âWho doesnât know that? Iâm just telling you to rest.â
âHow can I rest when I have so much to do?â
âIf you keep talking to me, take a break since you wonât be able to concentrate anyway.â
âIn the 1850s, when the trees were so contaminated that they darkened, the population of white pepper moths decreased and black pepper moths flourished.â
â⌠what are you trying to say?â
âLife has an instinct to adapt to external threats.â
âAh, Iâm a pollutant, and youâre a pitiful moth? Try changing the color of your wings. Iâll be rooting for you.â
âDonât root for me with your words, but keeping your mouth shut is the most helpful way for me.â
Chu Sangwoo was like a vending machine that only dispensed precise words. Jaeyoung picked up his cell phone while escaping from the argument heâd already lost. He replied to some messages and played music videos of bands he liked. When he was with Yuna or Sungjin, he always played his music aloud, but ever since Sangwoo had come, he hadnât. Even Yuna had attacked several times at first, but after losing heroically and repeatedly, she sighed and put on her headphones when Sangwoo came in. There was no such thing today since she left early today, though.
A dreamy synthesizer, pounding drum beats, a low-pitched bass, a heart-throbbing electric guitar, and languid vocals. While Jaeyoung was immersed in the music with his eyes closed, he was partly waiting for the sound of âturn the music off.â When he opened his eyes, Sangwoo was still working with his back upright.
âYou seem to like this.â
âNo, itâs not great.â
âThis bandâs name is PsyâŚâ
âPsychedel. I know.â
âThe title is MaâŚâ
âMagnetic Field. Fifth Album. Electricity. The 8th track. I know, so please be quiet.â
Jaeyoung was so shocked he dropped his phone. His favorite artist wasnât very popular in Korea. Nevermind the name of the song, he couldnât believe that he even knew the album and the track number. He said they werenât good, but seeing as he knew all the details, he must be an avid listener of theirs. While he was puzzled, the playlist moved on to the next song. This time, it was a fairly unknown domestic indie band.
âItâs Napalsooâs second album, Bullshit. 12th track. Iâm going to fire the manager and devour the company.â Jaeyoung blankly stared at the black ball cap for an entire minute.
âI canât believe that Chu Sangwoo has the same taste as me.â
It was hard to believe. Jaeyoung felt nervous as he played the next track.
âCho Chiwon Bandâs first album, Red and Black. Track seven. Red Giant.â
âWt⌠Hey. Your tastes are very similar to mine. I got goosebumps.â
âThatâs not it at all, so donât even say things like that.â
He wasnât fooled by such an offense. If he even knew the track number, how often had he been listening to it? Jaeyoung felt so excited that he kept playing track after track. There wasnât anything Sangwoo hadnât heard. Whether it was an overseas or a domestic artist, whichever genre it was, he knew it all. This was way more accurate than an app..
Jaeyoung accidently touched a strange spot while flipping through the tracks, so it started playing a hit song that had been on the top charts for 10 weeks. So far, he had said the name of the title within 10 seconds of the music being played, but this time he was quiet.
âYou donât know this one?â
âHow would I know that one?â
These days, if you didnât know this song, they would call you a spy.1 This was very strange. Jaeyoung once more felt a sense of incompatibility while falling into confusion.
âSunbae, Iâm stuck in the reinforced grenade. Please take another look at the corn after youâve fixed it. And it has been 15 minutes. Come back to your seat.â
âI oughta!â
Jaeyoung endured for about five seconds and then stood up. As he forced himself to sit in the chair, Sangwoo glanced at him and then returned his eyes to his laptop.
âHeâs cute but not cute at all.â
Jaeyoung reached out to pinch his cheeks, but belatedly recalled that it was a taboo. Sangwoo was already staring at Jaeyoungâs hand with a frown. Jaeyoung repositioned his hands and clapped them in the air.
âOh? A mosquito hereâŚâ
âItâs April, so what mosquito?â
âThere was one here.â
âLook at your palm to see if you caught it.â
âOh? I missed it.â
Sangwoo began typing again with an unconvinced look. He looked omnipotent as he stared at the monitor filled with a completely unrecognizable language. Jaeyoung couldnât do anything for a while as he sat with his hands on his chin looking dazedly at Sangwoo.