Chapter 76: Exam Period (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 76: Exam Period (7)
“...”
In a room stripped bare of its belongings, a man stood alone, staring blankly out the window.
A heavy silence filled the air.
The only sound was the faint whistle of the wind as it drifted through the empty space.
Soon, the man stepped out of the camera’s frame.
Thud—
With the sound of the door closing, the room returned to its original, desolate state.
“Cut!”
I called out the command and stood up from my seat.
We were in the middle of filming a short film for an assignment, and we had just nailed the final scene.
Since the script required us to show the process of clearing out a room, finding the right location had been our biggest challenge. Fortunately, there was a vacant acting practice room at school, so we managed to finish the shoot without much trouble.
“What do you think?”
I reviewed the recorded footage side-by-side with Shin A-young.
“Hmm... Yeah, this last take is definitely the best.”
“You think so too?”
“Yeah. Let’s go with this one.”
Shin A-young nodded in agreement.
I felt the same way, so without further discussion, we locked in that final take for the closing scene.
Click—
A few seconds later, Choi Hyun-woo, who played the male lead, returned to the room. Kim Jimin, another team member, followed close behind him.
I stood up to greet them.
“Good work, everyone.”
That was a wrap.
Of course, the project wasn't finished yet—it still needed a lot of editing—but the actors’ roles were officially complete.
“Seung-ho, want to grab tteokbokki? To celebrate finishing the shoot?” Choi Hyun-woo asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
Tteokbokki. It had been a while, and I was actually craving it. However, I couldn't just say yes.
I gave him an apologetic look.
“Sorry, I’ve got things to do.”
“Huh? Like what?”
“I have my part-time job, and I need to get a head start on the editing.”
I wasn't just making excuses to bail. I truly had a mountain of work piled up.
“Really? Well, I guess it can’t be helped...”
Choi Hyun-woo looked genuinely disappointed. And he wasn't the only one.
— “That’s a shame...”
Shin A-young’s Mini-Me felt the same way. Though her expression remained neutral, her inner self was sighing.
“Let’s go next time. Once exams are over, I’ll be completely free.”
“Alright, let’s do it then.”
I made the promise and parted ways with them. As Shin A-young walked away, she silently mouthed something to me.
‘See you later—’
That’s likely what she said. She meant she’d see me at the gym tonight.
“...”
I gave a casual nod and headed out.
“Hwaaa-am...”
A wide, lazy yawn escaped me. My vision blurred as a wave of drowsiness washed over me.
But I didn't have the luxury of being tired. I had to go home and edit the footage we just shot. And after that...
‘Right. I have work today, too. Then the gym with Shin A-young, and then...’
I had to study for the exams with Lee Sol.
‘Life is relentless lately...’
I gently rubbed my heavy eyelids.
Filming at school. Editing at home. Working out after dinner. Working my part-time job on scheduled days, followed by late-night study sessions with Lee Sol.
This had become my grueling daily routine. I hadn't even found a spare moment to drop by the club room.
‘Busy, busy.’
I hurried toward my next destination. It was almost time, and I didn't have a second to spare.
*
“Good work today!”
I called out energetically as I grabbed my bag from the employee break room.
“Good... work...”
“Yeah, yeah. You worked hard too.”
I gave a curt response to Ha Seo-rim’s awkward farewell and rushed outside.
“I’ll be heading out now!”
“Yeah, get home safe—”
I bowed to the manager and broke into a light jog.
‘Ah, damn... am I going to be late?’
Work had ended later than expected. Checking my phone, it looked like I’d arrive slightly past our scheduled meeting time even if I ran.
‘I’m glad I suggested meeting at a cafe near the shop.’
Otherwise, the commute would have eaten up even more time. I sent Lee Sol a DM while on the move, letting her know I might be a few minutes late, and then picked up the pace.
After running for a few minutes, I saw the cafe across the street. I slowed down as I reached the crosswalk.
“Huff, huff...”
Only then could I finally catch my breath. I passed through the jingling entrance of the cafe and scanned the room for Lee Sol. I spotted her sitting by the window, wearing earphones and tapping her foot rhythmically.
“Phew... Sorry. Have you been waiting long?” I asked, sitting down across from her while trying to calm my ragged breathing.
“...Did you run here?”
“I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer.”
“You could have taken your time...” Lee Sol said, her eyes widening slightly. “Here.”
She pushed a cup of coffee toward me.
“It’s a Cafe Mocha, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
In my dazed state, I took it reflexively. It seemed she had ordered it in advance since she arrived first. But then it hit me.
“...How did you know?”
I hadn't told her what I liked, yet she had ordered exactly what I wanted as if she’d read my mind.
“You’ve been drinking that every day lately.”
“Have I?”
“For the past few days, yeah.”
I took a long sip of the Cafe Mocha. I don't usually drink much coffee, but I’d been making an exception lately. I was surviving solely on the power of caffeine.
— “...I was going to drink it if you didn't... Thank goodness.”
Her Mini-Me wiped its brow with a proud look. It really had been a lucky guess.
I looked over the workbook she had placed on the table.
“How far did we get last time?”
“Up to here.”
“And we were going to review what we covered, right?”
“Right.”
Lee Sol gave a small nod. I dabbed the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve and set my bag aside.
“...Want to try solving this problem first?”
Despite my exhaustion, I began looking through Lee Sol’s workbook.
“...”
Lee Sol looked at the workbook, then stole a glance at me.
— “...Look at all that sweat.”
Her mind was clearly not on the math problems.
“...”
Was I sweating that much? It would have been nice to have a handkerchief, but I wasn't the type to carry things like that. I had no choice but to keep using my sleeve.
— “You didn't have to rush so much...”
The Mini-Me pouted.
— “But if I told you to take it easy, you’d just say you’re fine anyway...”
I felt a slight pang of guilt. She was right; with finals right around the corner, I definitely would have brushed off any concern.
“...”
Lee Sol rested her chin on her hand, staring down at the workbook.
— “...Right.”
As if she’d thought of a plan, she lifted her head. With her usual listless expression, she relaxed her shoulders and leaned back deeply into her chair.
“...I’m going to order some cake.”
Lee Sol spoke in a slow, lingering voice.
“Can we eat that before we start...?”
Her eyes were full of longing. She looked as if she were the one who desperately needed the sugar hit.
“...”
My eyebrows twitched. I stared at her blankly. I knew exactly what she was doing. She was making an excuse to give me a chance to rest.
“...Sure.”
I appreciated the consideration, so I nodded and played along.
Staring at the empty plate that once held cake, Lee Sol licked the remaining cream off her fork and set her pen down on her notebook with a satisfying clack.
“...Done.”
She felt she had handled the problems quite well. With a confident air, Lee Sol looked up to find Lee Seung-ho.
“Seung-ho, I finished the prob—”
In the next instant, Lee Sol bit her lip.
“Ah...”
She immediately lowered her voice.
‘He fell asleep...’
His brow was finally relaxed. His breathing was soft and rhythmic, and his head had slumped forward. Despite the coffee, he hadn't been able to overcome the crushing weight of his schedule. He had fallen fast asleep, leaning against the table.
‘He did seem really exhausted lately...’
Lee Sol watched him quietly. Between the filming and everything else, he had looked like he was running on fumes. And he’d started a new part-time job on top of it all.
She had no intention of waking him. It would be fine to let him stay like this for a little while.
‘Should I cover him with something?’
That was her first concern. Lee Sol lifted the blanket she had over her lap. It was her favorite—soft, plush, and comforting.
“...”
Lee Sol moved with agonizing care. She gently draped the blanket over his shoulders.
‘Phew...’
Fortunately, he didn't stir. Lee Sol returned to her seat.
“...”
With nothing else to do, she found herself simply watching him sleep.
Pfft—
An involuntary, silly smile escaped her lips. Seeing him sleeping so soundly felt different. Come to think of it, she had never seen Lee Seung-ho look this vulnerable or relaxed before.
“...”
Her hand fidgeted inside her pocket, toying with her phone.
‘One photo should be okay, right...?’
Yes, she’d consider this a small penalty. A penalty for falling asleep and leaving her to study alone. Lee Sol opened her silent camera app and carefully switched to selfie mode.
“...”
She positioned herself so that both of them were in the frame and made a small V-sign with one hand. The shutter didn't make a sound.
Just like that, the moment was captured. Lee Sol inspected the picture with a satisfied, slightly mischievous look.
“Ahem...”
A strange sense of excitement bubbled up from her impulsive act. Even after all that, Lee Seung-ho remained dead to the world.
“Hmm...”
Lee Sol observed him leisurely. She rarely had the chance to stare at him like this; usually, it was too embarrassing when their eyes met.
‘His hands are really big.’
They were much larger than hers. This was the first time she had really compared them.
“...”
She watched his hand for a moment. She slid her left hand across the desk, an underlying impulse to touch him rising within her.
“...”
Stretching her back as if she were just limbering up, she slowly extended her hand. The two hands drew closer.
“...”
Lee Sol froze, her face feeling like it was about to explode. She had reached the point where they were almost touching, but she couldn't find the courage to actually bridge the gap.
“...Mmm...”
Just then, Lee Seung-ho shifted. Lee Sol froze in place, holding her breath, terrified he might wake up. He soon stopped moving and fell back into a deep silence.
‘Phew...’
The moment she sighed in relief...
“Ugh...!”
Lee Sol clamped her hand over her mouth, her face turning a brilliant shade of crimson.
It was because Lee Seung-ho’s ring finger was now resting on top of hers. It wasn't much—just a slight brush—but that alone was enough to make Lee Sol’s brain short-circuit.
“...”
The sensation was overwhelming. The texture of his skin and the slight weight of his finger felt incredibly vivid. Her heart did a somersault, that dizzying, stomach-dropping sensation of a Viking ship ride at an amusement park.
Hooo...
That subtle trembling mixed with her shaky breath.
“...”
Lee Sol barely managed to steady her breathing. She swallowed hard. She couldn't move... because if she did, Lee Seung-ho might wake up.
So, just for a moment. She decided to stay like this just a little longer.
It wasn't like she had done it on purpose; Lee Seung-ho had done it in his sleep. He’d surely understand this much.
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(!Signpost!)
(Scroll down for AI Illustration!)
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(Lee Sol discovering Lee Seung-ho asleep while studying)
(The background is bright, but it is late at night)