Just A Friend

#13

The brief exchanges started and stopped naturally, repeating intermittently. Perhaps because the sound of rain filled the silences in between, there was no sense of the conversation being interrupted.

Under the darkness that enveloped the entire building and the pouring rain, soft voices resonated low across the auditorium floor.

When Nam Seonwoo opened his eyes in the morning, he was more perplexed by the stable feeling of his ‘pillow’ than by his stiff back. As he raised his head groggily, the paper he had been using as a pillow scattered across the floor. Looking around, Nam Seonwoo realized that what he had been resting on was Kang Jihan’s thigh.

Kang Jihan was still asleep, leaning against the wall. While staring at his face, sleeping in a perfectly upright position like a wooden statue, Nam Seonwoo suddenly remembered the hardness he had felt from his pillow and looked down.

‘This bastard, this…’

Nam Seonwoo pulled out the phone from Kang Jihan’s pants pocket and checked the time. 5:30 AM. It was about time for the staff to start arriving at school. Nam Seonwoo put the phone back and looked at Kang Jihan with a strange expression.

‘You had a phone all along.’

* * *

Days began to accumulate where they would stay in the classroom together after classes to clean up, check the homework Nam Seonwoo had assigned the day before until evening self-study started, and then head to the annex building, avoiding the supervisor’s eyes when self-study began.

As a result, Nam Seonwoo found himself spending more and more break times with Kang Jihan. They weren’t secret friends or anything, so there was no reason to only talk after the day’s schedule was over. Whether it was adding something to a topic that came up during self-study, or asking “What was that thing from before?”, they naturally found themselves talking.

By that point, it felt odd to only go eat lunch with Park Gyuhyeon. Of course, he knew Kang Jihan didn’t mind, but there was no reason to leave him alone at mealtimes after spending all day chatting together. It was the same when going to the school store.

Park Gyuhyeon still seemed awkward around Kang Jihan. But Nam Seonwoo noticed how he subtly straightened his back and neck when walking down the hallway or entering the cafeteria. He had openly expressed admiration for Kang Jihan in his secret santa letter, and he seemed quite taken with the fact that he was walking alongside such a person.

‘How ironic.’

Recalling his previous life where he had struggled so hard to get even a little closer to Kang Jihan, Nam Seonwoo felt somewhat deflated. What had been so difficult back then? He chuckled and put a lollipop in his mouth.

Opening the classroom door with the hand not holding the mop, he saw Park Gyuhyeon standing next to the blackboard. Kim Jaewoo was the only one who had entered the cleaned classroom. Nam Seonwoo looked around the room and approached Park Gyuhyeon.

“Where’s Kang Jihan?”

“Don’t you know? Seems he hasn’t come back yet.”

“Still?”

Kang Jihan was in charge of recycling duty today, having lost at rock-paper-scissors. Nam Seonwoo had thought he’d be back by now, but he still wasn’t here. He wondered if Kang Jihan was making a new trash can or something.

“What are you doing, by the way?”

It had been a while since Nam Seonwoo had seen Park Gyuhyeon so focused. And with a pencil in hand, no less. Thinking there might be something new on the class bulletin board, he glanced over to see the July meal plan posted. Nam Seonwoo looked at Park Gyuhyeon, who was carefully underlining menu items, with a look of disdain.

“So childish, so child-“

“We’re the same age, you know.”

The meal lineup for this month was indeed impressive, probably because summer vacation was approaching. There were special meals not just on Wednesdays, but at least one every day of the week. Nam Seonwoo found himself admiring it, following Park Gyuhyeon’s pencil, when he suddenly exclaimed,

“Hey! Why aren’t you checking off the samgyetang?”

“Who eats samgyetang on such a hot day?”

“It’s because it’s hot that you eat samgyetang, idiot. Do you know how expensive it is to eat samgyetang outside? Quickly, circle it.”

“Ah, you sound just like an old man. I’d rather eat chicken than samgyetang. No way!”

Park Gyuhyeon resisted, holding the pencil with both hands. Nam Seonwoo turned around and made eye contact with Kim Jaewoo. Kim Jaewoo quickly averted his gaze as if burned, but Nam Seonwoo rushed over to him.

“Hey, Jaewoo! Let me borrow a pen. Any pen.”

“Oh, a pen?”

Although he could have just handed over the pen lying on his book, Kim Jaewoo busily rummaged through his pencil case. Nam Seonwoo waited patiently and, as soon as he received a red colored pencil, rushed back to Park Gyuhyeon. He peeled Park Gyuhyeon off the meal plan, where he had been clinging like a leech, and successfully circled and starred ‘samgyetang’.

When Nam Seonwoo’s red circles also marked perilla leaf side dish and cucumber kimchi, Park Gyuhyeon cried out, “Oh, Nam Seonwoo!” But Nam Seonwoo just hummed, looking for more days where he could eat two bowls.

“Let’s see, let’s see- where else…”

“Wow, that’s exactly how my uncle talks. Hey, Kim Jaewoo. Doesn’t the class president sound really weird?”

Nam Seonwoo heard Kim Jaewoo laughing behind him. No matter how much Park Gyuhyeon teased him about being an old man, it didn’t affect him, so Nam Seonwoo steadfastly continued coloring the meal plan. He boldly marked ‘X’ on days when the blood sugar seemed like it would be too high.

Students staying for evening study started entering the classroom. But Kang Jihan was still nowhere to be seen.

‘What’s going on? Why isn’t he back yet?’

Nam Seonwoo went out to the corridor and stuck his head out the window. The recycling area was in a somewhat remote location, requiring a detour to the back gate. However, no matter how long he watched, he couldn’t see anyone coming or going near the back gate.

Was it taking long because there was a lot to sort? Feeling a bit guilty for sending him alone, Nam Seonwoo rolled the lollipop in his mouth and went down the stairs.

The next week would be summer vacation. That meant the final exams were just a few days away. The school atmosphere was chaotic with both vacation and exams approaching. Just going down one floor, the 1st and 2nd-year classrooms seemed like a different world, almost like a festival.

The boisterous noise quieted down as he approached the back gate. The recycling area was equally silent. There was no sign of Kang Jihan or anyone else.

Just then, his eyes met with some guy standing in front of the back gate.

“…?”

The guy glared as if to say “What are you looking at?” His disheveled uniform and face that seemed to complain about everything made him look like a delinquent at first glance.

But why was he standing there? As Nam Seonwoo stared blankly, the guy spat on the ground demonstratively. It wasn’t like he was marking his territory or anything, just a disgusting act for no apparent reason.

Nam Seonwoo glanced behind him. The footsteps that had been following him had stopped. He didn’t know why they were hiding, but the silhouette briefly visible behind a tree belonged to someone he knew. After looking in that direction for a moment, Nam Seonwoo approached the back gate.

“Shit, won’t you get lost?”

Seemingly flustered by Nam Seonwoo’s approach despite his signal to leave, the guy lowered his voice. He kept glancing outside the back gate, which was suspicious. Nam Seonwoo had a hunch that he was acting as a lookout. Moreover, there was no need for a lookout just to smoke a cigarette.

The guy threatened in a low voice.

“Why don’t you leave before you see something you shouldn’t?”

Wondering where this informal speech was coming from, Nam Seonwoo checked the color of his name tag – he was a third-year. Looking down at the closely shaved head, Nam Seonwoo smirked. The small guy trying to puff himself up looked adorably ridiculous.

“And if I don’t leave? Are we going to become close enough to see everything?”

“What did you say, you bastard?”

The shaved head guy shoved Nam Seonwoo’s shoulder hard. Nam Seonwoo exaggeratedly staggered back with an “Ouch,” and while holding his pushed shoulder, he said,

“You hit me first, right?”

Then he brought down the lollipop he had been sucking on the guy’s round crown with a smack. The candy shattered, sprinkling across the top of the shaved head’s head. Pushing aside the guy who was clutching his head, Nam Seonwoo peeked outside the back gate, and sure enough, Kang Jihan was there.

Three guys surrounding Kang Jihan, and Kang Jihan’s head towering above them in the middle. Even from a generous perspective, it wasn’t a friendly atmosphere.

“Hey, hey, stop right there.”

The guys turned around in surprise, recognizing the teacher-like tone. Two of them hurriedly hid the cigarettes they had been smoking behind their backs.

“What’s with this childish ganging up on one person?”

The guys who spotted Nam Seonwoo spat out curses mixed with relief.

“Who’s that? Someone you know?”

“No idea. Why is this nobody acting like he knows what’s going on?”

“Jihan, did you bring a friend?”

Nam Seonwoo frowned at the scene of them giggling and smoking. He felt his professional instincts kicking in. But suddenly, he remembered dealing with delinquent students when he was a teacher.

…Right. How cute that it’s just cigarettes, not drugs or gambling. With a more generous heart, Nam Seonwoo opened his mouth.

“Kids, if you smoke from now on, you’ll start losing hair in your 30s. Do you know the side effects of hair loss medication?”

His eyes met Kang Jihan’s. His expressionless face now showed a hint of shock.

“It’s erectile dysfunction, erectile dysfunction. Huh?”

“…What the hell is this guy saying?”

As Nam Seonwoo approached the guys, he frowned again. There was a mountain of cigarette butts on the ground. While grinding out a still-lit butt with his foot, Nam Seonwoo quickly assessed the situation.

The classroom trash can was rolling on the ground far away, and Kang Jihan was holding a motorcycle helmet in his hand. It seemed those nasty guys had been messing with Kang Jihan’s motorcycle parked at the back gate. Kang Jihan, who had come to do the recycling, wouldn’t have let that slide, and that’s probably how the confrontation started.

‘That’s why I told you not to park at the back gate.’

When Nam Seonwoo reproached him with his eyes, Kang Jihan’s gaze seemed to ask why he had come.

“These bastards are exchanging looks and sitting around. Won’t you get lost? Can’t you see we’re having a deep conversation here?”

“Sorry, but Jihan took our classroom trash can.”

“Hey. Do you think we’re joking around right now?”

The biggest guy among them lowered his voice and grabbed Nam Seonwoo’s collar.

‘This young bastard.’

As much as he wanted to flick the guy’s forehead, it wasn’t a wise decision. Nam Seonwoo looked back towards where the shaved head had been standing earlier. Someone was peeking from the back gate.