episode_0055

I had a golden holiday granted by the boss under the pretext of exam period.

The midterms must have been a disaster, but with only a few days left until finals, I ignited my study motivation fiercely to do well.

“I’m a genius! I can do this!”

I attributed my previous poor grades to my laziness in studying.

Thinking that sticking to studying without straying would yield good results, I began cramming.

“Let’s learn about the design process of the Four-Way Dam. Now, what should be prioritized when installing something? That’s right, terrain survey and…”

Even vampires, who usually possess boundless energy at night, succumbed to the bewitching voice that put me to sleep on the floor, closing my laptop.

“I’m like a useless mushroom… I can’t do anything…”

Until I got permission from the boss to take a break, I thought I could easily handle at least two subjects.

Unlike during midterms, I thought it would be easier to study by taking occasional light notes during lecture hours.

But why am I struggling with a part that doesn’t even cover half of half now?

“…It would be nice if reading textbooks felt as smooth as reading novels.”

A thought I had while preparing for midterms.

Taking a brief break and enjoying some rest, I logged into a novel site.

The first thing that caught my eye was a banner for the “New Work Challenge” event.

Are there quite a few decent new works this time?

Curious, I leisurely browsed through the novels in the ‘Free’ and ‘New Works’ tabs.

“Oh, there seem to be quite a few good ones this time? But what’s this ? Why is it number one?”

In a web novel realm filled with provocative titles and themes, this name seemed too ordinary.

However, it piqued my interest, and I slowly began reading the first episode.

“As good as I expected.”

An opening reminiscent of a novel where a new race capable of single-handedly tearing apart hundreds of humans might appear.

Forgetting the fact that I should be studying, I devoured the novel as if entranced.

As a result…

“Why has an hour already passed…?”

I had wasted a precious hour completely absorbed in the novel.

…This is bad.

Trying to read lecture materials after enjoying an interesting novel proved futile.

Despite needing to focus on studying, the desire to read the next chapter kept growing, leading me to reopen the novel site.

“There are about ten chapters left… Alright, let’s just read up to that and then study.”

Honestly, how could I resist not reading further after Armored King Sejong fired a beam pulse at Japan?

Swiftly devouring all ten chapters.

With no more regrets, I resolved to concentrate on studying, but…

Perhaps due to the captivating novel, the previously dull recorded lectures felt even more uninteresting.

“…I shouldn’t have looked at it.”

Regretting belatedly was of no use.

Enduring the fatigue from the monotonous voice, I stubbornly continued studying.

“Sigh…”

Struggling against boredom and exhaustion, I studied for about two hours.

Thinking it was time for a short break, I checked how far I had progressed in my studies.

Realizing my lackluster progress compared to my poured-out enthusiasm, I slumped to the floor, exuding a sense of defeat.

“I should have just gone to work.” If I knew the outcome of cramming would be this pitiful, I should have just gone to the office to earn some money.

Sighing, I pondered whether to order delivery food when the sound of the door lock and footsteps entering the house interrupted my thoughts.

“Who could it be? It’s almost midnight; it can’t be Jaehyuk, right?”

Prepared for any unexpected situation, I held my textbook as I stepped out of the room, relieved to find that it was Jaehyuk who had entered my studio apartment, not an unwelcome guest.

“You’re back early. Did something happen at work?”

“No, the boss said there was some urgent matter, so he asked us to leave early. Seemed like something important.”

“Really? Maybe he just wanted a different holiday…”

As I sighed in relief and placed my textbook back in its original spot, the guy who had brought pizza for our late-night snack started setting it on the table.

Looking at the quite appetizing potato pizza, he gestured for me to sit down and asked, “Drink? Or soda?”

“Soda. Planning to study after eating pizza.”

“Working hard, huh? But are you sure cramming will work out? Your complexion doesn’t look too good for it.”

“It won’t work if I don’t try. Ugh… Feels like final exams are going to be tough.”

Engineering problems were piled up everywhere.

And forestry with only descriptive questions.

Lastly, the general education subject where you had to describe everything you knew, including conflicts or whatever.

Other subjects were manageable through Chat GPT and notes, but those three were the challenge.

Shortcuts didn’t work at all. That’s why I failed miserably in the midterms.

“Why isn’t ‘being smart’ listed as an advantage among vampire traits?”

If you have so many weaknesses, shouldn’t you get some advantage like that?

Why is it just about being strong or charming others?

Lost in melancholy, I slumped over, and he opened his mouth while sprinkling cheese on the pizza.

“Isn’t it okay not to do well on the test? Weren’t you planning to work as a bartender for life anyway?”

“Just in case, and it’s better to do well than not. Finally…”

I pointed confidently at the narrow rice container on the table.

“Forgot? You threatened last time that if you fail, we’ll have a wild rice party in the studio.”

“That was a joke.”

“A joke is only a joke if the person on the receiving end feels it’s a joke. If not, it’s just violence.”

“Sorry.”

With a serious gaze, Jaehyuk readily admitted his mistake.

Judging by how he discreetly took out a silver chopstick from his pocket and tossed it aside, he seemed quite guilty.

He looked sheepish as he sought forgiveness, and since I hadn’t harbored any lingering feelings, I accepted his apology right away.

…Maybe this would make him a bit more upright.

Turning the tables with a narrow rice container or a silver chopstick in unfavorable situations wouldn’t be easy in the future.

The atmosphere settled briefly after the serious conversation.

Seemingly not enjoying the mood, Jaehyuk cleared his throat and playfully asked me a question.

“So, did you study well while I was away?”

“Do you think I did well? Hah, of course… I lost.”

“Haha… Birds of a feather flock together. Jung-hyun and Hye-eun are the same way; they’re terrible at studying.”

“How do you know about them? There wasn’t anything special in the group chat.”

“They came to the cocktail bar today. Seems like they’ve been hitting it off while I wasn’t looking.”

There were signs of them getting closer since the regular meetings, but they seemed to have fallen for each other faster than expected.

No, considering Hye-eun’s impulsive nature, maybe it was actually late?

Lost in thought for a moment, Jaehyuk cautiously asked me as he put down his glass, “Oh, right. Hye-eun asked if you’re free tomorrow evening. What should we do?”

A few days before the final exams, what on earth is he thinking…

“Just suggest we grab a quick meal. He’s asking me to cut back on the time spent reading novels and browsing online communities.”

“Damn it.”

Anyway, isn’t it a problem that my friends know each other so well?

I casually cursed and then left a message saying I’d be free tomorrow evening.

Well, spending about 2 hours refreshing shouldn’t hurt.

Just because I sit in my studio apartment for 2 hours doesn’t guarantee I’ll actually study.

After checking the lively reply,

I once again started studying my major subjects.

Still,

It was unbelievably boring.

—–

“Sigh…”

Enduring an incredibly dull day, I faced yet another boring holiday.

I woke up early to prepare for going out, quickly got ready, and began studying while waiting for the appointment time.

“The day seems unusually long. The weather feels like it’s getting hotter.”

Even past 7 o’clock, the sky remained bright.

Feeling a weight as if I had sandbags all over my body, I let out a sigh.

“Shouldn’t our daily routines be consistent? It’s strange how our body feels different depending on sunrise and sunset, isn’t it?”

As complaints fade, a gradually returning vitality creeps in.

Feeling the weight pressing on my body dissipating, I set out from my studio apartment with Jaehyuk.

“Phew, I should probably bring out the fan soon. It’s surprisingly hot for nighttime.”

“Yeah… the weather is really odd. It wasn’t this hot at night until yesterday.”

Stepping outside, we were greeted by the scorching hot air.

Regretting wearing long clothes unnecessarily, I couldn’t bear the heat and rolled up my sleeves.

“Ah… maybe it’s harder because my body temperature is low. Want to touch my arm? It feels really cool overall?”

“Where… oh… It does feel cool indeed.”

“Right? It’s almost a shame it’s my own body, right? Sleeping while hugging myself would be so cool in summer…”

Trying to withdraw my arm with regret, the sensation of coolness seemed oddly pleasing, making it hard to let go easily.

Not wanting to wear it out by touching too much and since I had asked him to touch first, I initially planned to watch until he let go, but…

“Hey, are you… touching too much?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry! It’s just… it’s so cool!”

“It’s fine! It could happen! Can you let go of my arm for now?”

“Yeah…”

Continuing to be touched, feeling an inexplicable tingling sensation, I ended up asking him to release me first.

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence settled in momentarily.

I distanced myself slightly from him, mumbled something, and headed back towards our meeting spot.

“We’re running late! Let’s hurry! What will the others say!”

“Uh, yeah…”

Rushing ahead with the excuse of being late, I pondered the source of the intense heat emanating from his face.

Is it due to the scorching heat of midsummer?

Or perhaps.

…Could there be another reason?

As I am now,

I couldn’t possibly know.