FBF chapter 8 part 2

That was probably what Lee Jihoon hoped for.

“Let’s go somewhere together in the summer. After your busy schedule… and after Youngsoo’s finals are over.”

After a long silence, Lee Jihoon agreed. Even after that, we continued to chat about trivial matters. The stars may have appeared in the sky over Cheongju tonight, but it was cloudy in Asan. The tteokbokki place near the school was bland, nothing compared to our usual spot in Taean—those kinds of conversations that didn’t require anyone to invest emotional energy.

Throughout the call, I could hear the sound of branches cracking under Lee Jihoon’s feet. I tried not to think about why he needed to dash to the hillside to take this call, and I avoided bringing up the matter that he was stubborn and proud.

When my phone battery dropped to 1% and my fingers felt frozen in the night breeze, even the words to fill the silence ran out. We both sealed our lips.

Breaking the heavy silence, it was Lee Jihoon who finally spoke up.

“Hey, I’m okay.”

Amidst the sound of wind and cracking branches, I could hear him chuckling softly.

“Still, I want to see you a bit.”

Suddenly, the call ended. I looked down at my completely dark phone screen. I couldn’t tell if he hung up or if the phone just shut down, but I hoped it was the latter.

* * *

It was the last day of the midterm exam week. After submitting my answer sheet, I turned on my phone only after stepping out into the hallway. As I powered it back on, all the notifications I had missed piled up and competed for my attention. The moment I noticed Lee Jihoon’s name among them, my hand instinctively moved. As soon as I clicked on it, a social media post appeared.

Kang Youngsoo ▶ Lee Jihoon

“Jihoon, today the strong judo instructor contacted me and asked how you were doing. Do you remember that place you’ve been going to for 13 years? That man, a close friend of your special forces father, taught you a lot since you were little, right?^^ Didn’t he teach you everything except killing techniques? Haha, I can’t quite remember~~

I respect you for keeping your power hidden in any situation after receiving the lesson that you shouldn’t hit people indiscriminately, my friend. Strong power comes from strong endurance, doesn’t it?

Jihoon, with 3rd-degree black belts in judo, hapkido, and kendo, a total of 9 degrees, fighting today! *^^*

28 days ago | Like | Comment

It was a post that Kang Youngsoo left on Jihoon’s wall. The post was written the day after I went to visit and check on Jihoon’s injuries, and it was clear who it was aimed at. I puzzled over why I was receiving a notification about something I’d seen a month ago, but after looking closer, I noticed a comment from Jihoon that hadn’t been there before.

Lee Jihoon @Kang Youngsoo?

Kang Youngsoo @Lee Jihoon What are you talking about? This was written a month ago.; Anyway, my brother wrote it thinking of you, so hit ‘like’.

Lee Jihoon @Kang Youngsoo Don’t urinate on my wall.

Kang Youngsoo @Lee Jihoon Damn, I’m just trying to help.

Lee Jihoon @Kang Youngsoo I don’t know if you’re trying to help, but it’s embarrassing.

Seeing those childish bickering comments between them, completely oblivious to the fact they were in a public space made me smile. It had already been a month since that day. A Jihoon who had been unable to check his phone properly now occasionally started to meddle with Youngsoo’s posts or send messages in our group chat at odd hours.

Youngsoo said that Jihoon seemed to have learned how to conceal his personality even there. He recounted how a similar thing happened in elementary school when Jihoon played baseball. He often came home bruised, and once it got so bad that his home was turned upside down over his parents urging him to quit. Yet, he never said a word about quitting and endured. By the time his bruises faded, he won an award in a national competition. All the seniors who had bullied him returned empty-handed, while Jihoon came home with a trophy. Since then, nobody dared to mess with him. Youngsoo felt this situation would be similar—taking the long road around even with a clear shortcut. Regardless, Jihoon had stuck with it until the end.

So now, as Jihoon’s bruises faded, it likely was akin to that time. Ignoring the remarks from seniors he would have normally scolded, still enduring and somehow finding a way to cope, must be a refuge or breakthrough of some sort.

“I heard that a friend’s sister in the third year of construction knew Jihoon. It seems that a third-year senior was bullying him as if he were performing initiation ceremonies, and I think Jihoon was one of them. It was meant to intimidate, but Jihoon wouldn’t back down, making the senior guys mad. Jihoon even disregarded any hierarchy and charged ahead, so they couldn’t get back at him. They realized this and started bullying him even harder. But these days, it’s quiet. They can’t provoke him like before.”

Kang Youngsoo shared this with me, appearing to be somewhat relieved. I recalled a post Jihoon had shared on his timeline yesterday. In a group photo apparently uploaded by one of Jihoon’s classmates, his face looked clear and pristine. There were no signs of the injuries that Youngsoo seemed to dread bringing up. I had also heard that Jihoon’s father visited him last week. Youngsoo and I never told Jihoon why we had to pretend that visitations were off-limits to us. It was a feeling we shared without needing to express.

My phone vibrated. An additional notification appeared at the top of the screen.

[Facebk]

Lee Jihoon mentioned you in a post.

Without even clicking the notification, I scrolled down as if refreshing the page. There was now a new comment that hadn’t been there just moments ago.

Lee Jihoon @Kang Youngsoo I don’t know if you’re trying to help, but it’s embarrassing.

Lee Jihoon @Ji Seon-uk Didn’t my brother tell you to look after Kang Youngsoo properly?

Next to the comment was written “34 seconds ago.” It meant that Jihoon had just posted it 34 seconds earlier. It felt strange that I was online at the same time as Jihoon. Though he had been slow to reply up until now, he was now casually interacting on social media or messaging in our group chat at unusual hours.

Should I seize the opportunity and chat with him a little more? Thoughts swirled as I debated.

After some deliberation, I found no suitable response to comment. I ultimately pressed the like button beside his comment. Since he was finally playing around on social media, I felt I should leave some sign that I was there. Then I felt a bit more at ease.

To celebrate the end of the midterms, a drinking gathering was organized. Since everyone lived in the dorms, you needed a significant excuse not to attend such group meetings. We couldn’t refuse when everyone was so eager to gather, even giving up on weekend outings. Hyun-jun, who barely spent time outside his room, decided to join us. I sighed, but instead of holding back, I stood up.

The spacious meat restaurant near the school was packed with first-year police academy students. The class president even insisted that we shouldn’t sit together with just close friends, but in truth, most people were familiar enough from training or classes that there was no awkwardness.

“Should I grill it?”

“No, I’m good.”

I shook my head at a classmate sitting across from me as I adjusted my tongs. It had only been an hour since we entered, but the intoxicated classmates were yelling and raising their voices all around us. Just earlier, at the adjacent table, someone had spilled soda on the grill, causing the student worker to frown with dismay. It was better if someone with a clear head did the grilling—I was that someone at this table.

“Did we tag everyone right? Let’s double-check before posting.”

“90… 98…”

“Honestly, how can we tag every single one of 100 people? Just post it. We can add anyone we missed later.”

Girls from the table next to us were huddled together, discussing uploading the group photo they had just taken to social media. Turning away from watching them as they gazed intently at their screens, I caught sight of Hyun-jun making his way over, likely wanting to change seats. Our eyes met for a moment, and he looked surprised.

“Oh, Seon-uk! Looks like you’ve had a drink today?”

Feeling the gaze scanning my flushed cheeks, I held up my hands. The back of my hand, touching my cheek, didn’t feel hot. It might have been because I just handled hot tongs. Amidst the chaos of spills and students passing out, I couldn’t exactly consider myself drunk while I was grilling the meat. Yet, I wondered if others found otherwise. Seeing me awkwardly drop my hands, Hyun-jun chuckled.

“Don’t worry. You’ll only see it if you look closely. Is there an empty seat next to you?”

He gestured towards the empty seat beside me. After a moment’s contemplation, I nodded. I recalled that a classmate had stepped away to talk with her boyfriend.

“Is it Kang Ji-min’s seat?”

“Yeah.”

“Too bad. Well, see you later. We’ll just circulate around the drinking table.”

Leaving that indifferent answer, as he moved toward a different table, Hyun-jun suddenly stopped. He then leaned into the group of girls at the adjacent table, playfully engaging with them.

“Hey, hey? Where are Jung-yoon and Sang-jun?”

“Ah… right? Wow, how did you know? Amazing.”

As he winked at three girls who looked at him with awe, Hyun-jun shifted to another direction. Watching him naturally join the conversation with the back table, I turned my attention back.

“Are you rooming with Hyun-jun?”

Just as I felt someone’s presence, Ji-min had returned to her spot. We had paired up often during martial arts training, so she was one of the more comfortable people around here. Her expression mirrored mine as we both looked towards Hyun-jun’s back. Ji-min quickly turned to face me with an inquisitive look.

“Does he have a girlfriend?”

The sudden question caught me off guard. Above all, it was common knowledge that Hyun-jun didn’t have a girlfriend in our class. The few classmates who had confessed to him ending up in awkward situations was practically an open secret. The way he acted normally and made friendly conversation while blatantly rejecting those confessions perhaps only fueled the curiosity.

I wondered if she was asking out of genuine interest, but Ji-min had just stepped away to talk to her boyfriend earlier. I had heard a lot about her same-age boyfriend studying in college in Seoul. I didn’t sense any anxiety in her gaze.

After a moment of consideration, I shook my head. Just last weekend, it flashed through my mind how he left his room early to go on a meeting, but I felt it unnecessary to share that.

“I haven’t really heard anything.”

“I see?”

Ji-min tilted her head and glanced around. Only after confirming there was no one focusing on us did she lower her voice.

“Actually, I went on a date with my boyfriend in Sinchon last weekend. I saw a couple walking arm in arm, and the guy really looked like Hyun-jun. At first, I thought it might just be coincidence, but then I thought, if it were a meeting or blind date, would they stroll like that? It kind of felt like they were very close. That didn’t feel like the first meeting vibes…”

Ji-min drifted off, lost in thought. Her eyes returned to Hyun-jun’s back again, her brow slightly furrowing as if trying to recall something. Upon noticing my expression, she awkwardly laughed. It seemed she was trying to keep the atmosphere light.

“If you don’t know, it probably means there isn’t one. I must have misseen things.”

“What was he wearing?”

“Huh? That day?”

“Yeah.”

“It was probably a black short-sleeve shirt. Honestly, I got confused because it’s such a common outfit.”

Ji-min glanced at me, shaking her head dismissively.

“It probably isn’t anything. Sorry for asking about that. Oh, but it looks like they’re draining faster than I expected—how are we going to carry this back to the dorm?”

Changing the subject, Ji-min seemed unbothered about delving deeper into this issue. Hyun-jun was quite popular in our department. He got along with everyone, and even professors openly favored him. Probably the reason why there weren’t many rumors surrounding him despite his active involvement. Such a topic wasn’t safe to discuss without any facts at hand, as digging into it could only lead to speculation that wouldn’t match Hyun-jun’s actual reputation.

I turned my gaze back down, averting my eyes from Hyun-jun’s back, carefully trying to erase the memory of his black shirt I’d seen days ago through the laundry net.

* * *

“… I’m sorry.”

Even though we were familiar enough to talk easily at the same table, it was an obvious mismatch that I didn’t extend that familiarity to this moment outside, so perhaps I should’ve turned her down instead. I could feel her fair face flush bright red as she stumbled forward, and I just thought she needed someone to accompany her to the convenience store.

The girl who couldn’t lift her eyes while confessing reacted a beat late.

“Ah…”

With a bashful expression, she blinked rapidly, clenching a melting ice pop she hadn’t dared to touch. I had even unwrapped it for her, as she had just been fiddling with it until we stepped out of the convenience store. The icy exterior of the treat had visibly begun to melt in her hand. As she fiddled with the item that likely wouldn’t ever reach her mouth, she asked in a small voice.

“Do you… do you have someone you like?”

By now, I should have gotten used to such questions, but every time I heard them, I instantly grew mute. Realizing that I had never been able to voice my own feelings made the moment heavy. No matter what, thinking of only Lee Jihoon while this girl had just summoned the courage to confess to me made me feel guilty. I looked down similarly to her and answered softly.

“… Yeah.”

I hoped this answer would erase at least a fraction of her lingering feelings.

“I see…”

The girl paused before looking back up. Fortunately, against my worries, she wasn’t crying.

“It’s not someone from our school, right?”

Was this question because she didn’t want to see me with someone else? I nodded, meeting the gaze that clearly carried desperation.

“No, it’s not.”

Mi-yeon nodded and stood up first. “I’ll head in first. You come in later.” Remembering her soft request as she left, I lingered a bit longer. The underground parking lot of the piloti-style building, just two blocks from the meat restaurant, was dark and quiet.

Only after some time passed did I finally move. Passing by the wall right next to the meat store, I unexpectedly stopped.

“Hey? Seon-uk!”

At nearly the same time, Hyun-jun spotted me and smiled. Unusually, he was alone. As he raised his hand in greeting, I noticed his disheveled hair and flushed cheeks releasing smoky air into the air. He usually carried himself with poise, but perhaps due to the alcohol, he seemed relaxed. Seeing me, he put on a goofy smile, similar to how he greeted the girls.

“Want to smoke together?”

Fully knowing I didn’t smoke, he offered the pack. I hesitated to refuse as usual but eventually stepped inside the wall for no specific reason. I figured that if I came in late, Mi-yeon would be better off, and there was something I wanted to ask Hyun-jun.

“Here.”

As I took a cigarette from the pack he presented, the moment I held it between my fingers, Hyun-jun retrieved a lighter. He might have known that I don’t smoke, but he likely didn’t realize I had never tried it before.

Facing this moment in front of me, I hesitated but then thought about what harm it would do. I hadn’t pledged not to smoke for any grand reason; I just felt no need to smoke in the first place. Mimicking the smokers I’d seen on the street, I lightly pinched the cigarette with my lips and brought the lighter to its tip. It wouldn’t produce a flame easily, contrary to expectations. I noticed Hyun-jun glance at me as he exhaled smoke into the air. I could have asked for help, but I didn’t want to. I pressed more firmly against the lighter’s flint. When it finally ignited, I brought it close to my face.

The moment I inhaled, an unfamiliar acrid sensation enveloped my nostrils. For a brief moment, I felt the unfamiliar air rushing in through my nose and mouth before I exhaled it all in one go. The white smoke that flowed between my lips was reminiscent of Hyun-jun’s expelling into the air. I felt like I had done it with less difficulty than expected. However, the cigarette he smoked was stronger than I had anticipated. Still, it was tolerable.

After exhaling a couple more puffs, I turned my head. That’s when I remembered the question I wanted to ask him. Squatting with the cigarette in his mouth, Hyun-jun was staring down at his phone, his finger busily scrolling. I caught a glimpse of a familiar social media logo on the screen. His phone buzzed with new notifications even as his hand was busy.

As I stood there, I removed the cigarette from my mouth to ask.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

His hand froze in place. Hyun-jun tilted his head back completely, staring at me blankly. I shifted my attention away from his gaze to the burning cigarette. Hyun-jun lowered his head again. Lightly and casually, he finally replied.

“Plenty? There are thirty girls just in our department.”

Among first-year police academy students, there were a total of thirty female students. Hyun-jun equating ‘girlfriend’ with ‘female friend’ in his reply was not what I had expected. I wondered if I would get a proper response if I asked again, or would it just slip away like a slippery fish?

In my pondering, Hyun-jun’s fingers moved again. The guy who had been busy looking down at his phone suddenly called my name.

“Seon-uk. You know, from living with you, I feel like you’re the kind of guy girls would really like.”

“…”

“If I had a little sister, I’d definitely introduce you to her, but I’m sad to say that I don’t have one.”

As he muttered regretfully, Hyun-jun exhaled the remainder of his cigarette. Just as I met his gaze, my phone buzzed from the pocket I had been holding it. It was the first time my phone rang since I stepped into the alley.

I pulled out my phone, and the moment I checked the screen, my unbitten cigarette fell limply to the ground. In a moment of shock, I crushed the fallen cigarette stub under my shoe trying to conceal my surprise. Even in that moment, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen.

[Lee Jihoon]

010-xxxx-xxxx

I first questioned whether I was imagining things due to the alcohol, but upon checking again, the number displayed was truly Jihoon’s. I had briefly talked to him when his father called while visiting, but this was the first time Jihoon had reached out to me so eagerly since college started.

Had it not been amidst a conversation with Hyun-jun, I would have picked up instantly. Truthfully, even as I hesitated, I felt anxious that the call might end before I could answer. Perhaps sensing my unease, Hyun-jun threw a curious glance at the phone I held.

“Is it a call? You should answer it.”

“Ah…”

After a moment’s hesitation, I realized I shouldn’t be picky about timing. A conversation with Hyun-jun, one I could have anytime, could not compare to a call with Jihoon.