Chapter 37 : Sound of Water [Part 2]

[Lee Jian]

What are you doing?

My phone vibrated briefly. I stopped moving the mouse, then looked down at the screen.

A short and simple message.

But as soon as I looked at the screen, I felt a light sense of relaxation.

I moved my fingertips and naturally typed a reply.

[Kim Dohyun]

Editing photos.

That was it, just those two words.

A conversation that didn’t continue. But strangely, it didn’t feel awkward.

I stared at the screen for a moment, then unconsciously curved the corners of my mouth.

Even after the conversation ended, there was a subtle warmth left in my hand holding the phone.

I quietly took a breath and returned to the laptop screen.

My fingers lightly pressed the mouse.

Click.

The flow of mana seemed a little more playful. Probably just a simple feeling.

The photo on the laptop screen was one I had taken in front of a store.

In the picture, the air was flowing out from behind the half-open store door.

The summer air.

The sensation of the hot air outside mixing with the cool air inside the store was captured in the photo.

When standing by the door, the cool wind lightly brushed against my cheek.

I moved the mouse to refine the flow of air.

Click.

I made sure the cool breeze spread naturally.

Not too cold, but enough for that moment’s coolness to be clearly felt.

It wouldn’t disappear easily even as it collided with the hot air.

I adjusted the density of the air you could only feel when standing in front of the store on a summer day.

I focused on the faint scent drifting in the air.

The smell of fruit.

A scent that couldn’t be defined with just one word, but clearly something from summer.

The cool sweetness of fruit juice just taken from the fridge, the faint citrus scent from the melting ice, the lingering gentle sweetness left on the rim of the cup.

I carefully moved my fingertips to refine the texture of the scent.

Click.

Not too strong, but enough to subtly blend into the air.

A fragrance that you would unconsciously inhale even as you passed by.

Not just something fleeting, but something that could linger in memory.

Now, the last one.

I looked at the plastic chair placed in one corner of the photo.

Screech—

The sound of the chair scraping the floor settled into the air of the photo. 

Not too sharp, but a small movement that woke up the space.

I moved the mouse to adjust the depth of the sound.

Click.

At that moment, the air held a light tremor.

On a summer afternoon, the fan slowly turned, and the sweet coolness of the air remained inside the store.

A cool breeze passed by the door, and someone stood up, pulling the chair a little closer.

I stopped my hand and looked at the photo.

An ordinary place, but filled with sensations only found in summer.

The season passes, but each time it returns, it’s always a little different.

Not just an ordinary store, but a store that stays as a summer store.

As my gaze shifted from the laptop screen to the phone’s vibration sound.

[Lee Jian]

I finally finished the practice!!!!!!! 

As soon as I read the sentence, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. 

The messy typo, which seemed hurriedly sent, was almost unreadable, but strangely enough, I understood the meaning right away. 

‘I finally finished the practice.’ 

With all the exclamation marks, it was clear that the message was sent quickly and joyfully, so fast that the fingers couldn’t keep up. 

I slowly moved my fingers and typed a reply. 

[Kim Dohyun] 

→ *There are way too many typos. 

Less than a few seconds later, a reply came right away. 

[Lee Jian]

So tired. 

My hands can’t keep up. 

It was the same again. 

The jumbled consonants and vowels. 

But in a way, it made the message even more vivid. 

By now, she was probably sitting down on the floor, too exhausted to move her fingers. 

But still, she was sending messages like this, meaning there was something she wanted to share, not just the tiredness. 

[Lee Jian]

▶ I’m home! 

I felt my heart skip a beat as I slowly moved my fingers. 

“Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.” 

It was only about a week, but it felt longer. 

Since we always ran into each other at school, that one week seemed long. 

Although it was summer vacation, it had actually become harder to meet up. 

Lee Jian, who was going to school regularly for practice, and I, walking around the neighborhood taking pictures for the competition. 

Even though we were both busy, the messages still kept coming. 

But somehow, it felt like something was missing. 

I held my phone in my hand, staring at the screen for a while. 

….Should I call?

My fingertip hovered over the call button. 

Do I really need to? 

I don’t even have anything to say, right? 

Wouldn’t it be annoying to call and interrupt? 

What if she asks, ‘Why are you calling?’ What should I say? 

All sorts of thoughts rushed into my head. Still, my fingers were already moving. 

“One who is being looked at, spoken to, and accompanied by someone—at that moment, you are definitely ‘existent.’” 

The words suddenly came to mind. 

Click. 

The call button was pressed. 

Beep— 

The phone’s ringing sound filled the room. 

Once. 

Twice. 

Excitement and regret rushed at the same time. 

Why did I call? 

Should I hang up now? 

But the screen already said ‘Calling.’ 

Beep— 

My fingertips slowly grew warm. 

And then. 

“Uh? Dohyun?” 

I gripped the phone tighter. 

“…Why are you calling?” 

A brief silence.

Why did I call? 

Embarrassment flooded in. 

I had nothing to say—so why? 

My fingers unconsciously fiddled with the phone. 

I lightly rubbed the top, turned it to the other side, and then pressed it against my ear, before moving it away again. 

I knew I had to speak, but awkwardly, my lips only moved. 

Then, Lee Jian let out a small laugh and said, 

“Did you know? This is the first time you’ve called me?” 

I fell silent again. 

That statement lingered in my head. Was it really… the first time? 

Looking back, I realized I had always just sent messages. 

If Lee Jian called first, I would answer, but I had never called her first. 

The hand that had been holding the phone shifted slightly behind my ear. 

With my other hand, I picked up a pen from the desk. 

Twisted it, stopped, twisted it again— 

One turn. 

Two turns. 

Then I stopped. 

Was it really… the first time? 

I had never been that conscious of it. 

But that statement kept echoing in my mind. 

I started twisting the pen again. 

Quickly.

From one hand to the other, then back, swaying it between my fingers. 

In that moment, a quiet water sound came through the phone. 

Splash, splash. 

I stopped my hand. 

And the next moment. 

“You really are calling someone for the first time, right?” 

Tap.

The pen slipped from my hand and fell to the floor. 

I instinctively bent down to pick it up, but it had rolled farther than I expected. 

I reached my hand under the desk. 

But— 

My hand, which I was trying to grab the pen with, fumbled awkwardly, and my upper body tilted. 

It felt strange. 

My body creaked like it was rusty. 

My heart was pounding wildly, like the sound of a loud engine. 

It was as if my body had gotten stuck somewhere, rigid and awkward. 

As I reached out, there was a subtle tension in my shoulder. 

“I guess that’s the answer. Did I just take your first time again?” 

I moved my hand again. 

I reached for the pen, but it strangely wouldn’t grip properly. 

My hand tightened, then loosened. 

Finally, I managed to grab the pen with just the tips of my fingers. 

Only then did it feel like my body was moving again. 

At that moment, Lee Jian slowly, with a low and playful tone, spoke up. 

“Why aren’t you answering?” 

Her voice sounded somewhat amused. 

“Did you know? I can hear everything. Did you drop something?” 

I froze for a moment. 

I had forgotten to breathe. 

“Is it the pen?” 

I almost dropped the pen again as it slipped from my fingertips. 

I tried to grab it, but my hand kept fumbling. 

My face was burning with embarrassment. 

I could feel the sweat on my hands making the pen slide.

I reached out again and barely grabbed it, then carefully steadied my voice. 

Even so, my voice came out trembling. 

“By the way, it sounds like water…?” 

I clenched the pen tightly in my hand. 

There was a brief silence. 

Then, in a very nonchalant voice, 

“I’m in the bathtub right now.” 

“_!” 

As I reflexively stood up, Bang! 

My head hit the desk hard. 

Everything in front of me became blurry.

I tried to open my mouth, but I ended up crutching my head with my hands. 

At that moment, 

A short silence passed through the phone. 

Then— 

“…Pfft.” 

A small laugh came through the phone. 

Slowly, playfully, with emphasis, she spoke clearly, almost as if confirming something, as if she were pointing it out. 

“Change.” 

I couldn’t say a word in response. 

The cool air from the air conditioner, the breeze from the fan. 

Yet, the air beneath the desk felt especially hot. 

I couldn’t argue back… 

Because there was still part of me that couldn’t stop imagining her. 

The bathtub, the thick humidity, the falling water droplets. 

And then… 

My nose started bleeding. 

Ah, I felt so pathetic.