Friday
05:30 pm
In the evening, around 5:30 PM, I found myself sitting on the living room couch, filled with eager excitement as I waited for Sunghoon to arrive. I had already informed my parents and my sister about his visit for our school assignment, and they were understanding and supportive.
As the clock ticked closer to our agreed-upon meeting time, I kept checking the time, eager to start our project together. Finally, when the doorbell rang, I quickly sprang up and rushed to the door to greet Sunghoon as he arrived.
I opened the door with a sense of excitement, and there stood Sunghoon, looking both casual and stylish. He had on a well-fitted t-shirt that complemented his lean frame and a pair of jeans that gave him a laid-back but put-together appearance. His hair was perfectly styled, and he carried himself with an air of confidence, although his appearence still looked cold and uninterested. He looked somewhat awkward, his body language hesitant, and he simply said, "Hi."
"Hi, Sunghoon," I replied warmly, hoping to make him feel more comfortable as he entered my home for our project.
As Sunghoon entered with his bag, my mom rushed over to greet him, her eyes in awe of his appearance, and she whispered to me about how perfect he looked. I became flustered and mumbled back, hoping to stop her from saying more in case he overheard.
To my surprise, my mom couldn't help but compliment Sunghoon out of nowhere. Instead of his usual cold demeanor, he turned warm and friendly, offering a simple thank you in response. My mom continued to ask him questions, and he politely answered.
Feeling a bit like an outcast, I finally interjected, "Mom, we really need to start our project now." She agreed and offered to bring us snacks and drinks upstairs. I replied with a quick, "Okay, Mom, thanks," and then turned to Sunghoon, gesturing for him to follow me towards my room, eager to finally begin our assignment in a more private and focused setting.
Silently, Sunghoon followed me into my room, and he placed his bag on the carpeted floor. The room was filled with awkwardness, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of both nervousness and excitement as he was right next to me.
Sunghoon's gaze swept across my room, and I couldn't help but feel a touch of nervousness, wondering if he'd spot something embarrassing or unusual in my room. He finally pointed at a photo on the wall, a childhood picture of me, and started chuckling at it.
Feeling a mixture of embarrassment and awkwardness, I quickly took the photo off the wall and turned it upside down to hide it from view. Sunghoon continued to laugh, but I redirected the conversation, reminding him that we needed to start our project. With that, he shifted back to his usual demeanor, and we began discussing our assignment, leaving the childhood photo behind for the moment.
As Sunghoon and I settled down to work on our english project, we delved into a discussion on how to create mini figures of the Death Note characters.
Our heads were bent over our project materials, and we brainstormed ideas for each character, debating the best way to capture their unique features and personalities in miniature form. Together, we began to form a plan for bringing these iconic characters to life.
We got right into the project, descending into the nitty-gritty details of how to make those Death Note mini figures. We chatted about the materials, argued over the best sculpting techniques, and debated on which shades of paint would look good on our favorite characters.
Sunghoon still kept his cool, distant vibe, but there was this unspoken understanding that we were in this together. A subtle connection was developing, one that didn't need too many words to get things done. I think.
Our discussion about the right shade for Misa Misa's hair started with Sunghoon saying, "I think this shade would really match her character."
I countered with, "Nah, I believe this other one would suit her better." Sunghoon wasn't convinced. "But see, this shade brings out her personality more." I argued, "But the one I'm suggesting gives her a softer look."
We went back and forth, Sunghoon listing reasons why his choice was ideal, and I defended my pick with, "But it complements her style perfectly." It turned into a debate, with each of us trying to make our case, like two students arguing their points in a classroom.
Even after all the arguing, Sunghoon decided to go with his pick and started painting Misa Misa's hair. I couldn't help but get a bit ticked off, so I rolled my eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, making it obvious I wasn't thrilled with his choice.
Sunghoon just brushed off my loud sigh like it was no big deal. So, I decided to move on and focused on painting L's design because he was my favorite character. But, of course, Sunghoon couldn't resist. He started suggesting a different shade of black for L's outfit.
Annoyed, I did the same thing he pulled with Misa Misa earlier and straight-up ignored his input, going ahead and painting L's pants the way I wanted.
He shot me a confused look and huffed, "Seriously? I think this black's way better." Sunghoon, seemingly frustrated by my refusal to entertain his suggestions, let out a loud, exasperated sigh, mirroring my earlier display of annoyance when he didn't take my advice. We found ourselves in a standoff, both unwavering in our determination to paint our chosen characters according to our preferences.
The door swung open, and my mom entered the room carrying a tray of snacks and juice for both Sunghoon and me.
She carefully placed it on the table and warmly encouraged Sunghoon to help himself, assuring him he could ask for more anytime he wanted. Sunghoon responded with a gracious "okay" and flashed a friendly smile at my mom.
As Sunghoon flashed that brief, warm smile, I couldn't help but admire how soft and sweet it looked.
Caught in my momentary admiration, I found myself side-eyed by him. He casually grabbed a chip, took a bite, and returned to working on the characters, as if to say, "Back to business."
We were working on new mini sculptures, this time for the Kira investigation team characters.
I found myself struggling with one of the figures, trying to shape it just right. Sunghoon, in his usual cold and straightforward manner, noticed and asked if I needed help. I replied with a curt "no," copying his tone.
Minutes passed, and while I was still working on my first character, Sunghoon had already completed his sculpture and moved on to another one. My hands were trembling with the pressure not to mess up.
Frustrated, he let out another sigh and reached for the sculpting tool I was using, placing his hand on it beside mine. It felt a bit awkward, and I blushed, feeling a mix of shyness and embarrassment. But Sunghoon, surprisingly unflustered, began guiding me and offering advice on how to shape the figure correctly.
As I observed his hands, I couldn't help but be captivated by their appearance—strong, yet delicate in their movements. They were so close to mine, guiding the sculpting tool.
After a few minutes, Sunghoon finished sculpting the character for me and released the tool. He nonchalantly suggested I handle the coloring, claiming I wasn't great at sculpting. I shot him an annoyed look, one eyebrow raised in irritation, but he simply handed me the characters he had expertly crafted and advised me to color them however I wanted.
With a hint of annoyance, he mentioned that arguing with me about it would be worthless, considering my supposed "bad taste" in art and color choices.
By the time it hit 8 PM, we had finished all the sculptures. Sunghoon was getting ready to leave and suggested I keep the sculptures safe for our Saturday meeting with Jake.
Just before he exited my room, he turned to me with a curious expression and asked, "By the way, where did you get my number from?" There was a hint of intrigue and maybe even suspicion in his voice, leaving me to wonder if I should finally reveal the source.
I hesitated for a moment, then decided to take a leap of faith. With a slight smile, I replied, "A little birdie told me."
Sunghoon raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with my vague response. He seemed like he wanted more details, but I wasn't ready to spill the beans just yet.
With a mischievous glint in his eye, he replied, "Well, your little birdie did a good job then." And just like that, he left my room, leaving me both intrigued and puzzled by his reaction.
I followed him downstairs, where he exchanged polite farewells with my parents and offered a friendly nod to my sister. It was a stark contrast to the cold and distant image he usually projected. As I watched him interact with my family, I couldn't help but wonder if there was more to Sunghoon than met the eye.
Suddenly the doorbell rang, and when it was answered, my eldest brother, Hyunjin, stood there in surprise. He hadn't expected to see everyone gathered, and his eyes widened, particularly at the sight of Sunghoon, whom he'd never met before. It was an unexpected turn of events, and I couldn't help but feel a bit anxious about how this encounter might unfold.