* * *
“You’re Lee Siyoung, right?”
Wait, what’s with the informal tone? Frowning at the man’s rudeness, Siyoung showed his displeasure. The man continued, unfazed.
“You don’t know me? I’m sure you’ve heard of me from Yeonseok.”
“Why would I…? Do I know you? And who do you think you are, talking so informally to me?”
“Then you can speak informally too. We’re the same age anyway. I’m Kang Gunjoon. You’ve seriously never heard of me?”
The name rang a bell.
He’d definitely heard it from Yeonseok a few times.
He’d even seen him in passing but hadn’t recognized him immediately because his appearance had changed so much.
“…Yeonseok’s friend.”
“Friend?”
Gunjoon clicked his tongue, clearly irritated but unwilling to deny it outright.
“Yeah. Let’s go with ‘friend.’”
“So why are you glaring at someone you barely know? Do you have something to say to me?”
“Not really. I just find it… funny.”
“What’s so funny?”
“It’s funny how you act all high and mighty because you’re friends with popular kids.”
“What?”
When have I ever acted like that?
Siyoung let out an incredulous laugh.
Gunjoon, apparently thinking he was being mocked, bristled.
“Funny, huh?”
“Yeah, funny. It’s like you’re trying to make people think you’re dating one of them or something.”
At that, Gunjoon’s face turned red.
He looked flustered, like he’d been caught off guard.
“Not now, anyway.”
That sounded like he thought something might happen eventually.
Wasn’t Gunjoon one of Yeonseok’s cast-offs?
Siyoung thought Yeonseok had completely cut ties with him while flirting with Yena.
“Anyway, I’ve been hearing a lot about you lately and wanted to see for myself.”
“What kind of talk?”
“People say you’re riding on luck because you ended up in the same group as them. You’re apparently acting like you’re better than others because of it. It’s all anyone’s talking about.”
“And what do you want me to do about that?”
He didn’t care what people he didn’t know said behind his back.
Watching Gunjoon act like he was revealing some big secret was absurd.
“Did you come all the way here just to say that? Sorry, but I don’t care. Tell them to keep gossiping if they want.”
“…Do you think their kindness will last forever? How long do you think it’ll take before they get tired of you?”
“I’m not hanging out with them because I expect anything, so when things naturally drift apart, it’ll just end there. No big feelings attached. If you’re done, I’ll be leaving now. I still have an exam to prepare for.”
Without waiting for a reply, Siyoung brushed past Gunjoon, indifferent to his presence. Soon, his last exam was over.
‘There weren’t any issues… It’d be nice to get first place, but second’s fine too. I’ll still get a decent scholarship.’
At his university, multiple scholarships could be stacked, so if he kept his grades up, he could attend while earning money.
Last year, he’d ranked first both semesters and hoped to secure the maximum scholarship again this year.
Supporting his younger brother Jooyoung, a high school senior in an expensive prep class, was a choice Siyoung didn’t regret, but the rising expenses were straining his savings.
A scholarship would provide much-needed relief.
“What are your plans for the break?”
“I guess… tutoring, looking into my brother’s college prep, stuff like that.”
“The whole three months?”
“Pretty much.”
Right after the semester ended, it had become a given that Siyoung would align his schedule with Yeonseok and Jaeyoon’s.
They waited for Jaeyoon to finish his last class together.
The break wasn’t likely to bring anything special.
With senior year approaching, Siyoung wanted to save as much money as possible before job hunting consumed all his time.
“Can’t you take a few days off?”
“I might be able to take three days at most.”
That thought wouldn’t have crossed his mind before, but he hadn’t done anything special during a break since entering university.
And with Jooyoung busy with prep classes, family vacations were out of the question.
Three days off didn’t seem unreasonable.
Maybe it was all just an excuse.
Perhaps it was simply because the one making the suggestion was Yeonseok.
Forcing himself to ignore that thought, Siyoung replied.
“So, what’s the plan?”
“Every year, the three of us spend vacation at Jaeyoon’s place.”
“…Do you have to?”
“Not his place in Seoul. He’s got a house in Haeundae, right on the beach. It’s great. After going every year, it doesn’t feel like a proper break without it.”
Yeonseok said it casually.
Having houses in multiple places was impressive enough, but this seemed almost unreal.
“We’ve never taken anyone else, but… you seem like a good fit.”
“What’re you guys talking about?”
As Siyoung pondered the meaning behind those words, a familiar voice interrupted. It was Jaeyoon.
“That thing we talked about yesterday.”
“Oh, the trip?”
“Yeah. Everyone’s on board; we just need to confirm with him.”
“…Did you already tell them in advance?”
“Of course I did. It’s not even my house. Obviously, I talked to them first.”
Yeonseok grumbled, wondering what Siyoung took him for.
Since he had a habit of acting impulsively, Siyoung thought it might have been a spur-of-the-moment thing, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.
“Let’s go together. It’s not that special or anything, but it’s still worth visiting. I know you’re busy, but it doesn’t take long to get there.”
“There are probably plenty of people who’d want to go if you asked them.”
“People who jump at the chance the moment I ask are kind of overwhelming.”
Yeonseok shrugged nonchalantly.
Though he usually seemed carefree, it appeared he was somewhat mindful of these things.
“You really do have a lot of fans. Some even came to me, telling me not to act so arrogant around you.”
“I enjoy hanging out, but I hate feeling pressured. It’s exhausting.”
“That’s quite an annoying thing to say.”
“What can I do? I was born this way, and I have to deal with it. I don’t mind casual fun, but when we get close, some people start acting like they’re my spokesperson or something.”
Yeonseok shook his head, clearly tired of it.
Considering cases like Kang Gunjoon’s from yesterday, Siyoung could understand why Yeonseok would feel that way.
“That’s why I find you so comfortable. Well, aside from that, you’re kind of fun too.”
“Me? That’s the first time I’ve heard someone say that.”
“Being fun doesn’t just mean being funny. And honestly, there aren’t many people JeongHyun likes. He’s super reserved and puts up walls around himself.”
Yeonseok chuckled softly.
Even though Siyoung knew “comfortable” and “fun” were just casual compliments, they left him feeling oddly unsettled.
“Anyway, I think it’ll be fun if we go together. If you can’t make it, it can’t be helped, though…”
Despite saying he wouldn’t push, Yeonseok’s eyes were practically pleading for him to join.
With both Yeonseok and Hyun there, things wouldn’t be awkward anymore.
It wasn’t even far—a three-hour train ride at most.
Three days seemed manageable.
‘Come to think of it, have I ever gone on a trip with friends since starting high school?’
Studying hard, saving money, and not having close friends had kept him from ever going on a trip with anyone before.
“…It might not work out. I can’t just rearrange my schedule however I want.”
Siyoung reluctantly nodded, pretending to hesitate.
While he couldn’t be certain, he figured he could adjust his tutoring schedule enough to carve out a few days.
“Sounds like fun.”
“What would we even do there?”
“Well… drink while watching the ocean, sober up, then drink some more…”
“…Do we really need to go all the way there just to do that?”
“It’s all about the vibe.”
Now that he thought about it, he’d never had a drink with the three of them before.
After school, he was usually busy with tutoring, so their hangouts were limited to coffee breaks or quick meals.
“I’ll try to make it work. But don’t get your hopes up too high. If the student can’t adjust, it might not happen.”
Though he said it casually, Siyoung was determined to figure out a way.
Even if it meant enduring some glares or doubling up on lessons, he wanted to go.
He didn’t know yet that this excitement was just the beginning of a whirlwind summer in his second year of college.
* * *
