Chapter 22: The Silence and the Scent

Several days had passed since that day, yet Yeon-chae remained silent. Considering the daily stream of messages he usually received, it was quite unexpected.

[Yeon-chae, how]

[Yeon-chae, busy]

[Yeon-chae, Christma]

“Hmm…”

Yoonwoo stared intently at the messenger app, lost in thought. He typed and deleted text numerous times, yet no sentence felt quite right.

He wanted to convey a sense of ‘it’s been a while’ without appearing overly concerned by Yeon-chae’s silence. However, he also didn’t want to sound like he was scolding him for not reaching out sooner.

He aimed for a casual, refreshing message that would subtly make Yeon-chae feel a twinge of guilt. To avoid any hint of lingering attachment, these complex feelings needed to be encapsulated in a single, concise sentence. The shorter, the better.

“Ugh…”

For Yoonwoo, who scored 85% in science aptitude tests but, due to poor math grades, was forced to major in business administration, this was an incredibly arduous challenge.

After days of struggling with his phone, the messenger window with Yeon-chae remained stubbornly blank, wide open and empty.

Yoonwoo finally flipped his phone face down and sighed. Once again, he had failed to craft a suitable message.

It seemed Yeon-chae was angry.

Yoonwoo could easily pinpoint the reason. It would be harder *not* to guess, unless one was completely oblivious.

‘Could it be that reason we both know, yet both pretend not to?’ Every time this thought surfaced, butterflies fluttered their wings in his chest, taking flight all at once.

His heart felt ticklish and queasy, as if he might get seasick, a sensation he hadn’t even experienced on the ferry to Somaemuldo. Each time, Yoonwoo would frantically open the messenger app again.

[Yeon-chae, on Christmas together]

“Ah, no…”

He suddenly tossed his phone away, startled as if someone had been peeking at his messenger. He didn’t want to be so direct.

Yoonwoo recalled the handsome, cautious ‘stone bridge’ he had encountered during the summer MT. He had tried to tap on it, as one would a stone bridge before crossing, but it offered no response.

Realizing he had jumped to conclusions, Yoonwoo quickly turned his back on the ‘stone bridge’ and fled.

Now, facing another ‘stone bridge,’ Yoonwoo felt as though he was once again presuming too much, and he lacked the courage to cross it.

He desperately wanted to test the waters, but his deeply ingrained scientific sensibility offered no assistance. Yoonwoo eventually tossed his phone once more.

It flew through the air, landing softly on a thick microfiber blanket, not a single scratch appearing.

That had been yesterday. Throughout the night, Yoonwoo had clutched his phone, waking intermittently to open the messenger app, only to find no response from Yeon-chae.

He suspected his phone was broken, so he tested it with his siblings’ phones as soon as he woke up that morning. For better or worse, Yoonwoo’s phone was perfectly fine.

Recalling all this, Yoonwoo felt utterly gloomy. His phone lay beside his hand, which had paused mid-knot while he sat by the front door, trying to tie his shoelaces.

The phone, which hadn’t broken despite being thrown last night, seemed incredibly spiteful.

Still standing behind Yoonwoo, awaiting an answer, Kangwoo finally broke Yoonwoo’s silence.

“So what if he’s your junior? You’re closest with Yeon-chae hyung, aren’t you?”

“‘Closest’?”

Was their relationship truly something that could be vaguely described as ‘close’? Yoonwoo paused, leaving Kangwoo standing, to deeply consider his relationship with Yeon-chae.

Rationally, Yeon-chae wasn’t even a friend; they were simply senior and junior in the same department. They had spent nearly a year together, but only because they took the same courses.

If he removed the context of school from their relationship, Yoonwoo wasn’t sure what would remain. This was certainly true if he disregarded the ‘stone bridge incident’.

Yet, to simply describe his relationship with Yeon-chae as ‘just that’ — a bit closer than a mere junior, but not quite one of his closest friends — felt inadequate.

“Kangwoo, do you hang out with your friends every day, know all their favorite things and buy them, and deliberately go over to their houses to sleep over?”

Yoonwoo, desperate for a definitive answer, sent an SOS to Kangwoo. Kangwoo tilted his head, then responded brightly.

“Yeah. Of course, because they’re my friends!”

“Oh…”

“Hanse and I are like that. That’s why I want to go to Tongyeong quickly. It’s frustrating because we can only meet during vacations. Can’t I just transfer to Tongyeong when I’m a third-year? Mom and Dad keep telling me to go to school in Seoul. Hyung, please persuade them, okay?”

“…”

He seemed to have expected too much from a teenager. Yoonwoo closed his mouth and finished tying his shoelaces.

The cafe buzzed with activity all afternoon. Many students, finally finished with their final exams and assignments, streamed in, feeling lighthearted after concluding the semester.

Yoonwoo, oblivious to his worsening condition, frantically took orders and brewed coffee. The breathless hours flew by in an instant.

Fortunately, as evening approached, the cafe became much quieter. Even the remaining students seemed to have left the campus.

It was Christmas Eve, after all, and once their school errands were done, people would likely seek out more romantic venues than a campus-front cafe. Jungseo’s decision to only open on the weekday eve and close on Christmas Day seemed a wise choice.

The winter sun set early. Beyond the cafe’s glass walls, darkness had long since fallen. For an hour now, no new customers had arrived.

Just as he wondered if he should start tidying up and head home, the phone in his hand vibrated.

Yoonwoo hastily opened the messenger app. His mouth suddenly went dry.

[Hey, Eun Yoonwoo. Are you still at your part-time job?]

‘…’

The sender was Hyun-jun. With a troubled expression, Yoonwoo set his phone down. He rested one cheek on the counter, silently leaning over, but the inconsiderate phone kept buzzing.

The message popped up on the screen, forcing him to read it even though he didn’t want to.

[Stuck in a cafe working part-time on Christmas Eve lololol. Pathetic, dude.]

‘If you feel so sorry for me, stop teasing and go home to sleep,’ Yoonwoo cursed internally.

[Aren’t you bored? Should I come over and hang out?]

[I’m tired. I just want to go home and rest.]

[What are you talking about? Not on a day like today! Absolutely not.]

[What’s with ‘absolutely not’? I really don’t feel well.]

[Oh, come on, there probably aren’t any customers anyway. Let’s close the shop and go for a drink. Deal?]

It was true there were no customers, but he had no desire to hang out with Hyun-jun. Aside from his low spirits, the chills he’d felt earlier had worsened, and his head throbbed.

A persistent ringing, like tinnitus, echoed in his ears.

[Hey, why aren’t you answering? I’m coming to the cafe now, okay?]

He just wanted to close up and go home to sleep, but Hyun-jun kept bothering him. Instead of replying, Yoonwoo flipped his phone face down on the table.

His entire body felt heavy, as if weighed down by a thousand pounds. A quick glance at the wall clock showed it was seven o’clock. If he could just hold out for another hour, it would be closing time.

Jungseo had told him in advance to close about two hours earlier than usual today.

Just then, a couple opened the cafe door and stood before the counter. Yoonwoo, with great effort, managed to pull his heavy body upright and put on a professional smile.

“Welcome.”

His voice, barely managing the greeting, was rough and cracked.

“Eun Yoonwoo!”

Hyun-jun arrived just as Yoonwoo was clearing the last customer’s table. Yoonwoo had completely forgotten about Hyun-jun’s messages, so when he looked up to announce closing, his face registered utter bewilderment.

Hyun-jun pouted, feigning disappointment.

“Ugh, what’s with that look? I told you I was coming.”

“You were actually coming?”

“Of course. How could I let you work yourself to death on a day like today?”

“I told you I don’t feel well.”

Yoonwoo finished washing a few dishes, responding indifferently. Since Hyun-jun had come despite being rejected, sending him away now felt awkward.

He rolled his eyes, wondering what to do, when Hyun-jun’s expression, previously animated with his own excitement, subtly shifted. He looked around the cafe, then asked with a puzzled tone,

“What? Weren’t you done? Are you still making something?”

“What are you talking about? I’ve already done all the dishes.”

“But there’s a sweet smell. Kind of like coconut or sweet milk.”

“Milk? I finished cleaning up a while ago.”

Yoonwoo furrowed his brows and looked around, but nothing unusual caught his eye. Hyun-jun, however, kept sniffing, then slowly approached Yoonwoo and buried his nose in Yoonwoo’s neck.

Yoonwoo recoiled, trying to push Hyun-jun away, but the much larger man wouldn’t easily let go.

“Ugh, seriously! What are you doing?”

“Wait. I think it’s coming from you. Did you put on perfume?”

“Why would I wear perfume?”

Even if he had, there was no way it would smell like sweet milk. In fact, an acrid smell had been bothering him from somewhere for a while now. He tried to check if a light had been left on somewhere, but Hyun-jun wouldn’t release him.

The headache intensified. Yoonwoo, growing irritated, tried to shake Hyun-jun off.

“Wait, Yoonwoo. Just for a moment, like this…”

“Hey, what? Are you crazy?”

“Yoonwoo, Eun Yoonwoo…”

Hyun-jun’s expression was unsettling. His breathing grew increasingly ragged, and his piercing gaze, when their eyes briefly met, remained fixed on Yoonwoo. His long, slit eyes seemed sharper than usual.

His heavily bloodshot eyes swept over Yoonwoo’s body. A shiver ran down Yoonwoo’s spine.

“Your body is warm. And…”

Hyun-jun blurted out,

“You smell delicious…”

“What are you saying? Get a grip!”

Yoonwoo kicked Hyun-jun with all his might. Perhaps because his body was weakened, Hyun-jun surprisingly stumbled back easily, crashing into a table before collapsing to the floor. The overturned table hit Hyun-jun’s head and back, then rolled across the floor with a loud clatter.