SMNTCERR, Chapter 15 <11> #2.
After class ended, Sangwoo, feeling flustered and embarrassed in front of Jang Jaeyoung, hurriedly ran to the Engineering Faculty immediately, where the previous class was held. Sangwoo had to arrive before Jaeyoung, but his bag (a blue backpack containing equipment to reserve seat number two) was left on the far-right table in the fourth row.
Sangwoo sat down and spread the divider to his left. In the Chinese language class, they had to prepare a short drama, so he couldn’t see the other side’s face for help. But in the class ‘Engineering Mathematics 2.’ he just listened to the lecture and solved problems by himself. So he believed that Jihye’s guidance might be helpful, but he didn’t think it would be that easy, because Jang Jaeyoung was no different from a wicked monster.
Sangwoo speculated on the various plans of the other side, whether it was accidentally knocking down the divider without intending to, or tapping the table, or making strange noises to disrupt the class.
However, waiting and waiting, the other side seemed harmless. He was just worried about what Jaeyoung, who was behind the divider, was doing, so he wasted six minutes of the class.
Finally, Sangwoo quietly lowered the divider a bit, allowing a glimpse of Jaeyoung’s sleepy face on the desk. Today, he felt a conflict in his heart, as if it wasn’t just because the other side wasn’t wearing a red feather coat or glasses. Jang Jaeyoung seemed like a completely different person, as if Sangwoo didn’t know that he was the same person as the part-time worker at the Italian restaurant.
There were no earrings on his ears as usual, and his hairstyle looked neater than before. Moreover, when he closed his eyes like this, he looked gentle as if he was not the same person who used to find trouble for Sangwoo.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Sangwoo felt confused and uneasy at the same time. Defining that indescribable identity was not easy. He defined the other side as ‘Fool, trash, human cancer’ but the image in front of him seemed more suitable for words like “polite, refined, adult.” Those characteristics seemed like different types of data [1] that couldn’t replace each other.
However, Sangwoo knew well that Jaeyoung’s behavior contradicted his good appearance. The evidence was that Virtual Arts Design’s kid came to study engineering mathematics. He came here to obstruct and ruin Sangwoo’s studies. Even though he was asleep, he still achieved his goal.
Sangwoo gritted his teeth and refocused on studying. Between thinking about what intentions Jaeyoung had, they proceeded to the next lesson.
During the second class of “Engineering Mathematics 2.” Sangwoo learned very little. Except for the subject “Contemporary Culture and Cultural
Theory.” It was already Wednesday. All the other subjects were the same. After these two weeks passed and Jaeyoung disappeared… if he read additional books by himself and listened to online lectures, he had to keep up with the lessons. But the teachers often emphasized the content that would be tested in class, so he couldn’t afford to lose anything.
Therefore, the moment when Jaeyoung was drowsy was an opportunity. Sangwoo focused on the teacher’s words and tried to understand what the teacher said, but strangely, a few minutes passed, and his consciousness shifted to Jaeyoung, who was deeply asleep.
‘Just by being here, you’re already bothering me. It’s an amazing ability.’
Sangwoo tried his best not to look in that direction, but the fierce battle between consciousness and desire ended within 1 minute, and he turned around.
As. Error. Jaeyoung yawned peacefully. Sangwoo was engulfed in indescribable emotions that couldn’t be summed up in a single sentence, and he didn’t like those feelings at all. However, when he thought about the wickedness of Jaeyoung, who wore a mask of normalcy, the incomprehensible feeling vanished, replaced by a rising tide of anger and revenge.
It has been said in ancient laws, ‘eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.’ Don’t you feel anything like that? Jang Jaeyoung must have misunderstood something… If all the conditions are met, Sangwoo can seek revenge as well, but he’s not crazy to that extent. He doesn’t see the benefit of using excessive energy to torment others.
‘There’s nothing I can’t do.’
Sangwoo reached into the box of pencils for the exam rain and pulled one out. Pulling the cap off the pencil evoked a sense of tension as if unsheathing a sword. He held the pencil cautiously and moved closer to Jaeyoung.
The moist tip of the pencil moved closer to Jaeyoung’s forehead and paused in mid-air. Sangwoo realized that he hadn’t drawn for a long time; he didn’t need to make it beautiful like a painter. But the humble feeling of lacking artistic ability emerged, hindering his decisive action.
‘Just draw wherever you want!’
Startling himself, Sangwoo tightened his grip on the pencil, never having done anything like this before. Just thinking about giving up study time to do something like this made his hand tremble, but he clenched his fists bravely and reached forward. The tip of the pencil, which had hesitated a little, lightly touched Jaeyoung’s forehead. At that moment, their eyes forgot to blink, causing him to inadvertently lower the pencil without intending to.
And that made him look like someone who had done this before, compared to Jaeyoung’s skillful handwriting. What he had done seemed insignificant, but he had never deceived anyone in his life, so his heart sank to his gaze like a misbehaving child caught in the act.
Jaeyoung just opened his eyes wide. Sangwoo put the pencil back in the pencil case and leaned over to read the book. His pale brain raced, and his heart beat faster.
He didn’t know how time passed after that. Sangwoo sat still as a stone until he regained his composure, and by the time he was able to concentrate, the class was over, and the students were gradually leaving the classroom.
Is he acting like Jang Jaeyoung because of that slight anger? It’s hard to believe that he would stoop to the same level as the other side.
Owner of the wild hair name was stunned. If Jaeyoung was angry, Sangwoo would have something to say as well, but other than that, he can’t stand himself using a pencil to draw on someone else’s face.
“Sangwoo-ya, I’m calling you.”
“… Yes.”
“Are you seeking revenge?”
Sangwoo turned around. Jaeyoung smiled, even with a black line on his nose.
“Wow, it feels like a robot came to vacuum and bring bread crumbs.”
Instead of getting angry, Jaeyoung looked pleased and adjusted his cap on his head. Sangwoo felt so embarrassed that he didn’t have the heart to find fault with the other party who touched him without permission.
“Let’s go eat together. Today, I’ll treat you.”
“I told you, it’s only my sisters.”
Sangwoo resisted answering. When Jaeyoung stood up and grabbed his wrist, he was so unconscious that he was dragged away without resistance.
While walking out of the engineering faculty, Jaeyoung pretended to greet many people, and everyone who knew Jaeyoung laughed and talked about Sangwoo’s work.
“Sunbae, why is your nose dirty? Are you putting on makeup preparing for a play?”
“Cool right? this kid did it.”
“Oh. Jaeyoung, what are you doing in engineering? And why did your face get like that?”
“Oh well, I have a little something to take care of, as for the face, this hubae did it.”
Instead of feeling embarrassed when someone greeted them, Jaeyoung pointed to Sangwoo and proudly told everyone that the pen marks on his face it was his skill, just like citing references in a thesis, it was very strange to be a craftsman, and that day Sangwoo learned the meaning of “shamelessness.”
Every time Jaeyoung introduced them to his acquaintances, Sangwoo felt as if he was being attacked. As soon as he walked out of the entrance hall, Sangwoo was in high spirits. After being dragged around like that, when he realized it, he was standing in front of a pizza shop on campus.
“Don’t you like pizza?”
Jaeyoung asked after sitting down at the table. Sangwoo replied with a resigned expression.
“No, I don’t.”
“Then why are you so quiet?”
“Can you remove it?”
“No, I won’t remove it.”
Jaeyoung smiled widely and looked at the menu. He ordered one pizza and two soda bottles without asking for Sangwoo’s opinion.
“As for pasta, since you said you don’t like it, I didn’t order it.” Then he acted like himself, caring about something like that.
Sangwoo made a sound, ‘tsk.’ In his heart, he said that he didn’t like pasta because Jang Jaeyoung worked at a different Italian restaurant. He never thought about whether the food was delicious or not, and he didn’t choose what to eat.
Eating is just a process of gaining energy. If the nutrients are complete, there’s no need to think about taste or appearance because constantly thinking about such things is foolish. The idiot with a black line on his nose threw away Korean food worth three thousand won and is now wasting money for no reason.
“Sangwoo, did you understand what was taught earlier?”
“If you were not present, I would have understood.”
“How strange. It’s amazing that you can remember the name with just three syllables and not an entire lecture.”
“The person who checks attendance by asking the juniors in the subject they have to attend. Moreover, they come and sleep in a class that has no benefit to themselves, this is even more strange than me.”
While they were talking, the food arrived. Sangwoo ate without saying a word. Jaeyoung thought he ate without enjoyment, but he continued to eat without caring.
He ate as much as he could and stood up, feeling uncomfortable eating in an unfamiliar place, wanting to leave quickly or maybe because there are crazy people with wide smiles and something stuck on their noses.
“Sangwoo.”
Jaeyoung paid and followed him immediately.
“Nice weather, huh? Look at the sky.”
‘You damn fly, fly up to the sky.’
Sangwoo lowered his head and walked steadily.
They walked out of the restaurant in just a few steps. Jaeyoung took out a canned coffee from his leather bag, with a black background and the logo saying ‘Black Holic,’ which attracted Sangwoo’s attention. The other party was definitely thinking of using this drink to annoy him.
‘I’ve been waiting for this moment.’
Sangwoo applied Jihye’s advice and prepared for situations like this since the day before. The convenience store owner said that ‘Black Holic’ coffee will come to the store again next Monday, so he only buys coffee on regular days, one can per day. Therefore, the amount he needed to save up was seven cans, so he went to the supermarket and bought that amount, but the moment he thought he had to open his backpack, Jaeyoung handed him the coffee without being able to react in time. “Oh, coffee [2].” ERROR.
ERROR.
TYPE, ERROR[3.]
Originally, he thought Jaeyoung would tease him by opening a can and putting it in his mouth to show off. Sangwoo stopped walking without realizing it and absentmindedly took the can without intending to.
Sangwoo examined the can closely to see if it was tightly sealed. Jaeyoung saw that and muttered, ‘crazy guy…’. Sangwoo examined it carefully. He shook it, but the can showed no signs of being tampered with, no leaked coffee, not even a single drop.
“Just drink it already.”
“What are you doing?”
“I thought about throwing it away, so I bought 16 cans, but it didn’t taste good, so I left it for your mouth.”
‘What’s wrong with him?’
Sangwoo felt puzzled. The behavior that made him suspicious wasn’t causing any confusion, like arranging the sequence 2 4 6, 8… all was fine, then suddenly, √55 emerged.
Jaeyoung made a lazily remark.
“I’ll pick up the remaining cans for you, so take off your hat.”
“What he wears is none of our business, senior.”
Since a while ago, why did he only talk about hats? Sangwoo opened the can and felt better when he heard the cheerful sound he hadn’t heard in a long time. He slowly raised the can and touched his lips. As he tilted the can, the warm drink flowed in.
“Do you think it tastes good?”
Sangwoo didn’t really know the taste, but he just went along with the comfortable feeling he used to have every day. Sangwoo didn’t pay attention to Jaeyoung and walked straight toward the Humanities building, embracing the hope of recovering his lost daily life.
________________________________________.
[1] Different types of information. For Sangwoo, it refers to data types, or the type of data in computers that specifies the characteristics of the data to be used as numbers, letters, integers, decimals, or dates and times for convenience in processing.
[2] “Ah, coffee.” In the original Korean version, Jaeyoung said, ‘커피, 셔틀’ “coffee, shuttle”, where the word 셔틀 “shuttle” is a slang term in
Korean derived from 빵셔틀 “bread, shuttle”, which refers to a student who is sent by classmates or delinquents in school to buy bread during class time.
[3] Type Error, an unexpected condition that arises during various stages of program development.
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