Awkward Vibes and Rollercoaster Dreams
I wish we'd just eaten and gone our separate ways without the whole perfume thing.
"Hey. Those two. Something feels off with their vibe today, right?"
"......"
On the way to the bathroom with Kang Min-jun, he poked my side and whispered, pointing in a certain direction. Over there were Lee Soo-min and Kim Seo-yeon. Even from afar, the chilly atmosphere between them was obvious.
Actually, they'd been like that since we entered the cafe. They answered fine when Kang Min-jun or I asked questions, but they weren't talking to each other at all—no questions, no responses.
Kang Min-jun hadn't noticed at first, but once he picked up on the weird vibe, he'd dragged me along to the bathroom under the pretense of going together. And now here we were.
...Yeah, we should've known better and split up sooner.
The reason for the icy tension was obvious without looking. From Lee Soo-min's perspective, she probably felt uneasy about Kim Seo-yeon going on a date with Min-jun this weekend. And for Kim Seo-yeon, having an unexpected guest crash her alone time with Min-jun must've been annoying.
'Or maybe not Seo-yeon...'
Suddenly, another possibility crossed my mind. Lately, with Kim Seo-yeon—flashes of recent events with her played through my head. Maybe that was why she was mad...
"Should I go help out or something?"
The ridiculous comment from beside me snapped me out of my thoughts. The guy who'd contributed the most to creating that atmosphere—Kang Min-jun—getting involved now would only make things worse. If anything, it'd backfire big time.
Man. Overall, he had a great personality, but this oblivious side of his was frustrating.
"Nah, don't. It's clearly something between them. Let them sort it out themselves. You jumping in as a third wheel would just make it awkward. Messing around half-assed like that would only weird things out more."
"Well... since it's you, Jun-woo, and not someone else... yeah, you're probably right."
Kang Min-jun nodded. He always took advice like this well.
I pondered for a second while washing my hands. Should we keep things going here a bit longer, or just bail now? It was already done, and normally I'd pick the former, but they both seemed extra sensitive today, so breaking it up seemed smarter.
"Hurry back and wrap this up casually. This isn't happening today."
"Mm... Sucks, since we finally got together outside on the weekend, but yeah. Got it. Let's call it."
Beep-.
I got home sooner than expected, dragging my heavy feet inside and barely making it to the bed before collapsing.
Thud-.
The soft embrace enveloped my whole body with a heavy sound. The sun was still high, but I felt like taking a nap right then and there.
"No, Jun-woo. Snap out of it."
I couldn't waste my precious weekend like this. It was the only free time left this week. I clenched my fists.
Of course, I had zero energy to go out. I needed something to recharge my stamina and dopamine at home. Like a game, say.
A game. A game. A game.
No other options. I didn't really get into dramas or movies anyway. I hauled my heavy body up, plopped down in front of the computer, and fired up my familiar game.
The famous competitive game that had been popular since middle and high school. I'd struggled protecting mom and dad from enemies back then.
But today, I'd decided to just get a moderate dopamine hit, so instead of the main game, I jumped into the short mode that ended in under 20 minutes per round—affectionately called "quick breeze" mode.
"Whoa, this ability right off the bat."
It was a notorious overpowered combo with the character I'd picked.
"Please don't ban it..."
Opponents often gave up when this combo showed up.
"Nice."
Luckily, they played hard this time. Good. Gotta have that grit.
[First Blood!]
[Double Kill!]
[Triple Kill!]
"Whoa... this is insane."
Three enemies deleted in one shot. Even if they were all at half health, the damage was ridiculous for the ultra-early game.
Dopamine exploded from the start. Naturally, I won the first round easily and kept queuing up.
I lost a few in the middle, but they were quick games, so it didn't sour my mood much.
Time flew by like that, and soon it was dinnertime. My stomach started rumbling.
I shut down the game and was mulling over dinner options when—
Lee Soo-min. A sudden message from her.
"Here, take this."
"Huh? Suddenly?"
Lee Soo-min, who'd called me out abruptly, handed me a paper shopping bag without warning. And the familiar logo on it.
"Isn't this the perfume Min-jun bought as a gift today?"
"Nah, different scent. Smell it."
A subtle orange fragrance wafted out, mixed with citrus notes.
"You said you bought it. It's a gift."
"Oh... thanks."
Probably payback for covering for her with Min-jun earlier. I'd figured she'd just let it slide, so this was totally unexpected. I stared blankly at the gift for a moment.
Lee Soo-min. I'd thought her personality was kinda iffy before, but she was better than I expected—
"Heh heh. That happy about it?"
She grinned slyly at me.
"...Let's just go eat."
Lee Soo-min was Lee Soo-min, alright.
"Teacher... this is too hard."
Choi Da-eun tossed her pen down and slumped over the desk, whining. Her eyes looked hollow, skin dull. She really did seem exhausted.
"This is the tough part. Just one more month—hang in there."
"Teaaacher. Don't jinx it like that. Didn't you say you don't have a girlfriend right now?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well... uh, nothing."
She averted her gaze, whistling poorly and picking up her pen again. What she'd swallowed at the end was probably "you look like it." Not something a student should say, but I let it slide.
With only about a month until the college entrance exam, no need to mess with her mentality over something trivial. She was putting in effort with some sense of responsibility, after all.
"Ugh..."
Choi Da-eun stared at her book, letting out a faint groan. Pen in hand, but clearly not focusing.
Time to give her a nudge.
"Da-eun, what do you wanna do after the exam?"
"Mm... play, duh? Shopping with friends, trip, amusement park."
"Sounds great. So how do you ace the exam to make that happen?"
"...Gotta do well. Got it. I'll focus."
She clicked her tongue, chugged her water, and glared at the book with renewed intensity. Better focus than before. Seemed effective.
'Good, that's settled for now. Amusement park, huh...'
It'd been ages since I'd been to one. Last time was after my own exam with family.
The thought sparked a sudden urge. I considered asking Kang Min-jun, but sadly, he wasn't great with rides. No way he'd go to an amusement park if even the Blue Dragon coaster scared him.
So, other candidates. Asking Kim Seo-yeon right now might cause misunderstandings. Lee Soo-min and Ji-soo noona didn't seem like a group outing fit.
One option left: childhood friend Kim Ye-eun and recently close Jang Ha-rin. Going with them wouldn't feel weird—sounded perfect.
'Gotta text them right after class.'
Not sure if they'd say yes, but Jang Ha-rin aside, Kim Ye-eun loved amusement parks. She'd probably agree unless super busy.
Worst case, I could use filming as an excuse. But that was last resort—I didn't wanna work at one.
"Teacher. Teacher."
"Huh? Oh."
"Huh? Weren't you the one who just told me to focus... and now you're spacing out in class?"
Her eyes narrowed. I'd gotten too lost in thought.
I scratched my head and apologized.
"Eh, teachers are human too. Happens. I get it."
She nodded with a smug grin that was kinda infuriating, but I kept my mouth shut. It was clearly my fault—I'd done exactly what I'd told her not to.
No excuses.
"...Sorry for real. But as compensation, after the exam, whatever you want—I'll make it happen."
"For real? Anything?"
"Minus the impossible stuff. Like demanding 10 billion won."
"Pfft, wasn't expecting that. Say it again."
She shoved her phone at me. Red recording light blinking. Gathering evidence, huh.
"Gotta go this far?"
"You always say study thoroughly, no loose ends."
"Sigh... fine. I, Lee Jun-woo, hereby promise to grant one wish from my tutoring student Choi Da-eun after the college entrance exam ends. Said wish refers to any action or task within Lee Jun-woo's capability."
"Hee hee. Thanks!"
Choi Da-eun pocketed her phone, grinning ear to ear.
Wonder what she'd ask for. Probably nothing too crazy, but it made me uneasy anyway.
"Alright, back to focusing."
"Yes, teacher!"
...Never spacing out in class again.
Lee Soo-min handing over the gift (Image)
