CR | Chapter 2.1

“Good grief, it’s beyond ridiculous.”

Wi Woori let out a voice of utter disbelief, no matter how much he thought about it. A few days ago, when he had confessed in front of his senior that he liked someone, the reaction Kim Donghwa showed lingered in his mind, causing a subtle discomfort.

Even though there were ample elements that could lead one to mistakenly think they were dating, Kim Donghwa seemed completely unconcerned. Instead, he had furrowed his brows as if to ask if he had said something he shouldn’t have, and then proceeded to act even more outrageously.

Wi Woori slumped back against the chair in the dusty-smelling pub. He chewed on a piece of dried squid with his lips.

Directly in front of him, surrounded by juniors, was Kim Donghwa. Despite maintaining an indifferent expression, his juniors were making a fuss, trying to get his phone number.

“Ah, I shouldn’t have come.”

It was only natural that his stomach was boiling.

Although it wasn’t the first time he had seen Kim Donghwa at the center of a crowd, Wi Woori felt a renewed tightness in his chest as he gulped down his drink.

Today was the day for the freshman welcome party. Normally, he wouldn’t attend such formal events, but this time, all the professors in his major were present, and there was an implicit threat to make an appearance.

One should avoid making enemies with professors by not showing up where they go, he thought. So, almost soul-less, Wi Woori had dragged himself to the pub.

But if he had known he’d have to witness this scene, he would have chosen to be on bad terms with the professors instead. After all, all he needed from school was to graduate, and since he had been kicked out of his house, there was no need to maintain his grades anymore.

“Aw, damn.”

“What the heck are you muttering about?”

Before he knew it, Kim Chanyoung was beside him. He, too, hated these kinds of gatherings and was pouring soju into his beer glass for a refreshing shot.

“Why is Kim Donghwa over there?”

“The professor called him over.”

“Damn, that’s pitiful.”

Yeah, it wasn’t Kim Donghwa’s fault for being there.

Wi Woori closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again, downing another drink. He hated the musty smell of dust, the accumulating stench of alcohol, and even the poorly made side dishes. To top it off, Kim Donghwa giving out his number without refusing the juniors’ requests was the cherry on top of the cake.

Unable to bear it any longer, Wi Woori stood up abruptly.

“Where are you going?”

“To get some fresh air.”

Leaving a vague answer to Kim Chanyoung’s puzzled look, he quickly exited the pub. Perhaps because it was early in the semester, the air was still chilly. The cold breeze that hit his nose cleared his mind, and he plopped down on a bench slightly away from the pub on Rodeo Street.

He felt like smoking a cigarette. Come to think of it, he hadn’t smoked much lately. It was all because of Kim Donghwa; although he himself smoked, he disliked Wi Woori smoking, so he had kept his distance from cigarettes to show consideration. But today, his heart felt so stifled that only a cigarette would do.

“Hm…”

After pondering, Wi Woori stood up abruptly. He was an adult with free will; if he wanted to smoke, he should.

Wi Woori headed to the convenience store with determined steps. After all, Kim Donghwa was flirting with someone else. Why should he care about Kim Donghwa’s feelings? He didn’t forget to rationalize his actions.

He bought a cigarette and put it in his mouth. The first time in a while he flicked the lighter, a flame sprang up with a whoosh, startling him into pulling his head back quickly. His nicely bleached hair almost caught fire.

After rubbing his bangs a few times, he relit the cigarette. With a sizzle, the menthol scent spread refreshingly in his mouth as he drew in the smoke. Holding the nicotine in his throat before exhaling long, white streams, it felt like a dragon was painting the air.

Ah, this feels like living, he thought, closing his eyes. With the right amount of alcohol and now nicotine, his feet tingled pleasantly. As he lazily wiggled his toes, the surroundings quieted down, only to hear a tsk, tsk from beside him.

“Ah, what.”

Wi Woori’s face scrunched up.

Though Kim Donghwa was always a welcome sight, today he really didn’t want to see him. As he glowered, Kim Donghwa raised an eyebrow.

“What’s got you smoking again?”

“None of your business.”

“Well, whether your lungs rot or not isn’t my part-time job.”

It was something he heard often, but it still stung. Wi Woori flicked the ash off his cigarette, giving Kim Donghwa a sidelong glare.

“You always have such a nasty way of talking.”

“Looking for a fight?”

“If I pick one, will you take it?”

“No, I won’t. Move, I’m going to buy ice cream.”

What kind of ice cream?

Normally, he would have followed him into the store, asking for one too, but today he wasn’t in the mood. Wi Woori stood his ground, not moving an inch to let Kim Donghwa pass by.

Yet, as Kim Donghwa moved around him, how annoyed he felt was indescribable. Thinking that he too was just as unpredictable, Wi Woori lit another cigarette.

The moment he inhaled, there was a short “Eh?” sound. Looking up, thinking it was someone else, he saw a young woman his age staring at him. Around her were friends, all glancing his way.

Wi Woori tilted his head in confusion. The woman’s cheeks turned slightly rosy as she approached shyly.

“Are you Wi Woori-senpai from the Business Administration third year…?”

“Uh… yeah, that’s me.”

“I was at the same table earlier, don’t you remember me?”

Oh, now that he thought about it, he might have received a greeting from her. Wi Woori quickly extinguished his cigarette, giving her an awkward smile.

Feeling slightly guilty for not paying attention to the tables around him because he was too focused on Kim Donghwa, he sensed she was somewhat nervous around him. Raising his eyebrows as if to ask if she had something to say, she timidly took out her phone.

“Um… maybe…”

Ah, I’m not dead, huh?

It seemed like the new freshmen weren’t talking to me at all, but maybe it was because I had been frowning the whole time, leaving no room for them to approach.

Wi Woori smirked, lifting the corners of his mouth. After all, being able to stick close to Kim Donghwa without feeling intimidated was partly due to his own appearance, which naturally boosted his confidence. Not that he was bragging, but he wasn’t hiding it either. It was just like that, you know?

Wi Woori stared blankly at the phone screen being thrust towards him. Sure enough, the keypad was lit up.

“Uh, my number?”

When he asked briefly, the other party blushed shyly.

“I’ve been looking at sunbae’s SNS a lot since before I entered the school.”

“Oh! I haven’t done that in ages.”

“Can’t you upload more photos?”

“Uh, well… why not.”

Even if Kim Donghwa didn’t like it…

So what, that guy does everything I dislike anyway, so let’s do what I want this time too. Back in high school, he started SNS out of curiosity following his friends, and somehow overnight, his followers exploded, catapulting Wi Woori into sudden stardom.

At first, it was fun and exciting because of the sponsorship offers that came in, but once his interest waned, he stopped abruptly at Kim Donghwa’s words, “Can’t you stop doing that?” However, if they asked for more uploads, it wasn’t such a difficult request. Of course, there was no reason he couldn’t do it, so he was about to cheerfully take the phone when…

“You give out your number so easily.”

Before he knew it, Kim Donghwa was nagging him. Wi Woori hesitated, his hand stopping just before grabbing the phone. Who’s the one being too generous here? Who was the one handing out numbers to juniors first?

With a scowl, Wi Woori shot a glare at Kim Donghwa.

“That’s not something you should say.”

“Oh, what’s that? Are you glaring at me because I got called by the professor earlier?”

“Do you think I’m as irresponsible as you!”

Even though that was true.

Wi Woori, while snapping back at Kim Donghwa’s jibes, didn’t stop entering his number into the junior’s phone. Simultaneously, he entered his number into several other phones that were thrust towards him, causing the juniors to laugh awkwardly.

Just as he was about to wrap things up and leave, Kim Donghwa suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

“Uh, what. What.”

“Let’s talk.”

Then he just walked off ahead.

No, I’m the one who’s pissed off to death here, why is he acting like this?

Bewildered, Wi Woori’s face naturally contorted. Did Kim Donghwa really not want to go back to the freshmen welcome event? Because the place he dragged Wi Woori to was a quiet bar near their home.

Sitting by the window, following Kim Donghwa, Wi Woori sat across from him, clearly showing his displeasure. Even though he was the one who was angry, he couldn’t understand why Kim Donghwa was looking so grim.

You give out your number to everyone, but I’m not allowed to, what’s that?

Wi Woori wanted to retort, “What does it matter if I give out my number?” but even now, he knew he would just casually answer, “It doesn’t matter,” so he decided not to say anything.

Wi Woori, still frowning, chewed on the puffed rice snack that came as an appetizer. Meanwhile, Kim Donghwa just stared at his phone, making Wi Woori wonder why he was even brought here.

Finally, Kim Donghwa put down his phone with a thud and called out to him, “Hey.” Wi Woori just raised an eyebrow in response.

“I didn’t do anything when I was called by the professor earlier.”

“Who said anything?”

“You’re upset because of that, right?”

“No, I’m not.”

From a broad perspective, that was true, but on a closer look, it wasn’t.

His irritation wasn’t because Kim Donghwa was called by the professor; it was because of all the people gathered around him. He hated the attention and the irritation that came with it, yet Kim Donghwa never once pushed away the crowds that approached him. If he had at least shown dislike, maybe Wi Woori wouldn’t have been so annoyed.

When words and actions differ, who would accept that statement with, “Oh, I misunderstood then”? Wi Woori didn’t hide his annoyance, staring intently at Kim Donghwa.

“Then why are you upset? I saw you glaring at me when you left earlier.”

“No, you seemed to enjoy all the attention from the juniors, so why follow me out? Why don’t you take care of those chicks calling you ‘sunbae’?”

“I was upset there too.”

“No, you weren’t!”

Bam! As he shouted, a piece of fish cake was suddenly pushed into his mouth. Just then, the fish cake soup they ordered arrived, and Kim Donghwa had stuffed it into his mouth. Wi Woori frowned as he nibbled on the warm, savory fish cake.

“When the professor calls, how can I not go? I had to go. You’re a student too.”

“But why are you so upset?”

Kim Donghwa poured some liquor into Wi Woori’s glass.

Ever since they entered the bar, Wi Woori had been glaring at him. At first, he thought it was because he came in before him, but as time passed, Wi Woori’s gaze grew sharper, almost stinging his cheeks.

Then, he just walked out. Just as Kim Donghwa was thinking about wrapping up and going after Wi Woori, he hurried out right after Wi Woori had disappeared.

And Wi Woori had been sulking ever since. Yet, he readily accepted the appetizers Kim Donghwa gave him, which was amusing. Kim Donghwa prepared the next thing for Wi Woori to eat while he had a sip of his drink and a bite of his food.

“Want me to peel the mussels for you?”

“Yeah. Can we have some scallops too?”

“Cheese?”

“Yeah.”

Was he simple or just good-natured? Even while upset, Wi Woori answered every question properly.

Anyway, soothing Wi Woori was the easiest thing in the world. With a slight smirk, Kim Donghwa ordered more food from the waiter, while Wi Woori continued to vent his frustration.

“No, you gave out your number to them too. Why tell me not to give mine out? What’s wrong with giving out my number?”

“They’re just following you for your looks, what’s the point of giving out your number? Are you going to date them?”

“Uh, what dating?”

Wi Woori twisted his body shyly. Kim Donghwa frowned, clearly not pleased, but Wi Woori, now slightly buzzed, didn’t care. With a touch of mischief, Kim Donghwa stuffed a spicy fish cake into Wi Woori’s mouth, who couldn’t handle spicy food.

“Um,” Wi Woori chewed, then screamed, “Ah!” and grabbed his nose.

“Oh, it was spicy.”

“You did that on purpose, you crazy bastard!”

Holding his nose, Wi Woori even wiped his tongue with a cold wet towel. Was it that spicy? Kim Donghwa tried a bite of the fish cake he had given Wi Woori and grimaced, “Ah!”

“Sorry, I didn’t know it would be this spicy.”

“Oh, damn, it’s so spicy. Ah.”

“Look, is your tongue swollen?”

“You can see for yourself, can’t you?”

Fuck, snapping in frustration, Wi Woori gulped down the cold water Kim Donghwa handed him. Even his tongue, shocked by the spiciness, began to calm down. With a scowl, Wi Woori stuck out his tongue slightly, and Kim Donghwa genuinely looked sorry.

No, if he’s that sorry, what does that make me?

This kind of petty bickering was nothing new, but when Kim Donghwa showed such a sincere apology, it was Wi Woori who felt embarrassed. He scratched his sideburns gently, thinking it was time to stop being so annoyed. After all, his mood had already lightened from eating the appetizers Kim Donghwa offered him.

“Then let me have some corn cheese.”

“Oh, you’re going to eat that again?”

“Oh, looks like Kim Donghwa isn’t that sorry after all.”

“…Fine, I’ll order it, just this once.”

“Yay!”

Wi Woori answered lightly, waving his hand in the air.

“One corn cheese!”

Only after shouting the order did he start to grin from ear to ear. He couldn’t understand why Kim Donghwa hated corn cheese so much, but Kim Donghwa always showed extreme disgust when corn cheese appeared on the drinking table.