WTFUDLS 78

Chapter 78

Jiwoo replayed the scene in his memory over and over. That moment that lasted barely a second.

He had stood in front of the orchard gate, about to enter. The gate was made of glass—semi-transparent in the middle and clear at the top and bottom. From Jiwoo’s eye level, half was semi-transparent, half clear.

What Jiwoo saw that day was the sunset and the tops of Hansol’s and Noreul’s heads—the crown of their heads, to be precise. Noreul’s head stayed still, while Hansol’s moved. From Noreul toward the wall. It was as if he had leaned on Noreul for support before moving.

But when Jiwoo opened the gate and went in, Noreul and Hansol looked completely normal. Actually… he couldn’t properly see Noreul’s expression because she was slightly bowing her head over her laptop. Had Noreul deliberately lowered her head to hide her expression? But then again, she always seemed that composed.

Still, the atmosphere in the orchard was strange. The moment Jiwoo stepped in, silence fell. No one made eye contact with him. It felt like people caught doing something they shouldn’t have. Hansol spoke casually, but there was something awkward about it. It seemed like he was pretending to be nonchalant.

Then again… Noreul was on her laptop and Hansol was looking at his phone. Silence was natural. Avoiding eye contact was natural. The “strange” feeling—maybe it was just Jiwoo’s imagination. Was he being too sensitive, making everything seem suspicious?

So what had Jiwoo actually seen? The sight of Hansol’s head moving away from Noreul…

Maybe he had just shifted slightly. Maybe he was stretching his neck. Or maybe he had glanced at Noreul’s laptop together and then leaned back. There were plenty of possibilities.

Then why did Jiwoo’s heart drop the moment he saw it?

People’s instincts are more accurate than we think. Even if you randomly meet an old classmate you haven’t seen in over ten years, even if their appearance has changed a lot, even if you don’t remember exactly who they are, you still get that unmistakable sense of familiarity.

But… people also distort reality a lot. A wife who suspects her husband of cheating will interpret every little action as evidence. After a bad haircut, someone might think everyone is laughing at them.

Lately, Jiwoo had been thinking so much about Noreul. He wondered if Noreul liked him, or if she liked Hansol, and maybe he had distorted reality in his mind.

It was true that Jiwoo was concerned about Noreul and Hansol’s relationship. Hansol had said he didn’t like Noreul—just friends. Hansol wasn’t the type to lie.

But you never know how relationships develop. Who would have expected Jiwoo himself to fall for Noreul? And who’s to say Hansol wouldn’t?

Still, Jiwoo trusted Hansol. When Jiwoo told him that he liked Noreul, Hansol firmly insisted he didn’t like her at all. That didn’t seem like a lie.

At the same time, Jiwoo sometimes thought, “What if I don’t trust Hansol?” Hansol seemed better suited to Noreul than Jiwoo did. Sure, Jiwoo could think, “Noreul enjoys being with me too,” but deep down, he knew Noreul and Hansol had a lot in common and got along very well.

So if Hansol liked Noreul, Jiwoo felt he had little chance. That’s why he wanted to believe Hansol when he said he didn’t like Noreul—and he had no choice but to.

But sometimes Jiwoo still flinched. When he heard Noreul had gone to Hansol’s house, or when she accidentally stepped in vomit instead of Hansol… moments where it was unclear what “just friends” meant.

Of course, even if the boundaries were unclear, Jiwoo couldn’t do anything. He wasn’t Noreul’s boyfriend. He had no right to complain. And deep down, he feared that if he did complain, Noreul might leave him for Hansol instead.

At that moment, in the distance, Noreul and Hansol waved and walked toward Jiwoo. He waved back. They walked side by side, about two feet apart. Their being together had become completely natural—not just for Jiwoo, but for their classmates too.

He thought about how many classes they shared this semester—around five, it seemed. Apart from two or three electives, they were together in most classes. Jiwoo shared three of the five, meaning two were just Noreul and Hansol. Jiwoo and Noreul shared only one class alone.

Outside of class, they drank together and often had overlapping free periods. Noreul spent more time with Hansol than with Jiwoo. Naturally, Noreul would become closer to Hansol, rely on him more.

The three of them walked side by side toward the back gate. Jiwoo felt simmering frustration, like he was stuck in the middle, a third wheel.

Looking back, Jiwoo also had the lowest grades. Hansol wasn’t as good as Noreul, but better than Jiwoo. So they often talked about exams and assignments. When Jiwoo tried to join the conversation, Hansol would brush him off jokingly, “What do you know?” At the time, it was playful—but thinking about it now made Jiwoo angry.

Jiwoo walked a few steps behind Noreul and Hansol. He thought if he was slightly behind, Noreul might come closer, might ask if he was okay, might notice he was upset…

But Noreul didn’t seem to notice. She ignored him and exchanged playful jokes with Hansol.

…But what was Hansol thinking? Jiwoo had clearly said he liked Noreul. Shouldn’t Hansol step aside a little, praise him, test Noreul’s feelings and let Jiwoo know? Why was there no change in his behavior? Was he really just doing normal friend things?

Jiwoo realized he was unfairly taking his frustration out on Hansol. Whether Hansol praised him or not was his choice. He wasn’t obligated. Yet, Jiwoo couldn’t help feeling, “If it were me…”

No… don’t hate an innocent person. Hansol was a good friend. He listened, subtly nudged things so Jiwoo and Noreul could get along—like stepping back at the horror movie exhibition, or this time with the musical…

“See you tomorrow, everyone.”

Hansol waved as he left through the back gate. Today, his classes were done, leaving Noreul and Jiwoo alone. Hansol walked away. Jiwoo and Noreul went to the Business and Economics building.

Jiwoo didn’t speak first. Even though he wanted to enjoy their time alone, he was still annoyed at Noreul.

Noreul suddenly chuckled as they walked.

“…Why are you laughing?”

“Oh, I just remembered something funny. The last time I was joking around with Hansol on the AI chatbot… it gave this silly answer, and we couldn’t stop laughing.”

“Mm.”

“It wasn’t even that funny, but we laughed anyway. You know? Not really funny, but it just hits. We laughed at the same time. Eye contact made us laugh again. We laughed for a long time. Suddenly remembered that.”

“….”

Jiwoo rarely said bad things… but he felt… awful.

Even after Hansol left, thinking about him like this—wasn’t this almost love? They didn’t even realize it yet. They liked each other.

Jiwoo walked straight, keeping a serious face. Noreul glanced at him, but he ignored her.

“…Something wrong?”

Already asking?

“No, nothing.”

Noreul kept glancing at him. She sensed he was upset, but he said nothing was wrong, so she didn’t press. Seeing her watch him eased Jiwoo’s feelings slightly—but he was far from fully okay.

Then Noreul nudged Jiwoo with her elbow. He glanced at her. She mouthed, “Why?” He kept looking forward, but his heart was racing.

She nudged him again. This time he looked at her with a slightly pouty face—cute, not angry. Noreul smirked.

“Why are you like this?”

Jiwoo turned his head forward. His cheeks burned and heart raced. Why was he like this? Why did something so small make his heart flutter? He resisted the urge to laugh—he was still annoyed.

“Oh, I just brought it.” Noreul peeked into her bag.

Jiwoo glanced—inside was Hansol’s laptop.

“I borrowed it since my battery died. No wonder my bag felt heavy.”

She closed her bag.

“…So what?” Jiwoo asked, still a bit sharp.

“We’ll meet tonight or tomorrow morning to return it.”

“…Tonight? Hansol went home.”

“Yeah. We’ll go to his place after class, or meet halfway.”

“…Isn’t that tiring? You and Hansol. Better to give it tomorrow.”

“We could, but he might need it tonight… Let me check.”

Noreul looked at her phone, about to message Hansol.

“…I’ll bring it!” Jiwoo blurted.

“…You?” Noreul asked, surprised.

“Yeah. I’m going near Hansol’s place anyway.”

Noreul studied him for a moment.

“No, I can just go and return it quickly…”

“No, I’m going nearby anyway. Why should both of us move? I’ll do it.”

Jiwoo held out his hand. Noreul reluctantly gave him the laptop. Jiwoo put it in his bag.

…After class, he’d go to Hansol’s and then home. Hansol’s and Jiwoo’s houses were on opposite sides of school. When would he get home…?

Jiwoo chuckled to himself. What was he even doing? This wouldn’t stop Noreul and Hansol from meeting. He was just making things hard for himself. He sighed quietly, making sure Noreul didn’t hear.