My Stalking Diary

Chapter 20

*

I was in such high spirits that after the sketch class ended, I joined my classmates for a group dinner. Though it was just a meal and a beer, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say it was the most enjoyable day I’d had recently.

With my mood elevated, I returned to my studio apartment, washed up, and prepared for bed.

Lying in bed, I logged into Instagram as usual, and saw a notification that Joo Kwon-oh’s account was following me.

“Huh?”

I was so surprised I almost dropped my phone. I double-checked the ID that followed me, wondering if I had mistaken it for another account.

But no matter how I looked at it, it was Joo Kwon-oh. The same account I stalked daily with my secret account.

How did he find my main account? Well, thinking about it, he was already mutually following Shin Ji-ye and Bae Yu-rim, so it probably wasn’t difficult for him to find my ID.

But I never thought he would follow me first. I don’t think I’d be more surprised if a celebrity followed me.

For a while, I stared blankly at Joo Kwon-oh’s account. I even had the silly worry that maybe everything that happened today was a dream. Wouldn’t that be more realistic…?

*

The group project team for Culture and Arts Industry and Business Model now habitually gathered to eat or spend time together even without a real reason.

We ended up meeting as a group more often than attending classes.

By this point, I was convinced that their reason for insisting on meeting for discussions all this time was more for socializing than for the project itself.

[Choi Kyung-won: Sounds good ㅋㄱㅋㅋ]

[Me: I don’t think I can ㅠ I have class]

[Ji-ye♥: Ah, Jeong-ha oppa can’t make it ㅠㅠ]

[Joo Kwon-oh: Besides Choi Kyung-won]

[Joo Kwon-oh: There are a few more people from our department, is that okay?]

[Joo Kwon-oh: ?]

[Ji-ye♥: I don’t mind ㅎㅎ]

However, this time I really couldn’t participate due to a timing conflict. I actually had a lecture at the time they planned to meet.

[Joo Kwon-oh: Are you sure you have class?]

[Joo Kwon-oh: ?]

Not long after I declined, Joo Kwon-oh sent me a private message. This had become a frequent occurrence since the day he brought me medicine.

[Me: Yeah]

[Me: Western Art History..]

I wondered if I should send a screenshot of my schedule. After a moment’s consideration, I decided against it as it seemed a bit excessive.

[Joo Kwon-oh: What are you doing in the evening?]

[Me: Going home]

[Joo Kwon-oh: So you’re free]

[Joo Kwon-oh: Let’s drink in the evening]

Drink? I hesitated to reply to this unexpected suggestion. Meanwhile, Joo Kwon-oh’s messages came in quickly.

[Joo Kwon-oh: You asked me to return your notebook, right?]

[Joo Kwon-oh: I’ll give it back if you drink with me ㅋㅋ]

[Me: What about Kyung-won and Ji-ye? Are they coming?]

I carefully composed my reply instead of typing quickly like Joo Kwon-oh.

[Joo Kwon-oh: Why do you keep trying to include them ㅡㅡ]

[Joo Kwon-oh: Just the two of us.]

Just the two of us.

This confirmed that the things he said in private chats, not group chats, were just between us.

[Me: Okay]

[Joo Kwon-oh: What time do you want to meet?]

[Me: After class I need to finish up some work I was doing]

[Me: It might be after 6..]

[Joo Kwon-oh: Ok]

[Joo Kwon-oh: Let’s meet at 7 at the end of the Cultural Plaza intersection]

[Me: Sounds good]

I ended up accepting the drinking appointment before I knew it. I had no reason to refuse.

But what should I talk about when drinking alone with Joo Kwon-oh?

Only after sending the reply did I feel the tension gripping my throat and swallow a sigh. Excitement and anxiety alternated, churning my insides.

Of those two emotions, I tried to suppress the excitement more. It was better to heighten the anxiety. Because when you expect something, you’re bound to be disappointed.

The good thing was that although I’m usually shy and don’t talk much, I’m a bit less reserved when I drink. So even if Joo Kwon-oh suggests kissing again, I might be able to handle it more naturally than before.

After that, I frequently checked the time. As soon as the appointment was set, time seemed to flow particularly slowly, making me both excited and tormented.

I think I’m more nervous than when we first went out for pizza.

“Ryu Jeong-ha. Let’s order hamburgers for dinner.”

Kim Jae-hyun approached me as I was busy coloring in the studio after finishing all my classes according to schedule.

He was so worn out from several consecutive days of night work that his glasses had slid crookedly almost to the tip of his nose, but he didn’t bother to adjust them. He was in a half-dazed state.

“I have plans for dinner so I need to leave early.”

“What? The midterm evaluation is right around the corner and you’re going somewhere alone? Traitor.”

“I can finish it tomorrow.”

Though I answered like that, Kim Jae-hyun was right. In practical classes, we have to get our paintings evaluated in stages according to set deadlines before showing the completed work to the professor.

Of course, the quality of the final painting submitted for the final evaluation is most important, but that doesn’t mean we can show a painting with poorly developed details at the midterm evaluation.

If we do, it’s difficult for the professor to give feedback on the direction of future work, so it’s important to implement the painting you intend to complete step by step.

“We had a group dinner a few days ago. Who are you going with today?”

“…A friend.”

If I had to define my relationship with Joo Kwon-oh, we were friends. We had kissed, but we weren’t dating anyway.

I was certain that even if we kissed a few more times, I probably wouldn’t end up dating him.

“Which friend?”

“You don’t know them.”

“Do you even have friends outside our department?”

Kim Jae-hyun asked, sharply adjusting his glasses. I wanted to punch him, but I chose to ignore him instead.

Fortunately, Kim Jae-hyun must have gotten hungry, as he quickly went off to find classmates to order hamburgers with.

*

The place I was supposed to meet Joo Kwon-oh was far from Hanguk University. Although it was a quick bus ride, it would take a good forty minutes to walk there. It was practically in a different neighborhood.

Considering what happened at the pizza place last time, I understood why he wanted to meet in this area.

It felt strange to be meeting him secretly like this. Even if we ran into someone we knew, it wouldn’t be a problem, but the fact that he chose a location away from school to prevent such encounters gave me an inexplicable thrill.

After getting off the bus, I crossed the alley at a slightly brisk pace. Although it wasn’t even 7 PM yet, being in the center of a busy area, the wide alleys were lined with glowing bar signs asserting their presence.

Some people who looked like they had already started drinking were smoking in the middle of the street, laughing loudly.

Walking among them in my drab black sweatshirt and loose jeans, I felt out of place.

I tightly gripped the strap of my backpack and quickened my pace.

“Ah.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

In a moment of distraction, I bumped shoulders with a large passerby.

It was a strong collision that sent me staggering back a few steps. I kept my gaze fixed on the ground, clutching my left shoulder and slightly bowing my head.

“I’m sorry.”

As I tried to quickly pass by, I heard someone grabbing me from behind.

“Hey, hey. Stop right there.”

“…Pardon?”

“Is ‘sorry’ all you have to say? Shit, if you’re going to speak, shouldn’t you look people in the eye and do it properly?”

The man I had bumped into approached angrily. Only then did I raise my gaze.

He had a complex tattoo on his neck, a design that offered no aesthetic pleasure whatsoever.

Blurry lines, an intentionally removed ugly pattern, lack of line weight control, and so on. It was painful just to look at. It would be terrible enough to wear clothes printed with such a design, let alone permanently tattooing it on the body. He was a brave and strange person.

“What’s this little shit looking at, fuck.”

“Let it go, man. He looks like a nerd who only studies. With a face like a gigolos’ pimp, you think he did it on purpose?”

“No. Didn’t you see him looking at me funny? Where did he learn such bad manners?”

The man who was gesturing at me and approaching closely, along with his companions, had flushed faces, perhaps from drinking. The smell of alcohol mixed with cigarette smoke created an unpleasant sensation not only visually but also olfactorily.

“I didn’t do it on purpose.”

I explained in a small voice. However, the man frowned excessively and bumped my shoulder.

“What? Speak clearly.”

“……”

“Hey! Are you ignoring me? What’s with that look?”

Just as the man was about to push my shoulder hard again, a large hand shot out from between us and grabbed his thick wrist.

“Come on, let’s use words if possible.”

“…Who the hell are you?”

“Why are you bothering this kid?”

At the sudden low voice that interrupted, I reflexively raised my head.

Joo Kwon-oh was now standing beside me, looking down at the man with defiant eyes.