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.] __________________________.
Leave a Reply