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Join the Server“Gi-hyeon!”
I turned my head towards the sound. A familiar face in the dormitory hallway waved at us, approaching. It was another club member.
“I sent you a message yesterday. Didn’t you see it?”
“Oh, I did, but it was so late that I couldn’t reply right away.”
“Late? What time did you see it? You usually sleep in the early morning.”
“I went to bed early yesterday.”
From what I recalled, Seo Gi-hyeon had fallen asleep around 1 AM yesterday. However, since he had lain down at 10 PM, his statement wasn’t entirely false. He had tossed and turned for nearly three hours before finally drifting off.
The reason Seo Gi-hyeon was such a heavy sleeper in the mornings wasn’t just due to his naturally deep sleep; it was also because he stayed up late. After dinner, showering, and completing all his daily tasks, he would invariably lie in bed and spend hours on his phone. He might play games, browse the internet, or chat with someone.
Yet, yesterday, as soon as 10 PM arrived, Seo Gi-hyeon put down his phone and turned off the lights. A vibration sounded a few times, but he didn’t even glance at it. He seemed to have done it deliberately to try and fall asleep.
Despite his efforts, he still tossed and turned until his usual bedtime before finally drifting off. As someone who typically went to bed early, I, too, couldn’t sleep, simply because Seo Gi-hyeon had added yet another strange behavior to his repertoire.
Seo Gi-hyeon going to bed at 10 PM was, to say the least, peculiar.
“Since Jeong-woo is here too, I might as well ask directly. Jeong-woo, you know almost everyone in our club, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then isn’t it about time you joined? You probably know more people than I do.”
Though I wanted to say no, his words weren’t entirely wrong. It was Seo Gi-hyeon who had joined, yet it was astounding that I knew most of the club members as well.
“Gi-hyeon is here too, so come with us.”
“My classes are a bit tough this semester. But I’ll think about it.”
“Alright. Keep thinking about it, okay?”
“Yes.”
I was accustomed to these kinds of offers, so refusing them had become second nature. I smiled as I declined what felt like the tenth or twelfth invitation, thinking that was the end of it.
“Ah. And next weekend, can you make it then? I told Gi-hyeon to talk to you, so what did you decide?”
What was he talking about?
I glanced sideways, and Seo Gi-hyeon, as if he had been waiting, stepped forward and spoke.
“Actually, hyung. About that…”
What followed, of course, was their private conversation. Seo Gi-hyeon took the other person’s arm and moved to another spot, somewhere I couldn’t hear them.
I started to follow, intending to ask what was happening, but then stopped. He wasn’t usually one to be so evasive, yet it was obvious he was avoiding my gaze as they moved. Somehow, I had a vague idea of what they were discussing. The person who had spoken with Seo Gi-hyeon wore a disappointed expression.
When Seo Gi-hyeon returned, I asked him, “What was that about?”
“What do you mean? Club talk.”
“I know that, but what’s this about next week?”
“We meet every week. It’s just an invitation for you to come once.”
“Why go somewhere else to talk about that? You could have just said it here.”
“Come on, it’d be awkward for you to keep refusing. I did it for you.”
It struck me as suspicious. This guy, who had never intervened even when countless people bothered me, was suddenly taking my side. This was precisely the moment he would usually be urging me to join with them.
“Really?”
“Of course, really.”
I continued to scrutinize Seo Gi-hyeon’s face with suspicion. If he were lying, it would show, but his tone and expression didn’t give anything away. Having spent the last two days trying to figure out why he was acting so strangely, I now found myself questioning everything.
After all our classes ended, we returned to the dorm together. As soon as we arrived, Seo Gi-hyeon meticulously placed his bag on a chair. Then, just as he had done yesterday, he began tidying up various parts of the room. Since he had already cleaned thoroughly the day before, there didn’t seem to be much left to do today, yet he diligently moved around the not-so-spacious dorm room. It was no exaggeration to say he was searching for things to organize.
Unable to watch any longer, I asked, “Is this still not strange?”
“Huh?”
“Stop that and come here for a moment.”
I called out to Seo Gi-hyeon, who kept trying to avoid the topic.
“What’s gotten into you these past two days?”
“What, cleaning? It’s nice to have a clean room, isn’t it?”
“That, and other things. Why are you doing things you never used to?”
“I’m just… trying to live like a decent human being?”
“Don’t give me vague answers. Tell me properly. Why are you really acting like this?”
A slightly irritable tone slipped out. Such an outburst was rare for me, and Seo Gi-hyeon seemed quite surprised.
“Hmm, is it really that unlike me?”
An awkward smile appeared on his stiff face.
“Regardless of whether it’s like you or not, just tell me why. Does it have something to do with the club?”
“…Huh?”
“I was wondering if you had some kind of request that’s hard to bring up to me.”
This was the most plausible reason I had come up with so far. When I considered it, waking up early to go to the cafeteria, tidying the room, and deliberately trying to sleep early all seemed to be efforts to make a good impression on me. If so, why had he suddenly decided to do this?
Recalling what had happened that morning, the most likely explanation for the current situation was indeed something related to the club.
“A request? What request would I have?”
“To join the club.”
As soon as my words fell, Seo Gi-hyeon’s face crumpled. It was the exact same expression as yesterday, completely identical to when I had asked if he didn’t want the breakfast I offered.
“Absolutely not.”
“Then what is it?”
“I’m just worried you’ll be tired. It’s easier to eat breakfast at the cafeteria, and the person who made the mess should clean the room, shouldn’t they?”
“So why the sudden change? You’ve been capable of doing these things all along, but you never did.”
“…That’s true. I was capable, but I didn’t.”
Seo Gi-hyeon’s expression quickly darkened.
“I’m not scolding you about that—”
“I know. It’s not that. But I have to admit what’s true. I’ve been a bit selfish.”
The conversation suddenly took an unexpected turn.
“I never said anything like that to you.”
“Right. You never said anything like that to me. Im Jeong-woo is too kind to ever say such things.”
“It’s not because I’m kind that I didn’t say anything—”
“No, it’s true. I wasn’t worthy of being a roommate. And I still don’t think I am.”
Seo Gi-hyeon looked utterly dejected. It was a shock. For a guy whose self-esteem usually soared to the heavens to say such things and wear such an expression was truly astounding.
I was flustered by his unexpected reaction, searching for my next words. Before I could compose myself, Seo Gi-hyeon spoke once more.
“Anyway, I’ll do better from now on. I’ll really, truly do better. Just trust me this one time.”
After asking for my understanding, Seo Gi-hyeon immediately entered the bathroom. I was left without a single word to say.
****
“Jeong-woo.”
“Yeah.”
“Is Seo Gi-hyeon dying?”
“No.”
Today marked the third day.
Seo Gi-hyeon had woken up early again, gone to the cafeteria for breakfast in the morning, and returned to the classroom twenty minutes before the first period. I had planned to talk to him about what we hadn’t finished discussing yesterday, but he suddenly claimed he had an errand and went to meet someone.
In the meantime, Park Jun-sung had come to our dorm room, and as soon as he heard my story, his eyes widened.
“No, seriously. Look into it. He must be sick somewhere.”
When I told him Seo Gi-hyeon had cleaned the room, he reacted exactly as I expected: with suspicion rather than admiration. And, of course, he had every right to be.
“But really, why is Seo Gi-hyeon acting like this?”
“I don’t know.”
“If you don’t know, who would? Is something going on?”
“I really don’t know. Whether something is going on or not.”
I barely managed to suppress my irritation. People often say, ‘You won’t know unless they tell you,’ but in our case, it was the opposite. When I asked him why, Seo Gi-hyeon had clearly answered that he didn’t want to make things difficult for me, but hearing his answer only left me more confused.
Park Jun-sung, ever so tactless, added, “Did you say something to him, Jeong-woo?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Think about it carefully.”
I knew he hadn’t meant anything by it, yet it subtly annoyed me.
“What would I say?”
“Huh?”
“What do you think I would have said?”
I only needed to say I hadn’t, but unwanted words kept spilling out.
“What, like I gave Seo Gi-hyeon a lecture to get his act together?”
“Oh…?”
“Or maybe, ‘Stop bothering me and do things properly’?”
“No, it’s not that—”
“Or perhaps, ‘You’re annoying me, so get out of this room’?”
“…”
The other person’s face turned pale. Sensing that something was wrong, Park Jun-sung remained silent for a long moment before scratching the back of his head.
“I honestly didn’t mean it like that.”
“I figured.”
“It’s just that Seo Gi-hyeon isn’t usually like this. Seeing him suddenly act this way, I just thought it might be related to you… But I admit I was tactless. I’m sorry.”
Park Jun-sung offered a genuinely serious apology. Anyone could see that I was the one overreacting, but receiving his apology only made my feelings more complicated. In truth, his guess about it being related to me was correct.
“It’s fine. I didn’t say it to get an apology. I didn’t need to say that much either.”
I patted his slumped shoulder, and Park Jun-sung lifted his head. Our eyes met, and only then did his expression return to one of relief. Soon after, a joke emerged from his lips to lighten the awkward atmosphere.
“Still the prickly Im Jeong-woo. You’re terrifying.”
“I became like this from worrying too much.”
“I don’t think you’re the kindest person in the world.”
“Did your opinion change again so quickly?”
“Of course. You’re all an act after all. What’s so kind about you? A kind guy with such a temper.”
Since his words weren’t wrong, I just laughed. Thankfully, the atmosphere returned to normal.
“I should tell Seo Gi-hyeon too. That ‘Jeong-woo is a kind guy’ is canceled.”
“When did you ever tell Gi-hyeon that?”
“Of course, I did. I praise you when you’re not around too.”
The fact that the only person he praised me to was Seo Gi-hyeon was absurd. I wanted to say something, but I decided to let Park Jun-sung continue for a moment, as he was speaking of something not particularly praiseworthy with such pride.
“A few days ago, on the day we talked, after you fell asleep, Seo Gi-hyeon came to our room to get a board game.”
“The day Gi-jae didn’t come?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Jang Gi-jae, who was supposed to bring the board game at Park Jun-sung’s request, hadn’t come to the room because he was with his girlfriend late. At the time, I hadn’t thought much of it, but I suddenly remembered Seo Gi-hyeon saying he would have to go get it himself later when he found out.
“That day, I told him how amazing it was that you shared a room with Seo Gi-hyeon. I told him you were a really kind guy.”
“And what else did you say?”
“And what else?”
I asked with a sudden sense of unease. Surely not, I thought.
“Did you also mention that I jokingly suggested we switch rooms?”
Park Jun-sung replied with a bright expression, “Yeah.”
Seo Gi-hyeon had started acting strangely the very next day. Everything fit.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Not Me, The Fans is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Not Me, The Fans
