A Terrible Senior - Chapter 6.1

January 20, 2023

Sunday morning dawned bright.

Sarang, excited yet sleepless in anticipation of her “date” with Do-han—or rather, their assignment—left the house earlier than planned. She was wearing the outfit she’d bought with Ji-woo during yesterday’s shopping trip, but she couldn’t help feeling self-conscious.

“Ugh, I feel so out of place.”

Ji-woo had picked out a chiffon dress for her, saying it suited her well, but Sarang found it unfamiliar. The dress was short, stopping just above her knees, with a flowy fabric and a cinched waist, giving her a more feminine look than usual. She was adjusting it in front of the mirror when she heard Do-han’s voice behind her.

“You’re out early.”

Startled, Sarang flinched and looked up.

“I just came out a moment ago,” she replied, feeling awkward about both her greeting and her outfit. Unsure of where to look, she kept her eyes down, but she could feel his gaze, as though he were studying her new look.

“I thought we should treat this like a real date, as the assignment suggests,” she added, trying to fill the silence.
Do-han was slightly surprised by her different look. He’d thought she looked great in jeans, but she carried off the dress surprisingly well, too.

“Maybe I should have put more effort into what I wore.”

“No, you look just fine.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

Sarang thought his version of “too casual” was far from it. His black jeans, white T-shirt, and dark gray knit cardigan were the epitome of “boyfriend style.” Even the way he casually slung his backpack over one shoulder looked effortlessly cool. For a moment, she felt like bowing in thanks to their professor for assigning such a brilliant project. If anyone ever asked who her most respected person was, she promised herself she’d name her professor.

They walked to the bus stop together. While they waited for the bus, Sarang decided to ask something that had been on her mind for days.

“Was the assignment the same last year?” she asked.
If so, she wondered who his partner had been and what their relationship was like by the end of the semester.

“Yeah, it was the same.”

“Where did you go on your dates?”

She wanted to know more about the girl but thought that was too direct, so she asked about the dates instead.

“A PC room and a pool hall.”

“What? How’s that a date?”

Sarang was taken aback. Those weren’t typical date spots at all.

“We played games and ate ramen at the PC room, then played pool and ordered black bean noodles at the pool hall.”

“Oh.” She couldn’t hide her disappointment. So, he liked girls who enjoyed that sort of thing? Feeling down, she worried that he might not like the date she had planned for them today.
“That girl must have had unique tastes.”

“Kim Tae-hoon isn’t a girl.”

“Huh?”

“I took the class with Tae-hoon. We managed to do the assignment twice and then just stopped doing it altogether.”

Sarang’s face lit up like a blooming flower, relieved to learn that Do-han’s partner had been Tae-hoon, not some girl. “I could never tell the difference; they all look alike to me. But I did notice that the sepal on apricot blossoms tilts backward,” he said.

“Wow, what kind of engineering major knows so much about flowers?” she asked.

“Well, what about you?”

“When I was little, I lived with my grandma. I’d follow her around and learned a lot,” Sarang replied with a soft smile.
The thought of sharing something in common with him made her heart flutter. She stared down at her feet, afraid her feelings might show. Just then, he stepped a bit closer, bringing with him that familiar scent from his cardigan. Her heart pounded as she wondered what he was doing, but she couldn’t bring herself to look up.

Do-han reached his hand out, moving toward her face, making her heart race even faster. She squeezed her eyes shut, barely breathing. Then, his hand brushed her hair lightly.

“A flower petal fell on your head.”

His voice snapped her out of her daze. She looked up to see a single plum blossom in his hand. Embarrassment flooded over her. She’d let her imagination get completely carried away. She forced a laugh, saying, “Let’s go over there,” and quickly walked away, not wanting him to see her flushed face that probably matched the plum blossoms.

It was still early, so everywhere they went was quiet.

Determined not to forget that this was an assignment, not a real date, Sarang took photos on her phone to capture the scenery.

Without them, she feared she’d only remember Do-han’s face and might struggle to write the report.

While snapping pictures here and there, she caught a glimpse of his back in the frame. She hesitated for a moment, then tapped the capture button. The click of the camera made Do-han turn around, and she quickly shifted her phone to the street beside him, pretending she’d just taken a random shot. Her heart raced as if she’d been caught doing something wrong.

But then he approached her, and she felt a drop of sweat form, wondering if he’d ask to see her phone. Sure enough, he reached his hand out.

“Want me to take your picture?”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll take a picture of you,” he clarified.

“Of… me?”

“Yeah.”

Relieved that her secret was safe, she handed him her phone with trembling hands. She was nervous, though she couldn’t explain why. As she awkwardly posed, he lowered the phone and looked at her.

“This is a date, isn’t it? You look like someone who’s lived at this temple forever,” he teased.

“But I’m having a great time,” she replied.

“You always look like that when you’re happy?”

She relaxed a bit and began to smile. As her smile softened into something more natural, his finger hovered over the camera button, paused. Her face, illuminated with her smile, looked even brighter than the blooming plum blossoms, filling his heart with warmth.

“Did you get it?” she asked, bringing him back to reality.
He shook off the brief spell he’d fallen under and snapped a few shots. As she took her phone back, a couple passing by asked her to take their picture. After gladly taking a few photos for them, the couple offered to take one of her and Do-han.

She glanced at him, then handed over her phone without saying a word. He gave her a surprised look.

“For the report,” she explained with an awkward smile.

“Since it’s supposed to be a date, having a picture of us together wouldn’t hurt.”

Amused, he moved closer to her with a single step.

“Let’s skip the whole arm-around-the-shoulder thing today; we can save that for the next ‘date,’” he said with a slight smile. He considered putting his arm around her for the picture but thought maybe it’d be better for their next outing—there were, after all, plenty of reports still to come.

At his mention of “skinship,” Sarang froze in place as the photo was taken, her mind racing, wondering what kind of touch he’d initiate next time. Her imagination spiraled so much she almost felt lost in a fantasy.

“Ready for lunch?” he asked.

“Oh, yes,” she said, patting her cheeks lightly to clear her head.

On the way back to campus, Sarang dozed off on the bus, exhausted. Feeling a slight draft from the window, she instinctively crossed her arms. Do-han, noticing, hesitated for a moment before draping his cardigan over her shoulders. He adjusted it so it wouldn’t slip, just as her head dropped onto his shoulder. A soft hint of rose filled the air.

Looking down at her, he felt a change within himself. With her, he felt like a different person—more at ease, more patient, someone he’d like to be. When she smiled, he found himself smiling too. She made him want to be someone better.

Even though he knew he wasn’t that person. A “relentless guy” suited him more than someone good-natured.

While he was lost in thought, Sarang stirred awake.

“Sorry… I must’ve made you uncomfortable. You could’ve woken me up,” she said, straightening quickly.

Realizing she had been leaning on him and covered with his cardigan, she blushed, awkwardly taking it off to return it.

“It was fine. Keep it on; you might get cold,” he replied, placing it back on her lap as he stood up. Their stop was next.
Unsure what else to do, she put on the cardigan as they exited the bus. A chilly breeze swept by, reminding her that spring hadn’t fully settled in just yet.

“I’ll write up the report and send it to you soon. We still have time,” he said.

“Okay,” she replied, feeling that the walk home was far too short. Normally, it took twenty minutes, but today, walking with him, it felt like two.