SLC 55

–I was an exception. From the start. I’m not your type, and I’m not entirely human…. So…

Mok Seongha cleared his throat and quickly finished his sentence.

–Keep treating me as an exception and let’s meet again.

“Of course….”

Kim Jinkyung sighed as he realized he was the one who had built up such a trashy image.

“I’ll see you later. I will head to the hospital.”

–No, I will go to your house at night. Secretary Kang is in a bad mood, and he said he would bury you if he saw you.

“Yes. Then I will contact you again later.”

Kim Jinkyung quickly ended the call and checked the time. Less than five minutes remained before his lecture started. He let out a groan and began to run.

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Mok Seongha

Send a proof photo.

When Jinkyung sent a message saying he was moving to another place after dinner, Mok Seongha sent a short reply.

A proof photo?

He had never done such a thing before, so Kim Jinkyung just took a photo of the food on the table and sent it.

Mok Seongha

Not that, a photo of you.

…A photo of me?

Kim Jinkyung hesitated for a moment. He eventually took a photo of his arm leaning on the table when the people around him weren’t looking.

Mok Seongha

Show your face!

Kim Jinkyung took a deep breath and quickly sent a selfie. As soon as he checked the photo, Mok Seongha sent an immediate reply.

Mok Seongha

Don’t go around showing your lewd hands.

“…….”

It seemed his hand was caught in the frame when he took the selfie. Kim Jinkyung looked down at his hand. No matter how he looked at it, it was just a plain man’s hand with nothing special about it. Why on earth would he say this?

“Oppa!”

Someone approached Kim Jinkyung from behind and tapped him on the back. Kim Jinkyung groaned, and Lee Seungah, who took the same class, playfully smiled.

“I did it gently, does it hurt?”

“No. Haha.”

It hurt, his whole body ached as if he had been beaten. He had no visible wounds, but this was the natural result of being harassed all night under a man who was a head taller than him.

“But why are you looking at your hand like that? Is something on it?”

She sat down in the seat next to him and put her bag down.

“No. Just because.”

Kim Jinkyung quickly hid his hand under the table.

“You came early. The others said it’s hard to see your face lately because you’re busy, Oppa.”

“I was a bit busy with tutoring.”

Kim Jinkyung placed the spoon and chopsticks in front of her and poured some water. She smiled in thanks and picked up her chopsticks.

“Oppa, but your complexion looks a bit bad. Are you okay?”

“Ah, I think I’m tired because I couldn’t sleep well.”

“What were you doing that kept you from sleeping?”

She asked casually as she picked up a snack with her chopsticks. It was just small talk, like asking if someone had eaten. However, Kim Jinkyung had many significant events the night before, so he could not handle the question calmly.

“Ah, that… well….”

His face turned bright red and he began to stutter. Lee Seungah narrowed her eyes.

“What is it? You’re suspicious.”

“Just drink.”

Kim Jinkyung filled her glass. Right then, his phone notification rang. Kim Jinkyung checked his phone quickly.

Mok Seongha

Put your hands in your pockets.

He received two consecutive messages to mind his hands. Kim Jinkyung sighed because he could hardly understand the reason.

“What’s wrong?”

Lee Seungah asked as she leaned in slightly.

“Do my hands… look strange?”

He could not bring himself to use words like “lewd” or “erotic,” so he phrased the question differently.

“No. They’re just hands.”

“Right?”

“Did someone say something about your hands? They said they look strange?”

“Haha….”

As I thought, they just look like normal hands to a normal person.

As Kim Jinkyung tried to laugh it off, Lee Seungah frowned.

“Is someone bullying Jinkyung-oppa? Should I scold them for you?”

“I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Oppa. But your complexion really is bad today. Are you sick somewhere?”

Actually, his body had felt unwell ever since he left for his morning class after last night’s events. He told Mok Seongha he was just tired from lack of sleep, but his stomach had felt unsettled ever since he ran to make it to class after their phone call at lunch.

“I’m okay. I think I’ll feel better if I go home and get some sleep.”

“Then you should head home early today. It seems the talk about the assignment finished during the first round.”

Lee Seungah’s words were true. Since they moved to the bar, the conversation consisted only of personal anecdotes. He was already planning to find the right moment to leave.

“I should do that.”

“What do you mean ‘you should do that’? Where are you going, Hyung?”

A junior from the department grabbed Kim Jinkyung’s arm as he tried to stand up.

“I’m going to head home a bit early today.”

“Hyung. Don’t go. It’s already hard enough to see your face these days.”

“That’s right. Jinkyung-sunbae. Stay just a little longer.”

As people clung to him from all sides, Kim Jinkyung’s heart wavered. His greatest strength was his warmth, but his weakness was that he was soft-hearted to a fault.

“Alright. Since it has been a while.”

Kim Jinkyung sat back down. Conversations around him drifted aimlessly between topics like classes, dating, animals, and celebrities. Kim Jinkyung quietly sipped his water alone and calculated the right timing to leave again.

“Oppa. Do you still refuse to go on blind dates?”

“Huh?”

“I think I heard before that you don’t accept blind dates. I wondered if that was still the case.”

“Yeah.”

Kim Jinkyung nodded with an awkward smile.

“Why don’t you take them? Do you seek a natural encounter or something like that?”

“No, this hyung has incredibly high standards. Didn’t you know? Before hyung went to the military, who was it… that really famous person from the Sculpture Department. She was tall and looked like a model.”

“Give us more hints.”

The conversation suddenly turned into a game of twenty questions.

“Her eyes tilted up a bit like this, and her hair came down to here.”

“Jung Seyoung!”

“Correct! Jung Seyoung. I thought I would die from the suspense.”

“I heard Jung Seyoung is actually working as a model lately. Why her?”

“She confessed that she liked Jinkyung-hyung, but hyung rejected her.”

Everyone’s eyes focused on Kim Jinkyung. He kept his head down and fiddled with his water glass.

“Oppa. Did you really reject Jung Seyoung’s confession? She’s the goddess of her department.”

“Ahahaha.”

Kim Jinkyung let out an awkward laugh.

“Are you crazy? Even though I’m a girl, I would date that unnie if she confessed to me!”

“As if she would date you.”

“It’s just a figure of speech. No, seriously, what were you thinking to reject a confession from someone like her?”

…Because she is a goddess, not a god?

Kim Jinkyung swallowed the words he could never say and gulped down cold water.

“Did she fall for you at first sight, Oppa?”

“Did you meet her somewhere else? Or in the same class?”

The attention of everyone present turned to Kim Jinkyung due to this sudden anecdote of the goddess’s confession.

Kim Jinkyung felt like he might die of embarrassment. It wasn’t that there were no women who expressed interest or confessed to him over the years. There were good people, pretty people, and cool people. Every time he received a confession, he felt that he did not feel that kind of attraction toward women. He felt sorry because of that. For some reason, he felt as if he were deceiving the other person.

“I don’t remember well.”

It was not the truth. He clearly remembered it. She was someone he had encountered a few times in the library. Once, she spilled her coffee, and her clothes and books were completely soaked. While she stood flustered by the accident in the quiet library, Kim Jinkyung grabbed a handful of tissues from a nearby dispenser and wiped the floor. Then he handed his own towel to her.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Ah…. Yes.’

‘I will wipe this up. Go and take care of your clothes first.’

‘I’m sorry. Thank you.’

She ran toward the restroom. Since her white clothes were covered in coffee stains, Kim Jinkyung thought her panic was understandable and silently wiped up the coffee. A short while later, she confessed.

She handed back the handkerchief Jinkyung had lent her and said she wanted to see him.

The reason Kim Jinkyung remembered her was simple.

…Because she was beautiful. She lived up to the title of goddess. Despite that, his heart did not waver even a little bit. It was a moment where he felt once again that he was indeed a person who liked men.

“You don’t remember?”

“That’s impossible. That face is unforgettable until you get dementia.”

“Let’s stop now. It’s disrespectful to her to talk about the past.”

Kim Jinkyung cut them off. He just felt sorry toward her that she was being discussed by others because of him.

“Wow. Oppa, where exactly are your eyes located? I’m too scared to even suggest a blind date to you now.”

Perhaps it is better to be known as someone who doesn’t know his own place.

Suddenly, Kim Jinkyung thought of Mok Seongha, who used to claim that the whole world knew Jinkyung had low standards. How on earth could he clear up that misunderstanding?

Kim Jinkyung drank water in silence. Strangely, he felt nauseous even though he only drank water. Just then, the seafood stew Lee Seungah ordered was served. Everyone picked up their spoons with delight.

“Oppa, aren’t you going to eat?”

Lee Seungah handed a spoon to Kim Jinkyung. The moment he tried to decline, Kim Jinkyung covered his mouth as he felt a surge of nausea.

“Are you okay?”

Lee Seungah noticed Kim Jinkyung’s pale face and asked in surprise. He waved his hand and stood up. He ran to the restroom. He entered an empty stall and threw up.

“Uugh….”

Even after he flushed the water, the urge rose again. Kim Jinkyung held onto the toilet and began to vomit once more. Only after he vomited thrice did Kim Jinkyung rinse his mouth and return to his seat.

“Oppa. Are you okay? Your face is ghostly white.”

“Hyung. Are you sick?”

They examined Kim Jinkyung with worried expressions. He shook his head.

“No. I’m fine. My stomach just feels a bit upset.”

“Then you should go home quickly.”

Lee Seungah said as she packed Kim Jinkyung’s bag for him.

“I’m sorry. I’ll go first.”

“Hyung. I’ll catch a taxi for you.”

Oh Namseok stood up from his seat.

“It’s okay. It’s not that bad.”

Kim Jinkyung smiled and patted his junior’s shoulder.

“No. I was just about to step out for a smoke anyway. Let’s go together.”

Oh Namseok followed behind Kim Jinkyung. When he stopped at the counter to pay for the drinks, Oh Namseok gasped in surprise.

“Why are you paying for this, Hyung? Today is supposed to be a split bill.”

“No. It was a group project meeting, and I feel bad for not staying until the end.”

The talk about the assignment had ended during the first round, but it was true that he felt sorry. As they walked down the stairs, Oh Namseok checked Kim Jinkyung’s complexion.

“Are you really okay? There’s a pharmacy over there, should I go buy some medicine for you?”

“It’s fine. There’s a pharmacy in front of my house, too.”

“You threw up, right? Do you have indigestion?”

“I guess so. Even though I haven’t eaten anything.”

Kim Jinkyung laughed weakly as he adjusted his bag.

The only things he had eaten today were a bowl of ramen he ate hurriedly at lunch and half a slice of bread he nibbled on during the group meeting.

“Isn’t it just like morning sickness? It’s not like you’re pregnant or anything.”

As Oh Namseok joked to lighten the mood, Kim Jinkyung’s face turned deathly pale at that very moment.

“Oh, there’s a taxi. You’re going to take it without calling one, right?”

“…Uh? Yeah….”

“Here. It’s coming.”

The taxi driver saw Oh Namseok waving and approached with the blinker on.

“Hyung. Get home safely.”

“…Uh. Yeah? Okay.”

As Oh Namseok opened the taxi door, Kim Jinkyung climbed in.

“Contact us when you get home.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Sure.”

The door closed.

“Where to, sir?”

At the taxi driver’s question, Kim Jinkyung reflexively gave the address of his apartment and leaned back against the seat.

‘Isn’t it just like morning sickness? It’s not like you’re pregnant or anything. Not like you’re pregnant. Pregnant….’

“No!”

Kim Jinkyung shouted out loud without realizing it.

“What? What is it?”

The startled taxi driver checked the rearview mirror and asked.

“Ah, it’s nothing. Sir. I’m sorry. I drank a bit much….”

“The young student must have had a lot to drink.”

The taxi driver clicked his tongue and slowly turned the steering wheel again.

Kim Jinkyung covered his pale face with his palms.

No. It can’t be. That makes no sense. Why would it? …In just one day? Even if it’s a world where humans turn into panthers, hahahaha….

Ah. I feel like I’m going to throw up.

“Dri…ver.”

“Yes?”

“Pull the car… over….”

“Pardon?”

“Here. The money.”

Kim Jinkyung pulled whatever bills he could grab from his pocket and handed them to the driver. The driver sensed the urgency of the situation, turned on the hazard lights, and quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road. Kim Jinkyung scrambled out and immediately retched. Since he had already thrown up everything earlier, only clear fluid came out, but his stomach continued to churn and the world spun before his eyes.

“Student. Are you okay?”

The driver shouted from the driver’s seat.

“…I’m fine. You can go.”

“Will you really be alright?”

“Yes. It’s not far, so I’ll just walk.”

“Alright then.”

The taxi driver lacked the mercy to host a passenger who might vomit in his car, so he immediately drove off.

Kim Jinkyung held onto a street tree and took several deep breaths before he raised his head. He found a nearby bench and sat down. Then, with trembling hands, he pulled his phone out of his pocket.