“That guy from earlier.”
“Ugh, hack! Cough!”
Surprised by the sudden mention, he choked on his food.
He hurriedly gulped down some water, but it didn’t go down properly; his throat stung, and his vision turned red.
“Are you okay? Do you want a tissue? Water?”
“Ugh, phew, hack-hack!”
Joo Unyoung rushed over to pat his back.
Jingi covered his mouth with a tissue and kept coughing until his eyes welled up with tears, only then finally calming down.
Joo Unyoung handed him another glass of water.
After catching his breath and taking a sip, the guy returned to his seat.
“Don’t eat so fast. Anyway, about that guy.”
“Uh-huh…”
He didn’t want to make eye contact.
Mentioning “that guy” brought back the scene at the counter—the waiters’ condescending sneers and the gay lovers’ spat that had played out in front of them.
And finally, the words he had shouted before running away hit his brain with intense force…
“You don’t need to worry about him. The staff handled it well.”
“The staff?”
“Yeah. The two people at the counter won’t be able to come back, so don’t worry. That guy won’t even be seen in this neighborhood anymore.”
‘The staff who were sneering when I was talking? Seriously?’
Jingi wiped his mouth with a tissue and stared intently at Joo Unyoung.
The question of how was written all over his face. Joo Unyoung, completely unfazed, moved some ricotta cheese salad to his own plate and continued.
“They said they were sorry for laughing when you were talking, too. If you want, you can go and get an apology now.”
“Huh?”
“Either way, those two employees are quitting next week.”
The steak he’d been happily eating felt stuck in his throat, heavy and uncomfortable.
Jingi couldn’t understand what Joo Unyoung was saying at all.
But Joo Unyoung was just smiling brightly, with an expression that seemed to ask, ‘Doesn’t that make you feel better?’
“No, uh, why are they quitting?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they were planning to quit anyway.”
“…”
“And that guy only came to this neighborhood today; he lives somewhere else. Don’t worry about it. You’ll never see a hair of him again.”
“Uh-huh…”
It was a kind-sounding but violent statement.
Just what had happened to cause such a result?
Two employees quitting at once, next week?
Plus, that guy didn’t even live in this neighborhood and only came today…?
Didn’t people usually go to study rooms near their homes?
It felt like too much of a coincidence, but even if it wasn’t Joo Hyeonje, he couldn’t imagine Joo Unyoung spending money or resorting to threats.
Joo Unyoung was oblivious, affection-starved, shy, and occasionally had a temper, but other than that, he was a really good friend.
Besides, wasn’t he the person whom the “perfect” Choi Jingi used to like?
Even in the original novel, Joo Unyoung was always the one getting hurt, and Choi Jingi was the one handling things.
Joo Unyoung didn’t have even a speck of fault.
Jingi decided to accept it.
Thinking about it with his brain wouldn’t lead to any answers.
Besides, life was often more novel-like than a novel anyway.
After the meal, they went to the counter.
Seeing the amount on the bill made him gasp, and thoughts like ‘I could have bought how many ice creams with this money?’ crossed his mind.
Of course, Jingi took out his card with a nonchalant face.
“I’ll pay.”
“Pardon?”
“The table over there.”
But the employee’s eyes widened, and then she gave a small laugh.
“Ah, your friend already paid.”
“What?”
“The person wearing the hat.”
Just then, Joo Unyoung, who said he was going to the restroom, walked over while shaking the water off his hands.
The employee pointed at Joo Unyoung and said, “Ah, that person.”
The guy nudged Jingi’s back and smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“You worked hard today, so it’s my treat.”
“No, Unyoung. I said I was going to pay.”
“Come on, it’s not that much. You can just buy it next time.”
As the store door opened automatically, a wave of hot air hit them.
Once they were outside, Jingi lost the strength to argue.
The fact that he called it “not that much” was a bit shocking.
Two high school students had eaten over 200,000 won worth of food.
The defeated warrior had to trudge down the stairs, exhausted by the heat.
Just then, the phone in his pocket vibrated.
It was Baek Jaehui.
The timing was incredible.
“Hello?”
— Hey, where are you? I’m done. Aren’t you going to study more? You said you paid for 8 hours earlier, right? Why are you leaving early without doing it? Because of this hyung…
“Talk one at a time. I’m getting dizzy.”
He cut him off mid-rant. He glanced behind him at Joo Unyoung.
When Joo Unyoung mouthed “Who is it?”, Jingi replied, “Baek Jaehui.”
— Huh? Who are you with right now?
“I’m with Unyoung right now.”
— What? You said you’d hang out with me, so why are you with him?
“Because we went to the study room together?”
— You two went to the study room? Just the two of you? What about Yeol?
“Why would Yeol go to the study room? Anyway, are you done? Don’t the other kids want to eat something?”
Joo Unyoung, having stepped closer, stared intently as if curious about the conversation.
Jingi put the call on speaker and plopped down on the stairs.
He wasn’t ready to face the blazing sun outside.
— So you two went? The two of you? To the study room? What kind of room? Don’t tell me it’s a two-person room, right?
“Yeah, we went together. It is a study room. It’s a shared room.”
— Phew… Okay, okay. Got it. I told the guys to go away because I was going to eat with you guys.
‘I knew it.’
Jingi murmured, “Hmm,” and leaned his head on Joo Unyoung’s shoulder.
It was a bit less comfortable than Yeol because he was shorter, but it was too hot to move.
Joo Unyoung reached his arm behind and swept Jingi’s bangs back.
The hand fanning him where he was sweaty was unusually pretty.
— Are you at the study room now?
“Jingi and I just ate at FM Restaurant.”
Joo Unyoung suddenly answered.
Jingi just handed the phone over entirely.
He was panting, mouth agape.
It was an effort to get the heat out of his system, but every time he swallowed air, even hotter wind entered his body, making him feel like crying.
He suddenly missed the air conditioning he’d just left behind at the restaurant.
He stuck his tongue out, closed his eyes, and let out a sigh that sounded like a long breath.
— What, why are you answering?
“Jingi is totally wiped out because of the heat.”
— Pass the phone to him. It’s not even your phone, so why are you answering?
“Aren’t you coming this way anyway?”
Baek Jaehui was prickly, and pretty Joo Unyoung was sweet.
Jingi deeply regretted not eating ice cream before he left.
To meet Baek Jaehui, he had tried not to eat anything other than meat… he should have just eaten. It’s hot.
Why is it even hotter than before…
“Haa, haa… huff, phew… It’s hot…”
“Are you very hot? Want to go to my place? It’s close from here.”
“Should we…”
Once he went limp, his body couldn’t move, like completely melted ice cream.
Jingi swallowed a deep breath and narrowed his eyes.
Just then, he heard the sound of someone running fast—tap-tap-tap—and turned his gaze forward.
“Ha, shit! What do you mean, ‘should we’!”
— Ha, shit! What do you mean, ‘should we’!
The voice on the phone overlapped with the one in front of him.
Baek Jaehui appeared out of nowhere, huffing and puffing as he walked in with a flushed face.
He must have been running for a while; he was gasping for air.
Then, he glared at Jingi and narrowed his eyes sharply.
“You, why does your face look like that.”
“What.”
“What the hell did you do here?”
As he yelled in a fit of excitement, passersby glanced at them.
Jingi straightened his posture at the sudden remark and furrowed his brows.
A headache throbbed behind his eyes as he tensed up.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
When Jingi looked him up and down like he was looking at a crazy person, Baek Jaehui flinched as if surprised.
“O-oh, no…” he stammered, glancing away and covering his cheek with the back of his hand.
“What on earth do you think about when you live your life, seriously?”
“Hey, no, this isn’t my fault, you know?”
“Then what is it?”
It was already hot enough, and arguing made his blood boil.
He loosened one more button on his shirt and fanned himself while looking up at the guy.
Baek Jaehui jumped and ran to the corner of the stairs, bowing his head.
Under his soccer shorts that reached his knees, his solid legs were trembling slightly.
“Hey, why are you acting like this?”
“Ah, shit… just stay away for a second.”
“Why?”
Was he sulking because he knew they’d eaten first?
When he grabbed his arm to turn him around, the guy turned as red as a strawberry and started making a scene again.
“Shit! Why are your hands so soft?”
“What?”
“Shit, shit, you, you crazy bastard. Seriously!”
Jingi stared at his hand that had been shaken off.
Completely unable to understand, he leaned his back against the stairs and crossed his arms firmly.
‘Seriously, he comes here and starts swearing right away—has he actually lost his mind? Did he lose his match?’
“Speak, will you? Why are you like this? You said you wanted meat, so I’m waiting to go with you even after finishing my meal—why are you acting like a jerk the moment you show up?”
“No… shit, hey, Joo Unyoung. Isn’t, isn’t this… isn’t this weird to you?”
Baek Jaehui was still tucked away in the corner.
Even when Jingi grabbed his shoulder to turn him around, he stood stiffly in place, frozen.
“What’s weird?”
“Ah… shit, am I the weird one? Am I, hey, do I look like I’ve gone crazy?”
“Yeah. You really do look like a lunatic.”
‘It’s hot as hell.’
Jingi sat back down next to Unyoung and fanned himself with the hem of his shirt.
If there’s one upside to being a character in a novel, it’s that he doesn’t even smell like sweat.
I wish I didn’t feel the heat, either, but is that asking for too much?
