"Hello? I'm Lee Su-ji from the Chemistry Department! What's your name? You're so pretty..."
It was a person my age who had been chatting with students in the middle of the playground. I waited for time to pass, patting the floor, until I raised my head in response to her question.
“Hi, my name is Yeoju Lee.”
“I’m going to stop by a cafe and hang out before the opening ceremony, and then we’ll all move together. Do you want to come too?”
I was rolling my head and eyes around, looking at each person one by one, trying to figure out who would join. Suji, perhaps noticing me, took my hand and introduced me to my classmates.
"Kids, this is Yeoju Lee, the same chemistry major as us!"
"Hey, this is Kim Jo-yeon, this is Park Jimin, this is Kim Tae-hyung."
Even though they said who was who, I couldn't remember. We just nodded vaguely, exchanged brief greetings, and headed to the cafe together.
Ding-
The bustling cafe was bustling with freshmen like me, who seemed to have just started school. As I looked around for a seat, one boy shouted that he wanted an iced Americano and then went back outside. Through the window, I saw him with a cigarette in his mouth, exhaling a puff of white smoke. As I watched him smoke, Suji opened her mouth.
"Do you smoke?"
"I'm afraid I'll pass on the smell of cigarettes, but it's okay."
"He has a good personality. It's okay. Jimin also goes out and smokes. You two should become close and come back."
At Suji's prompting, I went outside, took a cigarette from my pocket, and put it in my mouth. Perhaps because the sun hadn't set yet, my nose quickly turned red and the inside of my nose felt itchy.
“What, do you smoke too?”
I looked at Jimin, startled. I exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke and opened my mouth.
"You're an adult, you can do it. You can do it too."
"No, that's not it, I just like it"
“Why is it good for you if I smoke?”
"It's nice to have a friend who smokes. No one else smokes in that group."
Jimin's faint smile startled me. I quickly put out my cigarette and went into the cafe to sit down. Suzy sat next to me, and Jimin and I, who were smoking, took our seats on the outside. Suzy was the first to speak.
“Have you two become close?”
Then Jimin looked at me and answered.
“We decided to be secret friends.”
.
.
.
As evening approached, we moved to the bar where the opening ceremony was to begin. The bar was still bustling with people. All the grades had gathered, filling the spacious room.
“Lee Yeo-ju, you sit here.”
"Come on! Welcome, freshmen! I'm Kim Jo-hyun, the student council president! Without further ado, let's all drink and die!!!"
From then on, I continued to play drinking games and drink until I was completely out of my mind. Jimin must have been worried about that day, because he suddenly asked a question to the senior in front of him. The senior stood up and shouted loudly.
"Come on! Kids, it's 9 o'clock now. Let's split up into those going to the second round and those going up to the dorms!"
At that sound, I jumped up and prepared to run straight to the dorm. Jimin watched me quietly and whispered in my ear.
"He said he's not sending me first because he's getting ready. He said I'm going up to the dorms with the people who are moving in. You go to the dorms, then come out and take a walk with me to sober up a bit."
I nodded at Jimin's words. After everyone greeted their seniors in front of the dorm, I went upstairs and quickly gulped down some water. Then I quickly changed my clothes and headed out the front door again.
The silhouette visible from afar was Jimin. I waved to him and approached him. His cheeks were redder than before, and his eyes were droopy, indicating he was already drunk.
“You’re drunk. You’re drunk. Why are you telling me to come out and act sober?”
Jimin went into the smoking area, lit a cigarette, and opened his mouth to me.
“You...don’t you have a boyfriend?”
Jimin looked at the unexpected question and then opened his mouth.
“Why is it that every question you ask is so interesting?”
“So, is it there?”
“Oh, no. If there were, would I be standing on the street like this?”
Jimin and I met eyes, grumbling for no reason, and we burst out laughing in disbelief. That is, until someone saw us doing that.
.
.
.
"What? What's your relationship? Seriously... it's school ties, regionalism, and smoking."
Months passed like that, and rumors about me spread like wildfire. That's just how college is. I'm a man-eater. I flirt with all sorts of guys. I've always been a man-follower. These were all rumors about me. My classmates, including Suji, increasingly distanced themselves from me, and even our group chats seemed to have their own separate chatrooms.
.
.
.
“Why did you have to give it to me, oppa?”
“That guy is a crazy b*tch, haven’t you heard the rumors? And it’s been over two years… Why is your brother taking care of a kid like that?”
Suzy's eyes turned bloodshot. Whether she was genuinely worried or simply jealous, it was clear she was sincere.
"Suji, why don't you be a little more careful with your words? We've been together for two years. At this point, you should probably distinguish between public and private matters, right?"
Suji was speechless at Seokjin's words. She must have felt like she'd be exposed at any moment for being so childish and incapable of distinguishing between public and private matters.
"Brother, let's break up"
After Suji's breakup, Seokjin could only stare at her, unable to bring himself to hold her hand. Two years have passed, and their feelings have also changed over the years, and even they don't know how or through what path they've taken.
“Okay, let’s break up.”