Wednesday | November 8th, 2023 | 12:52 AM
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. A loud, drawn out sigh escaped from my lips. I wiped my face and fixed my hair out of my eyes before looking back at my computer. I was just too tired for this shit.
Right after I got home from work, I saw that I had packages waiting for me at the residential service desk. At first, I didn't know what they were but when I opened them up in front of Seulgi, who happened to be home at the time, I remembered what I brought.
If memory serves right, I had made an impulse purchase to buy an RFID card reader as well as other supplies and they finally came in. Seulgi, obviously curious, watched as I pulled the part out from the package.
"What is that?" She asked.
"I got myself an RFID card reader," I said, trying to not make a big deal out of it. Now that my supplies came in, I can kickstart my impulse plan to put together a reader that could scan our student IDs. With these cloned student IDs, I'd have access to any dormitory rooms I want. The possibilities of what I could do was endless, but of course, panties were my end goal.
"An RFID reader," she repeated, "The hell is that?" She giggled. I blankly stared at the reader in my hand. Since last week, it's been hard to make eye contact with her without being reminded of what Nakyung and I did in her bed. Even though it seems like we got away with defiling her room, I can't help but feel like I need to be careful around Seulgi.
"It's just something for my computer science class, a project," I quickly fibbed. Seulgi hummed and crouched down next to me. I somewhat flinched and scooted over to leave space between us.
"These look like credit cards," Seulgi said, taking out this pack of empty cards from another box.
"Ah, well, credit cards use some form of RFID, so yeah, it's the same kind of stuff," I explained. I could feel Seulgi’s eyes on me, clearly confused about what I said.
"Wow, smartie pants. Look at my roommate, going and becoming a computer nerd," she laughed. Seulgi took the empty boxes from me, "I'll toss the trash for you." She offered, picking up the empty packages and headed towards the door.
"Oh, thanks."
Skip to a few hours later, and I was still tinkering with the program for the reader. Even after watching videos on videos, it felt like I only understood about 30% of what I needed to do. The first couple fuck-ups, I couldn't correctly connect the reader to this mini computer I bought and I had to rewire it a few times, but eventually, it was all hooked up. Now, the issue was actually coding this program and making it do what I wanted.
It turned out, the tech company I had brought the reader from happened to be the only other company who used this unconventional custom programming language that the internet had scarce documentation on. This meant the program had to be made from scratch by me. And, that's where I was now, stuck in a loop that I had no clue how to get out of.
After sitting in my chair for hours, working on this fucking project, I felt like throwing the whole thing out the window. My laptop's screen, even on low brightness, was hurting my eyes the more I stared at my code. Of course, I could just go to sleep and finish it tomorrow, but my mind felt like it couldn’t rest until I fixed the fucking issue.
So, that's where I found myself, staring at the ceiling and feeling my eyelids become heavy. The idea of sleep seemed more appealing every second, but my body wouldn't move. I sat there, frozen, my eyes glued to the ceiling and the air conditioner running at full blast. It felt like I was there for an eternity, until finally, the sound of something broke through the silence.
It was my phone, which vibrated face-down on the desk. At this late in the night, who was messaging me? I lazily flipped my phone over to look at the notification and saw Chaewon had sent me a text. Feeling a bit more awake, I unlocked my phone and checked the message:
Chaewonfacetime?
this late?
Chaewonwhy not?
I took a deliberate pause:
ofc gimme a sec
I stood up from my chair and stretched, feeling my body ache a bit. After cracking my neck and rolling my shoulders a bit, I sat back down and propped my phone up against my laptop screen. I leaned forward and called her. She only took a couple seconds to answer.
"Hey," I smiled as soon as her face popped up on the screen. Chaewon smiled back at me with a black tank top on and no makeup. She looked to be laying down with only the light from her phone lighting up her face.
"Hi," she responded. Her voice was a little quiet and sounded a bit tired. "I'm surprised you're still up," she sighed.
"Ditto," I said, "what are you doing?"
"Just finished watching this movie and now I can't fall asleep."
"You watched a movie before going to bed? Was it good?" I asked.
"Nah, it was boring," she laughed. Chaewon adjusted her position, moving her arm out of the shot and resting her head against the pillows. She must've known how entranced I was by her, because she smiled knowingly, "I was hoping to talk to you before going to bed."
"Yeah? What about," I asked.
"Nothing really, just about the day. I'm kinda bored and want some company," Chaewon admitted. She looked like she was trying her hardest not to fall asleep.
"You should try to sleep then," I told her.
"Mm, but I'm talking to you," she mumbled. "I'd rather talk to you."
"I'm not going to be good company, I fear. I'm too busy with this computer science project to keep you entertained," I sighed, glancing back at the laptop.
"A project, huh," she muttered, "what are you making?"
"It's for a class, just something for double test grades," I fibbed, once again. The less I had to explain, the better I could hide my actual intentions.
"Sounds hard," Chaewon remarked. "I hope it works."
"Me too." I looked away from my phone and tried to focus back onto the janky code I wrote. Maybe if I just stared at the screen long enough, it would make sense and fix itself.
"Is this class important?"
"It's for my major," I whispered while deleting some lines and rewriting them.
"Oh, you're a computer science major?" Chaewon asked.
"Uh," I stopped and looked back at the camera, "yeah."
"That's cool, Minjae. You always did seem to be into that kind of stuff."
"Haha, yeah," I chuckled, trailing off as I zoned out reading an entire code block, trying to see where my logic messed up. Chaewon softly laughed from her side and I heard her shift around. We sat there in silence while I slowly made progress.
"Um, what about you? What major are you," I asked suddenly, feeling guilty about ignoring her for the past few minutes. Chaewon didn't reply immediately, so I looked back at the phone and noticed her eyes were slightly closed. Thinking she was asleep, I looked back to my computer but she quietly replied, "Haven't decided."
Maybe it was because she was tired, but the way she answered the question didn't seem very enthusiastic, and the usual perkiness of her voice was absent. The way her tone shifted slightly worried me, so I left the code alone and looked back at the camera, "Chaewon?" I called.
"Hmm," she hummed, her eyes fully closed.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she sighed, "why'd you ask?"
"Just wondering," I paused, switching tabs to look at some documentation. "You sounded a bit sad."
"Ah," Chaewon groaned, "that's because I'm tired."
"You sure?"
"Mm, hmm," she mumbled, nodding her head, "It's nothing. I just don't know what I want to do."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
I nodded, understandingly, "That's rough. I remember going through that a bit when I was deciding. It sucks."
"Yup."
"Do you know anything you're interested in?"
"I don't know," she sighed, "not really." She shifted in bed again, pulling the sheets around her shoulders. "I think it's cool that you found out what you wanted to be," she murmured, "it makes me a bit jealous."
"Jealous? Of me?"
"Why not," Chaewon muttered.
"Well, I guess, I'm pretty fucking dope," I laughed, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Chaewon softly giggled at my comment, "Yeah, you're pretty dope." I tested my code again, picking up my student ID card and hovering it over the reader but to no avail. I tossed my ID aside and groaned, running my fingers through my hair. It was awfully quiet from Chaewon's side but I can still see her eyes looking at me through half-open eyelids.
"How was your day?" I asked, turning back to my screen, still unable to understand why the code wasn't working.
"Good, I guess. Boring," she murmured. "Nothing special." I heard her shifting around as she rolled over and brought the sheets up to her chest. She looked about ready for bed but for some reason, was holding on to not fall asleep.
"That doesn't sound right, what did you do?"
"Stay in my dorm, watch TV," she replied.
"No Sakura?"
"She was studying. Some quiz," Chaewon added.
"So, you stayed in and did what, nothing?
"Yes, that's exactly what I did," she smiled.
"How fun," I sighed.
"Very," she yawned, "so, how was yours?"
"Went to class, then went to work, got home and been working on this since," I told her.
"You should take a break," Chaewon suggested.
"Probably should."
"Are you going to?"
"Nope."
She quietly laughed, "So hard headed."
"Yeah," I chuckled, "always been that way."
"I know."
I leaned back in my chair, minimizing the tab with the documentation and stared at the code again. Even after rewriting it three times, the reader didn't read the data off the card. I mean, one more time, I grabbed my card and put it over the reader but when nothing happened, I let it fall and rested my face in my hands.
I spent a few quiet minutes going through the language's documentation again, seeing if I was missing anything. Good programming practice would have me trying to read terminal errors and whatnot but this archaic language had no such concept built in, which meant if a program didn't work, I would have to figure out the cause myself.
"Hey, Minjae?"
"Hm?"
"I want to hang out with you again," she quietly admitted. I paused what I was doing and looked back at her on the phone. Her eyes were half closed, and the corners of her lips were barely visible. The sight was so cute and pure, it almost felt wrong to see her like this.
"Do you?"
"Mhm."
"Why's that?"
"I don't know," she drawled. "Just hang out. No club, no walk, just hang out." She didn't move from her spot, like the words were just slipping out from her subconscious.
"Yeah, let's do it." I agreed.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"M'kay." Chaewon's lips finally turned into a soft smile, "All you can eat." She whispered out loud, her voice fading.
"What was that?" I asked while redoing some lines of code, thinking I understood what my error was.
"Sushi," Chaewon breathed, "All you can eat."
"Sushi?" I chuckled, looking back at the phone, "you want to take me out for sushi?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, Chaewon," I laughed, "I'll hold you up to it."
"Good," she mumbled, her words slurring together.
"Okay," I nodded, looking back at the code.
"I miss you, Minjae," she softly murmured. I sat still, not knowing how to respond to that. For a second, I thought I was just imagining things, but when I looked back at the camera, her eyes were fully shut, and she was unmoving. I doubt she even knew what had slipped out of her mouth.
I didn't say anything back, but I did stare at her for a good while. In a few moments, I knew she would be fully asleep, but I didn't want to hang up and lose her company. Weirdly enough, since the start of the call, I didn't feel as frustrated as I was earlier. Sure, I was annoyed and a little bit stressed but having Chaewon there, even though she was miles away, made me feel more comfortable and relaxed.
So, the call continued and I sat in silence while working on the program, glancing at the camera every minute. Every so often, a quiet and soft snore would come through the phone. I scrolled through my code one last time before giving it another test. My hand swiped up my ID and readied it over the reader. This time, my terminal actually outputted something.
This was major progress and I held myself back from making too much excited noise. The reader actually picked up the data. I tested the reader again to make sure it wasn't just a fluke and it worked again. At that moment, I was filled with pride and accomplishment. I leaned my head back and slapped my forehead in relief.
There it was in front of me, every bit of information that was encoded into my student ID, written on my screen for me to use. It had my student name, birthdate, gender, unique identification value, even my dorm building and number. All of it. There was a surprisingly amount of extra info that I didn't expect to be loaded on our IDs.
This next part should be easy, now that I knew I could get the information that was encoded onto the cards. I made a new file, this time working with a language that I knew I could work with without issues. I typed up a quick function to decode the information from the reader, copying the given information, and cloning it to the next blank card that gets scanned.
This rarely happens, but my code seemed to worked first try. I scanned my school ID, reading that the information was copied off of my terminal. Looking around my area, I found the pack of blank cards and took one of them out. I pressed it up against the reader, to which my terminal printed out that information has been cloned.
Words are just words though, how am I supposed to know if my card was actually cloned. Not giving it much thought, I stood up from my desk and left my room. Slowly making my way through the dark living room, I found our dorm door and opened it. I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me.
It was then that I realized I left my actual school ID in my room. It was also then that I realized, it was three in the morning and I was essentially stuck outside if I didn't want to bother the other residents by knocking on the door if this card didn't work. I took a deep breath and even gave a good luck kiss to the card.
I held the card to the reader, hoping for the best, but I didn't need to wait long before I heard the locks to the doors click open and I could turn the handle. It felt like Christmas had come early. Out in the open, I let out a victorious, but quiet scream of happiness, raising my arms into the air. I spun around, feeling the rush of excitement course through my body.
This opens up new doors, literally. Satisfied with the single test, I entered my dorm and went back to my room. With my phone still propped up against my laptop, Chaewon was still asleep as I walked back into my room. I closed my door and sat down in my chair, facing the phone.
It was captivating how calm her breathing is, how her chest raises up and down softly with every inhale and exhale. My eyes wandered around her features, tracing the contours of her face and neck. There wasn't a single strand of hair out of place. She looked so perfect in my eyes.
I wish I could see her. I mean, I was looking at her right now, but I mean see her, in person, and be in her presence. I missed her too, a lot, actually. The fact that she admitted it made me happy, though she most likely was half asleep. It didn't matter, the feeling was mutual, but there was no way I could tell her that.
Would I come off as desperate if I just came out and said it? It's what it felt like, but Chaewon seemed to have no trouble admitting it. But still, we finally reconnected and I didn't want to jeopardize anything.
Feeling drowsy myself, I saved my code, closed my laptop and placed it off to the side. I scooped up my phone and looked down at the girl, quietly thanking her for being there while I slowly lost my mind.
"I miss you, too," I said before hanging up the call, thinking about her phone battery and not wanting to drain it. I quietly cleaned up my desk, pushing aside the tiny computer I used to host the reader and my code on and pushed my chair in. I think my next step is being able to make my setup mobile, since I have to keep the tiny computer plugged in all the time.
But that's a problem for future Minjae. I crawled into bed, and stared up at the ceiling. For the past few weeks, it feels like I've done more thinking than sleeping in this bed. I don't know, thinking about a lot of things. Thinking about Chaewon, about Haerin, about Nakyung, about my feelings. Just a whole lot of thinking.
I can't help it. When it's just me, alone, with nothing to do but just sit, I find myself thinking. About the future, about the past, about the present, about my feelings. Just a lot of thinking. I can't help it, there's so many things on my mind, so many thoughts in my head. It truly felt like there was not enough time in a day for me to sort out my thoughts.
I turned over in bed, trying to clear my mind so I could go to sleep better. But my brain wasn't having it. No matter how much I tossed and turned, there was just constant noise in my head. I just couldn't get good sleep anymore.
Wednesday | November 8th, 2023 | 12:56 PM
"Yo, what's up doofus," I looked up and behind me at Joy, who was walking down the lecture hall aisle towards me. I gave her a curt smile and picked up my bag out of the chair next to me for her to sit. "Didn't think you were going to come to class today," I remarked.
"Ah, yeah," she laughed, "Got to make sure I kept my attendance at least above minimum."
"That's... good, I guess." I tucked my legs in for her to scoot through and sit next to me.
"Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't like Professor Taeyeon. I just can't focus in person. I need to learn on my own," Joy whispered, sinking into her chair.
"Fair enough," I chuckled. Near the front of the hall, Professor Taeyeon finished setting up her slides for the class and grabbed our attention with some quick taps to her mic. "Everyone settle down, let's begin."
Taeyeon looked pretty today, which wasn't surprising since she's always the most put together person in the room. She had a small amount of makeup on, but it made her look professional and classy. Her long black hair was parted in the middle and pulled back behind her shoulders. As the rest of the students quieted down, Taeyeon went through the intro to her lecture and got straight to her topic.
I looked over at Joy, who was engrossed in her phone, trying to be discreet about it by hiding it behind her bag. I turned back to the front and stared at the slides on the screen, taking notes as Taeyeon spoke. Soon enough, I felt myself disassociating from the lecture and started to autopilot on my notes.
My mind wandered back to my card cloner, and the problems that past Minjae left for me. The execution was sound, the cloner can clone a school ID to one of my blank cards, which can work just like the original. It gets all thrown out the window once I realized I have to be able to swipe someone's card off of them, go all the way to my dorm to clone with my cloner, then get the card back to the owner without them realizing which was next to impossible.
I couldn't just bring the cloner around with me because it required the tiny computer that I have the reader as well as all the code running through to be powered. At first thought, this problem could automatically be solved by having a power bank but the weight of everything plus the wires that had to connect would make the cloner obvious. Even if no one knew what the device did, it was still a suspicious looking thing to be carrying around.
Now that I laid out my main gripes, I knew what main issues I had to tackle. If I wanted this device to be portable, I would need to first find a power source that was lightweight enough to carry around. I would also need to disguise the cloner as something less conspicuous, something a student would look natural holding around.
My fingers drummed on the top of my notebook as I searched for ideas. I dropped my eyes down to the cover of the notebook, letting this idea form slowly in my mind. Maybe a book would work. I could take an old textbook and carve out the insides, leaving enough space to fit the cloner and power bank in, kind of like one of those hidden book safes.
That could work. I could even throw the textbook into my backpack and hide it among the other things I have in there. No one would really be looking inside and I could easily access it without anyone being suspicious. Huh, even the simplest ideas can be genius when you need them.
"Alright, I'm out of here," Joy said, nudging me with her shoulder. I looked at her, confused. She was picking up her bag and standing up quietly.
"Class isn't over?"
"You know I'm not staying here longer than I have to." She wasn't exactly making it discrete. The only person in this big lecture hall standing up and shuffling through the aisle, a few people were looking at her. Even Taeyeon stuttered in the middle of her lecture when she noticed Joy leaving, but she continued without addressing her. I leaned my head down and shook my head embarrassed.
"Alright, I'll see you later then," I murmured, not looking up from my notebook.
"Later." Joy walked into the aisle and left the lecture hall. I looked back at her, watching her walk out the doors, and sighed. The lecture droned on and my mind continued to drift elsewhere. I thought about the cloner and the other tasks that past me left for me to deal with.
There was the matter of deciding who to use the cloner on. The answer was obvious, of course. I had an entire hit list to carry out. Well now, the issue of availability comes into play. It's not easy to get close enough to someone to take their ID, clone it, and put it back. That process, even if I kept the cloner in a close enough area, would take a moment long enough for someone to look at me suspiciously.
Organizing my hit list in my head, I made up three different categories. First of all, there's the people that are definitely the easiest to get close enough to. This included the goobers, specifically Joy, Yeji, Tzuyu, and Sana. Secondly, there's the people that, yeah, if I took the time or found a slim possibility, I could somehow get their ID. This included the fashion duo, Jennie and Xiaoting, and even Saerom. Lastly, there's the people that getting their ID is actually next to impossible since I'm not even friends with them, such as Jihyo or Nayeon.
Hmm, the best plan I could come up with on the spot is to take advantage of our volleyball practice and games. Perhaps everyone will be distracted enough by everything going on around them to not spot me going through their bags and cloning their IDs. Of course, I'd have to come up with a better system and a plan of action, but the basics were laid down.
"Alright class, hurry up and make groups!" Taeyeon announced into her mic, setting it down and waving her hands around. I was snapped back to reality. I blinked rapidly, looking around. Groups? I looked up at the slide projected on the board and saw a list of questions.
"What?" I whispered under my breath. I was not paying attention to a single word Taeyeon had been saying all class. I had completely zoned out, lost in my own world.
"Minjae, right?" A voice said from above me. I turned and looked up at the figure in front of me. Kazuha Nakamura stood in front of me with a confident, but slightly shy, smile. I blinked, surprised at the sight of the pretty Japanese girl. Behind her, I recognized her friend, Kim Minji, standing a few paces back, smiling awkwardly at me.
"You didn't look like you had a group, so we were wondering if you'd want to work with us," Kazuha asked. I looked at her and nodded, "Yeah, no, that'd be great," I smiled, moving around my bag and making room for them to sit. "Come on, Minji." Kazuha called for her.
Minji stepped forward and sat in the seat next to mine. She set her bag down and opened her notebook. I noticed she had her notes neatly filled out in the margins, not a single gap or word out of place. "Wow, you took some nice notes," I said, leaning over to look at her paper.
"Oh, thanks." Minji smiled, flipping through the pages of her notebook. I could tell she was the type of person to write out the whole lecture, verbatim, from the front to the end. She nodded at me and stuck her hand out, "My name is Kim Minji, by the way." I took her hand and shook it, introducing myself as well. She looked down at her notebook and began copying down the questions on the slides.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what we're doing," I confessed, laughing sheepishly. Kazuha, who was sitting a seat down from me, chuckled, "Yeah, I had a feeling you weren't paying attention. It's fine, all we have to do is answer the questions together as a group. It's nothing hard."
"It's just busy work," Minji added, finishing copying the questions down. "Well, thank you. I really appreciate it," I laughed, looking around at the other students forming their own groups. It didn't take too long for the lecture hall to turn into a hub of chatter.
"These questions are easy," Minji remarked, already halfway through. She seemed really studious. Kazuha chuckled before looking up from her friend and making eye contact with me, "Well, um, I was surprised you knew Chaewon. What a coincidence, right?"
"Chaewon? Yeah, we, uh, we go way back."
Kazuha's expression grew slightly tense, but it quickly faded as she fixed it with a simple smile, "Ah, yeah. Speaking of which, why couldn't you come up for the Halloween party last week? Chaewon mentioned she invited you."
"Oh, I was working on Halloween. She did invite me but I had to tell her I couldn't make it."
"Aww," Kazuha cooed, "If only you didn't have work, the party was pretty fun."
"Did you drive up there by yourself?" I asked, thinking about that hour and a half drive between our schools.
"Thankfully, no. Minji came with me." Kazuha gestured at her friend who was diligently writing her notes. Minji stopped, realizing we were talking about her and looked up at me, "Oh, yeah, it was fun! We had to leave late because one of my classes ends late."
"Which sucked," Kazuha added, "We had to throw our clothes into the car and get ready up there before we could go out to the party."
"What did you guys go as?" I asked. Kazuha and Minji looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"I went as a black cat since they didn't give me the memo to dress up as cowgirls so I looked so out of place with them," Minji laughed.
"Um, no, because I'm pretty sure I told you we were going as cowgirls." Kazuha pouted, "You're just a bad listener, Minji."
I laughed, watching the exchange between the two. They had an interesting relationship, that was for sure. It was obvious how close they were and they seemed to be enjoying each other's company. "Are you two just friends, or are you guys roommates? For some reason, you give off the disgruntled dormmates vibes."
"Right on the dot," Kazuha grinned, pointing at me. "We met back in freshman year and since we got along so well, we decided to become roommates this year."
"Ah, wait, that's so dope," I laughed, "That's cool. I'm still with my original roommate, never thought to move in with my friends."
"Well, to be fair, I would've stayed with my original roommate, but she ended up dropping out," Kazuha explained.
"And I didn't like my roommate at all, I needed to get out as soon as possible," Minji chimed in.
"Well, that's unfortunate, but you seem to be better off," I commented.
"For sure," Kazuha agreed. Minji dropped her pen, leaning down as she blew on her paper for the ink to dry, "I finished our questions. We can go up now and hand it in."
"Great! Thank you, Minji," Kazuha smiled. She looked back at me, "It was nice working with you, even though we sat back and let Minji do the work."
If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have had anything done, "No, seriously, thank you. I really appreciate you guys asking me to join." Kazuha stood up, throwing her bag around her shoulder. I bent down and picked up my bag as well, "Here Minji, let me turn it in for you, it's the least I could do. I wasn't really pulling my weight here."
"Ah, no, it's alright. It was no trouble." Minji protested, reaching for the paper.
"Seriously, you were busy and I didn't do anything, let me do this for you."
"Minji, just let him turn it in for you, you have to go anyway, you have that lab." Kazuha chimed in.
Minji paused, and then looked up at me, "Alright, fine. Thank you, Minjae."
"Of course."
Minji handed the paper to me, and then turned around to pack her bag. Kazuha turned to me and smiled, "It was nice seeing you today. Hope we get to see you again."
"For sure, maybe the next time you meet up with Chaewon and Sakura, I'll make an appearance," I smiled.
"Sounds good," Kazuha grinned. "Let's go, Minji," she turned around, "Bye, Minjae, hope you have a good day!"
"Thanks, you too," I called out.
"See you, Minjae!" Minji waved as she trailed behind Kazuha, leaving the lecture hall.
I watched as they left and proceeded to walk towards the front of the hall at Taeyeon. As I got closer, she gave me a pretty smile. I instinctively gave one back and looked at the paper of answers Minji did for us. Seeing the three of our names written on the top, I felt a sudden impulse to be a good friend. With my pencil, I quietly scribbled at the top of the paper, "Park Joy."
It's the least I could do.
Wednesday | November 8th, 2023 | 4:45 PM
Typical of my English class, the lecture was boring. My monotone professor didn't seem to mind that half of the class was already lost in their own little world, or sleeping. My head was buried in my laptop, roughly designing a simple app for my cloner. It was an idea I had in between classes. With such an ugly assortment of wires and components, I was bound to misuse or accidentally break the cloner.
That was when the idea of a simple phone app came to mind. I needed something that can remotely turn on and off the cloner to efficiently use as much power as needed from the power bank. I also needed a way to tell when a card is scanned or cloned, so the app could log those in as well.
Since I wasn't doing anything in English, I decided I would get to work designing and coding the app in class. Contrary to my expectations, coding the app wasn't too bad. Maybe my experience with the cloner last night had frustrated me, but I found that making the app was a lot easier.
The language and framework I was working with had many tutorials on the internet, which I had been able to learn off of, making it relatively easy. My only issue was trying to figure out how to link the cloner and app together, but I can only worry about that once I get home later today.
As of now, I had a rough prototype for the app made. Some aesthetic tweaks could be made and maybe some bug fixes, but it would be fine for now. I eyed the time in the bottom corner of the screen and realized we were nearing the end of the lecture. Our professor stood up, closing the slides and thanking us for listening.
He left us with one last thing, "Midterm grades were put up last night, you should be able to check online. Class dismissed." Around me, students started to wake up and collect their things. The class started to empty out, and I followed the flow of students, making my way outside.
"Minjae, wait up!" Someone called from behind. I turned my head and saw Ryujin catching up to my pace. I stopped, allowing her to match my stride. She had her backpack thrown over her shoulder and her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jacket. She gave me a warm smile, "Hey, how are you?"
"I'm good, what's up?" I asked. I haven't talked to Ryujin since we finished our project together. And well, ever since that night.
"Nothing, I was wondering if you saw what we got for our midterm," she said. I haven't spent much time getting to know Ryujin, but I just knew something didn't seem right. Her usual laid back demeanor seemed tense under the hood. I can tell by the way she talked, there wasn't that nonchalant, uncaring tone she had whenever she talked. She sounded nervous in a way?
I can understand why. We left each other on a weird note the last time we talked. I couldn't forget what happened that night. The two of us spent time together just smoking and sharing, sharing our vulnerable thoughts and feelings to each other. It felt weird to me. Besides Nakyung, Ryujin was the only other person I've ever told about my strained relationship with my parents.
And to be honest, I don't know why I even did it. It was just in the moment, we were both high, and it seemed like the right thing to say at the time. I didn't like knowing that there was someone out there, someone who I barely knew, that knew something so personal about me. It was like I gave away a piece of me that I never meant to share.
And the kiss. What an awkward exchange. Well, no, the kiss wasn't awkward. The kiss was good. It was just weird how out of nowhere it was, and I'm pretty sure Ryujin agreed. I wasn't sure if she was being genuine, or if it was the weed, but she leaned in and pressed her lips onto mine. When we kissed, it was warm, gentle, and soft. It wasn't something I would've expected from Ryujin, someone who I thought was lax and laidback.
It's been a while since it happened. I wasn't opposed to the kiss at all so it didn't bother me but the look on Ryujin's face, that confused and conflicted expression, was stuck in my head now. I wondered what she was thinking, why she looked so surprised. Did she expect me to pull away? Was it not supposed to happen?
I didn't think a kiss could be so complicated. Maybe the two of us were just comfortable with each other, it could've been an impulsive reaction to the vulnerable emotions we shared. But, no, that was ridiculous. It had to have been the weed. Or at least, that was the easy answer I gave myself.
I had an unsettling feeling that this was where the conversation between us was leading, and I wasn't too fond of confronting the situation. "Nah, I didn't have time to check it. You?" I asked.
"92%," she answered, finding a smile on her lips, "That's better than what I usually get. It was thanks to you."
"No, no, don't cut yourself out, you did most of the work." I chuckled.
She grinned, looking proud of herself, "Thanks."
Silence befell us. I could tell Ryujin was just trying to gather her thoughts. The conversation was definitely about to go there. I braced myself for the awkwardness, hoping the encounter will be short and brief.
"Can we... talk about last week?"
And there it was.
"Yeah, of course."
I didn't know how to approach this. From the bottom of my heart, I really didn't care about it. I didn't want to come off like I was bothered by the kiss, or even that the kiss happened. But the tension and awkwardness in the air made it so painfully obvious.
"I, uh..." Ryujin stuttered.
I watched her try to string together a sentence, struggling to find her words. A sigh escaped her lips as she gave up, looking into my eyes. Her face was contorted into a worried look. "Look, Minjae, I wanted to apologize for last week. I know I crossed a line and I'm really sorry. It was just in the moment and I just..."
Her words trailed off, and she shook her head, "I'm just really sorry." I bit the inside of my cheek, contemplating my response. I didn't have any problems with the kiss, but seeing Ryujin look so worried, I couldn't just tell her that. I needed to say something to ease the tension.
"No, no, it's okay," I started, "Don't feel bad. If I was bothered by it, I would've said something, right?" I held the straps of my backpack tightly. "It was... a spur of the moment kind of thing."
She nodded, taking a deep breath. She still seemed a little distressed.
"You alright?"
"Y-yeah," she managed.
I looked into her eyes, she seemed troubled, but didn't know why. I could sense there was something more to the topic than just the kiss, but I didn't know what. There was only so much I could say, "If I'm being honest, I think a small part of me appreciated the kiss. It was a nice kiss."
It was only human of me to enjoy a kiss, right? Especially from a pretty girl like her. If she couldn't accept that I wasn't bothered by it, then my next best bet was to convince her that I appreciated the gesture.
"It came at the right time too. I had just spilled something that I've never told anyone to you and believe me, that wasn't an easy thing for me to do," I chuckled, shaking my head. "If I wasn’t high, I don't think I would've ever done that. In a weird way, that kiss made me feel less awkward about sharing that part of me."
She seemed taken aback, but nodded as if she understood.
"It was a strange situation, yeah. We're not super close, but we did have that vulnerable moment with each other. You just looked like the right person to spill all my issues to," Ryujin cracked a smile.
"Ditto," I chuckled. Ryujin's eyes darted around the hallway where we were having our conversation. She cleared her throat and looked down. I felt it about to come out, her true feelings. "Minjae, can I be honest?"
I nodded.
She didn't continue her sentence, the words dying in her throat. Ryujin didn't want to say what was on her mind, but the silence was louder. She was struggling to hide the truth. I decided I would just try and put the puzzle together, "Are you, um, attracted to me?"
"Um, no, no," she denied. Well, shit, I felt stupid as fuck. "Oh, okay," I responded, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Remember what I told you? About how much I hated having to grow up and take over looking after Yuna, working, going to school, all of that," Ryujin started.
I nodded, "You said you felt like you missed out on life because of that." Ryujin softly smiled, as if she was rewarding me for remembering her stoned rant.
"Yeah. Well, I haven't had a lot of time to, y'know, live a life. I haven't been able to be young, have fun, experience stuff, especially romantic things. That night felt so intimate, and I guess I was in the mood. You just happened to be there, and I just acted on it. That was wrong of me, though. It wasn't fair to you."
I couldn't hold back a laugh, it just felt so absurd to me, "Alright. I forgive you. If that makes you feel better, then you're forgiven. It's over now."
She smiled, nodding. "It was the weed. You know, your brain does all sorts of weird things when you're high," she tried to reason.
"Yeah," I smiled, "Weird things."
We both laughed, shaking our heads at the memory. "So, I was your first kiss, huh," I joked, nudging her with my elbow.
"Well, yeah," she said, a grin tugging at her lips.
"How was it?" I asked, wanting to lighten the mood.
"Not too bad, actually."
"Glad you enjoyed it."
Ryujin's laugh echoed through the hallway, causing me to laugh along. This was a weight off of her shoulders, I could tell. She didn't need to feel guilty anymore. "I didn't make it awkward, did I?"
"Not at all, we're good. Don't worry about it." I replied. Ryujin started walking forward, freeing us from the awkward situation. She had a bright smile on her face, her laid back nature was returning.
"So, uh, got anything else to get off your chest?" I teased. She shook her head and laughed, "Nah, nah, that's all."
"Mhm, you sure? Nothing about your parents, or Yuna? Any secrets or thoughts that you'd like to share?" I joked.
"Oh, please, don't start. Well actually, my parents recently told us that they got some rare time with us during winter break. We're going overseas to the States for a vacation. Yuna's really excited about it, she's never been before," she replied.
I widened my eyes, "Oh wow, that sounds awesome."
"Yeah, it's been awhile since we've had a vacation as a complete family. I'm excited," Ryujin gave a small smile at me, "We're not high, let me not get too sappy."
I grinned, "When are you leaving?"
Ryujin stroked her chin, "I believe we leave right when finals finish. And I think we're spending about two weeks in the States."
"That sounds like a lot of fun, Ryujin," I murmured, finding my mind slipping away from the present conversation. Vacation? Two weeks? Complete family? Empty house. Copied Key. Sniffing panties. Stealing panties. Stealing. Panties. The small set of keys in my pocket seemed to get heavier, feeling more prominent in my thoughts.
Just like how I forgot Ryujin and I kissed, I forgot about duplicating her house key. It just clicked, the perfect opportunity was staring me right in the face. This was a golden chance to get my fix, and maybe a few pairs. The Shin sisters. I'll be patient and wait.
Dragged back to reality, Ryujin smiled and waved at me, "I got to go, but I'll see you later, Minjae." We were standing outside the building, seemingly finished with our conversation. She walked away, leaving me to my own thoughts. I chirped goodbye before she got out of earshot. I eyed her back, watching her leave and fixing my erection that had been poking up for the past minute before turning and leaving for the rec center.
A well-timed text message stopped me from going any further. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I unlocked it and read the notification:
Chaewonheyyy stupid
I zoned out staring at the message. I still wasn't used to having this much contact with Chaewon. It felt like we were talking every other day now, it was honestly a little nerve-racking. I took a breath and typed back a response:
yooo
Chaewon
i just finished my classes
wbu?
just got out my last class just now lol
Chaewon
oh perfect!
wanna eat sushi today then?
do you remember or were you too focused on your thingie last night?
Of course I didn't forget, it didn't really strike me that it would be so soon. I thought we would be waiting a week, maybe two, until she had the chance to have a free day:
uhhh today
maybe another time?
i have a volleyball match td
I stared down at my phone, watching as the messages popped up and were read by Chaewon. In the corner, her three dots bounced:
Chaewondamnnn
idk i just felt like hanging out with you again lol
ig ill have to settle for microwave pizza instead haha
I leaned against the building, looking down at her messages. It was clear that she wanted to hang out, but I couldn't. Today, we happened to match up against the Wall Street team. If anything, this was our hardest match of all the preliminary rounds until the actual bracket matches. We had spent more time this week in the gym practicing for this match than we did any other week leading into our other games.
As optimistic we were, some small part of me knew we were going to lose today. I heard from Karina that her team took a complete ass whooping last week when they played against them. Watching their gameplay, they were the only team that I wasn't 100% about going against. Usually, I'd be chipper and pumped about the game, but I just wasn't.
Wall Street was just too big of a team, and the physical gap between us and them was huge. Honestly, was it even worth it to show up and just get completely stomped on the court? Maybe this invitation from Chaewon was actually a blessing in disguise, and it was telling me that I didn't need to show up today.
I didn't want to disappoint Chaewon, especially after our talk last night, but maybe missing one game wouldn't hurt. We could take a loss, as long as we win our other games, we'll be good. I still had a nagging feeling that I couldn't help but feel guilty for not going. I was pretty sure it'd be an automatic forfeit since we needed our six players.
I bit the inside of my cheek and thought. My thumb hovered over the send button, hesitating, before I pressed it.
okay i'll come
It felt like ripping off a bandaid, like a big bandaid. A fucking massive bandaid. The message was already sent, and I wasn't going to double back now. We can take our one loss, as long as we win every other game. It's not that big of a deal, just one forfeit. Against, arguably, the best team, it felt justified:
Chaewon
really???
yeah really, this match isnt that important
besides its been awhile since we hung out
My reply seemed to make Chaewon happy. A flurry of smileys and exclamation points came from her and it made me laugh. I'd drop everything if I could see her this happy all the time:
Chaewonomggg you should leave and make the drive up here asap!!
more time to hang out!!!
ill start heading out rn
Chaewon
ill send the address to my dorm
maybe youll get that college tour i promised haha
drive up here safe!
Chaewon followed that up with her location and an address. Throwing it into my maps app, the hour drive looked pretty straight forward. Luckily, no traffic issues either, it should be smooth sailing all the way there. I let out a long breath and pushed off of the wall, heading towards the Student Village and the parking lot that has my car.
As I walked, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous, a little excited. Maybe a little guilty. It was a weird mixture of feelings. This was my first time actually coming up to visit Chaewon. The thought had always lingered in the back of my head when we were in high school. Take a small drive up to her, visit, keep our connection alive, and just spend time together.
But I never committed to the idea. You know, maybe if I had, things could have been different. I feel like I double down on that thought every chance I get, but it's true. I feel like our breakup wasn't even needed, that we could have still stayed friends. We could have still kept in touch and talked.
Who cares, who cares, all that matters is that I'm getting chances to make it up. Like the universe was trying to will this thing between us back into existence, or whatever. As long as I was given these chances, I wasn't going to waste it. I hastily typed out a weak excuse to the goobers, feeling my lies pile up:
hey guys, im not feeling well today
i might be sick, idk
might need to take a forfeit
My guilt piled up along with my lies when the replies came flooding in:
Tzuyu
awww nooo
Yeji
go home and rest its fineeee
Haechan
i hope youre okay bro
Sana
dont push yourself!!
It felt like a gut punch and the worst kind. They were all so nice and caring, and it sucked that I lied just so I could go out and eat. I felt selfish but the damage was done, all I could do was keep moving. As the universe would have it, it threw yet another reason for me to be guilty into my face.
"Minjae!" A surprisingly loud voice called out to me and I froze in my tracks. I happened to be passing by the library when the introverted and shy Haerin yelled out towards me. She stood on the front steps of the library, a bag slung over her shoulder. She was probably coming out from the library.
She hurried down the steps, a little smile on her face. I was a little surprised to see her so animated. Normally, she was more quiet and reserved, but seeing her act so friendly, and dare I say, outgoing was surprising. "Hello, Haerin," I said, giving a small smile, "what's up?"
"Oh, I just finished studying! Thought I'd come to the rec center early so I can catch your game on time. But, since you're here, can we go together?" Haerin asked, shifting the bag on her shoulder. Her eyes were bright, and the smile on her face made her cheeks push up, making her look a lot cuter.
It was weird, her sudden change in behavior, but it wasn’t unwelcomed. It was actually a little refreshing, but it felt a little like shit since it just so happens to be the one day that I have no plans of showing up to the game. I rubbed the back of my neck, "Uhh, about that."
Haerin tilted her head, looking at me curiously. "About that...?"
Damn, fuck you universe. Fuck you. "I'm actually not feeling so well," I said, putting a hand on my stomach. "Our team's planning on forfeiting the game today." Haerin's smile disappeared, and her expression grew a little disappointed.
"Oh, uh, well that sucks," she replied, shuffling on her feet. I coughed into my hand, trying to sell the lie but actually just buying myself a few seconds to mentally scold myself.
"Yeah, sorry. I thought I was going to make it, but my body is failing me," I chuckled weakly, hoping Haerin wouldn't ask too many questions. She seemed to have lost a lot of the energy and liveliness she had when she first saw me. She seemed to be mulling something over in her mind, her brow creasing and her lips pursed.
She seemed to have made her decision and nodded her head, "Yeah, sorry. I hope you feel better, Minjae." She looked back up to the library, "I guess I'll go back to studying." She looked a little bummed out and it tugged on my heartstrings.
"I'm sorry. Bye, Haerin," I waved, taking a step away.
"Yeah, bye," Haerin said, returning the wave. She turned around slowly and started walking back to the library. I watched her for a moment, feeling bad for bailing. Then she stopped in place and whipped her head back towards me. "How bad are you feeling Minjae?"
Her hands were tightly gripping the straps of her bag and she looked at me expectantly. For what felt like flickers of seconds, I can see this sense of courage in her. This side of Haerin was foreign to me, but it wasn't unwelcomed. In fact, it was pretty attractive. I cleared my throat, "I-I'm sorry?"
Haerin walked back to me slowly, "Well, um, I wanted to go eat at that ramen place remember? I was hoping we'd go eat after your game, but you're not feeling well." She stopped a couple feet away, and I could see that feeling of uncertainty creep up on her. She was trying hard to not shrink in front of me. "I just wanted to know how bad you felt. You know, a nice hot bowl of pork ramen might be good for you. How bad are you feeling? Are you fine enough to eat?"
If this was any other day, I'd definitely accept her invitation. But I can't today, with plans already made with Chaewon. I couldn't just cancel on Chaewon just like that. The silence from me was loud, loud enough for Haerin to realize and her face dropped. It felt like a shot to the heart. Here she was, trying her best to be more assertive. She was doing her best to put herself out there and here I was, blowing her off.
"I'm sorry, Haerin, I'm not," I sighed, rubbing the back of my head. I could practically feel the disappointment from Haerin, "Sorry."
Her monotone, neutral look was back, and it felt like a brick had been smashed on my face. She didn't look hurt or sad. Just a flat expression, and the same dullness that her eyes usually held. "That's fine," she shrugged. She looked down at the ground and then back up, staring through me like I was a window, "Maybe another time."
"Yeah, definitely," I said, scratching my head, "Uh, I should get going. Need to go home and rest."
"Right," she mumbled, turning around, "bye." She trudged off, her shoulders hunched and her head down. She was practically a walking billboard that said, 'do not engage'. She disappeared inside the library, and I was left with the feeling of regret. Why was the universe so cruel to me right now?
"Fuck me," I hissed. I felt glued in place. There was that intrusive feeling of going after Haerin and accepting her offer. If I did so, I'd just be leaving Chaewon hanging instead. I already flaked on the goobers today. Besides, I'll always have more chances to eat with Haerin, right? I'll probably only get to hang out with Chaewon every once in a while.
I tried to rationalize it in my head. That I wasn't abandoning Haerin or anything, that she'd still have plenty of opportunities to be around me. Regardless, feeling Haerin disappointed in me left a bad taste in my mouth. Just when I thought we were back to normal, I have to be Hwang Minjae and do this.
Sulking a bit longer, I took a breath, "Chaewon. Right, Chaewon." I had made plans with her and was on my way. I was already going. I had to stop stalling and get moving. Maybe if the universe is kind to me, this whole thing with Chaewon could be the best thing that ever happens and makes me feel better.
I'm sorry, this took a little bit longer to release! I was certainly busy with brainstorming and other stuff. This is a simple slice-of-life chapter, with some focus on characters that might've not had some well-deserved screentime. Not only that, a part of this chapter, albeit a small one, is setting the foundation for the next panty-stealing adventure! I can't wait to write the Shin sisters' scenes, I think I'll be taking my time to make sure I have everything I could want in there. I'll let you guys in on it too, what type of scenario will MInjae dream up when he breaks into the Shin household? Feel free to comment suggestions, I might get inspiration! - PI