SMNTCERR, Chapter 21 <100> #3.

   After class, it was time for lunch. Sangwoo packed his books and pencil case into his bag. Meanwhile, Jihye asked casually.

   “So, how did it go? What happened at the barrier with ear plugs?”

   “It didn’t work.”

   The barrier scene reduced to a mere breeze, and the seven cans of coffee were still at home. The barrier that was used once has not been touched again.

   “I’m sorry.”

   But it wasn’t something Jihye had to apologize for. The man was different. It was said that he had made a promise to a girl to provide meals in return for advice. Even though he couldn’t help much, a promise was a promise. Sangwoo took out the food coupons from his wallet and placed them on the other person’s table. Jihye stared at the food coupons in amazement.

   “Why did you give me food coupons?”

   “Oppa, you said you would treat me.”

   “Oh, really? Then you should buy it yourself. What are these food coupons for?”

   “Take the coupons and buy yourself something to eat.”

   Sangwoo put on his backpack and stood up, but Jihye stuffed the food coupons into Sangwoo’s shirt pocket again.

   “No, oppa, keep it for when you want to treat me.”

   Sangwoo thought about the price of pasta, 23,500 won, and asked the other person to treat him. However, the price of food at the cafeteria was too expensive, and it seemed to disappoint.

   “Okay, next time, I’ll treat you to pizza.”

   “Really? Not just any pizza, right?”

   ‘Thought it would be easier if I said bread. I wonder if she’s suspicious.’

   They walked out of the building and headed towards the cafeteria. On the way, they heard someone calling Sangwoo from behind.

   “Sangwoo-ya!”

   The only person who calls him Sangwoo like this is just one person. Sangwoo turned around quickly, the person he had guessed in his mind was wearing a windbreaker as if he had just been running.

   “I’m right here, I came to see ya”

   “Why?”

   “What’s wrong? Are you not going to have lunch with me?”

   “You?”

   He had just heard this story for the first time. Jang Jaeyoung must have mistaken Sangwoo for someone else or misunderstood something. Sangwoo turned back and walked towards the cafeteria, but this time Jihye, who was walking beside him, stopped him.

   “Oh, the French honor student.”

   “Wow… we meet again, hello.”

   “Exactly. Have we introduced ourselves before or not?”

   “I’m Ru Jihye, hehe, and actually, I already know your name, you’re quite famous… “

   Sangwoo wanted to keep his distance, but both of them followed him quickly, so he heard every conversation.

   “Jihye, hubae you are  close to Sangwoo. Back then when we came to the store, I saw it too.”

   “Actually, we met for the first time that day, that’s right. Sangwoo was kind enough to help me carry things… I didn’t mean to, but I packed too many books in the box, you see. It’s the time to spread heavy things apart, right?

   Even though I can’t read them all at once, I just wanted to move them in one go…”

   Jihye kept talking on and on. Then it was Jaeyoung’s turn. Jihye then Jaeyoung then Jihye then Jaeyoung. They were exchanging words like ping pong, and the line at the cafeteria became shorter and slower than usual.

   “Haha! You’re such a funny person, could you sign for me, please?”

   “Hey, I’m not a celebrity. What do you want me to sign?”

   Before he knew it, Jaeyoung was already talking to Jihye. People who didn’t know them would have thought they had known each other for a long time. Both of them seemed a bit bored of listening to each other’s conversation, but while waiting, the line gradually became shorter, and they both carried their own trays into the cafeteria. Jaeyoung said he would have clear soup noodles, which was a special menu, so he separated and joined another line, then came back to join them later. Sangwoo tried to find an empty table, but couldn’t find one, so the three of them had to sit together, unable to help.

   “Jihye, do you have a boyfriend?”

   Jaeyoung didn’t touch the clear soup noodles at all, he threw some strange questions at Jihye. Jihye smiled widely and answered.

   “No, I don’t have a boyfriend!”

   “Is that so? I thought you must have one by now.”

   Sangwoo’s gaze fixated on Jaeyoung’s face, and the latter stared at Jihye almost piercingly. Those eyes seemed abnormal.

   “Well, I guess those guys don’t know my true worth.”

   “I know a lot of single guys around, just tell me.”

   Jaeyoung smiled broadly and hugged his chest, sitting on a small chair.  “Anyway, can you give me some genuine advice? I’ve been thinking about a few good guys. What type do you like?”

   He reached out and picked up his phone, sliding to view the contact list.

   Jihye laughed, shaking her head in refusal.

   “Oh no, it’s fine. This semester, I want to focus on studying. Just the fact that you said you’d help me out already makes me happy.”

   “Oh… is that so?”

   Jaeyoung carefully observed the girl’s face, then put his phone back in his pants pocket as before. It became silent for a while before Jaeyoung spoke up.

   “Well, speaking of which… How is Sangwoo? You two seem to get along well.”

   Sangwoo was taken aback to the point of spewing out seaweed soup. Everyone had an astonished look on their faces, but the most surprised person was Sangwoo himself. Jihye pulled out a wet tissue from her bag and handed it over.

   “Sangchu! Did you have to go too far? Are you that dissatisfied?”

   “He just sat there nonchalantly and got paired up with someone he didn’t know, so of course he’s dissatisfied.”

   “Just talking to myself.”

   “So you don’t like it even when I say it?”

   Sangwoo took a wet tissue and wiped off the soup residue from the table. Here, what’s going on? Sangwoo couldn’t understand at all, but one thing was for sure, it felt suffocating. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

   Jaeyoung laughed mischievously and glanced at Sangwoo.”

   “Sang… chu?”

   “Sangwoo-oppa told me it was his childhood nickname. Isn’t it cute?”

   “Really? It seems like we’re getting along well with your Sangwoo. Let’s call each other by our nicknames.”

   “Sangwoo of mine?” [1.]

   Even his mother had never spoken like this before. Sangwoo immediately lost his appetite. No one spoke for a while longer than usual, but before the silence could drag on any further, Jaeyoung broke it.

   “Anyway… where are you going today?”

   “Huh?”

   “Today, you look more dressed up than last time.”

   “Hahaha… Can you remember things like that? At that time, I had to move my stuff, so I just dressed comfortably. Normally, I pay attention to my appearance, hahaha.”

   “You mean last Wednesday, right?”

   “Oh… that day was a bit of a hassle… so I woke up late and almost arrived to class late.”

   “Just like this, you’re paying special attention today. I thought you dressed up to meet someone important again.”

   It was a meaningless conversation. Sangwoo thought that kind of conversation didn’t help digestion at all. Jihye’s face didn’t look good, maybe because Jaeyoung talked too much. Sangwoo understood her frustration as if it were his own. It was annoying to have someone constantly trying to engage in conversation and not being able to eat.

   After finishing their meal and leaving the cafeteria, Jihye asked a strange question.

   “How did we become close like this? We seem to be completely different people, it’s really strange.”

   Her words had some inaccuracies, so Sangwoo immediately refuted them.  “We’re not close…”

   “At first, we misunderstood each other a bit.”

   Jaeyoung patted Sangwoo’s shoulder, and with that small gesture, Sangwoo became tense again. He held his breath and forgot to exhale. Jaeyoung’s arm resting on his heavy shoulder felt like a metal rod.

   “We used to hate each other a lot, but now that hatred is gone. Isn’t it?”

   “No, it’s not.”

   Sangwoo pushed away the other’s shoulder with his elbow. Jang Jaeyoung touched other people’s bodies without realizing it. He had been like that from the beginning, regardless of who the opposite person was ‘even someone he wasn’t close to at all’. He would hug their neck, call them endearing names, touch their faces, tease them, and make them nervous.

   Sangwoo despised such behavior. Even though in other countries it is a cultural norm to hug children frequently, Sangwoo did not grow up in an environment like that. In Sangwoo’s world, only his romantic partner of the opposite sex could touch him, and even then, there were boundaries. Even if it was an action without ill intentions, it would only make him feel uncomfortable.

   “Don’t overthink it. It’s not a big deal. Because it’s still terrible. I thought that pretending to be a good person would change something, but I still don’t feel good, and I don’t intend to relieve this feeling.”

   “Fine, let’s leave it at that. Here, take this again.”

   Jaeyoung looked indifferent, while Jihye’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.

   “Hey, I have a presentation tomorrow. Are you brave enough?”

   Jaeyoung’s teasing made Sangwoo furious, causing him to miss the opportunity to defend himself.

   “You don’t have to come to class tomorrow. I’ll handle it alone.”

   “I’ll still come.”

   Jaeyoung lazily muttered with disdain.

   “Sorry… Jihye, may I take Sangwoo with me? Tomorrow, there’s a very important presentation coming up.”

   “Oh… sure!”

   Then, Jaeyoung grabbed Sangwoo’s wrist and dragged him away before he could react. Sangwoo tried to free his hand, but this time Jaeyoung attacked from behind. Sangwoo had never encountered such a situation before, so he was speechless. Meanwhile, the other party snatched the backpack that was hanging on his shoulder and swiftly ran away.

   “Wait, sunbae!”

   No matter how loudly he shouted, the other party refused to stop.

   ‘That guy is a true crazy guy.’

   Although Sangwoo felt that it was embarrassing, all he could do was follow behind because he couldn’t figure out what the other party would do with his backpack. If it were Jang Jaeyoung, he wouldn’t even hesitate to throw everything down the drain.

   Initially, when they were running teasingly and Sangwoo saw that Jaeyoung was about to catch up, he accelerated his speed.

   “Stop right now!”

   Jaeyoung ran as fast as he could with the backpack slung in front of him. There was one time when Sangwoo’s fingertips brushed against Jaeyoung’s shoulder, but Jaeyoung ran away, leaving him behind like he was mocking him. He remembered vividly how just last week he had run for his life, and now the situation had repeated itself.

   “Oh… I’m exhausted.”

   Jaeyoung ran past the engineering faculty, through the soccer field, the convenience store, and the student club until he reached a large grassy field in front of the entrance gate where he finally stopped. Sangwoo breathed heavily, feeling both relieved and disappointed.

   “Give it back… and return it.”

   Sangwoo extended his hand weakly, but Jaeyoung acted as if he didn’t hear, opened Sangwoo’s bag as if it were his own, and took out a water bottle to drink.

   “Seriously, are you crazy?”

   “I guess so.”

   Sangwoo took the water bottle thrown to him by the other side and lifted it up to drink. The sprinting had made his heart beat fast, and the surrounding scenery now looked strange. This was a grass field where many students were resting in various corners, weakly like freshly washed clothes. In the past five semesters, Sangwoo had never set foot here even once.

   “What are you doing? Sit down quickly.”

   Jaeyoung sat down on the grass and patted the area beside him. He used Sangwoo’s backpack as a pillow, stretched out his legs, and interlocked his fingers behind his head. Their eyes closed, with relaxed expressions. The sunlight shone brightly on their hair.

   “Give me back my backpack.”

   “I’m using it.”

   “Then tell me how to get it back.”

   “Then go get another cushion for yourself.”

   Sangwoo sat down and immediately pulled out his bag, but Jaeyoung held onto it with both arms, preventing him from taking it.

   “Who said anything about preparing presents?”

   “We’ll practice here.”

   “There’s no table, no chair. Are we really going to practice here?”

   “You’ve memorized all the lines, right? Is there anything else you can’t do?”

   Sangwoo paused, even though Jaeyoung couldn’t see it because his eyes were closed. If it was just a play, he had already practiced in advance… sitting on the grass. Sangwoo felt strange. He smelled the grass and wondered what they were doing in a place like this.

   “Well, I’ll start then.”

   “Take a ten-minute break first, then we’ll practice.”

   “What a waste…”

   “It’s okay to waste time like this.”

   Jaeyoung took a canned coffee from his own bag and handed it over. Sangwoo checked the time on his wristwatch and found that it was still time for a stroll on campus. He agreed and took the canned coffee to open it. Jaeyoung remained silent for a moment, as if dozing off, until Sangwoo finished drinking half of the canned coffee. Then the other side called his name.

   “Sangwoo.”

   “Why?”

   “What kind of person are you?”

   Sangwoo glanced at Jaeyoung, but the latter continued to remain still and silent as before.

   “Why do you ask such personal questions?”

   “Normally, people who are “not close at all” tend to spend time asking such pointless questions.”

   “That’s true.”

   After responding like that, Sangwoo analyzed Jaeyoung’s question. He had never really thought about it seriously before, but now, after gathering the little impressions he had on women, he was able to grasp it in an instant.

   “I like people who have a polite appearance and deep, calm personalities.”

   “Oh, like a kindergarten teacher style.”

   Sangwoo ignored those words and picked up his coffee without saying anything. Then, shortly after, the second question was sent.

   “When did you have your first love?”

   “I don’t know.”

   “You don’t know?”

   “Well, it’s a bit complicated. If the sunbae set clear boundaries, I would answer.”

   Jaeyoung frowned and raised his eyes, which were tinged with brown under the sun’s rays. When he saw the other party staring at him, Sangwoo added an explanation.

   “It means when you first started dating someone or when you had your first sexual experience. Seniors need to use clear words.”

   Jaeyoung blinked with a puzzled expression, as before.

   “Have you ever liked anyone?”

   “If you mean in that sense… my first love was when I was sixteen, and the other party was not human.”

   Having heard that, Jaeyoung immediately laughed and teased Sangwoo, but Sangwoo laughed and teased Jaeyoung even more. Sangwoo didn’t believe in love based on emotions like what he saw on TV. He thought it was a misunderstanding for a soulless person to mix with affection and considered it a lie that the government used to manipulate and maintain the marriage system. Because he had heard that everyone else had experienced it, but Sangwoo never felt that way once.

   “Time’s up. I’m going to start now.”

   Sangwoo glanced at the time and changed his sitting position.

   “Peenyai-peenyai-tai-peenyai…” [2]

   When Sangwoo said the first sentence, “Right, right, cheap fruits, feel free to come in and choose.” Jaeyoung burst into laughter, his cheeks raised high and his front teeth exposed between his lips.

   “Xin Qinghao.”

   “Not quite right. Please speak according to the script.”

   “What did I say?”

   “Feels good.”

   “Same here.”

   “…”

   Sangwoo’s nose twitched, and suddenly flies flew around. No, aren’t they butterflies? return 0;

   ________________________________________.

[1]     Sangwoo of mine. In the original Korean version, 우리 “Uri” means

   “ours.” Sangwoo, but translated into Thai, it means “mine” because the word “ours” is predominantly used for family members or very close friends. In this case, it means that Jaeyoung considers himself as someone who is very close to Sangwoo, like a family member.

[2]     “Peenyai-peenyai-tai-peenyai…” Here, Sangwoo mispronounced it. It’s the way Koreans like to blend the consonant sound of the initial syllable with the vowel sound of the final syllable. In cases where the consonant sound of the final syllable is pronounced, it should be pronounced as “peen-yi-peenyityai-peen-yi…”

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