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Join the ServerEven though the vision seemed prolonged, the actual time that elapsed was merely a second or two. Eunhae quickly composed her expression.
The female student still appeared concerned for her.
“Are you really okay? It’s not that your head hurts because I bumped into you, is it?”
“No, my hat just got a little crooked. I’m fine.”
Eunhae glanced at the female student’s left hand, which rested on the desk. There was no jewelry on her ring finger.
Jung Seunghee looked down at Eunhae as she swallowed a sigh. His eyes held a rather chilling gaze.
As the lecture was about to begin, all the students returned to their seats.
Eunhae pressed her palm firmly against her throbbing temples. Staring into someone’s fate after so long had given her a slight headache.
The female student had been at a jewelry shop, getting rings fitted with a man. He didn’t appear to be a student, dressed instead in a suit.
Since she hadn’t maintained eye contact with the student for long, that was the extent of what she had seen.
It was fortunate that the female student hadn’t paid attention to her casually uttered word, ‘couples’ rings’. A fate seen so briefly was nothing more than a fragmented glimpse, devoid of narrative, allowing for various interpretations.
Eunhae had assumed it was ‘a scene of getting couples’ rings’, but in reality, it could have been something else entirely, like ‘a younger sister accompanying her brother to buy his wedding ring’.
However, delving deeper and seeing more was something she flatly refused.
“That’s a relief….”
That it wasn’t a bad fate.
What Eunhae could see wasn’t limited to only bright and hopeful futures.
She had witnessed moments of death countless times.
Her hand, hidden beneath the desk, trembled slightly.
She hadn’t looked into fate for two years. She had desperately avoided people and fled from staring at anyone for too long.
‘This is why I didn’t want to come back to school.’
“Quiet down. My head is throbbing.”
The professor entered, clicking his tongue. Eunhae quickly took off her hat and lowered her gaze.
The shock of seeing fate again after so long had completely distracted her from any thoughts of how to handle Jung Seunghee’s hand.
Eunhae only realized this fact when the class ended.
She urgently called out to Jung Seunghee as he was packing his bag.
“Um, excuse me.”
“Me?”
“Yes….”
“My name is Jung Seunghee.”
“Yes.”
“….”
“….”
“I’d prefer it if you called me by my name.”
“…Ah! Right, yes, um, Seunghee…?”
“Yes.”
“It’s about the ‘Understanding Eastern Classics’ presentation… Do you have a moment?”
“Yes. I’m just going to grab a quick lunch. Would you like to join me, senior?”
Eunhae worried whether she’d be able to properly digest anything if she ate face-to-face with Jung Seunghee. Nevertheless, she nodded.
“Yes, if it’s just a quick bite.”
“We’re going to a cafe for sandwiches and coffee.”
“…That counts as a meal?”
“Not really.”
Jung Seunghee grinned as he stood up.
“Let’s go quickly. We won’t find seats if we’re late.”
“Oh, okay.”
Eunhae swept her books and stationery into her open bag all at once, then followed Jung Seunghee out.
Jung Seunghee watched her finish packing, then slowed his pace to match her smaller steps.
“Eunhae senior, are you going to keep taking this class?”
“Huh? Of course. It’s my major.”
“You could choose other classes besides this one, though.”
“Ah… That’s true, but I’m actually interested in fluid mechanics… Isn’t this a fourth-year course? I specifically chose it, but there are a lot of third-years here.”
“There aren’t many third-year electives, so a lot of us take fourth-year classes. …Since you’re taking it, senior, I guess I’ll just keep taking it too.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Good question. Why indeed?”
Jung Seunghee’s enigmatic reply made Eunhae furrow her brows.
****
The remaining students whispered as they watched the two disappear out of the classroom.
“They look really close.”
“Who?”
“Seunghee and that senior who returned.”
“Weren’t they already friends?”
“Were they? But Seunghee isn’t even that friendly with us, his classmates. It’s strange.”
“Maybe they were just friends beforehand?”
“…Why is your answer always so indifferent?”
“No, then how am I supposed to react? Should I say, ‘I need to investigate their relationship’?”
“I’m not saying that… Never mind!”
“Where are you going?”
“To eat, why?”
Eunhae was small and not very active, so she ate very little. Two sandwich halves and a latte were just the right amount for her.
“But aren’t you still hungry with just that?”
In front of Jung Seunghee were two sandwich halves, identical to Eunhae’s. One piece had already disappeared into his mouth.
“I am. I’m intentionally eating light. I’m scheduled to play a game with the soccer team later. If I eat too much, I feel like I’ll throw up while running.”
“You’re in a club? The soccer team?”
“No, I just occasionally play as a guest.”
“I see.”
Eunhae took bite after bite of her sandwich, continually glancing at Jung Seunghee’s hand.
‘How can I hold that hand just once? Is there no good way?’
The god of search engines had abandoned Eunhae. She had to navigate this predicament alone.
‘First, let’s just say anything.’
“Are you good at soccer?”
“I like it.”
‘I see. I hate moving around, though.’
…She didn’t actually say that. Even Eunhae had that much social grace.
“Ah! Then you’ll participate in the sports festival, won’t you? I think soccer was one of the events.”
Naturally, Eunhae had never even sat in the cheering section, let alone participated as a member. She was a complete outsider.
If it had been a department-wide event, like the mechanical engineering department, students probably wouldn’t have even known she existed.
Jung Seunghee’s hand, reaching for the second sandwich, paused. He gave a wry smile.
“Eunhae senior, you just came back this semester, so you probably haven’t heard about it.”
“Huh?”
“I had a collision with a graduate student senior at last year’s competition.”
“You, you fought?”
Eunhae’s eyes widened into perfect circles.
“It wasn’t a fight… But it became awkward, so I don’t think I’ll be able to participate this year.”
“That’s a bit much, isn’t it? Did the student council president tell you not to come out?”
“Not exactly, but the older seniors from higher grades seemed uncomfortable.”
“…What exactly happened?”
“There was just some friction over selecting the starting players.”
Jung Seunghee was reluctant to say more.
Eunhae didn’t know it, but the incident at last year’s soccer tournament, where he had a confrontation, was the decisive reason Jung Seunghee came to be called a ‘Dosa dog’.
She tilted her head, muttering.
“Wasn’t that senior in the wrong?”
“…Eunhae senior wasn’t there then.”
“Yes, but I don’t think your fault was significant. It takes two to tango, but…”
“How do you know that, Eunhae senior?”
Jung Seunghee chuckled softly. His expression wasn’t unpleasant.
“No, I don’t ‘know’… It’s just a feeling? Like, if you were the type to just grab someone by the collar without reason, I don’t think your classmates would be as friendly with you as they are now?”
Eunhae didn’t often interact closely with people, but instead, she saw their fates. She knew enough to understand how one’s popularity could determine their future.
“…Eunhae senior is a curious person.”
“Huh? M-me?”
“You really are curious.”
“…Right.”
She furtively checked Jung Seunghee’s expression; it seemed fine. He had a smile on his lips.
So, Eunhae decided to take it as a compliment for now.
“Oh, I’ve already finished.”
“Senior, you’ve only eaten half of yours, though?”
“No, you…”
Jung Seunghee’s plate was spotlessly clean. More than half of his Americano was gone too.
“Are you, are you leaving right away?”
“No. You said you wanted to talk about the presentation earlier, senior. I’m free until 1:30, so please eat at your leisure.”
“Okay….”
“I know it’s healthier to eat slowly, but I find it hard to put into practice.”
“I actually wish I could eat a bit faster.”
“I prefer it when you eat slowly, senior.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering, Jung Seunghee merely smiled sweetly.
It seemed she would spend all her time just eating a sandwich. Eunhae resolutely put down her sandwich and wiped her hands.
“You haven’t heard from the other seniors, have you?”
“No.”
Jung Seunghee had created a group chat. To his message proposing ‘Journey to the West’, the other three had only given vague affirmative replies.
“It seems those seniors don’t intend to participate, so I was just going to email the professor today to say we’re doing ‘Journey to the West’.”
“I’m in favor of that too.”
“That’s a relief. At least one person is doing it with me.”
“Yes. I’ll work hard.”
“Yes, let’s work hard.”
“Right, let’s work hard…”
“…?”
“Work hard…”
Eunhae unconsciously unfurled her tightly clenched fist and extended her hand forward.
“To signify that we’ll work hard, you know, that thing. That thing.”
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read I Want To Bite You! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : I Want To Bite You
