Chapter 4: Assembling Computer?

 

Although I tried to be vague about what I was asking and what I meant… Han-gyeol’s behavior seemed off... and we just didn’t talk about it.

 

The way he diverted my attention in the cafeteria... And how he hastily tried to leave when he met Seo-ha and Jung-yeon.

 

When I pondered why he acted that way, only one conclusion came to mind.

 

Everything would make sense if he knew I liked Seo-ha and that I got rejected.

 

But there was no way Han-gyeol could know about my relationship with the two of them.

 

“What the heck…?”

 

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no way Seo-ha and Jung-yeon would have talked about it to anyone else or him. And it was not like Han-gyeol and I were close enough for him to have noticed on his own.

 

The more I mulled it over, the more puzzling it became.

 

“Hey, Shin Eun-ha. Where did mom go? When is she coming back?”

 

“I don’t know. Why don’t you call her?”

 

“No. What if she comes back early because I called?”

 

“Why are you like this?”

 

“Hey, by the way, do you know anyone around you who’s good with computers? Now that I had completed my military service, I want to assemble a computer, and it’s killing me.”

 

“I don’t know anyone like that.”

 

“At least give it some thought before answering.”

 

“Hey, big bro...”

 

“What?”

 

“Never mind. What would you know anyway?”

 

“Hey, you jerk?”

 

While my brother was biologically male, he knew nothing about women.

 

Trusting a sparrow sitting on a tree would be more credible than trusting him.

 

But in that desperate situation, I still asked him.

 

“What would you feel if someone you weren’t close to seemed to know a lot about you?”

 

“That’s creepy.”

 

“No, not like that! What if the person is kind, but they just seem to know a lot about you?”

 

“My opinion doesn’t change. If someone I wasn’t close with knows a lot about me? Sounds stalker-ish.”

 

“It’s not like that... Never mind. What’s the use of talking to you about this. It was my mistake, forget it.”

 

My brother took a soda out of the refrigerator and drank directly from the bottle without pouring it into a cup.

 

“Hey! Use a glass!”

 

“I didn’t touch it with my mouth! You startled me; I almost spat it out!”

 

“Ugh, seriously, I can’t argue with you.”

 

“Well, why did you ask? Someone, you aren’t close with knows a lot about you?”

 

“Yes, but he knows things that he shouldn’t possibly know.”

 

“A magician?”

 

“I’m genuinely concerned. Can you not joke about it?”

 

“If he isn’t a magician, it must be a secret crush.”

 

“That’s so out of the blue?”

 

“It’s common to end up knowing things about someone you like even if you don’t want to, right? Oh, we’re out of food. Should I order chicken?”

 

“Do you also feel that way? Wanting to know about someone you like?”

 

“Isn’t that generally the case? You’d naturally be curious about what they like, what they’re up to. Aren’t you?”

 

“Well... I think I felt something similar...”

 

“Haaa, with my deep understanding of women, why don’t I have a girlfriend?”

 

“Where is this confidence coming from?”

 

Still, it was a stretch to assume that a boy I had never really talked to or been close with would suddenly have feelings for me.

 

Even if he did have feelings, there was no guarantee he would know that much about me. It seemed almost impossible.

 

But then again, he did know my favorite candy flavor, so there might be some truth to it.

 

“I’m going to order chicken, you in?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Tell Mom we already had dinner.”

 

“Will do. You’re paying, right?”

 

“It’s a bit much taking money from my sister who is still in high school, right?”

 

“I’ll enjoy every bite of it.”

 

“Fine, but you order, clean up, and handle the recycling.”

 

“Okay.”

 

I ordered chicken through an app, and it arrived shortly after.

 

I placed the chicken on the table in front of the sofa and turned on the television.

 

Flipping through the channels, a basketball game caught my eye.

 

“You’re into basketball all of a sudden?”

 

“Just... felt a sudden interest.”

 

“That guy you were talking about earlier plays basketball, doesn’t he?”

 

“Wow, you pick up on the most unnecessary things so quickly...”

 

“Is he good-looking? Show me a picture of his face. I’ll know just by looking.”

 

“What picture? And it’s not like I’m into him or anything, so mind your own business!”

 

“Geez, I even bought you chicken, and you’re this cold...”

 

Watching the basketball game reminded me of what happened during today’s PE class.

 

The image of those large hands before my eyes lingered in my mind.

 

I need to stay calm. Anybody would be flustered in that situation, not just me.

 

I was not so naive as to mistake a fleeting thrill for genuine feelings.

 

“Do you like him?”

 

“What are you talking about?! It’s not like that!”

 

“Then why are you making that face?”

 

“What face?”

 

Why does this darned brother of mine keep pestering me?

 

“Your eyes had an unnecessary warmth.”

 

“Ugh, it’s because of the chicken.”

 

“There was also a hint of kindness...”

 

“Stop it! You can’t eat anymore!”

 

“I paid for it, you brat!”

 

After having chicken for dinner, I washed up and lay down in bed.

 

I plugged my phone into the charger and checked my SNS* in the dimly lit room.

 

I casually searched for ‘Lee Han-gyeol’, but countless people with the same name appeared.

 

Since it was the beginning of the semester, there were no group or contact numbers exchanges, so I couldn’t find Han-gyeol’s profile.

 

“Haaa... I have no idea who this guy is.”

 

Is he just super perceptive?

 

“Ugh, forget it. Let’s not overthink this.”

 

I placed my phone beside me and closed my eyes.

 

***

 

I turned off the noisy alarm and came out after washing up in the bathroom.

 

I didn’t eat breakfast, so I immediately dried my hair and changed into my school uniform.

 

My home was close to school, but I always leave earlier than others.

 

Exiting my apartment complex, walking between the tall buildings, and passing a cat stretching in front of the fire station, I was soon at school.

 

Come to think of it, during my 1st and 2nd years, I was always the first to arrive in the classroom. But yesterday, Han-gyeol was there.

 

Upon opening the classroom door and entering, I locked eyes with Han-gyeol, who was already seated.

 

Maybe it was because of that question I asked him yesterday. It felt unexpectedly awkward.

 

“Ah- hey.”

 

“Yeah. Hi.”

 

I put my bag down and tried to check my phone, but I couldn’t focus.

 

I shouldn’t have asked that question yesterday!

 

We had finally become closer, but now there was this strange distance between us.

 

He must’ve been a little taken aback, right?

 

It was natural to be flustered when asked such an out-of-the-blue question.

 

While I was pondering this, Han-gyeol spoke to me.

 

“Did you eat breakfast?”

 

His sudden question caught me off guard.

 

I involuntarily flinched, as if I was caught stealing something.

 

“Uh..? No, no, I usually don’t eat breakfast.”

 

“Oh, really? I thought you’d surely have eaten since you come in so early.”

 

“Did you eat, Han-gyeol?”

 

“I always make sure to eat. It’s tough if I don’t.”

 

“That’s wise. But if I eat breakfast, I always end up dozing off during the first period.”

 

I didn’t expect him to start the conversation.

 

Was this also a form of consideration?

 

Even when I was the one who made things awkward, after all.

 

“Really? Well, I always feel sleepy after lunch.”

 

“I think most people do. Haha...”

 

That was the end of our conversation.

 

Han-gyeol went back to looking at his phone, and I looked at mine.

 

But if Han-gyeol was showing me consideration, shouldn’t I say something in return?

 

However, no matter how much I wracked my brain, I couldn’t think of something appropriate to say to a guy in the morning.

 

I felt a little embarrassed by my lack of verbal skills.

 

Although my gaze was directed at my phone, I stole glances at Han-gyeol now and then.

 

I wasn’t trying to peek, but I caught a glimpse of his phone screen. Surprisingly, he was on a shopping site.

 

Huh?

 

Don’t most guys usually look at manhwas or play games?

 

I might be prejudiced, but browsing a shopping site felt unusual.

 

“Ah-!”

 

Perhaps he sensed my gaze, and our eyes met.

 

“Ah-! I wasn’t trying to sneak a peek or anything! I was just wondering what you were looking at.”

 

“Oh, this? I was thinking of buying a computer since I don’t have one at home.”

 

“Don’t people usually go to electronics stores for that?”

 

“Well, pre-built ones can be pretty pricey, so I was thinking of assembling one.”

 

“Assembling? You mean you’re going to build it yourself?”

 

“Yeah, something like that. It’s definitely cheaper that way.”

 

“That’s fascinating... My brother mentioned something about assembling a computer too.”

 

“Ah- you said he recently got discharged from the military, right? He must be building a personal computer.”

 

“Wow... how did you know? I think he did mention something like that.”

 

That was really fascinating...

 

But then, Han-gyeol’s eyes began to sparkle.

 

“What’s the estimated cost? What’s his budget? Purpose? Which monitor does he plan to use? There are a lot of decent monitors from small to medium-sized companies these days, but I still prefer the ones from major brands.”

 

It was kind of cute to see his eyes light up talking about something he was passionate about.

 

“Maybe I should ask my brother?”

 

It was pretty obvious he would be sleeping till now, but I decided to drop him a message just in case.

 

[Bro, what’s the estimated cost for the computer? And the budget?]

 

But the grey dot indicating he was not online disappeared right away.

 

What’s with him? Why is he awake at this hour?

 

[I don’t know. I haven’t decided. Including the monitor, maybe around $1,300? Why?]

 

[Just a friend asked.]

 

[Does your friend know how to build a computer?]

 

[He said he’s going to assemble one for himself.]

 

The movement had I sent the message, then my phone started ringing. Without much thought, I answered, and my brother’s voice on the other end was extremely urgent.

 

“Let me talk to him right now!”

 

--- End OF The Chapter ---

 

[TL: Hey everyone, guess what? I've got some awesome news! I've been thinking about doing a mass release for this novel. And thanks to the amazing support from my Patreon peeps over the last 3 months, I was able to hire a translator to assist me. So now you can expect daily updates for 15 chapters from now on.

Happy reading ❤ 

 

SNS: When referring to social media in general without mentioning a specific app, Koreans often use the term ‘SNS’.

 

Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 3 chapters ahead of the release: https://www.patreon.com/taylor007  ]