Han-gyeol stumbled into the classroom. Monday morning was tough, having slept in all weekend for the first time in a while. Looking around, he saw half the students, having arrived early, hunched over their desks, while the other half were on their phones. Han-gyeol made sure the majority of students were hunched over their desks. No, he almost did.
“Are you going to school every day now?”
Han-gyeol's best friend casually asked him. The question was clearly intended to ask if he had any plans to pursue a career in entertainment. It wasn't meant to be sarcastic. The reason for his departure was reportedly an ankle injury, so he asked a slightly more cheerful question, in case he was upset. Han-gyeol chuckled and said,
“Okay. Unless something special comes up, I’ll come out every day from now on.”
"There was something special going on every day. So you'd often leave work early, be late, or be absent."
"Yeah. Now, there won't be anything special every day... I just need to fill out the remaining attendance days."
“Good idea.”
My friend playfully nudged me, saying I'd been so lonely while you were gone, and I felt a slight release. I might never be able to work as a celebrity again, but at least my ordinary daily life would continue. Thinking that way, I didn't feel so sad.
"But today's schedule is awesome. I'm going to sleep all day."
“I can’t help it if I’m really sleepy, but I should at least listen carefully in class.”
"What? Just because I'm a regular student, I immediately go into model student mode?"
Despite his friend's teasing, Han-gyeol simply chuckled. Despite wanting to participate as actively as possible in class, he'd often apologized to his teacher for falling asleep due to practicing late into the night. Now, those days were a fond memory, and Han-gyeol resolved to do things differently from now on. He cleaned out his desk drawers.
-
This story
Han Han-gyeol
Well, that's how it ended up being.
Someone had put last year's school paper in Han-gyeol's desk drawer. Curious, he flipped it open and there was a page of three-line poems from Han-gyeol's class last year, and among them, the one with the name "Lee Han-gyeol" was marked with a check mark. Beneath the three-line poem was written "ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ," which the student who wrote it would never have written. At the very least, whoever put this school paper in Han-gyeol's desk drawer was probably trying to mock him for leaving the group. They said they knew you'd quit being a celebrity soon.
“...”
Han-gyeol, who had been silently reading the three-line poem, quickly turned the page of the school newsletter. Thinking back, I was so busy with my idol activities when it came out that I hadn't even received it. The thought that someone had found out and given me the one he'd received didn't bother me at all. I was simply indifferent. Although I had a vague idea who had given it to me.
Han-gyeol turned his head and saw someone averting their gaze for no reason. It was exactly the person he'd been thinking of. He simply smiled and turned his head again to carefully read the magazine. Before he did, he flipped to the table of contents, which listed in detail who had written each article.
“...Kim Woo-seok.”
It sounded familiar. I tilted my head, flipping through the pages until I reached the very back. There were photos of the members of the school newspaper editing club, along with their editorial comments. Han-gyeol glanced briefly at the first photo, Woo-seok, who was a captain. He didn't know him, but his face looked quite familiar.
“Where have I seen you...”
-
Han-gyeol's curiosity was quickly satisfied. This month, second-year students were last in the lunch order, and Han-gyeol was in the last class, so he was the last in the entire school to enter the cafeteria. Usually, third-year students, who are first in line, are absent from the cafeteria, but today, there was just one third-year student.
“My stomach really hurts today. Phew, they say words can become seeds...”
"But today's menu is just for you, hyung. Porridge and apples. So, at least eat some of those."
The third-year student in the cafeteria with Yohan, who Han-gyeol knew well enough to greet whenever they met, was Kim Woo-seok, whom Han-gyeol had seen in the school newspaper. No, he'd seen him before. The third-year student he'd been seeing in the cafeteria all along was Kim Woo-seok. He'd always seemed to recognize him, and every time he'd seen him, he'd wondered if he really recognized him. Seeing Woo-seok's face in person brought back memories.
“I really did eat a little. I guess I can hold out until I get home... Oh, bye, Lee Han-gyeol.”
"hi."
“...Oh, wait a minute.”
While clearing the leftovers, Yohan met Han-gyeol's eyes and gave him a brief greeting. Woo-seok, who was sitting next to him, left without a word. Still, he expected Woo-seok to be aware of him in this situation, but he was so decisive that he was flustered. Yohan, seemingly unaware of Woo-seok's behavior, grabbed him outside the cafeteria and asked him a question.
“Hyung, why did you leave first? I said hello to Han-gyeol.”
“You said you were already on friendly terms with him. I’m a complete stranger.”
"But still, why don't you just say you're a fan and support me? Or at least say hello..."
“I didn’t want to burden the person who left the group. That’s why I pretended not to know.”
"ah."
"Wouldn't it be burdensome if I said I was a fan or gave any hints like that? I might not be a celebrity for a long time."
Meanwhile, Han-gyeol was thinking about Woo-seok, who had just passed him by earlier.
"I think you recognize me. We've made eye contact too often to say no. But why did you just pass me by when you could have at least said hello? Ah..."
Or maybe that senior was a fan of the group and was upset because I left? Before deciding to leave, he'd been worried about the fans who'd promised to stay with him for a long time, so Han-gyeol was very concerned about Woo-seok, who might have been a fan. He shook his head, hoping he wasn't just a fan.