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In front of the gallery where the exhibition was being held, Hye-sung waited for Do-kyung to arrive so they could take a photo together as evidence of their “visit.”
It had been the first time since last Saturday. The first time meeting Do-kyung again.
“Does he even have any intention of graduating?”
Hye-sung muttered under his breath as he calculated how many classes Do-kyung had missed in their general education course. Even if he did absolutely nothing and just breathed, he’d still live far better than Hye-sung ever could. Worrying about someone like that graduating felt almost like a luxury. With a sigh, Hye-sung stared blankly into the distance.
Even sitting under the shade of a tree, the heat of the sun pressing down on him made it hard to breathe.
Thinking about Do-kyung reflexively brought back memories of what happened a week ago.
“Hmm.”
Feeling oddly awkward, Hye-sung rubbed his earlobe absently. Then, he murmured softly, quickly covering his mouth in surprise when he realized what he’d said.
“The combination was... kind of interesting.”
Do-kyung, who seemed utterly indifferent to Raon’s apparent lack of interest, had desperately tried to capture even a sliver of her attention. And when he showed up, Raon visibly relaxed, while Do-kyung’s expression clouded over, glaring at Hye-sung with clear displeasure.
If he hadn’t known Do-kyung was a loan shark, he might have pitied the man’s situation.
At that moment, the phone in his hand vibrated briefly, signaling an incoming message.
Raon
Arrived?
10:51 AM
That morning, instead of coming to the exhibition with him, Raon had headed to the school studio.
Thinking about how worried she had been for him when they parted ways after leaving the house together, Hye-sung opened the messenger app.
10:52 AM
Yeah. I arrived ten minutes early and am waiting.
Raon
Okay.
Take a picture, then go inside the gallery. Hyun-a will be waiting for you. Hang out with her.
10:52 AM
Hyun-a was one of the few acquaintances Raon shared with Hye-sung. Reading Raon’s text, which had thoughtfully arranged even unnecessary details, Hye-sung chuckled with a sigh. It was clear that not being able to come today weighed heavily on her mind.
In the meantime, a shadow fell over him.
“Ah.”
Shiny tips of dress shoes and black slacks came into view beyond his phone screen.
Slowly raising his head, he saw Do-kyung standing there, impeccably dressed in a navy shirt with his hair slicked back, holding a pamphlet and looking down at him.
The shaded face didn’t clearly reveal his expression, but his discontent with the situation was evident.
Do-kyung asked.
“What about Raon?”
“…She didn’t come.”
Hye-sung stood up and turned on his phone camera. He just wanted to take the photo quickly and part ways.
“Hmm.”
A meaningful sigh dropped onto Hye-sung’s head.
Unconsciously looking up, he saw Do-kyung already out of the shadow, smiling as if amused. That expression alone revealed he had already guessed Raon wouldn’t show up.
Ignoring Hye-sung’s trembling pupils, Do-kyung examined the pamphlet.
‘One week.’
After checking the exhibition duration, Do-kyung rubbed his chin thoughtfully, eyes lowered. Mentally aligning Raon’s schedule with his own, he grinned at Hye-sung.
Then, gesturing toward the anxious Hye-sung, he said,
“Let’s take the picture.”
“She left?”
--- Yeah. She just took a picture and left.
Hearing Hye-sung’s voice over the phone, Raon put down the ink stick she had been grinding.
“Really...”
Frowning slightly, Raon asked dismissively,
“And you? Did you finish touring the exhibition?”
--- Hmm. Not yet.
“Huh?”
It had already been over three hours since arriving at the gallery, and Hye-sung still hadn’t finished. Raon sighed, realizing Hyun-a, whom she had entrusted Hye-sung to, must be enthusiastically dragging him around.
Chuckling softly, Raon leaned against the window.
--- When are you coming?
“I don’t know.”
Squinting at the sunlight pouring through the lush green leaves into the classroom, Raon replied,
“I’m thinking of going on the last day.”
With weekday classes and café shifts, finding time to visit the exhibition was tricky. So she planned to go on Sunday, the exhibition’s final day.
Plus, attending on the last day meant she could join the after-party too. Unless they had other plans, all grades were expected to attend, so it made sense to kill two birds with one stone. Other classmates were planning the same, and Hyun-a, currently with Hye-sung, had attended on the first day because she had plans for the last day.
After ending the call with a final encouragement to enjoy the exhibition, Raon opened her messenger app.
Below the chat with Hye-sung, a chatroom marked with a red “3” notification caught her eye. Hesitating for a moment, she tapped it open. As usual, one person’s messages filled the screen.
--- Saturday, June 4, 202x ---
Han Do-kyung
Not a single cloud in the sky.
6:17 AM
Another message from Do-kyung, sent predictably early in the morning.
Thinking about how diary-like his messages had become, Raon checked the most recent one.
Instead of a sapling photo, it was a picture of a hand holding a pamphlet.
Han Do-kyung
(Picture)
I’ll see you in a bit.
10:20 AM
That was the last one.
“…Hmm.”
So he just went.
Well, if Do-kyung had any sense, he probably guessed she wouldn’t show up. Hence, his calm demeanor while taking the picture and leaving.
The fact that she had been glued to her phone all morning, waiting anxiously, now felt embarrassingly futile.
But why...
While relieved that Do-kyung wasn’t with Hye-sung, Raon felt an odd twisting sensation in her stomach upon hearing Hye-sung confirm that Do-kyung hadn’t sought her out either.
With a strange feeling, Raon tapped her phone. Turning away from the window, she perched herself on the windowsill and let out a humorless laugh.
“What reaction were you expecting?”
She tucked the phone into her apron pocket like a talisman.
Do-kyung’s messages kept coming.
By now, checking and ignoring them had become routine. Around this time, another weekend arrived.
After leaving a message for Hye-sung saying she’d be late due to the after-party, Raon headed to the gallery with her classmates.
The weather had grown unbearably hot, making air conditioning a necessity. Entering the gallery, everyone caught their breath. Nearby, Raon wiped her sweat-drenched neck.
A familiar face approached her.
“Professor.”
“You’ve worked hard coming here.”
After greeting the professor who had come to meet them, Raon glanced around.
Since it was the last day, the gallery was nearly empty. Most visitors had already finished viewing and were heading outside.
Following the professor’s guidance, they moved deeper inside, chatting casually.
Then—
“Come to think of it, Professor, didn’t you mention honorary members?”
“Ah.”
At the senior representative’s question, the professor sighed, a content smile spreading across his face.
“Well, I didn’t say anything earlier because I wanted to surprise you, but it seems one of the upperclassmen already mentioned it?”
“We heard he’s stunningly handsome and well-built!”
“And an Alpha, right?”
“Alpha or Beta, who cares? If he’s handsome, that’s all that matters.”
Laughter erupted loudly, echoing through the high-ceilinged building. With no one else around, the noise felt almost surreal.
As some, including Raon, looked on in confusion, the professor explained.
“There was a visitor who came almost every day this past week.”
“Every day?”
“Yes. A student from our school, according to Professor Park Eun-taek.”
“Huh?”
“You might know him—he’s incredibly handsome.”
Raon’s steps froze at the professor’s teasing tone. Unnoticed by the others, she stood rooted in place as they continued walking and chatting.
“He found this exhibition while looking for something close by for Professor Park’s assignment. He was so impressed that he came every day afterward.”
The professor smiled happily, saying the handsome student also spoke beautifully.
“So I made him an honorary member. Oh, Raon, what are you doing over there?”
The professor’s gaze, along with those of her classmates, landed on Raon, who stood awkwardly apart from the group.
“Ah.”
Realizing she had been holding her breath, Raon forced a strained smile.
Taking slow steps forward, she asked, her breathing slightly labored.
“...What’s that person’s name?”
As Raon licked her lips, waiting for the professor’s answer, his gaze shifted behind her. Others followed suit.
And at that moment, thud-thud . The sound of polished shoes echoed through the marble-floored building.
“Huh?”
“That guy.”
As classmates recognized him and nodded knowingly, the professor chuckled knowingly, still looking past Raon.
“There he is. Our honorary member.”
“…”
“Han Do-kyung.”
Raon swallowed hard.
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