Unyoung stood up and approached in a single stride, clinging to Jingi’s arm with a beaming smile. Maybe he ‘did’ see it wrong. The original Joo Unyoung was someone who couldn’t really get angry; he was always a pure, kind boy.
Seeing that bright face, it felt wrong to ask about the expression from before. He wanted to ask if something happened, but he missed the timing. ‘Can someone really change from a face like that to this so suddenly?’
“I… just had dinner.”
“By yourself? You ate without me?”
Unyoung looked up at him with a slightly pouting expression.
“Uh, yeah. Did you guys not eat?”
He thought they would have. That’s why he left them alone and went to the cafeteria by himself—so they could eat together. Jingi looked between Go Yeol and Joo Unyoung with a flustered face. Go Yeol sat perfectly still without even turning his head.
When he peeked closer, he saw Yeol’s eyes were closed. Was he sleeping?
“I was waiting to eat with you! Dinner’s probably all over by now… hmm. Let’s go to the snack bar.”
“Yeah, it’s over… sorry. I thought you two would eat together.”
“It’s okay, I like bread. Let’s go quickly. The bread might run out.”
“Huh? O-okay. But what about Yeol?”
“I told you I’m hungry! Let’s gooo.”
In the brief moment he was distracted, Go Yeol had slumped over his desk as if trying to hide his massive frame. His thick, sturdy forearms were visible beneath his white uniform shirt.
Thinking that Yeol might have fallen asleep sitting up and then slumped over when he heard his voice, Jingi followed Joo Unyoung out, looking back with a slightly apologetic face.
“Did you guys fight? Why were you acting like that?”
“Hmm? Who?”
“You and Yeol… the vibe was a bit…”
“No, no. We were just hanging out.”
In the early part of the original story, the two weren’t very close, but they weren’t awkward either. Part of it was because Choi Jingi acted as a bridge, but the taciturn Go Yeol and the kind, sociable Joo Unyoung did exchange words occasionally. So he thought they would have handled the situation earlier with a decent conversation.
‘Did I do something unnecessary?’ Or was it because of the tension between them? Jingi hesitated even though the back door was already closed. Joo Unyoung pulled at him.
“Right, Jingi. Do you have time on Saturday?”
“Saturday? Why?”
“Finals are coming up soon. We should go to the library.”
Ah. Jingi let out a small sigh. He felt like he would do well even without studying. Still, he shouldn’t neglect it too much. Yeah, if he wasn’t careful, he might become as slow as he was in his past life.
Come to think of it, it was strange that the ‘Main Male Lead’ Choi Jingi collapsed from heat exhaustion, and hadn’t his palate—which was supposed to hate sweets—started liking them since he took over? The same might go for studying; his brain could revert to its original state.
No matter how much of a genius he was, it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t use that ability.
“Sure, let’s go. What about Jaehui and Yeol?”
“Baek Jaehui doesn’t study anyway. Yeol has sports.”
“Got it. I’ll text you when I wake up then.”
“Okie.”
‘Yeah, let’s work hard on studying too.’ Since he’d never really had the chance to study, he hadn’t found the fun in it yet. It might be surprisingly interesting. He even had an advantage others didn’t: his head was already filled with knowledge.
Having lived until twenty-two, Jingi knew from experience that the time between 11th grade and the CSAT (college entrance exam) passed at the speed of light. Of course, back then he was too busy working to feel it, but that’s what the kids studying for the CSAT always said.
Choi Jingi’s grades had been good so far. His future grades depended on him. If he maintained this, he could probably go to almost any school he wanted. Jingi was lost in thought, not even hearing Joo Unyoung’s chattering voice beside him.
By this time next year, he would have to decide which school and major to choose. But he didn’t have anything he wanted to do or desired. It was because he had only ever looked for places that would accept a high school graduate and pay well.
‘What did I want to do when I was a kid? Should I go for a STEM major? People said it’s better for getting a job. …No, I need to find out what I actually want to do.’ His family was well-off, so he didn’t need to obsess over money.
And life is what you make of it. Even if he chose a path that didn’t pay well, things would work out somehow.
“…gi-ya, Jingi-ya!”
In his past life, he had no hobbies. At most, he’d read a technical book or an occasional essay while commuting on the subway.
‘If I… do what I want to do…’
Jingi was too deeply immersed in his thoughts. He continued to avoid people passing by and turned toward the snack bar out of habit, but his mind was occupied only by an obsession with the ‘future.’
Just then, his body was yanked back by a strong grip. His waist wobbled, and his upper body almost fell backward. Jingi quickly braced himself, regained his posture, and turned around.
Joo Unyoung was standing there with a pouting face.
“Oh…”
His brows were furrowed, and the hand gripping Jingi’s arm was filled with tension. Only then did Jingi realize he’d been so lost in thought that he’d missed the conversation. Joo Unyoung took a step closer and let out a sigh.
“Sorry.”
“No, forget that. You seem to have… way too many thoughts lately.”
“I’m sorry. I was just thinking for a second…”
“Exactly, what are you thinking about so much that you don’t even answer when I call? You weren’t like this before.”
His face was a mix of irritation and worry. Jingi peeled Unyoung’s hand off his arm and lowered his eyebrows apologetically.
“I’m sorry. Talking about exams just made my mind feel complicated.”
“….”
“What were you saying? Hmm?”
Jingi apologized frantically to the pouting—no, angry-looking—Unyoung, who was biting the inside of his lip. Anyone would be mad if their words were ignored. Getting lost in thought and failing to hear others wasn’t a Choi Jingi trait; it was a habit from his past life.
He often got in trouble at work because he couldn’t focus on multiple things at once. The feeling that he’d made another mistake made his heart sink heavily.
“No, forget it.”
“I’m sorry. Can’t you tell me again?”
“You’re paying for the bread.”
“I’ll buy it, I’ll buy it all. I’m sorry.”
I quickened my pace to catch up with Joo Unyoung, who was walking ahead of me. I clung to his arm, leaning in close while offering a barrage of apologies. When I even went so far as to link arms with him and whine “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Unyoung finally let out a long sigh and looked up at me.
“Don’t ever do that again. Don’t think about anything else when you’re in front of me, got it?”
“Of course! I’m sorry.”
Unyoung tilted his head sharply, speaking with a heavy emphasis as if he were genuinely furious. Then, his eyes narrowed sharply as he asked:
“You weren’t thinking about some other guy, were you?”
“Other guy?”
“I’m asking if you were ‘really’ thinking about the exams.”
“Yeah, yeah, seriously. I was just wondering which major to pick.”
“Didn’t you say you were going into Business Administration before? And you… don’t leave me alone with Yeol like you did earlier.”
Only then did I realize why Joo Unyoung was so upset. He must have been incredibly embarrassed to be left alone with Go Yeol, given the awkward and subtle tension currently floating between them.
Between me coming back late and saying I’d already eaten, and then ignoring him when he tried to talk to me because I was lost in thought… it seemed like his irritation from being left with Go Yeol had finally reached its breaking point.
