beggar.
But the meal had already been paid for.
The part-time worker said casually,
“The person you were with paid earlier while going to the restroom.”
Feeling slightly dumbfounded, Yeonjae stepped out of the restaurant.
As soon as she came out, she saw Hyunoh. He was smoking in front of a sand-filled pot used as an ashtray.
When he noticed her late, he threw away the cigarette that wasn’t even half-finished.
Then he started walking toward the direction of the school.
Following behind him, Yeonjae asked,
“Why did you pay?”
Hyunoh shrugged. Then, out of nowhere, he asked,
“Want to go to a café?”
“Why would I?”
“You’re going to act like this with me?”
“You said you didn’t want anything from me.”
There was still time before the next class. But Yeonjae had no desire to drink coffee with Hyunoh after already eating with him.
Then he added,
“I just want to talk a bit. If you leave like this, you’ll definitely regret it.”
“Regret what?”
“I don’t want anything now. But I don’t know if that’ll stay the same.”
“Haah. Fine. Let’s go.”
What on earth is this person trying to do?
With a tired expression, Yeonjae pointed vaguely at a café right in front of them.
“There. Let’s go to the one right there.”
Hyunoh followed the direction she pointed without any complaint.
As they walked straight ahead, he ran into several familiar faces.
They all greeted him warmly.
“Oh, Hyunoh~ Where are you going?”
“Yeah. To a café.”
He mostly just waved his hand lazily, as if he found it bothersome.
He’s super popular.
Yeonjae already felt drained.
Even if she gathered every friend who had ever passed through her life, it probably wouldn’t equal the number of people who had just greeted Hyunoh.
Moreover, his acquaintances kept glancing at Yeonjae with curious eyes.
The same curious looks came from people already seated inside the café.
Yet not a single person directly asked Hyunoh about her.
To be exact, it seemed like they didn’t dare to ask.
And in that process, Yeonjae naturally realized something.
People were a little intimidated by Hyunoh.
For some reason, she felt the urge to explain on her own.
I’m not his type.
I’m devoted to someone else.
“What do you want?”
Standing in front of the kiosk first, Hyunoh turned and asked. Yeonjae lightly tapped his shoulder.
“I’ll buy the coffee.”
“Hey. The senior should pay.”
“You said you didn’t have money.”
Saying that, Yeonjae gently pushed him aside. She inserted her card into the machine first and said,
“Choose.”
She had already been treated to a meal. At least she had to buy coffee. Otherwise, who knew what excuse he would make out of it later?
Hyunoh laughed as if he couldn’t believe it. Then he hummed and said he should order something very expensive.
She thought he was joking.
He wasn’t.
Double chocolate latte. With whipped cream. Extra Oreo. Extra sweet.
Even at a cheap franchise café, it didn’t go over five thousand won.
Still, Yeonjae found it a little surprising.
He looked like someone who drank only Americano, yet he preferred sweet drinks.
She added his order to the cart. Then she ordered her own iced Americano and made up her mind.
As soon as the drinks come out, I’m going back to school.
She had already gotten her notebook back, and he said he wanted nothing. There was nothing more to talk about.
Of course, she still planned to get a clear promise that he wouldn’t tell Dohan about the notebook.
Because of a habit from her school days, she had stubbornly used a physical notebook. But this weekend, she would move all the contents into her phone’s memo app.
Then she would burn the original notebook.
While she was thinking that, the coffee came out. Hyunoh handed the Americano to her.
She expected him to say they should drink inside, but surprisingly, he didn’t. The two of them walked side by side back toward the school.
Yeonjae hadn’t even taken three sips and was just holding it. The weather was already warm, and water droplets quickly formed on the plastic cup. Staring at them, she carefully spoke.
“About… the notebook. You won’t tell Dohan, right?”
“Not sure.”
Her irritation suddenly flared up. But who could she blame? She was the one who lost the notebook.
“What do you mean? You said you didn’t want anything from me. Please don’t tell him. I’ll do anything you ask. Okay?”
“How do you know what I’d ask? Hey. Don’t say things like that carelessly.”
“Then just please don’t tell him.”
“Oh?”
“You won’t, right?”
“I won’t. I won’t.”
“…Can I record this conversation as proof?”
Hyunoh looked at her as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Hey.”
For a moment, Yeonjae gripped her phone tightly.
Honestly, until just a second ago, she had been seriously considering recording it.
But the answer that came back was completely unexpected.
“I’ll help you.”
At the sudden words, Yeonjae’s steps stopped abruptly.
The content of his words was unexpected. At the same time, she felt confused.
What is this person saying right now?
Maybe that’s why her next words came out sharper than she intended.
“Don’t say things you don’t mean.”
“Why do you think I don’t mean it?”
“You don’t even know anything about me… And you don’t look like someone who helps others.”
At that, Hyunoh looked genuinely wronged.
He hurried after her as she quickened her pace, adding as if explaining himself,
“I’m not that bad of a person.”
“Ah, sure.”
Yeonjae brushed it off and kept walking. Before she knew it, they had passed the main gate and were back inside campus.
“I’m saying I’ll help you and Lee Dohan get together. Isn’t that a benefit for you no matter what?”
This wasn’t something she could ignore. The subject and object were perfectly clear.
Yeonjae stopped again, and this time her head turned naturally.
She stared at Hyunoh.
He stared back.
Their eyes met from a short distance. Neither of them looked away first.
Is he making fun of me right now?
Maybe if she answered happily here, he would label her as someone who really liked Dohan.
She didn’t know what meaning that would have.
So she answered defensively.
“Don’t look down on me.”
But Hyunoh didn’t back down.
“Why do you think I’m looking down on you?”
He truly looked curious.
If he was really doing this out of pure goodwill without any bad intention, that made her even more curious.
Finally, Yeonjae asked again,
“Why are you helping me?”
This time, no answer came right away. Yeonjae gave a small laugh.
Of course. He looks fine on the outside, but he’s strange.
Just as she turned her back to walk away, Hyunoh slowly opened his mouth.
“It’s fun.”
It was an absurd answer.
Helping his own friend and a girl who followed that friend around like a stalker—just because it was fun?
“Is that really all?”
Yeonjae narrowed her eyes.
“Who knows.”
Hyunoh muttered softly and shrugged.
