LG Chapter 55

Chapter 54

 

As Noeul blinked in confusion, Kyungsoo took off running. Betrayed, Noeul hesitated for a moment before chasing after him across the lawn.

Meanwhile, the guard gave up chasing them as more students took advantage of the chaos to run across the grass.

Noeul, with a face full of betrayal, was a step behind, chasing after him. The two of them ran in the opposite direction across the lawn.

While the security guard was chasing after them, another student seized the opportunity and dashed across the lawn. Seeing this, the guard abandoned his pursuit of the pair and chased after the new student instead. Then, from the other side, yet another student set foot on the lawn, leaving the guard completely flustered.

“…What’s wrong with him? I didn’t even do anything.”

“They always make a fuss if you step on the dean’s lawn before the festival.”

At the start of the semester, when the grass had just started to grow green and fresh, stepping on the lawn was strictly prohibited. It was called the “dean’s lawn” because the dean was so protective of it. Whenever a student dared to step on it, the security guard stationed on the first floor of the Natural Sciences building would immediately rush out.

Since cutting across the large lawn was much faster than going around, some students occasionally took the risk, teasing the guard as they sprinted across.

“Did you see what they just did? If the security guard is busy chasing someone else, you can step onto the lawn, and you won’t get caught. Everyone does it.”

“What kind of ridiculous…”

Muttering in disbelief, Noeul soon seemed to realize something. He turned to Kyungsoo and began begging him for a school tour.

“Yeah, sure.” Kyungsoo, having mastered the art of ignoring such requests over the years, was completely unfazed.

And so, the two of them finally ran into Jihye in front of the student council building.

It seemed unlikely they would meet again anytime soon, yet here they were, sitting together and sharing a meal. What pleased him the most, however, was that she seemed to have no interest in Noeul whatsoever. Well, it was possible she had quickly realized Noeul was too much to handle.

“Next time, take this class with Professor Kim Junghwa. Not anyone else, just him. He doesn’t do attendance checks, and I have all five years of his exam materials. There are no midterms or finals either—just show up for the occasional pop quiz.”

“Oooh…”

Jihye lowered her voice, calling it a hidden gem among elective courses, warning Kyungsoo to be cautious since not many people knew about it yet. Kyungsoo eagerly nodded along. The only one who looked unimpressed was Noeul.

“…Senior, why are you giving that to him?”

“Cheon Noeul, shut it. She’s offering, so why are you interfering?”

“Yeah, yeah!”

Annoyed by how well they were getting along, Noeul pouted.

“Honestly, it seems like you’re nice to everyone, no matter who they are, hyung.”

Kyungsoo blinked in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Yeah, Kyungsoo’s just a nice guy. Why? You should be nicer to me, your senior.”

“Senior, are you craving my attention or something? Sorry, but…”

“Ugh, never mind. Forget it… But really, Noeul, you’re only nice to Kyungsoo’s friends. Can’t you try being that polite with others too?”

“…?”

That was the first time he had heard such a thing. Sure, Noeul greeted people he had been formally introduced to, but for Jihye to say this, it must have been obvious to others that his behavior changed depending on the person. Clearly, he had some ulterior motive.

“Noeul.”

“…”

“What are you up to? What’s your scheme this time?”

Noeul only intended to win over the people around Kyungsoo, but he shrugged shamelessly.

“Me? I haven’t done anything… Oh, hyung’s order is ready!”

Noeul pointed to the dining hall display excitedly. Though Kyungsoo was still suspicious, he finally got up and headed for the counter. Once he was far enough, Noeul turned to Jihye, looking nonchalant as he spoke.

“Senior, Kyungsoo hyung has a girlfriend.”

“…Huh?”

Jihye’s face flushed red at Noeul’s blunt statement, and she waved her hands in denial.

“H-hey, it’s not like that! What are you talking about…?”

“I know you’ve been asking where I am all the time, but when you actually see me, you don’t seem that happy.”

“That’s not…”

“It’s because you were really trying to find Kyungsoo, right? Isn’t that true?”

Jihye’s eyes widened as she realized he had hit the mark.

“…Noeul, are you jealous or something? Sorry, but you’re not really my type. I’m not into playboys like you.”

Noeul didn’t bother correcting her. Instead, he tilted his head, focusing on a different word.

“What’s hyung’s type then?”

“You? You could never match up, not in a million years. That attitude of yours… You’d need to be reincarnated ten times to have a chance.”

“What kind of misunderstanding is this, senior? I have a girlfriend, too.”

“You? Since when? Is she a saint or something?”

“She’s not a saint. Just a normal, pretty person. And, by the way, she’s a lot nicer and cuter than you. Oh, and I’m not planning to change my personality either. My girlfriend likes me just the way I am.”

Noeul lied shamelessly.

“Oh… Well, that’s a relief. As long as you’re not interested in me, I guess it’s fine.”

“Though, honestly, you should try to fix your personality a bit…” Jihye muttered under her breath with a laugh.

Noeul leaned in closer, his voice softening.

“Anyway, senior, I really think you should stop liking Kyungsoo hyung. It’s for your own good.”

“…”

Noeul glanced downward, wearing a strangely sympathetic expression.

“Hyung’s girlfriend… I’ve met her, you know? She’s really pretty, charming, kind, and rich too.”

“…”

“They suit each other so well that even I get surprised when I see them together. Oh, and just this morning, I saw them again. They were still all lovey-dovey, kissing right in front of me.”

“Oh… Um…”

“Honestly, Kyungsoo hyung likes her even more than she likes him. He’s been crazy about her for years now.”

“What’s all this about?”

Kyungsoo had returned with his tray and raised an eyebrow at their conversation. Noeul simply beamed up at him instead of continuing.

“We were talking about your girlfriend.”

Jihye’s words made Kyungsoo blink in confusion before his gaze shifted to Noeul, clearly demanding an explanation. Noeul, however, blinked innocently, as if he hadn’t said a thing.

Kyungsoo, his voice trembling, asked, “W-what did you say… exactly?”

“Oh, nothing much. Just that you have a really pretty girlfriend. That’s all.”

“…”

…Damn it. Why did he have to be the one saying this about himself?

Feeling like she had just been rejected before she even had a chance, Jihye muttered under her breath with a bitter expression. Yet, as minor as the topic was, the way Kyungsoo’s face had turned red at the mention of his supposed girlfriend was undeniable proof of his feelings.

She had only worked with him briefly in an elective course group six months ago, but he had left an impression. Tall, dependable, sincere, and that smile of his—it was perfectly her type. But…

“It wasn’t a big deal. I was just hyping up your girlfriend a bit.”

“…Why would you do that?”

“Because she’s super pretty, kind, and hyung likes her a lot?”

Kyungsoo covered his face with one hand, trying to cool his reddening cheeks, glaring at Noeul.

“Y-you crazy… Why would you say something like that…?”

“Am I wrong, though?”

Noeul grinned back, tilting his head. Kyungsoo, too flustered to argue, simply shook his head.

Even if it wasn’t serious, Jihye felt a pang of disappointment. A guy like Kyungsoo seemed the type to stay loyal once he fell for someone. If he liked her that much… just what kind of woman was she? Jihye let go of her brief crush with a sigh.

—

Group Chat:

“Jungwon: Hey Kyungsoo, hehe.”

“Me: Cheon Noeul, twenty years old, from another department, no older siblings or younger siblings, doesn’t like coffee, can’t use gifticons, birthday already passed, has been dating his girlfriend for a long time, girlfriend is pretty, says he has no intention of cheating.”

“Jungwon: Oh, uh, haha, thanks…!”

“Me: Yeah.”

“Hyel: LOL, how much did you have to suffer for this?!”

“Jaeyoung: At this point, you might as well pin it as a public notice.”

“Kim Inhyeok: Poor guy, he’s like an answering machine now. LOL.”

“Me: …”

Whenever Kyungsoo’s name was mentioned in the group chat, people often asked who he was hanging out with. By now, Kyungsoo had developed the skill to rattle off Cheon Noeul’s personal details with a blank expression.

Kyungsoo opened his messenger and checked the photo gallery Noeul had sent, finding his schedule. It seemed like Noeul would be contacting him soon. Returning to the home screen, Kyungsoo tucked his phone back into his pocket.

‘What time is my class tomorrow?’

’10:30, Humanities Building, Room 330.’

‘…’

Kyungsoo wasn’t smart enough to memorize all of Noeul’s class schedules. On the other hand, Noeul’s phone wallpaper wasn’t his own timetable but Kyungsoo’s. If Kyungsoo ever asked, Noeul would respond instantly, almost like an automated service.

During lunch breaks, Noeul would always call to ask where Kyungsoo was. He’d even become friendly with Kyungsoo’s classmates, greeting them as he passed by. Though Kyungsoo hadn’t planned for it, he’d also ended up exchanging numbers with some of Noeul’s friends. Noeul didn’t seem too happy about it, but all he could do was grumble.

“Kim Inhyeok: But why does he seem so familiar when he’s not even from our department? If someone saw you two, they’d think you were dating.”

“Damn it.”

Kyungsoo quickly came up with a reply.

“Me: I owe him money, haha.”

He had just turned Noeul into a debt collector.

“Me: Actually, we’re not hanging out. He’s keeping an eye on me to make sure I pay up.”

“Jungwon: Huh… you owe him money??”

“Me: Yeah, I skipped the repayment date once, so now he follows me around to keep me in check. Persistent bastard, haha.”

“Kim Inhyeok: ? Kim Kyungsoo, pay him back already, damn it.”

“Me: Later today;;”

Fortunately, the crisis seemed averted. Kyungsoo quickly forgot about his ridiculous lie. After that, no one asked why he and Noeul were always together anymore, which was a relief for Kyungsoo.

“Hyung… I have a problem.”

One day, Noeul sat across from him, fiddling with the edge of his meal ticket, looking serious. Kyungsoo mirrored his serious expression.

“What is it?”

“Your classmates keep asking me for loans whenever they see me these days… Why do you think that is?”

“They do? Do they need money for project materials or something? …So, did you lend them any?”

“No. Why would I lend them money? I’m not you.”

Kyungsoo grinned proudly, thinking he’d raised Noeul well. After all, even parents said you shouldn’t lend money to family.

“Then it’s fine. I guess you just look like an easy target.”

You’re being treated like a pushover. Kyungsoo brushed off Noeul’s concern, thinking it wasn’t a big deal.