[T/N] I apologize for grammar mistakes and incoherencies
Chapter 50 <111> #5.
“I kept your number, Choo... Sang Choo, all right!”
“Help meme with your real name, please.”
Yoona ignored those words. Sangwoo brought up the phone’s contact list. When he typed, ‘Virtual Arts Design, Choi Yu,’ he paused. He was confident that the next character couldn’t be ‘Choi’ for sure, but when he called like that frequently, became confused.
“Please.”
Jaeyoung, who was looking at the screen together side by side, said meaningfully. When he pressed the save button, the phone disappeared from his hand immediately. It was Jaeyoung who pulled his own number.
When he saw the name displayed on the screen, he smirked.
“I didn’t raise my hands, it’s not fair like this. I didn’t successfully catch you back then.”
“Once I give you a name, I don’t like changing it. Besides, I rarely use my mobile phone anymore... unless I’m searching for something while outside.”
“There’s 1 and 2 as well.”
“I deleted them before.”
Jaeyoung opened the contact list. Then, a few names appeared. Sangwoo didn’t understand why the other party wanted to see his contact list, but since nothing was lost, he let the other party do it.
[Kim Wonjung, Dongmun High School. Kin Chung-ho, Dongmun High School.
Im Se-won, Dongmun High School.]
“Are they your neighborhood friends?”
“Yes.”
“Were you close?”
“Do you go out for drinks or play games together?”
[Sunbae Park Sungjung, Mechanical Engineering.
Im Minho, Mechanical Engineering.
Internet cafe manager.
NonPaddler 3.
Ru Jihye, French major.]
“Is this Park Sungjung your senior?”
“...”
“Seems like you don’t know him, then delete it.”
Please go ahead.”
“Who is Im Min-ho? Can I delete this person too?”
“Seems like he’s the one who bought a graphics card last semester, but maybe not. Delete it.”
Jaeyoung seemed to have nothing else to do, so he organized Sangwoo’s contact list. However, the problem was that his deletion standards were too strict. He would delete numbers of people who hadn’t been in contact for more than three months, but he would hesitate to delete those who were not within his scope. For example, Ru Jihye, who currently studied together and would likely need to contact Sangwoo until the end of the semester, but he tried to delete her without considering it.
When Jaeyoung promised not to delete according to his own preferences, Sangwoo was handed his phone over again. The other party scrolled down before abruptly stopping.
“What’s this? Who is this?”
Jaeyoung muttered with a puzzled face. As Sangwoo glanced at the screen, he saw the name, ‘Jeonghan ♥’, even though it was recorded in a strange format. But just as he was about to ask how he got this, Sangwoo felt a slight annoyance and withdrew his hand.
“That’s enough, you can return the phone now.”
“I asked who it was.”
“Give it to me. I know that you, hyung are constantly pulling time because you don’t want to work.”
“I’m asking who it is.”
Finally, Jaeyoung spoke up with a serious expression. Sangwoo hugged his chest and stared at the other side. This crazy guy couldn’t keep up the act of being good for more than a few days before revealing his true nature. Jang Jaeyoung should really seek treatment for his inability to control anger as he originally thought.
“Here.”
The other party spoke with a frustrated face and tone.
“I’ve been asking. I asked twice.”
“Name, Chu Jeongja, Hanja[1] age 55, occupation poet. Are you satisfied or not?”
Jaeyoung looked at Sangwoo and then glanced at the phone screen, his face unable to express his words. On the other hand, Sangwoo opened his mouth but only managed to let out a laugh. Then he frowned and raised his hand to cover his eyes.
“Who in this world has a father with that kind of name?”
When Sangwoo bought his first mobile phone, he saved his father’s phone number under his real name, “Chu Jeonghan.” But when his father saw it, he went on a heavy drinking spree. When he came back, he claimed that his son had acted coldly towards his family. He called everyone in the family to gather and cried for them to see. After that, Sangwoo was scolded and asked to change the name. In the end, the result was something that could be seen as expected.
“You keep inserting hearts, which leads to misunderstandings.”
“I didn’t keep inserting them continuously. If I didn’t have a father, maybe I wouldn’t have been born.”
“Jesus the insanity.”
Just then, Yoona screamed and left the office, the sound of the door closing loudly. Jaeyoung looked through all the contacts, his scrolling hand pausing once again.
“So, Chu Sanghee is your older sister?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you insert hearts?”
“Why should I? Siblings are enemies from birth.”
Whenever he thought of his older sister, Sangwoo would suddenly become angry. He would rather break his own finger than have to insert a heart after a girl’s name.
“Your sister must be beautiful. If she looks like you, she must be pretty.”
“You’re incredibly annoying.”
“Don’t you have a picture?”
“I don’t keep pictures of strange animals.”
Jaeyoung looked through the contacts without saying anything. The last entry was “Hwang Geumrye.”
“Is that your mother? There’s no heart here either.”
“She didn’t ask for it.”
Jaeyoung paused and closed the contact list. Sangwoo reached out his hand, thinking it was time to ask for it back, but the other person opened an album of photos. In the album were a few whiteboard pictures and another folder.
“Is this the folder...”
“Give it back, please!”
Sangwoo lunged at Jaeyoung before the latter could touch the folder. However, no matter what was stored in the computer, it had already been discovered. Seeing the mobile version probably wouldn’t make much difference, but even so, he didn’t want to give the other side a chance to imitate him like this, face to face.
Hey, what have you been doing, you psycho kid...”
Jaeyoung reached his hand behind until Sangwoo’s phone was within his reach, so he grabbed the other’s arm and pulled it towards him without caution. Then, the edges of both touched each other as if they were embracing.
“Where are you touching?”
Sangwoo froze for a moment before realizing that his hand was resting on the inside of Jaeyoung’s thigh. Although he quickly withdrew his hand, the unashamed smile on the other man’s lips lingered, and Jaeyoung’s tongue appeared briefly, tracing the edges of his lips before disappearing. Sangwoo was greatly defeated by such teasing, and this time was no different. His awakened spirit was stirred up.
The last time he did the freaky-freaky was nine days ago. Will the edges of his lips still smell like vanilla? The office, the liquor store, the office, Jaeyoung’s car—every piece of information about their fleeting kiss resurfaced in his mind, but memories alone were not enough, just memories...
Even though Jang Jaeyoung said he would wait, at the same time, the other party was also eager to sleep with Sangwoo once more. However, even though they were in a position where their hips were pressed together, Jaeyoung still had a calm and cool expression, as if he knew about Sangwoo’s desire to run his fingers through his hair and kiss him passionately.
Sangwoo felt a painful ache, as someone invisible was squeezing his heart. However, Sangwoo was part of a civilization that had evolved far beyond that. Once trembling with physical desire and immersed in carnal pleasure, he had managed to suppress the flames of desire. For educated people, sexual stimulation was just something to be controlled. If left unchecked, they wouldn’t be different from those deprived individuals.
Sang closed his mouth tightly, stretched out his arm to swing the mobile phone that had been hanging in the air back and forth, and immediately turned around to protect the dignity of his civilization. Then he heard a faint whisper.
“What a pity.”
Since he couldn’t stand being in the office any longer... Sangwoo unplugged the notebook and neatly stored it in his bag.
“You’re really good at enduring.”
“I’ve always been like this.”
“Useless.”
“Is this praiseworthy or condemnable?”
“Condemnable.”
He doesn’t care about those words, it’s time to go home. return 0;.
The more complete the graphics of <Veggie Venturer> the more the image drawn by Jaeyoung on his arm fades. Even though he didn’t intentionally rub the soap on his left arm, after two days, the details of the picture disappeared. As the line of the pen softened, the tension in the office gradually intensified.
He heard that Jaeyoung would wait, he heard that it was up to him, and he thought he could focus on his work, but it seemed like an excessive thought. Although Jaeyoung didn’t force anything as promised, he still stimulated Sangwoo, so there were more frustrating situations every day, and at that point, Sangwoo was also at fault.
‘You have dry lips. Do you apply lip balm?’
Although he knew that the shedding of skin cells was natural, Sangwoo couldn’t say it out loud.
‘Yes, it’s necessary.’
When he regained his composure, Jaeyoung moved his chair closer until their knees touched. There was a chance that just asking for lip balm would be enough, but Sangwoo’s unreasonable expectations hindered him.
When he sat still, Jaeyoung opened a white stick-shaped product and held a pen. Normally, Sangwoo never wore lip balm, and the left hand of the other party naturally touched his chin and held Sangwoo’s face before slowly extending the lip balm to the edge of his lips, along with a direct gaze.
There were many times when he felt that Jang Jaeyoung’s face was special, like when he invited him to watch a movie at the library or when he gave him a seat belt in the car, and today was no exception. Jaeyoung made him feel threatened like someone holding a sharp weapon rather than makeup.
In his mind, there were endless questions, such as whether the touch on the edge of his lips was really lip balm. If so, why did it move so slowly and gently? Why did his heart beat so fast? Why was the office so hot?
‘Why are you closing your eyes?’
Jaeyoung left with a chuckle and returned to his place, while Sangwoo hurriedly went to wash his face with cold water in the bathroom. The faint scent vanilla remained on the edge of his lips, a scent he knew before applying it himself. He wanted to erase that smell, but at the same time, he wanted to keep it. This conflicting feeling prevented him from returning to his workspace for a long time.
…
The next day, Sangwoo entered the office with anxiety about what would happen today. He examined Jaeyoung’s desk for unexpected factors, such as lip balm, but there was only normal trash like cola cans, nothing that caught his eye.
“I’m here now.”
Jaeyoung was frowning and looking at the computer screen.
“Are you here? Dinner is ready.”
“I’ve eaten.”
The general conversation came to a halt, and today Jaeyoung was unusually quiet. After testing the prototype yesterday, he mentioned that he wasn’t satisfied with something and would fix it, whether it’s the UI, something new, or if that issue will remain unresolved. Jaeyoung fidgeted with the mouse, his expression dissatisfied. Meanwhile, Sangwoo picked up his notebook and mouse and placed them on the empty desk. Then he sat down and stared at the ceiling while waiting for the boot-up process.
Normally, Jaeyoung would have to make small talk before settling into silence. Sangwoo started up an engine game and resumed working on the tasks he left unfinished yesterday after several days of intense work. Finally, he brought up the images for display and added the finishing touches to the animations. After fixing the collision of objects, he thought about dealing with server issues and performance optimization.
After working for about five minutes, Sangwoo’s gaze shifted to the adjacent seat. Even though he pulled his gaze back to the computer screen, his head automatically turned in that direction.
Why don’t we have a constant connection like this? Where is the person who feeds me wonton noodles, who wastes hours drawing on my arm, who applies lip balm for? And why do they still bother me with pointless things on weekends? And why today?
“Are you not doing anything today?”
He asked out loud. Then the side of his face that had been locked onto the computer screen showed a slight wrinkle, as if that’s what he wanted to see. Sangwoo felt a strange sense of satisfaction. At the same time, a mischievous smile appeared on the corner of his lips. Jaeyoung tapped the table with his fingertips in response.
“What kind of answer do you want? The sincere version or the planned version?”
“The sincere version, please.”
“Today, I felt like taking a chance and waiting to see.”
That answer didn’t really address Sangwoo’s question, but it was true that Jaeyoung had only started speaking up two days ago. So, Sangwoo wasn’t surprised.
“Come on, tell me the planned version.”
Jaeyoung tried to suppress a laugh before quickly erasing the smirk from his face and looked at Sangwoo. The disappearing smirk seemed more unbelievable than a magic show at a university festival.. Jaeyoung took a soft breath and lightly tapped his forehead with his fingertip.
“The work that can’t be fixed as desired, it’s frustrating. I guess I’ll have to go out and have fun with you.”
‘Look at that crazy guy.’
Thinking that saying that would make him easily go out and have fun, but there’s a lot of work to be done. Sangwoo turned his attention back to the notebook.
Sangwoo laughed at the fluidity of the other party’s conversation. The brief conversation with Jaeyoung made him feel refreshed and brighter.
“I will focus on work now. You can stop talking to me”
“Oh, okay...”
Jaeyoung followed what was said, he only held the mouse and keyboard with a serious expression, as if Sangwoo wasn’t in the office. Under this slight tension, the flexibility in work speed increased. His left eye glanced at the right hand pressing the keyboard, sometimes the sound of typing caught his attention, but the light fluttering heartbeat helped him concentrate more. That was the only advantage Jaeyoung gave to Sangwoo, which was actually a good efficiency.
________________________________________.
[1] Chu Jeongja, Hanja. When introducing the names of parents to someone older than us but younger than our parents, we add the word ‘Ja’ “자/字” after each syllable of the name “no need to add it after the surname”. This is done to show respect. In this case, Sangwoo’s father’s name is Choo Jeonghan. When Sangwoo had to tell Jaeyoung his father’s name, he said, “Chu Jeongja Hanja.”
Chapter 51 <111> #6.
Time in the office always passed quickly. After working for two hours, Sangwoo would drink water and have a meaningless conversation with Jaeyoung before checking the work that Jaeyoung had completed. Then he would work for another hour before going to the bathroom. When he returned, it was time to go home.
“You didn’t really disturb me today. And you didn’t tease me either. You’re very patient.”
Sangwoo said that as he packed up his notebook and mouse, there was a lot of work done on both graphic work and system development that should be done efficiently. Jaeyoung lazily twisted his wrist to look at the wall clock.
“It’s already four o’clock. Are you leaving now?”
“When it’s time to go, I have to go.”
Sangwoo put his notebook in his backpack and zipped it up. As he slung the backpack over his back, preparing to leave the room, Jaeyoung called out.
“Sangwoo.”
When he turned his head to look, saw the other person pulling down the folded shoelaces of his sneakers, if he was about to go outside. He didn’t know where he was going.
“I want to send you home. What do you think?”
“Why?”
“Should I tell you the truth or the plan?”
“The truth.”
“I already told you earlier, that Sense came, do you want to hear the planned version?”
“Just stop it.”
Sangwoo left the office, and not long after, the door opened and Jaeyoung followed suit. He felt compelled to express whether he liked it or not.
The distance from the university to Sangwoo’s dormitory is approximately 1.8 kilometers. If he were to ride a bicycle, it would take about 8 minutes. The average walking speed for humans is around 4 kilometers per hour. Therefore, the walking time would be approximately 27 minutes.
“You don’t watch EPL[1] or NBA[2]?”
“I don’t follow sports, and I don’t watch them either.”
Even though he knew that, Sangwoo still pedaled his bicycle slowly. It was one of the most pointless things he had ever tried in his life, but it didn’t help because he had already told Jaeyoung that he would do it.
“It’s strange that you say you’re not interested. Your body seems to be exercising.”
“Watching and doing are different. I have to sit at the desk to work for a long time, so basic physical strength is necessary.”
It’s unbelievable how aimless and meaningless conversations can make him feel good. While riding his bicycle on the road every day, Sangwoo learned how many signs he had never seen before and how many streetlights there were. The warm atmosphere in the middle of the night was concealed by humidity, but the damp feeling under the shoulder strap didn’t make him annoyed.
“I like both. How about playing basketball together next time?”
“Off work hours, please.”
Jaeyoung remained silent for a while. Sangwoo glanced at the side of his face without expression before looking straight ahead again. The streetlights dyed the entire road orange. Although the goal was to walk home, he felt a sense of regret as the distance gradually shortened.
“We’re here already.”
“When it’s time, it has to be reached.”
Looking at the clock, it took longer than the expected 27 minutes, about 22 minutes longer. That meant they were walking slower than the normal speed.
Jaeyoung stopped walking in the alley where the apartment building could be seen. At the same time, Sangwoo’s footsteps slowed down even more. He parked and locked his bicycle in the designated parking area. Although it was the slowest thing he had ever done, it didn’t take long to finish. Next, it was time to walk into the building, but Sangwoo turned to look back.
Jaeyoung hadn’t gone anywhere. He stood with both hands in his pockets and looked at Sangwoo. Without whispering any teasing words or pretending to be asleep, he just stood there, seemingly indifferent. But who knows... maybe it was just an illusion caused by the streetlights. Sangwoo forgot completely that they had been together all day and wanted to see Jaeyoung’s face up close.
When being with the other party, Sangwoo often felt a tightness in his chest. Whether it was a feeling of a faster heartbeat or blood rushing faster than usual, it was all unpleasant. At that moment, Sangwoo felt a stronger dissatisfaction than ever before.
‘Being patient is not easy.’
Chu Sangwoo was a complete human being with a perfect brain. In his world, there was a control center that controlled everything perfectly for twenty-five years. However, the power called sexual desire, which had been suppressed and controlled in his mind during normal times, recently rose up to resist, and no matter how much it was suppressed, instead of being uprooted, it grew stronger day by day, causing him headaches.
Sangwoo’s eyes were fixated on Jaeyoung’s silhouette, surrounded by an orange light, without consciousness. The mere act of standing there caused intense frustration because he stood too far away. It was an irrational feeling, but he couldn’t help but be indifferent.
He was unable to control it.
Even though he had rejected Jaeyoung’s advances during this period, it was useless. The stimulus that he thought he could overcome had been building up repeatedly, and the moment he crossed the crisis point. Sangwoo’s feet automatically moved closer to the distance between them.
Sangwoo walked slowly towards Jaeyoung. In his mind, he searched for excuses, but he realized that he couldn’t bear it anymore. It would be better to be a person without morals, rather than having the flag of desire conquer Sangwoo’s fortress.
“Jaeyoung-hyung... it’s me...”
Sangwoo stopped in front of Jaeyoung. The other party just stared Sangwoo without moving.
“There’s something I’ve wanted to do for the past few days.”
With a serious gaze-Sangwoo hesitated to speak and expand on his thoughts. But the other party spoke up at that moment.
“I know.”
“Can I do it?”
“Oh, go all out.”
Sangwoo paused and took a step closer to Jaeyoung. Now that he had received permission, there was no need to hesitate anymore. This time, he approached Jaeyoung willingly, with his complete self and full consciousness. As leaned his face down and lifted his foot, Jaeyoung retreated into the shadow of the alley, using his finger to block Sangwoo’s lips that were about to plunge in.
“Now, let’s do it gently, slowly, touch little by little. Can you do it?”
Sangwoo wanted to brush away that finger right now, but the seriousness of Jaeyoung made him have to suppress his impatience. Then, Jaeyoung’s hand slowly withdrew from the edge of his lips.
Sangwoo buried the advice in his mind and pushed Jaeyoung against a dark wall. Then, he lifted his foot again and swallowed the edge of the other’s lips, the hat brims brushing against the other man’s foreheads before falling back. The scent of vanilla, the smell of cigarettes. Sangwoo gladly inhaled the scent of Jaeyoung along with it. As he sent his tongue inside, he felt the hand that was touching his back pause.
‘Oh, it must be tender.’
He closed his eyes tightly, unsure of what to do because he had never been so eager to kiss like this before.
“Remember to breathe through your nose.”
Following the second piece of advice he had heard softly, Jaeyoung gently pushed in, their lips meeting and rubbing against each other, Sangwoo’s wet saliva coating the smooth surface of Jaeyoung’s lips as he used his tongue to lightly lick and draw the upper lip alone.
He hoped the other would do something soon. Sangwoo felt impatient, causing him to lower his head instinctively. Jaeyoung hugged Sangwoo’s waist and touched the inside of his mouth, soft and slow, making Sangwoo melt.
His tongue slipped between his teeth. Sangwoo tried to slowly, but it wasn’t very smooth. Before the tips of their tongues could meet, Jaeyoung’s hand slid over, gently caressing his earlobe, causing him involuntary shudder. Then the other side reached around and whispered.
“Breathe.”
As Sangwoo took a breath through his forgotten nose, the other tilted his head and sent his tongue deeper to lick the base of his tongue.
‘Slowly, just touch.’
The sensory nerves used for eating that had awakened throughout the day were different, the feeling swirling in his head, making him tightly hold onto Jaeyoung’s neck, more than this, more than this, closer than this. Jaeyoung was easily overwhelmed by him.
‘And gently.’
Jaeyoung’s tongue slid along the gum line before slipping out, leaving a lingering regret for Sangwoo to use his teeth to lightly bite the slippery edge his lips, a faint sound escaping, held back, the palm of Jaeyoung’s hand cupping Sangwoo’s cheek, he tilted his head at an angle of ninety degrees, changing the angle to rub against the edge his lips.
Huh, huh...”
This time it wasn’t because he couldn’t breathe, but because of the intense emotions. Sangwoo could only push the other away. Jaeyoung slowly opened his mouth.
“I told you my senses are accurate, maybe I should lay out a blanket for your fortune-telling.”
His face looked slightly flushed in the darkness. Unsure if it was due to emotions or the light.
“I surrender.”
“I’ve already said it’s not a competition.”
“I didn’t lose to you, but rather lost control of my desires.”
“Desires are also a part of you, aren’t they?”
This is not the time for arguments because kissing sucks the soul out of existence. The desire to taste greater happiness clashes with the need to escape to safety, and what is stronger is fear.
“I’ll go now.”
“Okay.”
Jaeyoung bent down and picked up a hat, tilting it onto Sangwoo’s head.
“Sweet dreams Sangwoo-ya.”
“...You too, hyungnim.”
Before feeling more embarrassed than this, Sangwoo quickly turned around and walked towards the building.
return 0;
“Hello.”
[Did you make it home safely?]
“It took less than thirty seconds, how could I not make it? Why did you call?”
[I wanted to hear your voice.]
“Oh, so you like listening to people’s voices.”
[No, I just wanted to hear your voice.]
“...”
[...]
“Hyungnim.”
[Hmm?]
“Why are you so good at it?”
[...]
Have you practiced a lot?”
[...I don’t know, really.]
“If there’s nothing to say, then never mind.”
[No, tell me what happened today.]
“Today? Today I attended the class “Contemporary Culture and Cultural Theory.” I didn’t quite understand much about studying classical literature, but my classmate explained it well and helped a lot...”
[Is it Jihye?]
“Yes. After that, I went to have lunch... We had beef soup, snail noodle salad, glass noodle stir-fry, and yogurt...”
[Did you eat together with Jihye?]
“Yes. Then we went for a walk...”
[With Jihye?]
“Yes. Oh, and this Friday I might be late compared to usual. Just letting you know in advance.”
[Why?]
“I have a dinner appointment.”
[Why?]
“I heard someone wants to talk to me.”
[Sangwoo-ya?]
“Yes.”
[What have we been doing lately?]
“Making games, mostly.”
[Besides that?]
“Hyungnim... Are you waiting for me?”
[Waiting for what?]
“Do I have to say it?”
[MMmh.]
“To have sex with you.”
[And why do I want to do that with you?]
“I don’t know. That’s a matter for you, Hyungnim.”
[Understood. Can I have Jihye’s number, please?]
“Why do you need it?”
[It’s been a long time since you asked about personal matters.]
I can’t provide my personal information. If I ask again on Friday, and she says it’s okay. I will tell you then.”
[Okay, that’s it. See you at the next meeting.] Sangwoo paused.
“See you tomorrow.”
________________________________________.
[1] EPL, English, Premier, League.
[2] NBA, The, National, Basketball, Association.
[3] Silhouette, Backlit, Turns into a Shadow.
SEMANTIC ERROR VOLUME 3
Chapter 52: La Dame Du Mercredi #1.
‘Ru Jihye’, a 21-year-old female student, is infatuated with romantic French literature. She is someone who sees the world realistically contrary to her outward appearance. Although she enjoys the works of VictorMarie Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, and Marcel Proust, in reality, she does not desire such love. Instead, she chooses to use her three failed relationships as a filter for future lovers’ personalities rather than drowning in sorrow.
For example, she doesn’t show off, wears excessive makeup, has too many friends, speak overly sweetly, is self-centered, wears tight-fitting clothes. She doesn’t smoke, and has an okay temper when drunk. She doesn’t boast.’
From what has been said, Chu Sangwoo is the perfect boyfriend candidate for her. He possesses all the qualities that Jihye has set as criteria. Although he doesn’t exactly match the dreamy boy specifications, getting to know him better makes him someone she can rely on. However, their initial impression of each other wasn’t particularly good.
Three months ago, Jihye intended to transport her belongings in advance and ended up packing even books she didn’t plan to read. Her greediness led her to struggle with heavy loads. It was at that time that Jihye encounteredChu Sangwoo passing by. Their first meeting wasn’t considered fateful or romantic in any way.
Normally, if we see someone struggling to carry something heavy, shouldn’t we have the compassion to help them? Jihye thought that when he saw her
struggling with the box, causing the contents to scatter all over the floor, it would touch his heart and he wouldn’t just walk by indifferently.
‘How far away is far enough?’
The first word that came out of the sarcastic mouth sounded coarse, just like the face that seemed expressionless. Black down jacket, black hat, bell-bottom jeans. It seemed like he didn’t pay much attention to his appearance. His personality was probably as intense as ever. But in that area, besides Sangwoo, there was someone else to ask for help.
‘It must weigh more than 30 kilograms. Even if you’re a hired mover, you should charge extra for this.’
She didn’t know why those words stuck in her mind. Sometimes, Sangwoo might be warning her about how she could afford to feed herself with such hard work. But when Jihye heard it, she thought it was just a figure of speech from a cold person who wanted to ask why she was carrying such a heavy load alone.
Since then, everything has changed. The face that used to look stiff now appeared responsible. The appearance that she used to think was ordinary turned warm. So she asked for his name, faculty, student, and even his address. Although the other party made a face that seemed annoyed, he answered every question thoroughly. As they walked halfway, the other party took off his down jacket and draped it over his arm. She didn’t know why that gesture looked so cool, with sweat on his forehead and muscles in his arms that were visible enough to stare at. But Ru Jihye wasn’t romantic. She didn’t fall in love with Chu Sangwoo at first sight.
She gradually liked him, bit by bit. From a stranger to someone special, someone useful, someone good, and someone honest. Until eventually, after spending half a semester together, he became someone she didn’t want to let go of.
But the problem was that the other party didn’t care about her at all, not even a bit. Even when they had a chance to talk, it wasn’t that their personalities didn’t match, but. Sangwoo hardly glanced at her.. He didn’t.
When they were together, he didn’t even bother to look at her.
‘Am I not pretty?’
She tried dressing according to the style that men supposedly liked. She tried changing her makeup style based on the internet trends, but it didn’t work. Sangwoo didn’t care about Jihye at all.
But even so, Jihye didn’t give up. She thought that if she kept trying, one day he would realize her true feelings. In fact, during their outing at the festival, their relationship seemed to improve a little, but then something unexpected happened.
Jang Jaeyoung.
Just a few months ago, he was just an older brother figure who looked as good as a celebrity, a popular guy whom close friends adored like actors, a handsome guy who made people around him turn into fish-face uglies. He had a tall and well-built body with a style that resembled high-class Italian restaurant staff. He was a star of the drama club, and just the rumor of his appearance in a performance sold out tickets in an instant.
She never thought she would get to know someone who seemed unreal like this, but Chu Sangwoo made her acquainted with him. When they talked while eating in the cafeteria, Jihye felt excited. Who wouldn’t enjoy sitting and having a meal with such a good-looking person of the opposite sex? However, he was not just an impressive older brother.
‘It seems like you’re getting close to my Sangwoo. Calling him by his first name.’
‘Don’t worry about Sangwoo. I’ll take him home myself.’
The first time she was bumped into at the cafeteria, she thought he might just have a slightly peculiar habit, so she didn’t pay much attention. But at the liquor booth during the festival, the other side started to reveal more, becoming visibly tense. If Jihye’s intuition is correct, that is a warning for a heartbreaker.
“Do you like Sangwoo?”
Jaeyoung asked abruptly while both had a chance to be together two by two, causing their friends to look jealous. Jihye was startled and almost jumped up, even though her butt had barely touched the chair for less than a second.
Jihye examined the face of the other party with indescribable feelings, but the bright eyes in front had no answer. Jaeyoung simply sipped his whiskey, looking bored, wearing a black T-shirt with a printed image of a mischievous child, several sharp earrings in his ears, and she just noticed that there was a tattoo on his arm. Although Jihye felt scared, she wanted to improve things.
“Yes.”
She replied firmly. Mr.eyoung stared at Jihye with a blank expression.
“If you and Sangwoo fell into the water together. And there was only one life jacket, what would you do?”
After overlooking the first question that seemed meaningless. Jihye had to face the following question, or was this a test? But no matter what she thought, she couldn’t come up with a meaningful answer, so she answered the question without any sense of purpose.
“I would probably give it to myself first.”
Even though Jihye had good feelings for Sangwoo, it was still just one-sided love. Besides, this is the 21st century. And... it’s not the era of dying for love like Romeo and Juliet.
“In that case, Sangwoo would have drowned, right?”
The meaningless question made Jihye look so bad. She hesitated before responding.
“Otherwise, I would die.”
“Which means if you don’t like him that you will sacrifice yourself for him, so you should let it go.”
“How can you summarize things like that?”
The difficult-to-understand situation made Jihye feel dizzy, and she responded back sharply.
“Then if it were you, would you give the life jacket to Sangwoo and willingly drown yourself?”
“I don’t like swimming, so I wouldn’t go to a place like that in the first place.
Sangwoo himself doesn’t like swimming either.”
Jihye couldn’t speak, only blinked her eyes at the person in front of her, who was both a senior with a louder voice, a popular person in the university, and someone closer to Chu Sangwoo than her. Even though she was inferior in many ways, she didn’t want to lead by the nose with such meaningless methods, she fought back as a determined woman.
“Or maybe you like Sangwoo?”
Jang Jaeyoung is a man. Chu Sangwoo is also a man. If possible, she doesn’t want to ask such direct questions because it could be a sensitive matter, but the other party keeps harassing her, and she can’t stay silent anymore.
“Yeah.”
However, Jaeyoung easily accepted it. Jihye inadvertently looked around, the university cafe at three o’clock on Thursday afternoon was almost empty, and it seemed like he intentionally chose this secluded corner from the beginning. Jaeyoung glanced at the drink and spoke again.
“I have to admit that I like him enough to accept it straightforwardly. Even though I know he might take issue with me announcing it directly.”
Here we go again. The way of speaking that makes the other party look bad, Jihye is not someone who speaks carelessly, and she’s not foolish enough to pretend to be innocent just because she was harassed by an older male student who likes the same gender.
“You have good instincts, don’t you?”
Jaeyoung asked provocatively. Jihye frowned slightly.
“No, not at all.”
“Yes, that’s right. I have a bad character. If you don’t like it, he even plays mind games skillfully.”
“Then what should I do?”
“I don’t care how you talk about me.”
Jaeyoung pulled the chair closer to the table, his previously indifferent gaze suddenly changed.
“But if anything happens to Sangwoo, I won’t let it go.”
Like a loose knot, his gaze that looked at her seemed ready to do anything, and that made Jihye instantly become frightened, but she managed to regain her composure.
‘I have to stay calm! I haven’t done anything wrong!’
It’s just wanting to be in a relationship with an older student studying together. What’s wrong with that? If those two are dating, they should just say it straightforwardly, but Chu Sangwoo doesn’t seem to have any intention of doing so, so what she encountered now is not overly unjust. Jihye slapped both cheeks to call herself back to reality.
“I’ll keep this as a secret myself. There’s no need for you to scare me like that.”
First, the wild animal that is raging must be calmed down.
“And I never knew before. If you two are dating, then I have to accept it.”
Jihye sighed with relief, and she caught the other party sneaking a glance. If they are dating, maybe this senior is just a message through Sangwoo, asking her to stop following them, and Jaeyoung probably doesn’t have to call her for a private conversation like this. Jihye concluded that they have nothing to do with each other.
“You’re too smart to the point of being annoying.”
Jaeyoung laughed jokingly, but it didn’t seem like a compliment at all. Jihye also laughed, “Haha.” with a tense face, wiping sweat off her forehead and adjusting her posture to sit up straight so as not to look too bad. After letting the silence linger for a while, Jaeyoung spoke up.
“We’re not dating, I only like him.”
Suddenly, the young man said something that made him look vulnerable and unaware of anything, glancing briefly at Jihye.
“But even so, there must be something different.”
They have to be different... If they were dating, Jihye would become an annoying obstacle, but if Jang Jaeyoung is only in love with one person like her, then they would be equal competitors.
“If both you and I are in the same situation, then there’s no reason for me to give in.”
“No, you’re misunderstanding.”
Jihye pursed her lips, unable to figure out where she misunderstood. Jaeyoung looked at his hands before bending down to look at his fingertips, his lowered face resembling a model in an advertisement. She couldn’t fathom how someone with such a personality could have such a good-looking exterior. Jihye could only wonder.
“You can not possibly be thinking that we’re fighting over Sangwoo, no. Not at all.”
“Then what is it?”
Jihye couldn’t think of any other possibilities... If she didn’t plan to eliminate her, then why would he have to find her phone number and call her to talk?
Jaeyoung leaned back in his chair and chuckled softly.
“You can’t fight against me.”
“What?”
“You’re not even an obstacle in the relationship between me and Sangwoo, it’s only Chu Sangwoo himself who is the obstacle.” ________________________________________.
Chapter 53: La Dame Du Mercredi #2.
Jihye stared at the changing eyes of the person in front of her, from arrogant to playful. And then fierce. At the same time, she waited for him to continue speaking.
“Are you planning to confess your love after dinner tomorrow? Suppose you say, “Let’s date.” how do you think I would respond? Can’t you guess?”
“...”
“No, this semester I have to focus on studying and game development.
There’s no time for romance.”
Jaeyoung raised his eyebrows slightly and spoke with a face that said he wouldn’t accept it, mimicking the way certain people speak. If it weren’t for this situation, Jihye would probably burst out laughing as well.
“Or maybe just say, ‘There’s no time for trivial matters like that,’ would suffice.”
After playing the role Chu Sangwoo, Jaeyoung returned to his usual demeanor, and the tense atmosphere seemed to dissipate. Jihye was pulled back to face Jaeyoung once again, feeling terrible. The words chosen by the other party seemed too real, as if they came directly from Chu Sangwoo himself. Even though there was no romantic relationship yet, she felt like she had been rejected beforehand.
However, she had prepared herself to be rejected, not expecting to immediately start dating the other party. But the idea of a romantic relationship was to make Chu Sangwoo see her as a woman. After that, they would gradually get to know each other, even if it wasn’t within this semester.
But there was still hope for one day, that was Jihye’s plan.
“I understand what you’re saying, but if I can’t fight against you, then why did you ask me out?”
Jihye could no longer control her facial expressions. She looked at the older student with sharp eyes, unable to reserve her posture anymore. Jaeyoung followed Jihye’s gaze silently before responding.
“You are irritating to the ears and eyes.”
The words that came out didn’t sound pleasant, if Jaeyoung didn’t even consider her as an equal competitor. And that made Jihye feel slightly offended.
“Lately, I’ve been quite sensitive. Whenever I think about Sangwoo attending classes, talking, eating, or going out with someone else without me knowing, it makes me feel jealous.”
A headache was starting to come on. This situation reminded her of a movie where a mother-in-law doted on her son so much that she didn’t get along with her daughter-in-law, and a husband who suspected his wife of cheating and wouldn’t allow her to associate with anyone. This man... even though she had heard that he was cool, seeing this situation... she didn’t know how those words came out like that.
“A romantic relationship in this kind of situation is complicated. Even though I know it’s pointless, I don’t like it. I don’t want you to talk about those things with Sangwoo, and I don’t want Sangwoo to listen to anything like that either.
Understand, right?” Jaeyoung continued.
She knew what he wanted to convey, but she still didn’t understand. If he had that much confidence in himself, why would he bother worrying about Chu Sangwoo, who seemed to have no interest in her at all? Furthermore, Jihye found it strange that she, who could choose to date the most beautiful and outstanding woman in the university, ended up falling in love with Chu Sangwoo, who was indifferent and unpredictable.
‘Why is he like that?’
After pondering over Jaeyoung’s narrow-minded and delusional words, she noticed something.
When reading literature, Jihye never understood the fascination that Chu
Liang had for Madame Renal[1] and the obsession that Quasimodo had for Asmerlada[2]. She had never felt such intense emotions before and thought it was just a story in a novel. However, she could see the strong and courageous feelings she had never experienced before from the person in front of her, the man who was angry like fire because he knew she had dinner and went out with Chu Sangwoo.
‘Maybe it’s not just one-sided love.’
Jihye felt defeated, and it wasn’t just that...
‘I don’t like him... No, that person. I don’t know what to do anymore.’
‘It’s... Jaeyoung, Jang... It seems like he has a girlfriend.’
‘If you agree, come to the ‘Tree Olive’ restaurant today at six o’clock.’
Jihye’s mind quickly assessed the situation she was facing, why didn’t she notice before? Besides playing games and explaining cultural theories during battles, there was nothing about Jang Jaeyoung that made Chu Sangwoo look so excited.
‘Sometimes it may not be just one-sided love.’
Jihye felt like she was running out of strength to continue fighting, and that assumption locked everything down. Chu Sangwoo had such preferences, it would make sense that he didn’t look at her. Maybe both of them were already dating. Jaeyoung might be lying because he was concerned about Sangwoo. Jihye used her hand to cover her face, feeling defeated every time.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have time to wait for you to think endlessly, and I don’t feel like waiting either. I’ll just say what I want to say and then leave.”
Just then, Jaeyoung started talking incessantly. Jihye paused and adjusted her hair before looking straight at the person in front of her again. The other party’s expression was still as emotionless as when she walked into this café.
“Chu Sangwoo, he’s really interesting, isn’t he? I understand, he’s intelligent, charming, law-abiding, has a beautiful neck, and once he has finished his studies he will probably make good money.”
‘Hmm... What about that?’
Jihye stared, but Jaeyoung didn’t pay attention to that, he continued speaking methodically.
“I have no right to tell you to give up on him. Whether it’s following Sangwoo blindly, continuing as you are now, or even just this much, it’s your decision.”
Jihye laughed nervously. Just a while ago, she seemed to be forcing her to stop getting involved with Sangwoo, and now she was telling her to make her own decision. She was completely confused about what he wanted to do.
Jaeyoung laughed and spoke again.
“... if I still confirm that you will continue to pester him, then be prepared to deal with me. I’m not like you, because I am the real obstacle.”
“...”
“Let’s see how chaotic it will be.”
‘I already thought it would be like this.’
Jihye smirked, even though she had lost her motivation. When she walked into this café, she intended to clearly reveal her position and then leave immediately. However, she ended up being bitten and hurt. Jihye mustered her last bit of strength and asked.
“Are you threatening me, sunbae?”
“Yes, didn’t I say from the beginning that this was a threat.”
“I didn’t hear it that way at all.”
“Well, if this is considered a threat, then it’s just this much. From now on, it will be intimidating.”
Jaeyoung picked up a large envelope from the chair next to him and handed it over. Jihye took it with a puzzled expression.
‘Don’t tell me it’s money?’
Conflicting thoughts surged within her, but when she opened it, she found A4-sized documents.
Each page contained a photo along with brief personal information. Jihye frowned and glanced through the names passing by: a politician’s son, a musician, medical students, law students, a percussionist, a baseball player, a robotics developer, a voice actor, an executive at a foreign company... The profiles of many men flashed before her eyes.
“I don’t know what your specifications are, so I chose some for you first. I can arrange meetings with anyone of these whom you will want. No limits. If you don’t like anyone, I’ll find more for you.”
“How many people are there?”
“50 people.”
“Erik Smithson? Who is this person...”
There was even someone from Sweden.
“That person speaks Korean very well. Maybe even better than you.”
“How is this possible?”
Jihye felt the situation was absurd to the point where she couldn’t help but laugh. She laughed dryly with a sense of hopelessness as she continued to open the documents until she reached the last page and came face to face with a familiar face.
[Park Hyung Jin / 21 years old / 180 cm / Philosophy major at Hankuk University / President of the Drama Club /pires to be an actor. Highly responsible. Sincere and sensitive when it comes to love.]
This person, who is a Frankenstein, isn’t?”
“Do you still remember that day when you put on such heavy makeup?”
“How can I forget? You sent him to my table so many times!”
“From now on, I’ll find a way for him to approach you, it seems like he likes you.”
Jihye pouted her cheeks and couldn’t believe that the owner of this face was roughly the same age as her, but what caught her attention was the word
“philosophy.”
“So, the first person is Hyung Jin?”
“No, I haven’t said that yet.”
Jihye put the introduction documents for the blind date back into an envelope and stuffed it into her bag. Then she straightened her back and looked at Jaeyoung again. Although it seemed like she was willing to remember his threats and coaxing, she didn’t want to appear easily swayed.
“Alright, I understand. I’ll try to think about it seriously.”
“It’s good that we’re talking about it.”
“Don’t misunderstand, I didn’t give in because of your threats or proposals. It’s just that I didn’t lose my composure to the point of being shaken like you did. I just don’t want to be the third party in a relationship that seems so serious and intense.”
Jaeyoung laughed without saying anything, as if saying, “Whatever happens, it doesn’t matter’ Jihye hesitated for a moment before deciding to ask.
“But can we still be friends?”
“No, you didn’t listen to anything I said before, did you?”
The other party immediately responded. Jihye felt a sense of injustice and started to raise her voice.
“Why? You know that he doesn’t care about me anymore! Every day, he treats me like a machine that explains cultural theories. When he pressed a button, there’s an explanation. I explain something wrong, he looks at me as if
I’m a malfunctioning machine. And he even says I have to study twice harder!”
“Treat him as if you’ve never met him before.”
“I don’t just like him as a man, okay? When I’m with him, Sangchu oppa, I feel fun and happy. I want to be friends with him forever.”
“Because you think you’re his little sister? Even if you are from the same bloodline, why do you have to call him “oppa”? And who are you to come from and call someone older than you a vegetable name[3]? No manners at all.”
“Sangchu-oppa said I could call him that!”
“But I don’t like it, don’t call him that.”
“Then what should I call him?”
“No need to call. If there’s something important, just call him, ‘Hey, you!’.
Like that.”
Jihye laughed dryly and took a breath at the same time, Jaeyoung himself laughed as if it was meaningless, so she couldn’t tell if it was a joke or if he was serious. So she couldn’t figure out what was going on.
‘What is this situation?’
Mixed feelings of sadness and joy overwhelmed Jihye, leaving her confused.
“Oh, really... Sangchu-oppa... No. Does he know? Does Sangchu-oppa know that you are... like this?”
“I don’t know, maybe lately Sangchu-oppa has become a talented designer.”
“I’m really sorry, Sangchu-oppa.”
“If you knew how difficult it is for me, you wouldn’t say that.”
Jaeyoung pondered before taking out his phone to check the time. Jihye glanced at the person in front of her who was standing up.
“I have to since now. If anyone is interested in him, they can contact me.”
“I understand.”
“But don’t call, Sangwoo might misunderstand.”
“Then what should I do?”
Jihye accidentally raised her voice.
“You must think I am just joking, right?”
Jaeyoung said that and left. Jihye sat there for a moment, laughing out loud.
‘It has become like this.’
It’s good to withdraw from a competition that can’t be won. It’s a very smart choice. Although she comforts herself like that, she still can’t help but feel regret.
She regrets the efforts she has made, thinking how ridiculous she looks, wondering why she couldn’t be outstanding like this. She wonders what kind of feeling is the passionate love in novels or movies, she can only think, think, and keep thinking. Even this time, the driving force is still the brain. Not the heart.
Jihye didn’t think of hating herself for being like that. This is the 21st century.
It’s not the era where Romeo and Juliet would kill themselves anymore.
I guess I should focus on studying only.”
Jihye sighed lightly and stood up. At least she might do better on the final exam than Chu Sangwoo, who was always busy with love affairs. Even though he would get higher scores in the middle of the semester, 8 points, she still wouldn’t give. Jihye pushed open the café door and met the special clear sky.
“The weather is so nice it’s annoying!”
The 4th love affair of Ru Jihye, which ended before it even began.
New criteria for screening future lovers - “Don’t date good-looking men who act humble but deceive you.”
________________________________________.
[1] Julien Sorel and Madame de Rênal, characters in the French novel “The
Red and the Black” “Le Rouge et le Noir”
[2] Quasimodo and Esmeralda, characters in the French novel “Notre-Dame de Paris.” the hunchback of Notre-Dame.
[3] Vegetable name. In this case, it refers to the nickname “Sangchu.” which means vegetable.