nostalgia, thirty-nine.
❛ like abstract paintings ❜
Han Yebin loved trips. Well, when she got there anyway. The journey itself wasn't too enjoyable with her motion sickness, but she still managed to pose for her friends' airplane selfies despite breathing into a paper bag for majority of the flight.
Nevertheless, she successfully arrived at the hotel in one piece. Sharing a room with Taeri and Micha, she tossed her bag on the bed they didn't take. Excitedly, Yebin turned around. "So, where are we touring first?"
"Oh, well, I signed Taeri and I up for Hanyang today. You know, to check out the science program..." Micha trailed off. "I'm sorry, Yebin. I just didn't think you'd be interested."
"Ah, of course." Yebin reassured them with a smile. "I'm definitely not cut out for a career in that field anyway."
"So where will you be going, then?"
"Uh-" Yebin's eyes lit up as they fell to the brochure beside her bag. She grinned at them. "I'm going to SNU."
"You?" Taeri asked. "SNU?"
"I think it's great, T." Micha clapped happily. "You go, Yebin!"
The three friends bid each other one last goodbye before going separate ways, and for Yebin, that was to the hotel across the street. Jungwon mentioned his room number when they'd last spoken. It was easy for her to remember as it was also the name of one her favorite idol groups.
"Good morning sir," she greeted the man at the concierge. "May I know what floor room 127 is on? I'm here to see a friend."
"Ah, you must be from the other Jeju student group," he said, earning a nod from the girl. "That'll be on the twelfth floor, miss."
"Thank you!" Yebin gave him a quick bow, proceeding towards the elevator. When she reached the floor, she spotted familiar Sanheoli students giving her curious glances as to why was there. Making her way in front of room 127, she adjusted her sundress and fixed her hair before knocking.
The door was answered within seconds, revealing a surprised junior boy.
"Ruto!" she exclaimed, happy to see him after so long.
"Yebin!" Haruto smiled. "What are you doing here?"
"Yah, who is it?" Jungwon asked from the other side of the room, too far away to hear what Haruto was saying. He walked past Sunoo and over to the door, his eyes widening when he saw her.
Yebin tilted her head at him. "Got room for one more on that tour of SNU?"
"Really?" Jungwon cracked a smile as she nodded. He cheekily swung an arm around her, ruffling her hair as he pulled her towards him. "Yes!"
"I just fixed my hair!" Yebin protested.
He put his hands on her shoulders, positioning her in front of him and smirking at her now disheveled hair. "I think you look better."
She pushed him away with a playful glare, and Jungwon's laughter could be heard as they walked down the hallway. Haruto and Sunoo were left by the room's entrance.
"Did we sign her up-?"
"Don't argue with him."
"Wasn't going to." Haruto clicked his tongue at Sunoo's reply, and they followed after the two.
Seoul National University posed a beautiful campus, and it was no wonder that they were among the top schools in the country. Yebin gaped in awe as she looked around, and Jungwon had to pull her aside from bumping into things every now and then.
He'd somehow convinced the administrators to let her on their tour and didn't let her go through any trouble, something Yebin remained clueless of.
"Good morning, high-schoolers! I'm Kim Areum, your student guide," she introduced herself with enthusiasm. "Ah, I remember three years ago when I was in your place, so nervous about college. Don't get me wrong, it is difficult, but as long as you put in those sleepless nights and look past the torturous tests, you might be okay."
Jungwon and Yebin exchanged off-beat glances, following the girl as she led the group inside the campus, asking if they had any questions.
"Miss?" Jungwon stepped forward as they took a break by the courtyard.
The college girl shifted her attention to him, eyeing him up and down before smiling. "Please, call me Areum."
"Sure, miss." Jungwon then pointed to one of the far-off buildings. "Will we get a tour of the business department as well?"
"Yes, of course. So, leaning towards a business course, huh? That's my major," Areum said.
Jungwon nodded. "Cool. So how about the fine arts building?"
"We'll be touring every department," she replied. "You didn't strike me as the artsy type."
"I wasn't asking for me." Jungwon motioned at Yebin, whose eyes nervously widened at the floor when Areum turned to her, having overheard their conversation.
"Oh." Areum sighed. "Are you guys together?"
"N-no, we're just friends," Yebin managed out, still slightly intimidated.
"Oh," Areum's tone changed, and she let out a relieved sigh. Calling the other students, she then continued the tour, heading straight for the business department.
"Almost all of our professors have completed doctorates, and we have loads of interesting classes you can exclusively take here at SNU," Areum explained as the students dispersed the area to explore on their own. She then turned to Jungwon, who was still standing in front of her. "I can tell you more about them when we go out for coffee tomorrow?"
"Ah." Jungwon laughed lightly, wrapping an arm around Yebin's shoulder. "My girlfriend won't like that."
Yebin snapped her head towards him in pure shock, but he gave her a look to just go along with it.
Areum crossed her arms at them. "I thought you said you were just friends."
Yebin distressingly glanced at Jungwon, who simply pleaded with his eyes. She forced a smile. "We've been keeping us a secret."
Areum scoffed, muttering under something under her breath as she left to talk to other students instead. When she was out of sight, Yebin elbowed Jungwon in the ribs.
"Ow." He winced, only making the girl narrow her eyes at him.
When they finally got to the fine arts building, Yebin was overwhelmed by the presentations they'd put on display, but found it hard to focus as her mind wandered elsewhere.
Of course college girls would like him, Yebin thought. Everyone does.
"She's still glaring at me." Yebin huffed, seeing Areum from her peripheral view. Jungwon raised his eyebrows at her, and she shook her head.
"I'm not jealous," Yebin said. "I don't get jealous..."
"Okay then," Jungwon mused, trying to hide his great amusement as he admired one of the exhibit's paintings. "She's jealous cause we're dating."
"But we're not!" Yebin whisper-shouted.
"We could be." Jungwon grinned.
Yebin had no words for his casual reply, resulting to shaking her head once more as she looked away. Keeping her eyes elsewhere, her mind was about as abstract as the paintings around her. What Jungwon's deal was, she had no idea. But she knew his smile widened as she shied away. She knew he liked teasing her.