Playfully
#Han Dong-min#
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Then, when it was time to go out and sit down to eat, all I could see were the red and yellow flowers. Not only my eyes, but my nose still smelled of the flowers.
The flowers that were blooming have all fallen. For several days, I'd been gazing at them, morning and evening, like a painting, until last night's rain had completely blown them away.
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The silence of falling flowers! I've seen falling flowers in other springs, but never have I felt my heart prickle like Ivan.
I never even thought about the falling flowers. So, although I often trimmed the branches that bore flowers, I never once looked after the places where the flowers fell.
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Lee Tae-jun's "The Silence of Falling Flowers"
“Contemplating the value and beauty of fallen flowers… A feeling of shame for never having cared for the place where the flowers fell…”
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Knock knock
Han Dong-min, sitting next to her, tapped Yeo-ju on the shoulder. Feeling too lazy to respond, Yeo-ju quickly turned her head away.
Cock.-
As she turned her head, something blunt pricked her cheek. The smell of artificial ink hit her instantly. What had touched the heroine's right cheek was none other than a water-based computer.
"Hey, are you crazy..?"
Kim Yeo-ju merely gaped at Han Dong-min. She couldn't speak loudly because class was in session. Han Dong-min was holding back a laugh, wondering what was so funny. "Are you laughing now?" Kim Yeo-ju felt like grabbing that bastard's hair right now. Humiliated by being beaten by Han Dong-min again, she waited for class to end.
*
"Treat you fairly"
As soon as the bell rang for the end of class, Yeoju thrust her water gun in front of Han Dongmin's face. But Han Dongmin, still clutching her wrist, dodged her gaze. The sight was so repulsive. Yeoju vowed to herself that she would, at all costs, put a dot the size of a ten-won coin right in the center of that guy's face.
After nearly five minutes of such a scuffle, Kim Yeo-ju's stamina gave out first. Han Dong-min held onto Yeo-ju's wrist until the very end, preparing for defense. Kim Yeo-ju knew full well that their strength gap was inevitable, but Han Dong-min's stubbornness, with no intention of giving in, was even more irritating.
"Honestly, if you have a conscience, you should suffer too;;"
"I don't like it lol"
Kim Yeo-ju's wrists trembled in mid-air, restrained by Han Dong-min's hands. Han Dong-min smiled mischievously with his wide eyes. Yeo-ju was only further enraged by Han Dong-min's smile. He was a man who had a knack for poking at my pride.
...Yeah, if both hands are caught, then the other two legs are left, right?
Ugh.-
Kim Yeo-ju thrust her knee between Han Dong-min's legs as he sat down. This was a kind of threat to Kim Yeo-ju. Han Dong-min must have sensed the danger signal as a man, so he shouted briefly and quickly blocked Yeo-ju's knee with one hand.
"This isn't it"
"What, what should I do? Just show me your face."
Han Dong-min, flustered, occasionally blocked the woman's knee, which had slipped between his legs. But the woman didn't give in. She'd already vowed revenge on that bastard, and given her reckless nature, she was sure to refuse. Han Dong-min, knowing her true nature, slowly relaxed his grip on her wrist. Then, the woman took advantage of this moment and smacked Han Dong-min on the forehead with a slap.
Sigh.
Round and round...
The computer spins around the center of Han Dong-min's forehead. It circles around Han Dong-min's forehead for the fifth time, as if trying to draw a large dot. Han Dong-min's words, "Just do it moderately, just do it moderately," did not reach Yeo-ju's ears. Only when it became the size of a 10 won coin did Yeo-ju's hand go down.
"Hey, it's pretty lol"
"...Did I get hit in the forehead?"
Only then did Yeoju smile proudly. Dongmin looked at his forehead and felt empty. Had he just fueled Kim Yeoju's competitive spirit? However, thinking it was a bit funny, one corner of Han Dongmin's mouth quirked into a smile. "Since it's come to this, let's go all the way?" Han Dongmin said, picking up a computer in front of Yeoju. The combination was so seamless that Kim Yeoju also aimed her computer at Han Dongmin's face.
"You're really pretty right now"
"You're so cute right now"
We scribbled on each other's faces, giggling and showering each other with compliments like, "You're pretty," "You're cute." The break passed by so quickly.
*
Knock.-
The classroom door opened and the teacher entered. Standing at the podium, the teacher glanced over the class to take attendance. Then, for a moment, he stopped dead in his tracks at the right window seat, numbers 23 and 24. A look of panic was evident. He cleared his throat and said,
The class burst into laughter at the question, "Who let the animals loose in the school?" Their eyes were drawn to seats 23 and 24, the seats of Yeoju and Dongmin.
During break time, the two of them were determined to draw more, and the bell rang before they could even erase their faces. As a result, their faces were covered in blotches. Yeoju had fat ears on her forehead, and a pig nose in the center of her nose. Dongmin had pointy cat ears, a black nose, and even whiskers on his forehead. It was like a real animal farm.
"haha;"
"..."
The female protagonist covered up her embarrassment with a laugh. Han Dong-min picked up his own forehead with one hand and pushed it in real time... His head drooped like a deflated balloon. He must be embarrassed too. He's a guy who secretly has a cute side. Han Dong-min is shy even though he doesn't look like that. That's how I've seen Han Dong-min for the past two years since he was a sophomore in high school.
But now that I say it, Kim Yeo-ju's first impression of Han Dong-min wasn't very good.
_
17 years old, spring.
The principal's tedious lecture announcing the entrance ceremony. My back ached from the tightly packed metal chairs. I swayed my hips in the unfamiliar uniform. Then, suddenly, I ran into an unfamiliar boy sitting next to me. He seemed to be in the same class. My thoughts of even trying to strike up a conversation were futile. His cold, expressionless face and icy eyes stared down at me. I thought, "He's scary." He seemed like a quiet, strong man among the so-called "Naltisang" gang of punks. Overwhelmed by his aura, I turned my head. Above his uniform, a name tag reading "Han Dong-min" appeared, and it was the female protagonist I'd been trying to avoid.
"Hey, Kim Yeo-ju"
At that moment, Kim Dong-hyun, sitting in front of me, turned to me. Kim Dong-hyun, who rarely has a long attention span, started small talk with me. "Are we in the same class?" Kim Dong-hyun was my middle school classmate and was assigned to the same high school.
"So, the class assignment was ruined."
"...hey;"
Although he knew that the female lead was joking, Kim Dong-hyun showed that he was genuinely upset.
"Just kidding~"
Kim Dong-hyun, who spoke first, gradually eased my mind. As expected, the presence of even one familiar person was a comfort. Finally, I felt like I could breathe freely through my school uniform, neatly fastened to the neck.
"Uh, Han Dong-min?"
Kim Dong-hyun raised his hand with a cheerful expression when he spotted Han Dong-min sitting next to Yeo-ju. He looked at Dong-hyun as if to say, "What? Do we know each other?" Kim Dong-hyun then pointed at Han Dong-min, saying, "Oh, we went to the same academy."
"How come we're in the same class?"
"I know"
Han Dong-min smirked at Kim Dong-hyun. Huh? He laughed. Whenever he turned his head absentmindedly, Kim Dong-hyun spoke to him, and he beamed like a cat whose guard had let down. Only after seeing Han Dong-min's relaxed expression did Yeo-ju decide to forget her previous promise. Han Dong-min was simply hiding his face. Yeo-ju felt embarrassed for having assumed that.
From then on, my perception of Han Dong-min quickly unraveled. If he was Kim Dong-hyun's friend, I knew he'd be a good guy, even if he was a little strange. To me, Kim Dong-hyun was like a guaranteed check. He was a trustworthy guy. And so, through Kim Dong-hyun's medium, the three of us naturally formed a group.
In fact, Han Dong-min and I weren't exactly close, joking around from the beginning. Until freshman year, it felt a bit awkward without Kim Dong-hyun. That was about it. Then, as things turned out, we switched classes in sophomore year. Han Dong-min and I were in the same class, while Kim Dong-hyun was assigned to the front of the class. Unfortunately, we ended up in the same class with someone who was a bit awkward when we were together. Nevertheless, on the first day of the second semester, we were surprisingly close, even though we'd expected it to be awkward.
On the first day, seats were assigned by attendance number, so I sat sixth on the far left, by the window, and Han Dong-min sat in the very back seat near the back door of the classroom. Since we were so far apart, it was difficult to connect unless someone else arrived first. But then, for some reason, Han Dong-min approached me first. First, it was because of the cafeteria, and then because we had overlapping classes. It felt strange at first, but now I'm used to Han Dong-min.
"Han Dong-min, I'm not bringing Yoon Sa."
"Why did you take it when you weren't even studying?"
As he spoke, Han Dong-min shoved his textbook halfway into my hand. He was going to show me, but he was still ticking along. That's typical of Han Dong-min.
"thank you"
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"The Cyrenaic school says happiness = pleasure, and Aristippus says that maximizing pleasure is the only way to achieve happiness. This will lead to the paradox of pleasure we talked about last time, right, kids?"
Bow..-
Yeoju confidently rested her chin on her hand and fell into a deep sleep. Han Dong-min looked at her and sighed, "Uh..." He then looked back at the blackboard. It seemed that giving Kim Yeoju her textbook was pointless.
Wheeee..-
A breeze, carrying the sweet scent of lilacs, blew through the open window for ventilation. It must have been the purple lilacs planted all around the playground, perfectly suited to the principal's taste. The girlish sensibility of a 60-something principal. Could it be that she could transmit the sensibilities of others? The air, faintly tinged with lilac, brushed past my nose. Instinctively, Han Dong-min turned his head to the spot where the scent had passed.
Knock...-
Yeoju nodded in her sleep. Her sleeping habits were so annoying that she had to support her head with one hand. Her head moved back and forth, and her wide-open mouth was filled with drool. Han Dong-min, who was observing Yeoju sleeping defenselessly, held back a chuckle. Kim Dong-hyun should have seen this too, he said, accumulating teasing feelings. No, in fact, there was a small wish that it was something only he could see. That ugly face was a strange possessiveness that he wanted to keep to himself. But that fool probably didn't notice until the end. No, this guy probably didn't have any romantic feelings for me in the first place. Honestly, if I had been hanging out in front of him for a year, it would have been understandable. I felt a little wronged thinking that I was just a friend number 1 to Kim Yeoju.
...It's annoying.
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*
"Hey, idiot-"
"?"
Kim Dong-hyun, whom she encountered in the hallway, smiled crookedly and gestured toward Kim Yeo-ju. "What the heck, you're suddenly starting a fight?" Kim Yeo-ju felt uncomfortable with that sly smile. She reached into her pocket for a hand mirror and felt around for her face. "Am I okay?" she thought. A yellow Post-it note sticking out from the back of her head was reflected in the mirror.
Swish.-
"I'm an idiot"
Judging by the handwriting on the post-it note, it was definitely Han Dong-min. Ha... Han Dong-min. Does this kid have a disease that will kill him if he doesn't play a prank on me even for a moment? Han Dong-min was always the first to break the silence and declare war. And today, as if signaling the start of Kim Yeo-ju's chase after Han Dong-min, the bell rang, filling the long hallway.
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*
"Wow, it's so hot...-"
"It's July now."
Kim Yeo-ju burst out laughing at Han Dong-min's dispiriting T-moment. "Are you saying I don't know that now?"
"Still better than our class."
"why?"
"Their class's air conditioner is broken."
"omg.."
If the air conditioner breaks down in this weather, how can people live? Kim Yeo-ju looked at Dong-hyeon with a sad, sympathetic look.
"Oh, that's right. Kim Yeo-ju."
Kim Dong-hyun clapped his hands as if something had occurred to him, and stood up. "What's wrong?" At Kim Dong-hyun's unusually intense reaction, a question mark appeared above his head.
"Wouldn't you like to be introduced?"
"introduction?"
"You know our class 00? He wants to introduce you."
It was a little funny that Kim Dong-hyun seemed more excited than usual, as if he wanted to claim to be the stick of love.
"me?"
"Yeah, should I give you my contact information?"
"Well, first of all.."
Of course, I welcome anyone who likes me. Yeo-ju readily accepted the contact information that Dong-hyun gave her.
"If you're in class 00, you're talking about that tall guy, right?"
"Yeah lol"
"...That guy must have caught a cold."
Han Dong-min, the pinnacle of childbirth tantrums, slurred in front of Yeo-ju. Yeo-ju Kim gave him a stinging glare, a warning not to provoke. Han Dong-min quickly shut his mouth.
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*
Summer days were long. The longer the days, the longer the time we spent together. I skipped the monthly subscription to the library and spent three hours with Kim Yeo-ju and Kono. Han Dong-min naturally walked Yeo-ju to her house, never missing the playground inside the apartment complex. It was Han Dong-min's trick to buy a little time. And so, without a trace of suspicion, Kim Yeo-ju followed Han Dong-min's plan and, as usual, they sat on the swing.
Knock, knock.-
Yeo-ju, holding her phone in one hand, saved the contact number she had received from Kim Dong-hyun, whom she had momentarily forgotten about.
"Are you really going to contact me?"
Han Dong-min finally asked the female protagonist who had finished saving.
"What else can't be done?"
"You're an idiot."
Even just looking at the faces of the celebrities Kim Yeo-ju likes, there's nothing resembling them. What the heck? She snapped up the contact information Kim Dong-hyun gave her. If she liked him, she'd show up in person. No matter how you look at it, it seemed like a ploy. Han Dong-min continued to list reasons why it wasn't him. But Kim Yeo-ju didn't listen to Han Dong-min, humming a tune and tapping away on KakaoTalk.
Hello, are you Kim Yeo-ju?
20:04 PM
Hey, hello!
20:04 PM
Thanks for contacting me
20:04 PM
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Wheeze.-
"Hey, are you listening?"
Han Dong-min yanked the rope of the swing Yeo-ju was sitting on toward him. Yeo-ju swayed against the swing and grabbed onto the rope Han Dong-min had grabbed with both hands. She nearly fell forward, but managed to keep her balance on the rope. However, because she had let go of her phone, it fell with a thud, and her body tilted toward Han Dong-min. Ah!
"What the heck; if my phone breaks, you'll be responsible..."
Yeoju glanced up at Han Dong-min with an angry voice, only to freeze in place as he drew closer. A suspicious silence fell over the playground. Han Dong-min's unusually serious expression filled the air with tension. A thousand thoughts—what the heck, what did I do wrong?—ran through her mind, and for some reason, Yeoju opened her mouth, determined to apologize. "Ugh..."
"don't do it"
Han Dong-min cut off Yeo-ju's apology with a firm tone. "Don't do it?" Was he telling her not to apologize? What was he telling her not to do? Yeo-ju couldn't quite grasp what Han Dong-min meant by "don't do it." She tilted her head at Han Dong-min. And Han Dong-min, frustrated by Yeo-ju Kim's still incomprehensible state, spoke again.
"Don't contact him"
The female protagonist stared at Han Dong-min with a face that said, "Why?" Then Han Dong-min drove the wedge in once more.
"I like him, so don't contact him."
"huh..?"
You're kidding. Do you like her? So don't contact her? I can't believe those words came out of my mouth. Every single line was so childish that it made a kindergartener's confession sound even more plain. But it was too much to show my blushing face in front of Kim Yeo-joo, even though I'd already said it. Han Dong-min's ears were on the verge of bursting against his will, but he pretended to be calm.
"...Is this a joke too?"
The female protagonist asked again if she was being deceived.
"If you're joking, I'll pretend I didn't hear it."
Han Dong-min's face turned bitter, almost as if he were joking. Han Dong-min, normally full of playfulness, seemed so serious today that it felt strange. Perhaps because of this, the female protagonist found herself unable to speak easily, feeling self-conscious about him.
"..."
Silence fell between them again. And then
The sunset, which was about to end the long day in silence, has set.
"Let's go, the sun is setting-"
Dongmin let go of the swing rope he was holding onto. He stood up and motioned calmly for them to go.
"Uh, yeah"
And the female protagonist stood up and followed Dongmin.
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Chump chump.-
I just quietly fell behind Han Dong-min and followed his shadow. As I followed him, my thoughts drifted to myself. Do you like me? Han Dong-min's surprise confession left me stunned. I reflected on my own feelings. About how I'd always felt about Han Dong-min. I recalled the feelings I'd kept buried within the confines of our friendship. Han Dong-min, he's a mischievous guy who only plans to play pranks on me, but I also knew his affectionate side. Even though we always bicker, the time we spend together always feels regretful. Is it the regret of time passing too quickly, or the regret of the moments we shared? I knew it was closer to the latter. Han Dong-min, who sometimes has a heart-fluttering consideration and a secretly cute side, likes me. My face suddenly flushed. At that moment, I remembered the saying that the moment a man or a woman becomes aware of something, it's over. Ah, falling in love only lasts a moment.
By the time Kim Yeo-ju finally came to her senses, they had already arrived at her house. "See you tomorrow," Han Dong-min said, raising his hand as he sent her to the door. But Yeo-ju couldn't bring herself to move in front of Han Dong-min. She pursed her lips, then summoned up her courage and blurted out, "-
"I won't contact you."
"?"
"So, you take responsibility..."
The female protagonist argued with Han Dong-min about responsibility. Han Dong-min, quick-witted, quickly inquired about the meaning of the female protagonist's response.
"how?"
A bright smile appeared on Han Dong-min's lips as he playfully asked. Han Dong-min seemed determined to get a definitive answer from the female protagonist.
"..."
The face of the female protagonist, who was dried by Han Dong-min's face, turned red.
"I like you too"
Han Dong-min bursts out laughing when he gets the answer he was hoping for from the female lead. And with Han Dong-min's final words of "Okay," a warm new breeze blew into our relationship.
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*
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# The train departs.