âDonât come to class, please. Iâll play three parts on my own.â
âI donât want to,â Jaeyoung said lazily while stretching.
âJihye, Iâm sorry. Iâm gonna take Sangwoo away. I mean that I have an incredibly important announcement to make tomorrow.â
âAh⌠Yeah!â
Then he pulled Sangwooâs wrist all of a sudden. Sangwoo shook off his hand, but Jaeyoung hit his back this time. Sangwoo felt flustered since it was the first time this had happened in his life. Jaeyoung grabbed his backpack from his shoulders, causing it to bounce violently.
âHey? Sunbae!â
He loudly called him, but he didnât stop.
âIs he actually nuts?â
Even if Sangwoo considered it absurd, he didnât have a choice but to run after him, as he couldnât predict what he would do with his backpack. It being Jaeyoung, it wouldnât be weird even if he were to dump everything down the drain.
Jaeyoung, who had been lightly jogging at first, sped up when he was in danger of getting caught by Sangwoo.
âStay there!â
Before he knew it, Jaeyoung was running at full speed with Sangwooâs backpack worn in front. At one point, Sangwooâs fingertips brushed Jaeyoungâs shoulder, but Jaeyoung just sneered at him and ran away. He remembered running away with all his might exactly a week ago and now something similar was being repeated.
âAh⌠Iâm tired.â
Jaeyoung only stopped after arriving by the vast field of grass in front of the main gate. That was after having passed the futsal field, the snack shop, and the institution around the engineering college. Sangwoo was panting hard because he was out of breath.
âGive it back. Give it to me.5â
He weakly held out his arm, but Jaeyoung opened Sangwooâs backpack as if he hadnât heard him, and grabbed a bottle of water to moisten his neck.
âAre you actually crazy?â
âI guess so.â
Sangwoo accepted the water bottle he threw at him and drank from it. His heart was pounding as he had abruptly broken out into a run. The surrounding scenery was unfamiliar to him. Students were resting on the lawn everywhere like laundry. Sangwoo hadnât put a foot there during his six semesters.
âWhat are you doing? Sit down,â Jaeyoung said while slumping down and slapping the spot next to him.
Then, he laid down on Sangwooâs backpack. He had his legs spread out and clasped his hands to support the back of his head. His eyes were closed and the corners of his mouth turned up as if he were in a really good mood. The sun shone on his hair making it sparkle brightly.
âGive me the bag.â
âIâm using it.â
âI said give it to me.â
âThen get me another pillow or something.â
Sangwoo squatted and suddenly pulled at his backpack. However, he couldnât take it away because Jaeyoung was still wearing the backpack straps around his arms and lying back on it as if it were a pillow.
âYou said weâd prepare for the skit?â
âI was planning on doing that here.â
âThereâs no desk and not even a chair. Are we really doing it here?â
âWe have to memorize the entire script, donât we? What wonât we be able to do here?â
Jaeyoung wasnât able to see it for himself, as he had his eyes closed, but Sangwoo nodded. If it was about the script, he was already well-acquainted with it. He felt strange when he sat his butt down on the grass. Sangwoo smelled the grass while wondering what he was doing, sitting in a place like that.
âIâll start then.â
âLetâs just rest for 10 minutes first.â
âItâs a waste ofâŚâ
âWasting only that much is fine, isnât it?â
Jaeyoung grabbed a can of coffee from Sangwooâs bag and held it out. Sangwoo checked his wristwatch and found that it was still the appointed time for his on-campus walk. He replied that he got it and popped the lid off the canned coffee. As if he had fallen asleep, Jaeyoung kept quiet for a while, and then called his name when the can was half-empty.
âSangwoo.â
âWhat?â
âWhatâs your ideal type?â
Sangwoo frowned and looked at Jaeyoung, but he still had his eyes closed in a carefree manner.
âWhy are you asking something so personal?â
âUsually, when youâre ânot close at all,â you pass time while asking these useless kinds of things.â
âYouâre right,â Sangwoo answered after reviewing Jaeyoungâs question.
He had never properly thought about it, but when he considered the women who he had gotten even a slight positive impression of so far, he quickly caught his drift.
âI prefer people who are neat-looking and that have reserved personalities.â
âOh, the kindergarten teacher type of style.â
Sangwoo ignored his words and drank his coffee without saying a word. Then, a little later, the second question arrived.
âWhen was your first love?â
âI donât know.â
âYou donât know?â
âThe concept is too vague. Iâll answer if you define it more clearly.â
Jaeyoung made a grimace and opened his eyes. The eyes filled with sunlight looked brown.
âIs it the time when I first started dating, or when I first had intercourse? You have to be clear about the term,â Sangwoo added when Jaeyoung looked him in the eye.
Jaeyoung rolled his eyes with a look that expressed that he still didnât get it.
Footnotes:
5. Sangwoo spoke the last sentence using informal language.