HYUNG 3

“I’m in the Department of International Trade. Plastic Arts is my double major. This semester, I’m only taking Plastic Arts classes, and all my majors overlap with yours, Hyung. 2D Practice, History of Modern Art, Painting, Printmaking, and even Sculpture. It would have been nice to take liberal arts together too, but I’m not taking any liberal arts this time…”

“Ah…”

Ham Dowon rattled off my own major classes, which I hadn’t even fully memorized yet since it was still the new semester. Did I sign up for Sculpture too? Right. The course registration was a disaster, so I just threw in whatever was left. I’m not exactly fond of 3D work. I had been thinking I’d be worked to death because I’d put in quite a few major practical classes this semester, but he says every single one of them overlaps with mine. It really seems like I’m acquaintances with this guy. But audaciously, I’m the one who can’t remember. Have I developed early-onset dementia? Did I have some amnesia I didn’t even know about?

“I used to find going to school really annoying and hated it, but thinking about attending with you this semester, Hyung, I think it’s going to be kind of good.”

“Riiight…”

I only found out your name just now by hearing someone else call it, and I never even said anything about attending together… Well, okay. Since our classes overlap that much and we’re already at the point of sharing a meal, I couldn’t exactly say we weren’t attending together. The guy smiled shyly, as if there was something so great about attending lectures with a male senior three years his elder. He seemed sensitive and cautious, but I wondered if he actually liked people more than I thought. Seeing how he was acting when it hadn’t been long since we met.

“Hyung, the shake you bought me is so delicious…”

Holding a drink he hadn’t even drunk much of, the guy smiled radiantly again. To the point where someone might mistake it and think he was definitely hitting on me.

“It’s a relief if it’s delicious.”

But since I’m a man, I just smiled back brightly. Ham Dowon’s face turned even redder. It seemed it was still hot despite it being autumn. He should just take off his jacket then.

“Then shall we head into class now?”

“…Yes.”

His face was full of lingering regret, but Ham Dowon followed obediently. Until we took the elevator up to the 5th floor where the Department of Plastic Arts was located, the guy quietly just drank his beverage. Even though he had finished that sweet thing in no time, as if he found it regrettable, he kept sucking the tiny bit of leftover drink through the straw with a sip, sip sound.

“Is it good?”

“Yes. The one you bought me, Hyung, is really delicious.”

“Do you want to try mine too?”

Have I aged? The first taste was sweet so it was good, but after drinking a certain amount, I got a bit sick of it. I held out the drink that I hadn’t even finished a third of. I didn’t actually mean for him to drink it. It was just something people say. If he drank it, I’d be grateful. However, the guy suddenly blinked his wide eyes and bowed his head. And then, grab, he put his mouth directly onto the straw I had been using. My saliva must have been on it, but I guess he didn’t find it dirty. He seems to have a more easygoing personality than I thought.

“Hyung, this is sweet too.”

“Right…? Since it’s the same thing.”

Ham Dowon took a sip of the drink and grinned, and he seemed to really like sweet things. Because he had an expression of being in a truly good mood. He should hold it himself, honestly. It felt exactly like I was feeding a child. Ham Dowon just kept sipping from the straw of the drink I was holding for him.

In the meantime, until we arrived at the 5th floor and the elevator doors opened, the guy, with his ears flushed beet red, kept drinking the shake like a child. When I handed him the cup, he finally took it, but did he lose interest that quickly? His expression suddenly turned sullen.

There were still no people inside the workshop. It was because there were more than 10 minutes left until class. I went and sat in the seat assigned to me by the class president. The easel pushed to the side and the drawing board on top of it blocked the side like a wall.

“Is your seat here?”

“Yes. Right next to yours, Hyung.”

On the opposite side of the area blocked by the wall, Ham Dowon, who sat in the seat next to mine, nodded while giggling. After he finished speaking, he gripped the cup with both hands and sucked the drink through the straw with a sip, sip. Since it seemed like he had finished almost all of that too, he must really love sweets.

I was leaning back and looking at my phone when I kept hearing the sound of a straw sucking an empty cup from the side. Glancing over, the guy was focusing excessively on sucking a drink that wasn’t even coming out, even furrowing his brows slightly. It was exactly like a little kid, so a laugh escaped me.

“Should I buy you another one?”

“Do you want to eat one, Hyung? Can’t I buy it?”

Ham Dowon, who finally let go of the straw, leaned toward me. I don’t know why his eyes suddenly started sparkling.

“It’s not that I want to eat one, and you can’t buy it either.”

“Why can’t I buy it?”

“I don’t accept treats from those younger than me.”

It wasn’t like I received a small allowance, and I was working a part-time job, so for the most part, I didn’t get treated. I wasn’t so destitute that I had to be treated even by those younger than me, and above all, it didn’t feel pleasant because it felt like being indebted to someone.

“Then do I have to just keep getting treated by you, Hyung? Even if I want to buy? Earlier you said to buy it next time.”

“That was just something I said. If we keep eating together, I’ll buy. Sometimes we can do Dutch pay. It’s not like I’m rich.”

“Dutch pay feels so cold.”

“So you want me to keep buying?”

When I threw out a playful joke, the guy made an excessively flustered face.

“No, it’s not that…! I’m saying I want to buy too. Fairly.”

“Buy it for me when you become three years older than me.”

“…That’s an impossible thing.”

“Yep. That’s right. Then it’s an impossible thing for you to buy me a meal.”

When I gave him a bright smile, he didn’t talk back anymore. Although he did have a dissatisfied face.

“Still, Hyung… you like younger people, right? Even if you don’t get treated to meals, you like younger people, right? Right?”

“What are you talking about out of the blue?”

“I mean, when it comes to older or younger… You like cute people, Hyung.”

Ah, is this talk about romance? It was a truly abrupt change of subject. This guy, he’s a really strange one. Still, I answered him honestly.

“Well… I don’t think I’ve ever dated anyone older.”

“I knew it, someone younger…!”

“Ah, but I’ve dated people the same age more often.”

“…”

Whether it was dating in middle and high school or dating as an adult, the partner was mostly the same age. Though it’s not like I’ve never dated anyone younger.

“Even if they weren’t younger, I always spent the money when I saw my girlfriend. Since I was the one who said let’s meet because I liked them, I should be the one to spend it.”

“…So as expected, Hyung, because you like me… you were the first to suggest eating together… and bought for me…”

“Ah, Professor.”

Leaving Ham Dowon alone as he mumbled this and that, I stood up from my seat to greet the professor entering the workshop. It was Instructor Kim Elisa, who mainly took charge of 1st and 2nd-year classes. She had a somewhat picky yet rational personality, and because she didn’t easily drop her formal speech even with students, she was well-liked. Perhaps because it had been a long time since I returned to school, even the professor was a welcome sight.

“Oh, Mr. Hwanoh. You returned to school? You went to the military, right?”

The professor, who had narrowed her eyes slightly, smiled brightly as she belatedly remembered me.

“Yes. Language study and the military. I returned this term.”

“Then what year are you? Ah, are you taking my class? Then 2nd year?”

“Yes. I’m a sophomore, so I’m taking your class, Professor.”

“Ah, I see. I see. Have a seat. I’ll call attendance when it hits the hour.”

While the professor pulled up a chair to sit, I sat back down in my seat. Only then could I hear Ham Dowon’s mumbling voice. Since he said he didn’t really like older people… Since he said he didn’t date older people… I really can’t figure out what he means. When I glanced over, he was looking at me with somehow narrowed eyes, which was a bit strange. His face is the only thing that’s normal about him; this kid is a bit… it seems he’s beyond quirky and borderline weird. I should keep some distance.

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹

“This semester is a bit… students might dislike it, but we will proceed with team projects in pairs. The grade will be given individually, and you won’t be doing one joint work, so don’t worry.”

After clearing her throat with a hem, hem, the professor took another sip of coffee and continued.

“First, since I need to get to know the students, starting next week, you will introduce each other’s work in pairs. Since time will likely be short, the presentations will probably continue until the week after that. We’ll just be looking at them roughly, so you don’t have to feel too much pressure… Ah, and after that, we’ll be doing figure painting, where you’ll paint a portrait of your teammate. I think there will be one, at most two, outdoor classes. Are there any more questions?”

“How are the pairs decided?”