SMNTCERR, Chapter 30 Cyan #3.

   Jaeyoung had everything prepared. In addition to the first draft that he put all his physical and mental effort into, there were two more backup drafts, totaling three, and the project plan was printed and neatly arranged with page numbers, stitched together perfectly. He even paid attention to his outfit. Even though Chu Sangwoo would never notice, let alone appreciate it.

   “Hmm…”

   While Sangwoo was struggling to endure examining the project plan, he wondered what thoughts were going on under that hat! Although his expression seemed indifferent, his cheeks looked slightly raised. Jaeyoung didn’t want to be caught worrying deeply, so he sat back in his chair and put on a proud face.

   “Sunbae, are you good at English?”

   It looks like the other party is checking the game name. Even though

   Jaeyoung didn’t plan to continue this project, he accepted the name ‘Vegetable Master’. It’s not true, so he came up with a new name ‘Veggie Venturer’ which can be abbreviated as ‘VV’.

   “That’s good enough.”

   “You did better than expected.”

   “You speak two languages.”

   “That’s right. Korean and Chinese.”

   “Korean and programming languages are different, both Native[1].”

   Sangwoo didn’t understand why Jaeyoung was mimicking him. He sat puzzled for a moment before lowering his gaze when the call came in.

   “Stop saying meaningless things. How many programming languages are there? If you count like that, it would be six languages already.”

   The gaze of the other party returned to the plan, the first sheet passed without comment, and the next sheet didn’t bite anything. Jaeyoung noticed the other party’s slight facial expression change, and he became even more nervous than when waiting for the competition results he had been waiting for half a year.

   Sangwoo’s face changed while inspecting the character design, his lips that used to be smooth curled up into a small smile almost indistinguishable, and his eyes looked scary, narrow, and dreamlike.

   “This character looks just like you, hyung.”

   “Where exactly?”

   “Somewhere, I guess.”

   Sketch number 1 is a scientist, number 2 is a spooky skeleton, and number 3 is a character, SD[2] 2, which confused Jaeyoung… Sangwoo lowered the plan documents in his hand. Jaeyoung looked at the other party and saw a new expression. In those slightly widened eyes, excitement shone through.

   “You did really well.”

   The moment of acceptance he had been waiting for, both simple and easy, was surprising. Even though the other party only spoke a sentence, a sense of pride quickly surged in his heart simply because it was a word from an intense and non-human game developer.

   Sangwoo’s face returned to calmness in an instant, looking at Jaeyoung.

   “The character has reached the third image already.”

   “Found it?”

   The disappointment faded away. Jaeyoung quickly picked up the project plan and flipped to the page featuring one of the characters he had spent hours and effort creating. He was a brilliant scientist with large hands and feet, thick glasses, and messy white hair. His torn lab coat revealed well-defined muscles that he meticulously shaded for an hour.

   As he turned two more pages, he came across the third sketch, which depicted a pair of male and female characters he hastily drew in just five minutes to fulfill the quota. The male character was modeled after Sangwoo, resembling him in every aspect except for not wearing a hat. He had fair skin, fierce-looking eyes, and a slim physique concealed in a loose-fitting outfit.

   “Here it is. This is you, hyung?”

   Sangwoo pointed to the female character and spoke. Jaeyoung squinted his eyes and could only guess whether the other side was teasing or being serious.

   ‘Tricked and cussed me at the same time.’

   The character had orange hair, eyes that occupied more than half of the face, and was unmistakably similar to Jaeyoung himself.

   “But I prefer the first sketch.”

   “I like the third sketch better.”

   Jaeyoung sighed. Despite being an unconventional guy, he was an artistic designer who appreciated aesthetics. He designed it that way to cater to a customer who liked colorful designs. At the same time, it had a monotone and minimalist touch. He explained for two minutes why the first sketch suited the concept the most and was the best option. Sangwoo listened until the end and uttered a single word.

   “Understood. I’ll go with the third sketch.”

   “The scientist character is more suitable for an adventure than the teenage male and female characters.”

   “That’s right, but I prefer the third sketch.”

   “Why?”

   “Judging from the overall picture.”

   Sangwoo summed it up briefly. It didn’t fit him and he was ready to move on to another topic. It was clear that he was fixated on the character SD.

   “Hey, just take the first one.”

   “No, I won’t.”

   No matter how hard he tried to persuade, the other side remained unshaken.

   “Fine, take it then.”

   After several rounds of argument, Jaeyoung gave up his determination. However, regardless of the current situation, he had achieved his goal, and he intended to withdraw from the project.

   Sangwoo slowly placed the project file down and turned his body to face Jaeyoung once again.

   “When converting a physical shape into a digital image, please consider the animation process and separate the organ parts. The senior version has kept the original files. Then send me the resized PNG file. If you have finished the guidelines, I will send them to you via email along with the spectrum and size table. Please follow that. As for the game name…”

   Jaeyoung sat down and rested his chin on the table, while his gaze remained fixed at the moving edges of his lips. The sound emanating gradually grew distant, and he couldn’t distinguish whether it was the sound of birds or the cry of animals. However, in the midst of it all, Sangwoo stopped talking, and Jaeyoung regained his consciousness.

   “Are you okay?”

   “No.”

   “Hyungnim, you worked hard, so your physical condition doesn’t seem great, you look a bit tired. Please remember to read and understand what I sent you today.”

   “Oh.”

   Jaeyoung felt a bit tired. Was that so? He had just heard Sangwoo speak formally for the first time. Jaeyoung always thought that Sangwoo didn’t like socializing, but from what he observed, it didn’t seem to be the case. Perhaps the other party simply refrained from speaking meaningless words.

   “And… Can you come for a moment?”

   The unexpected remark made Jaeyoung raise his eyebrows.

   “Why?”

   “I wanted to inform you in advance. You did a good job, hyung. So, I’d like to express my admiration.”

   At that moment, Sangwoo stood up hesitantly and extended his arm. Jaeyoung glanced at the other’s fingers as they approached, and the hand came close to Jaeyoung’s face before gently stroking it with a robotic-like gesture. Once, twice, three times. Then, it quickly disappeared.

   Jaeyoung closed his eyes tightly, unaware of himself. Since he was young, this was the first time someone had done something like this to him. Jaeyoung’s face turned red, and as he raised his hand to cover his mouth, the sound of the door closing grew louder.

   Jaeyoung took a deep breath when he was sure there was no one else in the conference room. “What was that?”

   ⌘W.

   As he left the meeting room, Jaeyoung felt like he had been deceived by a fox. It was a continuous attack, calling him ‘hyung’ and tugging at his shirt collar. And the act of stroking his head was like a knockdown. He felt an itching sensation that made him want to open his mouth, as if sensing some kind of energy.

   When he stepped out of the library, he was surrounded by a sky that stretched infinitely, a surreal cyan color that seemed unbelievable. Although his body was tired, his heart still beat strongly, and the corners of his lips formed a smile. The color of the sky transformed into the indigo shade of a clear sky. Jaeyoung erased the thought of withdrawing from the project from his mind.

   Even though he seemed confused like a defeated gambler, at the same time, he concealed a sharp touch as sharp as a detective because he felt a small contradiction. In his heart, even though it was meant as a compliment, does the other person have to do something that goes against himself in such a world?

   When thinking about Chu Sangwoo’s thought process, it wasn’t incomprehensible; it could be explained. The moment Jaeyoung dodged a few times, that action must have been input into his thought process, speculating ‘That person probably likes that kind of action’ so he did it back.

   It was just a feeling that bothered Jaeyoung, conflicting feelings within his heart, uncertainty of when this tranquility would collapse, the serenity devoid of responsibility for damage, because it was one-sided. At the same time, there was also a difficult-to-handle excitement; these were complex feelings.

   In the office, Yoona was with Songjin. Yesterday he let Yoona wait. When he saw Jaeyoung, Yoona became furious. Jaeyoung listened as the other side complained into his left ear, piercing through and leaving through the right ear.

   “And then, well, that atmosphere, once it was over, I signed the CD.”

   “It was fun.”

   “You missed out by not coming, in summary, so what are you doing?”

   “I had work to do. There is no need to invite me to talk again.”

   When he heard Jaeyoung speak in Chu Sangwoo’s manner, Yoona looked at him as if seeing an alien. At that moment, he saw Songjin, the owner of the adjacent seat, putting the computer screen into a box.

   “What are you doing?”

   “I’m going to the army, sunbae.”

   “To find?”

   He heard that the other side had entered into a relationship with a woman he liked but was dumped and had no motivation to continue living. He dropped out of college and would be entering the army within this month.

   Yoona, who was getting angrier, began to imitate Songjin with a stern face.

   Jaeyoung himself couldn’t stay calm, so he promised to treat him to dinner.  Song Jin sniffed and started explaining his feelings, but after about five minutes, Jaeyoung went to open the computer.

   ‘Suddenly, it feels like I’ve become Chu Sangwoo.’

   He wondered when he had become a person who prioritized work like this.

   He didn’t really know, but Jaeyoung felt that he was being influenced by Sangwoo’s magic, but he had no way to resist. Jaeyoung scanned the sketches into the computer, then opened the graphic design program and began to transform those images into digital files.

   ⌘W.

   “I have to go home now. Aren’t you coming back?” Yoona asked.

   “What time is it already?”

   “It’s almost midnight.”

   Jaeyoung blinked his dry eyes and looked at his wristwatch. Time had passed like this since when? He had gone out to have dinner with Song Jin outside the university and returned around one in the morning. After that, he had been working non-stop. As laziness crept in, exhaustion seeped in as well.

   “You are very hard working these days. What’s up? Let’s share something good.” Yoona showed interest in his work.

   ‘How should I explain…’

   Jaeyoung pondered for a moment and responded in the most concise version.

   “Mobile game.”

   “You are really into it, it’s really addictive and fun, isn’t it?”

   He couldn’t say that it was because he wanted praise from the programmer, so he just paused and received it with a smile. While he was thinking of grabbing a cup of coffee and going home, a message came to his phone.

   [Employer: Only 5 minutes until midnight. I haven’t received an email yet, so I came to remind you_11:55.]

   Although the content seemed similar to the previous message, Jaeyoung was now trapped in Chu Sangwoo’s world. Even though the message appeared to be work-related, he felt excited. This time he was focused on his work, and he had already gathered the necessary information. He opened his email inbox. As he was about to attach a picture file, he hesitated.

   Suddenly, another plan emerged in his mind. Instead of sending the email, he leaned back in his chair and hugged himself, sitting with crossed legs, staring at the phone for three minutes. When it was exactly midnight, a call came in as scheduled. Jaeyoung waited for six seconds before answering the call, adjusting the volume to the lowest…

   “Oh, Sangwoo.”

   […Yes?]

   “Why did you call?”

   [Um… time’s up… it’s already midnight… I haven’t received any emails… so I called.]

   “Ah, I forgot, thank you for calling. I’ll send it right away.”

   […]

   “Have you had dinner?”

   [Yes.]

   “What did you eat?”

   [At the cafeteria. Why?]

   “What’s on the menu?”

   [Chobap[4] tofu soup with Chinese cabbage, kimchi, sausage, stir-fried vegetables, stir-fried anchovies, yogurt. Why do you ask?]

   “I want to hear your voice.”

   […]

   “I like listening to the way a person speaks.”

   [It’s a strange and good hobby, that’s all.]

   Jaeyoung was about to cut the call before he could answer anything. He tilted his head back and forth, the result of the experiment being the tone of his voice. If Sangwoo had a mind to indulge him, he probably wouldn’t have responded and hurriedly hung up like that.

   ‘Did I misunderstand?’

   If that’s the case, he must be lucky. Yoona, who was behind him, murmured softly.

   “Oh my goodness. What were you doing just now?”

   “What?”

   “Why is your tone of voice like that? I want to throw up.”

   “Butt off and throw up somewhere else”

   Sangwoo might not know, but he understood his own situation well—the symptoms of being in love, the state of not being tied down. There was only the exhilaration of freedom. In this relationship of an unknowing affair, he enjoyed this moment the most. If the feelings developed beyond this point, the situation would become more complicated, murkier, and even more dangerous. But as long as he maintained this ‘line’, there was nothing to worry about. Jaeyoung was confident because he had never lost control due to his emotions.

   ‘But even so, it’s frustrating to wipe the fruits without tasting them.’

   Jaeyoung looked at the tightly packed picture in the folder with a bitter smile. If only Sangwoo hadn’t come and played the role of a cute  little  hubaenim, he wouldn’t have been spun around helplessly like this.

   Jaeyoung opened his email and attached the work file he had intended to do.

   Email sent. Job done.

   ⌘W.

   ________________________________________.

[1]                   Native, Speaker.

[2]                   SD stands for Super Deformed, which refers to distorting the proportions of a character’s body from reality, making them appear deformed. It is often drawn in a ratio of 1:3 of the actual size.

[3]                   Cyan is one of the primary colors, located between green and blue. 

   It is one of the colors used in the CMYK color system for printing.

[4]                   Showbab, cooked white rice mixed with wild rice.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 29 Cyan #2.

   “I thought it would be different, but maybe I had too high expectations. I shouldn’t have hoped for anything.”

   He had prepared himself, but the words were still too harsh. Jaeyoung suppressed his frustration, pretending not to be affected, and sat back in his chair.

   “The game name and the plan are the same as before. Only the characters have changed. Does this picture really fit our concept?”

   Sangwoo placed three sheets of paper with character drawings on the table. His fingers stole a glance from Jaeyoung, and the finger with its protruding bone could be considered beautiful. Despite that, Jaeyoung thought about grabbing those fingers and using his tongue to lick each bone, then gently tucking the wings of the hat down again under the table.

   “I already said it’s not a game for little kids. The target audience is parents who are still young. If their brains were normal, they wouldn’t let their children play something like this.”

   Jaeyoung regained his composure and looked into the half-covered eyes of Sangwoo.

   “Which one then?”

   The corner of his mouth, once smooth and straight, revealed a hint of dissatisfaction. Sangwoo’s finger reappeared, pointing at the first character.  The nail on that finger was short, as if it had been recently cut. A crescent moon shape in white was clearly visible at the base of the nail.

   “This long eggplant-like character looks like one of those misfits with poor

1. No, it’s not a horror game, okay?”

   Sangwoo moved the paper to the side and pointed to the second character.

   “Is this lettuce or Chinese cabbage? I can’t tell, really. You can’t make an educational game like this.”

   Then it came to the queue where the third character was distorted.

   “This potato is walking back and forth with a young sprout. Besides not following the spiritual essence correctly, it looks scary. Well, is this the best way to move?”

   Jaeyoung couldn’t say anything but laugh. Seeing that the plan could be fixed, he thought Sangwoo was just inexperienced, but Sangwoo had his own standards. Furthermore, every word he said made sense, so Jaeyoung couldn’t play around.

   Jaeyoung looked at his own sketch quietly. The part of the long eggplant looked exquisite because it reflected his personal taste. The original drawing of the potato was well done too. He didn’t know how to deal with the legs, so he drew a young sprout sticking out. While drawing, he thought it was profound, while for the bok choy, he just drew it casually to complete the three pieces. However, he also had something to say.

   “You just gave me one day, what are you expecting? You devil.”

   The total time spent on drawing was seven minutes, not even a full day, not even an hour, but Jaeyoung still pounded the table and spoke. Squeezing people to work according to a tight schedule was evidence that the other party did not understand this industry well, but Sangwoo responded without a hint of embarrassment.

   “I didn’t expect it to continue endlessly. But because it’s you hyungnim.”

   “…”

   Those words hurt Jaeyoung more than before. If he were scolded, he would have fought back vigorously, but hearing words like that, the force in him disappeared abruptly. Jaeyoung wasn’t sure what to call it, but he felt a tightness, as if his heart was being squeezed, a work that he didn’t fully complete. No matter how he spoke, Chu Sangwoo probably wouldn’t listen.

   “The plan will be carried out according to the original plan.”

   “No, it won’t.”

   “Then is there any other option?”

   Sangwoo looked at Jaeyoung with cold eyes, half of his narrowed eyes hidden under a hat. Today was the only day that Jaeyoung felt grateful for that hat.

   “I’ll come up with a new plan, from scratch.”

   “There’s no time for that anymore.”

   “Make it finished before the next meeting, isn’t that enough? What day is it… Monday, right?”

   Jaeyoung sighed inwardly. How could someone schedule meetings every single day like this? When he examined the detailed schedule, apart from Saturdays and Sundays when Sangwoo had to work overtime, the remaining days were filled with meetings. It seemed like they should switch to email correspondence soon, at least for the other party. It appeared that Jaeyoung couldn’t trust him enough and had to check every day.

   Jaeyoung’s gaze fixed on Sangwoo’s full lips. If he presented satisfactory results, would those tightly pursed lips finally loosen up and speak gently?

   “I’ll contact you later, hyung.”

   Sangwoo’s voice suddenly softened, a level gentler than anything Jaeyoung had ever heard  before. In that short moment, Jaeyoung was completely taken aback.

   Jaeyoung shook his head to shake off the dangerous memories.

   “If you’re not satisfied. I’ll give you the weekend.”

   Sangwoo spoke loudly, saying that adding just a few more days would result in excellent work.

   “Send the plan to my email by noon on Sunday…”

   “I won’t send it. No need to call and ask.”

   “Why?”

   “That’s not my style. Sometimes I can’t draw anything at all. And yet, I manage to finish it with just a few hours left.”

   Sangwoo’s small eyes narrowed, a look that indicated displeasure with those words.

   “It’s like a ticking time bomb, you never know when it’ll explode.”

   “If you can’t handle different working styles like this, you’re not fit to be a leader, are you? I’ve seen cases like this, and I never miss the deadlines for important projects.”

   “So, how important is this project?”

   “I don’t know. It depends on your actions.”

   “That’s all the answers you’ll get.”

   Sangwoo gathered his documents with a neutral expression, indicating that today’s meeting would end soon. He packed his belongings into his backpack and swiftly zipped it up. Then, he slung the bag over his shoulder and walked towards the door without even glancing at Jaeyoung. As he opened the door halfway, he turned around.

   “See you at the next meeting.”

   “You’re in a hurry again, huh?”

   “Yes.”

   “Don’t want to tell me the reason?”

   “You know it well.”

   Bang, the door closed again.

   After Sangwoo left, Jaeyoung sat staring at the empty chair. It was impossible for the two individuals who were so different as day and night to work together. It was clear that they clashed on everything, and he would have to endure constantly seeing their differences. Chu Sangwoo only spoke as a formality. If he even pretended to be friendly, he would surely face rejection. Jaeyoung walked into the pit that Sangwoo had dug himself, unaware of the hidden intention behind it. He didn’t know what he regretted so much to still be stuck here, even though he heard something disappointing.

   No matter how you looked at it, withdrawal was the best option, but his pride refused to let him give up now.

   ‘Wait and see.’

   Jaeyoung imagined the moment when Sangwoo’s eyes lit up upon seeing the character he had designed. In his imagination, the other side eagerly spoke with excitement.

   ‘It’s amazing, Jaeyoung-hyungnim!’

   The altered voice echoed in his ears. Jaeyoung laughed bitterly, folding the rejected figure in half. It seemed like he had the motivation to focus on his work.

   ⌘W.

   However, the figure that would satisfy the employer couldn’t be easily drawn like spoken words. Even though he sat down at the table to work, when he thought of Sangwoo’s rejected face, he became frustrated and lost focus. No matter what he drew, he felt that Chu Sangwoo, who thought that merely sketching a few lines would result in a complete picture, would say ‘This won’t do, I’m really disappointed. I’ll stick to the original plan.’

   On Friday, Jaeyoung’s new character was abandoned after just a few sketches. He lost his focus and went out with his colleagues, starting with going to a nearby university and eating three-layered pork barbecue at Soju’s restaurant. Then they moved on to cocktails at a bar near Yonsei-dong. After that, they went clubbing and drank a couple of beers. When he returned home, he had no strength left to hold a pen.

   On Saturday, Jaeyoung only regained consciousness halfway through due to a lingering hangover. In the evening, after having hangover soup, he managed to regain some composure and watched two movies before sleeping soundly and waking up late. On Sunday, he picked up a pen again. Then inspiration struck him, and he tried sketching and writing rough ideas. The resulting drawing was quite usable. The androgynous character with red, curly hair tied up in a bun held laser guns in both hands, in an adventure survival game set in a postapocalyptic steampunk world.

   From there, Jaeyoung drew another picture, depicting a scene where the character descended amidst exploding buildings. Then he drew an evolved version of the wings and a jaguar from a developed version of the game. Comparatively, the human cyborgs of Han Sooyeong’s creation were still embarrassing. Even if Chu Sangwoo criticized it to some extent, he wrote a brief concept and storyline on a sticky note and pasted it on the paper.

   Ready for the meeting.

   Jaeyoung went out to have a satisfying dinner. He went to his high school friend’s newly opened spicy stir-fried squid restaurant. After finishing the meal, he went to watch a live performance by an indie artist at a small theater.

   ⌘W.

   “It’s suitable for computer games.”

   ‘Hmm.’

   Once again, his work was rejected. Sangwoo opened a file and took out a document.

   “This is a game analysis ranking in the app store. It’s 68% and includes simple mini-games like arcade games, fighting games, puzzles, and RPGs. The map that the senior proposed to make into a mobile game for two players within four months didn’t make it.”

   “Who said we should support every concept we want to try?”

   “There has to be boundaries.”

   Sangwoo moved Jaeyoung’s draft aside with a composed expression, while

   Jaeyoung felt somewhat shaken as he didn’t expect to be rejected so easily. He sat there in silence.

   “Hyung, have you ever tried making mobile games before? I understand.

   Now we’ve wasted enough time. Let’s focus on the original plan.”

   “No.”

   “What’s next then?”

   Sangwoo spoke irritably. Jaeyoung couldn’t understand how he ended up feeling so low. Why did Sangwoo, who was responsible for scheduling, have to become the person who rejects him? He felt helpless, as if he had turned into an inexperienced and incompetent designer. Jaeyoung stood up, placing both hands on the table.

   “I won’t say much.”

   Sangwoo remained seated in his original position, looking up slowly.

   “Give me just one more day.”

   He requested it as a formality, because whether the other party agreed or rejected, he would still stand firm in his own thoughts. But Sangwoo averted his gaze slightly and took a deep breath.

   “Understood.”

   ‘Oh, I thought he would reject it immediately again.’

   Is Chu Sangwoo really that soft-hearted when faced with Jaeyoung’s gaze? As Sangwoo wiped his documents, Jaeyoung secretly glanced at the side of his face, the rectangular fingers and the clearly visible wrist bones of the other party, before regaining his composure and walking towards the door. Just as he was about to leave the meeting room, Sangwoo’s voice became louder.

   “Working with you is really tough, hyung.”

   “Who knows exactly how to speak like that.” No need to ask when the next meeting will be.

   “See you tomorrow.”

   “Okay.”

   Around five o’clock.

   Originally, Jaeyoung was supposed to go out for dinner with friends and then go clubbing, but he headed straight to the office. His sudden appearance surprised the neighboring desk owner because Jaeyoung had only registered to use the workspace but rarely came by lately since there wasn’t much work to do. He turned on his computer, which had been sitting on the table for months, untouched.

   “Hey, what are you doing?”

   “There’s work to do, where is Choi Yoon?”

   “I don’t know. I’ve just got here now.”

   While waiting for the system to boot up, Jaeyoung checked the rankings of mobile games in the App Market[2]. Among these exciting games, there was no way they were suitable for kids. Besides, the concept was like clothing that didn’t fit him. When the desktop appeared, he immediately opened a word processing program and started typing. Then he typed in the heading.

   ‘Project Outline.’

   If they liked that kind of plan, he would make it happen. Jaeyoung just didn’t give it much importance, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t follow the plan.

   [   

• Chapter 1, Market Research and Game Trend Analysis. 
• Chapter 2, Proposal to Change Game Genre.   
• Chapter 3, Proposal to Change Game Title. 
• Chapter 4, Concept and Plot. 
• Chapter 5, Scene Drafts, Characters, Weapons, Mobs[3].] 

   His fingers moved quickly, his eyes switching between the mobile screen and the computer screen. At the same time, one side of his brain analyzed while the other side thought about a new project idea. Amidst all this, a twisted sense of pride screamed that it shouldn’t be like this in the darkness.

   Jaeyoung finished analyzing the game market in the blink of an eye and decided to change the genre of the game to ‘Side-scrolling Shooting Game[4]’. He attached a description stating that it would be a

   platformjumping action game and left the game title blank, maybe because he was deeply lost in thought and his head was spinning with special ideas.

   He imagined a large farm invaded by extraterrestrials, contaminated with substances from outer space. Only mutated vegetables, influenced by the extraterrestrial forces, could withstand the attack of bizarre-shaped mutant animals. And the story of a passionate scientist striving to win the Nobel Prize in the field of biology brought him closer to the research center of the farm.

   Jaeyoung took a sheet of paper, drew a picture of a scientist holding a measuring tube as a weapon. As his mind raced, various ideas followed suit— his head became a hammer, corn became a long-range gun, seeds became bullets, pumpkin became dynamite, sweet potato became a hand grenade, and lettuce became a detonator.

   The pen moved frantically. Jaeyoung worked diligently, unaware that someone was calling him. Seojin, the person sitting next to him, tapped his shoulder and informed him of an incoming call. Without looking, Jaeyoung responded.

   “It might be Choi Yoona, tell her I can’t go.”

   “Sure! Oh, hello? Sunbae. I’m Seojin. Jaeyoung-sunbae said he can’t go… I don’t know why. It seems like he’s focused on doing something… I have no idea what it is… No, really. I’m not crazy like him. Sunbae, you want to talk to

   Yoona?”

   “Tell them I’m not going.”

   “Sunbae, Jaeyoung-sunbae said he can’t go… I don’t know either. Why are you cussing at me? Okay. I don’t know either. Seriously, sunbae… That’s all…

   Just this… Okay… Okay.”

   Seojin plugged in the cable and handed over the phone.

   “Yoona said she’ll kill you, sunbae.”

   Jaeyoung received a phone call and quickly checked if there were any similar concepts in the marketplace app. Yes, there were. How would this new project turn out? He returned with a confident face. At the same time, Sangwoo walked over and expressed his admiration.

   “Wow, that’s cool. What is it?”

   “It’s my study abroad scholarship.”

   Jaeyoung chuckled silently because he felt amused by his own mistake of missing an appointment with a friend and being engrossed in work. Chu Sangwoo, who could easily pull a graduate student who used to have fun every day out of his laziness, was truly amazing.

   This time, Jaeyoung was extremely confident. He was sure that praise would escape from the mouth that only made demeaning gestures, no doubt about it.

   The young man gritted his teeth and tightly grasped the pen.

   ⌘W.

   ________________________________________

[1]      Steampunk is a world that combines historical elements with the wonders of technology. It is different from Cyberpunk, which is a futuristic world created entirely by technology, and Dystopia, which refers to communities, societies, or places that are in a terrible state, such as being governed by oppressive regimes or facing natural disasters.

[2]      App Market, a mobile app download source, such as Play Store for Android or App Store for iOS.

[3]      Mob, short for Mobile, refers to characters controlled by the computer or commonly known as NPCs.

[4]      Side-scrolling Shooting Game is a shooting game where the screen scrolls in one direction, such as the game Contra by Konami.

[5]      Platform Jump Action is a game where the character can jump between platforms, overcome obstacles, or both to progress in the game.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 28 Cyan #1.

   When he opened the door to the meeting room, he found Chu Sangwoo already waiting, dressed in a blue shirt and dark jeans. Jaeyoung intentionally sat as far away as possible from the other side and looked at the brim of his cap to avoid eye contact.

   “You’re not late today.”

   “…”

   “Just twelve minutes.”

   A faint smile appeared at the corner of Sangwoo’s mouth while Jaeyoung only managed a wry smile in response. He didn’t say anything.

   Although Jaeyoung quickly dismissed the unbelievable proposal, he felt relieved. Could he encounter Chu Sangwoo in this state? Where would this relationship lead? At least it was better to stop here than to continue, that’s why he arrived at the university one hour before the meeting time.

   “I prepared it for you, hyung. Please eat plenty.”

   Yes… Sangwoo bought pastries and water and prepared them on the table. It didn’t suit him to be the one who brought them, but each item looked unusual and peculiar. Rice water, mung bean cakes, fried potato wedges with honey glaze, yakgwa [1]...

   ‘Is this some kind of special occasion?’

   Jaeyoung picked up a mung bean cake and put it in his mouth according to etiquette.

   “Thank you.”

   He chewed on a pastry quietly, glancing at Sangwoo with a cool expression, as if they had just met for the first time. Jaeyoung felt unable to speak, thinking ‘Is this the person who approached me and persuaded me to make a game together?’ Yesterday, Sangwoo’s eyes were bright and his voice was soft. Did he change?

   “If you want to work with me, please be careful about two things.”

   Sangwoo immediately got to the main point without any unnecessary words.

   “I can’t stand not keeping deadlines, and being late for meetings is the same.”

   “…Um.”

   “I won’t allow sloppy work.”

   “…”

   “If you think you can’t do these two things, you can withdraw now.”

   Jaeyoung found it increasingly difficult to control his facial expressions. Chu

   Sangwoo came to his workplace just because he wanted to work with a ‘competent designer’ but Jaeyoung’s heart couldn’t accept it. Sangwoo wasn’t just a ‘skilled programmer; The extraordinary atmosphere of the previous day seemed to have disappeared somewhere.

   “I assume you don’t have any objections.”

   Sangwoo finished summarizing and took out a sheet of A4 paper from a folder when he received the paper from the other side. Jaeyoung was speechless. When the other side talked about creating a huge game within four months, Jaeyoung thought it was just a conversation. No matter how skilled Sangwoo was, students had their limitations, and it was almost impossible to develop a game in such a short time with just two people.

   But this crazy guy was serious. In Sangwoo’s plan, he considered every step meticulously, from the flowchart drawn in the project planning stage to the QA [2] after development.

   “It’s too dense, especially your schedule.”

   Writing plans and designing weren’t much, but programming wasn’t child’s play. The timeline was short, and there were plans to release on multiple platforms like PC, iOS, and Android simultaneously. Last month was especially called the ‘death rehearsal.’ There were server connections, network system testing, security system testing, performance testing, and performance optimization for compatibility on all devices. Jaeyoung didn’t know much about programming, but just by looking at the text, he knew it wouldn’t be easy.

   Sangwoo spoke as if it wasn’t important.

   “I’m okay. Is there any problem with the graphic design table?”

   Jaeyoung frowned. The design side hadn’t finalized their plan yet, so there were still many gaps. But in the initial stages, character designs, items, and maps were planned on a daily basis. He didn’t know how the other side saw designers as automated vending machines that could draw graphics every day, three things a day, or something like that.

   “So I will assume there’s no problem…”

   This time, Sangwoo moved on to the next topic according to his own whims… The other side sat close to Jaeyoung and stared at him, making Jaeyoung feel surprised as if he were facing a real robot.

   “The profit sharing ratio is 8:2. Hyung you are the 2.”

   Jaeyoung didn’t care much about the benefits, even a little. This project was just an excuse to meet Chu Sangwoo again. Instead of letting it go, he pushed himself with full force, feeling the need to reduce that energy a little.

   “Shameless merchant.”

   “I’ve heard this word many times before. The plans are complete. It’s not difficult to draw a few lines, is it? And you’ve already used the time you wasted following me to code to work.”

   “You nerdy boy don’t think anymore.”

   Whether he intended to provoke or not, Sangwoo was pushing Jaeyoung, seeing him as a dry-hearted artist. Jaeyoung wouldn’t give in. He sat hugging his chest, leaning back on the chair.

   “It hasn’t even started yet, right? I don’t know when it will collapse. And what’s the point of talking about profit sharing? I don’t intend to design such plans again.”

   Even though he spoke forcefully, Sangwoo replied without batting an eyelid.

   “Then what should we do, hyung?”

   “Just fix the plan, idiot. Don’t bother asking me.”

   “If it were you, how would you fix it, hyung?”

   “If it were me, I would start over. How can we work with a plan like this?”

   “Okay, then. How about changing the plan here? It would be difficult. So, the seniors should fix the plan until the next meeting. Since the seniors have a part in the planning. I will adjust the sharing ratio to 5:5.”

   “What?”

   Jaeyoung fell into a pit. He had to take responsibility for writing the plan without having time to prepare. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sangwoo didn’t give him that opportunity. The other side handed Jaeyoung a document summarizing the initial concept of the game, the same document he had seen before.

   “Wasn’t it not fun before, hyung? So, then you should make it fun. If it’s not done by the next meeting, I’ll stick to the original plan. Please send the plan to the email address written there by midnight before the meeting day.”

   Jaeyoung checked the schedule and only laughed. The next meeting was tomorrow, so that meant there were just seven hours left until the meeting.

   “Are you a workaholic or something?”

   “The schedule is tight. I can’t allocate any more time for planning.”

   Sangwoo spoke coolly, collected the documents on the table, and put them in his bag. He got up without even glancing at Jaeyoung. Chu Sangwoo was the host of this meeting. Jaeyoung could guess that it wouldn’t be as he had imagined, but he didn’t expect it to be so formal.

   “Are you leaving?”

   “I have a reason for not staying long.”

   “Why?”

   “…I don’t want to tell you.”

   Sangwoo never avoided answering questions with an evasive attitude like this before. Although Jaeyoung had sharp eyes, he couldn’t figure out why the other party was in such a hurry to leave. Before he knew it, he heard the sound of the meeting room door opening.

   ‘Well, it’s good. It’s refreshing to just talk about work and be done with it.’

   Jaeyoung grumbled silently in his heart. At the same time, he felt disappointed.

   “Oh, there’s one more thing…”

   Sangwoo’s words made him raise an eyebrow, and the eyes hidden under the dark shadow of his cap looked down at Jaeyoung.

   “From now on, please refrain from physical contact without giving prior notice. It makes me very uncomfortable.”

   Those words were not spoken because he knew something, but they struck a chord in Jaeyoung’s heart, revealing a hidden desire.

   “Especially things like head-patting, wrist-grabbing, and whispering in the ear. Please be cautious.”

   “Of course.”

   “Then see you at the next meeting.”

   “Why not say it… it’s tomorrow. Just say that the next meeting is in two or three days.”

   “My business.”

   With those final words, Sangwoo left. In the meeting room where Chu Sangwoo had spoken with an indifferent attitude on one side, he was now gone. Jaeyoung sat there amidst pastries, his face looking as if he had been slapped.

   ‘What on earth is this?’

   He didn’t care about mobile game development. It wasn’t urgent enough to resist changing the schedule that was already packed. He accepted the proposition without real interest because he was fond of the word “hyung.” However, the person who appeared in the meeting was not a cute junior but a crazy workaholic.

   ‘I really don’t feel like doing this.’

   Because he was busy dealing with the food prepared by Sangwoo, Jaeyoung ended up being late for their dinner appointment.

   ⌘W[3.]

   “Just the two of us within four months? And studying too?”

   His friend shrugged. Then he assumed a new stance, as if he had come up with a new move. He positioned his feet and arms on the pool table, ready to strike the ball beautifully.

   “That’s impossible, right?”

   “It depends on the quality. If you use talented engines, you can create games like Galaga[4] in just one day.”

   “One thing for sure is that coding skills pay off big time, maybe tens of millions.”

   “Ha, no way. You’re being duped.”

   “Oh, really?”

   Having heard that, Jaeyoung smiled quietly, holding the cue stick. He assumed the correct posture, placed the cue stick between his fingers, preparing to strike, but then he heard the alert sound from his mobile phone in his shirt pocket, breaking his concentration. The continuous notification sound rang twice. So, Jaeyoung put down the cue stick for a moment and picked up his mobile phone to check.

   [Unsaved number: Only 5 minutes left. _23:55.]

   [Unsaved number: Haven’t received the email, so I’m here to remind you. _23:55.]

   Jaeyoung put his mobile phone back in his pocket, annoyed. When he saw the message, he remembered the frustrated face that had been with him all along, as if they had nothing to do with each other.

   ‘It’s not a big deal for you.’

   Jaeyoung gripped the cue stick tighter than necessary, assuming the posture, spun the white ball, and struck it hard. The white ball collided with the red ball, rolling across the table. Then it sank into the hole effortlessly.

   “Oops…  a fluke.”

   “I have impressive skill, you ass.”

   He looked at his friend’s eyes again, and this time he made the best shot as always. Then he asked.

   “You said that kid is my junior. What’s his name?”

   “Chu Sangwoo.”

   “I don’t know, but whatever. It’s been a long year… If you know the new kid who just joined school, it’s strange.”

   “It’s only been two years, you should know… The new kid at the Third Year reception said, ‘I’m good at drinking, but I don’t want to drink the alcohol from you, sunbae’“

   “Oh, that nerdy guy? Yeah, now that you mention it, I remember. He’s a programming genius, but can he work in a team?”

   “I guess so.”

   Jaeyoung didn’t respond and played another shot. The junior who worked in a team didn’t get along with the senior who had an attitude because of being called ‘hyung.’ He thought this was a really cool combination. He took a strong shot again, sinking the striped ball into a complicated circuit hole. It seemed like luck was on his side, just as his friend said.

   “You’re not going easy today, huh?”

   While he was about to answer, the phone rang loudly. Jaeyoung frowned and picked up the communication device that was lying awkwardly on the side. The number displayed on the screen was one that he hadn’t saved anymore. It was clear that he was considering whether to answer or not.

   Jaeyoung chose to ignore the call.

   They were playing pool silently for a while. Even though his friend followed him closely, it seemed like Jaeyoung was comfortably winning the bets in this game, and it wasn’t long before the phone rang again. Jaeyoung thought it would be Chu Sangwoo, but this time the number on the screen was a landline number, which Sangwoo’s apartment didn’t have, and sometimes his grandfather who didn’t use a mobile phone liked to call from hotels or something like that. So Jaeyoung answered.

   “Hello.”

   [This is Chu Sangwoo.]

   “…”

   [I noticed it’s already noon, and I haven’t received an email. So I called… Is there any reason why you couldn’t meet the deadline?]

   The dry voice sounded piercing, actually, it could have ended with just saying he didn’t want to do it, but Jaeyoung kept his cool only because the other party was Chu Sangwoo.

   “Uh, I’m a bit busy.”

   [Hyungnim.]

   “What?”

   [I heard the sound of billiards.]

   The flat tone showed no sign of reproach, but Jaeyoung couldn’t speak.

   “I just have to give it to you tomorrow, alright?”

   [Next time, please manage your time better.]

   He heard the sound of a crying child breaking through the silence of Sangwoo’s place. It seems like the other side went to borrow the phone from the neighboring house.

   “Just this much, then.”

   [Okay.]

   Jaeyoung put his mobile phone in his pocket and took a deep breath. The situation now was that he didn’t want to work but couldn’t withdraw. He had even lost interest in playing games.

   “I’ll pay for this one, go ahead.”

   “Yeah, right. Not fun at all.”

   Jaeyoung let his friend complain boredly and headed back home.

   [I’ve started working on what you left_02:47.]

–                  [Han Sooyeong: How’s it going??_02:47.]

   [Really?_02:48.]

–                  [Han Sooyeong: 555555555555555_02:49.]

–                  [Han Sooyeong: 555555_02:49.]

–                  [Han Sooyeong: When should we go out for a drink? 

   Jaeyoung^^_02:49.]

   [At least explain why the framework turned out like that_02:53.]

–                  [Han Sooyeong: Do you think I made it like that from the beginning?? He’s so stubborn. He told me to fix it completely, so I did what he said^^; You also helped me fix it. Think of it as a good experience_02:54.]

   [Just forget about it_02:55.]

–                  [Han Sooyeong: Sorry~~_02:55.]

   He had no idea where to start fixing the “Vegetable Man” framework. While working on this and that late at night, Jaeyoung started feeling angry deep inside. He started feeling stressed after receiving a project that was difficult to fix, all while being stuck in the frustrating situation of seeing Chu Sangwoo as a helpless kid.

   ‘Damn it, no, this is not it.’

   If he didn’t want to do it, he shouldn’t have done it. But he endured seeing the poor quality work with his own name hanging on it. And if he wanted to come up with a new concept, it’s not something that can be done within a few hours, and he didn’t have the motivation to do it. What’s the use of that pillow? Why did he have to go all out for someone who saw him as less valuable than their own toenail?

   Chu Sangwoo… When he thought of that frowny face, he took another breath. He didn’t know he was stuck with someone who thought designing a game could be done in a day.

   ‘I don’t want to see his face, but I still do want to see him.’

   Jaeyoung’s stance was unclear. He clenched his pen with frustration. He didn’t want to do it at all, but he couldn’t just walk out of the meeting emptyhanded. Therefore, Jaeyoung uncapped his pen.

   ⌘W.

   ________________________________________.

[1]       Yakgwa: A type of Korean deep-fried pastry made by kneading together honey, oil, flour, and printing it into shapes using a mold. It is then fried or deep-fried in oil.

[2]       Quality Assurance: QA. It refers to systematic actions planned in advance to ensure confidence that a product or service will meet specified requirements.

[3]       ⌘W: Symbol for ⌘, the command button “cmd.” on MacBook and iMac. The command ⌘+W closes the window. Here, the author used it as a scene break, similar to “return 0;”.

[4]       Galaga: A game where players control a spaceship located at the bottom of the screen. Enemies gradually fly onto the screen in formations, preparing to attack the player.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 27 Blue #2.

   Chu Sangwoo seems to be the person who is most punctual in attending school at Hankuk University, but the fact that the other side did not appear, even though the professor had started teaching, made him feel like he was being dragged beyond the lecture. Don’t you dislike it that much? He didn’t ask for hand-holding, just invited him to watch a movie, that’s all. The dignity of Jaeyoung has been crushed repeatedly, he rushed to Sangwoo’s house, acted rudely, and insulted the other side.

   Finally, Jaeyoung couldn’t be a good senior to Sangwoo. The only way to conceal the disappointment and missing sense of pride was to lock it away and pretend as if they never met, just like the first day they saw each other. Whether he could be a good senior or not didn’t matter anymore. He had had enough of everything.

   Since then, Jaeyoung never set foot in the university again except on Wednesdays when he had classes, “University Students’ Image Training.” which he didn’t want to talk about. Even on class days, he tried to avoid the places where Sangwoo often passed by.

   He drank during the day and night, played pool, bowling, clubbing, played games, and watched movies with a group of close female friends who had peculiar relationships. In the meantime, Wednesday came twice, and he had opened and looked at the pictures they took together about sixteen times already. But if this continued, the suffocating feeling towards the other party might disappear. If Sangwoo didn’t show up at the store where Jaeyoung worked…

   ‘That nerve-racking guy!’

   He had made it clear not to show his face again, but it was completely ignored. At first, Jaeyoung was so angry and annoyed that he leaned against the kitchen wall for about five minutes before calming down. When he looked at the reality, it was likely that Sangwoo didn’t think much about it. He tended to delete unnecessary information immediately, and the fact that Jaeyoung worked at this store was probably forgotten as well.

   Anyone would think that Sangwoo and Jihye looked like a sweet couple, that they had a deep relationship. They didn’t hold hands when they first came, did they? And in the next few times, they probably got deeper, and in a few more times, they might come with invitations, and in a few more times, they might be pregnant. It was believable.

   Jaeyoung didn’t plan to do anything useless, so he sneaked out of there and told the store manager that he wanted to take a break and went downstairs to smoke a cigarette. Then he received a call from a friend at the right time. He couldn’t hear clearly what the other party was saying, so he just responded as if he understood, “Yes! Got it!” Jaeyoung felt pressured, so he said he would call back later and hung up. Today’s cigarette tasted worse than usual.

   At that moment, he saw Sangwoo coming down. The other party’s face had the mask of sadness but determination. Overall, the atmosphere was like a general who came to challenge.

   “Jaeyoung-hyung.”

   Did Chu Sangwoo ever call him that? Jaeyoung wondered, today his brain seemed slower than usual.

   “I said I’m busy, so end the freaking call. I have something important to discuss [1].”

   Those words felt like a force pushing him to respond, “Yes! Understood!” Jaeyoung felt so pressured that he had to say he would call back later and hung up. He couldn’t guess what Chu Sangwoo would talk about. Maybe he would come to apologize for hurting his feelings with the gift or something. It seemed possible.

   “Why?”

   “I came down because I have something to discuss with you.”

   “…What is it?”

   In that instant, Jaeyoung felt his ears ringing.

   “I am only my older sister.”

   “My family doesn’t have any bad kids.”

   “Stop adding members to someone else’s family.” The words that Sangwoo had spoken before came to mind.

   “Let’s make a game together. I need a skilled designer.”

   On the other side, with a calm voice, acting as if saying those words was nothing, Jaeyoung rolled up his shirt sleeves and said, “Sure, great! Let’s join forces and move forward!” It seemed like the two of them being a thing didn’t even consider the possibility of being rejected. Seeing that, Jaeyoung struggled to find the right words. Chu Sangwoo seemed to not understand what would happen when two people argue, as if he had no idea how difficult it could be to bridge the emotional gap that had widened once. How could he not know?

   “I’ll do well and help you with your tuition fees. It’s an opportunity to decorate my portfolio. I’ll support everything, both the concepts you want to pursue and the designs you want to try. Just believe in my skills, that’s all. I’m confident that I can do it well.”

   And this is another direct sales advertisement, amplifying the remaining feelings.

   “Hold on a moment.”

   Jaeyoung raised his hand to interrupt Sangwoo’s rapid speech. There were some things he needed to ask to be sure. Even though he didn’t know why the other side was acting like this, he stared at Sangwoo, who stood with both hands tightly clenched, like a cool protagonist in a cartoon.

   “Hey… what did you just say?”

   “I said I need a skilled designer.”

   “What did you call me?”

   “Hyung?”

   “Calling me hyung, is that right? Am I your sibling? Did I mishear or something?”

   Sangwoo closed his tightly pursed lips, and his face was covered by the brim of his black cap.

   “I made a mistake, sorry.”

   There was a moment of silence. Jaeyoung didn’t quite understand the situation. The person who always called him sunbae suddenly called him “hyung”? The person who ran away with a disgusted look on his face was now demanding him to work?

   “Then why can’t I call you that? I’ve seen you calling me that way all the time.”

   Sangwoo raised his face again, his eyes filled with resistance. Jaeyoung threw his cigarette butt to the ground and stomped on it as if he didn’t feel anything, but his palms were sweaty, and his heart raced.

   “No, you’re not allowed to call me that.”

   ‘I’m not gentle with your heart, you brat.’

   “Understood.”

   Then a tense silence fell between the two. The other side looked away, pursing their lips. In this situation, if Jaeyoung still thought the person in front of him was attractive, then his brain must not be functioning properly. Jaeyoung glanced at the floor, contemplating the reasons why Sangwoo came to find him again.

   ‘Seems like you want me to get up.’

   If we speak from the perspective of Professor Chu Sangwoo, who has an efficient thought process, it means that he needs to cooperate with someone. Even the big fights they had before could be overlooked. If he were in that state, he probably wouldn’t feel anything, but Jaeyoung was too human. He lacked the confidence to develop a game together with Sangwoo.

   His sense of pride hit rock bottom, and his feelings became rotten, infested with maggots. Even if Sangwoo pretended not to know, pretending as if the past never happened, Jaeyoung’s heart had already been wounded.

   Furthermore, Jaeyoung was torn between crossing the line and not crossing the line, and occasional impure desires emerged for the past two weeks. 

   Jaeyoung didn’t want to let go of that time, so he should have refused…

   “Are you confident that you can finish it within this semester?”

   This was the first time Chu Sangwoo asked for something, so Jaeyoung couldn’t refuse immediately. He forgot about the times he had been bullied in the past. Wasn’t it absurd that just because the other person approached him first, he didn’t dare to do anything? Jaeyoung couldn’t understand himself.

   However, on another note, it was quite impressive that one day a robot, who only knew how to slap cheeks, came forward to initiate a conversation. Jaeyoung thought he deserved to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Peace in the future.

   “I know that you plan to continue studying. I only ask for four months until the end of the semester. No matter what happens, I will make it happen.”

   “The development time is very short. You have to study as well, right?” “I’ll reduce the hard code [2] and use the game engine [3] as the main tool.

   As for studying, I only have a few subjects left.”

   Strength, adaptability, and determination of that magnitude, where did they come from? Sangwoo didn’t seem worried at all, so it wasn’t easy for him to speak with a resolute heart when the other party talked as if they were embarking on something significant together. Jaeyoung seemed to be swayed by that nonchalant proposal.

   The responsibility as a senior, the feeling of fault, the greed in the portfolio, the expectation of working with a capable programmer, none of these were necessary. He thought it was just an excuse to meet Chu Sangwoo again.

   “Ah… um, understood.”

   When he agreed and left, Jaeyoung immediately felt regretful. He acted without thinking, acting on impulse.

   Sangwoo paused, as if waiting for that answer. Though it was unclear, it seemed like he had a slight smile on his face.

   “We’ll be in touch… Hyung.”

   The confident face and the tone of voice made Sangwoo look like a movie protagonist. Jaeyoung could only stare at his solid back, as if the statue gradually moved away. Then, the hair on his arms stood on end! Something unbelievable happened to him, luckily it was dark in this area. If it were bright like during the day, just thinking about how Sangwoo would react sent shivers down his spine. His black cap revealed a face stained with blue. Even though it was AI, it probably knew what it meant.

   ‘I feel weird because I heard Chu Sangwoo calling me ‘hyung’.’ Then, the front image turned blue.

   ‘I want to go crazy, dammit…’

   He felt like he was doing graphic work with a low-spec computer and experiencing a blue screen [4].

   [Jang Jaeyoung – Abnormal.]

   ________________________________________.

[1]                      “I came down because I have something to talk to you, hyung.” Usually, Sangwoo calls Jaeyoung,  ”선배, sunbae” meaning ‘senior’. But in this scene, he called him ‘hyung’ “형, elder brother/close elder friend”.

[2]                      Hard coding. Writing code directly without using variables.

[3]                      Game engine. Software used for game development.

[4]                      Blue screen, or Blue Screen of Death, often occurs when the kernel or drivers malfunction, causing the operating system to crash and not recover to its normal state, such as when a driver sends incorrect values to other processes, resulting in system errors.

    

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

   SEMANTIC ERROR VOLUME 2

SMNTCERR, Chapter 26 Blue #1.

   From the numerous examples he had seen, Jaeyoung believed that if he just treated the juniors well and took care of them, he would receive affection and respect in return. Until now, there was only one junior that wasn’t attached to anyone, and that person was the one who ate pizza with a face that made people wonder if the pizza had turned into clay or something. He was like a machine whose role was to destroy food and send it into his stomach, and he himself didn’t taste bad, but he made a face as if he was eating unseasoned boiled rice. Although he didn’t seem to be a picky eater judging from the fact that he could eat cafeteria food every day without complaining.

   This year, Jaeyoung is living his fifth year as a university student. And he is very skilled at attracting juniors to join his group. His ways to impress men and women are different. For men, just ordering delivery food and then showing off on a skateboard is enough for most of them to become honest slaves. As for women, they can be treated to meals, but they have to pay more attention. They have to engage in conversations and make them laugh often to create a sense of intimacy. That’s why he thought that Chu Sangwoo might be classified as a third gender.

   Jaeyoung approached Sangwoo without choosing a method; he chose to use soft words and reduce actions that would provoke the other party as much as possible ‘but even so, there were times when he couldn’t control his playful nature’. During the presentation of a short Chinese drama, he created great benefits, provided coffee every day according to the other party’s nature of attaching importance to daily routines, sincerely imitated sketches even though the results were opposite, and even revealed his secret weapon, a skateboard, for the other party to see and deliver to his home. At this point, it can be said that he did everything he could.

   “I hope you have a bad dream, sunbae.”

   He was surprised that he had no way to get results. Jaeyoung wondered if the other party was still there, and he wanted to press the button, backspace, but because he had invested heavily, he felt proud. The more he pushed forward.

   “For robots, there must be a suitable method for robots.”

   On Sunday, while reading webtoons with his slow as a turtle laptop, Jaeyoung thought of something good. He even tore up the notebook just to get attention from the junior. His determination and conviction were not just for show. Jaeyoung was the kind of person who would be deeply engrossed in something if he paid attention to it. If he asked the other party to format the computer, he would undoubtedly be rejected. Therefore, he created bait and prepared all the necessary equipment. Then he went to an internet café to start the battle.

   Sangwoo’s actions were just as Jaeyoung had expected. When facing humans, he liked to make funny faces, but when he touched the machine, those black eyes became serious.

   “As they said, men look sexy when they work.”

   Jaeyoung felt delighted as he looked at Sangwoo sitting at the counter, providing the format without being asked, and even offering complimentary upgrades. He felt that Sangwoo looked cute in this position.

   It’s hard to explain why, but it’s because Chu Sangwoo is not the typical style of a puppy, kitten, or bunny. If I were to put it into words, even though he doesn’t have the typical characteristics of a mammal, he definitely has some adorable qualities.

   The guy standing and waiting for the traffic light at an empty intersection in the city where no one lives, the person who doesn’t think about deviating from the pre-planned map even for a step, is quite different from Jaeyoung. Jaeyoung can be called a person who takes pride in his inclination to do things based on his feelings and love for freedom. But Sangwoo’s uniqueness, which would have been overlooked before, has now become somewhat charming after going through a strange process.

   Even though he acts rough, Sangwoo answers everything asked of him and focuses on his tasks. He doesn’t misspell in Chinese class, uses correct grammar, but his pronunciation is all over the place. Those things gradually become cute. In addition, Sangwoo’s appearance always stimulates Jaeyoung’s curiosity. Underneath that dark-colored clothing hiding his fair skin lies a personality controlled by rules. The image of the other party now feels like Disneyland entering the dark side, printing it out.

   “Like a herbivorous dark-striped animal living alone without realizing any abnormalities in a world devastated by nuclear war, and with a cyberpunk backdrop [2].”

   Jaeyoung has always been able to capture attention, so it’s natural for him to be attracted to things that are hidden, things that are changed, and things that differ between the outside and the inside.

   If it stops there, it would be good. Jaeyoung begins to feel a crisis. It was good for the senior to look after a junior, but how far can he accept it? For example, the jokes that Sangwoo came up with are cute and funny, so there’s no problem with that. But what about the feeling of wanting to bite the pale white neck from behind?

   He has been thinking for a long time about wanting to take off the hat that seems stuffed on top of the leaf-like head, but he actually put it on. Once he sees a face with nothing to hide, instead of the desire to know and see being fulfilled, his curiosity increases even more. If Sangwoo takes off the jacket, removes the Tshirt, takes off the shoes and socks, how slender are those shoulders? What shape are the toes? Does his body have a lot of hair? What color are the nipples?

   ‘You’re right, Sangwoo… I’m trash.’

   Whenever he went somewhere, this thought would arise. Jaeyoung felt relieved every time Sangwoo didn’t display any extraordinary powers. If the other party could read Jaeyoung’s thoughts, he would have called 112, the number he liked, multiple times.

   The worse Jaeyoung felt inside, the more he focused on his external appearance. He often acted like a good senior. It was easy to handle situations like this—just use gentle words, lower the tone of voice, speak softly and smile frequently. People would think Jaeyoung was warm-hearted. Even Sangwoo had no exceptions. It seemed that he was hesitant between the red duck shirt and the green coat. Meanwhile, Jaeyoung went to talk to the female student who had gone somewhere with Sangwoo. Although it wasn’t necessary to do so. Even he himself felt that it was just the excitement of a preschooler.

   ‘Today you look even more handsome than the last time we met.’

   In the morning drama, he played the role of a bad-tempered husband and spoke without much intention. At the same time, he wondered why he had to be so close and familiar with this kid. Yes, it was the action of a sixteen-year-old. When Ru Jihye walked away, Jaeyoung became a high school student with a rebellious attitude. Every time they had a slight argument, it escalated into a big fight.

   It was during that time when he began to consider it as a romantic feeling. Chu Sangwoo was truly peculiar, but Jaeyoung had a tendency to seek out things that stimulated his curiosity.

   However, it was a much more problematic thought.

   First of all, Jaeyoung didn’t have much time left. He submitted an application to continue his master’s degree, and the place he applied to was the same one he previously took the entrance exam for, according to the email… If there were no problems, he should pass.

   The more serious problem was that Sangwoo was a man. A few years ago, Jaeyoung traveled to Europe and slept with a cute gay guy because he was in the mood, but even then, he never thought about dating or being in a relationship with a man. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it if he wanted to, but when the other party he wanted was Chu Sangwoo, he couldn’t imagine it at all because the other party was the type of person who thought the world would end if they watched a movie with a man.

   No matter how you think about it, it can be concluded that it’s impossible for him and Chu Sangwoo to end up together. However, Jaeyoung thought that if that was the case, he could do more than before according to his own will.

   He was confident that there would be no “line” to cross and used that confidence as a shield, portraying himself as a good older brother. Although it was clear that Sangwoo hated himself, he still picked on Jaeyoung.

   Time passed quickly, and those two weeks were filled with unexpected and fun incidents that lasted longer than he had expected. He became closer to Sangwoo. Although not as much as he aimed for, the more the other party waited for the time when they could add or drop courses, the more disappointed Jaeyoung became.

   Maybe that’s why he prepared a short drama script so diligently. Even though he had never been interested in that elective before, he did everything from preparing costumes, props, script translation, and even receiving advice on pronunciation. He set ten alarm clocks because he was afraid he wouldn’t wake up. And the moment he saw Sangwoo’s back about to change clothes, he realized that it was all over for him.

   Even though they were on a deserted balcony with no one around, no one to see. On the other side, Jaeyoung continued walking straight with certainty and in the right posture. When Jaeyoung looked at Sangwoo, his heart raced. The other was wearing an old-looking navy blue button-up shirt, black straight-leg pants with wrinkles around the ankles, and a cap that should be burned according to the description. It may not sound like something that would make the heart race, but it really was like that. Despite wearing a million-tailed wig, Jaeyoung felt like he had turned into a romantic movie protagonist and felt flustered.

   After the short drama ended well, he thought Sangwoo opened up a little bit. But at that moment, things took a sharp turn. He approached the other side and invited him to watch a movie. Then he was rejected mercilessly. Jaeyoung never intended to provoke or harm Sangwoo as he might have thought, he just wanted to look at the side face that was staring at the screen in the darkness. That’s all. 

   And he thought that maybe the other side would agree to watch the movie, so he confidently asked, how much should he invest?

   “Why would men go out together?” “I’m tired of being with you, sunbae.” Those words made sense. Although there were many times when Jaeyoung wanted to grab Sangwoo and argue because his words didn’t get through, the other side never spoke wrong, every time he was rejected. Jaeyoung saw it as a funny matter. And he let it pass. But this time, he couldn’t let it go. He tried so hard, even before they had a chance to talk, he was angry and upset.

   Jaeyoung argued with Sangwoo right there and destroyed everything he had built. He had the ability to make others believe that he, who seemed indifferent to the world, was an angel. But in front of Chu Sangwoo, he couldn’t use any tricks at all.

   When he returned home, he thought deeply. One part of his heart said, “Damn it, I hate him so much. I have to cut ties with him.” But another part of his heart wished, “But even so, I want this to end well.” The two thoughts clashed fiercely, and in the battle between the demon and the angel, the demon was the winner.

   “But no matter what, it shouldn’t end like this.”

   It was the devil that hid the dark desire to see Chu Sangwoo’s face once again.

   The next day, Jaeyoung imagined himself calling Sangwoo before class ‘Embedded System’ began and handing him a movie ticket, as if nothing had happened, and walking away coolly. Although inside was filled with tensions, he was confident that he could do it.

   However, he waited and waited, but Sangwoo did not show up.

   ________________________________________.

[1]      Third gender. In this case, Jaeyoung divided the kind of junior caretaking by gender. Male caretaking and female caretaking are different, but when he encountered Sangwoo, none of the methods worked, so he classified Sangwoo as a new gender, the third gender.

[2]      Cyberpunk, a fusion of high technology and deteriorating quality of life.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 25 <100> #7.

   [Chu Sangwoo – Abnormal.]

   That truth penetrated Sangwoo’s thought circuit, and he walked stooped over like a soldier returning home in the rain, washing his hands, and then sitting at the table. When he looked at his phone, he found there was a new message. Sangwoo felt his heart beating fast, but upon opening it, he realized it wasn’t what he had been eagerly waiting for.

   [Unsaved Number: Hello~, I saw the recruitment notice, so I contacted you^^ I’m in my third year of high school, and I’m interested in making games. What should I do?_16:52.]

   This was the contact he had been waiting for all along, but for some reason, he didn’t feel excited. It could be because the other party had made a typo in the seventh word. Sangwoo typed an email in the reply box and asked the other party to send a portfolio. Then he should have locked the screen, but his finger ended up sliding to open the message from another person.

   [NonPaddler 3: (Image) Great job_12, yesterday.]

   When he tapped on the profile picture, the photo expanded to full screen, and next to Sangwoo sitting upright was Jaeyoung with a subtle smile on his lips. The fluorescent light reflected off the glossy surface of the computer screen, magnifying, magnifying, magnifying, until Jaeyoung’s face filled the mobile screen, but the image quality was too poor, which displeased Sangwoo.

   ‘Seems like he uses social media, huh?’

   Sangwoo put down his phone and turned on his desktop computer. Although he used various methods to reduce the boot time, it still took a while. As soon as the desktop appeared, he opened the browser, logged into his SNS accounts with the premade accounts he created long ago. There were only two people following Sangwoo.

   [‘Hey, Sangwoo, aren’t you answering your phone??.’]

   [‘Sangwoo, how many months have you been in the army?.’]

   In the private message box, there were a few meaningless messages sent by high school friends a few years ago. Sangwoo typed Jang Jaeyoung’s name in the search bar. There were many people with the same name, but Jang Jaeyoung’s version that he was searching for had the most followers, so it was at the very top.

   [Jang Jaeyoung, (Jae. J) Virtual Arts Designer / Graffiti Writer / 

   Skateboarder.]

   On the profile page, there was a short self-introduction with a link to a portfolio attached below the text. There were 22 posts, which wasn’t a lot. The latest post was a photo taken with Sangwoo on the day of a Chinese drama presentation.

   [‘With the cute hubae.’]

   Judging from the timestamps, it was posted before the breakup at the library. There were more than 100 likes from people Sangwoo didn’t know.

   Before realizing it, Sangwoo enlarged that photo, took a screenshot to capture Jaeyoung’s caption, saved it to his device, and stepped into Jaeyoung’s world earnestly.

   The first post was a selfie posted at the beginning of the year. Under a short caption saying, ‘Take care of me.’ There were comments filled with heart emojis and crying face emojis lined up. Jang Jaeyoung in the photo wore distinctive dangling earrings. His dyed hair was a soft light brown, tousled, and his face showed no particular expression.

   ‘Not a real deal like those makeup artists.’

   Sangwoo pulled his head away from the screen as if he had been sucked in and saved the photo.

   The second post was a tagged post at the shop where the owner worked. It seemed like Jaeyoung was close to the shop owner, ‘Tree Olive,’ so he went to help out. He posted a photo taken with the shop owner in front of the café, along with the date and time of the special shift. ‘That smile must be fake for sure.’ Save.

   The next post was an advertisement, and the following post returned to being a personal picture. This time, he wore a black beanie with glasses and sat in front of the computer. His hair remained bright like before, but from the black outside the window, it looked like he was working on something ordered by a teacher.

   ‘Why does he look so normal? You can tell it’s staged.’ Save.

   Post after post, post after post. Sangwoo moved the mouse frantically until he came across a picture of Jaeyoung wearing a formal suit, then taking off the suit and posing strangely with friends. ‘He is demanding attention.’ Save.

   Then there was a short video of skateboarding practice and falling. In the video, Jaeyoung wore a helmet and protective gear, sitting on the ground laughing.  ‘…What a goofball.’ Save.

   The next picture showed Jaeyoung standing holding a large spray can in front of a big wall painted with a black tongue-shaped figure and glowing colored letters, looking bizarrely deep. ‘Drawing a demon just like himself.’ Save.

   Another picture was of him dressed up with special makeup for a theatrical performance, sleeping with a black background.

   ‘…’

   Save.

   The deceptive smile, mischievous glint in the eyes, playful smirk, laughter that seemed like a challenge, and a smile that resembled a villain. He was someone who couldn’t be defined with just one word. At that moment, Sangwoo recalled the first time he saw a toy backhoe at the age of six, after begging his father to buy it every day for fifteen days. Finally, his father secretly bought it without his mother knowing. At that time, he felt like this.

   Even in his mid-twenties, Sangwoo’s heart raced every time he saw a backhoe.

   Sangwoo went on YouTube and watched every short video related to theatrical performances and promoting stage plays, skateboarding, graffiti art, and downloaded them all. He searched for Jaeyoung’s ID on Google to find things that the other party was interested in and even stumbled upon a playlist on Jaeyoung’s YouTube filled with electronic music.

   [Ah, the divine Novah, this season is like having wings. You’ll ascend to heaven soon.]

   [Yeah, that hat doesn’t suit him, always pressing the wrong buttons. 

   Then spraying out, don’t buy it, man.]

   [Super pretty, but seems like it won’t last long before it breaks?]

   Sangwoo came across a few comments reviewing a couple of products from the other party on the forum, so he sat down and read them all. Then he went to the portfolio homepage to view the completed projects, awardwinning works from competitions, websites with design hires, banners and concert posters by indie artists, magazine illustrations, and artwork and graphics made as hobbies. He searched for old posts on the university forum and read through recruitment posts of drama clubs, theater performance announcements, and exhibition announcements.

   [“5 minutes away from the university” Find a cyber cafe, just myself is enough.]

   In the dark morning after dawn. Finally, Sangwoo felt himself while browsing through posts from six years ago.

   ‘What am I doing?’

   In the folder named ‘Jang Jaeyoung’ that he created on his desktop, there were 36 image files and 9 video files, arranged by date. Sangwoo opened those files one by one and found himself admiring and evaluating the other party in detail since encountering Jaeyoung. In his memory, there were only quarrels or complaints, but while looking at various things related to Jaeyoung, Sangwoo had the thought that suddenly he was getting closer to the other party and wanted to call him something else.

   ‘Hey, sunbae… what are you doing to me?’

   It started when they accidentally met at an internet cafe, being scolded  in front of the ramen, and told not to meet again. Until then, the other party was still just a small mistake, but after dealing with the error, that person was gone. The program still didn’t work the same way, just like the seven cans of coffee in the refrigerator, the small error that sneaked into Sangwoo’s mind didn’t disappear.

   ‘It seems like there is usable code in the deleted source.’ (Human translation: It seems like there might be a way to fix the problem.)

   Today is day 12. Since quarreling with Jang Jaeyoung, the coffee doesn’t taste good, and playing games isn’t fun. On top of that, he feels down.

   Previously, Sangwoo wasn’t someone who acted according to emotions, but for the past three weeks, it seemed like he was using his emotions excessively.

   [1.) Extremely angry / Worried / Restless – Day 2.

2.)     Slightly angry / Worried / Anxious – Day 3.

3.)     Confused / Angry / Frustrated – Day 6.

4.)     Depressed / Angry – Day 12.]

   The emotions from points 1-3, which had reasons related to the presence of Jang Jaeyoung, could be resolved when the other party disappeared. But the cause of point 4, the disappearance of Jang Jaeyoung, more than ten days of collapse, finally made Sangwoo, who overlooked that reality, come to the conclusion that he couldn’t let it continue like this. It was not a problem that could be

   There are many options that have been combined together and summarized into the most appropriate solution. There is only one conclusion, he doesn’t see any other way… Sangwoo often chooses the shortest path, he doesn’t think about leaving a shortcut in front and going around.

   return 0;.

   “Hey.”

   Sangwoo called Jihye while eating after finishing the cultural theory class.

   Jihye heard the call and raised her face from the soup bowl.

   “I said you’d treat you to a meal.”

   “Yes.”

   “I want to treat you today.”

   A smile appeared on his indifferent face, so Sangwoo wondered if the other party was in trouble lately.

   “If you agree, come to the restaurant, ‘Tree of Life,’ at 6 o’clock.”

   “Oh! The first time you went to eat together was at that restaurant, right? I remember it, but it’s very expensive there…”

   “I know, should we go or not?”

   “Let’s go.”

   Jihye was very happy to be able to eat something expensive. Sangwoo kept Jihye’s number in case they accidentally missed each other in front of the store. Jihye gave a hesitant response with her phone.

   “What’s your last name?”

   “Ru.”

   He recorded the name, ‘Ru Jihye, French Major.’ Then he put the phone back in his bag as before.

   “Do you know my name?”

   “Jihye.”

   “Oh… I thought you didn’t know.” Jihye tried to test Sangwoo’s memory.

   Sangwoo and Jihye stood in line at the front of the store at six o’clock. Since birth, Sangwoo had never wasted time waiting just to eat, but today he thought he could endure it.

   “Looks like there are seats now, let’s go in.”

   When the employee opened the door to the second-floor store, a bell rang loudly. As they entered the spacious store, Sangwoo swept his gaze around. The store was full of customers at every table, and three staff members wearing stained black aprons walked back and forth.

   Jang Jaeyoung was taking orders at a table far from Sangwoo, and the notes written on the paper must have been so crumpled that they couldn’t be read clearly. After finishing writing… Jaeyoung put the notepad in his stained apron pocket. When he turned around. Sangwoo thought they would lock eyes, but it seemed like he was thinking on his own because Jaeyoung quickly walked back to the kitchen.

   “…”

   Jaeyoung is expected to take the order as he did last time, which seems excessive. The unfamiliar man walked up to the table and asked what they wanted. Jihye ordered a vegetarian pasta, while Sangwoo ordered the top menu item.

   “I like seafood, remember we had lobster last time.”

   They waited behind part-time employees. Jihye chuckled softly.

   “What’s wrong?”

   “I ordered mussels… Grilled. Isn’t it a menu for those who know something?

   I saw you in a new light.”

   ‘What should we talk about?’

   Sangwoo kept looking for Jaeyoung without paying attention to anything else. At the same time, he couldn’t respond to Jihye’s words. At that moment, he saw Jaeyoung come out of the kitchen and head towards the exit. From the looks of it, the other party didn’t even take off his stained apron and seemed to leave only for a moment. Was there something urgent? Or did he avoid us?

   While wasting time with unanswered questions, the food arrived. Jihye’s plate was regular spaghetti, but Sangwoo’s plate was a red-friendly tomato soup with mussels. Sangwoo wasn’t someone who chose what to eat, but he felt annoyed having to peel the mussels himself, so he picked up a fork and tried to help, using it to pull out the meat from the shells before starting to eat.

   “Is it delicious?”

   “No.”

   “Sorry.”

   While eating, his gaze constantly shifted towards the door. Eventually, Sangwoo stood up, unable to bear it anymore. Jihye noticed and was surprised.

   “Where are you going?”

   “Just outside for a moment, I’ll be right back.”

   “Are you leaving me again, is that it?” “I will leave my purse, that’s enough.”

   Jihye was easily suspicious. Sangwoo took out his wallet as a guarantee and stood up from his seat. Once they were outside the restaurant, he hurriedly walked, almost running down the stairs. As soon as he exited the building, he froze.

   Even with the overwhelming shadows lurking, with just one glance, he knew. Jaeyoung was leaning against the wall next to the building, talking on the phone with someone while smoking. When he saw the other party, Sangwoo’s heart began to race. The enemy that invaded his daily life turned into an intruder who infiltrated his body without him realizing.

   I don’t know how long he has been looking… When the shadow disappeared, his black eyes turned to Sangwoo and Jaeyoung, who raised his eyebrows in the midst of a scene that resembled a frame from a black and white picture game.

   “I’m thinking about taking a break…”

   At that moment, Sangwoo thought that the other party might have given up and turned to talk to him, as indicated by the glance of the other party.

   “No, don’t bother. Just say it.”

   However, Jaeyoung simply shifted his gaze back and held the cigarette between his fingers. He clenched his hand and held the wristwatch up to look at it.

   “Jaeyoung-hyung.”

   Sangwoo blurted out, and Jaeyoung’s gaze, which had been fixed on the wall, slowly shifted to him. Sangwoo glanced at Jaeyoung and continued speaking.

   “I said I’m busy, so end the freaking call. I have something important to discuss.”

   ________________________________________.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 24 <100> #6.

   10:36.

   Bang! Bang!

   Someone knocked on the door, and I didn’t order anything. What’s happening? Sangwoo got up from the bed.

   Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

   The other party knocked harder on the door, even though I didn’t know who it was, it was clear that they were hot-tempered and lacked manners. Sangwoo walked closer to the door to peek through the peephole, but at that moment, he heard a loud scream.

   “Hey. Chu Sangwoo!”

   One more step to reach the door, but Sangwoo hesitated and backed away.

   “I know you’re in there, open the door.”

   “…”

   “Answer, damn it.”

   Afraid that even a slight movement might cause a sound, Sangwoo opens his eyes wide and stiffens his body like that.

   “I told you to answer, you bastard.”

   Suddenly, he hears a muffled cursing sound, which makes it easy for Sangwoo to understand the situation.

   He doesn’t go to class, Jang Jaeyoung has followed him all the way to his house, so he knows his address. His bicycle is still parked in the bike rack, so it’s safe to assume that he’s home, and the room number of the owner is displayed at the bike rack.

   Sangwoo glared angrily at the person behind the door.

   “Leave before I report you for being drunk and disorderly and draw the police on you.” Boom!

   The thumping sound is so loud that he worries the door might break.

   “Open up.”

   “No.”

   “Open!”

   “I told you no. What the hell is it that someone else has to open the door!”

   There is a moment of silence. The hot-headed person on the other side of the door also calms down for a moment. Sangwoo stares at the closed door.

   “Hey, you punk. Are you so scared that you have to skip class just because I invited you to watch a movie?”

   Those words come with the sound of his own gasping breath, and Sangwoo’s chest moves up and down accordingly.

   “Are you skipping class too? You, who would book a seat even if the world is about to explode in the next five minutes?” “It depends.” Thud.

   This time, it’s a softer sound. Sangwoo realizes that Jaeyoung is leaning against the door.

   “Just one invitation to watch a movie and you act like I’m contagious. And are you really going to drop out of school?” He mutters as if talking to himself.

   “Fine, then. How about writing down this reasoning? You, damn it, bully of a sunbae—skip class just because I invited you to watch a movie.”

   “Shut your mouth!”

   “Is someone going to kidnap you and commit murder, or has someone drugged you and stolen your organs for sale?”

   “This is not good! Men doing things together… How disgusting…”

   “Have you just come out of the Stone Age? I often go to movies with male friends. I went yesterday too.”

   “But not me. I only go to movies with the opposite sex, the one I’ll marry. So stop making loud noises in front of other people’s houses and scram already!” He heard the sound of footsteps cursing loudly and approaching the door.

   Then there was the sound of inhaling.

   “You dare talk to me like that, you bastard? What do you think I am?”

   “You’re the one who started bothering others first. And now you’re saying things like that.”

   “It’s only been two days, just two days, and for the rest of the week, I’ve been playing around. Let it go. Since I left my job, this is the first time I’ve done anything useful. Thanks a lot for giving me the opportunity.”

   “Is it some kind of disease? Sunbae, why do you have to criticize me so harshly?”

   “That’s enough, let’s not talk anymore.”

   It may be because the other party had provoked him enough, he could feel the anger in the tone. After leaving the silence for a moment under the door, a thin sheet of paper slipped in, a film ticket.

   “Take this and eat it, wherever you want to go. From now on, I won’t go near you.”

   “If you’re just going to keep talking like that, then leave right now.”

   “That’s all, just go away? You are a nerve-wracking person. And don’t let me see your face again.”

   He spoke like a gust of wind, commanding Sangwoo to leave. He was already at home. Where else could he go? At that moment, he heard the sound of footsteps quickly receding, heavy footsteps, and gradually fading away until he couldn’t hear them anymore.

   ‘Well, that’s good.’

   In that instant, Sangwoo felt so angry that he forgot about dropping out of school, hastily changed his clothes without taking a shower to avoid getting delayed, everything that troubled him before Jang Jaeyoung came to find him became blurry, because the other party had come and destroyed everything for a while. Sangwoo felt a strong desire to finish this semester with excellent grades.

   ‘Don’t let me see your face again.’

   This was the second time he heard that sentence. Whether it was back then or now, it was a sentence that was comforting and pleasing at the same time. After hearing that sentence, seven minutes later, Sangwoo changed his clothes, slung his bag over his shoulder, and left the apartment. He rode his bicycle until his legs almost broke, straight to the university. When he arrived, the first class was just over. Sangwoo exhaled hot breath and headed towards the Engineering Department.

   When Jang Jaeyoung announced that he would leave his life, the shock disappeared. Now, only the recovery from the storm remained. Sangwoo stood in front of Room 303, waiting for the person inside to come out and enter his room where there was nothing to distract him. He opened his textbook with more determination than ever before and began reading the contents inside, as his nervous system released copious amounts of adrenaline.

   The anger towards Jang Jaeyoung served as a driving force. Sangwoo stared at the teacher with fiery eyes, and he took notes with a pencil that almost tore the paper apart. He memorized everything he heard, just by looking at the problem, the solution method would appear in his mind. If compared to a game, it was like receiving a continuous power buff. His heart pounded.

   Sangwoo couldn’t bear the fact that his daily life was being destroyed by someone like Jang Jaeyoung. On Fridays and Saturdays-Sundays, Sangwoo lived his life to the fullest, with the determination not to become a victim. He sat and read books at the desk for hours without getting up, and during the short breaks between part-time work, he solved the homework problems, his eyes glued to the textbooks. Even if it was just a small doubt, he studied it thoroughly. Nothing slipped through.

   When he returned home on Sunday night, he collapsed onto the bed.

   The continuous power buff had run out… Sangwoo felt slightly depressed and immensely exhausted, so he tried not to think about anything. But as he lay down and looked at the ceiling, meaningless thoughts flooded his mind, all related to one particular person. Whether it was hands that suddenly appeared, vicious curses spewed by the other party, familiar names used affectionately, or a tongue slowly licking the edge of his lips. It seemed like there was a virus in his brain called Jang Jaeyoung multiplying infinitely.

   Even with the lights off… Sangwoo remained in that state, it was a night he felt terrible. return 0;

   Week 3, the program is complete, debug error. And it starts working.

   8:30, Wake up – Exercise – Take a shower – Eat breakfast.

   9:16, Go to school.

   9:24, Arrive at the university.

   9:30, Enter the classroom – Read and prepare for the lesson – Review the lesson.

   10:00, Start the first class.

   10:50, Change classrooms.

   11:00, Start the second class.

   12:00, Went to the cafeteria – Have lunch.

   12:28, Went to the convenience store, bought coffee, and took a walk.

   12:45, Went to the library, checked out new books, borrowed books, and did homework.

   6:00, Went to the cafeteria and had lunch.

   6:28, Returned home, brushed teeth, changed clothes, and took a short rest.

   7:00, Played games.

   9:00, Studied gaming trends and analyzed the direction of the community.

   10:00, Studied programming language.

   12:00, Reserved a seat in the library and took a short break.

   12:30, Went to bed.

   Sangwoo came to class at the same time, sat in the same spot, and studied in the same posture. But the subject “Embedded System” felt new and fresh, as if he was attending class for the first time. For Sangwoo, this subject wasn’t much different from the first class he attended because back then, he would often get distracted and lose focus. After finishing the chaotic class where he had to check additional reading materials, the professor called him.

   “Student, come here for a moment.”

   “Yes.”

   He thought the professor might call him for separate training. If it were before, he would have felt like the sky was falling, but now Sangwoo put his books in his bag with an indifferent expression. So many strange things had happened that he felt this level of stress was nothing at all.

   Sangwoo stood up from his seat and walked towards the front of the classroom where the professor was holding a microphone.

   “Did you call for me, sir?”

   Sangwoo spoke in a low voice.

   “Why did you miss the previous class?”

   The professor rolled up the microphone cord.

   ‘A senior student whispered to me to go watch a movie, and I got aroused. I was so shaken that I thought about skipping class and not attending.’ Sangwoo lowered his head.

   “I’m sorry.”

   “Where did that student who likes to sleep go?”

   “Probably dropped out already.”

   The professor finished handling the microphone and handed it to the assistant. Then he glanced sharply at Sangwoo, but Sangwoo didn’t feel anything.

   “I have high expectations of you, Student Sangwoo.”

   “Do you know me?”

   “Are there any teachers in our department who don’t know you?” The teacher smiled so subtly that it didn’t look like a smile.

   “Although you disappointed me at first, it’s not too late. From now on, let’s both make an effort.”

   “Yes.”

   Sangwoo finished saying goodbye and walked to the cafeteria. He had a habit of eating while glancing around to see if anyone was sitting next to him, but no matter how many times he looked around the cafeteria, no one seemed interested in sitting beside him. Sangwoo finished his meal earlier than usual and walked towards the exit.

   As he entered the convenience store, the owner immediately shouted.

   “Young man! The coffee is here!”

   “Oh… thank you.”

   “There’s a lot, so feel free to choose.”

   Although Sangwoo didn’t control it, his feet automatically walked to the refrigerated vending machine. He reached out and opened the machine, then took out a can of coffee from the fifth row.

   ‘I have seven cans of this at home.’

   He left the store, opened the can, and realized that the pre-packaged product tasted the same as before, but for some reason, he felt it had no flavor. Then Sangwoo understood.

   That nothing had returned to normal.

   return 0;

   One week passed as usual, everything remained in its place, and all the situations were normal. The only thing that changed was Sangwoo himself.

   Sangwoo sank into his first bout of depression, but he used his vitality to focus more on studying. However, his life echoed with annoyance everywhere. His concentration decreased, it took him a while to understand what people were saying when he listened. Playing games was no longer enjoyable, and everything became frustrating. When brushing his teeth. When reading a book. When walking, there were moments of pause, like a lagging machine. And in those moments, he had to make an effort to refocus on what he was doing, which was incredibly annoying.

   The classroom entrance, the engineering building stairs, the humanities building stairs, the cafeteria entrance, and the library—these places were where Jang Jaeyoung used to appear. Previously, Sangwoo thought he walked slower when passing through these places because he wanted to avoid the other party, but even though he knew that Jaeyoung couldn’t possibly be there 100%, he still couldn’t shake off that habit.

   Additionally, there are minor problems such as going to the cafeteria and picking up three chopsticks, wearing clothes inside out, putting on mismatched socks, and sitting still doing nothing for ten minutes, which is a very frightening symptom.

   He was like that until the Tuesday before he saw Jang Jaeyoung at the main entrance.

   The other party wasn’t wearing a red duck down jacket or a green coat. He came back wearing glasses again and stood smoking in a baseball jacket that Sangwoo had never seen before. In front of Jaeyoung was another male student, both of them standing in the middle of skateboarding and having fun.

   Sangwoo wondered how he could encounter Jaeyoung, who was in the middle of a crowd, was it because his constantly changing image was distinctive? Or because of his height? Because of his slim figure? Or because of his goodlooking face when he smiled?

   Sangwoo wasn’t familiar with himself thinking like that. Even though he walked past Jaeyoung quickly, just seeing the other party made the boring and slow days come back to life, releasing short bursts of adrenaline. Although it didn’t last long, Sangwoo felt like he had returned to his previous state for a moment.

   ________________________________________

   Fever Buff: A system in the game MapleStory M that boosts the player’s leveling experience, making the leveling process smoother and helping manage monsters more conveniently.

   Lag: The noticeable delay between player movement and server response in a game, which can occur due to insufficient processing power in the server which may process events in real-time’ or the player’s own machine ‘client’.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 23 <100> #5.

   Blood rushes in rapidly, the heart screams loudly that it’s right here, pounding, pounding, pounding. Inside, there’s a swirling sensation like dizziness, hair stands on end, the body sends emergency signals. Sangwoo feels confused and disappointed at the same time, with emotions unsuited to this situation.

   “T-ta, as far as the sea… it dried up. And then it dried, dried out… completely dry…” [1.]

   Jaeyoung forcefully brought his head closer to Sangwoo, the corner of his mouth where Sangwoo was staring expanded rapidly, getting closer and closer

   before disappearing from sight. Then his pierced ear and the slightly stretched back hair pass through, simultaneously the smell of cigarettes wafts, stimulating the olfactory nerves.

   “Let’s go watch a movie.”

   After the hot breath collides with the earlobe, that whispered sound is transmitted to the brain. The precise wavelength of the decoded signal, exchanged between humans, becomes a stimulus for the body. Heat surges from the throat to the face, affecting the “organs” that cannot function autonomously, overriding reason without attempting to calm it down.

   Sangwoo abruptly stands up from his chair and runs towards the door. It looks like he’s about to knock over the chair, but he doesn’t bother to look back to make sure.

   He forcefully pushes the bathroom door and bursts in, standing in front of the mirror, gasping for breath. His face reddens as if he just finished running a marathon, he repeatedly splashes cold water on his face to reduce the heat.

   ‘I must be going crazy.’

   Sangwoo knows well when and why the male sexual organ becomes erect, but he can’t remember exactly when he received sexual stimulation. The fact that his belly is stiff and his sexual organ is heavy indicates an abnormal functioning of an organ that is unfairly overworked.

   Sangwoo washes his face absentmindedly and raises his head. At that moment, the bathroom door opens, water drips from his chin, dripping away.

   He locks eyes with Jaeyoung through the mirror.

   “What’s wrong with you?”

   Sangwoo’s body trembles slightly. The other side frowns and looks even more menacing than ever. When the other side takes another step closer.  Sangwoo extends his hand to block the person in front and opens his mouth.

   “No.”

   “What?”

   “I don’t want to go watch a movie.”

   Sangwoo spoke directly, he’s not heterosexual, why did the sunbae invite me to watch a movie together? Jaeyoung’s proposition caused the weird domino effect that just formed to collapse in an instant. Therefore, the protective barrier around Sangwoo’s heart was burned down.

   Jaeyoung squinted at Sangwoo.

   “Is it because of me? Or do you not want to go with a man?”

   “Both.”

   “How will you repay me for fixing the computer? Do I have to fall off a chair and run out like that?”

   The aggressive voice that had been silent for a while returned. Sangwoo automatically opened his mouth and responded.

   “Do you think I have no pride? How difficult it is for me to be with you. And how can I show my gratitude like that?”

   “Speak louder, don’t overdo it.”

   Jaeyoung’s posture didn’t look good, the tension made him think of the first day they met, spinning in the air. At that time, Sangwoo wasn’t even a bit scared. Even though Jaeyoung spoke rudely and acted like a delinquent, now Sangwoo felt afraid of the other side speaking so calmly, and it wasn’t just ordinary fear.

   ‘Don’t come near me, don’t touch me, stop disrupting my daily life.’ Jaeyoung stared at Sangwoo for a moment. Then he coolly shrugged.

   “So, how much is the fee then?”

   “Ten million won.”

   “This bastard is acting like this again. Even though you speak nicely, your dog-like nature still slips out.”

   Jaeyoung’s smile looked more like an enemy than a friend, in that instant, Sangwoo’s fear turned into resistance.

   “I told you it wasn’t necessary to repay, it would be better to just go back to pretending like the first day. Don’t act strange like this.”

   “What am I doing?”

   “Why do you have to whisper like that!”

   “Then should I yell in the library?”

   Sangwoo bumped into Jaeyoung’s shoulder and quickly ran back to the reading room. The librarian widened their eyes, as if considering whether to intervene or not. He swept everything into his bag hastily, holding the bag in his hand without even zipping it up, and ran as if afraid that someone would follow him, but there was no sign of anyone behind him.

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

   ERROR! 

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

   ERROR! 

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

   ERROR! 

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! 

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

   ERROR! 

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! 

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

   ERROR! 

   ERROR! ERROR!

   He heard the sound of a red warning signal in his head, warning that his body was in serious trouble and he should run to the hospital right now.

   [Heart – abnormal high heart rate compared to the amount of exercise.

   Skin – high temperature spreading.

   Hands – shaking all the time.

   Mouth – dry throat.

   Genitals -… Oh my goodness.]

   When he returned home, Sangwoo felt dizzy and went straight to bed. Then he pulled up the blanket to cover his head.

   What happened 20 minutes ago could be called the most shocking event in his life, a similar event had only happened once before when he was in 8th grade.

   At that time, Sangwoo imagined what was under the white shirt of the girl walking by with a fragrant smell on her way to school. At that moment, the image of a swimsuit model he had seen on a bus stop sign popped into his head, his heart raced and his lower part began to harden.

   Sangwoo knew well what was happening to his body scientifically, but he didn’t expect it to happen to him. He felt embarrassed as if he had turned into an animal, so he turned around and hurried back home, imagining the reality with his mother who had just finished work and came back in the evening, feeling relieved that it was natural.

   ‘Son, do you know what’s inside your scrotum?’

   ‘There are about 200 to 500 million sperm ready for reproduction.’

   ‘Yes. Normally, they accumulate there and are released through the genitals when stimulated sexually. But you’re still a child, not yet at the age of sexual intercourse. So until you find someone who willingly consents with legal age, you can stimulate ejaculation by doing something similar to sexual intercourse using your hand. Society sees this as a taboo, so you should only do it when you’re alone, not in public places, be careful not to let anything spill on the floor, and wash your hands before and after.’

   ‘Understood. But will it make me sick?’

   ‘… Why are you talking about it in a non-scientific way? If it’s a healthy man, he will start ejaculating around the age of 11 and will continue throughout his life, so you don’t have to worry, son.’

   After that, even though similar incidents occurred, Sangwoo didn’t panic. Fortunately, he was able to control his organs in his body very well. Most of the time, he could anticipate situations in advance and sometimes, even without controlling it, it would go into sleep mode on its own. From the moment he was born, he had never encountered such inappropriate situations before.

   Sangwoo understands that a man penis stiffening with a specific goal in mind is an expression of the desire of a man who wants to impregnate the opposite party and create a second-generation heir, but having a reaction to a man without ovaries doesn’t align with the intended purpose of the organ, even for a brief moment, a ‘mistake’ that ultimately infiltrated Sangwoo’s body after wasting two weeks.

   [Chu Sangwoo – Abnormal.

   Like a garbage bin in the bathroom of Room 2, 4th floor, Faculty of 

   Humanities.]

   Sangwoo spent the whole day lying down without eating or drinking, wasting the entire day. He was deeply disturbed by the truth that he cannot control his body as he wishes, to the point of considering dropping out of school seriously. Education is important, but if he lets this matter happen again, there will be more serious problems than delaying graduation by one semester.

   He lacks confidence in attending classes the next day. If Jang Jaeyoung hugs his neck, nuzzles, or whispers openly near his ear, Sangwoo’s body may malfunction as it did today.

   On that day, Sangwoo turns off his alarm clock for the first time in the year and sleeps late. return 0;

   The next day, even without the alarm clock, Sangwoo still wakes up at the same time. He suffers from not being able to attend class, but he decides firmly to avoid greater pain. Even though he has to get out of bed, he remains lying on the bed in the same position. While lying down playing mobile games, it’s time to go to class, but Sangwoo doesn’t move a muscle.

   10:00.

   It’s unclear how the professor of the course ‘Embedded System’ would react. He might remember that in the first class, there was a student sleeping on the desk with a mustache drawn under his nose. If it comes to the point of missing classes, he would probably think it’s understandable. ‘Anyway, I’ll be skipping classes today.’ 10:10.

   Sangwoo tries to search for a way to request a class drop, which turns out to be easier than he thought. So he decides to handle it properly that day. However, since there is no information explaining how to manage dropping a class in the middle of the semester, it seems he has to ask at the university.

   10:20.

   He considers changing his plan due to dropping classes. He plans to finish his studies in the first half of the twenty-sixth year and work at a foreign game company in the second half. Even if he drops classes, the plan will only be delayed by half a year, so it won’t be much of a loss.

   Furthermore, the bigger issue is that he won’t be able to work on the game project this semester. Originally, he planned to create a game and release it to the market as a main portfolio when applying for a job at a game company. But it’s not too late as long as he finds a good designer. Even if he drops out of school, he can still make games.

   10:30.

   Sangwoo logged into the university forum and read the announcement for designer recruitment that he had posted again. Now it was pushed to page 30.

   And… this post that no one read had received numerous comments.

   [Comments]

   [Your comment, rless: Friends who are interested in applying for this project, don’t need to contact StudentChu Sangwoo according to the announcement, but please contact me first.. Jang Jaeyoung, Virtual Arts Design 010-****-****.]

   [└, Comment from Peking-Duck: Jang Jaeyoung-sunbae! I contacted you already ^^]

   [└, Comment from Choi Soojin: I contacted you, sunbae ^0^]

   [└, Comment from mingee03: Oh, it’s late, but send me a message anyway, please.]

   [└, Comment from Scap-jjangS: Is the application closed?, ㅠㅠ]

   [└, Comment from Yoo Hyunjong: Did Jang Jaeyoung-sunbae join this project too???, I sent a message already.]

   There were more than ten posts stating they had contacted each other, but Sangwoo didn’t receive any messages, not even a single one. He felt frustrated and copied the content of the post to create a new thread. Then he deleted the post that was disturbed by Jang Jaeyoung. If the other party spread unfounded rumors about Virtual Arts Design until he couldn’t find anyone, he would hire a professional freelancer instead.

   ________________________________________.

   [1] ‘Tar, Taratlay Bupapha… Heng Huat Pai. Laeo Gor Huat, Huat Phaak…, Tub Huat…’, comes from the lyrics of the Korean national anthem, which translates to Thai as ‘“When the Sea of Blood Dries Up, the Mountains and

   Rivers Collapse, The Guardian Deities of the Land Cease to Exist.”‘

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 22 <100> #4.

   At the end of March, the weather, which had been good for a while, began to cool down as the coldness of early spring approached. Although the body had a down jacket to keep warm, when cycling around, the face still felt the cold wind hitting the skin. Sangwoo arrived at the College of Humanities with flushed cheeks after putting his backpack in the classroom. He reviewed all three lines to make sure he remembered them well ‘because there was no guarantee that Jang Jaeyoung would attend class’. Once he was sure that his memory was complete, he picked up his suit and wig and went to the bathroom, the right-hand bathroom marked as ‘out of order’ so he went into the left-hand bathroom.

   Sangwoo changed his clothes and came out of the bathroom within four minutes, with enough time for one final rehearsal. When he opened the door and entered the classroom, he found Jaeyoung sitting with his head bowed and his eyes fixed on his phone, wearing a yellow suit and not wearing his wig properly, so his real hair was visible.

   I really can’t predict anything. I have no idea where this is heading. Jaeyoung yesterday and Jaeyoung today are not the same. Moreover, he likes to twist his own tongue. He’s an error, a malicious one, but it seems that Sangwoo is getting used to it without realizing it. He’s someone who is both a joker, sadist, trash, and human cancer. Sangwoo must be intoxicated beyond measure to not despise such a person.

   Jaeyoung raised his face before bursting into laughter. Even though he was in the same situation himself. The other party pointed a finger at Sangwoo, laughing as if he had seen the funniest thing in the world.

   “Why are you here so early?”

   “I’m an assistant professor.”

   “Oh, I see.”

   It’s true that he had never been an assistant professor before, but he spoke confidently. Sangwoo kicked his right leg straight into Jaeyoung’s path and sat down beside him, resting his hand on his chin and examining the lines. At the same time, Jaeyoung picked up his phone to take a selfie. Sangwoo closed his face with an annoyed expression.

   “Don’t take a photo, please.”

   “I wear this outfit every day. It suits you very well.”

   Jaeyoung checked the photo he took and smiled widely. Then he raised the camera again. “Sangwoo.”

   “Yes?”

   “Do you want to take a selfie?”

   “No, thank you.”

   Suddenly, Jaeyoung pulled a chair and sat next to Sangwoo. The phone screen of the other party showed a picture of two people wearing silly masks. Sangwoo thought that taking a picture once would be enough, so he reluctantly sat still.

   “Just smile a little, kid.”

   But he didn’t feel amused at all. It’s not something he would force himself to smile for. Jaeyoung quickly took three photos, changing his facial expression in each one. In the first photo, he smiled; in the second, he stuck out his tongue; in the third, he did something strange, making a face that looked disgusting.

   “This picture came out really good.”

   Jaeyoung showed the slide with the pictures. Sangwoo looked at it and felt the same way. Plus, they all looked weird.

   They spent the remaining time on their lines. Jaeyoung listened carefully to

   Sangwoo’s pronunciation. If there was any part that wasn’t good enough ‘almost all of it’, he would order him to practice again and again.

   Then other students came in, some pointing and laughing at Sangwoo and Jaeyoung, some even greeting them. The Chinese language teacher arrived slightly early. When she saw them, she almost burst out laughing, and while teaching, the corner of her mouth twitched every time she caught a glimpse of them.

   Teaching ended in forty minutes, with the last ten minutes allocated for three rotating groups to present. The first group presented a dialogue titled “What is that?” or “That’s the Eiffel Tower.” portraying a Chinese couple on a trip to Paris. The second group discussed Hankuk University and recommended it to their Chinese friends “sometimes eavesdropping on Sangwoo’s ideas”. And then it was their turn.

   “Next, Jang Jaeyoung and Chu Sangwoo will come forward to present.” Jaeyoung stood up, feigned laziness, and looked at Sangwoo with a smile. He had a confident and determined expression, as if he was about to go on a picnic. Jaeyoung picked up a small grape, a phone, and a bottle from his bag, then walked out. Sangwoo followed empty-handed. When they came out and stood in front of the class, their fellow students applauded. Some raised their phones to take pictures. However, the problem was not with the students but with the teacher holding a video camera.

   When everything was ready… Sangwoo began his first sentence, a sales pitch. Then Jaeyoung, who had been hiding behind a post, strutted in arrogantly, casually playing with the grapes on the table. He asked for the price.

   Sangwoo exchanged glances with the other side. Those eyes seemed to say that everything would be fine. They were creating something exciting.

   Sangwoo didn’t mind the exhilarating feeling that everything could go well.

   Jaeyoung was better prepared than Sangwoo had anticipated. He had prepared some props and even played the sound of a waiting call and an incoming call on his phone. When it was time to change roles, he took advantage of the short time Sangwoo spoke alone on stage to change into a different costume behind the classroom stage and then reappeared. His acting skills were on par with those of a theater club member. His lines were different from those in the script, but the meaning remained the same.

   Although there were ad-libbed lines that were not appropriate, like asking

   Sangwoo if he was a robot, apart from that, he performed better than anyone else.

   The audience’s reaction could be described as laughter. There was one video camera and five mobile phones recording the performance. In addition, there was a loud shutter sound at intervals. The teacher couldn’t stop laughing and dropped his pen on the floor. Although what Sangwoo did was just recite the lines, memorize them, he still received applause and cheers of delight. This short play, Jaeyoung was the “carrier” as he had always claimed.

   After the performance ended, he high-fived Jaeyoung who reached out his hand. At that moment, Sangwoo forgot the bad feelings he had previously had towards the other person and felt like they were friends.

   “That was so much fun, both of you! The best short play I’ve seen in ten years.”

   Class ended earlier than scheduled, and the teacher raised his index finger and walked over to them. She looked at Sangwoo and said,

   “Sangwoo… you still need more practice in pronunciation, but you memorized the lines well. You’re great.”

   “Thank you.”

   “Would you like to be the assistant for this subject?”

   “Ergh?”

   “Generally, there’s not much to do. On the day when I ask, you just have to come early and distribute study sheets and documents. Then, take care of the answer sheets during the mid-term and final exams, and collect homework for the next assignments that I will assign. At the end of the semester, I will give extra points. And will treat you to a meal once.”

   At that time, Sangwoo understood what the other party was talking about, and he looked at Jaeyoung. While Jaeyoung looked at the teacher with a displeased face.

   “By the way, Jaeyoung recommended that you take your place.”

   During the withdrawal period where you could drop courses without any consequences, there was only a two-week window. He already knew that Jaeyoung would withdraw from all the courses before the start of the third week. He waited for that day throughout, and now it’s the second week, leaving only two days.

   “…Alright, I’ll do it.”

   When Sangwoo nodded, the teacher conveyed his gratitude through his eyes and turned to Jaeyoung.

   “You must be tired… Jaeyoung. Thank you for helping your younger hubae until the end.”

   “It’s nothing, Teacher. It’s embarrassing. Even though I said I would be a true assistant, I ended up dropping out in the middle.”

   “What are you saying? Having good opportunities should be something to be happy about. You should show your excitement in advance, shouldn’t you?”

   “Even if I submit another application, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be accepted.”

   “No matter what, you have to give it a try.”

   Sangwoo finished packing his bag but didn’t leave yet. He continued to stand and listen to their conversation, and the teacher asked what they would do next. Jaeyoung replied that he would prepare to study abroad and take a break for a while. Then they talked about the university where Jaeyoung would continue studying.

   “Teacher, when I think about going back to study, I envy you.”

   “Come visit me then.”

   “You’re teasing me again. I still haven’t passed the exams for real.”

   “When the teacher said you passed, you must have passed.”

   The atmosphere was good, but Sangwoo didn’t laugh. An inexplicable sadness was rising in his heart.

   “Shall we go together?”

   After finishing the conversation with the teacher, Jaeyoung turned to him. At that moment, Sangwoo regained his senses, bid farewell to the teacher, and left the classroom with him. Sangwoo hurriedly changed clothes in the restroom and handed his suit to Jaeyoung.

   In the next class, something unexpected happened. There was no blue backpack as it should be. Sangwoo widened his eyes and looked at Jaeyoung.

   The other party raised his face and grabbed the phone. Jaeyoung followed Sangwoo’s gaze and quickly sat down beside him, making a call to someone.

   The sound coming out of the phone was clear and loud through the speaker.

   [Hey, senior!]

   “Hey, nerd, are we playing around? I told you to reserve it two weeks ago, why didn’t you do it?”

   [Oh, speaking like that isn’t fair, sunbae. You didn’t give me the bag yesterday.]

   “I didn’t give it to you?”

   [It’s not in the locker. It’s not in the lab. I thought we didn’t have to do it anymore.]

   Jaeyoung remained silent for a while, raised his hand to cover his mouth, and seemed lost in thought.

   “Well… yesterday, you got so drunk you didn’t prepare it. Hey, who took it?”

   [I won’t do it again, okay? It might seem like a small matter to you, bro, but it’s really annoying. And seriously, why did you make the reservation? 

   Don’t you go to class sometimes?]

   “You talk too much, sunbae!”

   [Hey~, are you angry? Oh, by the way, come to the club room at noon. Choi

   Ji said he missed you. Order some pork with sauce…]

   The comical tone of voice continued, with every sentence ending in “bro” without fail. Jaeyoung put his phone back in his shirt pocket, a faint smile hanging on the corner of his lips.

   “Didn’t succeed in fooling you today, huh?”

   At that moment, Sangwoo realized that he was being played.

   “Sangwoo.”

   Sangwoo raised his head and looked at Jaeyoung. The other side chuckled.

   “This subject is like an alien language, I can’t bear listening to it anymore.

   Plus, the teacher looks like a clown. I almost burst out laughing several times.

   From now on, you’ll be comfortable studying alone.”

   The other side requested a gentle example and explained the reasons.

   Sangwoo remained silent without saying anything.  “Isn’t today’s lunch in the cafeteria?” Sangwoo paused again.

   “And if I say I want to treat you to something else, will you refuse?” He paused and nodded again.

   “Okay, then let’s have something delicious.”

   Done talking. Jaeyoung placed a canned coffee on Sangwoo’s table. While Sangwoo was distracted, he was touched lightly on the head again, and the vague touch quickly disappeared. Sangwoo took a while to realize. Just as he was about to say something, Jaeyoung walked to the back door… Sangwoo felt slightly annoyed at himself for only complaining about what had happened before… If they meet again next time, he will have to tell the other party not to touch him because he is very unhappy.

   While Sangwoo was upset alone, with no one to talk to, the class began, and today he felt that the teacher looked particularly like a penguin.

   He returned to his seat and thought he could focus on studying, but he experienced the same symptom as the previous class, ‘algorithm.’ Although the subject, ‘Engineering Mathematics 2,’ was a subject that Sangwoo read additional books in order to keep up, now his mind was blank and couldn’t take in any information until the class ended.

   Sangwoo went to eat alone with a heavy heart. What’s the problem? What is the problem? What is the real problem? The starting point is Jaeyoung’s provocation, the problem is that he came to sit beside him and kept disturbing him during class, but now he doesn’t disturb Sangwoo anymore. The cause of the problem has disappeared, but why is everyday life not as smooth as before?

   Sangwoo checked his phone while eating and found that he received a message.

   [NonPaddler 3: (photo) Well done_11:03.]

   His index finger hesitated above the answer key. Sangwoo didn’t have anything to say, so he put his phone in his pocket because he was just thinking without meaning. He walked around the university twice.

   Even though he had arrived at the library, nothing had changed, and the feeling of oppression and suffocation gradually increased until it became an angry fire, but he couldn’t do anything. Moreover, he had never felt like this before, so he didn’t know who he was angry with, why he was angry, and what he should do to make it go away.

   “Haven’t you gone home yet?”

   Sangwoo was considering bringing his things home, but when he heard Jaeyoung’s voice, that thought disappeared.

   Jaeyoung picked up the notebook that he forced Sangwoo to sell and held the pen from Sangwoo’s pencil case. Then he leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, opened the notebook, and placed it on one knee. Then he started writing.

   At the same time, something strange happened to Sangwoo. The feeling of irritability and restlessness that had disappeared suddenly resurfaced, and his emotions became clear again, and the words he used to read became clear once more. Sangwoo began reading the book again while feeling amazed.

   “How terrible.”

   Now having Jang Jaeyoung by his side seemed like a default value, Default[2]. It must be because the error had buried itself too deep, causing confusion with normalcy. People think that the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, where the nuclear power plant explosion occurred in 1986, is a land of death, but the truth is that the abnormal level of high radiation-resistant hawks is growing naturally.

   Just like animals adapting to radioactively contaminated areas. Sangwoo himself was adapting to the disaster called Jang Jaeyoung.

   Jaeyoung was silent. Although he heard the sound of a pen scratching on paper from time to time, it didn’t bother him as much as before. Sangwoo felt good for several days while reading the content he missed in class. This was the first time Sangwoo had focused on studying this much since Jang Jaeyoung came and intervened in his daily life.

   He didn’t know how much time had passed.. Sangwoo felt a sense of satisfaction as he laid down the pencil for a moment. At that moment, he felt the gaze directed towards his side face. Jaeyoung used Sangwoo as a model for drawing again.. When their eyes met, Jaeyoung smiled faintly and spoke softly.

   “The hat is crooked.”

   The other party grabbed his head and adjusted the hat, signaling in advance. Sangwoo had no excuse to say that the other party, sitting quietly, acted as if nothing happened. The problem was that the other party’s hand refused to leave his head. Moreover, it gradually pressed down with more weight.

   “Sangwoo, I have something to tell you…”

   The library was already very quiet, allowing him to hear the sound of the other party exceptionally well. He felt the weight of the hand pressing on his head more than it should be. He should have said to the other party to remove their hand, but his mouth refused to move. It felt like time stood still, the atmosphere became heavier, and his nerves became more sensitive.

   Sangwoo examined every corner of Jaeyoung’s face with his eyes. If he looked closely, he might even see the stubble of the other party.

   The faint brown-eyed gaze sparkled unnaturally. If his eyes could measure depth, how deep would it be? Although Sangwoo was familiar with the structure of the eye, he still came up with foolish questions. Jaeyoung’s eyes blinked slowly, and the shadow of his eyelashes flickered briefly before becoming longer again, where there should have been grass on the horse’s face.

   ‘Today, is it like that day, lying on the grass again.’

   Sangwoo reached out and brushed away the stray grass without realizing that he would do such a thing. Jaeyoung raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth, revealing a slightly reddish tongue that attracted his gaze. The tongue slowly licked along the edge of his lips from the right corner of his mouth to the left. Sangwoo felt that this strange moment lasted longer than necessary, and he was experiencing the theory of special relativity [3] by himself.

   [ERROR, ERROR, ERROR.

   Abnormal responses, abnormal responses, abnormal responses.] ________________________________________.

[1]      Pororo, a character from an animation series, mischievous penguin, world mischief-maker.

[2]      Default. In computing, it refers to the default or preset value in a program. For example, Microsoft Word sets the default paragraph indentation to 1.27 centimeters.

[3]      Theory of Special Relativity. It is related to systems with constant velocity or non-accelerating systems, meaning when we feel that everything is at rest or moving at the same speed, we cannot tell what is actually moving, such as the Earth rotating on its own axis and around the Sun. We still feel that everything is stationary but in reality, what we perceive as being stationary is actually in motion.

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