A new message has arrived.
Kwon Beomju
20m ago you didn't forget, right? lol
...SIGH. MAKING A FUSS FIRST THING IN THE MORNING.
A TEXT FROM KWON BEOMJU AT THE CRACK OF DAWN...
IF I'D KNOWN HE LIVED RIGHT ACROSS THE HALL, I NEVER WOULD'VE AGREED TO PLAY NURSEMAID.
AT THIS RATE, IS HE GONNA DRAG ME OVER ON WEEKENDS TOO?
8:50 Kwon Beomju You didn't forget, right? lol
Kwon Beomju 10m ago You're getting ready, right? LMAO
I'M COMING, I'M COMING.
IT'S QUIET. IS HE IN THE SHOWER?
WHY IS HE TAKING FOREVER WHEN HE'S THE ONE WHO TOLD ME TO HURRY?
YOU'RE EARLY.
TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH TO OPEN THE-
...HUH?
COME ON IN.
OH MY GOD, I JUST LOCKED EYES WITH KWON BEOMJU'S NIPPLE!!
I-IS IT OKAY TO BE HALF-NAKED AFTER INVITING SOMEONE OVER?!
IT'S NOT LIKE I'M STARK NAKED.
UGH, DAMN IT. WHY WON'T THIS BUTTON?
GUESS HIS ARM REALLY IS BOTHERING HIM...
WHAT ARE YOU DOING STANDING THERE? AREN'T YOU COMING IN?
UH, I'LL... I'LL JUST WAIT OUT HERE.
WHY?
WELL, I MEAN... IT'S A GUY'S PLACE, AND YOU LIVE ALONE.
SO I DO LOOK LIKE A MAN TO YOU? IF YOU'RE THAT UNCOMFORTABLE, JUST SAY-
IF YOU'RE NOT READY IN FIVE MINUTES, I'M GOING WITHOUT YOU!
LOOK AROUND ALL YOU WANT. I JUST NEED TO THROW SOME CLOTHES ON.
YEAH, YEAH.
I HEARD THE UNITS ON THIS SIDE HAD A DIFFERENT LAYOUT,
BUT IT REALLY FEELS LIKE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT APARTMENT.
SMELLS SURPRISINGLY NICE FOR A GUY'S PLACE. I THOUGHT HE'D BE LIVING LIKE A PIG...
A frame?
IS THIS A FAMILY PHOTO?
AW, A PICTURE OF LITTLE KWON BEOMJU.
HE MUST BE SUPER CLOSE WITH HIS GRANDMA.
WHERE ARE HIS OTHER FAMILY PHOTOS, THOUGH? IN THE BEDROOM?
SHE'S THE ONLY ONE IN ANY OF THESE.
ARE THESE ALL MAJOR TEXTBOOKS?
HE MUST ACTUALLY STUDY HARD. THE SPINES ARE ALL WORN DOWN.
GUESS HE DIDN'T PICK PHILOSOPHY JUST FOR THE AESTHETIC.
UGH, FUCK, THAT HURTS LIKE HELL.
WHAT, YOU'RE FULLY DRESSED NOW?
DAMMIT, IT HURTS TOO MUCH TO GET MY ARM THROUGH!
GOOD GRIEF... WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT? IT'S GONNA TAKE YOU HALF A DAY JUST TO PUT A SHIRT ON.
COME TO THINK OF IT, HIS HAIR IS SHORTER THAN WHEN I FIRST MET HIM IN BUPYEONG.
LIFT YOUR LEFT ARM TOO.
Wait, how many reps did you do? Ugh, that's practically twice what you poured!
THERE, ALL DONE.
SEE? I CAN'T EVEN GET DRESSED BY MYSELF.
THAT'S WHY I NEED SOMEONE TAKING CARE OF ME.
PLEASE. HOW'D YOU MANAGE TO PUT YOUR PANTS ON ALONE, THEN?
TOOK ME A WHILE.
GETTING THEM OVER MY THIGHS WAS BRUTAL.
P-PUT THE REST ON YOURSELF...!
? YEAH, FINE.
...I THOUGHT I'D ONLY BE HELPING HIM COMMUTE TO CAMPUS.
NOW I'M DRESSING HIM LIKE A TODDLER... WHAT IS MY LIFE RIGHT NOW?
UGH, EVERYTHING IS COMPLETELY RUINED! ㅠㅠ
HEY. I'M ALL SET. LET'S HEAD OUT.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
ISN'T YOUR BAG HEAVY?
HAND IT OVER. I'LL CARRY IT.
I'M FINE, I CARRY IT EVERY DAY.
SERIOUSLY, I'M FINE. WHY WOULD SOMEONE WITH AN INJURED ARM--
JUST GIVE IT HERE.
IT'S FREAKING HEAVY. HEY, ARE YOU LUGGING BRICKS AROUND IN HERE OR SOMETHING?
EVERYTHING IN HERE HAS A PURPOSE, OKAY?
WHAT THE HELL DO YOU EVEN KEEP IN THERE? NAME THEM.
TEXTBOOK, LAPTOP, TUME PICNIC MAT, EXTRA SOCKS, POWER STRIP, POWER BANK, FLASHLIGHT LAP BLANKET, GLASSES...
She really has everything...
WHY A PICNIC MAT?
WELL... IN CASE WE EVER SIT ON THE GRASS.
WHAT ABOUT THE FLASHLIGHT?
THAT'S... IN CASE WE GET TRAPPED SOMEWHERE OR THERE'S A BLACKOUT.
WHAT ARE YOU CARRYING AROUND, AN EMERGENCY SURVIVAL KIT?
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS...
Whatever, whatever.
ANYWAY, AS LONG AS YOU'RE COMMUTING WITH ME, WE'RE TAKING THE CAR.
HERE.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET IN.
HUH? OH, OKAY.
WOW, KWON BEOMJU DRIVES A REALLY NICE CAR.
I'VE NEVER BEEN IN A CAR LIKE THIS BEFORE.
BUT HE SEEMS TO DO JUST FINE WITH HIS LEFT HAND. DOES HE REALLY NEED AN ASSISTANT?
YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON TO RIDE IN THIS.
HUH?
I SAID YOU'RE MY VERY FIRST PASSENGER.
FEEL FREE TO GO BRAG ABOUT IT.
BRAG ABOUT WHAT... TO WHOM AND WHERE?
...IT MIGHT BE OUT OF NOWHERE, BUT...
He's completely soaked... To think it was that bad.
HE REALLY IS HANDSOME, THOUGH.
EVEN IF HIS PERSONALITY IS BIZARRE...
"THEN HOW ABOUT DATING SOMEONE WHO'S THE EXACT OPPOSITE?"
"SOMEONE COMPLETELY FUCKING DIFFERENT FROM HIM."
WHY AM I SUDDENLY REMEMBERING THAT RIGHT NOW?
MAYBE I'M NOT FULLY AWAKE...
WANT TO PLAY SOME MUSIC TO LIGHTEN THE MOOD?
PUT ON WHATEVER YOU LIKE.
WHY IS HE SUDDENLY TRYING TO LIGHTEN THE MOOD?
CAN I CONNECT TO BLUETOOTH, THEN?
YEAH.
CONNECTED TO “JIEUM.”
“CONNECTED TO JIEUM-1,” IT SAYS...
WHAT'S SO FUNNY ABOUT THAT? HE'S SO WEIRD.
HMM, WHAT SONG SHOULD I PLAY? THAT ONE, I GUESS...
-I thought of everything I'd never regret
IF I COULD ONLY LISTEN TO A SINGLE SONG UNTIL WE REACHED CAMPUS,
-I didn't want to be the one to forget
THERE WAS ONLY ONE TRACK I WOULD PICK WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT.
ELECTRONIC MUSIC ISN'T FOR EVERYONE, BUT...
IF YOU DON'T MIND, WANT TO LISTEN TO A SONG TOGETHER BEFORE WE GO?
WHENEVER I HEARD THAT SONG, I WAS INEVITABLY TRANSPORTED BACK TO MY FRESHMAN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL.
Woken by Kwon Beomju's insistent early-morning messages, the narrator grumbles her way over to his place, thinking she never would have agreed to babysit him if she'd known he lived right across the hall. Beomju opens the door half-naked and, unable to put on his shirt because of his injured arm, she has to help him. While looking around the house, she sees his childhood photo with his grandmother and his worn-out philosophy books. Then she grabs his heavy bag and they drive to school, playing music on the way.
