NILWM - 6

“Oh... where did Senior go? Did you by any chance see Senior Ju-hyeok?”

“Huh? He was standing here until Hyun-ju said hello a moment ago. More importantly, in yesterday’s Marketing class, when we were forming teams for the group project, the professor introduced a new benefit. Starting this semester, team leaders get a significantly higher bonus score! And the score is just outrageous. So everyone was going crazy, wanting to be the leader. I mean, even Lee Dong-hwan, who has no business being a leader, stepped up, seriously...”

“Let’s go inside and talk. We should just call Lee Dong-hwan ‘DHL’ for short, right?”

Ye-seo, surrounded by her classmates, entered the building, but looked back again. Han Ju-hyeok was nowhere to be seen. She put the pen she was holding into her bag’s back pocket and sighed again.

The 9,900 won is one thing, but now I have something else to return...

All day, Ye-seo opened and closed her bag several times, but she never once opened the back pocket she didn’t usually use. Because of this, she naturally completely forgot about the pen. It was only when she finished her day’s work and was on her way to her tutoring student’s house that she remembered the pen when a text message arrived from its owner.

[Min Ye-seo. Hello?]

Ye-seo casually looked at her phone on the subway and her eyes widened. Who is it? It’s an unknown number.

[Just wondering when you’ll return the pen]

At that moment, Han Ju-hyeok’s face came to mind. As did the pen she’d put in her bag’s back pocket.

[You don’t have to return the money, but that pen is precious to me. My grandfather’s friend gave it to me as a college entrance gift.]

Gasp, Ye-seo, flustered, immediately called his number. Since he was sending continuous texts, it seemed a call would be possible. He answered after a long while.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Senior Ju-hyeok. I’m so sorry. It just occurred to me now.”

In truth, even if it had occurred to her earlier, she hadn’t run into him again that day, and she didn’t have his contact information, so returning it herself was impossible. Just as Ye-seo was about to say she’d give it to him at school tomorrow, he continued,

“It was specially customized for me with my name engraved on it.”

His voice was monotonous and languid. Ye-seo, flustered by a tone she couldn’t discern as angry or annoyed, took the pen out of her bag and examined it closely. The pen’s body was tightly adorned with diamond-like decorations, and the words “Hyeok, Han” were engraved on the lower part.

“I’m sorry, Senior. I’ll give it to you tomorrow...”

“Tomorrow is only one class, and it’s canceled due to the professor’s schedule. It would be difficult to go to school just for that.”

“Oh, tomorrow’s Friday, isn’t it? Then I suppose on Monday...”

“What to do. It just so happens that Sunday is the birthday of my grandfather’s friend who gave me that pen. I think he’d like it if I showed him I’m using it well, so I absolutely need that pen on Sunday.”

“Oh...”

What do I do? As Ye-seo struggled for words in her predicament, Han Ju-hyeok spoke again.

“It seems I’ll have to get it on Saturday.”

Fortunately, she didn’t have tutoring on Saturday, but she had to be at the pharmacy until 4 PM. Although part-time staff also came in on weekends, every Saturday she had to join them to help with that week’s medicine purchases and inventory organization.

“Then... since I’m only free after 4 PM, I’ll bring it to you near your house then. About where are you located?”

She desperately hoped it wouldn’t be too far. In truth, he was the one who left without taking the pen. On one hand, she felt it wasn’t fair, but she had no choice.

As she had felt at the cafe before, Han Ju-hyeok had an innate aura that dismantled the other person’s doubts and opposition. Perhaps his outwardly coldness and arrogance were just a fraction of what lay beneath the surface. When interacting one-on-one, one could feel an energy that steered the situation in his desired direction before the other person even realized it.

“You?”

“Me? I’m in Bogwang-dong.”

“Really? That’s close.”

“Really? That’s a relief. So where...”

“Then how about we meet halfway? How’s Itaewon?”

“That’s fine with me.”

Ye-seo’s face brightened. Itaewon was close enough that she could walk there. Although her legs would ache from climbing the long, steep slope.

“Then how about we meet around 4:30 PM at Itaewon Station, exit number...?”

“Do you like pancakes?”

“What? Pan... pancakes?”

The sudden question was startling. Surely he wasn’t suggesting dinner. But his next words didn’t deviate from Ye-seo’s suspicion.

“There’s a good pancake place there. If you don’t dislike it, let’s go there. Around 5 PM? I’ll text you the details.”

“Senior, wait, just a moment. I thought I was just going to give you the pen and leave...”

“Since you gave it late, shouldn’t I buy you a meal?”

“M-me?”

She was a bit dumbfounded. Perhaps that’s why her inner thoughts accidentally slipped out.

“Senior. I truly appreciate that you lent me the pen. But when I went to return it, you were already gone. So it’s not entirely my fault...”

“Why? You don’t want to buy me a meal...?”

“What? Oh, no, it’s not that...”

Just as she was about to open her mouth again to ask if she could just buy him coffee, Han Ju-hyeok spoke. She thought she heard a faint chuckle.

“Then I’ll buy it.”

“......”

“Then it’s settled, right? Saturday at 5 PM. I’ll text you the location again.”

“Yes... yes.”

The answer slipped out of her mouth somewhat dazedly. The call was immediately cut off. Ye-seo belatedly realized she had missed her stop. Fortunately, she had enough time, so she wouldn’t be late for tutoring, but she felt foolish.

How pathetic, Min Ye-seo. Acting so stupid, as if you’re possessed...

Even as she headed to her tutoring student’s house, the conversation with Han Ju-hyeok refused to leave her mind. In truth, buying a meal didn’t bother her. Her living expenses and allowance were always tight, covered by tutoring, administrative assistance at public institutions, and selling coffee at events, as well as other intermittent part-time jobs outside of study hours. Still, it wasn’t like she couldn’t afford a meal.

But suddenly, out of sheer resentment, a grumpy remark had popped out, and now she was inexplicably getting a meal from him.

What’s happening all of a sudden? Dinner alone with Senior Ju-hyeok on Saturday...?

She was bewildered, but she wasn’t displeased. No, far from displeased, her heart was pounding. It wasn’t a date, and it was just eating a meal together, but it strangely made her excited.

________________________________________

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A day later, that excitement instantly turned into fear and dismay.

On Friday evening, another tutoring student opened her pencil case out of curiosity, dropped it, and it fell to the floor. Among the many pens, of all things, Han Ju-hyeok’s fountain pen was stepped on by the student’s mother’s slipper, who was just entering the room with snacks.

When she picked up the pen and put it back in the case, she thought nothing of it. But the next day, before leaving for the pharmacy, the moment she took the pen out separately, her heart sank.

“Gasp. What is this?”

There was a scratch mark on the back of the pen’s body, which was tightly set with diamond-like decorations. Of all places, it was right near his name, “Hyeok, Han.” The letters themselves weren’t scratched, but because it was just below them, the scratch was impossible to miss.

“Oh. What do I do...! Why did I have to move it to my pencil case...?”

I’m going crazy, Min Ye-seo. You idiot. It’s custom-made, so it can’t be compensated for, what do I do?!

Ye-seo clutched her head, then put the pen in her glasses case and headed to the pharmacy. Then she quickly opened the pharmacy door and approached the part-time staff member who was already changed.

“Oh, Ye-seo. Why are you here so early?”

“Um, Soo-min unnie. Is this very expensive? I accidentally dropped it and it got a slight scratch...”

Jo Soo-min took the pen Ye-seo offered and tilted her head.

“Hmm? Well, I specialize in luxury goods and fashion, so I know nothing about writing instruments. Is it like Montblanc or something? Just a moment. Let me look it up. Tibaldi...?”

Soo-min looked at her phone for a moment, then gasped, “Ooh!” and her eyes widened.

“Wow. They say this is the Hermes of fountain pens! Wait a minute, look at this picture. Isn’t it the same model? The black two-tone of white gold, ruthenium, and rhodium is a limited edition product worth about 50 million won (Korean Won), and with special custom orders, the price jumps to 55 million won... Wow!”

The pen in the photo was definitely identical to Han Ju-hyeok’s. Soo-min repeatedly clicked her tongue in disbelief that such a small pen could cost as much as an Hermes bag. Just then, a customer opened the door and entered, so Soo-min quickly went to the counter, and Ye-seo entered the storage room.

As she took out the medicine boxes one by one, her heart felt heavy, as if filled with lead. What to do. Somehow, I don’t think it’s a fake. What if it’s really that expensive...?

A sigh escaped her lips. Far from getting a free meal, her vision was already dim with worry that she might incur immense wrath.

________________________________________

________________________________________

She was agonizing over how to compensate and apologize when she arrived in front of the pancake brunch place, still full of anxiety. Just then, Han Ju-hyeok was also coming down from behind the restaurant building.

Even though it was a rather steep slope, his gait, with both hands in his pants pockets, seemed even lighter than on flat ground. It was surprising that he was already there, even though it was still 10 minutes early.

She had arrived with plenty of time, being punctual herself, but she didn’t expect Han Ju-hyeok to be the same. Although it might just be that he happened to arrive early.