Vol 1 Ch 16

 

“Please submit your answer sheets now.”

 

“…….”

 

Kim Jinkyung sat blankly at his desk.

 

The students sitting next to him got up, handed their answer sheets to the teaching assistant, and left the classroom.

 

“Time’s up. Please organize your answer sheets.”

 

“…….”

 

While Kim Jinkyung stared blankly at his answer sheet, the students sitting next to him got up one by one and left.

 

“Please double-check your name and student ID, and leave your answer sheets in the designated spot before leaving.”

 

“…….”

 

“Hey, what are you doing? Let’s go.”

 

Someone tapped Kim Jinkyung’s shoulder from behind. When Kim Jinkyung turned around with a puzzled look, Go Jinyoung grabbed his arm.

 

“Time’s up. You can’t write anymore.”

 

“…Oh, okay.”

 

That’s strange. Didn’t they tell him to submit the answer sheets earlier? Kim Jinkyung hurriedly packed his bag and came out. Checking the lecture room, it wasn’t the one he had entered earlier.

 

What is this? This is definitely a Wednesday exam subject….

 

“Why are you spacing out like that? Did you do well on the exam?”

 

Go Jinyoung, who had dragged Kim Jinkyung out, asked.

 

“Huh? What exam?”

 

“What exam? The one you just took.”

 

Go Jinyoung pointed to the book in Kim Jinkyung’s hand. Kim Jinkyung stared blankly at the textbook and muttered, “I don’t know.”

 

“Don’t know? You’ll probably get an A+ or an A again.”

 

“No. Really. I don’t remember taking the exam.”

 

He had no memory of anything from Tuesday until the exam he had just taken. Kim Jinkyung wondered what on earth he had done.

 

“That’s enough with the fake modesty. Let’s go drink.”

 

Go Jinyoung dragged Kim Jinkyung away. Kim Jinkyung was dragged along in a daze. When he came to his senses, Go Jinyoung was pouring beer.

 

“Hey, so, I met her twice last week, you know? We seem to get along well….”

 

Go Jinyoung was a straw. Instead of starting with various topics and converging on one, like a funnel, he kept talking about the same topic all the time.

 

Women.

 

“So, I was studying at a study cafe and got the number of a cute girl, and I told her to meet up after the exam….”

 

Go Jinyoung’s voice faded away like a dream, and Kim Jinkyung’s mind became hazy.

 

“…….”

 

“…Are you listening?”

 

“…….”

 

“Hey. Kim Jinkyung.”

 

Go Jinyoung waved his hand in front of Kim Jinkyung. Startled, Kim Jinkyung looked up and said, “Huh?”

 

“What are you thinking about so hard? Is something wrong?”

 

“No. Nothing’s….”

 

A scene that had been submerged beneath the surface of Kim Jinkyung’s blurry mind surfaced. Mok Seongha’s high nose, licking his thigh….

 

“……!”

 

Kim Jinkyung picked up the beer glass in front of him and began to gulp it down.

 

“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly drinking like that?”

 

Kim Jinkyung emptied the glass without taking a breath. Go Jinyoung blinked in surprise. Kim Jinkyung placed the empty glass in front of Go Jinyoung.

 

“More, please.”

 

“What?”

 

“I want more alcohol.”

 

“Oh, oh? Sure.”

 

Go Jinyoung refilled the empty glass. Kim Jinkyung drank the beer again, gulping it down.

 

“Drink slowly. What’s wrong? Is something really wrong?”

 

Kim Jinkyung put down the beer glass.

 

“Sunbae.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Can I order soju?”

 

Beer wasn’t making him hazy enough. Go Jinyoung said yes and ordered soju. Kim Jinkyung began to mix soju with beer and drink it.

 

“Hey. Drink slowly. You’ll die.”

 

“…I feel like I could die.”

 

“Why? What’s wrong? Ah, did your girlfriend dump you?”

 

“…….”

 

“You know, that can happen in life. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Is she the first girlfriend you’ve ever had?”

 

Go Jinyoung filled his glass with a satisfied look.

 

Kim Jinkyung drank in silence.

 

That day, Mok Seongha, who had entered the bathroom stall, grabbed Kim Jinkyung’s legs and spread them apart, licking the inside of his thigh. No, to be precise, he was treating the burn from the hot coffee. He licked every inch of it with his tongue. He didn’t know how it worked, but all the wounds where Mok Seongha licked with his tongue disappeared.

 

After licking the wounds clean, Mok Seongha got up and handed Kim Jinkyung a new pair of pants. Then, he threatened him fiercely, telling him not to tell anyone. When Kim Jinkyung stood there blankly without reacting, Mok Seongha threatened him again fiercely.

 

‘If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you.’

 

He had been done a good deed, but he felt like he had been done something bad. Kim Jinkyung had to nod blankly.

 

“That girlfriend you’re living with? I told you, why are you living together? You shouldn’t live together too hastily. You need to meet people while maintaining some personal space, which reminds me of this girl I used to date….”

 

Go Jinyoung was excitedly talking about his own dating theories. The things Kim Jinkyung needed to forget began to get mixed up in his head with the alcohol. Mok Seongha’s nose, the large hand gripping his thigh, the tongue and lips touching the inside of his leg….

 

Kim Jinkyung filled the empty glass with soju. Beer wasn’t enough to make him forget those memories.

 

“If you break up, you can just meet someone else. You can always meet good people again. What do you lack? Meet other people. And if there are any good girls around them….”

 

Go Jinyoung started talking about introductions again, as expected. He never listened to what others said anyway. No matter what you talked about, he always enjoyed talking about topics that were good for him.

 

Kim Jinkyung thought that this might be better and drank one shot after another. His last memory was of Go Jinyoung’s face, humming along to the song playing in the store with his eyes closed, saying that it reminded him of his first love.

 

He opened his eyes. Kim Jinkyung lay there for a long time, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, before turning his head.

 

“Gasp.”

 

Kim Jinkyung was horrified to see the face of the man sleeping soundly next to him and sat up. Go Jinyoung, who had woken up, got up groggily, scratched his head, and asked, “Are you awake?”

 

“Why is Sunbae here….”

 

“I live here, so I’m here. Don’t you remember anything from yesterday?”

 

“…….”

 

After completely messing up the exam, he drank with Go Jinyoung, and then…. Kim Jinkyung tried to piece together his memories, but he could only remember Go Jinyoung’s face as he talked about dating.

 

“You were so drunk that I told you I’d put you in a taxi, but you grabbed my pants leg and wouldn’t let go. Haaa. So, I just brought you to my place.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What are you sorry for? Let’s go get some hangover soup.”

 

Go Jinyoung got up. He usually cared a lot about his appearance to impress women, so Go Jinyoung’s body was full of muscles.

 

Even though it was a one-sided unrequited love that had ended, he couldn’t believe that he didn’t feel anything even when looking at that. He even looked ugly. He used to think that at least his face was decent.

 

“Why? Are you looking at my handsome muscles and feeling respect?”

 

Go Jinyoung flexed his biceps playfully. Kim Jinkyung waved his hand and said, “Go wash up.”

 

“Okay. You can use the bathroom over there if you want to wash up too.”

 

He lived alone and had two bathrooms. …No, there are people who live alone in such a vast mansion….

 

“…….”

 

Kim Jinkyung could hear the blood draining from his head. The memory that he had barely suppressed beneath his consciousness with the power of alcohol floated to the surface. How was he supposed to evaporate this memory? Kim Jinkyung grabbed his head and slumped down. Then, he suddenly remembered that he had made a tutoring appointment with Mok Seongha.

 

What day is it today?

 

After calculating in his head, Kim Jinkyung hurriedly searched for his phone in his bag.

 

78 missed calls.

 

Checking, 34 were from Secretary Kang’s number, and 44 were from unknown numbers. Kim Jinkyung hesitated before calling the unknown number first.

 

After two rings, a low voice was heard.

 

「Hey.」

 

“…….”

 

Usually, even if you’re angry, don’t you answer with “Hello”?

 

「What time is it now?」

 

“I’m sorry. I was too tired after the exam yesterday, so I just….”

 

He was about to make up a plausible excuse that he had fallen asleep.

 

“Oh, right. Jinkyung-ah. The showerhead in that bathroom is broken, so only cold water comes out. Wait a bit before you shower.”

 

…If only Go Jinyoung hadn’t appeared with only a towel around his waist and a toothbrush in his mouth, saying things that could only be misunderstood by the other person.

 

「…….」

 

A cold silence washed over the phone. Kim Jinkyung mentally searched for God, Buddha, and Jesus, whom he didn’t even believe in.

 

“Oh, what’s wrong? Were you on the phone?”

 

Go Jinyoung smiled, pulling at the corners of his mouth covered in toothpaste, and winked. When Kim Jinkyung gestured for him to go in quickly, he winked again and went back to the bathroom.

 

“…I’m sorry. I….”

 

「What time are you coming?」

 

“Yes?”

 

「I’m asking what time you’re coming. You skipped yesterday’s tutoring session too.」

 

Kim Jinkyung quickly checked the time.

 

“I’ll be there in an hour and a half, no, an hour.”

 

「Come in thirty minutes.」

 

If that’s the case, why did he ask what time he was coming?

 

Kim Jinkyung tried to stay calm and answered, “Yes.” Mok Seongha hung up the phone like that. Kim Jinkyung sighed and threw his phone on the bed.

 

…It was the worst.