LA0S | Chapter 25

According to the locals, they’re planning to tear down this house and build something new. Anyway, today was the last day for the place I’d called home for two years.

Having to leave so suddenly, I had nowhere to go. I didn’t have anyone I could call a friend from middle school, and there was even less to say about my high school classmates.

[What the heck? Lee Jinha calling first? I thought I was dreaming.]

A playful voice echoed from the other end of the line. Lee Jinha adjusted his phone.

“What are you up to?”

[Just lounging around at home. What about you? Thinking about me?]

After exchanging some meaningless chatter, I hesitated before saying, “Yoon Sejin, you know…”

[Why are you lowering your voice like that… Oh! Mom, why! Dad will come on his own. He’s not a kid; he’s just coming back from a business trip. Why would I need to pick him up? I’m on the phone with a friend right now.]

I could hear Yoon Sejin talking to his mom.

[While you’re out, why not go out to eat for a change? Sejun’s on leave too.]

His mom’s voice was clear.

“Is your brother on leave? His 100-day leave?”

I vaguely remembered hearing he went to the army, but has it already been 100 days?

[He had his 100-day leave ages ago. This time it’s a reward leave. The world has really changed, hasn’t it? Back in our day, what was a reward leave?]

“I got reward leaves often. I was good at shooting.”

[Typical Lee Jinha. Anyway, what did you want to say?]

“When’s the literature and poetry assignment due?”

[Huh? We had an assignment like that? First I’ve heard of it.]

“…I was a fool to ask you. Never mind, I’m hanging up.”

[Send me a message about the assignment. Phew, that was close.]

After ending the call with Yoon Sejin, I let out a long sigh. I thought about crashing at his place today, but it seemed like that wasn’t going to work out.

I stored my few boxes of belongings in the staff room of Hanguk Pocha for now. When I told the owner I’d only leave them for a few days, he asked worriedly if something was wrong.

“Thank you for keeping my stuff. I’m off to school.”

I thanked the owner and hurried to school. Naturally, I couldn’t focus, and I couldn’t even remember which classes I attended. I finished my part-time job in a half-dazed state. I made a few small mistakes I usually wouldn’t, but thankfully, nothing major happened.

“Thanks for your hard work. I’m heading out.”

In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to explain my situation to the owner and left as usual. Once outside, I had no idea where to go. I wandered aimlessly and somehow found myself back at school.

Most of the buildings were dark, but occasional lights flickered in the art, engineering, and natural sciences buildings. They were probably working on experiments or assignments.

I walked up the hill to the library. With about a month left until finals, the library was bustling—except for the cafeteria, which remained eerily quiet. I found a spot in a corner and set my bag down.

My body felt on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, yet my mind was as alert as if I’d downed a gallon of caffeine. The dissonance between the two only made me feel even more drained.

I spent the night in a state that was neither asleep nor awake, drifting in and out of consciousness until morning finally arrived. When I checked the time, it was 7 AM. The library was already bustling with early risers eager to study.

Rubbing my dry eyes, I headed to the restroom. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I stepped out of the library building.

“Oh? Sejin’s handsome friend.”

At first, I didn’t realize they were calling me and kept walking. I was so used to hearing “Yoon Sejin, Yoon Sejin” that the name Sejin felt unfamiliar.

“You’re Yoon Sejin’s friend, right? Lee Jinha, was it?”

It wasn’t until I heard my full name that I turned around. A man with a friendly face, who had once generously given me a chicken leg, was waving.

“Hello, President.”

“You make it sound like I’m the student council president. Just call me hyung. Anyway, at the library this early? You’re really diligent.”

That wasn’t the case, but explaining everything to someone I barely knew seemed silly, so I stayed quiet.

“First period?”

“No, third period.”

“Then you’ve got plenty of time. If you’re not busy, want to stop by the club room for a bit?”

It seemed better to hang out in the club room than to kill time in a computer lab or empty classroom.

Since it was early, the club room was empty. Bae Seohong opened a small fridge in the corner and handed me an energy drink.

“Thank you.”

I fiddled with the cold glass bottle and sat down. The room was cluttered with leftover snack bags, printed photos, and reports of unknown ownership.

“Have you thought about it? Joining the club, I mean.”

“Ah… The semester’s already started, and if I join in my third year, I probably won’t be able to participate much. I’d just be in the way.”

“Not sure if Sejin told you, but our club’s atmosphere is super laid-back. There are plenty of people who just have their names on the list. And what do you mean, ‘in the way’?”

“I’m a beginner and don’t even have a camera.”

I shook the glass bottle, now slightly warm from my palm’s heat.

“Why worry about that? Don’t you think the photography club has spare cameras?”

Bae Seohong rummaged through a cabinet and pulled out a camera.

“It’s a bit old, but it still works great.”

“I can’t use such an expensive camera. It’s too much pressure.”

I didn’t even have money for a place to stay, so the thought of dropping an expensive camera made me dizzy. I shook my head instinctively.

“This one’s cheap. We were going to throw it out since we don’t use it anymore, but it was too much hassle, so we just stashed it away. No pressure.”

“Still…”

“Just think of it as playing around and take some shots.”

Bae Seohong handed the powered-on camera to Lee Jinha. I hesitated for a moment, then put my drink in my jacket pocket and took the camera.

Closing one eye, I brought the other to the lens. The world through the small lens felt different from what I saw with my own eyes.

I pressed the shutter.

Click.

“Use it for the next outing and return it. Or don’t, it’s fine either way.”

“Do you always treat people this well? Giving drinks and even a camera.”

“Well, it’s kind of like marketing. Think of it as hoping for some indirect benefits from you joining our club. Pretty calculating, right?”

“I don’t think it’ll make much difference if I join.”

“You’re just like Sejin described.”

I didn’t know what Yoon Sejin had said, but given our relationship, it wasn’t likely to be a compliment. Probably something weird instead.

“People who have things often don’t realize how valuable they are. If you give something delicious to someone who’s already full, what do you think will happen? They won’t be particularly interested or motivated. You’re kind of like that.”

He was definitely a nice guy, but a bit peculiar. Being a senior, he was probably working on his thesis, so it wasn’t surprising if he was a bit off.

“It is marketing, but I also genuinely like you. You’re the first person to recognize those photos as being of the library surroundings. Isn’t that funny?”

“Isn’t it strange not to know? The vending machine with the smiley sticker on the side is only at the library.”

“Exactly. I took the photo with the smiley sticker and the vending machine side in perfect alignment. But no one noticed.”

Lee Jinha had never participated in freshman orientation, MTs, department gatherings, or festivals. He barely interacted with people from his own department, let alone those from others. So having a personal conversation with a senior from another department was a first.

Suddenly, he thought of Kim Chayoung, who chatted happily with the student council. Not just the student council—how many people had greeted him in the short time it took to eat?

“So make sure you come to the next outing. Other people will be there to try it out too, so don’t feel pressured.”

“I’ll come if I have time.”

“I hope you do. I have class in the second period, so I should get going. What about you? You can stay; the others will be here soon.”

“I’ll just go with you.”

The thought of meeting others without Yoon Sejin or Bae Seohong made me stand up automatically.

Should I put the camera in my bag? No, if I just toss my bag around like usual, it might break. But holding it in my hand felt even riskier. Seeing my indecision, Bae Seohong extended the strap on both ends of the camera.

“If you’re really worried, hang it around your neck. You’ll get a lot of attention anyway, but with a camera, you’ll be super popular.”

“I’ll just put it in my bag. I’ll be careful.”

Despite being the photography club president, Bae Seohong was surprisingly an engineering student. And without even asking, I learned that he didn’t have a girlfriend and hoped to experience a campus couple relationship before graduating—information I picked up during our chat.