SMNTCERR, Chapter 26 Blue #1.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   However, it was a much more problematic thought.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   ________________________________________.

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

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

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 25 <100> #7.

   [Chu Sangwoo – Abnormal.]

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

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

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

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

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

   ‘Seems like he uses social media, huh?’

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

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

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

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

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

   Skateboarder.]

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

   [‘With the cute hubae.’]

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

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

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

   ‘Not a real deal like those makeup artists.’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   ‘…’

   Save.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   ‘What am I doing?’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4.)     Depressed / Angry – Day 12.]

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

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

   return 0;.

   “Hey.”

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

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

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

   “Yes.”

   “I want to treat you today.”

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

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

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

   “I know, should we go or not?”

   “Let’s go.”

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

   “What’s your last name?”

   “Ru.”

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

   “Do you know my name?”

   “Jihye.”

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

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

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

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

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

   “…”

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

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

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

   “What’s wrong?”

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

   I saw you in a new light.”

   ‘What should we talk about?’

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

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

   “Is it delicious?”

   “No.”

   “Sorry.”

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

   “Where are you going?”

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

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

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

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

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

   “I’m thinking about taking a break…”

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

   “No, don’t bother. Just say it.”

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

   “Jaeyoung-hyung.”

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

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

   ________________________________________.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 24 <100> #6.

   10:36.

   Bang! Bang!

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

   Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

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

   “Hey. Chu Sangwoo!”

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

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

   “…”

   “Answer, damn it.”

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

   “I told you to answer, you bastard.”

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

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

   Sangwoo glared angrily at the person behind the door.

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

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

   “Open up.”

   “No.”

   “Open!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   “Shut your mouth!”

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

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

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

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

   Then there was the sound of inhaling.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   ‘Well, that’s good.’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   9:16, Go to school.

   9:24, Arrive at the university.

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

   10:00, Start the first class.

   10:50, Change classrooms.

   11:00, Start the second class.

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

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

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

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

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

   7:00, Played games.

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

   10:00, Studied programming language.

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

   12:30, Went to bed.

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

   “Student, come here for a moment.”

   “Yes.”

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

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

   “Did you call for me, sir?”

   Sangwoo spoke in a low voice.

   “Why did you miss the previous class?”

   The professor rolled up the microphone cord.

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

   “I’m sorry.”

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

   “Probably dropped out already.”

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

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

   “Do you know me?”

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

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

   “Yes.”

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

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

   “Young man! The coffee is here!”

   “Oh… thank you.”

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

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

   ‘I have seven cans of this at home.’

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

   That nothing had returned to normal.

   return 0;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   ________________________________________

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

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

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 23 <100> #5.

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

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

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

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

   “Let’s go watch a movie.”

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

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

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

   ‘I must be going crazy.’

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

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

   He locks eyes with Jaeyoung through the mirror.

   “What’s wrong with you?”

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

   “No.”

   “What?”

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

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

   Jaeyoung squinted at Sangwoo.

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

   “Both.”

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

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

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

   “Speak louder, don’t overdo it.”

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

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

   “So, how much is the fee then?”

   “Ten million won.”

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

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

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

   “What am I doing?”

   “Why do you have to whisper like that!”

   “Then should I yell in the library?”

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

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

   ERROR! 

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

   ERROR! 

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

   ERROR! 

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

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

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

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! 

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

   ERROR! 

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

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

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

   ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! 

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

   ERROR! 

   ERROR! ERROR!

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

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

   Skin – high temperature spreading.

   Hands – shaking all the time.

   Mouth – dry throat.

   Genitals -… Oh my goodness.]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   ‘Understood. But will it make me sick?’

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

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

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

   [Chu Sangwoo – Abnormal.

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

   Humanities.]

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

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

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

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

   10:00.

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

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

   10:20.

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

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

   10:30.

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

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

   [Comments]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   ________________________________________.

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

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

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 22 <100> #4.

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

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

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

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

   “Why are you here so early?”

   “I’m an assistant professor.”

   “Oh, I see.”

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

   “Don’t take a photo, please.”

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

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

   “Yes?”

   “Do you want to take a selfie?”

   “No, thank you.”

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

   “Just smile a little, kid.”

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

   “This picture came out really good.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   “Thank you.”

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

   “Ergh?”

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

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

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

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

   “…Alright, I’ll do it.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   “Come visit me then.”

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

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

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

   “Shall we go together?”

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

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

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

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

   [Hey, senior!]

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

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

   “I didn’t give it to you?”

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

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

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

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

   Don’t you go to class sometimes?]

   “You talk too much, sunbae!”

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

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

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

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

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

   “Sangwoo.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   “Haven’t you gone home yet?”

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

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

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

   “How terrible.”

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

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

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

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

   “The hat is crooked.”

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

   “Sangwoo, I have something to tell you…”

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

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

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

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

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

   [ERROR, ERROR, ERROR.

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

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

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

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

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 21 <100> #3.

   After class, it was time for lunch. Sangwoo packed his books and pencil case into his bag. Meanwhile, Jihye asked casually.

   “So, how did it go? What happened at the barrier with ear plugs?”

   “It didn’t work.”

   The barrier scene reduced to a mere breeze, and the seven cans of coffee were still at home. The barrier that was used once has not been touched again.

   “I’m sorry.”

   But it wasn’t something Jihye had to apologize for. The man was different. It was said that he had made a promise to a girl to provide meals in return for advice. Even though he couldn’t help much, a promise was a promise. Sangwoo took out the food coupons from his wallet and placed them on the other person’s table. Jihye stared at the food coupons in amazement.

   “Why did you give me food coupons?”

   “Oppa, you said you would treat me.”

   “Oh, really? Then you should buy it yourself. What are these food coupons for?”

   “Take the coupons and buy yourself something to eat.”

   Sangwoo put on his backpack and stood up, but Jihye stuffed the food coupons into Sangwoo’s shirt pocket again.

   “No, oppa, keep it for when you want to treat me.”

   Sangwoo thought about the price of pasta, 23,500 won, and asked the other person to treat him. However, the price of food at the cafeteria was too expensive, and it seemed to disappoint.

   “Okay, next time, I’ll treat you to pizza.”

   “Really? Not just any pizza, right?”

   ‘Thought it would be easier if I said bread. I wonder if she’s suspicious.’

   They walked out of the building and headed towards the cafeteria. On the way, they heard someone calling Sangwoo from behind.

   “Sangwoo-ya!”

   The only person who calls him Sangwoo like this is just one person. Sangwoo turned around quickly, the person he had guessed in his mind was wearing a windbreaker as if he had just been running.

   “I’m right here, I came to see ya”

   “Why?”

   “What’s wrong? Are you not going to have lunch with me?”

   “You?”

   He had just heard this story for the first time. Jang Jaeyoung must have mistaken Sangwoo for someone else or misunderstood something. Sangwoo turned back and walked towards the cafeteria, but this time Jihye, who was walking beside him, stopped him.

   “Oh, the French honor student.”

   “Wow… we meet again, hello.”

   “Exactly. Have we introduced ourselves before or not?”

   “I’m Ru Jihye, hehe, and actually, I already know your name, you’re quite famous… “

   Sangwoo wanted to keep his distance, but both of them followed him quickly, so he heard every conversation.

   “Jihye, hubae you are  close to Sangwoo. Back then when we came to the store, I saw it too.”

   “Actually, we met for the first time that day, that’s right. Sangwoo was kind enough to help me carry things… I didn’t mean to, but I packed too many books in the box, you see. It’s the time to spread heavy things apart, right?

   Even though I can’t read them all at once, I just wanted to move them in one go…”

   Jihye kept talking on and on. Then it was Jaeyoung’s turn. Jihye then Jaeyoung then Jihye then Jaeyoung. They were exchanging words like ping pong, and the line at the cafeteria became shorter and slower than usual.

   “Haha! You’re such a funny person, could you sign for me, please?”

   “Hey, I’m not a celebrity. What do you want me to sign?”

   Before he knew it, Jaeyoung was already talking to Jihye. People who didn’t know them would have thought they had known each other for a long time. Both of them seemed a bit bored of listening to each other’s conversation, but while waiting, the line gradually became shorter, and they both carried their own trays into the cafeteria. Jaeyoung said he would have clear soup noodles, which was a special menu, so he separated and joined another line, then came back to join them later. Sangwoo tried to find an empty table, but couldn’t find one, so the three of them had to sit together, unable to help.

   “Jihye, do you have a boyfriend?”

   Jaeyoung didn’t touch the clear soup noodles at all, he threw some strange questions at Jihye. Jihye smiled widely and answered.

   “No, I don’t have a boyfriend!”

   “Is that so? I thought you must have one by now.”

   Sangwoo’s gaze fixated on Jaeyoung’s face, and the latter stared at Jihye almost piercingly. Those eyes seemed abnormal.

   “Well, I guess those guys don’t know my true worth.”

   “I know a lot of single guys around, just tell me.”

   Jaeyoung smiled broadly and hugged his chest, sitting on a small chair.  “Anyway, can you give me some genuine advice? I’ve been thinking about a few good guys. What type do you like?”

   He reached out and picked up his phone, sliding to view the contact list.

   Jihye laughed, shaking her head in refusal.

   “Oh no, it’s fine. This semester, I want to focus on studying. Just the fact that you said you’d help me out already makes me happy.”

   “Oh… is that so?”

   Jaeyoung carefully observed the girl’s face, then put his phone back in his pants pocket as before. It became silent for a while before Jaeyoung spoke up.

   “Well, speaking of which… How is Sangwoo? You two seem to get along well.”

   Sangwoo was taken aback to the point of spewing out seaweed soup. Everyone had an astonished look on their faces, but the most surprised person was Sangwoo himself. Jihye pulled out a wet tissue from her bag and handed it over.

   “Sangchu! Did you have to go too far? Are you that dissatisfied?”

   “He just sat there nonchalantly and got paired up with someone he didn’t know, so of course he’s dissatisfied.”

   “Just talking to myself.”

   “So you don’t like it even when I say it?”

   Sangwoo took a wet tissue and wiped off the soup residue from the table. Here, what’s going on? Sangwoo couldn’t understand at all, but one thing was for sure, it felt suffocating. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

   Jaeyoung laughed mischievously and glanced at Sangwoo.”

   “Sang… chu?”

   “Sangwoo-oppa told me it was his childhood nickname. Isn’t it cute?”

   “Really? It seems like we’re getting along well with your Sangwoo. Let’s call each other by our nicknames.”

   “Sangwoo of mine?” [1.]

   Even his mother had never spoken like this before. Sangwoo immediately lost his appetite. No one spoke for a while longer than usual, but before the silence could drag on any further, Jaeyoung broke it.

   “Anyway… where are you going today?”

   “Huh?”

   “Today, you look more dressed up than last time.”

   “Hahaha… Can you remember things like that? At that time, I had to move my stuff, so I just dressed comfortably. Normally, I pay attention to my appearance, hahaha.”

   “You mean last Wednesday, right?”

   “Oh… that day was a bit of a hassle… so I woke up late and almost arrived to class late.”

   “Just like this, you’re paying special attention today. I thought you dressed up to meet someone important again.”

   It was a meaningless conversation. Sangwoo thought that kind of conversation didn’t help digestion at all. Jihye’s face didn’t look good, maybe because Jaeyoung talked too much. Sangwoo understood her frustration as if it were his own. It was annoying to have someone constantly trying to engage in conversation and not being able to eat.

   After finishing their meal and leaving the cafeteria, Jihye asked a strange question.

   “How did we become close like this? We seem to be completely different people, it’s really strange.”

   Her words had some inaccuracies, so Sangwoo immediately refuted them.  “We’re not close…”

   “At first, we misunderstood each other a bit.”

   Jaeyoung patted Sangwoo’s shoulder, and with that small gesture, Sangwoo became tense again. He held his breath and forgot to exhale. Jaeyoung’s arm resting on his heavy shoulder felt like a metal rod.

   “We used to hate each other a lot, but now that hatred is gone. Isn’t it?”

   “No, it’s not.”

   Sangwoo pushed away the other’s shoulder with his elbow. Jang Jaeyoung touched other people’s bodies without realizing it. He had been like that from the beginning, regardless of who the opposite person was ‘even someone he wasn’t close to at all’. He would hug their neck, call them endearing names, touch their faces, tease them, and make them nervous.

   Sangwoo despised such behavior. Even though in other countries it is a cultural norm to hug children frequently, Sangwoo did not grow up in an environment like that. In Sangwoo’s world, only his romantic partner of the opposite sex could touch him, and even then, there were boundaries. Even if it was an action without ill intentions, it would only make him feel uncomfortable.

   “Don’t overthink it. It’s not a big deal. Because it’s still terrible. I thought that pretending to be a good person would change something, but I still don’t feel good, and I don’t intend to relieve this feeling.”

   “Fine, let’s leave it at that. Here, take this again.”

   Jaeyoung looked indifferent, while Jihye’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.

   “Hey, I have a presentation tomorrow. Are you brave enough?”

   Jaeyoung’s teasing made Sangwoo furious, causing him to miss the opportunity to defend himself.

   “You don’t have to come to class tomorrow. I’ll handle it alone.”

   “I’ll still come.”

   Jaeyoung lazily muttered with disdain.

   “Sorry… Jihye, may I take Sangwoo with me? Tomorrow, there’s a very important presentation coming up.”

   “Oh… sure!”

   Then, Jaeyoung grabbed Sangwoo’s wrist and dragged him away before he could react. Sangwoo tried to free his hand, but this time Jaeyoung attacked from behind. Sangwoo had never encountered such a situation before, so he was speechless. Meanwhile, the other party snatched the backpack that was hanging on his shoulder and swiftly ran away.

   “Wait, sunbae!”

   No matter how loudly he shouted, the other party refused to stop.

   ‘That guy is a true crazy guy.’

   Although Sangwoo felt that it was embarrassing, all he could do was follow behind because he couldn’t figure out what the other party would do with his backpack. If it were Jang Jaeyoung, he wouldn’t even hesitate to throw everything down the drain.

   Initially, when they were running teasingly and Sangwoo saw that Jaeyoung was about to catch up, he accelerated his speed.

   “Stop right now!”

   Jaeyoung ran as fast as he could with the backpack slung in front of him. There was one time when Sangwoo’s fingertips brushed against Jaeyoung’s shoulder, but Jaeyoung ran away, leaving him behind like he was mocking him. He remembered vividly how just last week he had run for his life, and now the situation had repeated itself.

   “Oh… I’m exhausted.”

   Jaeyoung ran past the engineering faculty, through the soccer field, the convenience store, and the student club until he reached a large grassy field in front of the entrance gate where he finally stopped. Sangwoo breathed heavily, feeling both relieved and disappointed.

   “Give it back… and return it.”

   Sangwoo extended his hand weakly, but Jaeyoung acted as if he didn’t hear, opened Sangwoo’s bag as if it were his own, and took out a water bottle to drink.

   “Seriously, are you crazy?”

   “I guess so.”

   Sangwoo took the water bottle thrown to him by the other side and lifted it up to drink. The sprinting had made his heart beat fast, and the surrounding scenery now looked strange. This was a grass field where many students were resting in various corners, weakly like freshly washed clothes. In the past five semesters, Sangwoo had never set foot here even once.

   “What are you doing? Sit down quickly.”

   Jaeyoung sat down on the grass and patted the area beside him. He used Sangwoo’s backpack as a pillow, stretched out his legs, and interlocked his fingers behind his head. Their eyes closed, with relaxed expressions. The sunlight shone brightly on their hair.

   “Give me back my backpack.”

   “I’m using it.”

   “Then tell me how to get it back.”

   “Then go get another cushion for yourself.”

   Sangwoo sat down and immediately pulled out his bag, but Jaeyoung held onto it with both arms, preventing him from taking it.

   “Who said anything about preparing presents?”

   “We’ll practice here.”

   “There’s no table, no chair. Are we really going to practice here?”

   “You’ve memorized all the lines, right? Is there anything else you can’t do?”

   Sangwoo paused, even though Jaeyoung couldn’t see it because his eyes were closed. If it was just a play, he had already practiced in advance… sitting on the grass. Sangwoo felt strange. He smelled the grass and wondered what they were doing in a place like this.

   “Well, I’ll start then.”

   “Take a ten-minute break first, then we’ll practice.”

   “What a waste…”

   “It’s okay to waste time like this.”

   Jaeyoung took a canned coffee from his own bag and handed it over. Sangwoo checked the time on his wristwatch and found that it was still time for a stroll on campus. He agreed and took the canned coffee to open it. Jaeyoung remained silent for a moment, as if dozing off, until Sangwoo finished drinking half of the canned coffee. Then the other side called his name.

   “Sangwoo.”

   “Why?”

   “What kind of person are you?”

   Sangwoo glanced at Jaeyoung, but the latter continued to remain still and silent as before.

   “Why do you ask such personal questions?”

   “Normally, people who are “not close at all” tend to spend time asking such pointless questions.”

   “That’s true.”

   After responding like that, Sangwoo analyzed Jaeyoung’s question. He had never really thought about it seriously before, but now, after gathering the little impressions he had on women, he was able to grasp it in an instant.

   “I like people who have a polite appearance and deep, calm personalities.”

   “Oh, like a kindergarten teacher style.”

   Sangwoo ignored those words and picked up his coffee without saying anything. Then, shortly after, the second question was sent.

   “When did you have your first love?”

   “I don’t know.”

   “You don’t know?”

   “Well, it’s a bit complicated. If the sunbae set clear boundaries, I would answer.”

   Jaeyoung frowned and raised his eyes, which were tinged with brown under the sun’s rays. When he saw the other party staring at him, Sangwoo added an explanation.

   “It means when you first started dating someone or when you had your first sexual experience. Seniors need to use clear words.”

   Jaeyoung blinked with a puzzled expression, as before.

   “Have you ever liked anyone?”

   “If you mean in that sense… my first love was when I was sixteen, and the other party was not human.”

   Having heard that, Jaeyoung immediately laughed and teased Sangwoo, but Sangwoo laughed and teased Jaeyoung even more. Sangwoo didn’t believe in love based on emotions like what he saw on TV. He thought it was a misunderstanding for a soulless person to mix with affection and considered it a lie that the government used to manipulate and maintain the marriage system. Because he had heard that everyone else had experienced it, but Sangwoo never felt that way once.

   “Time’s up. I’m going to start now.”

   Sangwoo glanced at the time and changed his sitting position.

   “Peenyai-peenyai-tai-peenyai…” [2]

   When Sangwoo said the first sentence, “Right, right, cheap fruits, feel free to come in and choose.” Jaeyoung burst into laughter, his cheeks raised high and his front teeth exposed between his lips.

   “Xin Qinghao.”

   “Not quite right. Please speak according to the script.”

   “What did I say?”

   “Feels good.”

   “Same here.”

   “…”

   Sangwoo’s nose twitched, and suddenly flies flew around. No, aren’t they butterflies? return 0;

   ________________________________________.

[1]     Sangwoo of mine. In the original Korean version, 우리 “Uri” means

   “ours.” Sangwoo, but translated into Thai, it means “mine” because the word “ours” is predominantly used for family members or very close friends. In this case, it means that Jaeyoung considers himself as someone who is very close to Sangwoo, like a family member.

[2]     “Peenyai-peenyai-tai-peenyai…” Here, Sangwoo mispronounced it. It’s the way Koreans like to blend the consonant sound of the initial syllable with the vowel sound of the final syllable. In cases where the consonant sound of the final syllable is pronounced, it should be pronounced as “peen-yi-peenyityai-peen-yi…”

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 20 <100> #2.

   It was certain that Sangwoo’s preferred seat had a bag placed on it. Sangwoo hung his bag on the chair and sat down there. Even though sitting in someone else’s reserved seat was not the right thing to do, he sat there because he knew Jaeyoung wouldn’t come.

   It had been several days since Uttsah had been sitting in the same place, but Sangwoo didn’t feel good about it. Although the subject matter, ‘Algorithm,’ wouldn’t be difficult today, Sangwoo wasn’t very attentive.

   ‘Am I going to throw up?’

   It was irresponsible of Jaeyoung to drink excessively when he had classes the next day, and although his appearance didn’t seem comfortable, Sangwoo suddenly realized that he judged this situation differently from previous situations with similar logical structures [1].

   ‘Having someone check attendance is Jang Jaeyoung’s problem too, because it’s only fair if he doesn’t graduate.’

   Sangwoo was confused. When his original thought process was disturbed and turned into an unfamiliar feeling that refused to go away until the end of the class or until he went to eat alone at the cafeteria.

   Sangwoo’s mind was empty. He sat when he saw a seat, used a spoon when he saw one, then when he saw an empty tray, he stood up, neatly managed the remaining food, and placed the empty tray on the conveyor belt as if programmed like a robot. Then he separated the spoon and fork into separate bins. Finally, he took a sip of water from a glass.

   With nothing changing, he completed everything by 12:28 p.m. Sangwoo walked like a car being driven by automated instructions and entered a convenience store without realizing it, but there was no drink for him to buy. He realized when he reached the refrigerator section, the owner who used to sit at the counter collecting money approached Sangwoo, tapped his shoulder, and revealed a guilty expression.

   “Young man, you haven’t been here for a while. Someone told me that I should bring coffee on Monday. Don’t worry!

   “I know, thank you.”

   Sangwoo gently withdrew his hand, responding to the other person.

   “So I felt guilty and worried all the time. You have been drinking that coffee every day, you must miss it, right? Really?”

   Sangwoo looked toward the refrigerator, but what he saw wasn’t Row 5, which was the row for canned coffee, but the next row up.

   [On a new morning of a hungover person, you should take care of yourselves!

   Coupon number, 99999.

   A hangover remedy drink.

   Dawn 777.]

   He reached out his hand without intending to hesitate before retracting it, but then he reached out his hand again. And then he pulled it back once more. His hand defied the commands of his brain as if it were a living being with its own will.

   After hesitating two or three times, Sangwoo’s right hand overcame his brain and opened the refrigerator. When Sangwoo saw ‘Dawn 777’ he picked it up, and the shop owner standing nearby spoke up.

   “Did you go drinking yesterday? Today I am in a good mood. Take it, I saw your face the other day, and I felt uneasy.”

   Sangwoo absentmindedly accepted the free hangover remedy drink without realizing it, but he still didn’t know where to use it. While Sangwoo was about to ask for the bill, the shop owner walked back to the counter.

   Sangwoo left the shop and opened the canned coffee that Jaeyoung gave him in the morning. He sipped it as he walked along. After tossing the can into the trash bin in front of the Natural Sciences Building, he went straight to the library, registered, scanned a new book, and then sat down.

   When he opened his bag, he found a canned drink lying among the textbooks. Sangwoo picked up the book he was about to read and placed it neatly on the table. And then he picked up ‘Dawn 777’ to consider.

   [On a new morning of a hungover person, you should take care of ourselves!]

   As soon as he saw the word ‘hungover person’ he thought of Jaeyoung, who couldn’t walk straight. Although he tried to think of other drunk people, he couldn’t come up with any. That’s why he tried to imagine a bottle of liquor or a whale[2] but the image that had been stuck in his mind was too overwhelming.

   Sangwoo sat still for a while before getting up abruptly and picking up the drink. Then he hurriedly descended the stairs and walked through the library hallway.

   Sangwoo liked solving problems. Even though it wasn’t his problem, if the sentence written on the can was true “it said the hangover remedy drink had a coupon”, then it could only solve the problem.

   Actually, it’s a slightly absurd thought because sometimes Jaeyoung might have had too many drinks. Jaeyoung could have gone home. Although his mind was filled with endless questions, Sangwoo continued to walk forward confidently, deciding to leave the theater club room because he didn’t know where Jaeyoung was. That was considered his utmost effort… Sangwoo didn’t need to do more than that.

   Sangwoo paused, his feet hesitating as he headed towards the student club. His gaze fixed on someone far away, whose face was not clearly visible from this distance, but he could see that the other person was laughing with a flushed face, waving their hand in the air multiple times, and bending their legs in a unique way. They were wearing a green coat that was discarded and spread on the ground.

   Jaeyoung sat on a chair, and there was a short-haired woman with bright yellow hair hugging his chest in front of him. Jaeyoung didn’t look particularly well, but he looked better than he did in class. When Jaeyoung held his stomach and showed a pained expression, the woman burst into laughter, and they started talking and then linked arms. Laughter, laughter, laughter filled their smiling faces.

   Sangwoo turned around and walked in the opposite direction, taking step after step without thinking. Suddenly, he found himself in front of a construction site where a soccer field was being built. The workers who had greeted him with strange words just the day before while they were working. Sangwoo walked briskly towards the other party, startling the man with a safety helmet.

   “Hey! Why are you here now?”

   “What do you mean?”

   Sangwoo extended the drink in his hand.

   “Drink this.”

   “Huh? What is it… I’ve quit drinking.”

   “Just drink it, okay?”

   Sangwoo ran straight back to the library. Although he had wasted time doing nothing during this period, he had never wasted so much time like this before. The remorse that consumed his time without any benefit made his heart beat faster.

   While Sangwoo searched for a pencil box in his bag, the light from the screen of his phone, which was on silent mode, flickered because of infrequent text message notifications.

   [NonPaddler 3: Sangwoo, I’m going home first today_13:27.]

   [NonPaddler 3: Even if you’re sad, keep it and tell me later_13:27.]

   Sangwoo stared at the phone screen, and after reading the short messages several times, he tapped on the typing field and hesitated for a moment.

   ‘Okay.’

   ‘Nice to meet you.’

   ‘Tomorrow, in the evening, let’s continue doing it like this.’

   Sangwoo typed and deleted several times, finally replied, “Yes.” Then he threw his phone into his bag.

   Jang Jaeyoung must have misunderstood or just teased as usual. Is he really sad? What is there to be sad about? It’s better without the person who always bothers. return 0;

   “Hello, Sangchu-Oppa.”

   Jihye said, sitting down next to him. In ten minutes, it would be time for Cultural Theory class. Sangwoo looked up and turned his gaze back to the thick book of Humanities once again.

   “You’re really focused on studying. It will be a long time before you take the exam.”

   “I am reading it in advance.”

   “I want to do that too, but I can’t make it.”

   Even though Jihye was chatting next to him, she couldn’t disturb Jang

   Jaeyoung who was sleeping. This guy even bothers Sangwoo when the other party is not around.

   “You don’t look very good.”

   Sangwoo ignored those words.

   “Wait, let me show you a picture that will make you feel better.”

   Then the phone in Jihye’s hand moved into his line of sight. Sangwoo looked at the photo of a small white dog from various angles with an expressionless face.

   “Don’t you like it? Then how about this one?”

   The next picture was an orange cat. Sangwoo just waited for the other party to put his phone away, but while she was sliding the picture for him to see, he saw something that didn’t belong.

   “Wait, what’s that?”

   “Huh? Oh, I saved it when I bought something online, I wonder if I saved it in the wrong folder.”

   When Jihye swiped her finger on the screen, a picture of a keyboard appeared. Sangwoo enlarged the small image to see it in detail. It was a picture of a Ninja Tenkeyless keyboard, with black and yellow special buttons, each button embedded with lights, LEDs, and more.

   “This is a Filco keyboard AX8990 Honeybee edition.”

   “Huh?”

   “The price is a bit high, but it uses Cherry switches, durable, feels good when pressing, can press multiple keys at once, overall okay in various aspects, probably usable for a long time. Think about the lighting, LED, takes care of that, but I heard it’s annoying to the eyes. Which switch do you prefer?” [4.]

   “Um… if I want to use it for document work, which one should I use?”

   “Then you’ll need a quiet one like the red switch. But if you want a quiet typing experience and tactile feedback, go for the brown switch. It’s also okay.

   As for the blue switch, it’s popular among gamers.” [5.]

   “So, should I buy the red switch? Is that right?”

   Jihye paused with a puzzled expression and asked. Sangwoo pondered for a moment and answered.

   “This one costs 198,000 won (USD 152$). Are you okay with that? It’s a classic model that has been out for a long time. There are probably secondhand ones available, but if you want  to get one that’s well-maintained, it might cost around a hundred thousand won.”

   “Oh, really? How do I go about buying second-hand ones?”

   Sangwoo spent the remaining time explaining tips for buying second-hand items. Jihye listened attentively, occasionally jotting down notes. Sangwoo couldn’t stop himself.

   “There’s nothing you don’t know, huh?”

   “Not to that extent.”

   Just as Jihye said something strange, the teacher came in at the right moment. Sangwoo immediately diverted his gaze back to the book. One minute into the class, Jihye placed something on the book—it was a torn-out sticky note from a notebook. At first, Sangwoo thought she was giving him trash and almost scolded her, but upon closer inspection, he saw that there were written notes on it.

   [Hi, Sangwoo ^-^ Thank you for the good information!!! If you ever don’t know something, feel free to ask me, I want to help you *_*.]  Sangwoo wrote on the back of the paper, ‘Um.’ and handed it back to Jihye, but then he became curious. What could he ask Jihye? When Sangwoo had questions, he usually found the answers in books or on the internet. As a humanities student, she understood cultural theories better than him, but she was still just a student. She probably couldn’t provide more information than textbooks or internet knowledge while Sangwoo was pondering. However, Sangwoo realized that Jihye had knowledge in one area that exceeded his own.

   ‘I should ask during the break.’

   Sangwoo noted it in his mind and returned his focus to studying.

   return 0;

   “About that sunbae.”

   When it was break time, Sangwoo had the opportunity, and Jihye changed her sitting position to listen attentively.

   “Who is it?”

   “It’s… Jang-sunbae… Jaeyoung.”

   “Oh, I see.”

   “Seems like he has a girlfriend.”

   After speaking, Sangwoo felt uneasy. What Jihye wanted was a question.

   Sangwoo thought his question was complete, but when he actually asked, he listened carefully.

   Fortunately, Jihye didn’t seem to mind and responded with a smile.

   “As far as I know, he hasn’t any.”

   Sangwoo’s curiosity eased easily.

   “The person he dated last year seems to have taken a long break. The other party is a law faculty senior girl who has graduated… very beautiful, comes from a wealthy family. Moreover, she is smart, a type of woman that women admire as being stylish.”

   And the information that wasn’t asked followed suit.

   “How did you find out about all this?”

   “Well, I saw it on social media and heard some rumors.”

   “What kind of rumors?”

   Jihye’s mouth moved again. When Jaeyoung was twenty years old, an agency approached him to become a celebrity, so he worked as a model for a while and now one of his classmates from the same year has become a famous singer. All of this is unnecessary information. When Jihye saw Sangwoo’s disappointed expression, she stopped talking.

   “I don’t really care. It just so happens that my friend likes Jaeyoung, so she often tells me about him.”

   “Really? Why do people like him?”

   “He is handsome.”

   Sangwoo accepts that story.

   “He’s good at playing sports.”

   That he is really good at skateboarding.

   “He also has a very good personality.”

   The next sentence is something he disagrees with.

   “No, really? you’re close, so you should already know this.”  “We are not close at all.” crazy-guy, sadist, cancerous human, this group pretends to be good people, 

   but it’s clear in Sangwoo’s mind that he only says exaggerated things to Jihye, who doesn’t know Jaeyoung well.

   “Yes, before this, you told me not to mention Jaeyoung again. So what’s this now?”

   When teased. Sangwoo pretended not to hear, luckily the teacher came in at the right time.  return 0;

   ________________________________________.

[1]       Logical data structure, a data structure that arises from the user’s imagination to solve problems in the created program, stores data and relationships of data in a database system.

[2]       Imagining bottles of liquor or whales, the word for whale in Korean is

   “고래” (gorae) while the word for drunk person in Korean is “술고래”

   (sulgorae). Therefore, the term “whale” here is a play on words in Korean with the word for drunk person.

[3]       Ninja Tenkeyless, a keyboard that removes the number pad and moves the numeric keys to the bottom.

[4]       Keyboard or typing device for computers divided into 2 main types: rubber dome keyboard, commonly used, and mechanical keyboard, which has a higher price. Besides various circuit boards, an important part of the keyboard is the key switch and keycap. The switch is the main component that works in conjunction with the circuit board. There are various brands, but Cherry MX is the preferred brand. As for the keycap, it is the part that covers the switch.

[5]       Keyboard switches are divided into 3 main types: Clicky – two-step switches, variable resistance, need to be pressed all the way to work, giving a typewriter-like feel, but require less force. They have a loud clicking sound when pressed, such as blue switches. Tactile – similar to Clicky, but without the clicking sound when pressed, such as brown switches. Linear – one-step switches, constant resistance, quiet sound, fast response, such as red switches.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 19 <100> #1.

   Jang Jaeyoung is really strange.

   The severity of the harassment that Sangwoo used to torment me had gradually decreased and eventually became nonexistent. However, this doesn’t include the underlying stress of having to sit together in class or other stress caused by being near him.

   On the second Monday of the week, more than avoiding me, Jaeyoung started offering help. During the Chinese language class where we had to practice conversational dialogue with the person next to us, Sangwoo intended not to practice with Jaeyoung and approached a female student sitting on the left instead. However, she rejected him, stating that she already paired up with another female student. While wasting time, other students started practicing with each other. Sangwoo had no choice but to pair up with Jaeyoung, who appeared to smile mockingly but insincerely.

   “Cong zheer dao shouer zhàn duō chang shíjiān?”[1.]

   Sangwoo asked in Chinese first, “How long does it take from here to Seoul station?” When Jaeyoung heard it, he replied with one word.

   “Your language skills are not that great.”

   Sangwoo ignored that remark, thinking that practicing with one person would be enough, and immediately moved on to the next conversation.

   “Wo Men Ming, Tian Yi Qi Qu, Dian Ying Ba Camp?”[2.]

   Jaeyoung sat still and listened as Sangwoo asked, “Shall we go watch a movie together tomorrow?” He smiled strangely and quickly responded.

   “Hen Hao, Kan Shen Metian Ying?”[3.]

   “That’s not the sentence.”

   Sangwoo frowned. It was written in the book that ‘I couldn’t go because he didn’t have a clear schedule’ but the other party replied with something strange. This person never jokes around, will he die one day?

   “Did you hear it correctly? What does it mean?”

   “I’m saying ‘Okay. Then I’ll ask which movie we should watch.’ Just follow the book.”

   “That’s right. You’re good at reading, writing, and listening, but speaking you are considered mediocre.”

   “I read according to the book.”

   “Language. If communication is not understood, it has no meaning. Each country has different ways of speaking, but you don’t seem to try to approximate the original, right?”

   “What’s his problem? Is he pretending to be a teacher or something?”

   Sangwoo initially felt resistance, but it was followed by painful memories from Year 1, Semester 1, where he received an A0 grade[4] in the subject ‘Introductory Chinese Language.’ He was alone, surrounded by friends who achieved A+[5] and the main reason for his deduction was pronunciation.

   “Try reading this.”

   Sangwoo intentionally read the long, narrow sentence, pointing it out fully. When Jaeyoung heard it, he used his hand to cover his mouth and suppressed a smile, but when he saw Sangwoo’s expression, he stopped laughing.

   “I read it correctly. Why did you tease me, sunbae?” “I didn’t tease you…” He spoke hesitantly.

   “Just stop for a moment. The first sound you made just now was good, but extend it a bit longer.”

   Jaeyoung demonstrated the sound. Then Sangwoo imitated it.

   “Very good. The two sounds should have a rising tone, you see? It’s like a plane taking off.”

   Jaeyoung raised his arms diagonally and gradually lifted them like an airplane. This time, Jaeyoung spoke first, and then Sangwoo followed.

   “Like that. You did well when I taught you, right?”

   Jaeyoung lightly tapped the back of Sangwoo’s hand without realizing it, brushing against it a few times and then withdrawing, leaving a strange feeling in that area. Sangwoo was startled to the point of forgetting how to breathe for a moment. He had learned that human bodies evolved to prepare for various forms of attack by nature, and it seemed as if his body regarded  Jaeyoung’s hand as a threat, causing tension to spread throughout his body.

   Jaeyoung didn’t look at Sangwoo; he moved his hand with a serious expression, as if he was focused on his own teaching.

   “Listen to the third sound. It should have a descending tone, like scooping rice. Then lift it up again, give it a try.”

   “…Oh, alright then.”

   “Huh? It went back to the same as before. Then try making the second sound again.”

   “Nei-ee.”

   “Just a moment ago, it was fine. Why did it turn out like this all of a sudden? Did the machine malfunction? If we can’t get through this, there’s no way to present it perfectly, is there?”

   At that moment, Sangwoo picked up the folded sign nearby and waved it in front of his face, while Jaeyoung reached into his bag to pick up something, turning his back. When he turned back, he handed Sangwoo a piece of paper.

   It was a paper filled with abbreviated Chinese characters. When read, it turned out to be a scripted conversation tricking people into sending money via telephone during the era of the dynasty merchant. Sangwoo’s eyes widened because not only was the content well-organized, but it also had the pronunciation spelled out completely. When he tried reading it carefully, he realized it wasn’t just a series of example sentences put together, but included sentences that were contextually relevant and had no gaps. If he were to do it alone, he would have to spend a long time searching on the internet, and even if he tried his best, there would still be some incomplete points.

   When both of them met each other’s gaze, Jaeyoung smiled.

   “Don’t you have any compliments?”

   “You did remove all the swear words, right?”

   Jaeyoung replied that he did, but Sangwoo didn’t believe him. So he called the teacher who was passing by in the vicinity and told him that the script had been fixed and asked the teacher to review it. The teacher took the script with a puzzled expression before sweeping his gaze over it and slowly raising the corners of his mouth. Then he burst out laughing loudly. Jaeyoung tapped his pen and asked.

   “How is it, teacher?”

   “I’ve seen several drafts before, and they were full of profanity, but this one is good. It smells like a masterpiece. Did you bring a video camera with you?”

   “Sangwoo did it all.”

   “You, on the other hand, always say things like ‘Sangwoo did it.’ How can he know so many insults? I’m not sure if it’s him and not you.”

   “Oh, I feel like you are using the word ‘insult’ for your student. You’ve gone too far.”

   The teacher placed his hand on Sangwoo’s shoulder and said calmly.

   “Well, I am waiting to see the results next week, both of you.”

   Sangwoo frowned. Something strange and unbelievable might have happened, but now he had no choice but to accept it.

   Well, the Error named Jang Jaeyoung… has improved.

   Return 0;

   After the end of the second class, Jaeyoung quickly stood up and hurriedly left. He mumbled to himself while walking lazily. Even lying down straight with his legs stretched out during class, ‘Algorithm.’

   “It’s time to eat.”

   Now even walking with the other party in the engineering building corridor, Sangwoo was starting to get used to it. Going down the stairs together, including going to the cafeteria together and sitting down to eat, but today Jaeyoung stopped Sangwoo in front of the engineering building.

   “Sangwoo, I have an appointment today.”

   That was unexpected. Moreover, it was a strange situation. They didn’t make plans to have lunch together again, but Jaeyoung acted as if Sangwoo was waiting for him. Sangwoo pretended to be happy to correct the misunderstanding of the other party.

   “Wow….”

   Sangwoo clapped five times, mocking and smiling. Jaeyoung took out a canned coffee from his bag before raising his hand and placing the can down. Then he made a facial expression as if sympathizing with his grandmother looking at her grandson.

   “Drink until full. Then drink water, don’t let your stomach get upset.

   And don’t follow strangers, understand?” He spoke as if he felt sorry.

   “I often wonder if sunbae, you are crazy.”

   Jaeyoung smiled with his eyes, his hand touched Sangwoo’s shoulder, then he withdrew without giving him a chance to avoid it.

   Before Sangwoo could decide what to say, Jaeyoung walked away slowly.

   ‘Is the machine broken?’

   Sangwoo recalled what Jaeyoung said during the first class, which was more worrying than criticizing his poor Chinese pronunciation. He also mentioned that if it continued like this, he wouldn’t get full marks. He didn’t know when Jaeyoung started being overly close, and Sangwoo, who wasn’t used to it, would temporarily stop thinking, as if the engine was malfunctioning.

   ‘If you do that again next time, I’ll really be angry.’

   Sangwoo felt worse than he should, perhaps because he was so angry that it made him out of breath. He kept his anger hidden inside as he walked on campus.

   Jaeyoung, who had walked far away, stood in front of a bench, accompanied by a male and a female student. Jaeyoung said something, and the female student laughed and hit his back hard, while the male student laughed so hard that he almost fell on the ground. When Jaeyoung grabbed his arm and wrestled, he laughed even louder.

   ‘I feel good.’

   Sangwoo diverted his gaze from them and pondered in his heart. He felt good. Originally, he thought they would have lunch together, but Jang Jaeyoung suggested separating, so he could eat without worrying about being disturbed until he was full.

   The time spent eating lunch was extremely peaceful. Apart from one female student, there was Sangwoo sitting quietly at an empty table, then getting up after finishing, taking the tray back to the counter. The clock showed 12:28 PM, just right.

   He left the cafeteria at the usual time after several days and opened the canned coffee that Jaeyoung gave him. It had a familiar taste, a familiar atmosphere, and the act of strolling while sipping coffee made him feel refreshed. When he finished walking around the promenade, it was 12:41 PM.

   Sangwoo threw the coffee can into the second bin in front of the Natural Sciences Faculty and headed to the library.

   ‘I feel good, really good.’

   Today, in the library, there were fewer people than usual, so there were no distractions. After registering the books and scanning the new ones, he borrowed the newly released programming book and went to sit down.

   ‘Will I finish reading this book?’

   Lately, with only studying his major subject, the schedule was unusually packed, making him curious. Nevertheless, he kept the thick books in his bag. Then he picked up the textbook he was going to read this time. There was no other student at the table where he sat. Sangwoo looked at the empty seat before returning his gaze to the book.

   Condensers, capacitors, inductors, direct current, alternating current… His eyes were not fixed on the book itself. He was deciphering the meaning of symbols, but no matter how many times he read it, he couldn’t understand.

   “So, how does it work?”

   After silently complaining in his heart, Sangwoo felt startled. His mind had never rejected studying before. But no matter how much effort he made, the content remained closed to Sangwoo, allowing only surface-level understanding. He couldn’t grasp the concepts. Yes, it must be because he studied in a classroom without truly understanding.  return 0;

   Time continued to pass regardless of how bad his condition was, and daytime turned into nighttime. And then, nighttime turned into daytime again.

   Sangwoo started a new day just like before, but not everything was the same. The table next to him only had a bag placed on it, and twenty minutes had passed since he started studying. The seat remained empty. When the owner wasn’t present, he could move that bag to another place and sit there, but Sangwoo felt uncomfortable for some strange reason when there was no one disturbing him as there should be.

   Jang Jaeyoung walked in with a sense of confusion, just as Sangwoo’s digital watch changed from minutes to 22. The gaze of the professor who taught the subject ‘Embedded System’ seemed to shoot laser beams as he looked at the newcomer who arrived late. And to top it off, he suddenly dropped onto the table, emitting a strong alcohol smell. Sangwoo wondered if he had been drinking with someone yesterday.

   “Why are you late?”

   But the question he asked softly turned into another question. Moreover, it was a question he already knew the answer to. So, it was pointless. Jaeyoung raised his head slightly from the small table and looked at Sangwoo.

   “Why do you think so?”

   “Because I drank until late.”

   “You know well.”

   “With whom?”

   Sangwoo’s hidden curiosity couldn’t help but escape from his mouth. Although he didn’t raise an eyebrow in surprise, Jaeyoung’s eyes still flickered with agitation.

   “Who did you go drinking with?”

   “I’m just curious who would be crazy enough to go drinking with you sunbae.”

   “If you want to go drinking with me, just say it.”

   “Are you crazy? Me?”

   Sangwoo wanted to apologize that ever since Jaeyoung arrived, he hasn’t been paying attention to his studies, but the truth is he hasn’t been listening to anything even before that.

   ‘I don’t understand what the teacher is teaching.’

   This group always makes Sangwoo feel strange. At the same time, he feels like he’s being pulled away from familiar feelings. Plus, his head covered in dark brown hair constantly distracts Sangwoo from the book. He has a hunch that he won’t get any work done today.

   The class is over, but Jaeyoung is still asleep, weakly slumped over the desk.

   “Senior.”

   Sangwoo could have left the other party there and walked to the next classroom, but he called out.

   “…Sunbae.”

   Jaeyoung didn’t raise his face, he reached out with his left arm and held onto Sangwoo’s arm tightly, causing Sangwoo to feel suffocated.

   “Ah… it feels like I’m suffocating. I can’t take it anymore.”

   Jaeyoung then said while grabbing both of Sangwoo’s arms, he pushed himself up, picked up his “Black Hole” from his bag, and placed it on the table. Then he walked out, leaving only a solitary coffee can on the desk.

   Sangwoo put the coffee in his bag and walked to the next classroom.

   ________________________________________.

[1]            How long does it take from here to Seoul Station?

[2]            Let’s go watch a movie together tomorrow, okay?

[3]            Great, what movie should we watch?

[4]            Grade, A0, equivalent to approximately 3.60-4.00 GPA.

[5]            Grade, A+, equivalent to approximately 4.10-4.50 GPA.

[6]            The Chinese language has four tones, namely Tone 1 “Neutral tone”, Tone 2 “Rising tone”, Tone 3 “Falling-Rising tone”, and Tone 4 “Falling tone”.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 18 <11> #5.

   “Ohhhhh….”

   As soon as the door opened, Jaeyoung let out a big sigh. Sangwoo tossed the jelly bag onto Jaeyoung’s tray.

   “Just order once, please.”

   “Ohhhhhhhh….”

   “And if there’s something to say, say it. Don’t just keep sighing.”

   “It hurts, it hurts so much.”

   “Will I ever know what to do?”

   Sangwoo sighed and turned around to face Jaeyoung. As he grabbed the doorknob of the smoking zone, he heard a loud sound from behind.

   “I was thinking of ordering until you asked why I keep sighing.”

   Sangwoo just chuckled. If there’s something to say, then say it. Why use roundabout ways to waste money and time?

   “So why do you keep sighing then?”

   “My notebook is broken.”

   Jaeyoung sighed as if he had been waiting all along. At the same time, it felt like he was just speaking in passing, making Sangwoo wonder.

   “What’s the problem?”

   “I don’t know, it makes a beep sound and won’t turn on.”

   “The memory card [1] might have come loose from the slot [2] or there may be an issue with the motherboard [3]. If the RAM is loose, you can just put it back in and it should work, but if there’s a problem with the chipset, you might have to take it to a service center to diagnose the issue based on the number of beeps.”

   “I’m not good with computers, I really don’t know.”

   Jaeyoung spoke softly and took another deep breath.

   “What should I do? I might have to sell it for scrap metal. Maybe I’ll get around five hundred thousand won for it.”

   ‘You believe in easy solutions.’

   Sangwoo turned around and hugged himself. Jaeyoung sat on the chair, looking at Sangwoo. Then he started murmuring as if talking to himself.

   “Even though I brought it here, it doesn’t mean I can fix it. I’ve been playing games for a while, but I’ll probably have to go to a service center. And by the way, is there any place open at this time? It’s so annoying.”

   “Give it to me then.”

   Sangwoo blurted out. It wasn’t out of pity, he just wanted to solve the problem right in front of him. Jaeyoung clapped his hands and widened his eyes.

   “Really, you’re a computer expert, aren’t you? We should be able to fix the computer together.”  “I’ll take a look.”

   Jaeyoung handed over his green notebook bag without hesitation. Sangwoo took the notebook and went back to the counter. When he opened the bag, he found a white notebook with a 14-inch display, a brand he was familiar with because he had used it before, and it had been on the market for two years.

   When he pressed the power button, the laptop didn’t boot up as Jaeyoung had mentioned, and there were two beeps. Not four beeps, but two beeps, indicating a problem with the memory. Sangwoo held down the power button to force shut down the notebook, then took out a screwdriver and started disassembling it.

   “Can this really be fixed?”

   When he opened it up, he found that not only had the RAM come loose from the slot, but there was no RAM at all. Sangwoo immediately messaged Customer 22 through the store’s internet system.

   [Admin: Hi. There’s no RAM_20:16.]

   [Guest22: What?ㅠㅠ, Let me check in my bag_20:16.]

   Upon seeing the guest’s distressed response, Sangwoo frowned, but upon inspection, there seemed to be no damage. So he searched in the small bag, and inside, he found the RAM, unbelievably intact.

   [Admin: It’s in the bag, and why did you take out the RAM? _20:18.]

   [Guest22: It came out when I pulled it out, here it is ㅠㅠ_20:19.]

   ‘Are you going to say that the computer parts came loose by themselves when you opened the case?’

   This is the most meaningless statement among all the things Jaeyoung has ever said. However, when he inserted the RAM back and turned on the machine, it worked fine. But it seemed like this notebook had more than just a hardware issue [5] because it took longer than usual to boot up.

   After 5 minutes, the desktop appeared on the screen. When looking at the desktop, Sangwoo was speechless. The majority of the desktop space was occupied by graphic design software icons. There were also folders for pictures, videos, documents, and many others. Because of this, he couldn’t see the face of the female celebrity that was set as the background image.

   [Admin: The boot-up is very slow. Organize the icons on the desktop. 

   Delete any unused programs _20:27.]

   [Guest22: Is it broken? ㅠㅠ_20:27.]

   [Admin: It’s not completely broken. I will install optimization software 

   [6]. If possible, buy an SSD [7] and install it _20:27.]

   But it’s not something that software can fix. Just opening a web browser takes up to 1 minute, so it’s obvious how the owner has been using this computer despite its age.

   [Admin: Formatting might improve it _20:32.]

   [Guest22: Please do it ㅠㅠ_20:32.]

   [Admin: I don’t have the OS, unfortunately _20:32.]

   [Guest22: It looks like there’s a CD in the bag _20:32.]

   Is there anyone on this planet who carries a computer operating system in their bag? But even though it’s hard to believe, it must be true. Inside the small bag behind him, there is a copyrighted OS CD. Sangwoo couldn’t find words to say.

   [Admin: Do people usually carry an OS with them? _20:34.]

   [Guest22: I don’t know ㅠㅠ. Maybe it’s a thank-you gift _20:34.]

   [Admin: Okay. You should back up your data _20:35.]

   [Guest22: What is backup? ㅠㅠ_20:35.]

   [Admin: Find a flash drive with plenty of space. Otherwise, use a portable hard disk. If you don’t have one, use online storage _20:35.]

   [Guest22: I’ll check in the bag _20:35.]

   It’s unbelievable that there is actually a 1TB portable hard disk in the inner pocket of the bag. This bag can be called a universe bag, huh? Someone who doesn’t know what a backup is but carries such a large-capacity portable hard disk, it’s really surprising.

   [Admin: I will format it. Will Partition [9] split automatically? _20:37.]

   [Guest22: Divide it into drives, C, and D, each half. Install Windows on 

   Drive D_20:38.]

   [Guest22: I don’t know anything at all ㅠㅠ, but I see that it’s a good way to divide it. _20:38.]

   [Admin: Yes_20:39.]

   He moved the slow data of the laptop to the portable hard disk, then formatted the computer, boosted its performance, and installed various basic programs. Sangwoo proudly folded down the screen. After doing something useful, time passed productively, and he himself felt better.

   “Hmm, your eyes seem tired.”

   Jaeyoung stood with his chin on the counter, looking at Sangwoo. The other side had been there for a while. Sangwoo didn’t notice.

   “Is it finished already? Impressive.”

   Sangwoo just figured it out when the cable went off, because he kept fixing the notebook for the other party. So he lost two hours, and this was something he did on his own without anyone ordering him. Nevertheless, it’s still this junk hooligan’s annoying notebook. Even though the guy himself didn’t act maliciously like before. But still, Sangwoo packed the equipment in a bored and indifferent face and handed it to Jaeyoung.

   “The specs don’t support graphic software, so don’t install those programs.”

   “Thank you.. Sangwoo.”

   Jaeyoung’s three-word remark had an odd weight in his heart. He felt a little strange. How can two hours of labor be repaid with just a simple thank you? But the moment he heard those words, he felt as if all the fatigue didn’t matter. Sangwoo looked away without making eye contact with Jaeyoung.

   At that moment, the late part-time employee arrived and switched places with Sangwoo, while Sangwoo packed his lunch and put on a coat. Jaeyoung slung the notebook bag and stood by the door.

   Sangwoo walked without thinking for a moment. Then, when the NDorphin spray came out while dealing with the computer, he found himself walking next to Jaeyoung. Jaeyoung walked alongside, swaying his hand and humming a strange song, but there was no sign of any intention to provoke or show off.

   “What are you doing, sunbae?”

   “Huh?”

   Jaeyoung made a face as if he just realized that Sangwoo was walking beside him.

   “Where are you going, senior?”

   “Am I? Oh… How about home?”

   “This is the way to my house.”

   “I’m going this way too.”

   If that’s the case, it can be explained why the other party is walking beside you on the way back home. Not following him.

   “Sangwoo, you’re really good with computers.”

   “I just have everything I need in my bag, that’s all.”

   “I should express my gratitude a little bit.”

   “Don’t mention it. I only did it because I couldn’t stand watching.”

   Sangwoo spoke sharply, saying he didn’t know what else to do to show gratitude, and he didn’t want anything like that.

   “No, no, if you intend to do it, you must receive a reward.”

   “It’s okay.”

   Jaeyoung stayed quiet for a while and then asked suddenly.

   “Do you want to watch a movie?”

   Sangwoo wasn’t interested in movies, but he knew that the equation “cinema = dating place” was a common perspective in society.

   “Why do I have to go watch a movie with you sunbae?”

   “Huh? I didn’t invite you to watch it together. I just bought a ticket for you to watch alone.”

   “…”

   Sangwoo felt uneasy as to why these past few days he had been thinking on his own. He couldn’t breathe properly.

   “Whatever you say, if that’s the case.”

   He quickly said something and walked away, lucky to have reached home. Jaeyoung’s footsteps stopped in front of an apartment, while Sangwoo walked towards the door as if he was escaping.

   “Sweet dreams.. Sangwoo.”

   That was an unnecessary gentle farewell, but Jaeyoung’s farewell today made Sangwoo feel uneasy inappropriately. He didn’t know why the other party seemed different than usual.

   “…you too, sunbae.”

   Sangwoo spoke without caring whether Jaeyoung would hear or not. Then he ran up the stairs two steps at a time.

   ________________________________________.

[1]      Memory card. In this case, it refers to RAM “Random-access memory” or “ram.” the main memory unit of a computer that is an important component affecting overall performance and also has an impact on system speed.

[2]      Slot. It is a slot for inserting devices such as RAM, modem, internal expansion cards, or other devices that help enhance the capabilities of a computer on the motherboard.

[3]      Motherboard or mainboard. It is the main circuit board that controls the operation of connected devices according to instructions. The chipset is the main and crucial component, considered the heart of the system, responsible for coordinating the operation between various devices on the motherboard.

[4]      Boot. It prepares the computer for use and is the first thing that appears after pressing the power button. It checks the status of the machine, provides various details about the computer, such as how much RAM is available, what buses are present, and the CPU speed, using BIOS software.

[5]      Hardware. It comprises the physical components of a computer, including peripheral devices related to the computer that can be seen and touched, such as the main unit, display screen, keyboard, and mouse, among others.

[6]      Optimization software, also known as cleaning software or junk file cleaners, helps remove unnecessary files from computers, tablets, or smartphones, and improves the overall system performance “also called optimization”. Antivirus programs also have tools for this purpose.

[7]      SSD “Solid State Drive”. It is a type of data storage device used with computers or laptops to store data persistently, similar to a hard disk drive “HDD”, but faster and more reliable.

[8]      Format. It is the process of erasing all data on a drive. In the case of the C: drive or the drive where the OS “operating system” is installed, a new OS must be installed afterward.

[9]      Partition. It is the act of dividing the space on a hard disk into sections or multiple drives for convenient access to data and programs.

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SMNTCERR, Chapter 17 <11> #4.

   The loud sound of a door closing made the two male students who were playing games turn to look in surprise. Sangwoo’s heart raced, and he could feel the heat rising on his face.

   ‘Why do you like taking other people’s belongings?’

   Sangwoo hurriedly ran out of the drama club room, remembering that he had always been someone who liked change. Yes, that’s right. His own words were correct. Sometimes he was like this, sometimes he was like that, a person whose behavior was unpredictable like the weather.

   Sangwoo’s hurried footsteps gradually slowed down. As time passed, he became more and more embarrassed. Even though Jang Jaeyoung had taken the hat and refused to return it, suddenly, he seemed too vulnerable when Sangwoo got closer. Normally, Sangwoo wasn’t easily intimidated, but when someone approached him, he made a face-pulling gesture and became so surprised that he couldn’t make a sensible decision.

   ‘It’s not like I’m attracted to the same sex.’

   When fighting for the ball on a football field, the touches were more intimate than this. It was the same in wrestling or Korean wrestling. Even though their bodies were closely connected in every way, it didn’t seem strange. When entering the dressing room and changing clothes together, it still didn’t seem like a big deal because they were both men.

   Sangwoo concluded that it was his own lack of self-control that caused him to do such things. So when Jaeyoung chased after him, he dared not look at the other side. Jaeyoung handed him a blue outfit for the play along with a wig.

   “I just took off the hat to put on the wig, so I teased you a little. Didn’t expect you to get angry.”

   “I’m not angry at all.”

   He lied, because until now, Sangwoo’s heart was still pounding with anger. Jaeyoung was just preparing things, and it was clear that he had misunderstood something weird, whether intentionally or unintentionally, it seemed like the other party could make him stressed in many ways, whether intentional or not.

   “We have to practice and perform well, so let’s do our best. Sangwoo.”

   Sangwoo evaluated the other party’s words as he put away his clothes and wig into his bag and left the building. He heard Jaeyoung’s voice following him. So Sangwoo turned around to speak.

   “It seems like the plan has changed. However, it doesn’t matter. So let’s not pretend to be close.”

   The corner of his mouth that used to be calm curved into a smile.

   “I didn’t plan anything. I just did what I wanted to do.”

   “And from this point on, there’s no need to follow anymore. Because of you, sunbae. I won’t go to the library anymore. I will go back home and study there.”

   “The more you forbid, the more tempting it becomes.”

   “So please come along.”

   “Come on, talking about something like that, I’m already there.”

   “…”

   Sangwoo hurriedly walked towards the library to get his bicycle as usual. He thought that if he deliberately rode the bicycle past Jaeyoung and ran down the slope, it might help him forget about it. But Jaeyoung followed him down.

   “What are you doing?”

   “Just following you, I told you.”

   Sangwoo looked at the sparkling skateboard that Jaeyoung was riding with a surprised face. How crazy can this person be? Isn’t time important for everyone? Why waste such a valuable time on something that doesn’t make any difference?

   He shook his head and thought that he would just stick to riding the bicycle. But his gaze kept shifting towards that direction. Jaeyoung was very skilled at skateboarding, and he knew how to attract people’s attention. Not just Sangwoo, but everyone who saw Jaeyoung in that alley looked at him with curiosity and admiration. Jaeyoung seemed to enjoy getting attention, so he showed off his skateboard tricks in front of many people, smiling like a celebrity and high-fiving children. While the skateboard was still rolling.

   The other side seemed free like a character in a video game. At that moment, even though Sangwoo already knew that Jaeyoung was different from him, when he saw the smiling lips, flowing hair, and skateboarding skills, he felt that Jang Jaeyoung was a completely different species.

   They were completely different from each other. Sangwoo did what he had to do, while Jaeyoung did what he wanted to do, no matter what it was. Sangwoo had no friends, not even one person, while Jaeyoung was a famous person at the university, known by many wherever he went. Sangwoo wore only black clothes, while Jaeyoung’s wardrobe had to be full of rainbow colors. Sangwoo often looked expressionless, while Jaeyoung often smiled like a mischievous child. Sangwoo clung to his daily routine, while Jaeyoung acted like a carefree wanderer, they lived in different worlds. If it weren’t for those unfortunate events, they would have never crossed paths.

   They crossed the sidewalk and turned into the alley, then both of them gilded side by side. Even though there was no one around, Jaeyoung still jumped and spun half a turn before landing on the ground, the skateboard seemed to stick to his feet.

   “So why did you follow me?”

   If Jaeyoung wanted to skate, there would be plenty of good places to do so. I don’t understand why they had to play in a street full of potholes. Jaeyoung answered nonchalantly that there was nothing else to do, and that wasn’t an answer that matched the question. But no matter what, Sangwoo didn’t need to understand the other side because he had already passed halfway.

   “Now there’s only one week left.”

   “What?”

   “During the withdrawal period for classes.”

   Jaeyoung just laughed. He didn’t say anything.

   It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the apartment where Sangwoo lived. It was a four-story building with vines crawling up the walls. Sangwoo locked his bicycle in the designated bicycle parking area labeled ‘Room 402’ and had a chain lock.

   “Here we are.”

   “Breaking into someone’s residence carries a maximum penalty of 3 years.”

   “Why haven’t you mentioned that yet?”

   “If you take the bicycle, I’ll report it to the police immediately, including any modifications or accessories.”

   Hearing Sangwoo speak like that, instead of scolding, Jaeyoung just laughed. 

   He stepped on one end of the skateboard, and then the other end popped up. 

   Jaeyoung held up the skateboard with his left hand and raised his right hand.

   “Have fun on your day off.. Sangwoo.”

   “…Okay.”

   Upon hearing the non-hostile words, he politely responded. Sangwoo turned his gaze away from the other side and walked into the building. He wondered why he felt so unsettled and tried to think about it while climbing the stairs. It seemed like this was the first time they had separated on good terms. There were no curses exchanged.

   Even though he worried that the other person would follow, there was no sound behind him. Sangwoo reached the fourth floor, entered the code at the door, and went inside.

   He let out a sigh for no reason. Then he placed his bag by the door, took off his hat and coat, and hung them on the coat hanger. After changing out of his jeans into sportswear, he went to wash his hands with soap in the bathroom. The reflection in the mirror showed an ordinary teenage boy with flat bangs sticking to his forehead.

   Sangwoo picked up a book to read from the bookshelf and placed it on the table. He took out a pencil box and a notebook from his bag and put them side by side. But before sitting down on the chair, his feet walked towards the window.

   He squinted a little and looked through the window below. Jaeyoung was still in the same place. On the other side, he left the skateboard and played with the black cat lying belly up, while Jaeyoung sat there gazing, using his hand to stroke it. Sangwoo had encountered that cat several times, but if it didn’t feel threatened, it would run away quickly. Sangwoo looked at Jaeyoung as he picked up his phone to take a picture of the cat before closing the curtains.

   In the two-day hardcore mode, one day off. Then, it would be slightly annoying for another two days, as Jang Jaeyoung’s actions were unpredictable, like an irregular function, just like his indescribable nature.

   Sangwoo didn’t like anything without structure, because it couldn’t be predicted.

   He sat down at the table and started reading a book. return 0;

   Uncertainty comes with inefficiency.

   Jaeyoung’s actions had no pattern, so it was impossible to guess what he would do on the weekend break. Therefore, when he saw the reflection of a person on the frosted glass door of the internet cafe with posters attached, Sangwoo felt restless. Then, after a while, he felt relieved and continued to stay this way.

   The special working hours on Saturday passed slowly because there were fewer people using the service than usual, so he didn’t have much work. However, because he was idly staring at the door, he didn’t use his free time effectively. If an enemy suddenly appeared, he had to be prepared to deal with it, so vigilance was a good defense. But from the situation, it seemed like he was waiting for Jaeyoung to arrive, which Sangwoo thought was funny.

   ‘I haven’t missed a day of us seeing each other until now.’

   That was the only pattern Sangwoo found in Jaeyoung’s various behaviors, even on Wednesdays when they studied different subjects. The other side still came chasing after Sangwoo as if to catch him.

   But until four o’clock, Jaeyoung didn’t show up. Sangwoo felt disappointed and slightly uneasy. At the same time, he thought that the other side might be waiting in front of the house. It wouldn’t be surprising since the other side had come before when riding a skateboard. When looked at from that angle, it wasn’t strange if the other side came again.

   When he walked to the front of the house, Sangwoo saw a black shadow in front of the building.

   “So, he must be there!”

   But when he walked closer, he found that it was just a large garbage bin. In the end, on that day, Sangwoo didn’t meet Jaeyoung even once. If he knew that it would be like this, he would have used the spare time during work more productively. He regretted wasting his time idly staring at the door.

   Sangwoo entered the house in a gloomy mood. And Saturday life came to an end.

   [1.) On an ordinary day, there is a 100% possibility that Jaeyoung will appear.

   2.) On a day off, there is a possibility of x% that Jaeyoung will appear, 

   (0≤x≤50).]

   From the case of Saturday, although it was not conclusive, it could be inferred according to the above conclusions. Today, Sangwoo chose to believe the option that Jaeyoung would not show up in order to avoid restlessness like yesterday, as if it were his belief system.

   Gong-ging gong-ging.

   But Jaeyoung destroyed Sangwoo’s “belief” by appearing at 19:33. When the ringing sound echoed through the door, dealing with customers became one of his responsibilities, and Sangwoo’s former assumption was torn in half, shattered to pieces.

   Jaeyoung picked up the card and walked past the counter. Sangwoo felt anxious because he didn’t know what the other side would do, but luckily there were surveillance cameras installed on the ceiling. If Jaeyoung did something pointless, Sangwoo would immediately inform the store manager and make sure he never came here again. The store manager was a kind person. Previously, when Sangwoo had an argument with another man who asked him to put something on hold, the store manager sided with Sangwoo.  [Order from customer number 22: Spicy Fried Chicken.]

   Sangwoo glanced at the notification message. It had only been a minute since Jaeyoung passed by the counter; he had to place the order immediately upon opening the computer.

   Sangwoo got up from his seat and went to boil water, preparing the ramyeon according to the instructions. He placed the ramen bowl on a tray and carried it to the smoking area. Jaeyoung sat leaning against a chair, reading manga on his shaking legs. As soon as Sangwoo placed the tray on the table and turned around, he heard a loud exhale behind him.

   After returning to the counter for three minutes, the notification popped up again.

   [Order from customer number 22: Lemonade.]

   “So, the strategy for today is training a thousand dogs, huh?”

   If that’s the case, it must be the most tolerable thing he has encountered so far. Despite sitting not far from the counter, Jaeyoung seemed content, and there was nothing unsatisfactory for Sangwoo because this was a job that earned him money.

   He filled the glass with filtered water, about 80%, and stirred the lemonade powder with a teaspoon. After adding four ice cubes, the water level rose to just below the rim of the glass. Sangwoo placed the glass on a tray for a moment and went to find Jaeyoung. The other side was watching a video of someone spray painting on the wall, the ramyeon already more than halfway gone in the bowl.

   “Huh…”

   The sound of a loud exhale seemed like the earth was collapsing, coming from the mouth of the person sitting there. Sangwoo placed the drink next to the ramyeon bowl and stepped out of the smoking area.

   After returning to his seat for five minutes, the notification popped up again.

   [Order from customer number 22: Fried Clam-Purse Potatoes.]

   Sangwoo looked at the screen with a dissatisfied expression. Customers could order any food through the store’s system, but hardly anyone ever ordered pastries. Normally, they would come to the counter to buy them themselves.

   “So, you’re trying to give me an excuse to exercise, huh? Thanks.”

   Sangwoo picked up the pastries from the shelf and walked to the smoking area, while Jaeyoung was watching a basketball game from another country.

   “Ohhh….”

   The sound of exhaling grew louder each time. Sangwoo placed the bag of snacks next to the Lemon Green water and the Ramyun cup before leaving the smoking zone.

   Sangwoo knew well that it wasn’t over yet. He sat down at the counter and hugged his chest, looking at the screen. It wasn’t known how many minutes had passed when the notification sound became louder.

   [Customer request number 22: Jelly fruits.]

   Sangwoo grabbed the jelly from the shelf and headed towards the smoking zone.

   ________________________________________.

   [1] Training a disobedient dog. “똥개, 훈련, : Tong-gae, Hoon-nyeon.” A proverb used to describe giving orders to perform tasks that are both difficult and easy or have no repeated meaning.

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