Epilogue #2 (Part 2)

“Hmm…”

She had been napping face-down for a while, but now she was stirring, still with her eyes closed.

The midterms had begun. With the next exam just two days away, Seowoo  was pulling an all-nighter at the Central Library to study.

“Ha.”

Determined to secure a scholarship, she was pushing herself even harder than during the first semester finals. She thought she’d feel a bit better if she took a 30-minute nap, but she only felt more exhausted.

Should I just go home? 

While pondering, she slowly lifted her eyelids. Her blurry vision gradually cleared.

“…?”

A puzzled expression crossed Seowoo’s face at the sight before her.

On her desk was a large chocolate milk. It looked twice as large as the one she usually drank, a large-volume chubby chocolate milk. Seowoo picked it up. There was nothing written on the milk, but she knew who had brought it without needing any writing.

The only person who would give her this was Kwon Jiwook.

“There’s even a straw.”

Seowoo muttered.

She chuckled when she saw the neatly placed straw beside it. 

When did he come and go? 

Seowoo momentarily put it down and stretched her arms to wake herself up.

Thunk. 

At the sudden sound, Seowoo glanced down.

A thick black cardigan lay under her chair. Seowoo bent down and picked it up.

“…?”

A faint woody smell emanated from it. It looked like he had covered her while she was sleeping.

Deciding that she needed to go outside for a while to wake up, Seowoo grabbed his cardigan and milk and left the study room. 

As she stepped outside, a slightly cool breeze greeted her, different from the study room. Descending to the first floor, Seowoo hugged the cardigan around herself and sat on a chair in the lobby.

“Haaah.”

She yawned loudly, covering her mouth, when a figure slid in beside her and sat down. When she turned her head, she saw Jiwook leaning back on the chair with his legs crossed.

“Had a good nap?”

“Where did you come from all of a sudden?”

It had already been a month since the semester started. Since the buildings where Seowoo usually stayed and where Jiwook attended classes were quite far apart, so it was rare for them to randomly run into each other. Unless he came specifically to hang out with Seowoo’s senior friends, there was little chance of them coincidentally meeting. Yet, Jiwook kept popping up wherever she went.

“I came out for a moment because it felt stuffy, and I happened to see you.”

Jiwook replied casually, as if he just happened to pass by again this time.

In his hand was a dark iced Americano, which suited him very well. Just looking at it made Seowoo’s mouth feel bitter, so she slightly furrowed her brow. At that moment, Jiwook took the milk and straw from her hand. Surprised, she just watched as he kindly inserted the straw and then handed it back to her.

“Drink up and wake up.”

“I’ll drink it well.”

“Did you knew I give it to you?”

“Huh?”

“No, never mind. I just assumed you knew I gave it to you.”

What a ridiculous thing to say.

Seowoo opened her mouth, looking incredulous.

“The only person who would give me this milk is you.”

“Is that so?”

“And, this. This clothes. Isn’t it yours, Sunbae Jiwook?”

At least he could have left some clues. He just blatantly covered her with his own clothes.

Without a response from Jiwook, he got up from his seat first. Seowoo raised her head to look at him standing in front of her.

“I’m leaving. Put it on. It’s cold outside.”

“Um…”

“Don’t catch a cold.”

Feeling regretful about the brief encounter, Seowoo stood up as well. Without thinking, she grabbed his arm. Jiwook looked down at the small hand clutching his arm.

Embarrassed, Seowoo hastily withdrew her hand.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah. I’m done with my exams.”

“All, done?”

All done, but why are you at the library…?

She was a little embarrassed to ask, “Are you here to see me?” She didn’t want to ask because what if she was mistaken. But judging by the cardigan and the milk, it really seemed like he came on purpose.

As she pondered the meaning behind all this, Jiwook stood in front of her.

“But you.”

Jiwook took the cardigan from her arms and draped it over her slender shoulders. His rather affectionate gesture made Seowoo’s pupils tremble slightly.

“Are you skipping dinner for this?”

“…”

During exam periods, Seowoo tended to skip meals due to her heightened sensitivity. Plus, she tended to feel sleepy when she was full, so she deliberately skipped dinner tonight too.

There was no point in saying she hadn’t eaten, Seowoo thought awkwardly, lowering her gaze.

“Of course. I ate. It’s already 2 a.m.”

“What time did you last eat?”

“At 6 o’clock.”

“You must be hungry then. Are you going to keep studying?”

Truth be told, she didn’t really want to stay up all night studying. She was in a dilemma, unable to go home due to anxiety. As she debated whether to go and at least get two hours of sleep, Jiwook interrupted as he adjusted the front of the cardigan.

“If you’re not going to keep studying, how about we go get some late-night snacks?”

The place they went to was a food cart located a bit away from the school. It was already 3 a.m., so most restaurants were closed, but Seowoo purposely chose this place to avoid being seen near the school. Jiwook was someone who attracted attention just by walking around campus, so she didn’t want to get caught up in unnecessary rumors.

“Let’s get something more delicious.”

“I really like this, though.”

Seowoo smiled, her eyes crinkling. Her smile was so pretty. Watching her, Jiwook tore off a wooden chopstick and placed it in front of her.

“Go ahead and eat.”

“Thank you.”

Seowoo picked up the chopsticks and took a bite of the noodles in front of her. The refreshing taste of the anchovy broth and the smooth noodles filled her mouth.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

Chewing, Seowoo asked him, covering her mouth. The bowl of noodles he had just received was still untouched. Jiwook, who had been staring blankly at it, smiled lightly and nodded.

“I’ll eat.”

This was his first experience with noodles at a food stall. Even when he was drinking with his friends, he never ate at a stall like this. The chairs, tables, and even the bowls were shabby, but it had its own charm.

It was unfamiliar because it was his first time, but just watching her enjoy it made him feel like he missed out on something by not eating it. Jiwook picked up a chopstick and put it in his mouth.

Seowoo looked at him with a slightly worried expression. Seeing that he had finished eating, she hesitantly opened her mouth.

“Are you new to this?”

“What?”

“To food carts?”

“Yeah. It’s my first time.”

So it really was his first time.

She had chosen this place just for a simple late-night snack, not to drink, but the fact that it was his first time made Seowoo’s expression turn perplexed.

“This looks tasty too.”

Jiwook picked up a piece of blood sausage and put it in his mouth. Seowoo pushed the bowl of tteokbokki in front of him.

“It tastes better if you dip it in this.”

Jiwook immediately dipped it in the tteokbokki sauce at her suggestion. At the decent taste, a small smile formed on his lips.

“Maybe we should have gone to a restaurant.”

“Why, it’s delicious. The only regret is that I feel like drinking alcohol after eating this.”

“Would you like to?”

“But you have a test tomorrow, right? Maybe next time.”

I didn’t even say I was going to drink…

Not sure what else to say, Seowoo swallowed her words. The food on the table was almost too much to look at. Jiwook had ordered everything.

Noodles, sundae, tteokbokki, and even dumplings. Although she wasn’t worried about the test, she couldn’t ignore his efforts, so Seowoo quickly finished a bowl of noodles.

“Do you want more?”

Jiwook asked straightforwardly. Seowoo quickly shook her head and dug into her tteokbokki with her chopsticks.

“I should eat something else.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Every time the conversation faltered, there was an awkward atmosphere between them. They ate, glanced at each other, and ate again. Then, as Jiwook was bowing his head to eat, he spoke up.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Huh?”

He lifted his gaze and locked eyes with her. 

“You keep looking at me.”

“Um…”

Did I stare too much? 

Feeling embarrassed at being caught, Seowoo awkwardly smiled and covered her lips with her hand. Although it was only occasionally, she really enjoyed these meal times with him, just looking at him was enough. 

Even though they kissed and held hands, it felt a bit different from the usual relationship between seniors and juniors. But she couldn’t bring herself to ask Jiwook directly what they were. 

But even with this kind of relationship, she was content with things as they were. Seowoo tried to rationalize it.

“Oh right, there’s a basketball game next week.”

“And?”

“Will you be playing, senior?”

He furrowed his brow in annoyance and tweaked the tip of his eyebrow with his index finger. After taking a sip of water, Jiwook nodded.

“Yeah. Because of Ahn Yoo-hyun.”

“Really?”

It was an unexpected answer. Seowoo had heard that Jiwook rarely attended school events or even gatherings. With a curious look, she glanced at him, and Jiwook stared back at her, resting his chin on his hand.

“Are you coming to cheer?”

“……ah.”

“That’s why I asked. I thought maybe you’d bring a banner or something.”

“A banner?”

Seowoo exclaimed in surprise at his mischievous joke. 

She looked so adorable. Jiwook wondered if she realized how cute she looked.

‘Oppa! Oppa, are you good at basketball?’

The image of young Seowoo flashed in his mind. In her small arms was a large basketball.

‘Do you want to play basketball?’

‘Yeah!’

The cute image of young Seowoo who answered straight away overlapped with the current scene. Jiwook chuckled softly and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“It’s next Thursday, in the gymnasium. If you have time, you can come watch.”

***

“Hey, let’s go!”

“What, you want me to go see the Business Department’s game too? We can just go when it’s our department’s turn.”

The day of the match Jiwook mentioned had arrived. It had been on Seowoo’s mind the whole time, but it felt a bit awkward to suggest going there with Yoonmi first.  Since Seowoo was usually indifferent to such things, it would be obvious that something was up. Plus, since Yoonmi was already suspicious of her and Jiwook’s relationship, Seowoo couldn’t say anything.

“Yoo-hyun oppa and Jiwook oppa are playing too. He’s rumored to be really good. They say Kwon Jiwook can do anything.”

Even though she wanted to go… Seowoo pretended not to care, hoping Yoonmi would insist a little more.

“Hurry up.  They said there’s going to be an after-party too. Hurry!”

“Ugh, fine…”

Seowoo grimaced as she was dragged along by Yoonmi. They left the department room and headed straight to the gym.

The game was scheduled for 4 p.m. As they entered the gym, the game was just starting. Although the court was quite far away, Jiwook’s figure immediately caught Seowoo’s eye. She sat next to Yoonmi.

The preliminary rounds of the tournament were underway every day for the upcoming school sports festival. Since the Business School was popular for its handsome seniors, there were quite a few spectators. Despite the loud cheers, Seowoo’s attention was solely focused on Jiwook as he ran on the court.

“…!”

Seowoo’s gaze shifted to follow him. His hair flew with each sprint, his toned arms visible under his T-shirt, the sweat beads on his forehead, and even his smiling face after scoring points.

Seowoo was captivated by his refreshing appearance.

“Kyaaa!! Wow, wow!! He’s so cool!”

When he made a 3-pointer, cheers erupted from around the gymnasium. Honestly, it was like watching a scene from a drama. Seowoo would have regretted it if she hadn’t come. Jiwook playing sports was incredibly attractive. His name echoed throughout the stands.

The game paused for a strategy timeout.

Jiwook grabbed a bottle of water and looked around as he drank. Suddenly, Seowoo’s heart began to race.

Could he be looking for me?

Her lips felt dry with nervousness. She tried to calm her racing heart, but it only made her more nervous.

“…!”

As she briefly lowered and then lifted her gaze, her eyes met Jiwook’s, who was looking at her. Despite the distance, Seowoo could tell. Kwon Jiwook was looking at her.

“Jiwook oppa seems to be looking this way. I’m here, I’m here!!”

Yoonmi waved her hand and made a fuss. Seowoo blushed and took a small breath. 

The short timeout ended, and the game resumed.

***

“Why would we go there? The Business Department people will all be there too.”

“The oppas asked us to come. They said we could since we cheered for them. Our department oppas came too.”

Seowoo was embarrassed and insisted that she didn’t want to go, but Yoon-mi was insistent.

As they argued in front of the bar, Seowoo’s phone in her pocket vibrated briefly.

“Just a second. I’m going to the restroom, so go up first.”

“Really? Don’t leave me hanging.”

“I got it!”

Seowoo finally managed to separate from Yoonmi and checked her phone.

[The drink we didn’t finish that time, how about we go drink it today? I’m behind the Business School building right now. I’ll wait for you.]

“Oh…”

Seowoo’s eyes widened as she read the message. She quickly headed back to school. 

The cool autumn breeze cooled her flushed cheeks. The refreshing scent of trees, reminiscent of him, filled the air. 

A bright smile adorned Seowoo’s lips. It was a more exciting autumn night than ever before.