Mindless Profile Scrolling and a Birthday Revelation
That day, I was mindlessly scrolling through messenger profiles.
...Why did it seem like everyone else was always out doing something while I stayed cooped up?
Among my friends, the feeds were packed with photos from clubs or bars, cute shots at cafés with their boyfriends, scenic travel pictures with beautiful backgrounds, and all the rest. It was completely flooded with those outgoing, social-butterfly aesthetic shots.
“...I might be a little jealous.”
I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling as I said it.
I was a natural homebody. My stamina wasn’t great either, so I’d get tired quickly even if I did go out. Still, seeing everyone else’s posts made me feel envious for no reason. It was like they were all out there having the time of their lives while I stayed shut away in my room.
And of course, what caught my eye most of all were the profile pictures of girls who had boyfriends.
“...I want a boyfriend too.”
Since I’d never dated before, my fantasies about romance were huge. In the past I would have brushed it off as pure delusion, but now it didn’t feel completely unrealistic.
After all, I had Woohyuk oppa now.
...But how should I put it? When exactly were we going to start dating?
I had no idea when to make my move. Our relationship was definitely progressing, but we still hadn’t crossed the line into being actual lovers. At the same time, suddenly rushing a confession felt way too aggressive. The good rapport we’d built up could collapse in a single moment, and I wasn’t the kind of girl with that much courage.
...Honestly, part of me really hoped oppa would confess first. When it came to relationships, I was the biggest coward alive.
While I stared blankly at the profiles, oppa’s picture popped up on a friend’s birthday post.
[June 9th]
June 9th?
That was really soon. Wait, why hadn’t oppa told me? He could have casually dropped a hint that his birthday was coming up. For something important like a birthday, you’re supposed to give a clue if the other person doesn’t notice, right? I had almost completely missed it.
Still, at least I’d caught it now. That was a relief.
“A birthday present, huh...”
I’d exchanged gifts with my girl friends plenty of times, but this would be my first time giving one to a guy. I didn’t want to go with anything too generic… but I also didn’t want to give something that felt overly burdensome. I racked my brain, but nothing really stood out.
In situations like this, the search bar was the correct answer.
I started typing on my phone.
[Birthday gift ideas for guys]
The vast knowledge of internet veterans was far more trustworthy than my own limited experience. Bluetooth earbuds, smartwatches, electric razors, wallets—every kind of result flooded the screen.
“Hmm...”
None of them really grabbed me. They didn’t seem like things that would leave a lasting memory. Maybe it was my main-character syndrome acting up again; I kept chasing after something special.
As I kept browsing, one line caught my eye.
...This was it!
It felt way more memorable than an ordinary present. It might sound old-fashioned, but I believed a gift should contain sincerity. ...And then we could cook together, feed each other… Ahem.
Before my idle fantasies could take over again, I flailed around on the bed and forced myself up. It was almost time to head to school.
“But where would I even cook?”
If I was going to do it, it would have to be at my place or his. Calling him over just to say I’d cook for him felt embarrassing, though. It would come across as a little strange.
I spent the whole time getting ready for school trying to figure out how to naturally invite oppa over.
From the moment I walked into the lecture hall, the atmosphere felt off. I could have sworn people were whispering whenever they looked at me.
> The presentation is next week, correct? Today we’ll use the time for final feedback.
The professor told us to sit with our groups and give one last round of feedback before the presentation. I moved to Group 7 where Yuna was sitting.
Honestly, there wasn’t much for our group to review. The PowerPoint was already polished; we just needed to go over the script a bit. Minseok didn’t seem like the type who would struggle with presenting, either.
The moment I sat down next to Yuna, the number of eyes on us seemed to double. No one was staring openly, but I could feel the sideways glances.
“Yuna, does it feel like people keep looking over here?”
“Yes. You feel it too, oppa? I noticed it the second I walked into the lecture hall.”
I had too. It was probably because of what happened last time. If the only consequence was a few stares, maybe we should consider ourselves lucky.
“It must be because of that, right?”
“...Probably.”
That moment when we sat together and got scolded by the professor had definitely burned our faces into everyone’s memories.
Minseok walked over from the far side of the room wearing a delighted grin.
“Whoa, you two are seriously popular, huh?”
The second he arrived, Minseok dropped a weird comment. Both Yuna and I flushed with embarrassment and hung our heads.
“I knew from the first time I saw you that something was up between you two…”
“Minseok… please… stop.”
Please. I’m going to die before we even start the meeting.
“What? Isn’t it past the point of feeling embarrassed?”
“...Huh?”
“That popular post on Everytime. You know the one. Pretty sure even people who don’t know you have seen it by now.”
...What was he talking about?
Everytime—the university community site. That’s what he meant, right?
“For real?!”
Yuna and I frantically pulled out our phones and opened the app. We scrolled down to the real-time popular posts and found the one from last week.
Ah.
So that’s why everyone was staring at me. Everything that had happened today finally made sense. Anyone in this lecture hall who had seen the post would know exactly who it was about.
I turned to Yuna with a burning face. She had apparently read the post too; she let out the same heavy sigh I did.
We were going to have to be extra careful about hiding our relationship from now on. I just hoped the rumor wouldn’t spread across the entire department or the whole school.
“Wait, you two really didn’t know?”
Yuna and I nodded at Minseok’s question. He took one look at our flushed faces and broke into a huge grin.
“Wow! The official couple of Operations Management!”
“Please be quiet. Seriously.”
Everyone was looking at us even more now. Minseok seemed to genuinely enjoy teasing people. Why were there so many guys like him among the social types?
“I guess I was the clueless one who barged into Group 7. Should I stop coming after next week?”
Hey, if you stop showing up, who’s going to do the presentation?
“...Should we start the meeting?”
“Yeah, we’ve already wasted too much time. Let’s look over the script.”
Yuna and I desperately tried to shut Minseok up by focusing on work. We’d grown somewhat close to him through the class, but his grinning face stayed that way until the very end of the session.
.
.
.
“Thanks for your hard work, both of you. See you next week.”
“Yes. We’re counting on you for the presentation.”
Class finally ended. Yuna and I practically fled the lecture hall. Even though things had calmed down a bit, I still felt like people were watching me. This must be what it felt like to have a guilty conscience.
“Oppa, do you think we’ll be okay?”
“They didn’t name anyone specifically, so it should be fine.”
It would be hard to pinpoint us, and no one seemed eager to step forward and expose us. As we walked down the hallway, our conversation naturally drifted back to normal chatter.
“Oppa, how’s your exam prep going?”
“Terribly. I’m awful at memorization subjects. Marketing stuff is killing me.”
What was I supposed to do when nothing would stick? People say repetition is the answer even if you don’t understand, but repeating things without any comprehension is harder than it sounds.
“I’m dying in finance and accounting. How do you even study for something like that?”
That stuff’s actually pretty straightforward. You just need to understand the concepts and apply them to the problems.
Yuna’s complaint sparked an idea in my head—an idea that would let me spend a little more time with her.
“Yuna.”
“Yes?”
“...Then how about we study together sometime? We can teach each other the parts we’re weak in.”
Our weak subjects were completely different, after all. Of course, that was just an excuse.
“...Huh? When?”
“Um… this weekend?”
“This weekend…”
Yuna seemed to consider it for a moment, then her face suddenly lit up as she answered.
“I have trouble focusing in cafés, so…”
“Yeah?”
“...How about we study at my house?”
...She was inviting me over to her house?