Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Jae-kyeom's Longing
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"Jae-kyeom, long time no see?"
"Yeah, really. Why's it so hard to see your face these days?"
"Hey, hey, Jae-kyeom's been studying lately."
"Studying?!"
"Yeah, you idiot. Studying. You think Jae-kyeom's like us?"
Already boring.
Without responding to his friends, Jae-kyeom sat down and grabbed the mouse.
"Jae-kyeom, what're you gonna play? LoL? PUBG?"
"Not playing."
"Oh."
His friends, who had been waiting to join whatever game Jae-kyeom picked, saw the webtoon site pop up on his monitor and started their own games among themselves.
Whatever. Propping his chin on his hand, Jae-kyeom clicked on the thumbnail of his favorite webtoon.
He used to live for this all week long, but now there were over five unread episodes piled up.
With a blank expression, he scrolled through with the mouse wheel.
"Hey, the girls are at karaoke on basement level 1 right now?"
A friend from the back, who'd already given up and was on his phone, spoke up. Right on cue, another friend who had yelled in frustration and tossed his mouse showed interest.
"Which girls?"
"Gyeong Se-in, Yang Yeon-hee, and Yoo Jin-ha."
"......"
Jae-kyeom slowly lifted the hand propping his chin and pretended not to listen while tuning into the conversation.
"Other girls are coming too."
"Who?"
"Why do you keep prying?"
"Just tell me."
"Dunno. Probably Kim Ga-eun and Ye-su-a. Do-yeon might come if we're lucky."
"Is Kang Da-hye coming?"
The friend sitting next to Jae-kyeom, munching on spicy chicken feet chips, chimed in excitedly. The guy across from him snickered and smacked the back of the chip-muncher's chair.
"She'll come."
"Why hasn't she ever come before?"
"Dunno. Ask her yourself."
"Ask her for me."
"Ask her yourself."
"Man, it'd be weird if I asked!"
Jae-kyeom scowled and cut in.
"Why are you so curious about that?"
"Uh, wha?"
"Why are you curious about that?"
Caught off guard by Jae-kyeom suddenly grilling him, the chip-muncher stammered. The other friends, glancing nervously, laughed and teased him.
"Yeah, why are you so curious~?"
"She'd never date you anyway~"
"What a pointless worry~?"
"Right~ And Kang Da-hye's tone-deaf anyway~ She probably doesn't wanna wreck the karaoke~"
Amid his friends buttering him up, Jae-kyeom snorted and turned his head primly to check his phone. He opened KakaoTalk, which had 20 unread messages.
-Seo Jae-kyeom, whatcha doing?
-Whatcha doing? lol
-Let's hang
-Ignored again ㅠ
-You've been weird lately ㅜㅜ Don't come when I call ㅜ Always busy
Middle school classmates, club juniors, academy friends, girls from the neighboring school... Messages piled up from all sorts, but the one he was waiting for hadn't come.
Scrolling down the chat list, Jae-kyeom soon...
"Haaaaah..."
He sighed and turned off the screen.
Life had lost its flavor.
The webtoons he'd binge through all-nighters for hundreds of episodes? Boring...
The games that had him visiting the PC bang so often the owner greeted him barefoot and the part-timer sister gave him her number? Boring...
No appetite...
Basketball felt like a chore...
Sleep wouldn't come at night...
"Haaaaah..."
Instead...
His eyes snapped open early in the morning to hurry to school.
Glancing around on the way, hoping not to run into her.
Spotting that familiar silhouette up ahead.
Dashing to catch up.
Too embarrassed to greet first.
Pretending not to notice, shuffling past right in front.
'Seo Jae-kyeom!' When she calls first, then he turns around acting surprised.
In class, keeps glancing her way. Knows the answer but asks anyway. During breaks, if she stays seated, so does he.
At lunch, deliberately goes slow to line up late. Checks where she sits first, then tells the guys 'Hey, over there' to snag a spot as close as possible.
Why do weekends exist? Annoying. Delete weekends.
Let old folks rest Mon-Tue-Wed-Sat-Sun, four days, and students go every day for seven.
Thinking that far, Jae-kyeom stood up without hesitation.
"I'm out."
"Huh, Jae-kyeom? Leaving already?"
Too annoying to reply. Ignoring them, Jae-kyeom stepped out and checked his phone on the stair landing.
At first, he'd pretended to cave and joined the girls' group, playing the waiting game alone until Kang Da-hye showed.
Gleaning bits about Kang Da-hye whenever she came up.
Even now, he desperately wanted to pop into the basement, greet the girls, and scout if she was there or not.
'She won't come anyway.'
He steeled himself and held back.
Instead, he opened KakaoTalk.
Ignoring the dozens of unread messages at the top, he scrolled down to a chat room gone quiet after being read and ignored days ago.
💬 KakaoTalk 14:23 What're you up to? Kang Da-hye
16:37 Studying Me: Lol, studying ㅎㅎ 16:37 Now? Kang Da-hye
20:01 Studying 20:03 Still? This chat was fun even after reviewing it dozens of times...
"Haaaaah..."
Final exams soon.
After finals, vacation.
No seeing her face during vacation.
After vacation, second semester.
Second semester will fly by like this one. Then third year.
Any guarantee they'll be in the same class then?
'Of all things, seats got switched.'
Kang Da-hye's new desk partner was Lee Seo-jun. Jae-kyeom used to like the quiet, mild-mannered Lee Seo-jun. Now?
That damn unlucky bastard@#$%)@(#$)@($#!
Wasn't it last time in PE he saw them sitting together and said they looked good? Isn't that too much????
And even Lee Seo-jun's back seat was...
'The transfer student.'
During class, whenever Jae-kyeom stared at Kang Da-hye and locked eyes with the transfer student, he'd make that signature smirking face... Made him want to drop out right then.
That jerk always grabbed Kang Da-hye after class to ask something. Heard he wasn't even going to college—why so many questions? Jae-kyeom had wanted to raise his hand and teach her a dozen times.
Every time he saw them huddling over problems, it grated on Jae-kyeom's nerves.
"Sigh..."
Guess I need to go to Korea University too.
How?
(On the bus)
Stopping midway, Jae-kyeom crossed his arms and sank into gloom.
Students from the neighboring school glanced curiously as they passed the frozen Jae-kyeom midway down the stairs.
When the stair light flickered off. Jae-kyeom made a call somewhere.
"Mom. It's me. That tutoring you mentioned earlier. I'll do it. ...No? Not Han Ji-su. No! I hate one-on-one even more. I..."
Yo, okay. Just warning you in case (listen up).
This isn't me trying to hit on her.
Pure friendship.
Though sometimes friends develop feelings and date. Seen it with celebrities?
Can't control if feelings sprout.
'Might break up around start of senior year.'
Have to focus on studies then.
Break up in a way that minimizes shock... Since we'll keep seeing each other in college...
Because we'll both go to Korea University together...
-Son, why'd you trail off?
Ah.
-Wanna do it with a friend?
"Not that."
-Spit it out. Mom's on edge.
"I wanna tutor with Kang Da-hye."
A satisfied smile crept across Jae-kyeom's lips, his perfect plan complete.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Tutoring? With you?"
"Yeah. Math. Twice a week, 90 minutes each."
"Sorry, but..."
"By the way, it's free. Mom said if I go alone, I won't study, so bring you too."
"...Your mom?"
Why me of all people?
She looked up puzzled, but Seo Jae-kyeom was confident.
"I'll match the times to whatever you want. Anyway, I'm not going anywhere this break."
"Ah..."
"You'll do it, right?"
Hmm.
If it's a tutor Seo Jae-kyeom's mom hired for him, must be skilled.
Subject's math, perfect.
Free, and twice a week for 90 minutes—not too much time.
She rolled her eyes calculating.
Not even waiting that short moment, Seo Jae-kyeom pressed again.
"Kang Da-hye, you'll do it, right?"
"...No."