The Bread Incident
"Alright, I'll handle the planning and editing. Heena and Yuhyeon sunbae will act, Miryeong will film, and Ajin and Daesik sunbae will assist with production. For props and locations, we'll decide as a group. Sound good?"
"Works for me."
"Ooh~ If you're doing all the planning and editing, we're obviously in."
"I'm fine with it too."
"Wait, hold on. Why am I the actress? Didn't the professor say he'd provide separate actors?"
The pleasant atmosphere suddenly cracked. I turned toward the source of the voice and saw Park Heena pouting with her usual sulky expression, grumbling loudly.
"Oh come on. You're in the acting department too. Why so reluctant to act? Just accept your fate."
"Fate, my ass! I don't want to!"
I shot back just as stubbornly.
"I won't tolerate anyone shirking their duties. You're the actress, no arguments!"
"Fine, whatever. I'll do it."
"Good."
"Seokhun, you sure about this?"
Daesik sunbae, with his solid build and Ivy League haircut, looked genuinely concerned. I'd run into him a few times at the gym and the club room.
"Planning and editing all by yourself sounds rough. You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Hmm. I don't know, feels like you're pushing yourself. Why not let someone else handle planning and just do the editing? That should be enough."
Ajin nodded along in agreement. I was touched. Only Ajin ever worried about me like this. After the Maijju incident too… it was genuinely moving. But it was unnecessary concern.
"It's okay, sunbae. I used to be a YouTuber, remember? Editing is my specialty."
"Oh? What's your channel name?"
"I said used to be."
Long dead now, haha. Still, with three years of YouTuber experience under my belt, movie editing was child's play. I was pretty confident in the quality too.
"Okay then. Thanks to our group's ace, we don't have to worry about the hard parts."
"Nah, it's just that the team composition worked out well."
I was satisfied with how the group had turned out. Daesik sunbae was reliable since we'd already talked a few times. Miryeong was originally a diligent junior who got things done. Heena and Yuhyeon sunbae were known as the visual actors in the acting department. And Ajin… well, I was very satisfied with her.
'Extremely satisfied.'
Now that I had a chance to get closer to her, there was no way I'd pass it up. I'd use this group project as an opportunity to become good friends with Ajin.
I nodded in agreement.
"Alright, if there are no more complaints, we'll settle on this."
"Yeah."
"Sure~"
"Yes, team leader! Loyalty!"
"Okay, dismissed. Everyone, go torture your eyes with your phones for the rest of the time."
At my words, the group members scattered back to their seats. They all went back to doing their own thing as if nothing had happened.
'Maybe I should catch up on some novels too.'
I turned on my phone and opened the app. Notifications from dozens of works I'd set alerts for popped up. Ah… sex. Is happiness really that complicated? This is what intercourse is, this is paradise on earth. Feeling that truth deep in my bones, I savored the happiness.
'W-wait, could it be? Ajin too?'
Among all these notifications, I held onto the faint hope that one might be from my discontinued novel. But as they say, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. It was a proverb that perfectly described my current situation. No matter how hard I looked, there wasn't a single trace of my novel.
Suddenly I felt lonely again.
"Sigh."
I shot Ajin a resentful glance. But I wasn't the only one stealing looks at her.
'What's he staring at her like that for? Planning to confess or something?'
Han Yuhyeon sunbae, with his typical actor looks, radiated the aura of a handsome man. Even the way he was sneaking glances at her felt like a scene from a romance movie. If I did that, I'd probably get reported as a criminal. Damn looks-obsessed society.
'Haah. What am I supposed to do about this awkward relationship?'
I turned my eyes back to Ajin.
"…Oh."
Our eyes met in midair as she happened to be looking at me too.
…How embarrassing.
#
'Shiiiiiit!!!! Sex!!!!'
I screamed internally while metaphorically ripping off my pants. If we weren't in public, I probably would've actually done it. That was how high my current mental state was.
'Thank you for letting me live!'
The notification for my discontinued novel had just popped up. I'd clicked it with a sliver of hope, and Ajin hadn't let me down. Three chapters in a row! The moment I saw that, I nearly shouted out loud.
'Haha! I want to declare today my birthday!'
I couldn't wait. Since classes were over anyway, I needed to head back to the dorm and start properly reading my novel.
"Hehe."
Unable to hold it in, I hummed a little tune as I walked. While hurrying along, I spotted a familiar yellow head of hair. That bright blonde hair I'd grown so used to seeing — it was Ajin.
'Heh. Look at you, my little novel. Eating so happily. Eat lots and grow big and strong, my discontinued masterpiece.'
She was currently walking while taking a big bite of a choco bread. In her other hand she held her phone, smiling to herself. She must've been really happy — I could even hear her laughter from here. It made me happy too.
'Hmm. What a heartwarming sight.'
Was this what a mother felt watching her child? Just seeing my novel looking happy made me happy too. I didn't have the courage to call out to her, so I was content just watching from behind.
Then it happened.
'Huh?'
Her foot caught in a sunken sidewalk block right in front of her. Losing her balance, she dropped the bread she was holding.
"Ah, ah!"
She tried to catch it too late, but her athletic ability wasn't up to the task. The bread continued its inevitable descent to the ground. Plop!
The choco bread met its fate.
"Ah…"
Staring at the fallen bread, Ajin let out a despairing sigh. It hurt just watching. She'd barely taken one bite — what a waste. Still, there was nothing to be done. No amount of sighing or regretting would change the fact that the bread had fallen.
I offered her silent condolences in my heart.
But then… what was she doing now?
'…Eh?'
She pitifully stared at the choco bread for a moment before suddenly whipping her head around, scanning her surroundings. After frantically checking both sides, she let out a relieved sigh. Then she picked up the bread that had fallen on the ground.
"!?"
Had I seen wrong? I tried to deny what I was witnessing, but her bizarre behavior was still ongoing. She brushed off the dirtied part and brought it to her mouth. Nom nom. Then, as if nothing had happened, she took another bite and smiled happily again.
Witnessing that scene, I couldn't possibly pretend I hadn't seen anything. I needed to find somewhere to hide.
"…!?"
"Oh, h-hi?"
Just as I was about to hide, my eyes met Ajin's. If I pretended not to see her now, it'd only be more embarrassing, so I awkwardly waved my hand.
"H-haven't seen you in a while."
"…Yeah. Hi."
"Haha. That bread looks delicious."
"Oh… d-do you want a bite?"
"N-no!? I'm good! Haha! I had a big lunch so I'm not hungry. You eat up."
Damn it. Why was my voice shaking like that? It only made me look more suspicious. I quickly changed the subject.
"Ahem. So, where are you headed?"
"M-me? The club room. You?"
"Nowhere in particular? I don't have anything to do, so… mind if I tag along?"
"S-sure."
This was awkward. Way too stiff for people who'd already exchanged Maijju.
'Shit, what do I do? I can't think of anything to say.'
Maybe the shock from earlier was still messing with my head — my mind had gone completely blank. An awkward silence hung between us.
"Ahem."
The quiet was so heavy it felt suffocating. Unable to bear it, I forced myself to speak.
"What are you watching?"
"Hm? Oh, dog videos."
"Oh, really?"
Perfect. Girls loved cute animals — this could be a good conversation starter. I glanced at her phone and tried to think of something to say.
"Heh, so cute. It looks just like injeolmi."
"Huh? How did you know?! That's why its name is Jeolmi! And the one next to it is named Siru."
"Ah, because it's black like sirutteok?"
"Yeah! The names are so cute too."
That seemed to have worked pretty well. The awkwardness eased a little.
"I have a dog too. His name's Nureong, same breed as that Jeolmi over there."
"Really? I'm so jealous. I love dogs…"
"Ahaha. Then how about me? People say I look like a dog all the time."
It was just a lighthearted joke on my part. But unlike what I'd intended, her expression turned serious.
"N-no, that's not true."
"?"
"You don't look like a dog at all… You just seem like a kind, good person."
"What?"
"You didn't get hurt by that, right? But who said that to you? Was it your friends?"
"Uh, yeah."
"D-don't take what they said too much to heart…"
"…Thanks."
……
Silence fell once again. I really couldn't think of anything to say…