SMNTCERR, Chapter 11 <10> #4.

   On Wednesday, there are two consecutive classes of “Contemporary

   Culture and Cultural Theory”. Although it is a challenging subject, it is the only elective course in the humanities that he takes during this period. In the lesson plan, there is academic vocabulary like “Frankfurt School”[1] or “Cultural Anthropology”[2] appearing throughout. Pre-reading the lesson material in advance is not easy at all. It seems to be a difficult subject, especially for students majoring in science and engineering. If he needs to worry about being disturbed by the troublemaker, he won’t understand anything for sure.

   Sangwoo squinted his eyes as he entered the classroom before the class started for 19 minutes. It had to be right there, but he didn’t want to see that disgusting backpack. However, when he lifted his gaze, the image in front of him was clean, and the seats were perfectly arranged as if no one had sat there before.

   ‘What is it?’

   Sangwoo was so surprised that his heart pounded. He quickly rushed to sit on a chair as if sitting on a throne. At first, he felt satisfied, but he also worried because he didn’t know what else Jang Jaeyoung would do.

   Sangwoo opened his book to read ahead of what he would learn today. He sat in the correct position where he didn’t have to see the red color nearby, making him feel like he was back in class again. While he was reading the book, a white cloth bag emerged from the table next to him. Sangwoo was so shocked that he took a deep breath.

   “Why are you sighing for this early in the morning?”

   The unexpected sound made him raise his head to look. It wasn’t Jaeyoung and just that alone made Sangwoo very happy, but this girl with a dark green bomber jacket looked familiar to him.

   “I am Jihye, the person you helped lift the box before and we ended up eating together.”

   The girl cheerfully said and then sat down after reading Sangwoo’s face. At that moment, Sangwoo remembered Jihye. He couldn’t remember her because she didn’t tie her hair like she did now. Jihye turned her body to find Sangwoo and invited him to chat.

   “Are you taking this course too? Interested in philosophy? I’m taking this course because I’m interested in French thinkers like Lacan[3] or Foucault[4].”

   “I’m not interested at all. I’m here just because I have to study.”

   “Oh, really? In fact, I also have to take a computer course. By the way, someday I’ll come and ask you about easy subjects. I heard there’s a difference between Information Processing Theory and basic knowledge about computer science…”

   Fortunately, the class started just in time, which made her quiet down.

   Professor who arrives on time, prepared learning materials, and complete seats. Even though there were people nearby who seemed to be able to talk nonsense all day if left alone, Sangwoo considered this to be excellent.

   Suddenly, he thought that he hadn’t seen Jang Jaeyoung today, of course, that side probably hasn’t given up and something must have happened. But no matter what, he felt like he could breathe a little easier.  return 0;

   “…Therefore, we can see that the world is divided into two parts, the privileged upper class and the powerless general population. It’s an idea that the high class manipulates society.”

   “That’s not really true. If so, why hasn’t the different viewpoint that praises the people been abolished before this?”

   “Well, I’ve already told you that the problem isn’t black or white. How can we understand social theories by making right or wrong judgments?”  Sangwoo discussed today’s class material with Jihye as they walked along the hallway in the Humanities building. When he didn’t see the piercing red color. Sangwoo felt as if he had been startled to the point where he didn’t expect Jihye to appear more alert than he had seen.

   ‘This is just normal life.’

   After enduring hardships for two days, just a moment of normal life made him ecstatic. Although he sat next to Jihye throughout both classes, she didn’t disturb him like some other people. What’s more, after the class ended, she even helped explain things that Sangwoo didn’t understand, it was like a stroke of good fortune.

   “Where are you going for the next class?”

   “I don’t have a class anymore.”

   “I’m so jealous.. I still have two more classes to attend, what should we eat for lunch?”

   Jihye said that if they sat in class together, they should go eat together as well. Although Sangwoo was puzzled about how they were related, he had to go to the cafeteria anyway, so he didn’t argue with her statement.

   Sangwoo felt restless walking around the university, not knowing where his enemies might appear. He looked left and right, causing Jihye to ask what was wrong. Just as he was about to answer, Sangwoo saw people streaming out of the Humanities building, and the only advantage of the bright red down jacket was that it stood out even from a distance.

   “Come on, let’s hurry.”

   “Why?”

   “Quickly.”

   Sangwoo ran until he reached the cafeteria and quickly joined the line at the Korean food corner. Jang Jaeyoung was walking amidst a crowd of people, which meant he had just finished attending the large lecture. It seemed like he had to take the course ‘Hankuk University Student Personality Test’ again, and what bothered Sangwoo wasn’t because their class schedules coincide for sure.

   ‘At least by Wednesday, I might be able to catch a breath.’

   Sangwoo lifted the food tray with a sense of satisfaction. Before he could walk over to his usual seat, an idea popped into his mind. Instead of heading to his usual corner, he turned and walked towards a more crowded area, scanning the cafeteria and noticing a table with only two available seats. Sangwoo and Jihye quickly went to occupy the seats, closing the opportunity for Jaeyoung to intrude.

   “You look happy.”

   “Hmm.”

   After that, Sangwoo started eating his meal without saying anything. While eating, his gaze wandered to the food servers, where a person in a red duck jacket was queuing up. Moreover, they were fidgeting just like Sangwoo.

   Suddenly, Jaeyoung was pushed into the cafeteria by the crowd, and his eyes landed on Sangwoo. Sangwoo put on a smiling face, while Jaeyoung wore a strange mocking expression before walking away. It wasn’t a big deal, but Sangwoo felt immensely pleased.

   “Are you going back home after eating?”

   “No, I’m going to the library.”

   “Then, before you go, let’s stop by the convenience store. I’ll treat you to a drink.”

   “No.”

   “Why not?”

   Sangwoo paused for a moment, realizing that explaining why the convenience store had no drinks he could consume would be too complicated.

   “It may sound strange, but right now I’m being harassed by a crow.”

   “Huh?”

   Jihye was so shocked that Sangwoo had to cover her mouth to silence her.

   “Really sunbae? How? If it’s true then that is serious.”

   As Sangwoo remained silent, she seemed to imagine something terrifying.

   “Even if I don’t know who is behind this, the university has resources for counseling. There’s the police station, and there are plenty of people in this world who can help. Don’t worry.”

   Sangwoo felt even more uneasy, so he returned to Jihye’s initial question.

   “That person bought all the coffee that I drink, so the store ran out of drinks for me to buy.”

   “Oh? Were you keeping it for profit? Like in Haesung-Jeon[5] right?” Jihye looked incredulous and burst into laughter.

   “What’s wrong? You can just ordered it online, a whole box, and it will be delivered in one day. I don’t see any problem.”

   “…”

   Sangwoo felt shaken as if he had been hit on the head, like a “black hole.” Not only did it affect sales at the university store, but his genuine hair was obstructing him. Sangwoo wasn’t a bad person, but once his thoughts were confined within a framework, he couldn’t easily break free from that mindset.

   In the past, when his intelligence was measured at the temple school, the results were very low. The teacher explained that if only logical and computational intelligence were taken into account, Sangwoo would be considered a genius. However, his average scores were lowered due to his lower intelligence in reasoning, application, and human interaction.

   Sangwoo looked at Jihye with different eyes. “You are very intelligent.” Jihye giggled.

   “And how about being harassed by crows? Tell me everything.”

   “… It may sound strange, but during class, I have a designated seat, and I can only concentrate when sitting there.”

   “Oh! I’ve seen that in American series. I don’t know if it works, but is it that,

   Obsessive Thinking Disorder[6]?…”

   “The professor said it’s not abnormal and that person likes to reserve seats beforehand, which prevents me from sitting there. The farther away I sit from that spot, the more I lose focus. But I don’t want to sit close… no, near that person. I don’t know what to do.”

   “Hmm… then just sit next to them. And use a partition. We used that back in elementary school.”

   “Accept being close, but block the line of sight. This method seems flexible and usable. Sangwoo began to trust Jihye’s flexible thinking more and more.”

   “And when at the library, that ass shake their legs and open books with loud page flips. It’s annoying…”

   “You can use earplugs for that. They’re not expensive.” Jihye laughed. Sangwoo laughed along.

   “Thanks. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”

   “Really? I’ll wait!”

   That day, Sangwoo decided to go shopping instead of going to the library. After finishing his meal, he stood up before turning to see Jang Jaeyoung sitting and eating in the midst of his friends in another area.

   “Oppa, I haven’t finished eating yet.”

   Sangwoo walked excitedly, quickly placing his tray at the tray return point and drinking water hastily before leaving the cafeteria with hopeful emotions.  “Come on, let’s go!”

   He heard Jihye’s voice chasing after him as she ran towards him, her hair fluttering and her cheeks rosy. Her outfit made her look like a peculiar green creature.

   “Why though?”

   “Huh?”

   “Why are you calling me?”

   “No, it’s just… well, we can just go the same way. It’s good to go together.

   Besides, it feels awkward to eat alone.”

   ‘Hmm, that’s strange.’

   Sangwoo wondered, as he always ate alone but had never thought about it that way.

   “Then we don’t need to go to the convenience store. I have a class in the

   Humanities department. Come with me.”

   “Why?”

   Jihye spoke as if she were a young child being dragged around inappropriately for her age, making Sangwoo feel out of place.

   “It’s good for your health to take a walk after eating. If you don’t want to get sick, you should go for a walk.”  ‘Well, she’s right.’

   ________________________________________.

[1]       The Frankfurt School “German: Frankfurter Schule” is a group of social theory and philosophy scholars. It is not a physical school but a school of thought for social research.

[2]       Orientalism is the study or understanding of knowledge related to the Eastern world.

[3]       Jacques Lacan.

[4]       Michel Foucault.

[5]       “Ho Sangjeon” or “The Story of Ho Sang” is a novel set in the Joseon era written by Park Ji-won, which tells the story of the protagonist, ‘Ho Sang,’ who buys all the necessary items in the market to control prices.

[6]       Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder “OCD” is a condition where patients have repetitive thoughts that cause anxiety and respond to those thoughts by engaging in repetitive behaviors to alleviate discomfort.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 10 <10> #3

   The next day, which was the second day of the new semester, finally arrived.

   Sangwoo left his apartment an hour earlier than usual and rode his bike without hesitation. Normally, he would get a full eight hours of quality sleep, but today he woke up abruptly due to a nightmare, so he only slept for four hours, leaving him physically drained. In the dream, there was a red fur coat.

   When he unzipped it, he discovered sharp teeth that were about to bite him.

   Even though he felt ridiculous after waking up, the dream was so scary that he had to run away.

   ‘Just endure for two weeks.’

   Sangwoo gnashed his teeth, feeling that his peaceful life was crumbling. It was an inexplicable anxiety that often overflowed, so he had to keep calm.

   He had no backup plan. Changing courses was not an option anymore (and Jang Jaeyoung followed him) And dropping out of school wasn’t an option either because bad luck didn’t work that way.

   When he entered through the main gate and looked down at the time, it was now 8:24 a.m. He arrived at the university earlier in the morning to reserve a seat. Not like yesterday. Sangwoo locked his bicycle in front of the library and headed towards the engineering building for today’s classes.

   As soon as he opened the classroom door, he was met with disappointment because there was a leather bag on the far-right desk of the fourth row. He didn’t know what time the other person reserved the seat, so he hurriedly went to examine the bag up close, but he still didn’t know the truth.

   ‘Or was it placed here since yesterday?’

   Sangwoo thought about the possible outcomes, realizing that person didn’t seem diligent at all. Instead of saying they woke up early to bring their bag, it would be more reasonable to say they left it behind since yesterday.

   Nevertheless, today Sangwoo felt defeated again. He had to sit farthest from that spot, where he couldn’t help. The classroom heaters hadn’t been turned on, so the air was cold like outside. He sat down without taking off his down jacket and scarf. Then drowsiness crept in. Well, because he didn’t get enough sleep last night, he opened a book to read and prepare for the lesson, but the words on the pages were blurry throughout.

   ‘It’s definitely worse if you’re sleepy during class.’

   So it would be better to doze off before the class started. He closed the book and used it as a makeshift pillow for the first time, pressing his cheek against the textbook and closing his eyes. Soon, his consciousness faded away.

   “…30 points for homework, and another 20 points from the final exam. My office and email are in the course compilation document, right? Students who need consultation can go to the assistant professor or send me an email directly. Alright, now let’s take a look at the exam paper.”

   When Sangwoo raised his head once again, he heard a smooth voice and saw a red color obstructing his vision. He was confident that he was sitting at least one seat away from the reserved spot, but Jang Jaeyoung was sitting there, smirking.

   Sangwoo quickly straightened his upper body and checked the time on his wristwatch. The class had started 14 minutes ago.

   Looking around, he noticed that other students were looking at a piece of exam paper, each with their own sheet. Jaeyoung was fiddling with an A4 paper sandwiched between his fingers.

   “That crazy guy…”

   Sangwoo glanced at other students but couldn’t find any leftover exam papers. It would be difficult to catch the professor’s attention and ask for another sheet. He felt uneasy that he had been silent until now. Sangwoo gritted his teeth, extended his hand towards Jaeyoung, and spoke softly.

   “Give it to me. My sheet.”

   “Throw it away or something. Here, take mine.”

   “Why aren’t you attending class, sunbae?”

   Jaeyoung looked down and flicked a few pieces of paper at the end of his fingers. Sangwoo reached out hoping to catch them, but Jaeyoung pulled the sheet behind him, preventing him from touching it.

   Jaeyoung folded the paper in half, then folded it again. Sangwoo watched anxiously as the other party acted restlessly.

   “If you want something, you should ask politely, shouldn’t you?”

   Jaeyoung, wearing a red shirt and displaying an untrustworthy demeanor, spoke softly. He looked like a demon as he folded the sheet that Sangwoo wanted into the shape of an airplane and held it between his index and middle fingers.

   “Just give it to me, please.”

   “Be more sincere than this.”

   “Just give it to me.”

   “The deadline is approaching.”

   While the teacher turned to the students to write on the board, a paper airplane gracefully glided out of the slightly open door.

   Sangwoo suppressed his anger that surged and stood up from his seat. He muttered, ‘Well then, asking Jang Jaeyoung for anything would be foolish.’ He pushed the tightly packed desk forward and grabbed a sheet from the stack on the front classroom stage. Just as the teacher turned back with a cool expression.

   “What are you doing, student?”

   “I’m sorry. I didn’t receive the document, but I was afraid of disturbing the class, so I didn’t inform you.”

   “It’s not like you have been asleep since the first period, right?”

   The teacher clicked his tongue and rubbed his face in frustration.

   “Go to the restroom first.”

   “Sir?”

   “Restroom.”

   Sangwoo took the sheet and walked out through the front door without understanding the situation. Although he wasn’t a student who received love from the teacher by raising his hand to answer in class or visiting the research room, he performed well and scored high on exams. By the end of the semester, he had gained the trust of the teacher through his diligence. This was the first time he had been appointed as a class representative since the first day. Furthermore, Teacher Cha Weoyang was an important faculty member who taught most of the subjects for fourth-year students. That was another reason.

   When he entered the restroom, Sangwoo almost screamed. The reflection of his face on the mirror looked strange and eerie. A dark black mustache was drawn under his nose. He hastily turned on the faucet but nothing changed.

   ‘I have to hurry back in…’

   Sangwoo lathered soap in his hands until it foamed, then rubbed it over the stained area above his upper lip. The black lines gradually disappeared bit by bit, but it was still too slow. Sangwoo couldn’t believe that he would waste time studying such meaningless things.

   “As a child of sin, you’re venting your frustration through painting. Beast.”

   19 minutes flew away into thin air. When he finally returned to the classroom, he found that there were only 5 minutes left. Now, all that awaited him was being scolded by the teacher.

   ‘What did I do wrong, huh?’

   Suddenly, Sangwoo felt a surge of unfairness. He had to handle everything by himself and could only tell the teacher the truth. Jang Jaeyoung might not think it was unfair for himself, but when you carefully examined the situation, it was clearly an undeserved fate for someone who hadn’t done anything wrong to have to sit outside the classroom like this. It was truly cruel.

   “Hey, ERROR, you fucking ass!”

   Sangwoo uttered the most offensive words he could think of Error. There are several types of errors. If it’s just a typo or a formatting mistake, it can be easily corrected. But if it’s an Error in logic, even if you’re confident that the code is complete, it still remains an Error. And even if you go through the entire code to find the mistake, you won’t find this Semantic Error, just like Jang Jaeyoung who suddenly appeared and disrupted Sangwoo’s daily life.

   When the class ended, the students dispersed. Sangwoo walked to his seat to pick up his bag, glancing to see a red duck feather jacket, but he didn’t care and left the classroom. Jaeyoung’s goal was to make Sangwoo angry, so he didn’t want to show any reaction to the other side.

   Losing one’s composure is like playing the game Jenga[1]. You pull out a piece, causing it to collapse completely. In class, an algorithm. Sangwoo sat in the far-left seat in the second row, obscured by a pillar, making it difficult to see the professor’s face. He sat there absentmindedly throughout the class. It would have been better not to attend rather than sitting in this place. But he couldn’t do that because this was a computer science class, and he wanted to sit as far away as possible from Jaeyoung, who took the best seat.

   After that, his life went on as usual. Sangwoo went to the cafeteria to get food and sat at a table in a secluded corner. Meanwhile, Jaeyoung walked past many seats and sat right next to Sangwoo, eating his meal in silence.

   He picked up his food tray with a feeling as if the food wasn’t digesting. Then he went to the convenience store, but of course, they didn’t have the coffee that Sangwoo wanted. As for going out for a walk, it was also ruined because of those drama club people.

   Finally, he managed to sit at the reserved seat in the library. Sangwoo was exhausted. The teasing had only started two days ago, how would he endure the mental attacks from that madman for two weeks?

   “Today, I’m determined to study, hubae.”

   Jaeyoung appeared with a borrowed book. Today’s novel was a fantasy. He just sat there, without any regard, and quietly opened his book. But Sangwoo couldn’t take his eyes off him. Just seeing the other person’s face made his heart boil with anger.

   “Where can I file a complaint?” [Charge:

–     Wearing a red shirt improperly (Not illegal.)

–     Occupying a seat (Not illegal.)

–     Sitting next to someone (Not illegal.)

–     Shaking legs (Unclear offense.)

–     Swinging a pen (Unclear offense.)

–     Causing coffee to sell out (Not illegal.)

–     Offenses of filling a trash can full (Not illegal.)

–     Offenses of not providing sheets (Not illegal.)

–     Offenses of writing on the face (Guilty.)

–     Offenses of existing, (Not illegal.)

–     ……..]

   The more offenses the other party counts, the more Sangwoo feels agitated, like a villain with a brain who doesn’t speak rudely and doesn’t use force to get caught. The fact that the other party revolves in Sangwoo’s thoughts is not a big deal for others, but he chooses to do only things that Sangwoo dislikes and makes Sangwoo frustrated.

   ‘Hey, what a freaking bug [2].’

   Sangwoo read his book, glancing at Jaeyoung who laughed and made gestures. The other party leaned back comfortably, propping one foot on the knee, playing a big gesture. Sangwoo desperately wished to end it by throwing the dice hidden under the red hat with all his might.

   He was so focused on Jang Jaeyoung that he didn’t do anything for a while, but as time passed, the situation improved. The opponent who sat reading suddenly raised his head and accidentally hit his elbow on the water and snacks placed nearby. Luckily, the other party woke up peacefully. No growling. No biting or snapping.

   While the other party was sound asleep, his supposed friends came to laugh and secretly took pictures. Some female students walked around whispering, but they didn’t disturb anyone, which is why Sangwoo partially accomplished his purpose by going to the library.

   Two hours passed. Sangwoo packed his books and put the pencil box in his bag, being careful not to wake up Jaeyoung, but the moment he pushed back his chair to stand up, the other party woke up and accidentally spilled water on the snacks that someone had placed there.

   Sangwoo pretended not to know the other party and walked out of the library. He hurriedly walked down the stairs but was caught up instantly. From then on, the situation turned into a race, and they ran down to the first floor.

   “Sangwoo, are you annoyed?”

   “Sunbaenim, I don’t want to hear you’ voice. Please don’t try to talk to me.”

   “You’re the one who started it.”

   Sangwoo strode out of the building towards the bicycle parking lot.

   “I didn’t do anything wrong. Sunbae, you just act stubbornly and do things even elementary school kids wouldn’t do. I…”

   “Are you saying you didn’t do anything wrong, and I’m the crazy one? Shall we talk about that again?”

   Hearing that, Sangwoo felt that letting it pass wouldn’t work, so he stopped walking immediately.

   “What is my offense then? If you’re going to say it’s because I removed your name from the slide…”

   “Stop.”

   Jaeyoung cut his lines. Sangwoo turned around and found that the other party was standing closer than he thought. He thought that the other side would distance himself reluctantly, but what he saw was a serious face that he didn’t expect. Sangwoo’s eyes collided with Jaeyoung, who was wearing a red beanie against a dark and cloudy backdrop.

   “It may be hard to believe, but I want to get along with you.”

   Sangwoo closed his mouth abruptly. This wasn’t the first time he had looked at Jaeyoung up close like this, but he had never noticed before and hadn’t cared that the eyes behind the glasses were slightly lowered. Whether in formal attire or trying to look like a makeup artist, the nose remained straight, and the eyelashes and hair weren’t pitch black.

   “Humans are emotional creatures. If you don’t ignore me like that, I won’t pay attention to the slide presentations issue.”

   “Well then, if I apologize, will you stop?”

   Jaeyoung’s face turned incredulous, and he burst out laughing.

   “Are you crazy or is it because you’re an AI robot that you don’t understand human emotions?”

   “Sunbae, what are you talking about?”

   “If it’s such a simple problem, has it come to this point?”

   The veiled words of the other party felt more suffocating than any problem he had ever solved, as if looking into endless darkness. All Sangwoo heard were floating words.

   “Don’t talk to yourself like that. Sunbae, you are just a cancerous being, clown, and sadist.”

   Hearing that, instead of getting angry, Jaeyoung’s face brightened.

   “So, I heard compliments from you and I feel happy.”

   “Are you insane?”

   “Yes. You should go home too.”

   “You nerve-wracking jerk.”

   Sangwoo muttered under his breath and pedaled his bike, quickly riding away without looking back.  return 0;

   ________________________________________

[1]       Jenga is a tower-building game or block-stacking game. It involves using wooden blocks to build a tower, and players take turns removing one block at a time from the tower and placing it on top, without causing the tower to collapse. It can be played by multiple people, and whoever causes the tower to fall is considered the loser.

[2]       Bug or a flaw, a problem that occurs with a program due to the instructions within that program itself, causing the program’s operation to be incorrect. It has errors or is not as smooth as it should be. Apart from problems related to the program, it may also be a problem with the machine itself.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

 

SMNTCERR, Chapter 9 <10> #2.

   The library allowed seat reservations through a booking system, and Sangwoo would always make his reservation at midnight to avoid any seat clashes. He walked swiftly into the library and sat in front of a computer, entering the names of the books he needed and borrowing new ones from the shelves. Then, he proceeded to the reading room and sat down at the farthest table on the right that he had reserved in advance. That spot was located next to the Philosophy section, which rarely had many students, so it was not crowded and there were no disturbances because there were no windows.

   Sangwoo never sat anywhere else.

   Upon seeing a bag placed nearby, Sangwoo’s heart sank, but it lightened when he realized it was a white cloth bag. It wasn’t the backpack or leather shoulder bag that he had seen today.

   Sangwoo opened his textbook and began studying on his own. In the meantime, he got up and entered a restroom once. When he came back, he found a canned coffee placed on the table.

   “N = No, Y = Yes.”

   [1. Did we buy it? N.

2.    Did you see someone looking for something? N.
3.    Is it beneficial for us? Y, (Reason: It’s ‘Blackhole’).]

   After going through Algorithm 3 [1], he reached out his hand towards the can. Just as he was about to open the can to drink, he noticed a handwritten note stuck on it, with writing that could be called chicken scratches.

   [Jang Jaeyoung’s property.]

   Sangwoo frowned as if he saw a repulsive insect, and instantly a hand emerged from behind and snatched the coffee can away. Sangwoo’s eyes flickered and met the eyes behind the large glasses.

   “See you again.”

   “…”

   Jaeyoung placed his backpack and leather shoulder bag on the table. Then he moved the white cloth bag to hang it on the chair. Even though it was right in front of him, it was hard to believe that there was a crazy guy who carried three bags just to deceive one person. He took off his knit hat and placed it on the table before walking off somewhere.

   Sangwoo exerted too much force with his hand, causing the pencil to snap twice. The praying mantis was even more terrifying when seen up close than when it was in front of him. For Sangwoo, Jaeyoung was like that. Even if the other party wasn’t sitting beside Sangwoo at the moment, he couldn’t focus on reading the book because he was constantly worried about why the person left this red beanie here and went off to do something.

   Not long after, Jaeyoung returned with a book in hand—’The History of Sexuality,’ ‘The Nature of Ultimate Pleasure,’ ‘The Beauty of Naked Bodies.’ He held three volumes of books, leaned back in the chair, and flipped them open. When he opened to a picture, he would examine it closely.

   ‘That attention-seeking bastard…’

   Sangwoo tried not to look in that direction, but his ears could still hear the sound of pages flipping continuously. Moreover, the other party only kept shaking the table with their leg. If there were another student present, they could have joined forces to warn him. But at this moment, there was only Sangwoo alone. The table could accommodate eight people, but it was clear that the other party intentionally sat next to him to shake the table.

   [Showing anger = Losing.

   Being indifferent = Winning.]

   Back in high school, Sangwoo had dealt with similar situations where people demanded attention before and he knew well how to handle it. No matter how big the reason was, the minds of those people were no different from those who liked to show off, hoping to surprise the opposite side. What Jang Jaeyoung wanted was to make Sangwoo lose his cool, be defeated, get angry, and curse.

   However, despite knowing that, Sangwoo’s patience was diminishing with each passing moment. No matter what happened, he would endure it to the end. But the second the table shook and his pencil snapped, his legs moved automatically, propelling him to stand up. He collected his writing materials, closed the book, and forcefully stuffed everything into his bag. In that moment, Jaeyoung also grew weary and stood up. Then he followed along casually, as if it were a normal occurrence. At this point, Sangwoo no longer felt surprised.

   Sangwoo made a firm decision to ignore the other party. But as he walked down the stairs, anger kept building up after nearly colliding face-to-face in front of the building. Sangwoo could no longer bear it and turned to confront Jang Jaeyoung.

   It was like a scene from the movie “My Darling Clementine [2].” If judging solely by appearances, Sangwoo with his scowling brows might seem like the villain, while Jaeyoung, who looked relaxed, appeared as the protagonist. But the reality was the opposite. Whenever Sangwoo faced the hostile group that constantly harassed him, it felt as if a gust of wind passed between them, just like in a video game. Sangwoo wanted to pick up a weapon like a character in an RPG game and strike back at the other party.

   “Are you crazy?”

   A weak attack couldn’t harm his opponent. Jaeyoung heard that and looked satisfied.

   “sunbaenim, so you’re a stalker, huh?”

   “What kind of stalker? My actions are too obvious.”

   Jaeyoung covered his yawning mouth and rummaged through his bag.

   “Everyone knows that you’re doing the same thing. In the same place, at the same time every day. Thinking that wearing a black suit will make you invisible or something. You’re attracting more attention than you think.”

   “How do you know my class schedule?”

   The other party pulled out a familiar notebook from one of the three bags and tossed it over. It was the notebook that Sangwoo had left in the meeting room, and inside it was his class schedule written. As Jaeyoung took two or three steps closer, their similar heights became even more noticeable.

   Sangwoo raised his head and stared defiantly at the other party.

   “sunbaenim, doing this won’t help you graduate, why waste your time?”  “Why would I bother with such annoying things? If you hadn’t meddled with me in the first place.”

   “What did you gain from harassing me?”

   “It’s just… a matter of feelings.”

   Jang Jaeyoung grinned like a true villain, so Sangwoo felt a chill down his spine. Or could it be possible that the other party was a rational human being? Should he have done something differently if the other party was just a sadist who enjoyed tormenting others? What should he do to make the senior stop?

   “What should I do for my senior to stop?”

   “I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it at all, at least for now. Maybe the prime minister is trying to act as if sleeping makes teaching easier, or maybe he regrets being rude before.”

   “Before feeling regretful, there must be a wrongdoing, right?” “If not, then you shall wait until I change my mind. I’m easily swayed.” “I thought it was just a bad habit, but it turns out it’s a good mental illness.

   That’s me.”

   “I hear that often.”

   Between them, the invisible sky appeared, and Sangwoo’s lips revealed a twisted smile.

   “Looks like sunbae you see me as a weakling, but you n misunderstood me. I have nothing to fear, ever since I was born. Whether it’s crazy people, bad habits, or attention seekers. I’ve dealt with it all. What you do isn’t a big deal to me at all.”

   When he saw the other person deliberately talking nonsense, Jaeyoung smiled happily.

   “When I hear that, it ignites a fire even more.”

   “Well, let’s see. sunbaenim, you are mentally ill.”

   “Hmm, there’s nothing else to do. Thanks, I live to annoy you.”

   Sangwoo turned around and walked towards the bicycle parked in front of the library. He tried to keep his back hidden so that Jaeyoung could sneak a look at what his bike looked like. When he unlocked the bike, he immediately got on it.

   ‘I guess he didn’t let the air out, right?’

   If the other side messed with his bike, he would immediately report it to the police, but the bike was running fine, and the only thing that happened was that Sangwoo returned home faster than usual.

   He locked the bike in front of the apartment and went up to the 4th floor. 

   When he unlocked the door and entered the room, his body and mind felt safe. 

   Sangwoo lay down on the bed without changing his clothes.

   ‘What just happened?’

   He had been disturbed all day, couldn’t focus on studying, couldn’t digest his food, failed at walking, couldn’t read in the library, and even though he talked to Jaeyoung like that, Sangwoo wasn’t sure. That guy named Jang Jaeyoung was different from the criminals he had encountered before. The other party was well-prepared, meticulous, smart. Didn’t leave any evidence for him to take back.

   ‘There’s only one solution.’

   That is to endure patiently until the other person gets tired and retreats on their own. Even if Jang Jaeyoung thought about it, he wouldn’t have a way to accept it. “Engineering Mathematics 2.” sigh, and even if he said he would attend class, he probably wouldn’t listen to subjects that were useless to him until the end, at most two weeks, because during the first two weeks, you could withdraw from the course freely, but after that, you couldn’t do it anymore.

   Two weeks. Although it was distressing, compared to a whole semester, it wasn’t that long. Just sleep through it for a little while, and sunny days will come.

   ‘But it’s still annoying.’

   Sangwoo felt an increasing sense of resentment, and it was a sorrow that couldn’t be expressed. Even though he didn’t have friends, no one could understand how stressful it was for him to have someone sit next to him after snatching his seat. That night, Sangwoo slept fitfully, waking up intermittently.

   return 0;

   ________________________________________

   [1] Algorithm, “Algorithm.” The process or sequence of processing steps in solving a particular problem that helps programmers see the programming steps more easily.

   [2]. My Darling Clementine (1946), a film adapted from the novel (Wyatt

   Earp: Frontier Marshal) (1931) written by Stuart Nathaniel Lake, an

   American writer, presenting the biography of Wyatt Earp, the sheriff of Tombstone, Arizona, and the legend of his gunfight with Newman Haynes Clanton, also known as Old Man Clanton at O.K. Corral.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 8 <10> #1.

   Sangwoo couldn’t focus on learning Chinese because of the annoying person next to him, constantly shaking his leg and tapping his pen. Whenever he tried to concentrate, he forgot that there was another party beside him, and that party would hit him with an elbow. Therefore, a 50-minute class felt like 5 hours to him.

   When the class ended, he felt relieved. While Jaeyoung was busy taking notes and coloring the corner of the desk, Sangwoo got up without looking back and hurried to the next classroom before anyone else.

   ‘You seem abnormal, so I thought I’d let it go, but I changed my mind. I’ll wait and see next semester.’

   Saying that he changed his mind. Don’t tell me it’s because we happened to study the same subject and obstructed each other during the lecture? Although his heart felt a sense of danger deep down, Sangwoo tried to deny that. It must be a coincidence, nothing more.

   As he rushed to the next classroom, he saw another bag placed on the seat once again, which was unbelievable. This time it was a dark blue backpack.

   Does this class have someone who knows the perfection of this seat position?

   Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side.

   Sangwoo took a deep breath to calm his mind and sat down in the adjacent seat. Then he opened his book but struggled to see the words in those books. He wiped the sweat off the book until the pages were damp. Here, does he have to encounter that demon’s face every Monday morning like this? And that’s why he can’t concentrate on studying!

   While Sangwoo cursed in his mind, the owner of the backpack arrived. Sangwoo didn’t care who the other party was, but this time his head automatically turned again.

   A red down jacket, a red shirt, a red cap, and a Coca-Cola can!

   His formidable enemy hung a shoulder bag and a backpack on the chair and sat down. Sangwoo stared at him for 30 seconds. While Jang Jaeyoung drank a cola in one gulp and chuckled softly ‘That’s not it anymore…’ Sangwoo thought, so he forcefully pushed his chair back and stood up. However, he couldn’t skip class, so he moved to the farthest seat from Jaeyoung instead.

   It didn’t take long for the class to begin. As the attendance was being called, when it was Jaeyoung’s turn, the teacher put on her glasses.

   “Jang Jaeyoung, you are an excellent graphic design student. It shouldn’t be a problem for him to take this course? Right?”

   “I really like math. Teacher.”

   “Even so, do you also want to take on engineering mathematics?”

   Although the teacher seemed interested, Sangwoo remained apathetic. While feeling hopeless, he missed four minutes of the lesson, and after that, it was difficult to concentrate. It wasn’t the usual seat, and the angle to see the teacher was different. Furthermore, he felt like he couldn’t hear clearly. This was terrible because he felt that the atmosphere was more chaotic than usual. As soon as the class ended, Sangwoo rushed out of the room like a bullet. He had never felt so angry before. Usually, he could keep his cool, but now he felt like he had been hit where it hurt the most.

   Sangwoo almost ran to join the lunch line, leaning on his knees and adjusting his breathing. Only then did he glance over and see the man in the red down jacket that he didn’t want to see. Jang Jaeyoung was chatting with the students in line as if he didn’t care about Sangwoo, but Sangwoo felt fear rising from the other side. Just having the other person nearby made him feel like a poisonous gas was spreading.

   He felt that queuing today took longer than usual. After receiving his food at the Korean food corner, he walked to his seat two minutes faster than usual, but even so, Sangwoo still felt restless.

   “Oh, there’s a seat available right there!”

   ‘Available?’

   Intuition was never wrong. Jaeyoung carried a tray and deliberately walked through the numerous empty tables, intentionally walking over to sit next to Sangwoo, who was sitting alone at the table in the corner.

   [1. Move to another seat: The other person will follow. And the situation will loop, wasting time.

2. Stay indifferent: Nothing will happen.]

   Sangwoo simulated the situation briefly. Then he continued eating his meal without paying attention to the other party.

   “Hey, how do you get to the cafeteria?”

   “There you are, long time no see, you jerk.”

   “I heard that you insulted the teacher and didn’t graduate, is that true?”

   “No way, you asshole. Who told you?”

   And then he witnessed a shocking event. Unintentionally, Jaeyoung intentionally chose a next seat, but just having Jaeyoung sitting next to him made the seat full. There were many people surrounding them, making loud noises, disturbing Sangwoo’s meal without him realizing whether he was putting the food in his mouth or nose.

   After finishing his meal, he lowered his head to check the time and discovered that it was 12:22 PM. He finished eating faster than usual by six minutes. Sangwoo hurriedly picked up the empty tray, swiftly put it away, and grabbed five glasses of water to drink. He felt a bit uneasy in his stomach, perhaps due to rushing through the meal and causing indigestion.

   Sangwoo exited through the back door and stopped by the convenience store. He drank a canned black coffee called “Blackhole” every day after meals. He chose this brand because it was the cheapest and had an appropriate quantity.

   As he walked past the bakery section, the instant noodle zone, and the ice cream zone, he came across three refrigerated beverage cabinets. Sangwoo walked up and stopped in front of the third cabinet and looked at the fifth shelf.

   “Oh? Where did they go?”

   No matter how he looked, he found that the shelf where the regular coffee used to be placed was now empty. Sangwoo was accustomed to unexpected events. This was the first time since he entered university that he had encountered such a situation. He stood in front of the refrigerator for a moment before walking over to the middle-aged woman who was in charge of the convenience store.

   “So, they don’t have Blackhole anymore?”

   “Oh, my goodness! Well…”

   She avoided eye contact with Sangwoo nervously.

   “Yesterday afternoon, one student bought all of them.”

   Sangwoo felt like the sky was falling. There was no need to ask who that student was; everyone knew. What mattered now was how to deal with this situation.

   “So, when will there be more available?”

   “It’s not a popular item, maybe another two weeks.”

   Sangwoo picked up a can that had a design similar to “Blackhole” but couldn’t pay for it and left the store.

   Has his life ever been so chaotic? Has there ever been a day that didn’t go as planned like this? He hesitated for a moment before answering that there had never been even a single day.

   Sangwoo walked with a bewildered feeling. There was a walking path he often took to enjoy a cup of coffee after finishing his meal—a small tenminute walk on a trail in the mountain behind the university that always brought his daily life back to normalcy.

   Sangwoo took slow steps, pondering the unpleasant events that had occurred today. It wasn’t just one or two strange incidents. How did Jang Jaeyoung know his schedule and how did he know where to sit, what coffee to drink, and everything else along with the stickers?

   “Don’t pass through here, please.”

   “Why not?”

   “The Drama Club is using it.”

   The entrance to the pathway that Sangwoo usually strolled through was closed. Although it seemed like a reasonable occurrence, he wondered why such a thing had to happen today when it had never happened before.

   With no other choice, Sangwoo had to walk another way. He opened the can of coffee in his hand and took a sip, but the taste was unnaturally sweet, causing his face to cringe automatically. As he walked past the soccer field, a worker who was taking a break near the construction site greeted him.

   “Hey young man, why are you coming from that direction today?”

   He didn’t understand what the other person was talking about, seemingly that this is their first encounter. Today, too many strange things were happening. Sangwoo disposed of the remaining coffee in a drain and continued walking towards the Natural Sciences building.

   “…”

   The second trash bin that he usually used was overflowing at this hour, and it didn’t look like an accidental occurrence. Sangwoo dropped the coffee can into the third bin, feeling uneasy about it getting full, and even more so about having to throw it into the third bin. Furthermore, the can hit the rim of the bin and fell onto the floor, making him pick it up again. Sangwoo trembled with anger and headed towards the library.

   ‘It’s too bothersome here.’

   ________________________________________.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 7 Red #2.

   He never thought he would be stuck with a worthless elective course worth only 2 credits. The class had over a hundred students crammed together, learning about ethics without caring if anyone was listening, and ending with a report card. Although everyone was forced to attend, simply showing up almost guaranteed a passing grade. This course was considered a pointless subject that nobody cared about.

   Jaeyoung never attended the class even once. He hated subjects related to character and competitions within extracurricular activities. Moreover, he relied on a junior acquaintance who promised to check attendance and take responsibility for the tasks. But then, that junior ended up in the same situation.

   ‘I’m really sorry, sunbae. I have nothing to fix… To be honest, I’m in a mess too. Even if I attend every class, my assignments score zero, resulting in an F. That cold-blooded group leader… My grandmother just passed away, and I was grieving. Damn it…’

   Jaeyoung hurriedly bought a cup of green tea from a mountain on Jeju Island and went to meet the professor to express his remorse and explain how excellent he was in his university entrance exam. He wanted to demonstrate how he would contribute to raising the reputation of Hankuk University and Korea globally. However, his attempt to improve his grade failed, and the professor responded wearily.

   ‘It’s a pity, but it’s probably difficult. Actually, the head of the Virtual Arts

   Design Faculty discussed this matter with me a while ago before leaving. But it didn’t help. If you couldn’t attend because you were preparing for graduation, you should have informed the me beforehand. It’s been in the news lately about attendance substitution, I might let it go easily. Actually, if no one knows, that’s another story… But I heard that the student has quite a reputation.’

   Another thing the professor said was if he could just get a yes from the group leader, the grade could be changed. Jaeyoung asked for the phone number of the group leader from the junior batch. Then he eagerly contacted the other party, but that stubborn person ignored his messages and refused to answer calls. It seemed like they had blocked Jaeyoung’s number as well.

   Since it was the end of the semester, he went to look for him on his own, but it wasn’t easy to find his whereabouts. The other party had just finished his military service and returned to study. He didn’t participate in any activities, or checked the office of Computer Engineering, or watched movies or, joined a cap club, or a judo club. No matter which club he looked into, he couldn’t find the person named “Chu Sangwoo.” And then, the event passed, and the time for score correction finally ended.

   Jaeyoung felt hopeless, but in reality, the reason he couldn’t graduate was due to his own laziness. Just a few days later, he could smile again and let go. The situation was already laughable. Moreover, when it became a topic of gossip among friends, he started to feel embarrassed. After he complained and scolded the group leader, he managed to get rid of this matter from his mind.

   Jaeyoung was a very open-minded person, and even if he graduated a bit late, compared to the male students who had to go to military service, it wasn’t considered late at all. Furthermore, his portfolio was very impressive. He planned to travel and have fun for about six months before looking for a job or continuing his studies. He was confident that he wasn’t falling behind.  ‘Hey, good to see you. I heard rumors going around that you couldn’t graduate. So, wherever you are, you can do a mobile game project.’

   ‘Why a game? Isn’t it a student project?’

   ‘Well, the Developer is known as an Computer Engineeringuter genius, very interesting. If you don’t have anything to do, why not try this project?’

   ‘You are pretending to egg me to do it. You’re the one who dumped the work on me.’

   ‘Yes, that’s right.’

   Han Sooyeong was a female student who was about the same age as 

   Jaeyoung, but she had dropped out of school for a while and would be graduating this year. She planned to continue her master’s degree at Hankook University but had to deal with various urgent matters.

   ‘Let me go. I don’t have time to deal with that anymore. That young developer is quite sensitive, so if you don’t want to do it, help me attend the meeting and explain to him that I can’t do the project anymore. Okay?’

   ‘Do I do things for free?’

   ‘If everything is settled next month, I’ll treat you to drinks.’

   With this reason, Han Sooyeong’s work became Jaeyoung, who had nothing to do and was playing games in the club room. He pretended to refuse Sooyeong’s request, but eventually agreed.  (5.)

   It was surprising to see the strange group sitting in that conference room— the new member who stared at his seniors without blinking, the male student with white hair like snow, the plump guy they had met countless times before, and the guy who was sitting right in front of them. It seemed that the other party couldn’t remember Jaeyoung as well as before.

   When Jaeyoung faced the truth that ‘crazy-guy = the group leader (Mr. ChuSangwoo),’ that guy left a notebook on the table and disappeared from the meeting room. The sadness of unable to graduate was dug up again as two credit units buried deep in his soul surfaced, stirring up his emotions. He intended to call the other party out to instruct him to calm down a bit. But that crazy guy reconsidered his message so Jaeyoung was furious, very, very furious. However, no matter what, there was a limit to correcting the score. Even if he confronted the crazy guy, it didn’t mean he would graduate or help him get to know the other party’s weakness. So, he acted as if nothing happened and let it pass.

   (6.)

   One weekend day, during their free time, Jaeyoung and his friends went to play games together and he encountered crazy-guy there.

   The other party was working in an internet cafe, a place where they clearly didn’t get along. Thoughts of retaliatory methods sprang up in Jaeyoung’s mind immediately upon seeing crazy-guy’s reaction change after seeing the portfolio, but crazy-guy wasn’t someone who could be easily provoked through normal means. Having witnessed the failures of others in similar situations before, Jaeyoung decided to handle things cautiously.

   But playing games while leaving the other party right in front of him made him unable to concentrate. Jaeyoung let his frustration get the best of him and ended up ordering Ramyeon multiple times after catching crazy-guy’s mistakes, not really intending to make him feel stressed, but rather wanting to see some sign of discomfort from Sangwoo’s usually composed face.

   However, crazy-guy remained unfazed. Jaeyoung understood the feelings of those who had previously tried to provoke the other party in an instant and eventually snapped.

   “Then please continue being trash, sunbaenim, and don’t bother contacting me again.”

   Encountering someone who lacked social boundaries to this extent was a first for Jaeyoung. He wanted to confront the other party, but if he did, it was certain that crazy-guy would call the police with a completely unperturbed expression. 

   Today, Jaeyoung had to endure it once again, just like before.

   He observed crazy-guy for many years. Regardless of what anyone said, he couldn’t help but be impressed by how crazy-guy managed to maintain his composure in the face of adversity. Previously, Jaeyoung had been somewhat interested in those outside the norm, but there were limits to madness. It was overwhelming when confronted with someone like that. Instead of finding it enjoyable, he felt a profound sense of boredom and never wanted to see that person again.

   (7.)

   One day, out of the blue, the crazy guy who had once said they should not meet again brought a good-looking young girl to the restaurant where

   Jaeyoung worked. This place belonged to his noona, whom they both knew. Jaeyoung had been working here since the place opened, and people in the neighborhood knew that he worked here.

   Jaeyoung’s blood pressure rose the moment he saw the crazy guy walking into the shop. As he walked in fearlessly for a fight, Jaeyoung’s heart raced. But the crazy guy just ordered pasta, nothing more. He didn’t recognize Jaeyoung, and it wasn’t an act. Even when their eyes met. The other party simply looked through him as if seeing someone for the first time. Jaeyoung’s heart was filled with intense anger, double the anger he had ever felt before.

   Why?

   While waiting for the food, Jaeyoung pondered why he felt so hot-headed, and there was only one answer: absolute indifference.

   The events of the welcoming party for the new recruit, the incident about the 850 won, and the interview had passed a long time ago, perhaps forgotten. But it was the incident that caused one person to drop out of school. If they were a human being, they should consider the feelings of the other side and at least pretend to feel a little embarrassed. Especially if the other party pretended to be friendly, it would have been better to pretend to care, right? Moreover, it seemed that this kid only thought that he was not at fault and quickly brushed his head aside.

   ‘Oh, sunbaenim… Min-Youngjae.’

   Furthermore, it was clear that the other party did not see Jaeyoung as a  human being but as something that made weird sounds and gestures. That’s

   why when Jaeyoung changed his attire and accessories slightly, the other party couldn’t recognize him anymore. Jaeyoung had never encountered anyone who made him feel so worthless.

   Jaeyoung’s anger took a somewhat peculiar direction. While the E-Com representative who called for a baseball bat on that day wanted to knock this crazy guy out, Jaeyoung wanted to make the other party pay attention to him, to care about him as much as he cared about the other party.

   Jaeyoung wanted to see the indifferent gaze of the crazy guy twisted with hatred or any strong emotion. He wanted the name Jang Jaeyoung, these three syllables etched into the mind like a machine.

   ‘Is there something you don’t like?’

   ‘You, sunbae.’

   It was that simple. After finishing the matter that day, Jaeyoung immediately began to execute his plan. In the notebook that the crazy guy left in the conference room, there was a schedule for next semester. Jaeyoung organized his own schedule based on that. Then he started walking, gathering information.

   ‘Do you know a student named Chu Sangwoo? A student who likes to wear dark jacket and black hat.’

   He kept asking the gate guards, front and back doors, cafeteria staff, nutritionists, convenience store owners, part-time secretaries, librarians, soccer field construction workers, and students who took the same class as the other party last semester. And he got an amusing answer.

   “I know him well, that student rides his bicycle into the university every day.” 

   (Security Guard…)

   “He comes to the same café at the same time and always buys the same brand of coffee. He never tries anything else.” (Convenience store owner.)

   “Last semester, that male student came here at exactly two minutes past four every day without fail. He almost didn’t need a watch anymore.”

   (Library librarian.)

   “You mean the boy who likes to go wherever alone, right? He would pass by here at minute 41. Just perfect. And when he turns at that corner, he’ll have to throw the coffee can into the recycling bin on the second floor. I wonder if he dislikes the other bins.” (Construction worker.) That kid is crazier than I thought.

   Other people have shown that the usual methods cannot leave any trace on them, having this hard time to look for him, find a crazy person’s path one has to empathize with him. Jaeyoung has finally come up with a way to ruin Chu Sangwoo’s perfect daily life.

   A day before the start of the semester, he eagerly awaited the university days more than anyone else.

   ________________________________________ .

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 6 Red #1.

   He met the ‘crazy guy’ for the first time at the welcome party for new students in his third year, first semester. Since Virtual Arts Design and Computer Engineering shared the same venue for welcoming new students, the new members of both faculties sat in the same Korean barbecue restaurant with a partitioned table, giving the impression of being the same age but different races. While the dining table of Virtual Arts Design seemed to have eyes because everyone was trying to express their individuality, the side of Computer Engineering was like a colorless sea, as if there was a rule that anything conspicuous would be caught. Just by comparing the number of dyed heads, it was clear that the two factions had different perspectives on expressing their individuality.

   “1.”

   Jaeyoung saw the other side when Computer Engineering was ordering the new student to drink alcohol unnecessarily.

   ‘I don’t want to drink.’

   Jaeyoung had a good memory, but he couldn’t remember the details of the appearance of the person he met four years ago. And the appearance of the other side was not more outstanding than others. What remained until now was the impression of the exterior that seemed relatively ordinary but turned out to be more easily irritated than expected. If there was something special, it would be the slim neck that seemed to draw attention.

   ‘Can’t you drink alcohol? Or is it because of religious beliefs?’

   ‘I can drink, but I don’t feel like drinking right now.’

   The student representative and the new student placed a glass of whiskey on the table and faced each other. At that moment, Virtual Arts Design table didn’t show any excitement as the neighboring students gathered to watch the unfolding scene. There was a crazy guy who appeared from the faculty next door, and the student representatives stopped what they were doing and turned to watch the fun.

   ‘Do you think I’m a funny guy? Are you planning to resist or something?’

   ‘sunbaenim, I’m not drinking because I don’t want to drink. It’s not because of the liqour you gave.’

   Jaeyoung remembered that the other party spoke a sentence that didn’t really help improve the situation. In this Computer Engineering class, there were male students, 90% of them and thus there is a hidden culture of hazing—SOTUS. The only ones who could refuse alcohol were either religious or allergic to it. The ones who refused without any reason were only those who would mock the student representatives. But if it ended there, it would be fine. However, the student representative who was drinking managed to shout and order someone to grab a baseball bat. And then things escalated quickly. When it reached this point, if it were any other kid, they would probably give up. But that crazy guy took out a phone.

   ‘What are you gonna do with that? Who are you calling?’

   ‘The police station.’

   Then chaos ensued. One side tried to reach for the phone, and the crazy guy ran around inside the shop to avoid them. As for the student representative in Computer Engineering, he shouted for a baseball bat and the scene became indescribable. Jaeyoung, who was watching from the neighboring seat, felt that the situation wasn’t going well, so he intervened. He snatched the phone and threw away the battery. Then, he blocked the student representative in Computer Engineering with a frying pan and ordered the crazy guy to fuck away. All of this was Jaeyoung’s doing. At that moment, it seemed like he was about to get beaten up, but he couldn’t recall much anymore.

   Even though the reception of the new student was chaotic, the students drank, sang, played, and danced on the chaos. As for the crazy guy, he turned into a fresh piece of meat in the whiskey group called “The Ninta Topic” and was beaten to almost pulp and chewed like squid. The student representative in Computer Engineering declared loudly that he would kill the crazy guy…

   But looking at how the crazy guy was still walking normally now, it seemed that getting through to him wouldn’t be easy. In fact, it was difficult to make someone who didn’t join clubs or participate in activities like him pay attention. Throughout his two years at university, Jaeyoung heard that the student representative in Computer Engineering had tried various ways to bother the other party, but the crazy guy never seemed to be affected. It was certain that he ate alone, and even when he was scolded, he remained indifferent. Sometimes, when it seemed like things were about to escalate (such as using force or blocking the way to prevent him from attending class) he would call 112.

   What was even more surprising was that the crazy-guy was a truly eccentric and outstanding student, to the point where he was praised among the Computer Engineering students as a programming language genius. Despite some obstacles, he still managed to secure the top position in his class, making him a dark legend among the representatives of Computer Engineering students. Until now, crazy-guy remained a distant story for Jaeyoung alone.

   (2)

   In the following semester, he found himself sitting in an elective class.

   Normally, Jaeyoung would be half asleep from drinking soju all night and had no choice but to sit at the back since he was always late. On the other hand, crazy-guy usually sat in the same spot every time, right in front of him. Even though his consciousness would slip away, the peculiar beauty of his slender neck and excessively pale skin for a guy kept Jaeyoung’s attention fixated on his neck instead of focusing on the lecture.

   But their relationship remained as strangers who never spoke to each other. Jaeyoung was too lazy to attend that class again, while crazy-guy was temporarily erased from his memory.

   (3)

   One day, Jaeyoung happened to encounter the crazy-guy in front of a convenience store. The other side glanced at him momentarily and looked at Jaeyoung with eyes indifferent to the world’s affairs.

   ‘sunbaehim, please return the money, 850 won, that you borrowed three days ago.’

   Just then, the other side spoke up, perhaps because he noticed the stolen glances directed at his neck. Jaeyoung couldn’t find the words to say and handed over a thousand-won bill, the crazy-guy took the money and quickly lowered his gaze to inspect if it was counterfeit. His eyelashes were lined up like a fan, and the feather hat made it difficult to see his eyes, making

   Jaeyoung want to take off the hat that seemed sewn onto the other side’s head.

   ‘I need to give you change, but I don’t have any 50-won coins.’

   ‘No need for change.’

   However, despite that, the other side still rushed into the convenience store to exchange for coins before coming out again and placing 150 won in Jaeyoung’s hand. At that moment, the crazy-guy encountered a large-built male student, resulting in a confrontation between the three of them. The male student greeted him while the crazy-guy alternated his gaze between the other party and Jaeyoung, looking puzzled.

   ‘Just a moment, did I borrow money from you, or am I mistaken?’ Asked the big male student.

   ‘It was me. 850 won.’

   ‘Let it go and just keep it.’

   Crazy-guy accepted the money from the other party and handed it to Jaeyoung.

   ‘I remember the wrong person, can I have the 150 back, please.’

   Jaeyoung took the thousand-baht bill and returned the coins to the other party, feeling like he had turned into a fool himself. The crazy guy handed the coin to a male student before disappearing immediately. Jaeyoung stood there still for a moment, then began to understand the situation. Although the towering male student had nothing in common with Jaeyoung, there was one thing that was similar—both had bright-colored hair.

   After finishing the second semester of his third year, Jaeyoung went to military service, and the unbelievable event at that time was buried in his memory. After completing his service and returning to study, Jaeyoung was busy with his studies, part-time jobs, exercising, as well as activities in the drama club, leaving no room to think about the crazy guy.

   In his fourth year, second semester, Jaeyoung was occupied with his final term studies and couldn’t afford to forget or neglect anything. However, he couldn’t refuse the sincere request of a junior classmate to be a presenter at the university festival. He was involved in various activities and relied on the breaks between club rehearsals to roam the university with a camera, interviewing students.

   (4.)

   Jaeyoung encountered the other party again in front of the Engineering Faculty.

   The other party wore a black hat that covered his face, a dark green checkered shirt, dark jeans, and worn-out sneakers reminiscent of when he was a freshman. The other party looked more gloomy and appeared less confident “judging from the darker complexion, probably just finished military service”. The only thing that remained unchanged was that indifferent gaze. Jaeyoung quickly approached him.

   ‘How’s the festival going, my fellow student?’

   He was glad to see the crazy guy whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, and couldn’t fathom where his newfound confidence came from. But the crazy guy replied without looking at Jaeyoung.

   ‘I’m not buying.’

   In that instant, Jaeyoung felt an inexplicable annoyance, but he refused to give in and approached the other party again, holding the microphone for another interview.

   ‘The camera is filming now. Fellow student, what fun things are there in the festival?’

   ‘This kind of culture should disappear already. I don’t care about the festival, and I don’t find it enjoyable at all. Don’t force me to have fun.’

   While Jaeyoung hesitated, unable to express his feelings, the crazy guy walked away. Even though he turned to laugh with the junior classmate from the sound distribution club, saying that there are always strange people in this world, Jaeyoung remained irritated in his heart.

   But those little events couldn’t do anything to him because it was the end of the semester, and he was about to graduate. Jaeyoung won first place in an international product design competition and traveled to Singapore to attend the award ceremony. With various awards and a packed portfolio, he was accepted into a prestigious graduate program at a leading design school.

   In the second half of the final semester, he believed he was close to graduation and hardly attended classes. He spent his days rehearsing for a theater performance and enjoying leisurely outings that brought him immense joy. Unexpectedly, the results exceeded his expectations.

   [Hankuk University Student Personality Test (compulsory elective) –  Fail.

   Evaluation – Not approved for graduation.] __________________________.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 5 <1> #5.

   “Oppa, you seems to be quite familiar with that person.”

   Jihye spoke without hesitation. She has managed to finish half a plate of pasta.

   “No, not at all.”

   “Well, he is Jaeyoung. Not Youngjae.”

   Sangwoo placed his fork on the plate. He didn’t feel like eating anymore.

   “He’s a prominent member of the drama club, and my friend likes to watch his performances. Plus, he also enrolled in Virtual Arts Design class. I’ve heard some things about him. When he was twenty, someone scouted him to become an actor for JS Entertainment…”

   “Enough.”

   “Yes?”

   “Let’s talk about something else.”

   Jihye usually speaks confidently in any situation, but now she looks completely speechless. As for Sangwoo, he forced a disappointing bite of the 3,000 won pasta into his mouth, hoping to relieve his restless feelings.

   Changing one’s mind means what exactly? Hard to imagine. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with that guy anymore.

   Return 0;

   While Sangwoo studied on regular weekdays and took up extra work on weekends, the new semester was approaching quickly. He used the remaining time to read ahead and prepare for the upcoming semester’s lessons. It didn’t seem too difficult because, besides two required elective courses related to engineering that students should know about humanities, all the other subjects were major-specific.

   In the past, he often took more than 20 credit hours per semester, but this semester he had to allocate free time for game development. After having issues with designers and not finding suitable ones, his planned map was flawed. But now, the registration period had already passed, and he didn’t really want to change the meticulously arranged schedule.

   Sangwoo planned a balanced timetable from Monday to Friday, allowing him to have lunch right after classes finish.

   Monday: (1) Intermediate Chinese, (2) Engineering Mathematics 2.

   Tuesday: (1) Embedded Systems, (2) Algorithm.

   Wednesday: (1)(2) Contemporary Culture and Cultural Theory.

   Thursday: Same as Monday.

   Friday: Same as Tuesday.

   The new semester has begun.

   Sangwoo woke up at 8:30 a.m., like every day, and did some light exercise. Then he took a shower and had cereal with milk. After that, he brushed his teeth and changed clothes. His shirt hung on top while his pants hung below, following the order of laundry. Today was his turn to wear a black t-shirt and black trousers.

   He fastened his belt around his waist, then used his hand to comb his hair before putting on a black cap to cover his face and eyes. He wore a down jacket on the outside and wrapped a scarf around his neck. Then he slung his backpack over his shoulder and left the room, heading straight for his bike. As he rode his bike out, the digital clock on the front showed the time: 9:16 a.m., just like every day.

   When Sangwoo passed through the university’s main gate, it was still 9:24  a.m., as usual. It was a satisfying start, as he would always get annoyed if he was even a minute or two late due to traffic problems, but such days didn’t happen often.

   Sangwoo locked his bike at the designated spot and proceeded to the Humanities building. Once inside, he saw a long staircase and it took him 0.9 seconds to climb one step. There were a total of 64 steps, with a short landing after every 16 steps. It took him 61 seconds to reach the 4th floor, where the Chinese language classroom was located.

   Sangwoo opened the door to Room 403 before the class started, 30 minutes early. In the classroom, there was one student who had arrived before him and was sitting at the front. Sangwoo walked to the fourth row without hesitation.

   ‘What now?’

   However, today there was a bag placed on the table at the far right of the fourth row. Sangwoo glanced at it with disbelief in his eyes and blinked several times. In the six semesters of his history, he had never been deprived of his seat before. He always sat in the same position throughout, and he never even thought about moving to another seat.

   The rightmost seat in the fourth row was a spot where he could make eye contact with the professor without having to strain his neck or look at the projector screen or whiteboard to see the text clearly. It was not directly hit by the heat of the heater or air conditioner, and there were no windows, so it didn’t let in direct sunlight. On top of that, it had a wall on one side, making him feel more stable compared to other seats surrounded by other students.

   ‘Who is it?’

   Sangwoo felt slightly annoyed, but the classroom didn’t have a seat reservation system like the library, so everyone could choose their seats freely.

   Sangwoo had to sit in the next available seat on the left, which didn’t help. However, he still didn’t give up his original seat. Even though he opened his Chinese textbook, he couldn’t concentrate.

   ‘I should politely ask if I can switch seats.’

   After making up his mind, Sangwoo felt slightly more confident. He didn’t believe in the first-button theory [1], but he didn’t want to feel strange and out of place by sitting in an unfamiliar seat since the first class of the semester.

   As the class start time approached, students began to enter the room.

   “Oh, hello there.”

   A male student who looked younger than him greeted him with a slight bow, but Sangwoo pretended not to notice. It was the first time he had encountered the other party.

   “Oh! We meet again here.”

   This time, a female student greeted him and then walked away, but Sangwoo didn’t know who she was.

   Students continued to enter the classroom one after another, but the owner of the bag still hadn’t appeared. It was a leather bag with a long strap draped across the body. Sangwoo wanted to secretly move that bag and take the adjacent seat, but he tried to endure it because leaving a bag at a certain spot was a known unspoken rule that it had been reserved.

   It was almost ten o’clock on the dot. The teacher entered the room and distributed documents, greeting and asking about one of the students.

   “Hasn’t the assistant student arrived yet?”

   Did someone decide to be an assistant student for the elective course? It was considered an outstanding effort, as being an assistant student increased the opportunity to get closer to the teacher and often resulted in extra credit from the teacher. Many students looked around in curiosity. A student who had just entered through the back door raised his hand.

   “I’m here!”

   “Jaeyoung! Long time no see. Why did you suddenly decide to take

   Intermediate Chinese?”

   “I don’t have enough credits. If I don’t practice the language, it will deteriorate, right?”

   “Yes, that’s right, everyone. This is Jaeyoung. He will be assisting us throughout this semester. He is a senior student who used to live in Hong Kong. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him. You can also send homework assignments to this student starting from today.”

   Sangwoo, who was sweeping his gaze over the documents, was so startled that he dropped them. But he thought it must be a common name since there were many people with the same name.

   At that moment, the leather shoulder bag on the right-hand table was lifted, and someone sat down on the chair. Even though he didn’t want to turn and look, Sangwoo’s head automatically turned.

   The red felt hat and the striking red feather jacket were so eye-catching that they stood out excessively. When he took off the feather jacket, the inside revealed a red jersey [2]. Moreover, one hand was still holding a red cola can. Fortunately, the other side did not wear red pants. Sangwoo felt speechless, so he only opened his mouth without uttering any words.

[1]                    The theory of the first button. When the first button is wrong, the following buttons will also be wrong. It means that if there is a mistake from the beginning, it may lead to continuous misfortunes.

[2]                    Jersey, a jacket used for exercise, made of sweat-wicking fabric.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

 

SMNTCERR, Chapter 4 <1> #4.

After resolving the headache-inducing conflict, Sangwoo’s daily life continued as usual. Even though it was the end of the semester, he still went to the library to read books every day. There was another major problem, though. The position of the designer for the project “Vegetable Man” was vacant again. He posted a job announcement on the university’s online forum, looking for a designer to take responsibility for all the graphic work of the action game. But no one contacted him. He scheduled his classes for the next semester to have free time for game development, but if he couldn’t find a designer, the designated time would be meaningless.

Apart from that, there were no other problems. Today, Sangwoo continued reading books according to plan and headed straight to the cafeteria. As he walked along, he saw a box ahead.

A female student was holding a large box stacked with smaller boxes, seemingly blocking the way completely. Judging from the length of her steps, it was clear that she was about to stumble over something. Suddenly, he heard a loud scream.

“Oh no!”

The female student extended her hand and lunged forward, but the stacked boxes still fell to the ground. Various items such as bookends, snack boxes, and loose tapes scattered on the ramp. Although the situation of the student seemed sympathetic, Sangwoo, who was determined to go to the cafeteria, chose to walk past nonchalantly.

“Just a moment!”

But at that moment, the girl called out to Sangwoo.

“I’m really sorry, but can you please help me? I’m exhausted… If you help,

I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“To the locker in the third-floor library, please.”

If you want to go to the library, it takes a minimum of seven minutes to walk there. A meal at a cafeteria costs three thousand won. Without even calculating, it is clear that this is a more cost-effective exchange than the minimum wage. Sangwoo agreed and helped the young lady pack her belongings into a box. He used both hands to lift the large box. The other party was surprised to see this and did something inappropriate.

“It’s too heavy, isn’t it? Let me carry the small box myself.”

“Sure. It’s very heavy. What did you put in there?”

“Books and trinkets…”

The box was really heavy, Sangwoo had to take two breaks along the way, sweating so much that he had to take off his down jacket[1]. The journey took seven minutes and increased to fifteen minutes. When he lifted it up to the third floor, he was so exhausted that he used too much force just for one meal.

Sangwoo felt regretful about the unwise decision.

“Thank you so much for saving my life. I’m really grateful.”

During those fifteen minutes, Ru Jihye managed to gauge all of Sangwoo’s basic personal information, including his name, student ID, and faculty. The way she addressed him changed from ‘Min’ to ‘Oppa’, which confused Sangwoo as they walked out of the library. Jihye asked.

“What do you want to eat, oppa?”

“Just bring me one food coupon, that’s enough.”

“Huh, and what about the food inside?”

From the outside, Sangwoo appeared dark and gloomy, and no one approached him. But Jihye was different from other students, she wasn’t afraid at all.

“I’ll make sure to feed you delicious food that matches your gratitude, oppa.

Follow me, please.”

“Understood.”

“Stop being polite.”

“Okay.”

Then they started walking. Jihye said they would reach the destination in just ten minutes, but it took longer than that in the end. Sangwoo was not very pleased to have to walk so far just for a meal, but he gave Jihye the privilege of choosing the menu and silently followed along.

“Here is a pasta restaurant, it’s really delicious, both pasta and pizza are delicious, the pizza has thin crust and easy to eat. Last time I had pasta carbonara[2] it was so delicious that I almost licked the plate… Plus, there’s a 10% discount for students, and all the part-time staff members have nice faces…”

Jihye is talkative, even if Sangwoo is not talkative, she can keep talking on her own. They left the university and passed by a liquor store crowded with students outside. Then Jihye turned into a quiet alley and pointed to the second floor, where a sign with a hand-drawn tree made it clear that it was not an ordinary cheap restaurant.

As they climbed the stairs and opened the large door, a ringing sound echoed. The spacious restaurant was not brightly lit, but it was decorated in a cozy atmosphere. The staff came to inquire about reservations and the number of people. Then they were led to an available table.

“Here, you have to choose the staff based on their appearance, each one looks very professional.”

Jihye looked around and kept talking while sitting down at the table.

Meanwhile, Sangwoo glanced through the menu to analyze the food options. For single dishes, the cheapest was 14,000 won (10.99 USD), and the most expensive was 23,500 won (18 USD), with an average price of 17,400 won (13.66 USD). When considering that the main ingredient was pasta, it was difficult to understand the high cost. Just helping out once shouldn’t require such a hefty compensation.

“Can you afford this price?”

“Just treat it as a long-term reward. I can deduct it from my salary at the end of the month.”

Even if he didn’t agree with her answer, he didn’t need to worry about other people’s wallets. Sangwoo reconsidered the unfamiliar food names on the menu while Jihye continued to admire them as if they made her feel reborn, Fresca, Citrus, Salad… Cacciucco, Rosso… Fritti-italiani…

 

 

Should I order the food?”

While Sangwoo was still absorbed in looking at the food names, he heard a soft but firm voice coming from Jihye before he had a chance to speak.

“I’ll have one pasta Vongole, please.”

“As for me…”

Sangwoo raised his face and prepared to order the most expensive item on the menu. It was at that moment that he noticed the staff at the restaurant, just as Jihye truthfully mentioned. Even in Sangwoo’s usual indifference towards others’ appearances, he felt that the other person was a good-looking man, which was rare to find.

With a neatly combed hairstyle and a thin face adorned with a faint smile that revealed rounded dimples, and a prominent nose. The other person wore a white shirt tucked into a slightly faded black waistcoat, looking clean and tidy.

“Have we met somewhere before?”

The other person’s face looked familiar, perhaps seen in clothing advertisements. Sangwoo thought so and responded with a slight smile at one corner of his mouth.

“Oppa, what’s wrong!”

Jihye’s urgent voice caught Sangwoo’s attention, and he quickly ordered the pasta with lobster. The staff took note of their food choices and repeated the order.

“Anything else you’d like?”

“Do you accept student discounts from Hankuk University?”

“Of course. I studied there myself.”

The staff smiled gently and jotted something down on the receipt. Jihye took out her student card from her wallet and started talking excitedly.

I know! I’ve seen you many times in front of the Sungam Theater. Last year, I even went to see the play ‘Salesman.’ Oh, it’s amazing how vividly I remember how hard it was to get a ticket.”

The staff examined Jihye’s student card carefully before returning it to her.

“Well, I’m actually from France, but yes, you’re right. You have a great eye for details.”

It seemed strange that the staff focused directly on Sangwoo while speaking, their gaze not particularly friendly.

“Haha! It’s just me who is from France. This gentleman here is not. What field are you studying, oppa-Sangwoo?”

Sangwoo didn’t want to discuss his major with someone he didn’t know. Besides, he felt it was inappropriate for this man to keep looking at him since they first met.

“No need to work, huh? Take the order and go then.”

With those words, the table fell into silence. Jihye looked as if she had seen a ghost, but the staff’s twisted smile became more apparent without any known reason.

“Always the beginning, always the end, indeed.”

The other party seemed eager for Sangwoo to hear that. Then, he collected the receipt and pen and bid them farewell, mentioning that the food would be ready in about twenty minutes. After the other party left, Jihye observed Sangwoo’s expression and asked.

“Are you angry, oppa?”

“No, not at all.”

Sangwoo replied truthfully, but Jihye didn’t seem to believe him.

“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, really. If you’re not feeling good, I’m sorry. Sometimes I just blurt things out.”

I said I am not, didn’t I?”

“I’m sorry!”

Jihye shook her head and rubbed her temples with her hand, feeling a headache coming on.

“Alright, I’ll tell you it’s not true.”

“Sorry…”

“Tell you already.”

Sangwoo turned his face away in annoyance. In that moment, he caught sight of a male employee who came to take their order without paying attention. He just looked at the air, but instead of avoiding eye contact, he deliberately glanced at Sangwoo and wiped the wine glass. They locked eyes for a moment before Sangwoo turned his face away.

“Oppa, that man can’t stop staring at you.”

“No way… Hey, really?”

“He’s just looking at you.”

“Not like that, huh?”

“You’re making it seem like I’m mad or something.”

“Nah, not at all.”

They chatted about various things for about twenty minutes, and as an example, Jihye asked Sangwoo softly if he would win in a fight against that man. Sangwoo replied that he was not the type to use force. If they had to fight, he would rather let the other party beat him once and report it to the police.

“Haha, you’re funny like that. You don’t seem like that kind of person at all…”

“What do you mean?”

“Seems like you’re joking around.”

 

 

“Don’t tease me.”

Jihye covered her mouth, suppressing a burst of laughter.

While sitting in silence, the food finally arrived. The waiter held two plates with one arm while making a surprised expression, then placed one plate right in front of Jihye. Then he turned intentionally to find Sangwoo and placed another plate down. At that moment, he whispered with a volume that Sangwoo could clearly hear.

“I thought I would act cool, but I couldn’t hold back my excitement.”

“What’s going on?”

“Why are you here? Nervous, huh? Want to try something?”

Sangwoo frowned and glanced at the young man with a slight surprise. The other guy’s eyes were filled with anger and resentment, making it difficult to understand why he was so angry just because of a few words. Sangwoo concluded that the other party might have mistaken him for someone else.

“Do I know you?”

Upon hearing Sangwoo’s response, the young man was taken aback, his mouth agape. He made a disbelieving face for a moment before bursting into laughter. Then he smirked at Sangwoo and reached into his stained cloth bag to put on a pair of glasses. As he looked through the large lenses, Sangwoo remembered.

The unreliable culprit he encountered in the library conference room wore similar glasses like this. He seemed to be tall, dressed differently, not wearing earrings, and had a completely different atmosphere around him. But somehow they seemed to be the same person.

“Uh… Min Youngjae-sunbaenim.”

Although Sangwoo added the word “sunbaenim” afterwards, it seemed that the young man was already annoyed. He leaned down and whispered in Sangwoo’s ear.

“I told you not to show your face again, do you want to die or something?”

“I didn’t mean to come he, really.”

“Sangwoo.”

The soft and unnecessary tone sent shivers down his spine. Sangwoo trembled and slightly leaned back in his chair. Then, the only pair of eyes right in front of him moved closer.

“Sangwoo, that senior is calling you.”

“I only have an older sister.”

Although it was a short answer, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

“Isn’t there something you really don’t like?”

“You! sunbaenim”

Sangwoo replied directly, but the other party didn’t even flinch.

“A color you dislike, huh?”

“Red color.”

Red, the color of symptoms, ERROR. Generally, Sangwoo doesn’t particularly dislike any color, but there’s only one color he truly can’t stand: red.

“Animal you dislike?”

“Homo sapiens [4].”

Is there any creature that is as imperfect as humans? They don’t have strong claws, durable skin, dangerous toxins, and often they are dominated by desires and emotions. Sangwoo glanced at the soulless figure standing in front of him.

“Food you dislike?”

“Pasta.”

Sangwoo is not a picky eater, but now he dislikes anything related to this man.

“Place you dislike?”

“Within a ten-meter radius of you, sunbaenim.”

“Well then, please excuse me.”

After exchanging cold responses, the young man laughed tensely and whispered softly.

“You seem abnormal, so I was thinking of letting it go, but I’ve changed my mind. I’ll see you next semester.”

“Oh, sure. Feel free to hire a thug. I’ll be waiting for you at 112.”

“Lack of imagination, indeed.”

Before Sangwoo could come up with a retort, the other person had already walked away.

________________________________________.

[1]       Padded jacket, also known as Michelin jacket or padding in Korean “패딩”, is a thick winter coat that has a puffy appearance.

[2]       Panettone, a type of Italian sweet bread that is served with pastry-like texture. It has a round, dome shape, and the bread is hollowed out in the center, allowing the panettone, which is already prepared, to be placed inside.

[4] Homo sapiens, the species of humans, which refers to present-day humans.

 

   SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

 

SMNTCERR, Chapter 3 <1> #3.   

   [NonPaddler 3 is Calling…]   

   Sangwoo noticed the text displayed on the screen simultaneously, and at that moment, the ringing sound from the other party’s mobile phone became louder. The young man picked up his phone from his jacket pocket with a calm expression before bursting into laughter. Sangwoo himself saw that the other party had saved his name as something amusing.   

   [The Scoundrel is Calling!]   

   Sangwoo was startled to the point of forgetting to pick up his notebook and other belongings. He then rushed out of the meeting room, so caught up in the moment that he didn’t even think to turn around and see if the other party was calling him or just sitting there.   

   Twenty minutes ago, he lost his train of thought of that time frame. When he returned to the room, Sangwoo locked the door behind him and took a moment to catch his breath. He stumbled as he ran up the stairs, feeling a sharp pain in his knees. His body felt exhausted as he walked over to the refrigerator, opened it, and grabbed a bottle of water to quench his thirst.   

   “Fucking hell.”   

   It was all a blur. Sangwoo had locked himself out of his own phone until he finally managed to unlock it with trembling hands. He saw that there were no incoming calls, just a contact named ‘NonPaddler 3.’ Then, messages and missed call notifications started popping up. Five days ago, ‘NonPaddler 3,’ or Jang Jaeyoung, had sent a message asking for understanding and requesting to meet Sangwoo. He admitted fault without directly telling the group leader anything but informed other members within the group. The messages seemed threatening.   

   [NonPaddler 3: You will regret this_2:00 yesterday.] That was the last message.   

   Sangwoo quickly scanned the text before returning to his chilling thoughts. He considered himself a talented designer, but deep down, he knew he had a bad personality, made mistakes, and lacked conscience. It was fortunate that he realized this before starting the project. Although he felt some regret after seeing the other party’s artwork, he had high expectations but ultimately had to make a firm decision. He had no intention of collaborating with one of those troublemakers. Likewise, that senior probably didn’t want to work with him either.   

   ‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’   

   Although having a fight with the other party was beyond expectations,  Sangwoo was confident that it was all the senior’s own fault. Nevertheless, the suffocating feeling in his heart didn’t dissipate. There was no logical reason for him to feel this way, but Sangwoo continued to brood over his phone before eventually falling asleep in the dark morning.  …   

   The next morning, the message notifications were already waiting.   

   [NonPaddler 3: Sangwoo-ya, let’s talk [1]_08:56.]   

   Sangwoo rubbed his eyes, still half-asleep, and glanced at the screen of his mobile phone. When he was a child, people in the neighborhood used nicknames to address him, so he grew up without a real name. In college, he became StudentSangwoo, the senior Sangwoo, and then Chu Sangwoo. When he entered the military, he became Private Chu, Sergeant Chu, Lieutenant Chu, Captain Chu, and the person they called Sangwoo-ya. In this world, there were only his parents and himself.   

   [Wrong number, dude_09:01.]   

•    [NonPaddler 3: Chu Sangwoo, 25 years old, Computer Engineering Third Year, took leave to work at the government office and just returned to study in September, not part of any clubs, doesn’t participate in student activities_09:02.]   

•    [NonPaddler 3: If you don’t want to make things worse, let’s talk while I still intend to speak nicely_09:02.]   

   The content seemed a little scary. Sangwoo stared at his phone, reading the message repeatedly. In the meantime, new messages kept coming in.   

   [NonPaddler 3: Today, meet me at the university’s main gate at 6 o’clock_09:05.]   

   [NonPaddler 3: I won’t punch you_09:06.]   

   “It’s a joke.”   

   Sangwoo held his phone tightly, suppressing a cold laugh. He hadn’t done anything wrong, so why should he believe the other party?   

   “Did he investigate me? Should I report it to the police?”   

   Sangwoo belonged to those who relied on the power of the state. He knew well what situations should be reported to the police.   

   He slowly read the messages on his phone screen again. Although he didn’t know what would happen when they met, the threat was clear. However, he wasn’t afraid because there was no way for the other party to harm him. Sangwoo was a dedicated student, focused solely on his studies. He never got involved in any other university activities. The only ones who could attack him within the university were the professors.   

   return 0;.   

   Three days passed. Sangwoo thought that the intense conflict had come to an end, but that was just his foolish thinking. He was working at an internet cafe near the university. How long could he avoid meeting students from the same institution? Think about it realistically, and you’ll know.   

   While Sangwoo was organizing pastries into boxes, a mischievous group of friends walked in through the door. When he saw Sangwoo, the tallest person in the group slowed down.   

   “What a coincidence, just having a meal together… that’s it.”   

   If his gaze hadn’t been so sharp, Sangwoo probably wouldn’t have remembered who that person was. They exchanged glances as if time had stopped, and then the eyes behind the big glasses blinked before narrowing. At that moment, the background image seemed to disappear. Suddenly, thoughts like “End it already.” “I’m annoyed.” “I want to escape from here.” flooded his mind. Sangwoo felt inexplicably tense, causing the bag of pastries to slip from his hand.   

   In Sangwoo’s mind, he prepared himself for the fight, but Jang Jaeyoung acted as if he didn’t know him and just took a service card and walked away.  

   As all five of them disappeared into the smoking area [2] Sangwoo returned to sit at the counter once again. Although his eyes were fixed on textbooks and notebooks, he was absent-minded.   

   When he looked up, he saw Jaeyoung’s head emerging from the screen slightly. Sangwoo glanced at the other side’s screen to see what game he was playing or which website he was browsing. Jaeyoung had opened a website with information about a game and entered an online RPG. He was hunting monsters for a couple of rounds to gain experience. Then he switched to playing FPS games, two matches. Meanwhile, the other side switched to playing an MMORPG. Sangwoo was reading a book but didn’t turn the page.   

   ‘Are you just going to let it slide like this?’   

   Seeing the threatening message, he considered using force, but judging by the calm demeanor, it seemed like Jaeyoung intended to bury the issue. And Sangwoo thought that this might be the best conclusion, but it was merely wishful thinking.   

   [Order from customer number 32: Explosive Spicy Ramen.]   

   ‘Alright then.’   

   Sangwoo took a deep breath and got up to cook the explosive spicy ramen. He measured 450 milliliters of water according to the recipe and took more time than usual to boil it. He broke the noodle block in half and put it in the pot while waiting for the soup to boil. It occurred to Sangwoo that in the past, when he had issues with someone, their anger would often engulf him, leading him to spew out insults or even resort to violence. But this time, he didn’t let his emotions run wild. Instead of responding to aggression with aggression, he chose to take a step back and notify the police. That’s what he planned to do this time.   

   The smoking area was filled with cigarette smoke. Sangwoo held a tray under the cup and walked over to stand in front of table number 32. The young man sat leaning back in the chair, smoking a cigarette. When Sangwoo placed the tray down, the other side turned the chair around and looked at Sangwoo with narrow eyes. Today, he was wearing a red letterman jacket with a pattern on the chest, and just by looking at him, one could tell he was crazy.   

   His appearance truly resembled a jester.  

   ‘Don’t you like me at all.’   

   Sangwoo turned around. The other side spoke up.   

   “I didn’t know you,  a loyal and honest hubaenim was working here.” Jang Jaeyoung mumbled, flicking his cigarette ashes into the ashtray. Then he slowly shifted his gaze back to Sangwoo.   

   “Why did you ignore my call? Are you worried?” Sangwoo didn’t know how to respond. No matter how intimidating or threatening someone might be, he was confident in his ability to handle it with courage. But he had never encountered an opponent who chose to provoke him in such a calm manner.   

   “Sangwoo, why did you not answer my call?” The tone of Jaeyoung’s voice was softer than expected, not inviting conflict. Sangwoo decided to take a step back and reveal his true intentions.   

   “Please speak directly if you have any business.”   

   “Let’s talk face to face.”   

   That’s not a difficult request, Sangwoo raised his head and locked eyes with the other side. This time, that person averted their gaze, took out another cigarette, lit it, and remained silent for a while, surrounded by smoke. Then they made eye contact with Sangwoo again and extended their right hand abruptly.   

   “Shall we play a game together first or shall we make peace up?” The large hand reaching out felt insincere. Sangwoo felt uneasy.   

   “How can we make peace if we’ve never fought? Besides, I don’t work with seniors.”   

   Jaeyoung just laughed without saying a word, keeping his hand withdrawn.   

   “Why do you think I wanted to meet you?”   

   “I don’t know.”   

   “You lack imagination.”   

   “sunbaenim, just because we meet doesn’t mean your scores will change. sunbaejim, you smart enough to get into university. At least try to understand that.”   

   Jaeyoung hugged himself, revealing a twisted smile.   

   “What scores? It’s been a long time since the score correction period ended.”   

   “If that’s the case, why bother leaving me waiting and picking a fight with me?”   

   “I don’t know.”   

   “You lack imagination.”   

   “Once I encounter you, it’s true that the scores of the senior class will change. The seniors are smart enough to get into university, at least they should understand this matter.”   

   Jaeyoung hugged his chest and revealed a twisted smile.   

   “Scores? It’s been a while since the score adjustment period ended.”   

   “If that’s the case, why bother keeping me here and looking for trouble with me?”   

   “Looking for trouble? You’re the junior that Sooyeong recommended. Now, what about the project we have to do? I just wanted to talk about that, that’s all. I’m trying to listen to your reasoning and correct any misunderstandings so that things can go smoothly.”   

   “I don’t want to talk to you, sunbae.”   

   “Then just say it straightforwardly.”   

   Sangwoo felt that the other party’s tone became more aggressive.   

   “What? Sangwoo realized, where did your manners go?”   

   Sangwoo felt uneasy about the calm and composed way the other party insulted him. He kept tapping his phone to quickly retrieve it and call the police when he saw the situation turning sour, but this was too light. He didn’t really know how to respond.   

   He thought that if he apologized right here, the matter would probably end. But Sangwoo continued to act according to his settings. He gave the command to the other party as “enemy.”   

   “I don’t understand why this is my fault.”   

   He had argued with a teacher like this before and ended up being rebuked. Later, he was warned repeatedly that if he wanted a good life, he should improve himself. Since then, he had been controlling himself all along, but now he couldn’t hold back. That’s why Jaeyoung replied without caring.   

   “If you didn’t talk nonsense with the teacher, wouldn’t I have graduated? Because of you, I had to give up on studying abroad. Because of those two credits.”   

   “That’s not my fault.” Sangwoo responded.   

   “Sangwoo-ya.”   

   “Don’t act like we’re close. If someone else marks the attendance and you can still graduate, then the students who attend class must be really stupid.   

   And I’ll be considered easy just because I’m willing to put down the name of someone with a bad attitude hoping to get a score without doing anything in the report. Is that who I am?”   

   Sangwoo’s disagreement didn’t seem to surprise Jaeyoung in the slightest.   

   “That’s just who you are.”   

   “Can I go yet? sunbaenim?”   

   “No. I’m not done talking.”   

   He took a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled the smoke.   

   “You don’t need to judge me. Who do you think you are? A prince, a police officer? Don’t act all authoritative. You damn brat.”   

   “Understood, sunbaenim. Then feel free to keep treating yourself like trash from now on and don’t contact me again.”   

   “Damn it, you’re so full of yourself.”   

   Jaeyoung stubbed out his cigarette and looked at Sangwoo with a cold expression.   

   “Did I ask you to kneel down and apologize? Did I ask you to go ask the teacher for a score for me? If you want things to end nicely, shouldn’t you be a little more remorseful? Hey, I did all this just so you could catch me in the act, didn’t I?”   

   Sangwoo looked puzzled by the other party’s vulgar words.   

   “I don’t understand what you’re saying, sunbaenim. If you want me to do something, just tell me straightforwardly.”   

   Sangwoo didn’t mean any harm, but Jaeyoung’s face turned as if he was being attacked. He opened his mouth hesitantly before raising his hand to hug himself and turning his back, clearly displaying his dissatisfaction on his face.   

   “Say that you’re truly sorry for causing me to miss out on good opportunities to study abroad.”   

   That wasn’t difficult. Sangwoo kept his mouth shut confidently because that statement contained some falsehoods.   

   “First of all, sunbae, you didn’t graduate because you didn’t attend classes and didn’t submit assignments. It’s not because of me. And secondly, I don’t feel sorry.”   

   When the feedback [3] was returned the words would transform into, ‘You missed out on good opportunities to further your education.’ That would be an explanation based on the truth, and it worked. No harm done, but the reproachful tone became louder.   

   “You’re crazy, damn it!”   

   Sangwoo had heard such words many times before, so he didn’t feel anything at all. Jaeyoung swiveled his chair back towards the computer screen.   

   Then, he picked up a cup of ramen with chopsticks.   

   “That’s enough. Take it.”   

   He pushed the tray with the cup of ramyeon back towards Sangwoo.   

   “Keep it.”   

   Sangwoo took the tray without saying a word, intending to leave. But Jaeyoung called him back.   

   “Hey.”   

   “What is it?”   

   “We shouldn’t see each other again.”   

   That was the best news Sangwoo had heard since he started listening. It felt like driving away an enemy unintentionally, as the other party raised his hands with a bitter expression.   

   “I finish work at 4:00 AM. You can come out after that.”   

   “You nerve-wracking idiot.”   

   Sangwoo cursed inwardly and left the smoking area. return 0;   

   ________________________________________   

1.    The ‘-ya’ in ‘Sangwoo-ya’, it is a suffix used to address family members or close friends, used as a suffix for names that do not have spelling. If the name has spelling, ‘-ya’’ is used.   

1.    Smoking area in an internet cafe. In Korean internet cafes, the rooms are divided into smoking areas for customers who want to smoke while using the service, and non-smoking areas for customers who do not smoke and do not want cigarette smells.   

1.    Feedback. In this context, it refers to data that is the result displayed by a computer program, and there is a command to input the resulting data back into the program during a certain period of time.   

      

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SMNTCERR, Chapter 2 <1> #2.   

   When they locked eyes, the other party pointed at Sangwoo.   

   “Why?”   

 

   Sangwoo subtly touched his cheek as if to ask if there was something on his face. The other party looked surprised, but then their eyes gradually returned to normal. Sangwoo didn’t want to work with this person, but he reluctantly sat down, thinking that he should follow the basic steps. He intentionally avoided looking directly at the other person and picked up a pen.   

   “Are you the designer in your senior year?”   

   “Yes.”   

   “Do you already know what needs to be done?”   

   “Roughly?”   

   “Right now, I’m developing a 2D action game. I’m using Framework[1] Cocos2d[2] as the main tools. The game will be an adventure featuring a child protagonist and will have a single-player perspective.”   

   But it seemed like the man wasn’t paying attention to what Sangwoo was saying at all. He sat leaning back in his chair, shaking his leg. He even grabbed Sangwoo’s notebook without permission, flipping through its pages while saying, “Seriously focused, huh?” Plus…   

   “So boring.”   

   He complained as he sighed loudly before diverting his gaze from the character concept of the “Vegetable Man” that had been created with intention.   

   “My friend  said you are talented. But this feels half-hearted, it’s the real concept, but you don’t seem to care much. The sketches are also rough.” He slid the paper document forward. As the paper fluttered in the wind, the corner of the paper hit Sangwoo’s nose. Sangwoo frowned and placed the paper on the notebook. He intended to show and explain it, but his patience had reached its limit… Sangwoo thought it might be better if he left. There was no point in wasting his energy here.   

   “It seems like you don’t click with me. In that case, I’ll go find another designer.”   

   He prepared to put the notebook and documents into his bag, but the other party suddenly spoke up.   

   “You’re a junior who can write code that well? If I ask you to create something, how much can you do?”   

   “Just design it well. I can do all the necessary things for a 2D action game.”   

   “You’re quite confident in yourself.”   

   Those words sounded belittling to Sangwoo, spoken that way because they saw him as just a student or someone who had recently returned to studying.   

   Sangwoo felt unwilling and retorted.   

   “Especially debugging[3] and optimization[4]. I’m confident in those areas.   

   In my final project, I’ve created an income and expense tracking app using   

   HTML5[5] and developed an arcade game[6]…”   

   “Not like that.”   

   The young man adjusted his glasses slightly and tapped on the draft documents of the “Vegetable Man” with his finger. Then he continued speaking.   

   “Just having a well-functioning system doesn’t mean it’s good enough. A game needs to go hand in hand with fun. The controls and movements need to feel natural, and it’s not solely dependent on graphics. BGM[7] is also important. That’s why I’m not okay with this planning approach. I want to trust you and invest my valuable time in you, can I?”   

   It was difficult for Sangwoo to understand him. On the surface, it seemed like he didn’t care about the job, but suddenly he became serious. He decided to lower his head and hug his chest.   

   “Well, if you trust me, I will do my best.”   

   Sangwoo responded calmly before feeling that something wasn’t right. He realized that this person was actually the team leader and the true employer. There was no reason for him to bow down to his employees. Sangwoo straightened his back and sat up, embracing his confidence.   

   “Actually, have you ever made mobile games before?”   

   A fitting retort came at the right time, even though it was from someone seemingly inexperienced. Whether it was his lack of ability or not, he would just walk out of the room.   

   “No, I haven’t.”   

   “Goodbye then.”   

   “But I’ve made games on the web platform.”   

   Sangwoo was about to stand up, hesitating. If he could handle designing, UI[8] for websites, then he should be able to develop apps as well, as they are smaller in scale. Although he needed to be cautious about optimization, the main factors were similar. Besides, the senior who didn’t seem trustworthy had praised him highly.   

   “May I see your portfolio?”   

   The other party smirked and pulled out a tablet from his jacket pocket, tapping on it a few times before handing it over.   

   Sangwoo quickly scrolled through the showcased works on the bright white background, zooming in on each image for a closer look—website designs, posters, logos, and illustrations. This man could do many things at once, and the quality was on par with professionals, almost not resembling the work of a student.   

   ‘This is even better than the average professional’s work!’ ‘The efficiency of the UI, pass!’ ‘The simplicity of the UI, pass!   

   ‘The appropriation of the illustrations, pass!’   

   Especially the lines art form, it has a distinctive and lively quality. Sangwoo even went as far as erasing the blueprint of ‘Vegetable Man’ that was etched in his heart.   

   “Wherever I go, people just admire how talented I am.” The young man glanced at Sangwoo’s face and continued.   

   “sunbae, did you do everything himself?”   

   The young man chuckled in response to Sangwoo’s question, picked up a pen, and comfortably started sketching in his notebook. In just twenty seconds, he produced a cartoon-style character that differed greatly from the previous designer’s style. This character looked a bit worn and tattered but had a lot of style. In the end, Sangwoo had to admit that the other party was good enough to have a conversation with.   

   ‘That’s impressive.’   

   Sangwoo felt his heart racing. He had to calm himself down before expecting too much. There was still something he was worried about.   

   “Can you devote your time to this project next semester?”   

   “Yes, actually, I made a slight mistake with my plans when the previous project ended, so I’ll be free next semester.”   

   “If you get the job, I will work on it until it’s completed.”   

   Just as Sangwoo was about to accept him, someone arrived forty minutes late and seemed unbelievable at first glance but gradually became someone trustworthy. If he’s this talented, no matter how unenthusiastic he appears, Sangwoo was ready to open his heart to that possibility. Moreover, as someone who values sincerity, this decision was monumental for him alone.  

   “In that case, may I have your phone number?”   

   When Sangwoo handed his mobile phone politely, the young man calmly entered the number and handed it back. Meanwhile, his facial expression changed, and the young man furrowed his brows, gradually shifting his gaze towards Sangwoo.   

   “You already have your number.”   

   “It can’t be.”  

   “Look here.”   

   His voice sounded assertive. Sangwoo took his phone back, still not understanding the situation.   

   [NonPaddler 3 is Calling…]   

   ________________________________________ .   

1.    Framework: Development of foundational systems, command sets, or basic formats to enable developers to easily and quickly invoke commands, formats, or systems. In other words, a framework is a convenient tool for programming, web development, game development, etc.   

1.    Cocos2d: A framework for game development.   

1.    Debugging: Resolving flaws or troubleshooting errors in computer programming.   

1.    Optimization: Improving efficiency. In this case, it refers to making a game run smoothly while using fewer resources, such as reducing file size while maintaining quality, smooth gameplay, and high-quality graphics, but with minimal memory “RAM” usage.   

1.    HTML5: A computer language used as the primary language for writing web pages. HTML has been developed in several versions, and version 5 is the latest.   

1.    Arcade Games: These include pinball games, Street Fighter, racing games, puzzle games, etc. Originally, arcade games were played on arcade cabinets located in game centers or shopping malls, but nowadays, arcade games can be played on computers or mobile devices.   

1.    BGM: Background music used to enhance the atmosphere of a particular situation.   

1.    UI: User Interface, what the user sees. Whether it’s a web page, app screen, or various visual components such as buttons and icons that allow individuals to interact with a product or service.   

      

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