Nothing Happened
Nothing had happened. To Kang Ajin, the word "friend" was an incredibly vague and mysterious concept. How should she put it? She simply didn't understand the word properly. Her head knew what "friend" meant, but her heart couldn't define it clearly. Because of that, she ended up harboring unnecessary fantasies about the idea of having friends.
Of course, she had formed many connections throughout her life, and some of those connections had been "friends." However—
"When I'm with her, there's nothing to talk about. Her reactions are way too lukewarm."
"Agreed. All she ever talks about is weird novels. It's so boring."
"No, she always says she can't go. Karaoke? No money. Café? No money. Even when we offer to pay for a trip, she still won't go. Money's just an excuse—she just doesn't want to hang out with us."
"She looks normal enough, but her personality is seriously weird."
"Now I get why she's always alone. Tsk tsk."
Those relationships never lasted long. Most ended within a week, a month at most, and even then, they didn't end well—only deepening the scars of loneliness.
In truth, she had known all along. They were never truly friends. She had sensed it because she never felt that tight, special bond of friendship during the process.
Anyway, these series of events made her both terrified of interacting with people and desperately crave friendship at the same time. Not that craving it changed anything. Until now.
"If we're close, could you help me out? I'd like to get closer to you too, Ajin."
She could feel her face flushing and heating up in real time. When her eyes met his, she genuinely wanted to crawl into a mouse hole and hide.
...What do I do?
For a moment, she remembered the MyChew candy she'd tucked away in her pocket. She'd seen a blog post saying MyChew was essential for getting close to university classmates and had been carrying it around ever since, but she'd never actually used it.
Should I just... give it to him?
What should she say? "Eat it, it's good"? "Please have some"? "I don't need it, so you eat it"? Her mind was running dozens, hundreds of simulations, over and over.
After agonizing over it for hours, class finally ended and he left. The farther he got, the louder her heartbeat became. If she let him go like this, she felt like she'd regret it for the rest of her life. She imagined spending her entire life lonely and alone, dying in solitude without a single friend.
Finally making up her mind, she approached him.
"W-would you like this?"
"...?"
"D-do you hate MyChew?"
"...No. I like it."
"O-oh, good. Enjoy it. Th-then, bye-bye."
She barely managed to get the words out before fleeing in a panic. She didn't have the courage to look him in the face any longer.
While she was running away—
"Kang Ajin!"
Someone called her name, and her body froze on the spot. It was none other than her major professor.
"M-me?"
"Yes, come here."
She could tell from his tone that this was definitely not good news. Overwhelmed by rising anxiety, Ajin shuffled over hesitantly. What followed far exceeded her expectations.
"The assignment you submitted has far too many similarities with Kim Jiwoo's."
"Huh?"
Ajin blinked in confusion.
"My assignment...?"
"That's right. It's impossible for two plots to be this identical. One of you must have copied."
At first, she tried to protest and explain herself. But the words wouldn't come out properly. Everything that tumbled out was incoherent and scattered. No matter how desperately she tried to explain while flustered, it only made the professor more suspicious.
"Anyway, this matter won't be overlooked. Understood?"
"Yes..."
Neither anger-fueled resistance nor the will to resolve the situation emerged. She just wanted to escape the current situation. Eventually, she resigned herself to it.
"You may go now."
"..."
She glared resentfully at the professor's retreating back, but nothing changed. After standing there dazed for a long while, Ajin eventually trudged away.
And regret always comes too late.
I should've said this back then...
After replaying the situation in her mind and running through countless simulations, she finally managed to calm down. Letting out a deep sigh, she steeled herself.
I can't just let this go. It's too unfair...
With firm resolve, Ajin walked straight to the professor's office. Just as she was about to open the door—
—So the person who plagiarized has been identified?
She froze at the familiar voice coming from inside. Startled, Ajin quickly collected herself and listened.
—That's a relief. I hope they receive severe punishment.
—You must've been really upset.
—Pardon?
—You wouldn't normally step up like this if you weren't close. And the way you spoke, it didn't sound like your first time reading Ajin's writing.
There was no doubt. The owner of that voice was him.
"..."
From their conversation, the situation became clear. That guy was defending her innocence. But why? She couldn't understand it at all. Why would he go so far to clear her name?
At that thought, Ajin stood there blankly for a moment.
"Ugh. Damn it. Who the hell is this guy?"
"What? What are you looking at?"
Park Heena peeked over from beside him. Feeling awkward about showing something like this to a girl, Seokhun tried to hide his phone. But she seemed to have known from the start.
"You saw it too? The hidden camera creep."
"Huh? Uh, yeah."
"Well, of course. That's all anyone's talking about on Every Day."
She shuddered, rubbing her arms in disgust.
"Ugh. It's probably true, right? They say there are more than one or two victims. What if I'm one of them?"
"Don't worry. Even hidden camera creeps have standards. Would they film a cockroach?"
"Aha~ Our Seokhun~ You want to get hit in the solar plexus, don't you? But why beat around the bush when you're asking to be hit? You can just say it directly next time. Hehe~"
"...I'd like to live directly."
Teasing her every day must have worked, because before he knew it, Seokhun and Park Heena had become close friends—well, not exactly close friends, more like rivals, but whatever. Good is good.
She really is easy to get close to.
Whether male or female, there's no easier way to get close than through mutual teasing. In that sense, Park Heena was an easy-mode girl.
She's the complete opposite of Ajin.
Speak of the tiger and it appears. Heena suddenly mentioned Ajin's name.
"Did something happen between you and Ajin?"
What should he say? Seokhun couldn't easily open his mouth.
"What? Something really did happen, huh."
"...Nothing happened."
"Then why are you both acting like that? Neither of you can even look each other in the eye."
Seokhun glanced at Ajin sitting right next to Heena. She had her face buried in her desk, pretending to sleep. Of course, he knew she wasn't actually sleeping—she was just pretending.
This is so awkward.
Ever since yesterday's incident, Seokhun and Ajin hadn't exchanged a single word. He'd tried to talk to her to clear the air and ease the awkwardness, but she kept slipping away every time.
"Sigh."
He had no idea how to fix this. Just as he was sighing in frustration—
"Good morning, everyone."
Only after the professor entered did Ajin slowly lift her head. Feeling like their eyes might meet if he kept stealing glances, Seokhun turned forward again.
Time heals all wounds. If I just leave it alone, it'll naturally resolve itself. Yeah, I hope so.
"I'll take attendance."
The professor called out names as usual and checked attendance. Then the actual lecture began. But right at the start—
"This semester, we'll have to proceed with group assignments. Sorry, everyone."
What kind of bullshit is this? Seokhun cursed internally. Damn it! He says he's sorry, so he knows it's wrong, but he has no intention of taking it back.
The professor added a few more excuses as if to justify himself.
"This assignment is to produce a short film. But one person can't handle both producing and planning a film alone, right? It's much easier and more convenient to work in a group."
"You don't need to worry about actors. We've already coordinated with the acting department, so their students will fill those roles. Of course, if anyone wants to act themselves, I won't stop you."
"All you need to do is handle planning, production, and filming."
No matter how logically he tried to dress up his nonsense, the core problem remained. His excuses only added to the irritation, making his words even more infuriating.
I want to drop out. Damn it.
He should just leave this school as soon as possible. If looks could kill, the professor would already be dead a hundred times over from Seokhun's glare. Unfazed by the murderous intent, the professor continued spouting more nonsense.
"Groups of six. I'll assign them randomly. Let's see..."
The way he scanned the students reminded Seokhun of a hyena eyeing its prey. A primal fear welled up, and he avoided the professor's gaze.
"Ah, perfect. Starting from the left according to my criteria, moving right. I'll assign groups of six in order."
Yeah, perfect for getting hated by the students.
Following the professor's instructions, their group was formed: Seokhun, Park Heena, three unknown upperclassmen and underclassmen, and finally—
Haha, damn it.
Kang Ajin.
It had only been three minutes since they'd agreed to give each other space. That resolution had been shattered by the damn professor.
This is seriously fucked.
He was now forced to reunite with her. What was he supposed to do? How could they possibly work on a group project together in this awkward atmosphere where they couldn't even make eye contact?
"That's all for today's lecture. You'll have one hour to discuss with your group members, and the rest of the time is free. Don't sigh too much, haha."
Seokhun shot the professor a resentful glare. He sincerely hoped some great misfortune would befall that professor.
"Hey, hey. Choi Seokhun. What are you doing?"
"Huh? Nothing. Just thinking about how to commit suicide."
"...You're making me want to request a group change."