SMNTCERR, Chapter 4 <1> #4.
After resolving the headache-inducing conflict, Sangwoo’s daily life continued as usual. Even though it was the end of the semester, he still went to the library to read books every day. There was another major problem, though. The position of the designer for the project “Vegetable Man” was vacant again. He posted a job announcement on the university’s online forum, looking for a designer to take responsibility for all the graphic work of the action game. But no one contacted him. He scheduled his classes for the next semester to have free time for game development, but if he couldn’t find a designer, the designated time would be meaningless.
Apart from that, there were no other problems. Today, Sangwoo continued reading books according to plan and headed straight to the cafeteria. As he walked along, he saw a box ahead.
A female student was holding a large box stacked with smaller boxes, seemingly blocking the way completely. Judging from the length of her steps, it was clear that she was about to stumble over something. Suddenly, he heard a loud scream.
“Oh no!”
The female student extended her hand and lunged forward, but the stacked boxes still fell to the ground. Various items such as bookends, snack boxes, and loose tapes scattered on the ramp. Although the situation of the student seemed sympathetic, Sangwoo, who was determined to go to the cafeteria, chose to walk past nonchalantly.
“Just a moment!”
But at that moment, the girl called out to Sangwoo.
“I’m really sorry, but can you please help me? I’m exhausted… If you help,
I’ll treat you to a meal.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“To the locker in the third-floor library, please.”
If you want to go to the library, it takes a minimum of seven minutes to walk there. A meal at a cafeteria costs three thousand won. Without even calculating, it is clear that this is a more cost-effective exchange than the minimum wage. Sangwoo agreed and helped the young lady pack her belongings into a box. He used both hands to lift the large box. The other party was surprised to see this and did something inappropriate.
“It’s too heavy, isn’t it? Let me carry the small box myself.”
“Sure. It’s very heavy. What did you put in there?”
“Books and trinkets…”
The box was really heavy, Sangwoo had to take two breaks along the way, sweating so much that he had to take off his down jacket[1]. The journey took seven minutes and increased to fifteen minutes. When he lifted it up to the third floor, he was so exhausted that he used too much force just for one meal.
Sangwoo felt regretful about the unwise decision.
“Thank you so much for saving my life. I’m really grateful.”
During those fifteen minutes, Ru Jihye managed to gauge all of Sangwoo’s basic personal information, including his name, student ID, and faculty. The way she addressed him changed from ‘Min’ to ‘Oppa’, which confused Sangwoo as they walked out of the library. Jihye asked.
“What do you want to eat, oppa?”
“Just bring me one food coupon, that’s enough.”
“Huh, and what about the food inside?”
From the outside, Sangwoo appeared dark and gloomy, and no one approached him. But Jihye was different from other students, she wasn’t afraid at all.
“I’ll make sure to feed you delicious food that matches your gratitude, oppa.
Follow me, please.”
“Understood.”
“Stop being polite.”
“Okay.”
Then they started walking. Jihye said they would reach the destination in just ten minutes, but it took longer than that in the end. Sangwoo was not very pleased to have to walk so far just for a meal, but he gave Jihye the privilege of choosing the menu and silently followed along.
“Here is a pasta restaurant, it’s really delicious, both pasta and pizza are delicious, the pizza has thin crust and easy to eat. Last time I had pasta carbonara[2] it was so delicious that I almost licked the plate… Plus, there’s a 10% discount for students, and all the part-time staff members have nice faces…”
Jihye is talkative, even if Sangwoo is not talkative, she can keep talking on her own. They left the university and passed by a liquor store crowded with students outside. Then Jihye turned into a quiet alley and pointed to the second floor, where a sign with a hand-drawn tree made it clear that it was not an ordinary cheap restaurant.
As they climbed the stairs and opened the large door, a ringing sound echoed. The spacious restaurant was not brightly lit, but it was decorated in a cozy atmosphere. The staff came to inquire about reservations and the number of people. Then they were led to an available table.
“Here, you have to choose the staff based on their appearance, each one looks very professional.”
Jihye looked around and kept talking while sitting down at the table.
Meanwhile, Sangwoo glanced through the menu to analyze the food options. For single dishes, the cheapest was 14,000 won (10.99 USD), and the most expensive was 23,500 won (18 USD), with an average price of 17,400 won (13.66 USD). When considering that the main ingredient was pasta, it was difficult to understand the high cost. Just helping out once shouldn’t require such a hefty compensation.
“Can you afford this price?”
“Just treat it as a long-term reward. I can deduct it from my salary at the end of the month.”
Even if he didn’t agree with her answer, he didn’t need to worry about other people’s wallets. Sangwoo reconsidered the unfamiliar food names on the menu while Jihye continued to admire them as if they made her feel reborn, Fresca, Citrus, Salad… Cacciucco, Rosso… Fritti-italiani…
Should I order the food?”
While Sangwoo was still absorbed in looking at the food names, he heard a soft but firm voice coming from Jihye before he had a chance to speak.
“I’ll have one pasta Vongole, please.”
“As for me…”
Sangwoo raised his face and prepared to order the most expensive item on the menu. It was at that moment that he noticed the staff at the restaurant, just as Jihye truthfully mentioned. Even in Sangwoo’s usual indifference towards others’ appearances, he felt that the other person was a good-looking man, which was rare to find.
With a neatly combed hairstyle and a thin face adorned with a faint smile that revealed rounded dimples, and a prominent nose. The other person wore a white shirt tucked into a slightly faded black waistcoat, looking clean and tidy.
“Have we met somewhere before?”
The other person’s face looked familiar, perhaps seen in clothing advertisements. Sangwoo thought so and responded with a slight smile at one corner of his mouth.
“Oppa, what’s wrong!”
Jihye’s urgent voice caught Sangwoo’s attention, and he quickly ordered the pasta with lobster. The staff took note of their food choices and repeated the order.
“Anything else you’d like?”
“Do you accept student discounts from Hankuk University?”
“Of course. I studied there myself.”
The staff smiled gently and jotted something down on the receipt. Jihye took out her student card from her wallet and started talking excitedly.
I know! I’ve seen you many times in front of the Sungam Theater. Last year, I even went to see the play ‘Salesman.’ Oh, it’s amazing how vividly I remember how hard it was to get a ticket.”
The staff examined Jihye’s student card carefully before returning it to her.
“Well, I’m actually from France, but yes, you’re right. You have a great eye for details.”
It seemed strange that the staff focused directly on Sangwoo while speaking, their gaze not particularly friendly.
“Haha! It’s just me who is from France. This gentleman here is not. What field are you studying, oppa-Sangwoo?”
Sangwoo didn’t want to discuss his major with someone he didn’t know. Besides, he felt it was inappropriate for this man to keep looking at him since they first met.
“No need to work, huh? Take the order and go then.”
With those words, the table fell into silence. Jihye looked as if she had seen a ghost, but the staff’s twisted smile became more apparent without any known reason.
“Always the beginning, always the end, indeed.”
The other party seemed eager for Sangwoo to hear that. Then, he collected the receipt and pen and bid them farewell, mentioning that the food would be ready in about twenty minutes. After the other party left, Jihye observed Sangwoo’s expression and asked.
“Are you angry, oppa?”
“No, not at all.”
Sangwoo replied truthfully, but Jihye didn’t seem to believe him.
“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, really. If you’re not feeling good, I’m sorry. Sometimes I just blurt things out.”
I said I am not, didn’t I?”
“I’m sorry!”
Jihye shook her head and rubbed her temples with her hand, feeling a headache coming on.
“Alright, I’ll tell you it’s not true.”
“Sorry…”
“Tell you already.”
Sangwoo turned his face away in annoyance. In that moment, he caught sight of a male employee who came to take their order without paying attention. He just looked at the air, but instead of avoiding eye contact, he deliberately glanced at Sangwoo and wiped the wine glass. They locked eyes for a moment before Sangwoo turned his face away.
“Oppa, that man can’t stop staring at you.”
“No way… Hey, really?”
“He’s just looking at you.”
“Not like that, huh?”
“You’re making it seem like I’m mad or something.”
“Nah, not at all.”
They chatted about various things for about twenty minutes, and as an example, Jihye asked Sangwoo softly if he would win in a fight against that man. Sangwoo replied that he was not the type to use force. If they had to fight, he would rather let the other party beat him once and report it to the police.
“Haha, you’re funny like that. You don’t seem like that kind of person at all…”
“What do you mean?”
“Seems like you’re joking around.”
“Don’t tease me.”
Jihye covered her mouth, suppressing a burst of laughter.
While sitting in silence, the food finally arrived. The waiter held two plates with one arm while making a surprised expression, then placed one plate right in front of Jihye. Then he turned intentionally to find Sangwoo and placed another plate down. At that moment, he whispered with a volume that Sangwoo could clearly hear.
“I thought I would act cool, but I couldn’t hold back my excitement.”
“What’s going on?”
“Why are you here? Nervous, huh? Want to try something?”
Sangwoo frowned and glanced at the young man with a slight surprise. The other guy’s eyes were filled with anger and resentment, making it difficult to understand why he was so angry just because of a few words. Sangwoo concluded that the other party might have mistaken him for someone else.
“Do I know you?”
Upon hearing Sangwoo’s response, the young man was taken aback, his mouth agape. He made a disbelieving face for a moment before bursting into laughter. Then he smirked at Sangwoo and reached into his stained cloth bag to put on a pair of glasses. As he looked through the large lenses, Sangwoo remembered.
The unreliable culprit he encountered in the library conference room wore similar glasses like this. He seemed to be tall, dressed differently, not wearing earrings, and had a completely different atmosphere around him. But somehow they seemed to be the same person.
“Uh… Min Youngjae-sunbaenim.”
Although Sangwoo added the word “sunbaenim” afterwards, it seemed that the young man was already annoyed. He leaned down and whispered in Sangwoo’s ear.
“I told you not to show your face again, do you want to die or something?”
“I didn’t mean to come he, really.”
“Sangwoo.”
The soft and unnecessary tone sent shivers down his spine. Sangwoo trembled and slightly leaned back in his chair. Then, the only pair of eyes right in front of him moved closer.
“Sangwoo, that senior is calling you.”
“I only have an older sister.”
Although it was a short answer, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
“Isn’t there something you really don’t like?”
“You! sunbaenim”
Sangwoo replied directly, but the other party didn’t even flinch.
“A color you dislike, huh?”
“Red color.”
Red, the color of symptoms, ERROR. Generally, Sangwoo doesn’t particularly dislike any color, but there’s only one color he truly can’t stand: red.
“Animal you dislike?”
“Homo sapiens [4].”
Is there any creature that is as imperfect as humans? They don’t have strong claws, durable skin, dangerous toxins, and often they are dominated by desires and emotions. Sangwoo glanced at the soulless figure standing in front of him.
“Food you dislike?”
“Pasta.”
Sangwoo is not a picky eater, but now he dislikes anything related to this man.
“Place you dislike?”
“Within a ten-meter radius of you, sunbaenim.”
“Well then, please excuse me.”
After exchanging cold responses, the young man laughed tensely and whispered softly.
“You seem abnormal, so I was thinking of letting it go, but I’ve changed my mind. I’ll see you next semester.”
“Oh, sure. Feel free to hire a thug. I’ll be waiting for you at 112.”
“Lack of imagination, indeed.”
Before Sangwoo could come up with a retort, the other person had already walked away.
________________________________________.
[1] Padded jacket, also known as Michelin jacket or padding in Korean “패딩”, is a thick winter coat that has a puffy appearance.
[2] Panettone, a type of Italian sweet bread that is served with pastry-like texture. It has a round, dome shape, and the bread is hollowed out in the center, allowing the panettone, which is already prepared, to be placed inside.
[4] Homo sapiens, the species of humans, which refers to present-day humans.
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