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Whenever she reflected on happy childhood memories, moments spent with her father vividly came to mind. Until just before he suddenly passed away, her father was his young daughter’s absolute supporter and a stable world in itself. He was the one who taught her how to love and be loved, and all positive emotions, by expressing affection to the fullest.
Her heart ached anew. Precious memories with her father were like an eternal candle burning somewhere deep in her heart. A flame that consistently stood there, offering warm comfort and solace whenever she felt lonely or exhausted.
Sometimes, those memories made it even harder. Because of the boundless affection she had received from her father, it was difficult to cope with the reality of his absence, the absence of someone who truly cared for and loved her.
She was good at handling everything independently. Since childhood, her mother had only cared for her twin brother, so she naturally had no other choice. But emotionally, she might have been dependent. Although she pretended otherwise, deep down, she was always filled with a yearning to rely on and lean on someone.
-I like Senior.
That’s why she spilled everything that day.
-I like Senior. Not as a senior... I just like Senior himself.
But she was beautifully rejected. She pretended it was nothing, as if it was just a casual remark, but the aftermath was so prolonged that she spent several days in a daze. If she hadn’t been so frantically busy with pharmacy work, part-time jobs, and even housework in place of her mother, it would have been even harder.
It was fortunate that there was a month-long break between the end of the summer session and the start of the new semester. In a month, she felt she could face Han Ju-hyeok as if nothing had happened—no, truly as if nothing had happened.
She turned off the TV and sat at her desk when her phone buzzed with a text. Ye-seo’s eyes widened as she checked the screen. In-ha Oppa?
[Min Ye-seo. How’ve you been? We’ll finally meet in September, right?] [Where are you now? Ah... I see from the background. London?] [Yeah. I’m filling up August and coming back on the 31st. See you in September then!]
A chuckle escaped her at the cheerful emoji. He had gone backpacking after being discharged from the military, before resuming his studies, to see the world. Last spring, when she entered the same S University, Choi In-ha had already enlisted, so they had never met at school, not even for a day.
Their mothers, both pharmacists, knew each other well, so the two had known each other since elementary school. Even her picky twin brother, Jeong-woo, who didn’t have many friends, followed Choi In-ha well, calling him ‘hyung’. He was so bright and sociable that no one disliked him.
Ye-seo opened a Korean document with a lighter heart. A quiet laugh escaped her again as she wrote a scene where the Sword Expeditionary Force, who had just begun their quest, bickered. The more she wrote, the more Choi In-ha’s way of speaking overlapped with the affable dialogue of the expedition leader.
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As the midday heat and humidity finally subsided and the air cooled, the campus once again buzzed with the vibrancy of two months ago. Among the students busily walking with excited faces was Choi In-ha, a returning student for the fall semester.
“Hey, Ye-seo! It’s been a really long time. How have you been?”
“Yeah, Oppa. Long time no see. You look... somehow taller? Is it just my imagination?”
“Are you sure you just didn’t get shorter?”
“What are you talking about? No way!”
Ye-seo walked alongside him to the Business Administration building, exchanging trivial jokes. Now, having completed his public service military duty and his world travels, Choi In-ha looked even brighter and more energetic.
Conversely, his physique had become even more masculine, perhaps from bulking up. While he used to seem like an older brother who was only two years older, he now felt distinctly like a man, so much so that the term “Oppa” no longer felt awkward.
“How can you be so heartless? Your Oppa went to the military, and you didn’t even visit once!”
“What...? Who visits a social service agent?”
“Anyway, we’ll see each other often at school from now on, so be nice to your Oppa, okay?”
“We’re in different majors, so why would we see each other often? Don’t say silly things and just manage your grades well. Your second semester is packed because you’re cramming classes before graduation. You also have to prepare for grad school.”
“You texted me last time that accounting was the hardest. I’ll handle my own work, and since someone who’s graduating from the accounting department is here soon, you’d better be nice to me if you want to use me.”
“No thanks. I have notes from Joo-eun unnie before she graduated.”
Then, Seo Joo-eun, who was his campus couple, came to mind.
“Oh, right. Is Joo-eun unnie doing well? I haven’t seen her since she graduated...”
He hesitated, about to say goodbye in front of the Business Administration building. His face, when he turned back, wasn’t looking so good.
“We broke up.”
“...”
“She said she met a good person at a public institution she joined after graduation. A law school student, apparently? Well, good for her. See you later then!”
A sigh escaped her involuntarily. Ye-seo clicked her tongue and entered the Business Administration building. Choi In-ha still felt like an immature younger brother, at least when it came to relationship matters.
It was then that she suddenly felt a gaze and turned to her side. She made direct eye contact with Han Ju-hyeok, who was heading towards the annex building, surrounded by other returning students. Her heart sank. It had been a month since she last saw him after her confession.
His cold gaze seemed to pierce through her. Feeling inexplicably stung, she quickly turned her head away without even acknowledging him. Only after entering the building did a surge of anger rise.
Why did I do that? I’m not a criminal.
She resolved to act calmly next time, as if nothing had happened. While she caught up with old classmates like Chae-rin and Sae-eun at the department office, Han Ju-hyeok had already vanished from her mind.
Fortunately, she had no overlapping classes with him this semester. Instead, she had many encounters with Choi In-ha, as they were taking a Human Resources Management course that he had put off until graduation.
True to his sociable nature, he quickly became close with Chae-rin and Sae-eun and often hung out with them. If they ran into each other at the student cafeteria, they would naturally share a meal, and they also started going to snack bars and Korean restaurants outside of school, as well as cafes.
So she thought it would be okay. She believed she could completely put aside her feelings for Han Ju-hyeok and focus only on her busy daily life. Just like six months ago, before he returned to school. As if the moments they spent alone, gazing at the night view from the Han River terrace and sitting across from each other in a cafe, losing track of time, had never existed. She believed her feelings had quietly settled that way.
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In the third week of September, a few days before the Chuseok holidays, the campus was quiet, with a light rain falling. Perhaps enjoying Friday early despite the rain, the school, from which students had ebbed away like a tide, was silent, and there were only two people in the Business Administration study lounge.
Park Sung-joon looked out the window, deep in thought, then suddenly turned his head to the seat beside him.
“Ju-hyeok. Han Ju-hyeok.”
His cousin, the same age, remained motionless, his gaze fixed on his laptop screen filled with complex graphs. He was so focused that not even his breathing could be heard.
“Did something happen between you and Ye-seo?”
The hand moving the cursor abruptly stopped. Ju-hyeok turned to him exactly two seconds later.
“...What?”
Sung-joon’s heart lurched at the cold gaze. Huh, did something really happen? This guy would normally ignore such nonsense, letting it go in one ear and out the other. If it wasn’t true, he wouldn’t suddenly become sharp, as if bothered.
“No. It’s just... it’s a bit strange. Last semester, didn’t you and Ye-seo work on a team project together and get along well? Oh, right! You even took a summer session course together.”
“...”
“Did something... happen then?”
“Something happen.”
Ju-hyeok retorted irritably and returned his gaze to the screen. What do you mean, something happen? That single gesture was as good as an answer. Yet, a strange intuition kept nagging at him.
“No, it’s just that these days you never run into each other or talk, so it’s a bit strange.”
“That’s probably because we don’t have any overlapping classes.”
“That’s true. It is, but...”
Despite the scolding that everything was strange, Sung-joon couldn’t shake off his doubts. He hesitated for a moment, then finally revealed his thoughts.
“But I wonder why you two just stare at each other from a distance. Like a broken-up campus couple.”
His fingers on the keyboard stopped again. Han Ju-hyeok’s eyes, meeting his again, made his heart drop once more. Ugh, this crazy bastard. He only reveals his true self when we’re alone. But that doesn’t mean I can’t say what I want to say.
“If you look closely, you know you’re constantly watching Ye-seo, right? Whenever I see you staring intently somewhere, and I follow your gaze, Ye-seo is always there. And Ye-seo does the same.”
Ju-hyeok took his hands off the laptop. He was now fully turned towards him.
“What did you say?”
“No... I’m just saying it looks that way. It’s better to ask the person directly than to wonder alone and imagine strange things.”
“...Explain the last part in detail. What do you mean Ye-seo does the same?”
“...”
“Just state the facts as they are. Leave out your personal opinion.”
“When have I ever not?”
This punk, he’s being so damn serious and annoying. Sung-joon, intimidated for only a moment, then spoke what he had seen and felt. He was told to leave out his personal opinion, but that was up to the speaker, and the listener could filter it as they pleased.
“There’s nothing to say. Ye-seo and I are taking Organizational Behavior together, right? We also run into each other a lot at the library. But sometimes, she stares blankly at you through the window or in the department office.”
How should he describe that gaze? It seemed like a glare, yet also deeply wistful and poignant. How was he supposed to interpret it? If he had to make a comparison, it felt like the gaze directed towards an ex-lover, one who still had a lot of lingering feelings.
Conversely, Ju-hyeok’s gaze towards Min Ye-seo was slightly different. The atmosphere of a broken-up couple with lingering feelings was similar, but there was something more. An emotion Min Ye-seo didn’t have, but Han Ju-hyeok did. Very deep and intense, yet not anger, but like anger... Ah, what was he saying?
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