An Unexpected Encounter
"Get home safe."
"Yeah. Thanks for walking me!"
"You got it."
The moment Seong Minjun vanished from sight, Bae Jiyu stopped waving and hurried upstairs into her house.
—Beep-beep!
"I'm home."
She punched in the door code and stepped inside, only to lock eyes with her mother, who had been pacing the living room. The warm flush that had been lingering in her chest cooled a little.
"Out playing until this hour again?"
"Ah—yeah… I was studying with a friend."
"As if you were studying."
"…I really was."
Pouting, Bae Jiyu brushed past her mother and went into her room. Her mom's distrustful tone still grated, but she told herself she had to live with it. She was only reaping what she had sown.
—Thud.
"Haa…"
She dropped her bag, didn't even bother washing up, and flopped face-down onto the bed with a long sigh.
Yeah. It'd be weird if she believed me.
Ever since she was little, whenever she started something, she got bored almost immediately and quit. In middle school she had suddenly gotten obsessed with the guitar, begged her parents for one—and then shoved it into the storage closet before a month was out.
Once she entered high school she thought, Okay, I'm a high schooler now, time to get serious about studying—but after bombing the first midterms of the semester, her interest had plummeted.
Running was the one thing she had kept at, but even that was only because it was what she was best at. Calling it "effort" would have been a stretch. She didn't get up at dawn every day like other people. She always did everything halfheartedly. That was the label stuck to the girl named Bae Jiyu.
Because of it she was constantly arguing with her parents—especially her mother. Study or sports, pick one thing and actually stick with it, they would scold. The worst part was that it was true, and that made it hurt more. Every time she heard it she hated herself so much she wanted to crawl out of her own skin.
Honestly, she hadn't gone to Seong Minjun's place today because she was dying to study. Lee Doa had said she was going over there, and for some reason jealousy had flared up, so Jiyu had used studying as an excuse to drop by.
For that, though, the studying went pretty well.
Even she found it strange how well she had been able to focus today. Even when she studied with her best friend Lee Doa—who was also a good student—Doa would be the one concentrating while Jiyu goofed off half the time.
Is it because Seong Minjun teaches so well?
His lessons were incredibly easy to follow. Call it teaching at the student's level or whatever—he always zeroed in on the parts she didn't understand and explained them so clearly that she felt herself getting smarter with every explanation. Wanting not to disappoint him probably played a part too.
Right. After he went that far for me, I should try a little harder.
Bae Jiyu sat up and pulled the notebook out of her bag—the one Seong Minjun had personally summarized and handed to her.
Bae Jiyu's Exclusive Notebook
"Heh."
Looking at the big letters written across the cover made her smile for some reason. Bae Jiyu's exclusive. Maybe it was because it hit her that he had made this notebook just for her. Or maybe because Seong Minjun was the one who made it—
No no no, what am I saying, Bae Jiyu!
She yanked her thoughts back on course like a captain correcting the helm before they could drift into dangerous waters. Seong Minjun was a really good friend—she was sure of that—but this was not a crush.
She had never even had the ordinary first love everyone else seemed to get; falling for someone after only a month was impossible. Besides, the ideal type she had always pictured was more slender and sharp-featured. Seong Minjun, by comparison, was pure macho—bluntly put, he had a rough edge.
Well, his personality is soft, though.
On the inside he was way gentler than he looked. Talking with him a few times, she had also gotten the sense that he was mentally pretty mature.
And he cooks well.
When he had served her bulgogi for dinner earlier, she had genuinely been impressed. Honestly, it tasted better than her mom's.
He's tall, barely ever swears…
Their tastes lined up pretty well too. The strawberry-milk thing was a shame, but still. And even though she hadn't seen his grades with her own eyes, just from the way he taught her today she could tell he was really good at studying.
Huh. When I think about it, there's nothing to pick on?
As she went through Seong Minjun point by point, a strange feeling crept over her and her eyes went round. His face looked a little intimidating, sure—but calling him ugly would definitely be a lie. And even if he looked like a grizzly bear on the outside, once you actually got close he was basically a soft teddy bear. At that point he was pretty decent—
"Hup!"
Again. She had almost been swallowed by her thoughts and drifted somewhere weird. Barely hauling herself free, Bae Jiyu scrambled off the bed. She must be tired; that was why the strange ideas were coming. Best thing to do was take a cool shower and go straight to sleep.
She stripped in a hurry, scurried into the bathroom, and under the cascading water she felt something off.
…Huh?
Why did only Seong Minjun's face keep popping into her head? She must have studied so hard her brain had short-circuited. Still, she deliberately tried to switch tracks and think about something else. The game she was into lately. Her favorite snacks.
"…Ah."
It fell apart almost immediately. Thinking of the game brought back the day she had duo-queued with Seong Minjun. Thinking of snacks brought back the Dujjonchip he had brought her last time. Seong Minjun, Seong Minjun, Seong Minjun. The whole world was covered in Seong Minjun. At this rate, tomorrow morning on the way to school even the sun would be drawn with Seong Minjun's face. The moment that thought hit her—
—Thud!
"Are you crazy, Bae Jiyuuu…"
As a last resort she banged her head against the wall. Cool water was pouring over her, yet her head felt hot. Anyway, this was all Seong Minjun's fault. If someone asked what his crime was, she wouldn't have been able to answer.
Saturday—the fourth day Bae Jiyu had shown up at our place. The lessons were still going smoothly.
"How do you solve something like this?"
"Ah, that one…"
At first she had hesitated and watched my face for cues, but now she seemed comfortable enough to fire off questions without holding back. And the speed at which she understood things had definitely picked up a little compared to before. Watching Bae Jiyu clutch her head and wrestle with a math problem made me smile for no reason.
She's really working hard.
A good sign. Made teaching her more rewarding. Good job, Bae Jiyu.
"…Jun? Seong Minjun?"
"Huh?"
I had been grinning to myself when a sudden voice yanked me out of my thoughts. Looking straight ahead, I found Bae Jiyu glaring up at me with a sulky face.
"What do you mean 'huh'? I've been calling you forever and you just sit there grinning."
"Sorry. What did you need?"
"This part. I tried it the way you taught me last time, but it's not working."
"It looks similar, but it's a little different. Kind of an advanced version…"
I taught her for a while longer. After a brief stretch of floundering, Bae Jiyu quickly solved another problem of the same type. Oh, she got it. That one was pretty hard.
—Clack.
"Snack delivery!"
"Hey, knock first."
"Ah, sorry. Forgot."
Just when I was thinking we could use a break, Seong Mina came in carrying snacks. Skipping the knock was a little annoying, but since she had gone out of her way to run the errand, I let it slide.
"Thanks, Mina. I'll dig in."
"No problem, unnie. Huh? But…"
"What?"
Seong Mina waved it off, then paused as she started to straighten up and stared hard at Bae Jiyu. Was there something on her face? No.
"Unnie, aren't you cold dressed like that?"
"U-uh!?"
"It's still a little chilly outside. The top's fine, but the bottom looks cold."
True enough—the last cold snap of spring had pulled back early this year, but there were still days when a chill hung in the air.
"Ah… y-yeah? But I run hot. This amount of clothes is just right for me."
"Really? I'm jealous. In winter I basically hibernate at home like a bear."
Anyone listening would think she went outside in summer. As if she wasn't a homebody three hundred sixty-five days a year.
"Wait, but Bae Jiyu—didn't you say you get cold easily?"
"…Huh?"
"Last time, when I lent you my windbreaker, it kind of sounded like that."
"D-did I!? Ah, actually I get both cold and heat really easily! But if I had to pick, I handle heat worse. Something like that. Yeah!"
So that was it. Weak to both cold and heat—kind of pitiful. I could already picture Bae Jiyu panting like a heat-struck puppy once summer hit.
Still feels a little too underdressed, though.
Even if I had a little sister, a girl coming over to a guy's house should probably layer up a bit more. But she said she ran hot, so there wasn't much I could do. She didn't seem self-conscious about it; me nagging would just be weird.
"Anyway, keep at it, unnie."
"Yeah, thanks."
Once Seong Mina finished her delivery and left, Bae Jiyu went back to focusing on her studies. Another two hours or so slipped by. When the clock was pointing at four, I called out to her.
"Shouldn't you be heading home soon?"
"What? It's already that late?"
"Yeah."
I held up my phone so the startled Bae Jiyu could see. A groan slipped out of her.
"Ugh, they said to be back by five, so I should go. Damn it, why did they have to come home today of all days…"
She grumbled as she packed her bag. Kind of surprising. I figured she'd be happy to use her brother as an excuse to wrap up studying early. Maybe she was actually starting to get into it? As her teacher, I was pleased. Bae Jiyu.
"Come on, I'll walk you."
I stood up as I said it. Bae Jiyu blinked.
"I'm fine… It's not even dark out. Why bother walking me?"
"I need to stop by the mart on the way, so don't worry about it."
"O-oh, really? No, I'm seriously fine… heh."
Was that how someone who was refusing looked? Anyone could see she was happy about it. After studying nonstop, she probably just wanted to chatter a little more.
"Mina, see you the day after tomorrow! Unnie's heading out!"
"Yes, get home safe, unnie. Oppa, you know the melon bar on the way back, right?"
"Shut up."
You're a Bibi-bit type, Seong Mina.
—Beep-beep.
I pushed the door open and heard the front door unlock.
—Beep-beep.
Right after, the same sound came again. Softer this time, and from the side rather than straight ahead. I turned my head—
"…Jiyu?"
"Do—Doa…!?"
There stood Lee Doa, just stepping out of her own place, looking completely stunned.