Semantic Error

“Isn’t that Seorin?”

“Ey, he’s too calm. Isn’t it Cho Minjung from the dance department?”

“I know. She seems like a big deal! There’s Yuna, you know, the scary one.”

“Ah… You’re too much. Hyung, why are you so clueless? If it isn’t Cho Minjung, then it’s Jung Soyoon from the violin department. I’m sure. I have a feeling.”

Meaningless. Meaningless. Meaningless. In reality, there was a name for the period right before dating, so now, even the smallest things were meaningless. Jaeyoung kept drinking in silence, passing the stage of reason that he couldn’t even find by chance.

“But you’re going to study abroad soon, right? Doesn’t your girlfriend have anything to say about that?”

Then, at some point, irritation erupted. He emptied his glass and slammed it down.

“Isn’t it enough?”

It suddenly got quiet around them. He was forced to  relax his expression after facing the stares.

“Let’s talk about something else.”

“Oh, yes, yes. Oh, yeah. Uh… You’re close to Yuna, right? What’s she going to do after graduation? I heard she doesn’t have a boyfriend?”

A guy who didn’t really want to be called hyung was showing interest in a place where he didn’t stand a chance. Jaeyoung answered that he wasn’t sure, hoping that the topic would be changed.

“Choi Yuna is acting weird lately. She grumbles as soon as she sees me.”

“Hyung, please understand. She has a foul temper so she can’t hide her dislike.”

“I don’t dislike this, I think. I think she expresses her interest that way. Tsundere, you know.”

“Ey, what kind of nonsense is that? I really hate your ideal type, hyung.”

Yuna’s ideal type was the same as Jaeyoung’s ideal type. Good style, sensible, and mature. Jaeyoung realized how useless the term ideal type was, recalling someone who didn’t fit the description at all.

Style, dull. Sensibility, none. Maturity? Level of a toddler. He had fallen for someone who didn’t meet those conditions at all. Jaeyoung, who had been knocked unconscious by a dull and senseless giant baby’s punch, was a living witness.

“No. Rough girls like Yuna are naturally attracted to soft men like me.”

‘I’m saying that’s not the case, you fucker. You keep making me repeat the same thing.’

Jaeyoung got up while imagining an expression that Yuna would’ve made if she had heard that. He was going to smoke. He had never been so bored while drinking before. No, he used to have fun and socialize well no matter where he was before, so what could’ve changed?

The alcohol, the food, and even the people all felt slightly wilted. When he arrived at the door, he heard a familiar chime from behind him. It was the sound of his phone, but he merely pushed the door open, not being curious about the caller.

“Oh, what a shame. Look at what the person is saved as.”

“Wow… It’s definitely his girlfriend. Take the call, hyung. Ask her what her name is.”

“Oh, good idea.”

Jaeyoung turned around and ran. His thigh hit the edge of a table, but he couldn’t concern himself with that.

“Hello? Hey, why is it a dude who’s answering?”

“It’s probably someone else. Hurry, ask who it is.”

“Pardon, what’s the name of the owner of that phone?”

As Jaeyoung almost reached his seat, he violently snatched his cell phone from the guy’s hand. When he put the device to his ear, he heard a calm voice.

Why are you asking for my name?

“…”

The second he heard that voice, the hatred and irritation that had built up inside of him, instantly dispersed. Jaeyoung held his cell phone and stood still for a while.

Is Jaeyoung so busy that he’s unable to answer the phone?

“Wait,” Jaeyoung murmurmed and stuffed his wallet and the other belongings he’d left on the table into his pocket. He felt a bit dizzy because of the alcohol. As he strode out, he heard shouts asking him where he was going.

Jaeyoung looked back and said, “I’m not good at drinking so I’m heading out.”

“What? Why? Why are you already leaving?”

“Why are you answering someone else’s phone, fucker, ruining my mood.”

“What? Are you done talking? Hey, is he nuts?”

The guy banged the table, making the water bottle topple over. He looked angry, but Jaeyoung didn’t care one bit. He made his way towards the door as if he were running.

“Hyung, keep it in. It’s because he’s drunk, he’s acting like that.”

“Ha, that bastard… Acting like that when we’re just joking around…”

“That bastard is always bad-tempered. Let’s just keep drinking.”

Jaeyoung stormed out of the door and entered the shopping mall next door. Sitting down on the quiet stairs, he slowly put the cell phone to his ear. The call hadn’t been cut off yet.

“Sangwoo.”

He said Sangwoo’s name as carefully as if it had been for the first time, although he’s said it over a hundred times before.

Are you at a bar?

“I went outside after drinking.”

Are you very drunk?

“Not that drunk.”

You fought, didn’t you?

“Nope.”

I heard someone yell, though. Did you anger someone after fooling around?

“No. Why did you call?”

He removed the cell phone from his ear and checked the time. It was time for Sangwoo to be walking home after finishing his part-time job.

Uh… Today’s Saturday.

“That’s correct.”

And tomorrow is Sunday.

“And the day after tomorrow is Monday.”

Drinking makes one’s thoughts simple. Jaeyoung jumped up and went out to the street. He watched the street while standing on the road where cars were zooming by.

Two days after tomorrow is Tues… This isn’t it. Fuck…

When he raised his hand, a taxi slowly approached and stopped right in front of him. Jaeyoung opened the door and squeezed into the passenger seat.

Shouldn’t I have called?

“Calling is up to you. But shouldn’t there be something you want?”

Jaeyoung hugged the phone in his palm and told the taxi driver the address. Then he quickly put the phone to his ear.

There is. Something.

“What is it?”

There’s something, but I might not want to say it.

“That’s weird logic. You have to say what you want in order to achieve the purpose of the call.”

That’s… I already achieved it, so it’s fine.

“Then should I hang up?”

Of course.

“…”

But, don’t hang up.

“Why?”

I want to be on the call like this until I get home.

His heart melted into a state that softened his  speech. Defensive power 0. Jaeyoung was always defenseless when he was dealing with him.

“And once you’re home?”

I’m gonna wash up and test the new game a bit.

The scenery outside the window swirled. He wished he’d left earlier. Then he’d arrive sooner. He was impatient. He clenched his phone and asked Sangwoo.

“What are you going to do?”

I downloaded the LXT and Evil Scroll. Oh, and yesterday, I was watching the preview for the RPG that will be released on the 22nd at Mi-Con and it looked a bit similar to VeVen so…

He kept listening to him without interrupting. It took over five minutes for him to analyze which other companies’ games were similar and different to Veggie Venturer, but Jaeyoung didn’t feel bored for a second.

“Only the vibe is similar, but apart from that, they’re completely different games. It’s a relief that the core settings don’t overlap.”

How would they overlap when they’re your ideas, sunbae?

“That’s a compliment, right?”

Your way of thinking is so strange that other people can’t think similarly, sunbae.

“You just had to say something.”

At some point, a familiar street appeared in sight. It was a street he had visited while walking Sangwoo home a few times during the weekends. His heart pounded loudly as if it were a machine that had been switched on.

Jaeyoung slowly exhaled as if he had taken a deep breath and then whispered in a low voice, “And once you finish doing that?”

I’ll check my mail and go to bed.

“Are you going to open the Jang Jaeyoung folder before you go to bed?”

….

“Why aren’t you responding?”

A man in a black short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans was walking at the far end of the dark street. Jaeyoung recognized him even from that distance. The taxi gradually stopped as he signaled the driver that he wanted to get out.

Don’t tease me about stuff like that, please. It’s a physiological phenomenon.

“I’m not teasing. I’m asking in all earnestness.”

Well, you’re asking when you already know the answer, though.

He got out of the car after paying with his card. Sangwoo was walking about 100 meters in front of him.

“You may or may not open it. How would I know?”

Ah, really.

He remained standing still in that spot, removed the phone from his ear, and just looked at it. He was probably making an expression that looked like he wanted to throw it away. Jaeyoung stopped walking. When Sangwoo started moving again, so did he.

“You could talk about anything in the past without getting embarrassed at all. Why have you changed so much?”

I don’t know. I’m a mess these days.

“So, are you going to open the Jang Jaeyoung folder or not?”

I wasn’t planning on opening it, but I think I have to now.

“Why? Is it because you heard my voice, so blood is going to certain places?”

…

Sangwoo disappeared into the alley. As he followed him, he saw the apartment complex. Jaeyoung still walked a distance away from him.

“Sangwoo, why aren’t you answering?”

It’s so annoying.

“Am I annoying?”

You always talk about racy things. But you’re not even taking responsibility for it.