Just A Friend

#7

After finishing the closing homeroom, the homeroom teacher left with a threat to have individual counseling sessions if the 6th mock exam scores dropped. Nam Seonwoo was collecting phones from students staying for evening self-study when Park Gyuhyeon sneakily stood up with his bag.

“I’m going to the PC room today.”

“Where did the teacher go again?”

“Ah, ah! Seonwoo, please! The event dungeon opens today!”

Assuming today’s evening study supervisor wouldn’t be their homeroom teacher, Park Gyuhyeon was asking Nam Seonwoo to turn a blind eye. Nam Seonwoo only allowed him to skip after Park Gyuhyeon got on his knees and begged pathetically. Park Gyuhyeon quickly got up and dashed out of the classroom.

“Um, class president.”

Nam Seonwoo turned his gaze. Kim Jaewoo was fidgeting. It was unexpected for him to approach first, but Nam Seonwoo was honored that his secret Santa recipient came to him voluntarily. Nam Seonwoo smiled brightly and put on a friendly demeanor.

“Yes, Jaewoo?”

“Ah, well, I was wondering if I could… maybe…”

Kim Jaewoo added “evening study” in a mosquito-like voice. Judging by his hesitation, he seemed unsure if he should get on his knees like Park Gyuhyeon.

“Oh my, our Jaewoo has something urgent. Of course you can. Don’t worry and go ahead.”

His voice was so sweet it gave even himself goosebumps. If Park Gyuhyeon were here, he would have sneered, “You’re so obviously showing you’re his secret Santa.”

By the way, what should he write in the secret Santa feedback? That he turned a blind eye to skipping evening study? Would he get in trouble for writing that? As he was thinking to himself, he felt someone’s gaze.

It was Kim Jaewoo. He had been standing there blankly even after getting an answer, but as soon as their eyes met, he hastily opened his mouth.

“Ah, th-thank you.”

“No problem. Take care, Jaewoo.”

“Yeah, you too. Seonwoo… ya.”

The last part was almost a mumble. Since Kim Jaewoo was generally quiet like his small build, this behavior didn’t seem particularly strange.

Having slept well, Nam Seonwoo rummaged through his drawer, thinking of memorizing some science. However, no matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find his notebook. Remembering that he had lent it to Park Gyuhyeon during lunch, he ran down to the first floor, but Park Gyuhyeon was long gone.

He had already submitted his phone too. Nam Seonwoo ran straight to the school’s public phone booth. But he had no coins. As he held his forehead, the red button on the phone caught his eye.

Emergency call… Right, there was collect call.

He had memorized Park Gyuhyeon’s number since it had been the same since high school. As he quickly dialed the numbers, he heard the nostalgic voice saying “We are asking for the receiver’s consent to accept the call.” He couldn’t remember how many seconds he had to speak, but he was in a hurry. As soon as he heard Park Gyuhyeon’s voice, he blurted out his words in one breath.

“Bak-gyu, you bastard, bring my physics notebook right now and run…”

Beep, beep, beep-

The rejection tone rang mercilessly. Nam Seonwoo gritted his teeth. It seemed Park Gyuhyeon had already arrived and was engrossed in his game. As he stood there dumbfounded with his forehead pressed against the phone, a hand suddenly appeared in his view.

“Uh…”

A 100 won coin fell into the phone slot with a cheerful clink. He looked up as if seeing a savior, only to find Kang Jihan standing there.

“Th-thanks?”

Despite the ambiguous tone that made it unclear whether he was thanking or picking a fight, Kang Jihan just nodded as if telling him to finish his call and headed out of the building. Nam Seonwoo, who had been blankly watching Kang Jihan’s retreating figure, snapped back to reality at the urging sound from the receiver.

The matter with Park Gyuhyeon was resolved through the hard-won phone call. But even after finishing the call, Nam Seonwoo’s feet wouldn’t move.

Why did that Kang Jihan…?

Of course, it could have been a meaningless action, but Kang Jihan was generally indifferent to others. Just as he thought he might be reading too much into it, he felt uneasy knowing Kang Jihan’s tendency to avoid interaction with others.

He felt he should return the 100 won. Although it seemed a bit petty, settling accounts precisely would prevent any further entanglement.

As he was thinking about extracting 100 won from Park Gyuhyeon, he heard boisterous voices from the water fountain in the schoolyard. The boys who were washing up, probably after playing soccer, were talking about the mock exam in two days.

It was really just two days away now. As he was trying to recall his hazy memories of how he had done on the 6th mock exam before, a certain incident suddenly came to mind.

Fifteen years ago, Nam Seonwoo hadn’t done well on the June mock exam. It was because of Kang Jihan.

On the day of the mock exam, Kang Jihan had been absent. The homeroom teacher had vaguely said he would be out for a few days due to family matters. But hearing it was family matters, and that he would be absent for a few days, Nam Seonwoo couldn’t help but worry more. Especially when it was about the object of his one-sided love. So he had completely messed up the first period language exam.

Recalling this, he remembered something Kang Jihan had told him after they became adults.

Kang Jihan’s mother had a chronic illness. When she first collapsed, she had been left alone for too long, causing her condition to worsen rapidly afterward. It happened when Kang Jihan wasn’t home. He hadn’t seen the message his mother had barely managed to send in time. Nam Seonwoo still couldn’t forget Kang Jihan’s pained expression as he recounted this.

Given that he was absent on the day of the 6th mock exam, it meant his mother must have collapsed the day before.

Which meant…

“…”

Tomorrow, Kang Jihan shouldn’t come to school.

…What should he do?

He knew Kang Jihan’s number. It wouldn’t be strange to just call him since Kang Jihan had left his number before. But what would he say on the phone? Don’t come to school tomorrow? Stay at home because your mother will collapse tomorrow?

‘As if that Kang Jihan would listen.’

What should he say to make him stay quietly at home?

Nam Seonwoo’s worries continued in front of the phone booth, in the classroom where evening study had started, in the shower he entered as soon as he got home, and even at his desk in his room.

He had self-deprecating thoughts like why he should care so much about Kang Jihan’s affairs, hadn’t he decided not to get involved? But this was something he just couldn’t ignore.

Before he knew it, the rising sun announced morning. The notebook he should have memorized remained open on the first page. Although he had wasted a night of studying, after racking his brains all night, Nam Seonwoo had managed to come up with his own “plan.”

* * *

As soon as the morning assembly ended, Nam Seonwoo started collecting phones with bloodshot eyes.

Phones were prohibited during regular school hours and evening self-study, and the collection box was managed by the class president. As he locked the collection box, Nam Seonwoo looked around. Everyone seemed busy either passed out or chattering. After confirming that no one was looking his way, he quietly slipped out Kang Jihan’s phone. His expression remained nonchalant, but his heart was racing.

The next step required some acting. Nam Seonwoo entered the teachers’ office with a dejected expression. He approached the homeroom teacher with heavy, dragging steps, causing the teacher to look worried. His sleepless night seemed to have unintentionally helped.

“What’s wrong? Seonwoo, did something happen?”

Nam Seonwoo’s lips quivered before he spoke.

“Teacher, I was wondering if you could write me a pass to leave school today…”

“What’s the matter?”

Glancing at the equally serious expression of the homeroom teacher, Nam Seonwoo smoothly delivered his lie. His cousin, whom he relied on like family, was facing a major surgery, and since the cousin’s parents were overseas, he would be going into surgery alone. But this morning, the cousin had sent a meaningful text, and he was very worried… As he sniffled and furrowed his brows deeply between sentences, even the subject teacher sitting next to the homeroom teacher sighed, saying “Oh no.”

“I was planning to go after school, but I keep worrying and can’t concentrate… I think I’d feel better if I could just see his face to make sure he’s okay.”

It was a made-up story to avoid having to submit supporting documents for a feigned illness. By appropriately mixing concern for a relative as close as a brother and the desire to concentrate on studying, the homeroom teacher nodded.

“I see. How could you focus on studying in such a situation? What time should I write on the pass?”

Not knowing when Kang Jihan’s phone might ring, Nam Seonwoo couldn’t specify a time. He pretended to wipe his eyes while thinking.

“I’d like to go right now if I could, but all of today’s classes are important…”

“Oh, come on. Is that important right now?”

Although it was in the form of a scolding, there was admiration mixed in. Feeling like he was almost there, Nam Seonwoo decided to push a little further.

“Could I go when I really can’t focus during class? I’ll write down the time and submit it before I leave.”

Though he beat around the bush, he was essentially asking for a blank time on the pass. The homeroom teacher’s expression changed slightly. Just as Nam Seonwoo thought he might have pushed too far and was about to backtrack, the subject teacher next to them patted the homeroom teacher’s shoulder.

“Come on, give it to him. Is the Class 1 president going to misuse it?”

It was fortunate that he had lived his life properly. As Nam Seonwoo bowed his head silently, the homeroom teacher finally sighed deeply and said,

“I’m writing this because I trust you. This is the only time, understand?”

“Thank you…”

The pass he received with both hands had the name of the person leaving, the reason, and the homeroom teacher’s signature filled in. Nam Seonwoo’s gaze lingered on the blank “time of departure” and “accompanying person” fields.

Accompanying person. He planned to write Kang Jihan’s name here. He knew he’d be in big trouble if he forged the pass arbitrarily, but the homeroom teacher would eventually find out about Kang Jihan’s situation anyway. Nam Seonwoo’s plan was to say he “happened to” find out about Kang Jihan’s mother collapsing, and “coincidentally” it was the same hospital, so given the urgency, he “had no choice” but to add Kang Jihan’s name to the pass… It was a flimsy excuse, but he knew that in this era, schools also operated somewhat loosely. It was worth a try.