Sangwoo whined inside and was appalled at himself. Until now, he had never felt so incapable while studying. However, no matter how he approached it, the text didnât open the door to Sangwoo. Even after reading it a few more times, he was only able to take in the material at a superficial level and unable to grasp major concepts. It was clear that he was behind because he hadnât been able to properly pay attention in class.
return 0;
Time went by regardless of his torpor.
It became night, and then it became day once again. The next day also started out this way, but not everything was exactly the same. There was a leather messenger bag in the seat next to Sangwoo, but it remained empty even 20 minutes after the class had begun. He could move it since the owner of the bag wasnât there, but Sangwoo felt a strange discomfort because the interrupter that shouldâve been there was missing.
Jang Jaeyoung stumbled in through the back door the moment Sangwooâs digital watch read 22 minutes past the hour. A laser beam seemed to shoot out of Professor Choiâs eyes, which glared at Jaeyoung, who was late and then fell flat on his desk. Jaeyoung reeked of alcohol. Sangwoo wondered if he had gone drinking with the people he was with at the bench the previous day.
âWhy are you late?â
The whisper that left his mouth actually contained another question. Yet it was meaningless to ask since he already knew the answer. Jaeyoung, who was lying facedown on the desk, turned his head slightly and looked up at Sangwoo.
âWhat do you think?â
âBecause you stayed up late drinking.â
âYou know it well.â
âWith whom?â
The thinly veiled question slipped out of Sangwooâs lips. Jaeyoung couldnât even raise his head because his body was so limp, but his eyes glistened with playfulness.
âWhy does it matter who I drank with?â
âIâm just curious who the stupid person is who would drink with you, sunbae.â
âIf you want to drink with me, just say so.â
âAre you crazy? Me?â
Sangwoo wanted to blame Jaeyoung for not being able to concentrate on class when he arrived, but in reality, he hadnât been able to pay attention even before that.
âI have no idea what this class is about.â
Sangwoo often felt unfamiliar emotions these days. At the same time, he felt like he had been deprived of familiar feelings. Meanwhile, the dark brown head kept drawing Sangwooâs attention away from his book. Today wouldnât work out as well. He should have foreseen it.
Jaeyoung didnât get up and was slouching on his desk even after the class had ended.
âSunbae.â
He couldâve just left him and headed towards his next class, but Sangwoo called out to him anyway.
â⌠sunbae.â
Without lifting his head from the desk, Jaeyoung stretched out his left hand and grabbed Sangwooâs arm. The action made Sangwoo very uncomfortable.
âAh⌠it feels like Iâm going to throw up, so I canât help it,â Jaeyoung said while clinging to Sangwooâs arm with both hands.
He managed to pull himself up, and he then grabbed the âBlackholicâ from his bag and put it on the desk. There was only a canned coffee left in the spot after he had stumbled out. Sangwoo took the coffee and headed towards the next classroom.
Without fail, there was a backpack on Sangwooâs preferred seat. Sangwoo hung his bag on the chair and sat down in that seat. It was unjust to clear off someone elseâs seat, but Sangwoo knew that Jaeyoung wouldnât show up.
He sat in his favorite seat for the first time in a while, but strangely enough, he didnât feel good. That day, Sangwoo couldnât concentrate well even if the content in the âAlgorithmsâ class wasnât difficult.
âIs he throwing up?â
Jaeyoung was to blame for drinking excessively despite having classes the next day. Sangwoo suddenly realized he had made a different judgment in a previous case with a similar logical structure.
âJang Jaeyoung was to blame for having someone attend classes for him. Accordingly, even if he wasnât able to graduate, it was only right.â
Sangwoo was thrown into confusion. The strange feeling of a crack appearing in his consistent way of thinking neither disappeared by the time class had ended, nor even as he ate alone at the cafeteria.
Sangwoo didnât have any thoughts at all. He just sat down, because there was a seat and ate soup because there was a spoon. And then, he got up because the tray was empty. His body mechanically disposed of the leftovers and placed the empty tray on the conveyor belt. The spoon and the chopsticks were put in separate containers, and he drank a glass of water by the sink.
There were no variables, only constants, so of course the time was 12:28. Sangwoo walked according to his routine as if he were a self-driving car. Before he knew it, he was at the snack shop, but he didnât need to buy a drink. He realized it when he stood in front of the refrigerator. The owner of the snack shop, who had been sitting by the checkout counter, approached Sangwoo and touched his shoulder while looking apologetic.
âStudent, itâs been a while. Iâve told them to deliver the coffee on Monday, so donât worry!â
âI got it,â Sangwoo replied while pushing her hand off him.
âI felt so bad that it kept bothering me. Youâve been drinking it every day, so you must really be craving it, right?â
Sangwooâs eyes turned towards the refrigerator. They didnât turn to the empty shelf on the fifth row, but to the one above it.