Chapter 87

* * *“I’m going to try harder,” Daemyung said in the bus.Dojin asked what was up with a surprised expression.“I want to be an actor. Well, a director.”“Really?”Dojin was a little surprised. He knew Daemyung took this seriously, but he didn’t realize just how far the boy was thinking.“To be honest, I also met someone nice that made a promise with me.”“What kind of a promise?”“Promise for support. He said if I go to college for the arts or anything related, he would pay for my tuition. But I’d have to work on acting for one year in a theater company of his choosing.”“Woah, when did that happen? Dang, you’re a total pro, aren't you?”College tuition was no joke, and this person Daemyung mentioned was apparently willing to pay for it. To be honest, Dojin was kind of jealous.“So, you’re going to become a star when you graduate?” Dojin asked, poking at Daemyung’s belly.The other boy denied it with a smile, of course.“Daaang, Daemyung. Don’t you go ignoring me now once you get famous, alright?”“O-of course.”“Should I get your signature, just in case?”“I don’t have one, though.”“That was a joke, bro. Tell me once you get famous. I’ll get your signature then.”Daemyung nodded a little shyly. For someone who had such a big presence on stage, he was quite shy in real life.‘But… At the same time, I guess he’s already preparing for his future.’Dojin took a look at himself reflected through the window of the bus. He was a middle school delinquent that barely made it into an engineering high school. He fixed his behaviour and tendencies, but the question remained, for how much longer would he enjoy himself like this? To be honest, Dojin looked down on Daemyung. Right now, hearing this good news from the other boy just made him jealous. As a matter of fact, a part of him even wished Daemyung to fail.Stop it, Dojin. You’re being pathetic.It felt like both Maru and Daemyung knew exactly what to do for their future. Neither of them seemed to have any hesitation or fear in the way they acted. They were very different compared to him.“Work hard. Maybe buy me a house when you get really rich?”“Ha, haha.”Dojin swallowed a bitter smile. What did he manage to achieve at the end of his first year of high school again? What will he achieve in the next two years, even?‘I guess… I’ll go to college.’He’d feel like even less of a man if he couldn’t even go to a college that everyone else went to. All of a sudden, Daemyung felt so very foreign to Dojin. To think there were already people who had expectations of the boy…“We’ll have to work hard for the winter competition, right?” Daemyung asked then.“Eh? Yeah. Of course! Damn, you’re a total pro now, thinking that far already.”“I-I’m not.”Dojin pat Daemyung’s shoulder with a grin. But inwardly, he didn’t feel so great inside.

* * *Iseul looked at Taejoon. The boy was as red as a beet. Any other time, she would’ve made fun of him, but not today. “You like Soyeon?”“...Yeah.”Oh dear. The two of them often stayed behind to practice together for the grandpa-grandma role. To think they’d develop feelings this way…“Does Soyeon know?”“No, she’s not even looking at me.”“Idiot, she’s intimidated by you.”“Why?”Taejoon looked at Iseul like a lost puppy.“Have you never dated a girl before?”“No.”“Seriously? With that face?”“I don’t know, I’ve never been close with girls before. Anyway, help me. I want to be close to Soyeon, but she won’t even look at me.”“But you guys practice so much together.”“She always leaves right after practice.”“Really? She must hate you then. The end. Bye, I have work.”“Come on, please.”Taejoon was even grabbing onto her clothes now. Iseul shook her head.“Fine, just wait. I’ll have to call the others first.”Iseul took out her phone and messaged the rest of the club. But just before she hit send, she noticed two pretty iffy names in the message group. Iseul took out Yurim and Geunseok’s name off of the list before pressing send.“Try being friendly first. You can do that at least, right?”“.......”“Ugh, that face is totally wasted on you!”Iseul pressed the bell on the bus with a frustrated sigh.