[T/N] I apologize for grammar mistakes and incoherencies
Chapter 22 <100> #4.
At the end of March, the weather, which had been good for a while, began to cool down as the coldness of early spring approached. Although the body had a down jacket to keep warm, when cycling around, the face still felt the cold wind hitting the skin. Sangwoo arrived at the College of Humanities with flushed cheeks after putting his backpack in the classroom. He reviewed all three lines to make sure he remembered them well ‘because there was no guarantee that Jang Jaeyoung would attend class’. Once he was sure that his memory was complete, he picked up his suit and wig and went to the bathroom, the right-hand bathroom marked as ‘out of order’ so he went into the left-hand bathroom.
Sangwoo changed his clothes and came out of the bathroom within four minutes, with enough time for one final rehearsal. When he opened the door and entered the classroom, he found Jaeyoung sitting with his head bowed and his eyes fixed on his phone, wearing a yellow suit and not wearing his wig properly, so his real hair was visible.
I really can’t predict anything. I have no idea where this is heading. Jaeyoung yesterday and Jaeyoung today are not the same. Moreover, he likes to twist his own tongue. He’s an error, a malicious one, but it seems that Sangwoo is getting used to it without realizing it. He’s someone who is both a joker, sadist, trash, and human cancer. Sangwoo must be intoxicated beyond measure to not despise such a person.
Jaeyoung raised his face before bursting into laughter. Even though he was in the same situation himself. The other party pointed a finger at Sangwoo, laughing as if he had seen the funniest thing in the world.
“Why are you here so early?”
“I’m an assistant professor.”
“Oh, I see.”
It’s true that he had never been an assistant professor before, but he spoke confidently. Sangwoo kicked his right leg straight into Jaeyoung’s path and sat down beside him, resting his hand on his chin and examining the lines. At the same time, Jaeyoung picked up his phone to take a selfie. Sangwoo closed his face with an annoyed expression.
“Don’t take a photo, please.”
“I wear this outfit every day. It suits you very well.”
Jaeyoung checked the photo he took and smiled widely. Then he raised the camera again. “Sangwoo.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to take a selfie?”
“No, thank you.”
Suddenly, Jaeyoung pulled a chair and sat next to Sangwoo. The phone screen of the other party showed a picture of two people wearing silly masks. Sangwoo thought that taking a picture once would be enough, so he reluctantly sat still.
“Just smile a little, kid.”
But he didn’t feel amused at all. It’s not something he would force himself to smile for. Jaeyoung quickly took three photos, changing his facial expression in each one. In the first photo, he smiled; in the second, he stuck out his tongue; in the third, he did something strange, making a face that looked disgusting.
“This picture came out really good.”
Jaeyoung showed the slide with the pictures. Sangwoo looked at it and felt the same way. Plus, they all looked weird.
They spent the remaining time on their lines. Jaeyoung listened carefully to Sangwoo’s pronunciation. If there was any part that wasn’t good enough ‘almost all of it’, he would order him to practice again and again.
Then other students came in, some pointing and laughing at Sangwoo and Jaeyoung, some even greeting them. The Chinese language teacher arrived slightly early. When she saw them, she almost burst out laughing, and while teaching, the corner of her mouth twitched every time she caught a glimpse of them.
Teaching ended in forty minutes, with the last ten minutes allocated for three rotating groups to present. The first group presented a dialogue titled “What is that?” or “That’s the Eiffel Tower.” portraying a Chinese couple on a trip to Paris. The second group discussed Hankuk University and recommended it to their Chinese friends “sometimes eavesdropping on Sangwoo’s ideas”. And then it was their turn.
“Next, Jang Jaeyoung and Chu Sangwoo will come forward to present.” Jaeyoung stood up, feigned laziness, and looked at Sangwoo with a smile. He had a confident and determined expression, as if he was about to go on a picnic. Jaeyoung picked up a small grape, a phone, and a bottle from his bag, then walked out. Sangwoo followed empty-handed. When they came out and stood in front of the class, their fellow students applauded. Some raised their phones to take pictures. However, the problem was not with the students but with the teacher holding a video camera.
When everything was ready... Sangwoo began his first sentence, a sales pitch. Then Jaeyoung, who had been hiding behind a post, strutted in arrogantly, casually playing with the grapes on the table. He asked for the price.
Sangwoo exchanged glances with the other side. Those eyes seemed to say that everything would be fine. They were creating something exciting. Sangwoo didn’t mind the exhilarating feeling that everything could go well.
Jaeyoung was better prepared than Sangwoo had anticipated. He had prepared some props and even played the sound of a waiting call and an incoming call on his phone. When it was time to change roles, he took advantage of the short time Sangwoo spoke alone on stage to change into a different costume behind the classroom stage and then reappeared. His acting skills were on par with those of a theater club member. His lines were different from those in the script, but the meaning remained the same. Although there were ad-libbed lines that were not appropriate, like asking Sangwoo if he was a robot, apart from that, he performed better than anyone else.
The audience’s reaction could be described as laughter. There was one video camera and five mobile phones recording the performance. In addition, there was a loud shutter sound at intervals. The teacher couldn’t stop laughing and dropped his pen on the floor. Although what Sangwoo did was just recite the lines, memorize them, he still received applause and cheers of delight. This short play, Jaeyoung was the “carrier” as he had always claimed.
After the performance ended, he high-fived Jaeyoung who reached out his hand. At that moment, Sangwoo forgot the bad feelings he had previously had towards the other person and felt like they were friends.
“That was so much fun, both of you! The best short play I’ve seen in ten years.”
Class ended earlier than scheduled, and the teacher raised his index finger and walked over to them. She looked at Sangwoo and said,
“Sangwoo... you still need more practice in pronunciation, but you memorized the lines well. You’re great.”
“Thank you.”
“Would you like to be the assistant for this subject?”
“Ergh?”
“Generally, there’s not much to do. On the day when I ask, you just have to come early and distribute study sheets and documents. Then, take care of the answer sheets during the mid-term and final exams, and collect homework for the next assignments that I will assign. At the end of the semester, I will give extra points. And will treat you to a meal once.”
At that time, Sangwoo understood what the other party was talking about, and he looked at Jaeyoung. While Jaeyoung looked at the teacher with a displeased face.
“By the way, Jaeyoung recommended that you take your place.”
During the withdrawal period where you could drop courses without any consequences, there was only a two-week window. He already knew that Jaeyoung would withdraw from all the courses before the start of the third week. He waited for that day throughout, and now it’s the second week, leaving only two days.
“...Alright, I’ll do it.”
When Sangwoo nodded, the teacher conveyed his gratitude through his eyes and turned to Jaeyoung.
“You must be tired... Jaeyoung. Thank you for helping your younger hubae until the end.”
“It’s nothing, Teacher. It’s embarrassing. Even though I said I would be a true assistant, I ended up dropping out in the middle.”
“What are you saying? Having good opportunities should be something to be happy about. You should show your excitement in advance, shouldn’t you?”
“Even if I submit another application, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be accepted.”
“No matter what, you have to give it a try.”
Sangwoo finished packing his bag but didn’t leave yet. He continued to stand and listen to their conversation, and the teacher asked what they would do next. Jaeyoung replied that he would prepare to study abroad and take a break for a while. Then they talked about the university where Jaeyoung would continue studying.
“Teacher, when I think about going back to study, I envy you.”
“Come visit me then.”
“You’re teasing me again. I still haven’t passed the exams for real.”
“When the teacher said you passed, you must have passed.”
The atmosphere was good, but Sangwoo didn’t laugh. An inexplicable sadness was rising in his heart.
“Shall we go together?”
After finishing the conversation with the teacher, Jaeyoung turned to him. At that moment, Sangwoo regained his senses, bid farewell to the teacher, and left the classroom with him. Sangwoo hurriedly changed clothes in the restroom and handed his suit to Jaeyoung.
In the next class, something unexpected happened. There was no blue backpack as it should be. Sangwoo widened his eyes and looked at Jaeyoung.
The other party raised his face and grabbed the phone. Jaeyoung followed Sangwoo’s gaze and quickly sat down beside him, making a call to someone.
The sound coming out of the phone was clear and loud through the speaker.
[Hey, senior!]
“Hey, nerd, are we playing around? I told you to reserve it two weeks ago, why didn’t you do it?”
[Oh, speaking like that isn’t fair, sunbae. You didn’t give me the bag yesterday.]
“I didn’t give it to you?”
[It’s not in the locker. It’s not in the lab. I thought we didn’t have to do it anymore.]
Jaeyoung remained silent for a while, raised his hand to cover his mouth, and seemed lost in thought.
“Well... yesterday, you got so drunk you didn’t prepare it. Hey, who took it?”
[I won’t do it again, okay? It might seem like a small matter to you, bro, but it’s really annoying. And seriously, why did you make the reservation?
Don’t you go to class sometimes?]
“You talk too much, sunbae!”
[Hey~, are you angry? Oh, by the way, come to the club room at noon. Choi
Ji said he missed you. Order some pork with sauce...]
The comical tone of voice continued, with every sentence ending in “bro” without fail. Jaeyoung put his phone back in his shirt pocket, a faint smile hanging on the corner of his lips.
“Didn’t succeed in fooling you today, huh?”
At that moment, Sangwoo realized that he was being played.
“Sangwoo.”
Sangwoo raised his head and looked at Jaeyoung. The other side chuckled.
“This subject is like an alien language, I can’t bear listening to it anymore.
Plus, the teacher looks like a clown. I almost burst out laughing several times.
From now on, you’ll be comfortable studying alone.”
The other side requested a gentle example and explained the reasons.
Sangwoo remained silent without saying anything.
“Isn’t today’s lunch in the cafeteria?” Sangwoo paused again.
“And if I say I want to treat you to something else, will you refuse?” He paused and nodded again.
“Okay, then let’s have something delicious.”
Done talking. Jaeyoung placed a canned coffee on Sangwoo’s table. While Sangwoo was distracted, he was touched lightly on the head again, and the vague touch quickly disappeared. Sangwoo took a while to realize. Just as he was about to say something, Jaeyoung walked to the back door... Sangwoo felt slightly annoyed at himself for only complaining about what had happened before... If they meet again next time, he will have to tell the other party not to touch him because he is very unhappy.
While Sangwoo was upset alone, with no one to talk to, the class began, and today he felt that the teacher looked particularly like a penguin.
He returned to his seat and thought he could focus on studying, but he experienced the same symptom as the previous class, ‘algorithm.’ Although the subject, ‘Engineering Mathematics 2,’ was a subject that Sangwoo read additional books in order to keep up, now his mind was blank and couldn’t take in any information until the class ended.
Sangwoo went to eat alone with a heavy heart. What’s the problem? What is the problem? What is the real problem? The starting point is Jaeyoung’s provocation, the problem is that he came to sit beside him and kept disturbing him during class, but now he doesn’t disturb Sangwoo anymore. The cause of the problem has disappeared, but why is everyday life not as smooth as before?
Sangwoo checked his phone while eating and found that he received a message.
[NonPaddler 3: (photo) Well done_11:03.]
His index finger hesitated above the answer key. Sangwoo didn’t have anything to say, so he put his phone in his pocket because he was just thinking without meaning. He walked around the university twice.
Even though he had arrived at the library, nothing had changed, and the feeling of oppression and suffocation gradually increased until it became an angry fire, but he couldn’t do anything. Moreover, he had never felt like this before, so he didn’t know who he was angry with, why he was angry, and what he should do to make it go away.
“Haven’t you gone home yet?”
Sangwoo was considering bringing his things home, but when he heard Jaeyoung’s voice, that thought disappeared.
Jaeyoung picked up the notebook that he forced Sangwoo to sell and held the pen from Sangwoo’s pencil case. Then he leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, opened the notebook, and placed it on one knee. Then he started writing.
At the same time, something strange happened to Sangwoo. The feeling of irritability and restlessness that had disappeared suddenly resurfaced, and his emotions became clear again, and the words he used to read became clear once more. Sangwoo began reading the book again while feeling amazed.
“How terrible.”
Now having Jang Jaeyoung by his side seemed like a default value, Default[2]. It must be because the error had buried itself too deep, causing confusion with normalcy. People think that the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, where the nuclear power plant explosion occurred in 1986, is a land of death, but the truth is that the abnormal level of high radiation-resistant hawks is growing naturally.
Just like animals adapting to radioactively contaminated areas. Sangwoo himself was adapting to the disaster called Jang Jaeyoung.
Jaeyoung was silent. Although he heard the sound of a pen scratching on paper from time to time, it didn’t bother him as much as before. Sangwoo felt good for several days while reading the content he missed in class. This was the first time Sangwoo had focused on studying this much since Jang Jaeyoung came and intervened in his daily life.
He didn’t know how much time had passed.. Sangwoo felt a sense of satisfaction as he laid down the pencil for a moment. At that moment, he felt the gaze directed towards his side face. Jaeyoung used Sangwoo as a model for drawing again.. When their eyes met, Jaeyoung smiled faintly and spoke softly.
“The hat is crooked.”
The other party grabbed his head and adjusted the hat, signaling in advance. Sangwoo had no excuse to say that the other party, sitting quietly, acted as if nothing happened. The problem was that the other party’s hand refused to leave his head. Moreover, it gradually pressed down with more weight.
“Sangwoo, I have something to tell you...”
The library was already very quiet, allowing him to hear the sound of the other party exceptionally well. He felt the weight of the hand pressing on his head more than it should be. He should have said to the other party to remove their hand, but his mouth refused to move. It felt like time stood still, the atmosphere became heavier, and his nerves became more sensitive.
Sangwoo examined every corner of Jaeyoung’s face with his eyes. If he looked closely, he might even see the stubble of the other party.
The faint brown-eyed gaze sparkled unnaturally. If his eyes could measure depth, how deep would it be? Although Sangwoo was familiar with the structure of the eye, he still came up with foolish questions. Jaeyoung’s eyes blinked slowly, and the shadow of his eyelashes flickered briefly before becoming longer again, where there should have been grass on the horse’s face.
‘Today, is it like that day, lying on the grass again.’
Sangwoo reached out and brushed away the stray grass without realizing that he would do such a thing. Jaeyoung raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth, revealing a slightly reddish tongue that attracted his gaze. The tongue slowly licked along the edge of his lips from the right corner of his mouth to the left. Sangwoo felt that this strange moment lasted longer than necessary, and he was experiencing the theory of special relativity [3] by himself.
[ERROR, ERROR, ERROR.
Abnormal responses, abnormal responses, abnormal responses.] ________________________________________.
[1] Pororo, a character from an animation series, mischievous penguin, world mischief-maker.
[2] Default. In computing, it refers to the default or preset value in a program. For example, Microsoft Word sets the default paragraph indentation to 1.27 centimeters.
[3] Theory of Special Relativity. It is related to systems with constant velocity or non-accelerating systems, meaning when we feel that everything is at rest or moving at the same speed, we cannot tell what is actually moving, such as the Earth rotating on its own axis and around the Sun. We still feel that everything is stationary but in reality, what we perceive as being stationary is actually in motion.
Chapter 23 <100> #5.
Blood rushes in rapidly, the heart screams loudly that it’s right here, pounding, pounding, pounding. Inside, there’s a swirling sensation like dizziness, hair stands on end, the body sends emergency signals. Sangwoo feels confused and disappointed at the same time, with emotions unsuited to this situation.
“T-ta, as far as the sea... it dried up. And then it dried, dried out... completely dry...” [1.]
Jaeyoung forcefully brought his head closer to Sangwoo, the corner of his mouth where Sangwoo was staring expanded rapidly, getting closer and closer before disappearing from sight. Then his pierced ear and the slightly stretched back hair pass through, simultaneously the smell of cigarettes wafts, stimulating the olfactory nerves.
“Let’s go watch a movie.”
After the hot breath collides with the earlobe, that whispered sound is transmitted to the brain. The precise wavelength of the decoded signal, exchanged between humans, becomes a stimulus for the body. Heat surges from the throat to the face, affecting the “organs” that cannot function autonomously, overriding reason without attempting to calm it down.
Sangwoo abruptly stands up from his chair and runs towards the door. It looks like he’s about to knock over the chair, but he doesn’t bother to look back to make sure.
He forcefully pushes the bathroom door and bursts in, standing in front of the mirror, gasping for breath. His face reddens as if he just finished running a marathon, he repeatedly splashes cold water on his face to reduce the heat.
‘I must be going crazy.’
Sangwoo knows well when and why the male sexual organ becomes erect, but he can’t remember exactly when he received sexual stimulation. The fact that his belly is stiff and his sexual organ is heavy indicates an abnormal functioning of an organ that is unfairly overworked.
Sangwoo washes his face absentmindedly and raises his head. At that moment, the bathroom door opens, water drips from his chin, dripping away. He locks eyes with Jaeyoung through the mirror.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Sangwoo’s body trembles slightly. The other side frowns and looks even more menacing than ever. When the other side takes another step closer.
Sangwoo extends his hand to block the person in front and opens his mouth.
“No.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to go watch a movie.”
Sangwoo spoke directly, he’s not heterosexual, why did the sunbae invite me to watch a movie together? Jaeyoung’s proposition caused the weird domino effect that just formed to collapse in an instant. Therefore, the protective barrier around Sangwoo’s heart was burned down.
Jaeyoung squinted at Sangwoo.
“Is it because of me? Or do you not want to go with a man?”
“Both.”
“How will you repay me for fixing the computer? Do I have to fall off a chair and run out like that?”
The aggressive voice that had been silent for a while returned. Sangwoo automatically opened his mouth and responded.
“Do you think I have no pride? How difficult it is for me to be with you. And how can I show my gratitude like that?”
“Speak louder, don’t overdo it.”
Jaeyoung’s posture didn’t look good, the tension made him think of the first day they met, spinning in the air. At that time, Sangwoo wasn’t even a bit scared. Even though Jaeyoung spoke rudely and acted like a delinquent, now Sangwoo felt afraid of the other side speaking so calmly, and it wasn’t just ordinary fear.
‘Don’t come near me, don’t touch me, stop disrupting my daily life.’ Jaeyoung stared at Sangwoo for a moment. Then he coolly shrugged.
“So, how much is the fee then?”
“Ten million won.”
“This bastard is acting like this again. Even though you speak nicely, your dog-like nature still slips out.”
Jaeyoung’s smile looked more like an enemy than a friend, in that instant, Sangwoo’s fear turned into resistance.
“I told you it wasn’t necessary to repay, it would be better to just go back to pretending like the first day. Don’t act strange like this.”
“What am I doing?”
“Why do you have to whisper like that!”
“Then should I yell in the library?”
Sangwoo bumped into Jaeyoung’s shoulder and quickly ran back to the reading room. The librarian widened their eyes, as if considering whether to intervene or not. He swept everything into his bag hastily, holding the bag in his hand without even zipping it up, and ran as if afraid that someone would follow him, but there was no sign of anyone behind him.
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR!
He heard the sound of a red warning signal in his head, warning that his body was in serious trouble and he should run to the hospital right now.
[Heart - abnormal high heart rate compared to the amount of exercise.
Skin - high temperature spreading.
Hands - shaking all the time.
Mouth - dry throat.
Genitals -... Oh my goodness.]
When he returned home, Sangwoo felt dizzy and went straight to bed. Then he pulled up the blanket to cover his head.
What happened 20 minutes ago could be called the most shocking event in his life, a similar event had only happened once before when he was in 8th grade.
At that time, Sangwoo imagined what was under the white shirt of the girl walking by with a fragrant smell on her way to school. At that moment, the image of a swimsuit model he had seen on a bus stop sign popped into his head, his heart raced and his lower part began to harden.
Sangwoo knew well what was happening to his body scientifically, but he didn’t expect it to happen to him. He felt embarrassed as if he had turned into an animal, so he turned around and hurried back home, imagining the reality with his mother who had just finished work and came back in the evening, feeling relieved that it was natural.
‘Son, do you know what’s inside your scrotum?’
‘There are about 200 to 500 million sperm ready for reproduction.’
‘Yes. Normally, they accumulate there and are released through the genitals when stimulated sexually. But you’re still a child, not yet at the age of sexual intercourse. So until you find someone who willingly consents with legal age, you can stimulate ejaculation by doing something similar to sexual intercourse using your hand. Society sees this as a taboo, so you should only do it when you’re alone, not in public places, be careful not to let anything spill on the floor, and wash your hands before and after.’
‘Understood. But will it make me sick?’
‘... Why are you talking about it in a non-scientific way? If it’s a healthy man, he will start ejaculating around the age of 11 and will continue throughout his life, so you don’t have to worry, son.’
After that, even though similar incidents occurred, Sangwoo didn’t panic. Fortunately, he was able to control his organs in his body very well. Most of the time, he could anticipate situations in advance and sometimes, even without controlling it, it would go into sleep mode on its own. From the moment he was born, he had never encountered such inappropriate situations before.
Sangwoo understands that a man penis stiffening with a specific goal in mind is an expression of the desire of a man who wants to impregnate the opposite party and create a second-generation heir, but having a reaction to a man without ovaries doesn’t align with the intended purpose of the organ, even for a brief moment, a ‘mistake’ that ultimately infiltrated Sangwoo’s body after wasting two weeks.
[Chu Sangwoo - Abnormal.
Like a garbage bin in the bathroom of Room 2, 4th floor, Faculty of
Humanities.]
Sangwoo spent the whole day lying down without eating or drinking, wasting the entire day. He was deeply disturbed by the truth that he cannot control his body as he wishes, to the point of considering dropping out of school seriously. Education is important, but if he lets this matter happen again, there will be more serious problems than delaying graduation by one semester.
He lacks confidence in attending classes the next day. If Jang Jaeyoung hugs his neck, nuzzles, or whispers openly near his ear, Sangwoo’s body may malfunction as it did today.
On that day, Sangwoo turns off his alarm clock for the first time in the year and sleeps late. return 0;
The next day, even without the alarm clock, Sangwoo still wakes up at the same time. He suffers from not being able to attend class, but he decides firmly to avoid greater pain. Even though he has to get out of bed, he remains lying on the bed in the same position. While lying down playing mobile games, it’s time to go to class, but Sangwoo doesn’t move a muscle.
10:00.
It’s unclear how the professor of the course ‘Embedded System’ would react. He might remember that in the first class, there was a student sleeping on the desk with a mustache drawn under his nose. If it comes to the point of missing classes, he would probably think it’s understandable. ‘Anyway, I’ll be skipping classes today.’ 10:10.
Sangwoo tries to search for a way to request a class drop, which turns out to be easier than he thought. So he decides to handle it properly that day. However, since there is no information explaining how to manage dropping a class in the middle of the semester, it seems he has to ask at the university.
10:20.
He considers changing his plan due to dropping classes. He plans to finish his studies in the first half of the twenty-sixth year and work at a foreign game company in the second half. Even if he drops classes, the plan will only be delayed by half a year, so it won’t be much of a loss.
Furthermore, the bigger issue is that he won’t be able to work on the game project this semester. Originally, he planned to create a game and release it to the market as a main portfolio when applying for a job at a game company. But it’s not too late as long as he finds a good designer. Even if he drops out of school, he can still make games.
10:30.
Sangwoo logged into the university forum and read the announcement for designer recruitment that he had posted again. Now it was pushed to page 30. And... this post that no one read had received numerous comments.
[Comments]
[Your comment, rless: Friends who are interested in applying for this project, don’t need to contact StudentChu Sangwoo according to the announcement, but please contact me first.. Jang Jaeyoung, Virtual Arts Design 010-**-**.]
[└, Comment from Peking-Duck: Jang Jaeyoung-sunbae! I contacted you already ^^]
[└, Comment from Choi Soojin: I contacted you, sunbae ^0^]
[└, Comment from mingee03: Oh, it’s late, but send me a message anyway, please.]
[└, Comment from Scap-jjangS: Is the application closed?, ㅠㅠ]
[└, Comment from Yoo Hyunjong: Did Jang Jaeyoung-sunbae join this project too???, I sent a message already.]
There were more than ten posts stating they had contacted each other, but Sangwoo didn’t receive any messages, not even a single one. He felt frustrated and copied the content of the post to create a new thread. Then he deleted the post that was disturbed by Jang Jaeyoung. If the other party spread unfounded rumors about Virtual Arts Design until he couldn’t find anyone, he would hire a professional freelancer instead.
________________________________________.
[1] ‘Tar, Taratlay Bupapha... Heng Huat Pai. Laeo Gor Huat, Huat Phaak..., Tub Huat...’, comes from the lyrics of the Korean national anthem, which translates to Thai as ‘“When the Sea of Blood Dries Up, the Mountains and Rivers Collapse, The Guardian Deities of the Land Cease to Exist.”‘
Chapter 24 <100> #6.
10:36.
Bang! Bang!
Someone knocked on the door, and I didn’t order anything. What’s happening? Sangwoo got up from the bed.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The other party knocked harder on the door, even though I didn’t know who it was, it was clear that they were hot-tempered and lacked manners. Sangwoo walked closer to the door to peek through the peephole, but at that moment, he heard a loud scream.
“Hey. Chu Sangwoo!”
One more step to reach the door, but Sangwoo hesitated and backed away. “I know you’re in there, open the door.”
“...”
“Answer, damn it.”
Afraid that even a slight movement might cause a sound, Sangwoo opens his eyes wide and stiffens his body like that.
“I told you to answer, you bastard.”
Suddenly, he hears a muffled cursing sound, which makes it easy for Sangwoo to understand the situation.
He doesn’t go to class, Jang Jaeyoung has followed him all the way to his house, so he knows his address. His bicycle is still parked in the bike rack, so it’s safe to assume that he’s home, and the room number of the owner is displayed at the bike rack.
Sangwoo glared angrily at the person behind the door.
“Leave before I report you for being drunk and disorderly and draw the police on you.” Boom!
The thumping sound is so loud that he worries the door might break.
“Open up.”
“No.”
“Open!”
“I told you no. What the hell is it that someone else has to open the door!”
There is a moment of silence. The hot-headed person on the other side of the door also calms down for a moment. Sangwoo stares at the closed door.
“Hey, you punk. Are you so scared that you have to skip class just because I invited you to watch a movie?”
Those words come with the sound of his own gasping breath, and Sangwoo’s chest moves up and down accordingly.
“Are you skipping class too? You, who would book a seat even if the world is about to explode in the next five minutes?” “It depends.” Thud.
This time, it’s a softer sound. Sangwoo realizes that Jaeyoung is leaning against the door.
“Just one invitation to watch a movie and you act like I’m contagious. And are you really going to drop out of school?” He mutters as if talking to himself.
“Fine, then. How about writing down this reasoning? You, damn it, bully of a sunbae—skip class just because I invited you to watch a movie.”
“Shut your mouth!”
“Is someone going to kidnap you and commit murder, or has someone drugged you and stolen your organs for sale?”
“This is not good! Men doing things together... How disgusting...”
“Have you just come out of the Stone Age? I often go to movies with male friends. I went yesterday too.”
“But not me. I only go to movies with the opposite sex, the one I’ll marry. So stop making loud noises in front of other people’s houses and scram already!” He heard the sound of footsteps cursing loudly and approaching the door.
Then there was the sound of inhaling.
“You dare talk to me like that, you bastard? What do you think I am?”
“You’re the one who started bothering others first. And now you’re saying things like that.”
“It’s only been two days, just two days, and for the rest of the week, I’ve been playing around. Let it go. Since I left my job, this is the first time I’ve done anything useful. Thanks a lot for giving me the opportunity.”
“Is it some kind of disease? Sunbae, why do you have to criticize me so harshly?”
“That’s enough, let’s not talk anymore.”
It may be because the other party had provoked him enough, he could feel the anger in the tone. After leaving the silence for a moment under the door, a thin sheet of paper slipped in, a film ticket.
“Take this and eat it, wherever you want to go. From now on, I won’t go near you.”
“If you’re just going to keep talking like that, then leave right now.”
“That’s all, just go away? You are a nerve-wracking person. And don’t let me see your face again.”
He spoke like a gust of wind, commanding Sangwoo to leave. He was already at home. Where else could he go? At that moment, he heard the sound of footsteps quickly receding, heavy footsteps, and gradually fading away until he couldn’t hear them anymore.
‘Well, that’s good.’
In that instant, Sangwoo felt so angry that he forgot about dropping out of school, hastily changed his clothes without taking a shower to avoid getting delayed, everything that troubled him before Jang Jaeyoung came to find him became blurry, because the other party had come and destroyed everything for a while. Sangwoo felt a strong desire to finish this semester with excellent grades.
‘Don’t let me see your face again.’
This was the second time he heard that sentence. Whether it was back then or now, it was a sentence that was comforting and pleasing at the same time. After hearing that sentence, seven minutes later, Sangwoo changed his clothes, slung his bag over his shoulder, and left the apartment. He rode his bicycle until his legs almost broke, straight to the university. When he arrived, the first class was just over. Sangwoo exhaled hot breath and headed towards the Engineering Department.
When Jang Jaeyoung announced that he would leave his life, the shock disappeared. Now, only the recovery from the storm remained. Sangwoo stood in front of Room 303, waiting for the person inside to come out and enter his room where there was nothing to distract him. He opened his textbook with more determination than ever before and began reading the contents inside, as his nervous system released copious amounts of adrenaline.
The anger towards Jang Jaeyoung served as a driving force. Sangwoo stared at the teacher with fiery eyes, and he took notes with a pencil that almost tore the paper apart. He memorized everything he heard, just by looking at the problem, the solution method would appear in his mind. If compared to a game, it was like receiving a continuous power buff. His heart pounded.
Sangwoo couldn’t bear the fact that his daily life was being destroyed by someone like Jang Jaeyoung. On Fridays and Saturdays-Sundays, Sangwoo lived his life to the fullest, with the determination not to become a victim. He sat and read books at the desk for hours without getting up, and during the short breaks between part-time work, he solved the homework problems, his eyes glued to the textbooks. Even if it was just a small doubt, he studied it thoroughly. Nothing slipped through.
When he returned home on Sunday night, he collapsed onto the bed.
The continuous power buff had run out... Sangwoo felt slightly depressed and immensely exhausted, so he tried not to think about anything. But as he lay down and looked at the ceiling, meaningless thoughts flooded his mind, all related to one particular person. Whether it was hands that suddenly appeared, vicious curses spewed by the other party, familiar names used affectionately, or a tongue slowly licking the edge of his lips. It seemed like there was a virus in his brain called Jang Jaeyoung multiplying infinitely.
Even with the lights off... Sangwoo remained in that state, it was a night he felt terrible. return 0;
Week 3, the program is complete, debug error. And it starts working.
8:30, Wake up - Exercise - Take a shower - Eat breakfast.
9:16, Go to school.
9:24, Arrive at the university.
9:30, Enter the classroom - Read and prepare for the lesson - Review the lesson.
10:00, Start the first class.
10:50, Change classrooms.
11:00, Start the second class.
12:00, Went to the cafeteria - Have lunch.
12:28, Went to the convenience store, bought coffee, and took a walk.
12:45, Went to the library, checked out new books, borrowed books, and did homework.
6:00, Went to the cafeteria and had lunch.
6:28, Returned home, brushed teeth, changed clothes, and took a short rest.
7:00, Played games.
9:00, Studied gaming trends and analyzed the direction of the community.
10:00, Studied programming language.
12:00, Reserved a seat in the library and took a short break.
12:30, Went to bed.
Sangwoo came to class at the same time, sat in the same spot, and studied in the same posture. But the subject “Embedded System” felt new and fresh, as if he was attending class for the first time. For Sangwoo, this subject wasn’t much different from the first class he attended because back then, he would often get distracted and lose focus. After finishing the chaotic class where he had to check additional reading materials, the professor called him.
“Student, come here for a moment.”
“Yes.”
He thought the professor might call him for separate training. If it were before, he would have felt like the sky was falling, but now Sangwoo put his books in his bag with an indifferent expression. So many strange things had happened that he felt this level of stress was nothing at all.
Sangwoo stood up from his seat and walked towards the front of the classroom where the professor was holding a microphone.
“Did you call for me, sir?” Sangwoo spoke in a low voice.
“Why did you miss the previous class?”
The professor rolled up the microphone cord.
‘A senior student whispered to me to go watch a movie, and I got aroused. I was so shaken that I thought about skipping class and not attending.’ Sangwoo lowered his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“Where did that student who likes to sleep go?”
“Probably dropped out already.”
The professor finished handling the microphone and handed it to the assistant. Then he glanced sharply at Sangwoo, but Sangwoo didn’t feel anything.
“I have high expectations of you, Student Sangwoo.”
“Do you know me?”
“Are there any teachers in our department who don’t know you?” The teacher smiled so subtly that it didn’t look like a smile.
“Although you disappointed me at first, it’s not too late. From now on, let’s both make an effort.”
“Yes.”
Sangwoo finished saying goodbye and walked to the cafeteria. He had a habit of eating while glancing around to see if anyone was sitting next to him, but no matter how many times he looked around the cafeteria, no one seemed interested in sitting beside him. Sangwoo finished his meal earlier than usual and walked towards the exit.
As he entered the convenience store, the owner immediately shouted.
“Young man! The coffee is here!”
“Oh... thank you.”
“There’s a lot, so feel free to choose.”
Although Sangwoo didn’t control it, his feet automatically walked to the refrigerated vending machine. He reached out and opened the machine, then took out a can of coffee from the fifth row.
‘I have seven cans of this at home.’
He left the store, opened the can, and realized that the pre-packaged product tasted the same as before, but for some reason, he felt it had no flavor. Then Sangwoo understood.
That nothing had returned to normal. return 0;
One week passed as usual, everything remained in its place, and all the situations were normal. The only thing that changed was Sangwoo himself.
Sangwoo sank into his first bout of depression, but he used his vitality to focus more on studying. However, his life echoed with annoyance everywhere. His concentration decreased, it took him a while to understand what people were saying when he listened. Playing games was no longer enjoyable, and everything became frustrating. When brushing his teeth. When reading a book. When walking, there were moments of pause, like a lagging machine. And in those moments, he had to make an effort to refocus on what he was doing, which was incredibly annoying.
The classroom entrance, the engineering building stairs, the humanities building stairs, the cafeteria entrance, and the library—these places were where Jang Jaeyoung used to appear. Previously, Sangwoo thought he walked slower when passing through these places because he wanted to avoid the other party, but even though he knew that Jaeyoung couldn’t possibly be there 100%, he still couldn’t shake off that habit.
Additionally, there are minor problems such as going to the cafeteria and picking up three chopsticks, wearing clothes inside out, putting on mismatched socks, and sitting still doing nothing for ten minutes, which is a very frightening symptom.
He was like that until the Tuesday before he saw Jang Jaeyoung at the main entrance.
The other party wasn’t wearing a red duck down jacket or a green coat. He came back wearing glasses again and stood smoking in a baseball jacket that Sangwoo had never seen before. In front of Jaeyoung was another male student, both of them standing in the middle of skateboarding and having fun.
Sangwoo wondered how he could encounter Jaeyoung, who was in the middle of a crowd, was it because his constantly changing image was distinctive? Or because of his height? Because of his slim figure? Or because of his goodlooking face when he smiled?
Sangwoo wasn’t familiar with himself thinking like that. Even though he walked past Jaeyoung quickly, just seeing the other party made the boring and slow days come back to life, releasing short bursts of adrenaline. Although it didn’t last long, Sangwoo felt like he had returned to his previous state for a moment.
________________________________________
Fever Buff: A system in the game MapleStory M that boosts the player’s leveling experience, making the leveling process smoother and helping manage monsters more conveniently.
Lag: The noticeable delay between player movement and server response in a game, which can occur due to insufficient processing power in the server which may process events in real-time’ or the player’s own machine ‘client’.
Chapter 25 <100> #7.
[Chu Sangwoo - Abnormal.]
That truth penetrated Sangwoo’s thought circuit, and he walked stooped over like a soldier returning home in the rain, washing his hands, and then sitting at the table. When he looked at his phone, he found there was a new message. Sangwoo felt his heart beating fast, but upon opening it, he realized it wasn’t what he had been eagerly waiting for.
[Unsaved Number: Hello~, I saw the recruitment notice, so I contacted you^^ I’m in my third year of high school, and I’m interested in making games. What should I do?_16:52.]
This was the contact he had been waiting for all along, but for some reason, he didn’t feel excited. It could be because the other party had made a typo in the seventh word. Sangwoo typed an email in the reply box and asked the other party to send a portfolio. Then he should have locked the screen, but his finger ended up sliding to open the message from another person.
[NonPaddler 3: (Image) Great job_12, yesterday.]
When he tapped on the profile picture, the photo expanded to full screen, and next to Sangwoo sitting upright was Jaeyoung with a subtle smile on his lips. The fluorescent light reflected off the glossy surface of the computer screen, magnifying, magnifying, magnifying, until Jaeyoung’s face filled the mobile screen, but the image quality was too poor, which displeased Sangwoo.
‘Seems like he uses social media, huh?’
Sangwoo put down his phone and turned on his desktop computer. Although he used various methods to reduce the boot time, it still took a while. As soon as the desktop appeared, he opened the browser, logged into his SNS accounts with the premade accounts he created long ago. There were only two people following Sangwoo.
[‘Hey, Sangwoo, aren’t you answering your phone??.’]
[‘Sangwoo, how many months have you been in the army?.’]
In the private message box, there were a few meaningless messages sent by high school friends a few years ago. Sangwoo typed Jang Jaeyoung’s name in the search bar. There were many people with the same name, but Jang Jaeyoung’s version that he was searching for had the most followers, so it was at the very top.
[Jang Jaeyoung, (Jae. J) Virtual Arts Designer / Graffiti Writer /
Skateboarder.]
On the profile page, there was a short self-introduction with a link to a portfolio attached below the text. There were 22 posts, which wasn’t a lot. The latest post was a photo taken with Sangwoo on the day of a Chinese drama presentation.
[‘With the cute hubae.’]
Judging from the timestamps, it was posted before the breakup at the library. There were more than 100 likes from people Sangwoo didn’t know.
Before realizing it, Sangwoo enlarged that photo, took a screenshot to capture Jaeyoung’s caption, saved it to his device, and stepped into Jaeyoung’s world earnestly.
The first post was a selfie posted at the beginning of the year. Under a short caption saying, ‘Take care of me.’ There were comments filled with heart emojis and crying face emojis lined up. Jang Jaeyoung in the photo wore distinctive dangling earrings. His dyed hair was a soft light brown, tousled, and his face showed no particular expression.
‘Not a real deal like those makeup artists.’
Sangwoo pulled his head away from the screen as if he had been sucked in and saved the photo.
The second post was a tagged post at the shop where the owner worked. It seemed like Jaeyoung was close to the shop owner, ‘Tree Olive,’ so he went to help out. He posted a photo taken with the shop owner in front of the café, along with the date and time of the special shift. ‘That smile must be fake for sure.’ Save.
The next post was an advertisement, and the following post returned to being a personal picture. This time, he wore a black beanie with glasses and sat in front of the computer. His hair remained bright like before, but from the black outside the window, it looked like he was working on something ordered by a teacher.
‘Why does he look so normal? You can tell it’s staged.’ Save.
Post after post, post after post. Sangwoo moved the mouse frantically until he came across a picture of Jaeyoung wearing a formal suit, then taking off the suit and posing strangely with friends. ‘He is demanding attention.’ Save.
Then there was a short video of skateboarding practice and falling. In the video, Jaeyoung wore a helmet and protective gear, sitting on the ground laughing.
‘...What a goofball.’ Save.
The next picture showed Jaeyoung standing holding a large spray can in front of a big wall painted with a black tongue-shaped figure and glowing colored letters, looking bizarrely deep. ‘Drawing a demon just like himself.’ Save.
Another picture was of him dressed up with special makeup for a theatrical performance, sleeping with a black background.
‘...’
Save.
The deceptive smile, mischievous glint in the eyes, playful smirk, laughter that seemed like a challenge, and a smile that resembled a villain. He was someone who couldn’t be defined with just one word. At that moment, Sangwoo recalled the first time he saw a toy backhoe at the age of six, after begging his father to buy it every day for fifteen days. Finally, his father secretly bought it without his mother knowing. At that time, he felt like this.
Even in his mid-twenties, Sangwoo’s heart raced every time he saw a backhoe.
Sangwoo went on YouTube and watched every short video related to theatrical performances and promoting stage plays, skateboarding, graffiti art, and downloaded them all. He searched for Jaeyoung’s ID on Google to find things that the other party was interested in and even stumbled upon a playlist on Jaeyoung’s YouTube filled with electronic music.
[Ah, the divine Novah, this season is like having wings. You’ll ascend to heaven soon.]
[Yeah, that hat doesn’t suit him, always pressing the wrong buttons.
Then spraying out, don’t buy it, man.]
[Super pretty, but seems like it won’t last long before it breaks?]
Sangwoo came across a few comments reviewing a couple of products from the other party on the forum, so he sat down and read them all. Then he went to the portfolio homepage to view the completed projects, award-winning works from competitions, websites with design hires, banners and concert posters by indie artists, magazine illustrations, and artwork and graphics made as hobbies. He searched for old posts on the university forum and read through recruitment posts of drama clubs, theater performance announcements, and exhibition announcements.
[“5 minutes away from the university” Find a cyber cafe, just myself is enough.]
In the dark morning after dawn. Finally, Sangwoo felt himself while browsing through posts from six years ago.
‘What am I doing?’
In the folder named ‘Jang Jaeyoung’ that he created on his desktop, there were 36 image files and 9 video files, arranged by date. Sangwoo opened those files one by one and found himself admiring and evaluating the other party in detail since encountering Jaeyoung. In his memory, there were only quarrels or complaints, but while looking at various things related to Jaeyoung, Sangwoo had the thought that suddenly he was getting closer to the other party and wanted to call him something else.
‘Hey, sunbae... what are you doing to me?’
It started when they accidentally met at an internet cafe, being scolded in front of the ramen, and told not to meet again. Until then, the other party was still just a small mistake, but after dealing with the error, that person was gone. The program still didn’t work the same way, just like the seven cans of coffee in the refrigerator, the small error that sneaked into Sangwoo’s mind didn’t disappear.
‘It seems like there is usable code in the deleted source.’ (Human translation: It seems like there might be a way to fix the problem.)
Today is day 12. Since quarreling with Jang Jaeyoung, the coffee doesn’t taste good, and playing games isn’t fun. On top of that, he feels down. Previously, Sangwoo wasn’t someone who acted according to emotions, but for the past three weeks, it seemed like he was using his emotions excessively.
[1.) Extremely angry / Worried / Restless - Day 2.
2.) Slightly angry / Worried / Anxious - Day 3.
3.) Confused / Angry / Frustrated - Day 6.
4.) Depressed / Angry - Day 12.]
The emotions from points 1-3, which had reasons related to the presence of Jang Jaeyoung, could be resolved when the other party disappeared. But the cause of point 4, the disappearance of Jang Jaeyoung, more than ten days of collapse, finally made Sangwoo, who overlooked that reality, come to the conclusion that he couldn’t let it continue like this. It was not a problem that could be
There are many options that have been combined together and summarized into the most appropriate solution. There is only one conclusion, he doesn’t see any other way... Sangwoo often chooses the shortest path, he doesn’t think about leaving a shortcut in front and going around.
return 0;.
“Hey.”
Sangwoo called Jihye while eating after finishing the cultural theory class.
Jihye heard the call and raised her face from the soup bowl.
“I said you’d treat you to a meal.”
“Yes.”
“I want to treat you today.”
A smile appeared on his indifferent face, so Sangwoo wondered if the other party was in trouble lately.
“If you agree, come to the restaurant, ‘Tree of Life,’ at 6 o’clock.”
“Oh! The first time you went to eat together was at that restaurant, right? I remember it, but it’s very expensive there...”
“I know, should we go or not?”
“Let’s go.”
Jihye was very happy to be able to eat something expensive. Sangwoo kept Jihye’s number in case they accidentally missed each other in front of the store. Jihye gave a hesitant response with her phone.
“What’s your last name?”
“Ru.”
He recorded the name, ‘Ru Jihye, French Major.’ Then he put the phone back in his bag as before.
“Do you know my name?”
“Jihye.”
“Oh... I thought you didn’t know.” Jihye tried to test Sangwoo’s memory.
Sangwoo and Jihye stood in line at the front of the store at six o’clock. Since birth, Sangwoo had never wasted time waiting just to eat, but today he thought he could endure it.
“Looks like there are seats now, let’s go in.”
When the employee opened the door to the second-floor store, a bell rang loudly. As they entered the spacious store, Sangwoo swept his gaze around. The store was full of customers at every table, and three staff members wearing stained black aprons walked back and forth.
Jang Jaeyoung was taking orders at a table far from Sangwoo, and the notes written on the paper must have been so crumpled that they couldn’t be read clearly. After finishing writing... Jaeyoung put the notepad in his stained apron pocket. When he turned around. Sangwoo thought they would lock eyes, but it seemed like he was thinking on his own because Jaeyoung quickly walked back to the kitchen.
“...”
Jaeyoung is expected to take the order as he did last time, which seems excessive. The unfamiliar man walked up to the table and asked what they wanted. Jihye ordered a vegetarian pasta, while Sangwoo ordered the top menu item.
“I like seafood, remember we had lobster last time.”
They waited behind part-time employees. Jihye chuckled softly.
“What’s wrong?”
“I ordered mussels... Grilled. Isn’t it a menu for those who know something? I saw you in a new light.”
‘What should we talk about?’
Sangwoo kept looking for Jaeyoung without paying attention to anything else. At the same time, he couldn’t respond to Jihye’s words. At that moment, he saw Jaeyoung come out of the kitchen and head towards the exit. From the looks of it, the other party didn’t even take off his stained apron and seemed to leave only for a moment. Was there something urgent? Or did he avoid us?
While wasting time with unanswered questions, the food arrived. Jihye’s plate was regular spaghetti, but Sangwoo’s plate was a red-friendly tomato soup with mussels. Sangwoo wasn’t someone who chose what to eat, but he felt annoyed having to peel the mussels himself, so he picked up a fork and tried to help, using it to pull out the meat from the shells before starting to eat.
“Is it delicious?”
“No.”
“Sorry.”
While eating, his gaze constantly shifted towards the door. Eventually, Sangwoo stood up, unable to bear it anymore. Jihye noticed and was surprised.
“Where are you going?”
“Just outside for a moment, I’ll be right back.”
“Are you leaving me again, is that it?” “I will leave my purse, that’s enough.”
Jihye was easily suspicious. Sangwoo took out his wallet as a guarantee and stood up from his seat. Once they were outside the restaurant, he hurriedly walked, almost running down the stairs. As soon as he exited the building, he froze.
Even with the overwhelming shadows lurking, with just one glance, he knew. Jaeyoung was leaning against the wall next to the building, talking on the phone with someone while smoking. When he saw the other party, Sangwoo’s heart began to race. The enemy that invaded his daily life turned into an intruder who infiltrated his body without him realizing.
I don’t know how long he has been looking... When the shadow disappeared, his black eyes turned to Sangwoo and Jaeyoung, who raised his eyebrows in the midst of a scene that resembled a frame from a black and white picture game.
“I’m thinking about taking a break…”
At that moment, Sangwoo thought that the other party might have given up and turned to talk to him, as indicated by the glance of the other party.
“No, don’t bother. Just say it.”
However, Jaeyoung simply shifted his gaze back and held the cigarette between his fingers. He clenched his hand and held the wristwatch up to look at it.
“Jaeyoung-hyung.”
Sangwoo blurted out, and Jaeyoung’s gaze, which had been fixed on the wall, slowly shifted to him. Sangwoo glanced at Jaeyoung and continued speaking.
“I said I’m busy, so end the freaking call. I have something important to discuss.”
________________________________________.