“Yul, but don’t you have any plans to date?”
Dating—most people would grin and brush it off, but for Seon Yul, it was an unwelcome topic. At twenty-three, long past freshman age, Seon Yul really felt like the word dating alone made his skin crawl. That damn question had been tormenting me faithfully ever since the moment I entered college three years ago. Did dating even make money, or was it somehow necessary for life? To him, dating was just a completely unnecessary drain on emotion. Why everyone—classmates, seniors, and even you—were so interested in his love life, Yul ignored the gazes that seemed to be waiting for an answer and blindly poured beer into his empty stomach. I’m not planning to. At the indifferent voice that came belatedly, everyone at the bar came to the same conclusion.
Yeah, that sounds like Seon Yul.
/
“Right, did you guys hear that?”
They say Jeon Jungkook got discharged from the military. A few classmates nodded, saying they’d seen him submit the paperwork before the topic quickly changed. Do-yoon, who’d come over from the table opposite, sat down beside them and spoke up. You know him too, right? Who. Who else? Jeon Jungkook’s famous.
“….Ahh— Jeon Jungkook.”
I don’t really know him. We’re not that close. What? Wanting to snag at least something, they’d all offered up bright, eager eyes, but at the follow-up words one by one they frowned. What? I thought you were close. Do-yoon laughed heartily and drank his beer. That Jeon Jungkook guy? The one who’d been rumored to be handsome even before going to the army? The room quickly grew noisy. From comments about how handsome he must be to the absurd situation of people betting whether he’d come to tonight’s drinking party or not. Seon Yul knew Jeon Jungkook, but if he thought about it, that was only from a few words exchanged here and there while passing by. Though Jeon Jungkook might remember it differently. He’ll come, Yul muttered, and Do-yoon, who somehow heard him, shouted loudly.
“Really? He’s coming today?”
Snap. The voices that had been guessing vanished in an instant and started showing doubt. Huh? I thought you said you didn’t know him well. Maybe he just wanted to know him himself. A few people whispered to each other with annoyed looks. Do-yoon. Hm? Yul swallowed back what he’d been about to say and forced out a resigned smile. …No, keep eating. As Do-yoon grinned and picked up a piece of chicken, in an instant
Ding—. Along with the clear chime, what appeared was “Hi. Long time no see.”
As expected, the guess wasn’t wrong.
Jeon Jungkook was naturally led by a few classmates toward the noisiest table. Yeah, it was definitely another table, so why did he keep looking this way? Seon Yul’s mouth went dry and hekept gulping down water again and again. Ever since earlier, Jeon Jungkook’s gaze had seemed oddly directed here.“Yul, that’s not water…. It’s soju.”
···Ah. I should probably head out. Actually, even better—Seon Yul packed up his things with the excuse that he felt like he’d get drunk if he stayed any longer. Text me when you get home.
Do-yoon said with a disappointed expression. The moment Seon Yul nodded lightly and hurried his steps, a message asking if he was leaving already started buzzing across his phone screen.Looks like it’s not a mosquito; turning off notifications is probably the answer.
/
Seon Yul, who’d drunk himself senseless the day before, entered the lecture hall carrying a whole hangover that wouldn’t let up. I need to eat something to cure this, but what? Do-yoon still hadn’t texted, probably asleep, and now I’m wondering who to eat with, too. As Seon Yul absentmindedly tapped at his phone,
as the lecture beganhe dropped his head onto the desk. Grades could fall for all he cared—right now, he just couldn’t stay awake.
“······Yul.”
Seon Yul. At the faintly heard name, Yul barely managed to drag his drifting consciousness back from Andromeda and turned toward the source of the voice with a bewildered expression.
“How long are you going to sleep?”
But why is Jeon Jungkook sitting next to me?
]}]}**final** పాటు
