#5. Phone
#5. Phone
"Minho-ssi. Why do you keep trying to explain with words instead of the model or drawings?"
"Architecture isn't done with words. We tell stories with images, not as novelists or orators."
"You're going to take models like this to clients later and sit there giving long-winded explanations?"
...Ah. I wanna Tal-geon.
Not long after Han Na-eun's evaluation ended, my name was called.
I'd barely managed to print the panels, and with hollow eyes, I started my presentation in front of the professors.
But the reaction was, as expected, harsh criticism.
Bond marks stuck here and there.
Wood lacquer with uneven cuts that left ragged traces everywhere.
There was no way I could ask the professors, who were used to meticulous and neat work, to look favorably on my piece.
"The concept itself... isn't bad. But in terms of the way it's expressed or the completion level of the work itself..."
You know that in the Department of Architecture, hardly anyone does the final presentation in their right mind?
The girls put on makeup, the guys dress up somewhat, and stand before the professors, but their bodies are no different from corpses.
No one giving a presentation has slept 8 hours.
There are probably plenty who've gone 36 hours straight without sleep.
I wasn't much different.
Just like always, I was simply waiting for their whipping to end.
Their criticisms flowed in my left ear and out the right.
"Anyway. Whatever. Good work. Remember the advice from the professors at today's Critique, next person."
As soon as my turn ended, I bolted home.
After-party? I didn't need that crap.
Sleep came first.
Without even washing, I threw myself on the bed and picked up my phone.
Before bed, I always checked the comments on my novel.
Ooh... Views are solid, and the comments section... let's see...
It varied day by day, but seeing the usual nicknames always made me happy.
[Daeyi 234]
[Jibegapang22]
Especially the readers who'd followed from the early parts to now—I had most of their nicknames memorized.
Is that person not here?
The one who made my novel blow up.
White Snowflake-nim.
Scrolling down, I couldn't stop my lips from curling up.
-Ah, seriously, Author-nim, why here... Ah... Please... serialized updates...
White Snowflake-nim. You're still steadily reading my stuff.
I thought these moments were the most rewarding part of being an author.
Of course, payday felt great too, but it was a different kind of feeling.
I believed those comments were the driving force that got my exhausted ass up to write the next chapter.
Haa... I still have about two stocked up, so it's fine to sleep now.
The Nam Ga-yeon episode is wrapping up soon—what Heroine next...
Pondering some super arousing concept, I drifted off to sleep.
...What time is it?
The clock pointed to 9 PM.
What... Not as much time passed as I thought?
I got home around 6, so only three hours of sleep—why'd I wake up again.
Like a slug, I pulled the blanket back over and checked my phone.
There was a message from Hwi-min in the unread inbox.
[Hey. Lee Min-ho. The professor was fucking looking for you.]
...Huh? The professor? For me? Why? How come?
I was fine taking whatever grade they gave, but hearing the professor was looking for me brought a wave of anxiety.
I frantically called Hwi-min.
[Hey. What. The professor was looking for me?]
[Hey. Where the hell were you. They announced not to leave till the end.]
What? There was something like that?
Probably missed it while working on my project.
[So? Anything special?]
No way they mercilessly docked half a grade or something.
[Nah, not really. Just said good job and called for people going to the after-party.]
[Ah... Thank god... I got fucking scared. There was a missed call.]
[But you were the only one who didn't show.]
That was kinda sudden...
Eh, whatever. What's done is done.
[Ah~ Whatever. I'm just gonna sleep again.]
I abruptly hung up on Hwi-min and naturally saw the call history on the screen.
[Han Na-eun]
Right... her...
HNE Author-nim...
It was just this morning, but it felt like a dream.
Who would've thought Han Na-eun was my illustrator...
Suddenly, the words I'd said to her came back to me.
Asking if she wanted her life to end, telling her to pick up if I called.
"Aaaah!"
Reality hit, and I screamed out loud in my studio apartment.
Crazy bastard. Fucking lunatic.
My brain pickled in erotic novels—what the hell was I saying.
Her face, looking at me with pitiful eyes, popped into my head.
Ugh... She must think I'm a fucking pathetic loser, right?
Plus, since I knew her pen name, she could've inferred I was so deep into erotic illustrations that I could ID the artist by style alone.
But... to unilaterally call me a total pervert, the one drawing them...
Sitting at my computer, I reread all the emails I'd exchanged with HNE Author-nim so far.
Emails packed with obscene talk that was impossible to read outside.
Was Han Na-eun... a pervert?
If it were a guy, I'd just think we had similar tastes, but knowing the author was a woman made it hard to process.
We barely had personal chats, so I knew almost nothing about her as a person.
Was it professional dedication, or did she actually like that stuff and exchange those convos with me? No way to know.
Asking via email, [Are you a woman by any chance?] would be ridiculous.
So... just take her number like she said and end it...?
That felt fucking anticlimactic too.
It wasn't a normal route, but I'd succeeded in getting a girl's number for the first time.
26 years old. A milestone in my life, and stop here?
Arms crossed, staring at the monitor for a bit, I steeled myself.
First off. Don't act like the protagonist 'Lee Jin-seong' from my novel [I Imprisoned Her].
The MC in my novel was an insane character that couldn't exist in reality.
Once Lee Jin-seong found a weakness, he never let go of his prey.
Like a tightly woven spider web, he deliciously cooked the Heroines.
He'd dig out more weaknesses through the first to tighten the noose, or sometimes instill fear with brute force.
The perfect example of someone you absolutely should never imitate in real life.
Yeah. Don't aim too high—just ask to grab a meal.
It might seem like no big deal, but for me, it was a trembling event.
Me... asking out a girl like Han Na-eun for food...
She... probably can't refuse, right?
It was half a threat, after all.
If the reaction's good, call her out again next time?
Who knows? We might click surprisingly well?
And... if things progress nicely...
Na-eun becomes my...
Girlfriend.
My girlfriend!
Haa... Is spring finally hitting me with heart-fluttering vibes?
Embarrassing to fantasize like this at 26, but... it's just my brain delusion, so whatever.
I steadied my breathing and stared holes into my phone.
Should I... go for a gentle concept invite?
No. No.
Don't delude yourself about the situation.
I almost assumed she was my kinda-sorta and shot a romance scene solo.
What kind of person am I to her...
From her perspective, I'm a sneaky, lowlife senior clinging to her weakness.
So, at least for now, I judged it best to act accordingly.
After a few rings, her voice came through.
[Hello?]
[Hey.]
[...What.]
[Get to exit 8 at Huin Station by 5 tomorrow.]
The tone left no room for negotiation—that was the key.
[...Huin Station?]
Truth was, I just picked it cuz it's right by my studio.
No special reason.
[Yeah. You know what happens if you don't.]
Not giving her a chance to say no was another key point!
[Ah... Got it.]
Sounds kinda bright for someone scared?
Nah? Am I imagining it?
[Hanging up.]
Acting cool, I cut the call and genuinely admired my acting skills.
Kya! Lee Min-ho! That was pretty good!
Ahem... Where's a good restaurant near my place...
Humming a tune, I pondered where to eat with Han Na-eun.
The blood sausage soup place is killer, but... blood sausage soup might be a no-go...
Want burgers too... but calling her here then saying McDonald's feels off?
And I had no idea we'd end up at a way fancier spot than I imagined.