Chapter 7 Part 2

And the long-haired Kang Yoon-jung. His mother’s antidepressants. The round pills Yoon-jung had been taking.

Gihyun immediately rose from his seat. He rushed to the pharmacy near the school and bought some painkillers for headaches. Then he called Yoon-jung, but she didn’t answer. Just as he was about to send a message, he received one from her.

“I’m in class. Can’t take calls.”

“I bought the medicine. Come out for a moment.”

“I’m in room 401. Just wait outside for a bit. It’ll end soon.”

“How long do I have to wait?”

Yoon-jung did not reply further. Frustrated, Gihyun went to the front of Yoon-jung’s classroom and waited. However, the class that was supposed to end soon did not conclude even after 10 minutes, 20 minutes. After 40 minutes, the classroom door finally opened. Even then, Yoon-jung was not among the first to exit. All other students had left, and there was still no sign of her. Eventually, Gihyun entered the classroom. Yoon-jung was sitting in her chair.

“Are you here?”

“You said just wait a minute.”

“The professor said he’d finish early, but just kept going. Did you hate that?”

Her tone suggested that he couldn’t even wait that long. Gihyun, having lost his patience, threw the medicine onto the desk.

“There are plenty of rich guys, tell them. Why bother me?”

Despite his anger, Yoon-jung didn’t even flinch. Instead, she faintly smiled.

“Because I like you.”

“What?”

“I’ve liked you since the first time I saw you. That’s why I flirted a bit. Are you mad?”

“You call this flirting?”

Gihyun’s voice was icy. However, Yoon-jung didn’t even blink.

“If you really hated it, you should have thrown the medicine down and left early.”

“…”

“Let’s go eat. I’ll pay today.”

She smiled and linked her arm with Gihyun’s. He couldn’t shake her off. As Yoon-jung had said, he thought maybe he didn’t dislike it.

As they walked across the campus, Gihyun felt the eyes of men who recognized Yoon-jung greeting or whispering. A part of him felt a rush of triumph.

As they passed the Humanities building, Gihyun stopped. Familiar faces were there. He felt a twinge. Before he could turn his head, Minjoo looked towards him. Hye-kyung, who had enrolled at the same university this year, was next to Minjoo. Sensing Gihyun’s discomfort, Yoon-jung looked over at Minjoo.

Minjoo looked pale as she watched the two of them. Hye-kyung glared at Gihyun with disgust. Yoon-jung, finding amusement, pressed her chest more firmly against Gihyun’s arm and leaned in. Gihyun tried to disengage his arm. Yoon-jung held on tighter and whispered in his ear.

“You said you weren’t dating her, why does she look at you like that? Your taste is so tacky.”

“I’m not dating her.”

“Then why?”

“It’s suffocating. Let go of my arm.”

“Trying to pull away now will only make you look foolish. Just go with it naturally. You can always say we’re nothing later.”

Yoon-jung smiled at Minjoo while pulling Gihyun along. Feeling a strange sense of shame, Gihyun avoided Minjoo’s gaze.

Gihyun stood in front of Minjoo’s apartment. Today was the day her tutoring part-time job ended at 11 PM. The tutoring place was a 10-minute walk away. He knew the entrance code but chose to wait outside purposefully.

But even after 20 minutes, then 30, Minjoo did not show up. Gihyun tried calling her, but her phone was turned off. She always complained about her old phone’s battery running out, and it seemed today was no different. Gihyun, restraining the urge to throw his own phone, paced around.

He wondered if something had happened to her on the way home. Or maybe she had seen him with Kang Yoon-jung, arm in arm, and decided not to come home in anger. He chewed his lip, entertaining all sorts of scenarios.

Then he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and soon Minjoo appeared, trudging up. As soon as she saw Gihyun standing in front of her door, she stopped.

“Why are you so late?”

Despite coming to make excuses, Gihyun blurted out in anger as soon as he saw Minjoo. She said nothing at first, just looked at him, then continued up the stairs. Standing in front of Gihyun, she muttered weakly,

“I had agreed to give a tutoring supplement today.”

“A supplement at this time? Are those people out of their minds?”

“I couldn’t do it any other time today.”

“Then you should have called.”

“My phone was off.”

“Don’t they have a charger at that house?”

“…You’ve done the same.”

It was a response he hadn’t seen before. Gihyun looked incredulously at Minjoo, who was bowing her head.

“So you deliberately didn’t contact me?”

“Why should I contact you? What are we to each other?”

Her voice quivered and echoed down the hallway. Minjoo, who usually said nothing even when Gihyun didn’t contact her all day, or borrowed money and didn’t return it, was now rebelling for the first time. Shocked, Gihyun chuckled dryly as he pressed the keypad. He opened the door and pushed Minjoo inside. Leaning against the door, he said firmly,

“I get what you’re thinking, but there’s nothing going on between me and Kang Yoon-jung.”

“…”

“Just because she offered to buy me a meal, that’s all it was. Kang Yoon-jung hooks her arm with just about any guy.”

“It wasn’t just today. Last time you said you were eating with someone you know…”

She had caught onto his minor lies. Gihyun’s lips dried.

“Don’t you trust me?”

“…”

“If we really mean nothing to each other, trust only goes so far. Are you that insecure about yourself? I told you nothing’s going on.”

Gihyun pressed her hard. Tears welled up in Minjoo’s eyes, but her anger quickly subsided without a real outburst.

“Gihyun.”

Her voice was pleading.

“I know I like you more.”

“…”

“But sometimes I wonder if you like me even a little. You don’t call much, you don’t remember anniversaries, we’ve never matched a couple items… We don’t even hold hands properly at school.”

“Are you being spiteful over things like that?”

“You don’t even tell people we’re dating. Are we really in a relationship? Your friend said so. He said you told him we’re not together.”

“Who?”

“No Won-jun.”

The friend who had said he liked Minjoo and asked her to break up with Gihyun.

“Why would No Won-jun say that to you?”

“Just passing by…”

“Did he confess to you?”

Minjoo clamped her mouth shut. Gihyun chuckled sardonically. He felt annoyed at Won-jun. But the immediate problem was Minjoo.

“Do you believe him? He’s probably just making stuff up to hit on you.”

“It’s not just that…”

“Don’t you know I’m not good with contacting? I don’t just do it to you, I’m like that with everyone. I hardly look at my phone. You know my situation. I can’t afford to keep track of anniversaries and stuff. Why are you making things hard for me too?”

“It’s not that…”

“Do what you want. If you want to break up, then let’s break up.”

He spoke decisively and turned away. Before Gihyun could descend the stairs, Minjoo shouted.

“It’s not like that.”

Gihyun turned around to see a tearful woman who always seemed weaker around him.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“It’s my first relationship, I didn’t know what I needed for reassurance.”

“…”

“Just… Please love me a little.”

Minjoo spoke in a miserable tone. Her sincere words seemed more to make her appear foolish rather than touching the heart. Gihyun climbed back up the stairs. He took Minjoo into his arms at the entrance.

“I love you.”

A single phrase seemed sufficient to pacify Cha Minjoo.

“…You know my heart.”

Relationships, once established, do not easily change. And in this relationship, it was Cha Minjoo who loved more.

He pushed Minjoo inside and kissed her. Minjoo did not resist the kiss. Relieved, Gihyun deepened it and gently laid her down in front of the shoe rack.

***

Cha Minjoo’s rebellion was easily suppressed. However, when it might erupt again was uncertain. Gihyun tried to be cautious not to lose Minjoo.

“What’s good for winning a woman’s heart?”

Won-jun scrutinized Gihyun, then smiled meaningfully.

“Kid, invest. Invest. I told you, flattery and bribes should be done regularly.”

“So what should I give?”

“Jewelry or clout.”

“I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Then buy her clothes or shoes. Anything that she can brag about to others. Direct impact, surprise gifts.”

Gihyun imagined Minjoo wearing clothes he was gifted and boasting about them to others. He also thought about the rumors it would spark in their department. His classmates seemed to subtly know about him and Minjoo, but Gihyun always acted nonchalant. Bragging would definitely spread rumors.

Considering whether to instruct her to keep quiet, he nodded, and Won-jun teased him.

“You’re just the same.”

“What?”

“You got caught in Kang Yoon-jung’s claws.”

“Cut the crap.”

“Kang Yoon-jung is strange too. She only dates guys with money, so I don’t know why she pretends to be close to someone who has nothing. Is it really all about the looks?”

“Maybe.”

“Be careful. She doesn’t discriminate by age. Even Professor Park Ju-sung laughs foolishly whenever he sees Kang Yoon-jung.”

The mention of his father made Gihyun’s face twist in displeasure. The idea that his father, who had abandoned his mother, was now chuckling around a young student who resembled her was repulsive to him.

“Let’s eat.”

He tried to divert his thoughts and sent a message to Minjoo, who was mentally the most comforting presence for him.

As soon as she received the message, Minjoo came to the back gate where Gihyun was. Despite a minor trouble, she still ran to him with a smile when she saw him. Thanks to this, the memory of Minjoo’s tears faded easily from Gihyun’s mind.

With the thought that he should “feed her bribes,” Gihyun deliberately walked towards a shoe store. He stopped in front of a reasonably priced store—not too cheap, yet not too expensive. He suddenly asked Minjoo.

“What looks pretty?”

“Are you buying shoes?”

“Not for me, for a woman.”

“…Why for a woman?”

“What, you think I’m going to wear them? It’s a gift.”

Though he left out the object of the gift, Minjoo seemed to understand well. She looked at Gihyun with an expectant face, not refusing, her eyes sparkling as she gazed through the shop window at the shoes.