episode_0020

Outside the main building, on-campus canteen.

The place Ham Ji-eun brought me was the school cafeteria.

Maybe it’s because it’s still early in the semester, but there’s no one else except the cafeteria lady, and everyone is too busy getting to know each other, so they won’t come, so as Ham Ji-eun said, it would be a perfect place for just the two of us to talk.

‘… … But, what on earth did you come here to talk about?’

If it had been nothing special, we could have just talked about it in an appropriate place.

“Hmm… .”

I’m not sure, but I guess Ham Ji-eun is doing this because she has her own thoughts, right?

As I sat on the bench and bruised myself, I heard the sound of slippers hitting the floor from behind me.

They say even tigers will come when told to do so, and Ham Ji-eun, who told me to wait here for a moment, came.

When I glance back, I see Ham Ji-eun holding two cans of soft drinks in both hands.

“It’s quiet right now because there’s no one around, right?”

“Yeah, well… . It’s quiet.”

“It’s usually very quiet on days like today. No one comes to the cafeteria because I’m busy talking and getting to know the other kids in my class. But once the kids get used to it, they’ll start getting used to it right away, right? The only thing that is quiet is right now, this moment.”

“… … What you’re saying looks very familiar?”

He must be a first year student like me.

“Hmph… . ruler. Have a drink.”

Ham Ji-eun holds out a can of soda to me.

The advertising text written on the aluminum exterior is, [Feeling cool to the head, Sol’s eyes.]

It was a drink that had a strong menthol-like taste and scent, so I didn’t take it quickly and just stared at it.

Ham Ji-eun must have misunderstood my gaze, tilting her head and shaking the soda can.

“Why? Aren’t you thirsty? Or do you hate snacks?”

“Yeah, I don’t really like snacks.”

“Really? You look like you really like food.”

“Where on earth are you looking…? ?”

“You’re tall, your body is big, and your shoulders are very broad. From my experience, rugged boys like you, Wooju, like it when you give them something to eat.”

‘… … ‘Rumbling?’

I’ve heard somewhere that you look like a model, but this is the first time I’ve heard you say you’re lumpy.

‘Don’t you feel that way because you’re so short?’ I thought about taking it as a bit, but it would be very rude to say something like that to a girl I was almost meeting for the first time.

“Anyway, so you’re not going to drink it?”

“… … .”

It’s given to you as a favor, so why refuse it?

I hid my displeasure as best as I could, took it calmly, then opened the lid and sipped it.

“How are you? How are you? Isn’t it delicious?”

“Yes, it’s delicious… .”

“Hmph, right? This is my favorite drink. Even when I’m on air, I always drink this?”

“… … You drink this every day?”

“Yes, it’s delicious. But people ask me why I only drink this. What on earth tastes so good when you drink something that smells like bathroom air freshener?”

“Uhm, well… . Because everyone has different tastes… ?”

I didn’t know what to say, so I gave a vague answer, and Ham Ji-eun just laughed. Even though it may not have been a story so funny that you would cover your mouth and laugh while drinking your drink.

‘The gag code is unique… .’

I couldn’t stand still so I pretended to sip and laughed along.

Ham Ji-eun continued to grin and took a sip of the drink, wondering what was so good about it. Soon, she took the lid off and emptied half of it in less than a minute.

“Ah, it’s delicious. I don’t know why people hate this delicious food~”

“… … .”

Is there nowhere to throw it away?

As I was just looking for the trash can with my eyes, holding a can that was not even 1/3 full, Ji-eun Ham tapped me on the shoulder.

“Uh, have you finished drinking already? Should I buy you another can?”

“… … no it’s okay. I’ll just accept your heart.”

Even though it’s free, drinking one more can of this drink is a bit… … .

He seemed like he would buy me another can if we continued talking about this, so I quickly changed the subject.

“But is your personality like that?”

“Huh? Is your personality like that?”

“You were very talkative in front of the kids, but when you came to me, you became hesitant. But I think I’m good at talking now.”

Should I say that his attitude towards me is inconsistent?

It doesn’t seem like he’s doing this on purpose, but his personality goes back and forth from extreme to extreme, so I’m curious for no reason.

“Is there any special reason?”

“Um, that’s… .”

Ham Ji-eun somewhat gathers her shoulders in response to my question.

Ham Ji-eun was fiddling with the soda can in her hand, glanced at my face and muttered.

“Actually, I’m a bit shy in front of good-looking kids… … .”

“… … .”

If that means being shy, then how much friendliness does someone who can be called outgoing have to have?

I was momentarily dumbfounded by Ham Ji-eun’s answer, but I couldn’t say anything when she said she was like that. Actually, it’s a bit difficult to say anything.

If I agree, I’ll be saying with my mouth that I’m handsome, and if I deny it, I’ll be lying.

“Well, from what I saw earlier, it seemed like the girls were very interested in you.”

In the end, what I chose was to change the topic of conversation once more.

I sighed lightly and looked at Ham Ji-eun.

“Are you okay with me staying like this without talking to them?”

“Ah, yes. Because I can talk to girls later.”

“You can talk, but isn’t this the only chance to become friends? Normally, after self-introductions, we get to know each other during the first break.”

“It’s okay. I am confident that I can become friends with other kids at any time.”

“Wow, look at your confidence… .”

Without realizing it, the way I spoke to my friends came out. But Ham Ji-eun didn’t seem to care, just smiled and sipped her drink.

“Where did you go to middle school?”

“Jungang Middle School. you? Oh, did you say you went to Seoul Middle School?”

“That’s right, it’s in the building right next door… … . Well, you know what? Seoul Middle School and Seoul High School share a cafeteria. So, if you come to the cafeteria during lunch time, there will be a lot of babies.”

“Babies?”

“Yes, babies. Middle school students.”

“Ah, middle school students. But why do you call them babies?”

“We’re in high school now, so middle school students are like babies, right?”

“… … .”

Unless there is a difference between the first year of middle school and the third year of high school, in my opinion, it is the same for middle school or high school students. Ji-eun Ham thinks so, but on the other hand, she puffs out her chest and speaks proudly.

‘If he goes out somewhere, he’ll think he’s a middle school student… .’

Wouldn’t it be rude to say that? We haven’t become friends yet and this is the second time we’ve seen each other.

I buried the words in my heart and slowly got to the point. It’s not that it’s not, but I glance at the time and see that first period starts in 8 minutes. I wasted too much time chatting about nothing.

“So, why did you insist on seeing me separately like this?”

“Ah, the reason… ?”

Ham Ji-eun’s face turned slightly red.

She took a deep breath for a moment, then opened her mouth with some hesitation.

“Well, do you remember what I just said? That I am broadcasting.”

“I remember. Why is that?”

“Well, I’m also doing Labang on Instagram these days, right? The topic is an advertisement for cosmetics introduced or sponsored. These days, I like things like this, I’m writing things like this. … … But this time, an advertisement for men’s cosmetics came in? But by the way, I am a woman. Then you can’t use men’s cosmetics, right? Of course, you can use it if you want to use it, but you won’t feel like men are using it.”

“That’s right… ?”

“Well, so… ! I need a model to actually use men’s cosmetics, and out of all the male friends I know, there isn’t a single one who would do something like this. There really isn’t a single one.”

“Huh? Isn’t it Kim Seung-woo? I heard you two have been friends for 9 years.”

“… … He never does this. He doesn’t want his face sold.”

“Ah.”

“Anyway, back again… . I need a good-looking boy to model for men’s cosmetics, so I was thinking about it… . Just then, I met you, Joo Woo Joo… ?”

Ham Ji-eun looks at me, muttering in the tone of reading a Korean language book.

After hearing roughly what happened, I realized why Ham Ji-eun had called me to a place with few people.

It was a long story, but to sum it up briefly, ‘I need a male cosmetics model. Can you do it?’ It’ll be about that much.

“Oh, of course I’m not asking this for free. This has a base salary for advertising, and even after advertising, you also receive incentives per video view or actual purchase? Woowoo, if you become a model, I will give you 10% of this.”

“10 percent?”

How much do you mean by 10%? As I was ignorant of this industry and didn’t know much about it, I reflexively asked back, and Ji-eun Ham showed three right fingers.

“Aha, thirty thousand won?”

Isn’t it a pretty good part-time job for 50,000 won to model cosmetics?

The moment I thought that, Ham Ji-eun shook her head.

“No, 300,000 won.”

“Oh, it’s 300,000 won, not 30,000 won. … … uh? 300,000 won?”

“Yes, thirty. If you become a model, I’ll give you 300,000 won right away, and I’ll also calculate it from the separate incentives later. So, if you don’t do well, you can get 50 won, or if you do well, you can get even a million won?”

“… … .”

500,000 won.

No, one million won… … ?

‘… … ‘What is this, organ trafficking?’

It was an offer that was so appealing that I had my doubts at first.

That’s right, it’s only 300,000 won to appear on a personal broadcast and become a cosmetics model. Or can you earn more?

This is to the point where it would be foolish not to say this in layman’s terms.

“Aren’t you trying to make me do something strange?”

“Huh? No, no, you just have to appear on TV with me and model cosmetics. I don’t order anything else.”

“Really? Are you sure? I’m rather suspicious because the conditions are so good… .”

“It’s not a lie, it’s true, I put my YouTube channel on the line. And since this is a formal contract with a written contract, there is no need to doubt. If there is a problem, you can legally risk it.”

“… … Really?”

When I heard that they would even write a contract, my doubts eased a little.

However, because the offer seemed too sweet to me, I still felt an uneasy feeling.

If we had known each other for a long time or if I had only a small amount of money, I would have agreed to do it without any doubts, but today is the second time Ham Ji-an and I have met, and I think it is because our gang is so strong.

“… … .”

I sipped my drink and looked at Ham Ji-eun.

“I don’t like poetry… ?”

Ham Ji-eun, she is short, and she is looking at me as she rubs the drink can that she has finished drinking.

I was holding a half-empty can of soda in my hand.

“It’s a bit difficult to answer right now, but can you think about it and then tell me?”

It was put on hold for now.

It was a bit suspicious to cover it up and accept it, and to refuse it was because it was too much money for me.

300,000 won plus alpha is more than the two-month allowance I used to receive.

When I give an ambiguous answer, Ham Ji-eun’s face brightens.

“… … Oh, do you want to? Okay, okay. Then think about it and tell me!”

“Yes, I will. So now I… .”

“Oh, wait… !”

When I finished speaking and was about to get up, Ham Ji-eun jumped up before me.

“It’s a bit too much to talk about this in front of other people, so why don’t you send me an Instagram DM for the answer… ?”

“I don’t use Instagram.”

“Oh, I see… . For some reason, no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find an account… … .”

Ham Ji-eun muttered to herself and took something out of her pocket.

It was her cell phone, encased in a cute silicone case.

“Well, then can you answer via chat? If you enter your number here, I will send it to you… !”

“Oh, really? Give me your phone, I’ll take a picture.”

Exchanging numbers is a common thing that classmates do, and there was no reason to refuse since it was an offer to work as a model.

I wrote down my number on Ham Ji-eun’s cell phone and returned it to her.

“Okay, that’s it. This is my number.”

“Ah, thank you… .”

‘What are you thankful for? … ?’

Are you thankful that I am thinking about something that your childhood friend rejected?

I didn’t quite understand, but I smiled and nodded anyway. Thinking about a proposal means thinking about it, and apart from that, Ham Ji-eun is a classmate. There’s no harm in making a good impression right now.

“Yes, thank you too. I will seriously think about your suggestion and give you an answer.”

“… … Yes! I’ll be waiting!”

* * *

“Hey, the universe.”

“Huh? Why.”

“What did you talk about when you went out with Ham Ji-eun earlier?”

Lunch time after 4th period. Nam Jae-hyeon, a friend of 10 years who went up with me from middle school to high school, sat down in the empty seat in front of me and asked me a casual question.

I was trying to answer that question, but then I said, ‘Nothing has been decided yet, so let’s keep it a secret from the other kids until it’s clear. I remembered Ham Ji-eun’s words, ‘Okay?’ and decided to just gloss over it.

“Just what… . We didn’t say much. Why?”

“I don’t think we said much.”

“… … Why do you think that?”

“Why? He keeps looking at you. Throughout 4th period.”

“… … .”

What, did that really happen?

Jaehyun said that, but I had no way of knowing.

Class 2 hasn’t rearranged their seats yet, because according to the attendance number, I’m sitting far ahead of Ham Ji-eun. Unless I turn my head 180 degrees, I don’t even know who is looking at me.

“Hey, are you… .”

“Perhaps something.”

“By any chance, something happened with Jae, right?”

“What’s going on? What’s going on? How long did you go out? It wasn’t even 10 minutes.”

“10 minutes is enough to do anything. Why is there a saying that you fall in love at first sight?”

“… … Oh, what can I say? Don’t say anything weird and go eat something.”

“Ugh, look at the way the universe is turning this around. This makes it even more suspicious?”

‘Tell me honestly, what happened? uh? I stood up, ignoring Jaehyun’s interrogation, saying, “I was there, I was there.”

Then, murmur──!

Coincidentally, the back door of our class opened, and I saw the face of a female student whose face I had not seen all day except for school this morning.

“──Ah, Uju~chan!”

The girl’s name is Aki Fujiwara.

This is my childhood friend, with light pink hair that suits her well.

“Hey, who is he? Was there a kid like that in class 2?”

“What, what did you just say?”

“I think you said something about Woojujjang… ”

“Why is your hair that color? Are you a foreigner?”

“Ah, isn’t that him? That, a mixed-race girl in class 1. Fujiwara Aki!”

“Huh? Fujiwara Aki? Is that his name?”

Fujiwara Aki, who immediately caught the attention of all the students in Class 2 just by appearing, didn’t look anywhere else and walked straight towards where I was sitting.

I didn’t express it, but I was happy on the inside, so I jumped up, waited for Aki to come completely towards me, and then smiled.

“Uju~chan, Uju~chan! Did you have a good weekend~?”

“Yes, I had a good time. But didn’t we talk about that in the morning too?”

“Oh, that’s right? I guess I was so happy to see Uju~chan that I forgot!”

“Oh, really? That’s possible.”

If that’s the case with Aki, then that’s probably it. When I laughed and agreed, Aki also looked at me and smiled.

“True, Aki. How was your school class?”

“Yes, I liked the teachers because they were all fun people. Oh, and the kids in my class are nice too. Everyone is friendly and fun. How was Uju~chan? Aren’t you bored without Atashi (me)? Yeah, yeah~?”

“Ah, no. I was the same. The kids are all nice, fun, and communicate well. So it was fun… .”

The moment I was about to say, “Uh,”

Aki started looking at someone over my shoulder.

That someone is none other than Ham Ji-eun.

Ham Ji-eun stood at an ambiguous point, neither approaching nor not approaching me, and making eye contact with Aki.

“… … .”

“… … .”

The two women’s eyes met for about three seconds.

At that moment, a strange atmosphere flowed through the classroom.

“… … .”

“… … .”

What should I say?

I can’t explain it well in words, but it’s like… … .

“… … Uju~chan?”

Aki took a step towards me.

Then.

“──Page.”

Suddenly, Aki kisses my right cheek.

“… … Huh?”

“Ugh… ? What just happened?”

“Wow, wait a minute. What did I just see?”

“Didn’t you just kiss me?”

“What, what’s going on? Who kissed you?”

Embarrassed, my whole body stiffened and my classmates were shocked.

“… … ?!”

And Ham Ji-eun, who was standing a little away, was shocked.

“… … Wow.”

Aki, who caused this whole situation, just smiles with no meaning.

No, he smiled as if to say, ‘I won.’

“Ah, Aki… ?”

What is this all of a sudden?

I should have asked that, but the person was so embarrassed that the words didn’t come out properly.

Aki took advantage of my panic and shouted loudly as if to make everyone listen carefully.

“Wooju~chan, I have to go have lunch with my friends, so I’ll just leave. Let’s finish the rest after school! Got it?”

“… … .”

What are you talking about doing after school? What on earth did we do?

“No, Aki! you… .”

“See you later, Uju~chan!”

I had to refute that, but there was no point in saying anything. After leaving only those words, Aki stuck out his tongue cutely and ran away through the open back door.

“… … Hey, the universe.”

Someone grabbed my shoulder.

When I turned around without thinking, my friends were standing there looking at me with eyes that said, ‘Jooju, I will definitely kill you today.’

“Please explain what on earth I just saw.”

“… … No, this is.”

“Fuck, you said you’re not dating him.”

“… … .”

“Hey, hold on to this bastard’s arms and legs──!”

“… … Ah.”

Aki.

We’ll see later… … .