[T/N] I apologize for grammar mistakes and incoherencies
Chapter 10 <10> #3
The next day, which was the second day of the new semester, finally arrived.
Sangwoo left his apartment an hour earlier than usual and rode his bike without hesitation. Normally, he would get a full eight hours of quality sleep, but today he woke up abruptly due to a nightmare, so he only slept for four hours, leaving him physically drained. In the dream, there was a red fur coat. When he unzipped it, he discovered sharp teeth that were about to bite him. Even though he felt ridiculous after waking up, the dream was so scary that he had to run away.
‘Just endure for two weeks.’
Sangwoo gnashed his teeth, feeling that his peaceful life was crumbling. It was an inexplicable anxiety that often overflowed, so he had to keep calm. He had no backup plan. Changing courses was not an option anymore (and Jang Jaeyoung followed him) And dropping out of school wasn’t an option either because bad luck didn’t work that way.
When he entered through the main gate and looked down at the time, it was now 8:24 a.m. He arrived at the university earlier in the morning to reserve a seat. Not like yesterday. Sangwoo locked his bicycle in front of the library and headed towards the engineering building for today’s classes.
As soon as he opened the classroom door, he was met with disappointment because there was a leather bag on the far-right desk of the fourth row. He didn’t know what time the other person reserved the seat, so he hurriedly went to examine the bag up close, but he still didn’t know the truth.
‘Or was it placed here since yesterday?’
Sangwoo thought about the possible outcomes, realizing that person didn’t seem diligent at all. Instead of saying they woke up early to bring their bag, it would be more reasonable to say they left it behind since yesterday.
Nevertheless, today Sangwoo felt defeated again. He had to sit farthest from that spot, where he couldn’t help. The classroom heaters hadn’t been turned on, so the air was cold like outside. He sat down without taking off his down jacket and scarf. Then drowsiness crept in. Well, because he didn’t get enough sleep last night, he opened a book to read and prepare for the lesson, but the words on the pages were blurry throughout.
‘It’s definitely worse if you’re sleepy during class.’
So it would be better to doze off before the class started. He closed the book and used it as a makeshift pillow for the first time, pressing his cheek against the textbook and closing his eyes. Soon, his consciousness faded away.
“...30 points for homework, and another 20 points from the final exam. My office and email are in the course compilation document, right? Students who need consultation can go to the assistant professor or send me an email directly. Alright, now let’s take a look at the exam paper.”
When Sangwoo raised his head once again, he heard a smooth voice and saw a red color obstructing his vision. He was confident that he was sitting at least one seat away from the reserved spot, but Jang Jaeyoung was sitting there, smirking.
Sangwoo quickly straightened his upper body and checked the time on his wristwatch. The class had started 14 minutes ago.
Looking around, he noticed that other students were looking at a piece of exam paper, each with their own sheet. Jaeyoung was fiddling with an A4 paper sandwiched between his fingers.
“That crazy guy...”
Sangwoo glanced at other students but couldn’t find any leftover exam papers. It would be difficult to catch the professor’s attention and ask for another sheet. He felt uneasy that he had been silent until now. Sangwoo gritted his teeth, extended his hand towards Jaeyoung, and spoke softly.
“Give it to me. My sheet.”
“Throw it away or something. Here, take mine.”
“Why aren’t you attending class, sunbae?”
Jaeyoung looked down and flicked a few pieces of paper at the end of his fingers. Sangwoo reached out hoping to catch them, but Jaeyoung pulled the sheet behind him, preventing him from touching it.
Jaeyoung folded the paper in half, then folded it again. Sangwoo watched anxiously as the other party acted restlessly.
“If you want something, you should ask politely, shouldn’t you?”
Jaeyoung, wearing a red shirt and displaying an untrustworthy demeanor, spoke softly. He looked like a demon as he folded the sheet that Sangwoo wanted into the shape of an airplane and held it between his index and middle fingers.
“Just give it to me, please.”
“Be more sincere than this.”
“Just give it to me.”
“The deadline is approaching.”
While the teacher turned to the students to write on the board, a paper airplane gracefully glided out of the slightly open door.
Sangwoo suppressed his anger that surged and stood up from his seat. He muttered, ‘Well then, asking Jang Jaeyoung for anything would be foolish.’ He pushed the tightly packed desk forward and grabbed a sheet from the stack on the front classroom stage. Just as the teacher turned back with a cool expression.
“What are you doing, student?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t receive the document, but I was afraid of disturbing the class, so I didn’t inform you.”
“It’s not like you have been asleep since the first period, right?” The teacher clicked his tongue and rubbed his face in frustration.
“Go to the restroom first.”
“Sir?”
“Restroom.”
Sangwoo took the sheet and walked out through the front door without understanding the situation. Although he wasn’t a student who received love from the teacher by raising his hand to answer in class or visiting the research room, he performed well and scored high on exams. By the end of the semester, he had gained the trust of the teacher through his diligence. This was the first time he had been appointed as a class representative since the first day. Furthermore, Teacher Cha Weoyang was an important faculty member who taught most of the subjects for fourth-year students. That was another reason.
When he entered the restroom, Sangwoo almost screamed. The reflection of his face on the mirror looked strange and eerie. A dark black mustache was drawn under his nose. He hastily turned on the faucet but nothing changed.
‘I have to hurry back in…’
Sangwoo lathered soap in his hands until it foamed, then rubbed it over the stained area above his upper lip. The black lines gradually disappeared bit by bit, but it was still too slow. Sangwoo couldn’t believe that he would waste time studying such meaningless things.
“As a child of sin, you’re venting your frustration through painting. Beast.”
19 minutes flew away into thin air. When he finally returned to the classroom, he found that there were only 5 minutes left. Now, all that awaited him was being scolded by the teacher.
‘What did I do wrong, huh?’
Suddenly, Sangwoo felt a surge of unfairness. He had to handle everything by himself and could only tell the teacher the truth. Jang Jaeyoung might not think it was unfair for himself, but when you carefully examined the situation, it was clearly an undeserved fate for someone who hadn’t done anything wrong to have to sit outside the classroom like this. It was truly cruel.
“Hey, ERROR, you fucking ass!”
Sangwoo uttered the most offensive words he could think of Error. There are several types of errors. If it’s just a typo or a formatting mistake, it can be easily corrected. But if it’s an Error in logic, even if you’re confident that the code is complete, it still remains an Error. And even if you go through the entire code to find the mistake, you won’t find this Semantic Error, just like Jang Jaeyoung who suddenly appeared and disrupted Sangwoo’s daily life.
When the class ended, the students dispersed. Sangwoo walked to his seat to pick up his bag, glancing to see a red duck feather jacket, but he didn’t care and left the classroom. Jaeyoung’s goal was to make Sangwoo angry, so he didn’t want to show any reaction to the other side.
Losing one’s composure is like playing the game Jenga[1]. You pull out a piece, causing it to collapse completely. In class, an algorithm. Sangwoo sat in the far-left seat in the second row, obscured by a pillar, making it difficult to see the professor’s face. He sat there absentmindedly throughout the class. It would have been better not to attend rather than sitting in this place. But he couldn’t do that because this was a computer science class, and he wanted to sit as far away as possible from Jaeyoung, who took the best seat.
After that, his life went on as usual. Sangwoo went to the cafeteria to get food and sat at a table in a secluded corner. Meanwhile, Jaeyoung walked past many seats and sat right next to Sangwoo, eating his meal in silence.
He picked up his food tray with a feeling as if the food wasn’t digesting. Then he went to the convenience store, but of course, they didn’t have the coffee that Sangwoo wanted. As for going out for a walk, it was also ruined because of those drama club people.
Finally, he managed to sit at the reserved seat in the library. Sangwoo was exhausted. The teasing had only started two days ago, how would he endure the mental attacks from that madman for two weeks?
“Today, I’m determined to study, hubae.”
Jaeyoung appeared with a borrowed book. Today’s novel was a fantasy. He just sat there, without any regard, and quietly opened his book. But Sangwoo couldn’t take his eyes off him. Just seeing the other person’s face made his heart boil with anger.
“Where can I file a complaint?” [Charge:
- Wearing a red shirt improperly (Not illegal.)
- Occupying a seat (Not illegal.)
- Sitting next to someone (Not illegal.)
- Shaking legs (Unclear offense.)
- Swinging a pen (Unclear offense.)
- Causing coffee to sell out (Not illegal.)
- Offenses of filling a trash can full (Not illegal.)
- Offenses of not providing sheets (Not illegal.)
- Offenses of writing on the face (Guilty.)
- Offenses of existing, (Not illegal.)
- ……..]
The more offenses the other party counts, the more Sangwoo feels agitated, like a villain with a brain who doesn’t speak rudely and doesn’t use force to get caught. The fact that the other party revolves in Sangwoo’s thoughts is not a big deal for others, but he chooses to do only things that Sangwoo dislikes and makes Sangwoo frustrated.
‘Hey, what a freaking bug [2].’
Sangwoo read his book, glancing at Jaeyoung who laughed and made gestures. The other party leaned back comfortably, propping one foot on the knee, playing a big gesture. Sangwoo desperately wished to end it by throwing the dice hidden under the red hat with all his might.
He was so focused on Jang Jaeyoung that he didn’t do anything for a while, but as time passed, the situation improved. The opponent who sat reading suddenly raised his head and accidentally hit his elbow on the water and snacks placed nearby. Luckily, the other party woke up peacefully. No growling. No biting or snapping.
While the other party was sound asleep, his supposed friends came to laugh and secretly took pictures. Some female students walked around whispering, but they didn’t disturb anyone, which is why Sangwoo partially accomplished his purpose by going to the library.
Two hours passed. Sangwoo packed his books and put the pencil box in his bag, being careful not to wake up Jaeyoung, but the moment he pushed back his chair to stand up, the other party woke up and accidentally spilled water on the snacks that someone had placed there.
Sangwoo pretended not to know the other party and walked out of the library. He hurriedly walked down the stairs but was caught up instantly. From then on, the situation turned into a race, and they ran down to the first floor.
“Sangwoo, are you annoyed?”
“Sunbaenim, I don’t want to hear you’ voice. Please don’t try to talk to me.”
“You’re the one who started it.”
Sangwoo strode out of the building towards the bicycle parking lot.
“I didn’t do anything wrong. Sunbae, you just act stubbornly and do things even elementary school kids wouldn’t do. I...”
“Are you saying you didn’t do anything wrong, and I’m the crazy one? Shall we talk about that again?”
Hearing that, Sangwoo felt that letting it pass wouldn’t work, so he stopped walking immediately.
“What is my offense then? If you’re going to say it’s because I removed your name from the slide...”
“Stop.”
Jaeyoung cut his lines. Sangwoo turned around and found that the other party was standing closer than he thought. He thought that the other side would distance himself reluctantly, but what he saw was a serious face that he didn’t expect. Sangwoo’s eyes collided with Jaeyoung, who was wearing a red beanie against a dark and cloudy backdrop.
“It may be hard to believe, but I want to get along with you.”
Sangwoo closed his mouth abruptly. This wasn’t the first time he had looked at Jaeyoung up close like this, but he had never noticed before and hadn’t cared that the eyes behind the glasses were slightly lowered. Whether in formal attire or trying to look like a makeup artist, the nose remained straight, and the eyelashes and hair weren’t pitch black.
“Humans are emotional creatures. If you don’t ignore me like that, I won’t pay attention to the slide presentations issue.”
“Well then, if I apologize, will you stop?”
Jaeyoung’s face turned incredulous, and he burst out laughing.
“Are you crazy or is it because you’re an AI robot that you don’t understand human emotions?”
“Sunbae, what are you talking about?”
“If it’s such a simple problem, has it come to this point?”
The veiled words of the other party felt more suffocating than any problem he had ever solved, as if looking into endless darkness. All Sangwoo heard were floating words.
“Don’t talk to yourself like that. Sunbae, you are just a cancerous being, clown, and sadist.”
Hearing that, instead of getting angry, Jaeyoung’s face brightened.
“So, I heard compliments from you and I feel happy.”
“Are you insane?”
“Yes. You should go home too.”
“You nerve-wracking jerk.”
Sangwoo muttered under his breath and pedaled his bike, quickly riding away without looking back.
return 0;
________________________________________
[1] Jenga is a tower-building game or block-stacking game. It involves using wooden blocks to build a tower, and players take turns removing one block at a time from the tower and placing it on top, without causing the tower to collapse. It can be played by multiple people, and whoever causes the tower to fall is considered the loser.
[2] Bug or a flaw, a problem that occurs with a program due to the instructions within that program itself, causing the program’s operation to be incorrect. It has errors or is not as smooth as it should be. Apart from problems related to the program, it may also be a problem with the machine itself.
Chapter 11 <10> #4.
On Wednesday, there are two consecutive classes of “Contemporary Culture and Cultural Theory”. Although it is a challenging subject, it is the only elective course in the humanities that he takes during this period. In the lesson plan, there is academic vocabulary like “Frankfurt School”[1] or “Cultural Anthropology”[2] appearing throughout. Pre-reading the lesson material in advance is not easy at all. It seems to be a difficult subject, especially for students majoring in science and engineering. If he needs to worry about being disturbed by the troublemaker, he won’t understand anything for sure.
Sangwoo squinted his eyes as he entered the classroom before the class started for 19 minutes. It had to be right there, but he didn’t want to see that disgusting backpack. However, when he lifted his gaze, the image in front of him was clean, and the seats were perfectly arranged as if no one had sat there before.
‘What is it?’
Sangwoo was so surprised that his heart pounded. He quickly rushed to sit on a chair as if sitting on a throne. At first, he felt satisfied, but he also worried because he didn’t know what else Jang Jaeyoung would do.
Sangwoo opened his book to read ahead of what he would learn today. He sat in the correct position where he didn’t have to see the red color nearby, making him feel like he was back in class again. While he was reading the book, a white cloth bag emerged from the table next to him. Sangwoo was so shocked that he took a deep breath.
“Why are you sighing for this early in the morning?”
The unexpected sound made him raise his head to look. It wasn’t Jaeyoung and just that alone made Sangwoo very happy, but this girl with a dark green bomber jacket looked familiar to him.
“I am Jihye, the person you helped lift the box before and we ended up eating together.”
The girl cheerfully said and then sat down after reading Sangwoo’s face. At that moment, Sangwoo remembered Jihye. He couldn’t remember her because she didn’t tie her hair like she did now. Jihye turned her body to find Sangwoo and invited him to chat.
“Are you taking this course too? Interested in philosophy? I’m taking this course because I’m interested in French thinkers like Lacan[3] or Foucault[4].”
“I’m not interested at all. I’m here just because I have to study.”
“Oh, really? In fact, I also have to take a computer course. By the way, someday I’ll come and ask you about easy subjects. I heard there’s a difference between Information Processing Theory and basic knowledge about computer science...”
Fortunately, the class started just in time, which made her quiet down.
Professor who arrives on time, prepared learning materials, and complete seats. Even though there were people nearby who seemed to be able to talk nonsense all day if left alone, Sangwoo considered this to be excellent.
Suddenly, he thought that he hadn’t seen Jang Jaeyoung today, of course, that side probably hasn’t given up and something must have happened. But no matter what, he felt like he could breathe a little easier.
return 0;
“...Therefore, we can see that the world is divided into two parts, the privileged upper class and the powerless general population. It’s an idea that the high class manipulates society.”
“That’s not really true. If so, why hasn’t the different viewpoint that praises the people been abolished before this?”
“Well, I’ve already told you that the problem isn’t black or white. How can we understand social theories by making right or wrong judgments?”
Sangwoo discussed today’s class material with Jihye as they walked along the hallway in the Humanities building. When he didn’t see the piercing red color. Sangwoo felt as if he had been startled to the point where he didn’t expect Jihye to appear more alert than he had seen.
‘This is just normal life.’
After enduring hardships for two days, just a moment of normal life made him ecstatic. Although he sat next to Jihye throughout both classes, she didn’t disturb him like some other people. What’s more, after the class ended, she even helped explain things that Sangwoo didn’t understand, it was like a stroke of good fortune.
“Where are you going for the next class?”
“I don’t have a class anymore.”
“I’m so jealous.. I still have two more classes to attend, what should we eat for lunch?”
Jihye said that if they sat in class together, they should go eat together as well. Although Sangwoo was puzzled about how they were related, he had to go to the cafeteria anyway, so he didn’t argue with her statement.
Sangwoo felt restless walking around the university, not knowing where his enemies might appear. He looked left and right, causing Jihye to ask what was wrong. Just as he was about to answer, Sangwoo saw people streaming out of the Humanities building, and the only advantage of the bright red down jacket was that it stood out even from a distance.
“Come on, let’s hurry.”
“Why?”
“Quickly.”
Sangwoo ran until he reached the cafeteria and quickly joined the line at the Korean food corner. Jang Jaeyoung was walking amidst a crowd of people, which meant he had just finished attending the large lecture. It seemed like he had to take the course ‘Hankuk University Student Personality Test’ again, and what bothered Sangwoo wasn’t because their class schedules coincide for sure.
‘At least by Wednesday, I might be able to catch a breath.’
Sangwoo lifted the food tray with a sense of satisfaction. Before he could walk over to his usual seat, an idea popped into his mind. Instead of heading to his usual corner, he turned and walked towards a more crowded area, scanning the cafeteria and noticing a table with only two available seats. Sangwoo and Jihye quickly went to occupy the seats, closing the opportunity for Jaeyoung to intrude.
“You look happy.”
“Hmm.”
After that, Sangwoo started eating his meal without saying anything. While eating, his gaze wandered to the food servers, where a person in a red duck jacket was queuing up. Moreover, they were fidgeting just like Sangwoo.
Suddenly, Jaeyoung was pushed into the cafeteria by the crowd, and his eyes landed on Sangwoo. Sangwoo put on a smiling face, while Jaeyoung wore a strange mocking expression before walking away. It wasn’t a big deal, but Sangwoo felt immensely pleased.
“Are you going back home after eating?”
“No, I’m going to the library.”
“Then, before you go, let’s stop by the convenience store. I’ll treat you to a drink.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Sangwoo paused for a moment, realizing that explaining why the convenience store had no drinks he could consume would be too complicated.
“It may sound strange, but right now I’m being harassed by a crow.”
“Huh?”
Jihye was so shocked that Sangwoo had to cover her mouth to silence her.
“Really sunbae? How? If it’s true then that is serious.”
As Sangwoo remained silent, she seemed to imagine something terrifying.
“Even if I don’t know who is behind this, the university has resources for counseling. There’s the police station, and there are plenty of people in this world who can help. Don’t worry.”
Sangwoo felt even more uneasy, so he returned to Jihye’s initial question.
“That person bought all the coffee that I drink, so the store ran out of drinks for me to buy.”
“Oh? Were you keeping it for profit? Like in Haesung-Jeon[5] right?” Jihye looked incredulous and burst into laughter.
“What’s wrong? You can just ordered it online, a whole box, and it will be delivered in one day. I don’t see any problem.”
“...”
Sangwoo felt shaken as if he had been hit on the head, like a “black hole.” Not only did it affect sales at the university store, but his genuine hair was obstructing him. Sangwoo wasn’t a bad person, but once his thoughts were confined within a framework, he couldn’t easily break free from that mindset.
In the past, when his intelligence was measured at the temple school, the results were very low. The teacher explained that if only logical and computational intelligence were taken into account, Sangwoo would be considered a genius. However, his average scores were lowered due to his lower intelligence in reasoning, application, and human interaction. Sangwoo looked at Jihye with different eyes. “You are very intelligent.” Jihye giggled.
“And how about being harassed by crows? Tell me everything.”
“... It may sound strange, but during class, I have a designated seat, and I can only concentrate when sitting there.”
“Oh! I’ve seen that in American series. I don’t know if it works, but is it that,
Obsessive Thinking Disorder[6]?...”
“The professor said it’s not abnormal and that person likes to reserve seats beforehand, which prevents me from sitting there. The farther away I sit from that spot, the more I lose focus. But I don’t want to sit close... no, near that person. I don’t know what to do.”
“Hmm... then just sit next to them. And use a partition. We used that back in elementary school.”
“Accept being close, but block the line of sight. This method seems flexible and usable. Sangwoo began to trust Jihye’s flexible thinking more and more.”
“And when at the library, that ass shake their legs and open books with loud page flips. It’s annoying...”
“You can use earplugs for that. They’re not expensive.” Jihye laughed. Sangwoo laughed along.
“Thanks. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”
“Really? I’ll wait!”
That day, Sangwoo decided to go shopping instead of going to the library. After finishing his meal, he stood up before turning to see Jang Jaeyoung sitting and eating in the midst of his friends in another area.
“Oppa, I haven’t finished eating yet.”
Sangwoo walked excitedly, quickly placing his tray at the tray return point and drinking water hastily before leaving the cafeteria with hopeful emotions.
“Come on, let’s go!”
He heard Jihye’s voice chasing after him as she ran towards him, her hair fluttering and her cheeks rosy. Her outfit made her look like a peculiar green creature.
“Why though?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you calling me?”
“No, it’s just... well, we can just go the same way. It’s good to go together.
Besides, it feels awkward to eat alone.”
‘Hmm, that’s strange.’
Sangwoo wondered, as he always ate alone but had never thought about it that way.
“Then we don’t need to go to the convenience store. I have a class in the
Humanities department. Come with me.”
“Why?”
Jihye spoke as if she were a young child being dragged around inappropriately for her age, making Sangwoo feel out of place.
“It’s good for your health to take a walk after eating. If you don’t want to get sick, you should go for a walk.”
‘Well, she’s right.’
________________________________________.
[1] The Frankfurt School “German: Frankfurter Schule” is a group of social theory and philosophy scholars. It is not a physical school but a school of thought for social research.
[2] Orientalism is the study or understanding of knowledge related to the Eastern world.
[3] Jacques Lacan.
[4] Michel Foucault.
[5] “Ho Sangjeon” or “The Story of Ho Sang” is a novel set in the Joseon era written by Park Ji-won, which tells the story of the protagonist, ‘Ho Sang,’ who buys all the necessary items in the market to control prices.
[6] Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder “OCD” is a condition where patients have repetitive thoughts that cause anxiety and respond to those thoughts by engaging in repetitive behaviors to alleviate discomfort.
Chapter 12 <10> #5.
Sangwoo had a friend to hang out with for the first time. Originally, he thought they would go straight to the store and spend thousands of won. However, as Jihye suggested, they went for a walk first, which wasn’t a bad idea. Although he did some morning exercises to strengthen his muscles, it was necessary for maintaining good health. Walking in daily life is essential.
“Oppa, can I ask you something?”
“Is that a question?”
“No, just a preamble to my question. When you were a kid, your nickname was ‘Sangchu [1]’ right?”
“...How did you know?”
Jihye chuckled and thought ‘That’s right.’ She even clapped her hands and mentioned that ever since she heard his name for the first time, she had been thinking about it repeatedly. She almost blurted it out several times, but she managed to stop herself from laughing.
“If I call you ‘Sangchu Sunbae’ will you get mad?”
“No.”
However, Sangwoo has been called that way his whole life. Even if he tells everyone not to call him that, it’s pointless. He has been giving in for a long time. Moreover, there is no logical reason for it, starting from the moment Jihye insisted on calling him “Oppa.” Even though they are not real siblings. And people like to use wrong terms according to their own feelings. If you pay attention to every little thing, it becomes exhausting. For example, even though some people have a hostile relationship with me, they still call me “Sangwoo-ya” as if I were a family member.
As he thought about it, a red down jacket suddenly appeared from behind the building, catching him by surprise. Jang Jaeyoung walked with two male students, and they glanced at each other for a short time. Then Sangwoo turned around.
“...Oppa?”
“I’m going that way. See you.”
“Yes! Have a nice walk!”
Sangwoo quickly passed by Jihye who was standing there waving goodbye, learned something, and enjoyed a delicious meal. Even though he didn’t drink coffee, he still went for a walk. But when he saw the color red, he immediately felt upset. Now Sangwoo really hates the color red.
After walking for a while, he sneakily looked back. Jaeyoung had separated from the group of friends without him noticing and was ten steps away from
Sangwoo. Seeing this, Sangwoo’s legs moved before his brain ordered him to.
‘I won’t get caught.’
He ran away following his instincts, his world remaining stable no matter who threatened or used force against him. During high school, he used the power of the teacher, and as an adult, he used the power of government officials. But then mistakes crept into the fair system he had protected all along, an ERROR that occurred suddenly without knowing the cause, rendering the program unable to function.
Since being released from duty, there was nothing that required him to run. But simply because he didn’t want to see Jang Jaeyoung’s face, Sangwoo exerted all his energy to run. He ran past the Faculty of Natural Sciences, student clubs, and convenience stores that blurred into a haze, passing numerous students whose faces were indistinct, until he arrived at the main gate without realizing it. Sangwoo turned back, thinking that he might have escaped.
‘Why are you running so fast?’ Then he had to scream in his heart.
“Hey, take a breath first. Wait, me... Do I have to run at this age? I’m not wearing running shoes, jesus...”
Sangwoo sat staring. Although he wanted to escape from Jaeyoung who was catching his breath, he ran at full speed throughout the long distance. Now he was out of breath. Sangwoo distanced himself about one meter from Jaeyoung and sat down on a block of pavement, taking a water bottle out of his bag. Then he took a sip to moisten his throat.
“Are you crazy? Why did you run like that?”
“To run or not to run, why are you chasing after me?”
“Well, it’s weirder, I saw you running and still ran after you without thinking.”
“That’s even weirder.”
They exchanged strange conversations while gasping for breath. Then there was a moment of silence.
After resting for a while... Sangwoo got up and walked. He had to go get his bicycle parked in front of the library. Jaeyoung got up with an annoyed face and followed closely beside him. If he accelerated, Jaeyoung would accelerate too. If he slowed down, Jaeyoung would slow down. Continuing like this might turn into a footrace. Sangwoo lost interest in that side and maintained a normal speed.
“She’s pretty, huh?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“And the friend who ate with you earlier, what’s her name?”
“Min Jihye.”
“Which department?”
“Philosophy... I think?”
“Last name Ryu, first name Jihye, she’s half-French.”
Sangwoo was focused on walking, so he responded robotically, but when he heard that, he paused and turned to look at Jaeyoung.
“Is it true that you’re investigating my relationship, sunbae? She’s a good kid and has nothing to do with me at all!”
Upon hearing that, Jaeyoung smirked mockingly.
Investigate something, didn’t you guys used to come to the store where I work? You brainless idiot. Back then, I saw your student ID card. It’s not surprising that I can’t remember your name.
Sangwoo evaluated the words of the other party and continued walking.
“Hey, do you know my name?”
“Do I gain anything by knowing?”
“What’s good about it? Can’t you remember a three-syllable name?”
“An efficient brain deletes unnecessary information.”
“You are making me upset again.”
Jaeyoung grabbed Sangwoo’s shoulder to make him stop, and the other party’s hand touched his body. Sangwoo instinctively turned his face away.
“Homework, compose a three-line poem using my name.”
In addition, Jaeyoung said something strange, and Sangwoo removed the other party’s hand from his shoulder.
“The reward is that starting tomorrow, I won’t provoke you anymore.”
Evaluating that statement was difficult for Sangwoo. He pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Question: If I do it, will you go away, sunbae? Do you even have the boundaries for teasing?”
“Answer: At least listen if it is with artistry, then I will accept it. As for the boundaries, it depends on you.”
Sangwoo thought carefully, finding the phrase “listen with artistry” confusing, but he liked the condition that he could set the boundaries of teasing himself, so he agreed.
“Just say the words.”
“You have to be the person who spoke, you jerk.”
Sangwoo understood that normally the listener would be the one to say the words when playing the three-line poem game, but judging from Jaeyoung’s reaction, it seemed that wasn’t the case. So he opened his mouth to speak.
“Monitor [3.]..Suddenly, heavy rain is so annoying.”
While he was speaking what he thought, Jaeyoung hugged himself and boasted with a proud expression. After seeing that face, Sangwoo continued the next paragraph automatically.
“Monitor ...Suddenly, heavy rain is so annoying.”
The red down jacket shimmered in the sunlight.
“Yo... It would be better if you don’t show up again.”
Jaeyoung’s painted face was difficult to read, his forehead slightly wrinkled.
At the same time, the corners of his mouth seemed to form a small smile. Sangwoo thought he could compose a three-line poem without any trouble, but he couldn’t know what Jaeyoung was thinking. On top of that, he was also an arbitrator. Therefore, during the period when he closed his mouth and remained silent, it was quite tense.
“Results of evaluation.”
Jaeyoung spoke with a condescending tone.
“Accuracy, full 10, given 10.”
“Oh...”
“Sincerity, full 10, given 10.”
“More generous than I thought.”
“Literary value, full 10, given 3.”
“Is that so?”
“Plot relationship, full 10, given 1.”
“...”
“Uniqueness, full 10, given...”
“If this question receives a 10, is there any hope for a score?”
“0 points.”
Sangwoo almost blurted out a curse word and cursed Jang Jaeyoung to death.
“Total score 50, received 24. We’ll see each other again tomorrow...
Sangwoo-ya, goodbye~.”
‘I guess so.’
Sangwoo left Jang Jaeyoung standing there and walked away briskly. In the end, it turned out like this, he couldn’t believe those hesitant words were wasted. Jang Jaeyoung didn’t follow after him, but he could still hear the other side’s words chasing after him.
“It seems that I misunderstood, and now I know how to walk away from you.”
“Am I an electrical appliance in your house or something?”
“I thought you were similar.”
Those words didn’t warrant a response. In Sangwoo’s mind, he thought about everything in the store a thousand times since they had lunch— unlocking his bicycle, mounting it, and pedaling quickly past Jaeyoung.
________________________________________.
[1] Sangchu, derived from the first name of Sangwoo “Sang.” + surname “Chu”, is ‘Sang Choo,’ which corresponds to the word “sangchu” “lettuce” in English.
[2] Oppa, in this context, refers to an older brother that is commonly used by women to address their older brothers. Normally, it is used to refer to someone within the family or someone with whom they have a close relationship, or when given permission by the person themselves. In cases where the other person is an older classmate at school, university, workplace, etc., it is more common to use the term “sunbae” “senior”.
[3] A three-line poem based on the name Jang Jaeyoung, as it is not possible to construct a sentence using the name “Jang Jae-young” in Thai. The translator, therefore, used letters from each syllable instead, such as “J-J-Y.” while trying to preserve the original meaning. That is, “Suddenly, heavy rain is so annoying” another meaning is misleadingly cursing Jaeyoung as “heng sri” he escaped forever.
Chapter 13 Green.
Jang Jaeyoung teased Chu Sangwoo to the fullest for two days. He booked a place where the other party usually sits in advance and made a noisy scene in every class, following him everywhere and watching Sangwoo get angry until he trembled.
And this is the success of the past two days.
Jaeyoung received six derogatory nicknames, namely, (1) Stalker, (2) Trash, (3) Mental illness, (4) Human cancer, (5) Sadist, (6) Joker. This means that he has firmly embedded himself in Sangwoo’s memory. Although the nameplate given to Sangwoo may not be very cute, it’s better than having no name at all. Jaeyoung is a graphic designer who knows how important branding can be.
Forget the phrase “When I call his name, he comes to me, and he turns into a flower [1].” It can go away. It’s not a sweet cartoon scene where rich people with good looks chase after girls, splash water on their faces, and then run away. Negative emotions are stronger than positive ones because of marketing tactics like Noise Marketing [2] which is why it’s popular. Moreover, it could be considered an honor for crazy guys who have never given anyone a name before to be called by six different names.
Jaeyoung sought revenge with extreme vengeance. It was a feeling that spun around, refreshing and fizzy like drinking soda. While destroying Sangwoo, who was so meticulous, he felt that the feeling he had lost had been compensated.
He enjoyed teasing Chu Sangwoo rather than pitying him. Instead of sympathizing, he felt good seeing the twisted face of the other party. He was so happy that he could endure the torment of having to wake up early every morning. Is that sadistic? He had never thought about it before, but sometimes he might have that side.
Jaeyoung planned to follow Sangwoo for as long as two weeks until the withdrawal period ended, but he began to think that it was time to stop. Because Sangwoo seemed more miserable than he had imagined, he even thought that the other party might drop out of school altogether. Jaeyoung just wanted to tease Sangwoo a little. He didn’t really want to ruin the other party’s daily life.
Besides, he was already an easily bored and annoying person. Giving orders for his junior to carry his bag was not an easy task. He had to attend classes that he didn’t understand, and sitting in the library for just one minute made him itchy all over. Moreover, eating tasteless food in the cafeteria with people whispering around was really difficult. There was no way he could do it for two weeks, and anyway, Jaeyoung just wanted to find a way to pass the time.
These days, Jaeyoung really doesn’t have much to do.
‘Sangwoo, why are you doing this?’
After attending the class on “Hankuk University Student Personality Test.” Jaeyoung immediately felt disgusted with Sangwoo. The classroom was overcrowded, making it difficult for the professor to control everyone, so some students skipped attendance. It’s unknown how many of those people have been suspended or expelled. If Sangwoo is someone who overlooks things that are not right and lets them pass like an ordinary person, then Jaeyoung must be sitting quietly, listening to a world-class designer teaching in America.
It’s not a course on etiquette.
But no matter what, it’s just a meaningless assumption. He should be sorry that he himself is in a worse situation than secret inspectors, having done poorly last semester and being closely watched by professors this semester. Jaeyoung sits dejectedly at the back of the room, borrowing paper from the person next to him to doodle.
Once outside the building, the air feels great. The season of autumn leaves, the season of love, is approaching. It’s been half a year since he broke up with his last girlfriend. He hasn’t been with anyone for a long time either, but he thinks about that while walking among other students. And then he sees
Sangwoo in the distance, whose attire doesn’t stand out but catches the eye. Sangwoo is walking quickly toward the cafeteria with a group of female students in green outfits.
‘Hey, that guy is good with girls.’
It’s surprising that when they reached the restaurant, he came with another girl. That kind of behavior doesn’t seem popular among real girls. He imagines that Sangwoo must not have a girlfriend.
He was suspiciously led to the crowded cafeteria. Sangwoo looks across the empty tables and sits at a table full of people, looking enchanting.
‘One punch hit.’
He laughed as he saw the other party slide and sit directly at an empty spot, which also has a charming angle. As for the girl in the green outfit, she sits down beside him. Upon closer inspection, the other party is none other than Ru Jihye, who is sitting there with Sangwoo.
After eating a ridiculously unappetizing meal, they leave the cafeteria. Jaeyoung thinks that he should be satisfied now. He can’t stand eating this kind of food anymore, even just one meal. He bought sixteen cans of coffee, which he just noticed at the convenience store. When he tried to taste one can, he realized that he can’t go on drinking it, so he threw it away. He left the remaining fifteen cans in the club room, but no underclassmen drank them either.
While walking towards the smoking area with others, he happens to come across Sangwoo and Jihye crossing the street from the opposite side.
‘They’re about the same height. Looks lively, huh? They match well, don’t they?’
Jaeyoung’s heart sank as he complained bitterly in his mind like a sullen person. Today, Sangwoo wasn’t teased by him, so he appeared more alive, paying attention to Jihye. Jaeyoung thinks that the other party will walk past him like that, but it’s strange that even though they are far away, the other party remembers Jaeyoung. Even though their eyes met briefly that day, Jaeyoung still can’t remember why it feels strange that Jaeyoung is in a strangely good mood.
Sangwoo turned around and immediately started running away, but Jaeyoung was still half-walking, half-running after him, thinking of catching up with the other side. When they were about ten steps apart, Sangwoo turned to look with a worried face before widening his eyes. He knew that the other side would be surprised, but he didn’t expect their reaction to be running away with such force. Jaeyoung himself quickly emerged as if he were a consecutive killer, chasing after the other party.
‘Hey, why the hell am I running?’
Who would have thought he was crazy... Jaeyoung didn’t understand himself, but his feet kept moving automatically. Sangwoo ran very fast because his determined expression made him think that the other side probably didn’t have much strength left. However, even though Jaeyoung ran as fast as he could, he still couldn’t catch up with Sangwoo, who was running while carrying a backpack.
Suddenly, he realized that they had reached the main gate. Since he stopped working, this was the first time he had run such a long distance, after sitting on the floor to catch his breath. Jaeyoung also became aware.
‘It is said that human greed knows no bounds.’
When he saw the image of the other side running away in front of him, he understood why he was chasing after them. He used to playfully think of making Sangwoo remember him, whether it was through useless things like Noise Marketing, just to achieve success. But for Sangwoo... Jaeyoung was just a low-quality product. He might feel good for a moment when Sangwoo looked surprised at seeing him, but that couldn’t fill his satisfaction. Jaeyoung wanted to be an excellent sunbae, someone capable and interesting for Sangwoo, just as he was for other junior members.
‘Is it true that you’re investigating my relationships, sunbae? She’s a good kid and has nothing to do with me at all!’
He couldn’t stand seeing Sangwoo getting close to anyone else. He created conflicts with the other side, which led to his reputation as a good person being transformed into something like an unwanted fruit that no one could reach.
As for Ru Jihye, he had investigated her. Her SNS posts were easy to find, including her name, major, student ID, and there was nothing difficult. From briefly looking at her posts, she didn’t seem like an outstanding person like Sangwoo, but she appeared genuine and sincere. The day they went to the restaurant together, she posted:
[Looks a bit scary, but doesn’t seem like a bad person. Is there a chance to meet again? #weird person, #first meeting, #feeling expected.] It was obvious that she was talking about Chu Sangwoo.
[Ru Jihye - Good-natured.
Jang Jaeyoung - Stalker / Garbage / Mental illness / Human cancer /
Sadist / Joker.]
Ru Jihye was an angel in a green outfit, while Jang Jaeyoung was a redtongued demon from hell. Jaeyoung didn’t like these contrasting elements of good and evil.
It seemed that Sangwoo still didn’t care about Jihye since he didn’t know her last name or her major. But even so, men with such a clear and honest demeanor always easily passed through when they did good deeds. Leaving it like this, they would have to date within three months for sure. Jaeyoung took the luxury brand watch given by his grandfather as a graduation gift, just in case.
Jaeyoung felt insecure. He felt that on Chu Sangwoo and Ru Jihye’s wedding day, about eight years from now, he would have to hold hands with the bride who was remembering how Min Youngjae, who hadn’t graduated, had come roaring in with rude methods. It just so happened that Jihye was always there, which allowed the rudeness to pass by. Although he didn’t remember the face of human cancer, he remembered that rude person always wore a red duck feather jacket wherever she went, something like that.
“I can’t bear to see that scenario at all.”
Jaeyoung’s goal has changed. Or should I say, leveled up?
What are the conditions of being a good sunbae? At least for now, there is no hope for him at all. The only thing that he express at this moment is his own identity. At least Chu Sangwoo can correctly remember his name, and it has become a driving force. And now he seems to know how to deal with the other side a little bit. But first, Jaeyoung feels that he has to do something about the equal value between ‘Jang Jaeyoung = red color = bad guy = Joker = garbage.’
‘I don’t know why I have to do something so tiring, but... well, I have plenty of time.’
He started to consider what clothes were in the wardrobe.
________________________________________.
[1] “When I call his name, he comes to me, and he turns into a flower.” It comes from a verse called “Flower” by Min Chun-soo, which says, “When I call his name, he comes to me, and he turns into a flower.”
[2] Noise. Marketing, a Korean-style English word “Konglish”, refers to marketing that stimulates consumer curiosity and interest by bringing up issues to promote product sales, regardless of whether it adversely affects the brand image or not. It is similar to Word-of-mouth marketing “WOMM”, but mouth-to-mouth marketing presents a much better image.
[3] SNS, Social Networking Service.