Borrowed Uniform and Weekend Note
After the interview wrapped up, Seol-ah and I headed back. That's when we spotted the two of them, frozen solid in tension. Jeon Young-ha and Park Ha-yoon. They were gripping each other's collars or something, locked in a cold standoff.
"...Did something happen?"
Seol-ah picked up on the vibe and stepped in, plastering a smile on her face as she wedged herself between them. But there was no sign of things thawing.
"Ha-yoon? Doctor...?"
She trailed off, her energy deflating. Seol-ah, who was usually the spark that lit up any room, anywhere, anytime, seemed overwhelmed by the chill in the air. We could've waited it out a bit longer, maybe things would've eased up... but instead,
"Thanks for the interview, Young-ha."
I chose to bail. It looked like they'd already had a major blowout, and I felt partially responsible. I grabbed my stuff right away. Ha-yoon followed suit, packing up quietly, while Seol-ah fidgeted anxiously behind us. We were ready to go in no time. As we were about to say quick goodbyes and head out, Young-ha called me back.
"Sung-hoon. Hang back a sec."
"...You guys go ahead? I'll catch up soon."
I sent my friends off first. Ha-yoon walked away without a word, and Seol-ah shouted reluctantly,
"Hurry up... please..!"
She whispered the last part. I nodded and turned back to where Young-ha was.
"How'd it go?"
I cut straight to it, not even bothering to sit—rude enough that anyone else might take offense. But Young-ha didn't mind my stance.
"Serious... but not that serious."
"Usually that's when the next words spell trouble."
"No need to worry. It's exactly that level."
I let out a sigh of relief. I'd been harboring some anxiety about Ha-yoon deep down. I'd thought she might need a proper checkup someday. Sure, others might call it meddling, but I didn't see it that way. That look on the rooftop—the one that screamed she'd made a huge decision—it was burned into my mind. That's why I'd set this up. Using the career interview assignment as bait, I'd connected Ha-yoon with Young-ha. From there, it was smooth sailing. Seol-ah happened to dip out early, leaving just the two of them. What happened after... well, no clue if it went well.
"What went down between you two?"
"Nothing big. Kids don't need to know."
Young-ha stroked his chin as he said it—his telltale habit when he was fibbing, though I didn't clock it at the time.
"Got it. We'll leave it at that, then."
"Didn't expect that. Figured you'd hound me."
"Doctor-patient confidentiality, right? Your words."
I threw his own line back at him. Young-ha chuckled, like I'd grown into a real tiger cub.
"What about you?"
"Me? Outta nowhere?"
He fired back, then booted up his computer. The printer hummed to life, spitting out a prescription slip.
"Isn't it about time your meds ran out?"
"...You keep track that precisely. And isn't this illegal?"
"My clinic, my rules. Worst case, I do a stint in the slammer."
Young-ha stretched as he spoke, his gaze shifting to pity when he looked at me.
"Poor kid..."
"...Huh?"
"Nah, just... your future's so damn predictable."
He muttered something cryptic like that. Then, apparently done talking, he handed me the prescription.
"Now scram. Tired of looking at your mug."
"Righto. I'll get outta your hair."
I played along and headed out.
"Wait—one more thing. Who's your girlfriend...?"
Pretending not to hear his desperate last question.
I hustled to the back door, and Ha-yoon was waiting.
"You're early."
"No big deal. Where's Seol-ah?"
I glanced around, but no sign of her.
"She bounced. Said it was urgent."
Ha-yoon explained. That word—urgent—sparked a flash in my head.
Definitely that text. Who the hell would make Seol-ah ditch first? A question popped up, but I shook it off. No reason for me to dive into that mess directly. Unless they dragged me in...
Anyway—
"At least we knocked out the assignment today, right?"
I looked at Ha-yoon. But she just stared at me, silent. A light breeze picked up, followed by a gust whipping between us.
"Kang Sung-hoon."
"Yeah?"
"Did you tell him?"
Her short question carried a sharp edge—no room for excuses. So I denied it flat-out.
"No."
Her eyes narrowed at that alone. She must've thought I was lying. I raised both hands, signaling stand down.
"For real. I didn't drop a single hint."
True story. I hadn't tipped off Young-ha at all. He would've sniffed it out anyway.
"If you can't trust me, check my phone."
I unlocked it and held it out. Just before it reached her—
"I believe you."
She murmured softly. She'd come to her own conclusion. At the same time, her hand drifted to her wrist, stroking it. That was probably what tipped her off, I figured.
"That habit. You should break it."
"......I'll try."
The silence stretched. She probably had no intention of quitting. Then she turned to leave.
"Heading out first?"
"Yeah. Need some time alone to think."
With that, Ha-yoon walked off solo. Watching her back fade, I headed to the pharmacy myself. Secretly relieved we'd split early—no risk of my secret slipping. I picked up my "vitamins."
A few days later, during break, our group huddled up again.
"Editing belongs here, right?"
"More like, add a bam! sound effect!"
"Nah, boomf! would be better here."
"Think so? Sung-hoon, which one's better?"
Seol-ah shoved panels labeled "bam!" and "boomf!" at me. Seol-ah for bam!, Ha-yoon for boomf!. Their picks filled my view. Caught in the middle, my verdict:
"Reject both."
"Why?!"
"Explain yourself!"
They both glared like they might pounce. I braced for impact.
"This is a short-form vid? No!"
Brains must've melted. They wanted sound effects to grab attention mid-convo. Absurd. If I went along, our interview vid would be a disaster.
"...For the following reasons, all rejected!"
I rolled up the paper and smacked the desk three times. The solemn editor's decree drew reactions from Ha-yoon and Seol-ah.
"Tch, would've been fun."
"Hmm... flashier effects, and Sung-hoon might approve?"
Ha-yoon first, Seol-ah second. No clouds on their faces—total opposite of interview day. They looked upbeat, worry-free.
'Did it all work out for both?'
I figured yeah. Young-ha said Ha-yoon was fine, and Seol-ah seemed good too. Meanwhile, Seol-ah tweaked the vid length.
"Cut this line?"
"No way. I'd look like an idiot."
"...You don't already?"
"You're the bigger idiot, Seol-ah!"
"Am not! Grades prove it!"
Off they went again. No matter how much they argued, without my stamp, it was useless. I waited like a judge. After some compromise, they were about to show me Version 2.0 when—
"Hey, Kang Sung-hoon."
A voice called. I turned—an in-sa guy from their group.
Name? No clue.
"What? What's up."
"Someone outside calling you."
Someone for me? Zero ties to other classes. Curious, I headed out. Just before the door, the in-sa dude patted my shoulder.
"Dude. Didn't know you had it in you."
Weird comment. Stepping into the hall—
"Oh, hi."
"Na-ri. What's this about?"
Yoo Na-ri waited, fidgeting awkwardly.
"Something to say?"
"Um, well..."
She trailed off. Then a booming voice from her class next door.
"Gym time!"
"All you slackers, assemble!!"
"Midfielder hour starts now!!!"
Her class had PE. Girls clustered, grabbing gym clothes for the locker room. My eyes landed on Na-ri. Empty hands. Neatly worn uniform. That explained her visit.
"Need to borrow gym clothes?"
"How'd you... oh."
She stopped. Anyone clueless in this spot would be hopeless. Lucky for her, I caught on quick.
"Here."
I handed them over. Freshly washed post-PE—no sweat smell. Just in case,
"Smell okay?"
"Yeah, disappointingly..."
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Just thanks!"
Na-ri snatched them and bolted. Watching her go, a thought hit.
'Why me, though?'
Height difference—she'd swim in them. Why pick me? Simple question, answered next day. She returned them with a note tucked in.
Can you meet me this weekend?
She'd planned this all along.