He Is That Guy

After class, I headed to the campus café for our group-project meeting and met the teammates who’d arrived early.
Once December hit, assignments and exam prep started piling up together. Each day was busy enough that I could shove what happened with Yu Chae into a corner of my head.
Given the situation, even logging into Xenorise on weekends wasn’t easy. Honestly, even if I had free time, I doubt I would’ve felt like booting up the game… anyway.
“Then if everyone organizes the materials and sends them over by this weekend, I’ll make the PPT.”
“Good. Drop your email addresses in the group chat.”
After more than an hour, the meeting was finally nearing the end.
I was on presentation duty, so I didn’t have much to say. While the others hashed out scheduling, I sipped my Americano, and my phone—sitting on the table—buzzed.
[Chae Yu-jeong: hyung]
[Chae Yu-jeong: Are you mad at me by any chance?]
[Chae Yu-jeong: If I did something wrong, could you tell me?]
“……”
I read the previews on the screen, then flipped my phone over without replying.
It had been ten days since I visited Chae Yu-jeong’s place and lost contact with Yu Chae. In that time, Chae Yu-jeong had sent me messages nonstop, and I hadn’t replied even once.
It wasn’t that I disliked Chae Yu-jeong or felt uncomfortable around him. We’d met almost every week for over a month—ate together, I even went over to his place—so it’s not like I’d suddenly feel awkward now. But at the same time, I didn’t have that much interest either.
‘Even I think this is kind of ridiculous.’
From October, when I first met Chae Yu-jeong at Seo Tae-young’s wedding, to now in December, I ran around like I was under a spell, trying to find any point of contact that might exist between Chae Yu-jeong and Yu Chae.
I’d been on edge since I’d already been burned once by someone deliberately deceiving me. Also, every time the two blew past my expectations, it pissed me off and hit my pride. Whatever the reason, the reality is I misunderstood.
My head and my chest were both a mess. With exams and assignments crashing in on top of that, I had zero bandwidth to deal with Chae Yu-jeong.
‘I can’t avoid him forever.’
Even if it’s rough today, I should at least send a late reply tomorrow.
One of the most important assignments wrapped today anyway, so by tomorrow I should be able to face Chae Yu-jeong with cleaner feelings.
“Let’s go, Yu Ji-han.”
At some point the meeting ended. Kim Daeseok slung on his bag after clearing the table and stood up.
I stood as well, exchanged goodbyes with the teammates, and we headed for the main gate.
“Gonna pull another late night at school?”
“Gotta. It’s due tomorrow.”
“You’ve basically finished and only have polish left. Go home and rest tonight.”
“It’s easier to wrap up at school then head home. Let’s at least grab dinner.”
Grinding assignments late at school every single day had left my skin rough. This time of year is always busy, but maybe because I’ve had so much on my mind, I felt especially drained and tired.
My lack of stamina hit me anew. Once exams end and break starts, I need to hit the gym hard again. I also need to start a part-time job. I should visit my parents before the year’s over…
A pain spread from my eyes and forehead, and I stopped walking, bowing my head. Maybe I chugged that Americano too fast at the café; my body and the air outside both felt too cold.

“What is it, you okay?”
“No… it’s nothing.”
Maybe I really had overdone it these past few days, like Daeseok said. I’ll just get through today and actually rest tomorrow with no assignments.
I pressed my aching eyes with my fingers and looked up again—right then, behind Daeseok, who was watching me with a puzzled face, someone I did not expect was walking straight at me.
“Yu Ji-han.”
“……”
My face twisted, ugly, the moment I recognized that brazen mug. Along with a cold sinking in my chest, a sigh slipped out.
“Sorry for dropping by. You never answered no matter how much I messaged.”
“…Kim Ui-chan.”
The face wearing an awkward smile was familiar and yet strange.
He must’ve changed his hairstyle. Unlike before, Kim Ui-chan, brushing back curly hair, took another step toward me.
“How’ve you been? Daeseok, long time no see.”
“Ha…”
Glowering in disbelief at Kim Ui-chan, Kim Daeseok let out a hollow laugh at the greeting.
Back when I was really close with Kim Ui-chan, Daeseok knew most of what went down between us. So this reaction wasn’t exactly surprising.
“Yeah. Been fucking great. Why are you here?”
“I told you. I came because you wouldn’t answer.”
“Then take the hint and get lost. Why the hell would you show up here.”
I shot back with a slant, mocking edge, and Kim Ui-chan’s eyes went stiff. But a moment later he forced up the corners of his mouth and pretended nothing was wrong.
“Guess you’re still really mad at me, Ji-han.”
“Showing up on me like this is pretty fucking shitty, yeah.”
“Let’s not do this here. Let’s go somewhere warm and talk.”
He grabbed my arm. The instant I felt that, a primal disgust surged up, and my eyes pinched on their own.
Has this asshole lost his mind? I was about to yank my arm free and unload a string of curses when a much larger hand suddenly slid between us.
“Let go.”
A soft fragrance rushed in with a familiar voice. A big, snow-white hand clamped around the wrist holding my arm.
“You’re scaring hyung.”
“Ugh…!”
With that low-voiced warning, the bones stood out on the back of Chae Yu-jeong’s white hand, veins rising. Kim Ui-chan let out a pained groan and snatched his hand off my arm.
I spoke, half in disbelief.
“Chae Yu-jeong?”
Why the hell is he here again? Letting go of Kim Ui-chan’s wrist, Chae looked at my exasperated face and gave a droopy, sheepish greeting.
“Hi, hyung.”
“Why are you here…?”
“I thought you were angry, so I came to apologize.”
Shit. Only then did the unread-message problem with Chae, which I’d forgotten because of Kim Ui-chan’s entrance, pop back into my head. I was going to reply tomorrow—he couldn’t wait that one day and came all the way to campus?
No, if we’re being fair, I’m the one at fault for ghosting without a word. Still, the timing could not have been worse.
“And you? Who are you supposed to be?”
Clutching his reddened wrist, Kim Ui-chan snapped at Chae.
Chae, who’d been watching me with his eyebrows drooped, set his face and subtly angled his body to block me.
“I’m a close junior to Ji-han.”
“A junior? Hold on. Are you… Sensory, the pro?”
“Yeah.”
“What… ha, unbelievable…”
Chae tipped up his chin and looked down at Kim Ui-chan without expression. Ui-chan was shorter than me; he was nearly 10 cm shorter than Chae.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
I had no idea how we ended up in this shitshow. Spotting students sneaking glances as they passed, I swore on a loop in my head and shoved Chae—who was blocking my way—aside.
“Okay, enough. Let’s go to a café nearby. I’m dying of embarrassment here.”
If a bunch of guys are standing at the front gate arguing about whether someone’s answering or not, even I’d stare.
Priority one was sending Kim Ui-chan away. I could talk things through with Chae after that. While I dealt with Ui-chan, I’d leave Chae with Kim Daeseok for a bit.
One blindside after another, and the headache I’d briefly forgotten slammed back into my skull. God, I’m exhausted.
 
****
The four of us went into a café right by the school and split into pairs.
While I sat in a secluded spot with Kim Ui-chan to talk, Chae Yu-jeong and Kim Daeseok took a seat near the entrance to wait.
Daeseok, who’d ordered a chocolate drink piled high with whipped cream, scooped cream with his straw, while Chae never took his eyes off me, fidgeting with anxious, restless energy.
With café decorations blocking the view, even my rear profile was hard to see, and Chae didn’t touch his drink at all. Watching that, Daeseok asked,
“Why are you that worried?”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea to let them talk alone.”
“Hm.”
Having finished off the cream, Daeseok pushed the straw aside and gulped his drink. After two or three swallows, more than half was gone, and he spoke in an offhand tone.
“Ji-han’s a good guy. We’ve been hanging out since high school. He’s a little prickly, but he’s loyal and pretty kind.”
“Not ‘pretty.’ He’s extremely kind.”
A simple remark got a reply packed with sincerity. Slightly taken aback, Daeseok cleared his throat and continued.
“Yeah, well… anyway, for someone who looks like that, Ji-han goes soft on the people he’s decided are his. But that only applies to the ones he’s close to.”
“……”
“Once he cuts someone off, he doesn’t give an inch. So relax and wait. It’ll be over in under twenty minutes anyway.”
Chae’s fingertips trembled slightly on the tabletop. With his head lowered a touch, he slowly closed and opened his eyes twice.
When he finally lifted his head again and fixed his gaze on the back of Ji-han’s head, his eyes were full of emotions no one could quite name.