Uniforms and Heartbeats
Senior looked so good in her school uniform. The walk home after their fun conversation felt bittersweet yet filled with happiness. As he strolled down the evening-lit streets, Jinwoo found himself thinking exactly that.
Once he got home, Jinwoo flopped onto his bed. So many things had happened that his head was spinning. Alright, let's organize this. He had run into the senior he'd admired back in high school by pure chance. It turned out that Eunbyul was the author he respected so much. After bumping into each other at the fan signing event, they'd talked about novels at a café. And somehow, that had led to a school uniform date with Eunbyul.
“.......What the hell was I thinking?”
He really wasn't in his right mind. What on earth had possessed him to agree to that? Kim Jinwoo, you absolute idiot! You perverted bastard! But damn, you did good!
“Is this really me? My chest feels like it's about to burst.”
He pulled out his phone and quietly scrolled through his contacts. There was one new name that hadn't been there until yesterday. Eunbyul. Why did those mere four letters and the eleven digits beneath them feel so incredibly joyful?
Jinwoo shivered. Lying on his side, he stared at the number with a goofy smile. As if it were some grand reward.
-Kakao!
“Whoa!”
Suddenly a KakaoTalk notification went off. Jinwoo's shoulders jumped guiltily. When he checked the sender, it was Eunbyul. Even though he knew she wasn't physically there, he reflexively shot up from his bed.
Eunbyul's KakaoTalk profile picture was a cartoon cat character. Even her profile pic was cute. Wasn't that kind of unfair?
-What r u doin?
What r u doin? Jinwoo let out a silly little laugh. It was a good thing she couldn't see his face right now. He was probably making the dumbest expression imaginable.
-Just spacing out.
-Thanks for agreeing to my weird request! I think it'll really help with the novel!
Eunbyul's next work was apparently set in an academy. She wanted to recapture the feeling of her school days. That was why she'd specifically asked to meet while wearing uniforms.
While he was looking forward to seeing Eunbyul in her school uniform, he was also honestly a little worried.
-But are you really okay with me?
-Of course! Who else would I ask if not you, Jinwoo?
If not you, then no one. It felt genuinely nice to be relied on by an older woman. Especially when that person was the author he admired.
-I'm so glad it was you I met at the signing event lol
It still didn't quite feel real. That he was actually chatting with Eunbyul like this. It was a moment the version of himself from just a few days ago could never have imagined. If Song Joong-ki himself had walked by and said, “This is actually a dream,” Jinwoo probably would've just nodded in agreement.
-What were you doing, Eunbyul?
-Thinking about you.
“Ugh!”
That one was dangerous. Way too cute. Even knowing it was probably a joke, his heart was pounding like crazy. If Eunbyul had been standing right in front of him, he wouldn't have been able to recover from the damage.
-Lmao just kidding. I was watching some anime. As prep for tomorrow's date.
Watching anime as date prep? What kind of mental algorithm led to that conclusion? Well, she was a writer, so maybe it counted as research.
'Come to think of it, Eunbyul did seem to like animation quite a bit.'
The magical girl bookmark she'd given him was carefully stored in his drawer. Jinwoo read plenty of books himself, but using it felt like a waste. He planned to keep it purely as decoration.
-This is my first time making plans to meet someone like this, so I'm super nervous!
-Me too.
So Eunbyul got nervous too. For some reason, that fact brought him strange relief.
-Right now I'm just gathering all sorts of stuff since it's for research. Hehe!
Suddenly she seemed busy. Her words made him flinch for a moment. Right. This was research for her novel. Jinwoo recalled the serious expression on Eunbyul's face when she'd talked about her writing.
'To me this feels like a simple date, but for Eunbyul it's probably just an extension of work.'
He felt a slight pang of guilt for having been purely excited without thinking. This was ultimately for Silverstar's creative activities. He couldn't treat it like a regular date. Since she'd asked him, he needed to play his role properly.
-I'll do my best.
-Huh? Okay! See you then. It'll be embarrassing to stand around alone in uniform, so make sure you're on time, okay?
-Of course. I'll wear it properly.
After chatting about this and that, they ended the conversation. The moment it was over, his shoulders suddenly slumped. Only then did he realize how incredibly tense he'd been. So talking to a girl on KakaoTalk was this nerve-wracking.
'First, let's properly check the uniform.'
When he rummaged through his closet, he found the black uniform jacket and white dress shirt. The clothes he'd worn every day for three years of high school.
“Wow, seeing it again makes me kinda miss those days.”
He tried it on in front of the mirror. It felt a bit tight, probably because his build had gotten bigger. Still, it seemed wearable enough for moving around.
“Hmm, not bad.”
The moment he muttered that while looking in the mirror, his little sister—who'd been sucking on a twin popsicle—stared at him like he was crazy.
“......Psycho.”
Leaving only that single word, his sister bolted away.
“Mom! Oppa thinks he's handsome! And he's suddenly wearing his uniform......!”
“Hey, shut up!!”
Yeah, he definitely needed to prepare properly.
*
“Mmm, is it still okay?”
Eunbyul was also standing in front of her mirror, trying on her old school uniform. Honestly, she'd regretted suggesting the uniform date to Jinwoo right after she'd done it. The pressure of her next work, and the insane request she'd made in the heat of the moment while obsessing over her novel.
But after coming home and thinking about it calmly...
'Wearing a school uniform at this age?! I'm crazy, I'm crazy!'
She couldn't even remember exactly when she'd graduated. It had been years since PC bangs stopped asking for ID even if she stayed past ten. And now she was wearing a school uniform? A powerful wave of embarrassment hit her belatedly.
The silver lining was that the uniform still fit. Considering these were clothes from her prime, bouncy teenage years, it was practically a miracle.
'Ugh! But it really is a bit tight.'
Specifically around her chest. Buttoning it up top was a struggle. While she felt relieved looking in the mirror at a relatively decent appearance, her face burned with embarrassment.
'What if Jinwoo's clothes don't fit and he's having trouble too?'
She belatedly realized she'd made an unreasonable request. At the same time, she was relieved that Jinwoo was the one she could ask.
'He hasn't changed at all since his student days.'
Kim Jinwoo. The junior she'd met by chance after moving. The first impression of him in her mind went all the way back to the high school sports day. Covered in dirt, sweating buckets, yet running with everything he had until the very end. They probably hadn't even talked much. Yet that earnest image had remained strangely vivid in Eunbyul's memory.
And that part of him was still exactly the same. Just looking at him now, he'd accepted her unreasonable request without hesitation. The moment he saw someone in need, he jumped in to help without thinking about the consequences. He really was a kind and sincere person.
“But I can't just take advantage of his kindness. I need to prepare a proper thank-you gift!”
Suddenly she had a lot to do. Eunbyul moved quickly, handling things in order. As her mind grew urgent, her body grew busy too. Her hurried movements made her chest jiggle slightly.
While heading to the kitchen to check the fridge—
-Pop!
“Hic!”
The button she'd barely managed to fasten couldn't withstand the pressure and burst off. She knew no one else was in her solo apartment, but Eunbyul reflexively blushed and covered her chest.
“.......This is definitely going to need alterations.”
Eunbyul let out a deep sigh. She really had gained some weight compared to her peak teenage years. At least Jinwoo wasn't here to see it. If he had witnessed this sight...... she didn't even want to imagine how mortifying it would have been.
*
Wearing a school uniform again as a full-grown adult was definitely awkward. She even felt like passersby were stealing glances at her. Still, Jinwoo endured it. If he could just hold on a little longer, he'd get to see Eunbyul in her uniform. This trade was practically Faker-level profit.
“Jinwoo!”
At that moment, he heard a voice calling him from afar. A clear yet gentle voice that made him feel good just hearing it. Jinwoo reflexively turned his head. And then his body froze completely.
“Hehe, sorry. I tried to come earlier today, but I got caught up preparing all sorts of things and ended up late?”
Jinwoo still remembered the pretty Eunbyul from his school days. How could he forget that cute and pure appearance? But the sight before him now was different from back then. Unlike her younger self, the current Eunbyul was radiating mature charm. You could say she'd fully blossomed as a woman.
After staring at her for a moment, Jinwoo's novel-trained brain finally managed to find the appropriate word.
Taboo.
A woman with adult appeal wearing a school uniform. There was a strange sense of forbidden allure to it.
“What are you staring at like that?”
“Ah, no, it's just... um, uh...”
This must be what people meant when they said someone had broken down. He knew he needed to say something, but he had no idea what words to use.
Eunbyul, watching him intently, broke into a mischievous smile.
“Hmmm~”
She spun once in place. Her skirt and hair fluttered with the motion.
“What? Do I look that pretty in my uniform?”
A question full of playfulness, clearly meant to tease him. Her tone and expression were packed with the intention of messing with the innocent Jinwoo.
But Jinwoo, whose mind had completely short-circuited, didn't notice at all.
“Yes. You look incredibly pretty.”
“H-huh?!”
At his serious answer, Eunbyul's face flushed bright red this time. She didn't know what to do with herself, her cheeks burning. She clearly hadn't expected him to answer with such a straight face.
“I-I see. Th-thank you.”
Eunbyul, who had barely recovered, spoke up.
“Ehehe... Then shall we get going?”
Both of their faces were still flushed red. And they felt a strange mix of awkwardness and sweet bitterness. Just like the school uniforms they were wearing, the two of them gave off a fresh, youthful atmosphere as if they'd truly returned to their school days.