Chapter 34. Summer Vacation
A refreshing morning. Having finished everything—team activities, exams, everything—I was greeted by summer vacation. In a way, I hadn't done anything, but my body and mind were filled with exhaustion. A deep sleep, the first of its kind in a long time, completely washed away all my fatigue. I had to go home soon, and I had to buy clothes for the class reunion tomorrow. Even though it was vacation, I felt like I was going to be busy. I gently stroked Mongi's fur as he slept beside me, and it was boring. Now that vacation had actually started, I wondered if it was just my imagination that made me want to go to school. I gently nudged Mongi awake, then straightened my messy hair as I got up. As the hot summer arrived, even the sunlight welcoming me felt hot.
As soon as I woke up, I went to my desk. I wanted to paint, a painting I hadn't been able to do for a while, thanks to all the schoolwork. I dipped my brush in clear water and opened my palette. Then I took out a thick sheet of paper and placed it on my desk. In the past, I would have immediately drawn a picture, but now I just stared at the blank white paper. I kept thinking about what to paint, but nothing came to mind. Finally, without even touching it, I threw away the water in the bucket and collapsed on the bed.
I'm bored right now. I'm so fucking bored. I want to make plans to hang out with anyone, but when I actually try to hang out, I hate myself for not wanting to go out. Damn it. I tried to do something, so I organized my closet, cleaned the house, and even washed. I'm probably the only one who washes because I'm bored. But even so, all I had left was time. The first thing I said today was, "What should I do today?" The thing I said the most was, "What should I do today?" A new thing to do came to mind for me, who was bored. Buying clothes for the class reunion tomorrow. I was so excited to have something to do. I put my hair up in a haphazard bun, dragged my slippers, and headed to Seokjin's clothing store.
As I entered the store, there were no customers, and Seokjin and Taehyung, who was wearing glasses, were laughing and talking about something. The sound of the door opening was only then heard and their gaze turned to me. I scratched the back of my head embarrassed at their sudden stares, and before Seokjin could arrive, Taehyung took off his glasses and walked over.
"Hello, Ji-eun?"
I really want to ask this senior a favor. Stop looking at me with those melodramatic eyes. To be honest, after going to the beach with him, I avoided Taehyung at school. For a while, I avoided him, even taking classes next to strangers. And now that vacation is over, he's looking at me like this. This is so god-awful. I avoided his gaze and bowed in greeting, then walked past him and stood in front of Seokjin, who was behind me.
"What clothes did you come to buy today?" Seokjin
"I came to look at the chiffon dress I'll wear to the class reunion tomorrow."
"Chiffon?" Seokjin
As I was going up to the second floor, Taehyung was following me closely. It was up to the seniors to follow me, so I ignored him and continued picking out clothes. Seokjin, with a bright expression on his face, came over from afar, holding a one-piece dress, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Ji-eun, how about this?" Seok-jin
The clothes he was holding in his hand were sleeveless, floral one-piece dresses. I also chose an outfit and put on the one Seokjin recommended first. When I tried to zip up the zipper on the back, I couldn't reach the top. I had no choice but to go out and ask Seokjin to zip it up for me. Seokjin, who was behind me, did the zip-up, but behind him was Taehyung, not Seokjin. I thanked him blandly, who had a dissatisfied expression, and stood in front of the mirror.
The clothes were pretty, but when I tried them on, they weren't the style I wanted. I quietly went back in and put on the clothes I had picked out earlier. These clothes didn't have zippers, so they were uncomfortable to put on, but I put them on anyway. I came out hesitantly and looked in the mirror right away. They were the style I wanted. Before I knew it, I had changed clothes right away, took out my wallet, and handed it to him. He made a motion to calm me down, smiled, and went to get the new clothes. While he was gone, silence fell between me and Taehyung.
"Why are you hurting me?" Taehyung
His words made my heart sink. I wondered if he had avoided it, even though it was so severe. He, who rarely got angry, sighed deeply when I didn't respond.
"I'm with you..." Taehyung
"Ji-eun!" Seok-jin
Seokjin walked over, holding a new set of clothes. He tried to say something, but was cut off by Seokjin's words.
"What were you going to say earlier?" Ji-eun
"No" Taehyung
Something felt off. I paid, received the clothes, and left. But Taehyung, without saying a word, walked beside me, keeping pace with me, saying he'd take me home. I stopped walking and spoke to him.
"I'll go alone from here. Goodbye."
As I was about to turn around, he grabbed my wrist in a hurry. His expression was anxious and his breathing was irregular. His eyes were red and slightly teary. He continued to look at me without saying anything, and tears fell from his eyes as they continued to well up.
"Why are you crying?" Ji-eun
I said, wiping away the tears streaming down his cheeks. Taehyung, regulating his irregular breathing, spoke in a trembling voice.
"Stop avoiding me... please" Taehyung
"I'm sorry... I've been embarrassed to look at you since then"
"Don't avoid me" Taehyung
"Okay, so calm down..." Ji-eun
He seemed relieved by my words, as if he was squatting down and quietly saying, "Thank goodness." Even though I squatted down, he didn't let go of my wrist. I tried to pull my wrist out of his grasp, but he gripped it even tighter. It felt like if he tried to pull my hand away, my whole right arm would come off. I really didn't want to film a horror movie, so I stayed still. He crouched down for a while, sobbing, and then became quiet. Then I got up and looked at him. His ears were red and he was avoiding my eyes. My mischievous spirit suddenly kicked in, and I laughed so hard that it caught my ear.
"Did you all cry? Crybaby senior?" Ji-eun
"I'm not a crybaby." Taehyung
"Yes, Crybaby Senior" Ji Eun
"Well, even if it's not" Taehyung
"Or would you please let go of my wrist?"
"Tch." Taehyung
"What is a toothbrush"
"Then I'll go, crybaby senior."
Chapter 35. Class Reunion (1)
It's finally here. The reunion. I was busy preparing because there wasn't much time left until the appointment. I put on my shoes, slung my shirring scrap shoulder bag over my shoulder, and headed out.
I went to the place my classmate had sent me. Even from outside, a large banner had been hung, announcing the reunion. It felt unnecessarily grand. I flung open the door and stepped inside, a bustling restaurant greeted me. I greeted some friends I hadn't seen in a while, then sat down at an empty table. I saw Yeonseo, too, busy chatting with a friend in the distance. I should apologize to her. She ran away from the club first...
I looked around, amazed to see my friends, who I used to eat lunch with, drinking. But why was Jungkook, who should be at the tattoo shop, over there? And wearing an apron. If I pretended to know him, my classmates would definitely catch him. My final decision. 'Operation: Avoid Jeon Jungkook.'
Before I could even do that, this fucking guy... Jungkook-sunbae was walking towards me and saying hello. He sat down in front of me so naturally, rested his chin on his hand, and looked at me. It was so embarrassing.
"high"
Hi, what the hell. Why are you sitting here? My friends are already starting to look at me. What is it? They all look like they're expecting something...
"Senior, is this how it is okay to work?" Ji-eun
"Oh, it's okay. I know your store, so I came to help." Jungkook
The words, "This guy, you don't have any clue that I'm not okay," rose to my throat, but I swallowed them back down. Then, as if God had helped me, I heard a voice calling out to him from afar.
"Jungkook! Hyung, help me."
He glanced at her once and made a regretful expression. "Go away quickly."
"I'll be back in a bit," Jungkook said.
"Huh? You didn't have to come...but you left." Ji-eun
As soon as he left, I was bombarded with questions from my friends who were reloading. I pleaded my denial, but my mind was blown like a scrap of paper. I tried to pretend not to know, but he's such a useless senior. I barely managed to stop my friends, so why is he coming back with his hands full of meat? My internal energy is 100.
The senior said as he placed the meat next to me.
"I think they are the author's classmates, so I'm offering my services as a senior to the author." Jungkook
"Yeah, no, you don't have to give it to me..." Ji-eun
"No. I said I'd give it to you." Jungkook
At his words, his friends cheered and shouted like crazy.
I pushed him away, as if disarming him, and sent an awkward smile to my friends. A friend grilling meat came over to get the meat next to me, saying, "What a handsome boyfriend!" as he passed. "Oh, my..." I shook my head and took a swig. "Today, the alcohol is really strong." My friends, who are usually obsessed with drinking, looked at me and him with sly glances and whispered. "What's the temperature of the Han River today?"
Hello 🤗🤗
I'm back! The witch hunt will be up tomorrow
It's planned!!
Are you guys watching the Olympics? I really had nothing to say after seeing China.
Yesterday, short track 1500m skater Daeheon Hwang won the gold medal🥳
If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment🤭