LG Chapter 53

Chapter 53

 

Side Story 2: I Have a Lover

 

“Ah, yes. I’ll be there soon to pick you up. Sangrok Hall, right…?”

After ending the call, Kyungsoo hurriedly threw on his jacket and stood up. His friends, who had been playing an FPS game in the studio, glanced over as he got ready to leave.

“Kyungsoo, where are you going?”

“…Going to pick up someone I know.”

“Hey, you’re not seriously ditching us, right? You promised to stay up all night with us! I haven’t even finished one round yet!”

“We’ll see? What loyalty do we have? Who are you again?”

“That bastard’s running off.”

Making someone so drunk they couldn’t even stand and then calling for help—Kyungsoo was glad he hadn’t gone home yet. With a small sigh, he grabbed his keys. Fortunately, the studio was located just across from Sangrok Hall.

It took about five minutes to reach the pub from the main gate. He entered and quickly spotted Noeul without much searching.

A few familiar faces from his elective class sat at the same table, a mix of freshmen and sophomores. Noeul was leaning against a pile of jackets, his eyes closed.

When Kyungsoo approached, several people looked up from their drinks, surprised by the unfamiliar face.

“Ah, hello.”

“I’m the one who called. You’re here to pick him up, right? Noeul, wake up. The hyung you were looking for is here.”

It was the same voice from the phone call.

Kyungsoo pulled Noeul up. His dazed eyes blinked open, and without warning, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo’s neck.

“…”

“…”

“…”

If only Cheon Noeul weren’t so noticeable. He’d grown taller since they first met, and his delicate, pretty face naturally drew attention.

“…What kind of drunk habit is this? Get up, now.”

“Mmng…”

Kyungsoo lightly tapped his cheek, but Noeul only groaned and clung tighter.

The others seemed perfectly fine, making it suspicious that Noeul was the only one this out of it. Squinting, Kyungsoo observed him closely, wondering if he was truly drunk.

“Let’s just get out of here.”

The woman who had called tried to help, but Noeul was clinging so tightly to Kyungsoo that she could only follow along helplessly.

The cold wind hit as soon as they reached the stairs, making Noeul shiver and hunch his shoulders.

“Sorry… The seniors kept pouring drinks only for him… We could’ve just left him in the clubroom, but he insisted on calling you… He’s really stubborn.”

“…He only acts like this because he knows I’ll come get him…”

“But, you know me, right? I know you!”

Kyungsoo, who had been focusing on supporting Noeul, finally looked up at the woman. She did seem familiar. Somewhere…

“Remember? We were in the same group for that elective—’Human and Philosophy.’ You dropped the class halfway through, though.”

“Oh, right. I remember now.”

The familiarity clicked when she mentioned the class. She had been the only girl in their four-person group.

“Sorry… I dropped it because… I couldn’t understand a word the professor was saying…”

Kyungsoo scratched his head awkwardly. He had barely lasted two weeks before giving up. The professor was so monotone, simply reading from the printouts instead of explaining.

“It’s fine. We all dropped it eventually. I quit too.”

“Really…?”

The unexpected confession made Kyungsoo feel oddly relieved.

“You can speak casually. We’re the same year, right? Or did you retake?”

“No, I’m a freshman too.”

Kyungsoo answered stiffly, making her chuckle.

“Speak comfortably. If you’re close with Noeul, we’ll probably see each other often.”

“…?”

Being close with Noeul didn’t mean he’d see her regularly, so Kyungsoo blinked, confused.

“I’m his mentee. Cheon Noeul is my mentor.”

The school had a mentoring system where upperclassmen guided their juniors.

Kyungsoo could already tell she’d have a tough time. Noeul was notoriously difficult.

“…Good luck.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.”

If she had been in his class before, her number was probably still saved in his phone. That might be useful when Noeul pulled stunts like this again.

“…Why does this feel weird? What’s going on here…?”

Noeul suddenly stirred, squinting at them suspiciously while still leaning on Kyungsoo.

“If you’re awake, let go.”

Kyungsoo pushed Noeul off. He staggered but managed to stay upright, blinking slowly.

“…Hyung, are you…star—”

“You’re sleepy, huh?”

“Amnngh—”

Before Noeul could finish whatever drunk nonsense he was about to spout, Kyungsoo clamped a hand over his mouth and nodded to the woman.

“You should’ve worn something warmer… It’s freezing out here. Go inside. I mean it, go.”

She was only wearing a thin cardigan despite the cold wind. Kyungsoo hesitated for a second before giving a small bow and turning away.

Her expression shifted slightly, her eyes curving just a bit in response.

Noeul, stop looking back!

Even as Kyungsoo dragged him away, Noeul kept glancing over his shoulder, squinting suspiciously.

“Who’s that?”

A female classmate entered the studio, wondering why Kyungsoo was working alone, only to find a stranger there. Noeul was sleeping soundly on a folding cot set up in the corner of the studio.

“A freshman from another department. Someone I know… I have class tomorrow morning, so I just let him stay here.”

“What? It’s cramped here. Just pay for a room—oh, my god, never mind! He can sleep here every day if he wants…”

The classmate, who had approached the cot after circling the large table in the middle of the studio, changed her tone the moment she saw Noeul’s face. It was a face she had never seen on campus before. Eyes wide from the unexpected visual shock, she started admiring the sleeping Noeul.

“Stop bothering me and go hang out somewhere else.”

“Can’t I just quietly stay here? Why didn’t he join our department…?”

“He said he didn’t like it after seeing what I do.”

“I don’t like our department either.”

“Same here…”

Despite their words, it suited them much better than a department where all they did was study endlessly. If it weren’t for the fact that their department required both time and creativity instead of endless memorization, Kyungsoo would have quit and gone back to his hometown already. In fact, no matter how much he crammed, he had never gotten an A in subjects like physics or college English.

“Stop staring at the sleeping kid and get out!”

Kyungsoo waved his hand dismissively. From the next studio, the sound of a drinking party echoed. They were probably counting how many bottles they had drunk over the semester again, piling them up in the corner as usual. It was because the guy with a hobby of collecting bottles had been assigned the next studio this time. The classmate, who had been watching Noeul, eventually lost interest and left the studio.

Now alone in the studio, the only sounds were the whirring of the computer tower, the sharp wind seeping through the window cracks, and Noeul’s soft breathing.

Intending to sleep slumped on his desk due to the narrow cot, Kyungsoo turned to look at Noeul and then ended up sitting beside him instead. The room was still chilly, despite the closed windows, so Kyungsoo covered Noeul with a long padded jacket someone had left behind.

He leaned back beside Noeul, nodding off as he sat there, and before long, lost consciousness. When he woke up to the sound of voices, it was already morning. As he rubbed his sleepy eyes, sure enough, he found himself once again hugging Noeul in his sleep.

He had tried to be careful since they were in the studio and had hugged a classmate’s pet pillow instead, but that pillow was now on the floor, looking as if it had been violently tossed aside.

“Hyung, are you awake?”

As the arm wrapped around his torso loosened, Noeul asked sleepily. Kyungsoo awkwardly nodded.

“…Yeah. Sorry. I did it again…”

“It’s fine. It’s just your sleeping habit. Not like you can help it.”

Noeul sat up, ruffling his messy hair with his hand. As he pretended to gather the books he needed for class, some classmates who had been glancing toward them from the corner quickly approached Kyungsoo as soon as Noeul stepped out to wash his face.

“Hey, who’s that? Why were you sleeping together?”

“He’s someone I know. And me hugging him—it’s just my sleeping habit. You know I can’t sleep with others unless I sleep separately…”

“He’s not from our department, right? I didn’t see him at the freshman orientation either.”

“No, he’s not from our department. Just a close friend.”

Kyungsoo answered while picking up the pillow from the floor, brushing off the dust.

“You jerk! Why’d you throw my pillow on the floor, Kim Kyungsoo?!”

“I must’ve tossed it while sleeping. But that thing was dirty anyway. You haven’t washed it since last year. Honestly, it smells kind of musty—just wash it already…”

That pillow had once been pure white when first bought, but now the fabric had turned yellowish from use. It was common for studio items to be reused endlessly, so it wasn’t surprising.

“Hey, does that kid have a girlfriend?”

Kyungsoo hesitated for a moment, considering that it would be more annoying to deal with persistent questions later. So, he decided to lie right away.

“Yeah, he does.”

“Really? Whatever. Just because there’s a goalkeeper doesn’t mean you can’t score.”

The classmate’s previously sharp gaze softened at her friend’s joke.

“Hey, even if you score, the goalkeeper won’t get replaced.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

Kyungsoo nodded vigorously, emphasizing his point.

“Listen, I’m telling you, I know him well. They’re so crazy about each other that they can’t live without one another. I think they’ve been together since high school. Pretty sure he was the one who confessed first too… Not sure about the details, but anyway, he’s taken.”

“Ah… I got my hopes up for nothing. So annoying. Why’s he so good-looking?”

“…Is his girlfriend pretty?”

“Yeah… she’s pretty…”

Kyungsoo trailed off. No matter how shameless he could be, it felt awkward saying his fictional girlfriend was pretty since, technically, it was him.

“She must not be that pretty, huh?”

“No! She’s freaking gorgeous! Just forget it, okay? Don’t even think about it!”

Kyungsoo shouted while perching on the central studio table.

“…Why are you reacting like that? I wasn’t even gonna make a move. I just wondered how pretty someone dating a guy like him must be. I mean, I like pretty girls too, you know~”

Guilt gnawed at Kyungsoo.

“Anyway, you should look for boyfriend material elsewhere. He’s taken…”

Just then, the studio door opened, and Noeul peeked inside. Everyone awkwardly cleared their throats and backed away from Kyungsoo.

Noeul, looking far too refreshed for someone who’d been drinking the night before, approached Kyungsoo with a pout and whispered, “Hyung, you’re really popular, huh…”

Kyungsoo, who had just suffered through their interrogation because of Noeul, scoffed.

“I have to leave soon. What about you?”

“I’m heading out too. By the way… can I stop by here sometimes when I have free time?”

Noeul turned his head to face the others instead of Kyungsoo and asked with a bright smile. Kyungsoo felt a sense of crisis.

“No, you can’t—”

“Of course, bring coffee next time and hang out with us!”

“…”

His classmates, who never acted this friendly toward him, suddenly put on their sweetest smiles for Noeul. As Noeul kept the conversation going, people, regardless of gender, began speaking to him, while Kyungsoo, excluded from the chat, checked the time and printed his lecture materials with a bitter sigh.

A few days later, while crossing the lawn in front of the Natural Sciences Building with Noeul, his senior Ji-hye called. Noeul answered confidently,

“Sunbae, you’re late. I’m having lunch with Kyungsoo hyung. You can eat alone today! Bye—”

Kyungsoo laughed at his bluntness.

—”Actually, perfect timing! Let’s eat together. I’m on the second floor of the Natural Sciences Building. I can see you guys from here. But Noeul, you know stepping on the dean’s lawn is—”

Kyungsoo scanned his surroundings and then slowly distanced himself from Noeul.

“Hey! What are you doing? Get off the lawn immediately!”

“…?”

—”Haha! Run for it! I knew this would happen. Escape to the student center!”

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T/N: There’s only 3 chapters left for this novel to be completed on my patreon!