Mint Is Pure Love - Chapter 71

Her closed eyelids slowly lifted again.

Cha Seokyung’s broad, steady back carried Yeonseo without the slightest wobble. He kept walking straight ahead toward the approaching summer night, unhurried, almost as if he wished the path would never end.

Between the chirping of grasshoppers, his calm, cool voice slipped out, just like it always did.

“…I’ll do better.”

“……”

“…I’ll really try this time, Yeonseo.”

This time, I’ll definitely do better. Seokyung swallowed the rest of the words that wanted to follow.

The woman breathing softly against the back of his neck didn’t answer right away. Just when he thought she might have fallen asleep, she whispered by his ear, like a bird.

“Is it just because it’s easier to say we’re dating in front of other people?”

“……”

“I mean, everyone’s already teasing us, right?”

Like a bunch of kids. Even tonight, everyone conveniently left just the two of them behind and linked arms with each other before disappearing.

Resting her cheek against his shoulder, Yeonseo drifted into thought.

Summer was almost here. In two more seasons, Seokyung would be heading to the U.S. Just thinking about it made a hollow ache bloom somewhere in her chest, but she ignored it. The selfish wish she’d made before, wanting to be wholly Cha Seokyung’s for the remaining four seasons, was still alive.

Instead of pressing her for an answer, he tossed a question back at her.

“…Yeonseo, don’t you have anything you’re curious about?”

“Curious about?”

“I mean… nothing you want to know or confirm?”

There were plenty.

How the past six years had been for him. What he was feeling now.

But asking outright felt unnecessary, she had already heard so many pieces of his story, and there was the undeniable fact that he was here, in front of her, doing well. She was glad for that. Still, digging into the finer details… her heart ached too much for that.

She told herself she had no right to feel this way—that it wasn’t fair when she hadn’t been there for him. And yet… she still felt it.

Ah—

Out of nowhere, something clicked in Yeonseo’s mind. It wasn’t something that had dropped from the sky or bubbled up from nowhere. It was like a pebble, hidden all winter under dirt and dust, finally revealed by the spring wind and summer rain.

Round, gleaming, and lodged firmly in her heart, an emotion she’d realized once before, after singing her heart out one day.

“Yeonseo, I—”

“Yeah, Seokyung.”

His steps slowed, then stopped.

“Let’s date. Let’s make it official.”

For the seasons we have left, you’ll be entirely mine, and I’ll be entirely yours. Yeonseo wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Let’s date, Seokyung.”

“…Yeonseo, can you get down for a sec and look at my face—”

“No. I like it like this.”

If I look at you, I’ll probably say something dumb. Still resting her forehead against the clean, steady nape that was so typically Cha Seokyung, she murmured.

“But promise me, while we’re saying we’re dating, you’ll only… only be with me.”

For the seasons we have left, just us.

“I’m not saying this to be clingy or anything. I just don’t want to waste energy worrying about that kind of thing—”

“I’ll absolutely do that.”

His voice came with a rush of breath, holding onto her words as if they were precious.

“I’ll only see you. I always have, haven’t I?”

“……”

“You’re the only one for me.”

At least for the remaining seasons, she knew that’s what he meant when you looked at the bigger picture. Even so, her heart couldn’t help but race. Maybe it was the mood of this lush summer night.

“I’ll never make you feel pressured, Yeonseo.”

With that low, determined promise, Seokyung grinned and spun around with her on his back, like he was putting her on a carnival ride.

“Ugh, Cha Seokyung!”

Even as she smacked his back in protest, she could tell, he was just as giddy as she was tonight.

***

“Everyone, this is my girlfriend.”

The introduction, so bold it almost felt proud, made every gaze at the table turn to her. Even if she could set aside the embarrassment, she couldn’t quite hide her fluster. Smiling and nodding politely at the people who greeted her, Yeonseo discreetly tugged on Seokyung’s sleeve.

“…You said this was just a small get-together with a few friends.”

“Yeah. And most of them are underclassmen, so you can relax.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

She smiled faintly at someone across the room who was staring at her curiously, then leaned in.

“I mean, this is what you call small? Why am I at your department’s end-of-semester party?”

The cramped, thirty-pyeong bar was packed with business administration students from Yeono University. The final exams were over, summer vacation loomed ahead, and the place buzzed with that light, free energy.

Yeonseo recalled how she’d ended up here.

“Since I’ve been busy with club activities, my classmates have barely seen me. I thought I should show up at least once before the semester ends. Want to come? I’ll buy you something good to eat.”

He probably thought she’d agreed just for the food, but she had her own reasons. She wanted to see what kind of friends he had, and she was curious how Cha Seokyung was outside of the club setting.

Still, she had imagined something more like dinner with a few friends. Not a gathering of the entire department.

“I’ll be right by your side, I won’t let you get bored.”

Was he worried she might feel bored?

Yeonseo had plenty she wanted to say, but with so many eyes on them, she quietly sat down in the chair Seokyeong had pulled out for her. She’d only greeted the people at one table, but she could still feel occasional glances in her direction. Just like in the club, it seemed that Seokyeong’s position in the department hadn’t changed much, at least in the sense that he drew attention.

“Hey, Cha Seokyeong! You should introduce us too!”

A man with glasses and a warm face joked, and Seokyeong smiled lightly before introducing the people at the table one by one.

“This is Oh Seokho.”

“Ah, nice to meet you. I’m the only friend Cha Seokyeong has in the department, Oh Seokho. I’m from the ‘fossil’ class of ’02.”

At the words “only friend in the department,” Yeonseo looked at Seokyeong, but he continued speaking as if it were nothing.

“I took a leave of absence, did my military service… and well, that’s how it goes in a male-dominated department. Oh, and this is—sorry, I remember your face and class year, but your name’s a little fuzzy.”

“You’d know if you actually took part in department life. Honestly, Seokyeong’s major is basically polylog, if you ask me.”

At Seokho’s tsk-tsk scolding, the others at the table chuckled.

A woman with her long hair tied back spoke up briskly.

“I’m Han Eunmi from the class of ’04. I had two classes with Seokyeong back in the day, and we once worked on the same team. As for the name thing — well, that’s just how he is, so I’m not offended.”

Her tone was straightforward and matter-of-fact. No shyness, no blushing. Just plain honesty.

Next, a man with a buzz cut spoke.

“Oh, but I am a little offended. A business major from the class of ’05 who he doesn’t remember, I’m Kim Jaegwang…”

With multiple piercings, rings, and a necklace, Kim Jaegwang looked like a hip-hop artist. He, too, ended his introduction by mentioning a class they’d shared. That wrapped up the introductions, except for Yeonseo.

“Ah, I’m… Ji Minseo. I’m an English major, from the class of ’06. I entered a bit late after multiple gap years.”

“And?” Seokyeong tilted his head suddenly.

“And…?” Yeonseo blinked back at him, unsure what he meant. Seokyeong narrowed his eyes, the kind of look that said, There’s more. Say it properly.

Only then did she remember that night when she’d been carried on the back of an overly excited man, and the promise they had made.

“But you have to promise me something too. Don’t hide the fact that you’re my girlfriend anywhere.”

She’d easily agreed, since of course she’d had no intention of hiding it… but did she really have to say it now? He’d already introduced her, hadn’t he?

But his eyes didn’t leave hers, as if insisting she say it herself.

“Ah… and also, Seokyeong is… my boyfriend. So please, um, take good care of him.”

Bowing her head in embarrassment, Yeonseo heard Seokyeong let out a low chuckle, as if to say, Are you asking them to take care of me, or for me to take care of you?

Yeonseo smiled awkwardly and resisted the urge to pinch his thigh under the table.

To her relief, the atmosphere wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Now and then, she’d catch the gaze of people at other tables, but they didn’t come over to say hello, perhaps because Seokyeong was such a senior to them.

Yeonseo remembered feeling awkward even with seniors just a year or two above her during the last homecoming day, so she figured it was understandable. She ended up quite enjoying Seokho’s chatter.

“Remember when Seokyeong first entered the school and his nickname among his peers was Ah-ssa?”

“Outsider?”

“No — Out Ssa-gaji.” (‘Out Rude,’ a pun.)

Pfft— Yeonseo almost spat out her beer. Shaking with laughter, she accepted a napkin from Seokyeong, who sighed.

“Whenever the department suggested something, unless it was homework, he wouldn’t even look. Huh? Ask him to grab a beer? He’d ignore it. Invite him to play a game? Cold shoulder. The rejection was so constant, it was irritating, so I started ignoring him too. He didn’t seem human at all.”

Strange. It felt so far from the Seokyeong she knew now. Maybe he’d just been awkward when he first started school.

“What’s the point of bringing up the past?” Seokyeong scoffed.

“Then how did you two become friends?” Yeonseo asked, curious.

Seokho scratched his temple thoughtfully.

“Huh… when was it… Was it when we went to dig?”

“Dig?”

Before Seokyeong could cut him off, a male student came over.

“Sorry to interrupt, but Professor Yoo Jaeman is here and looking for the senior years.”

“Professor Yoo Jaeman?”

“Yes, he’s in the back room.”

It was common after events like semester parties for professors to call in older students to chat — about jobs, grad school, and so on.

“Ah, Professor Yoo gets really talkative once he’s had a drink.” Seokho looked troubled.

Seokyeong, too, seemed reluctant, not because of the professor, but because he didn’t want to leave Yeonseo alone.

“They’re asking for you. Just go. Isn’t Professor Yoo also the advisor for Polylog?”

Still, he didn’t seem eager to move, so Yeonseo gave him a push.

“Go on, I’ll be here with Eunmi and Jaegwang.”

“Yeah, senior, I’ll make sure Yeonseo noona’s not left alone.”

“Eunmi, I’m counting on you. I’ll be back as soon as I can, just wait a little.”

Even as he walked to the back with Seokho, Seokyeong looked back at her several times, like someone afraid she might vanish.

Once he was out of sight, Yeonseo turned back to find two pairs of curious eyes on her. They were looking at her as if she were something unusual.

When she gave an awkward smile, Eunmi apologized.

“Ah, sorry, we stared too much, didn’t we?”

“Noona, are you signed with an agency?” Jaegwang asked.

“Huh?”

“It’s just… you don’t have the look of an ordinary student.”

“Hey, Kim Jaegwang, commenting on someone’s looks like that is rude.” Eunmi elbowed him, and he pouted an apology.

Eunmi then explained, looking sheepish.

“It’s just… surprising. It’s rare enough for Seokyeong to even show up to something like this, but to bring a girlfriend? I’ve never heard of that before.”

“Right? When Seokho told me to save a table for Seokyeong, I even double-checked. He never comes to department events.”

From what they were saying, it seemed clear that Seokyeong wasn’t the type to be active in department life.

Now that she thought about it, the Cha Seokyeong she knew was simply “Cha, class of ’02” from Polylog.

Still, bringing up the girlfriend thing… Was it just to make me feel more at ease?

Even in a department with nearly 200 students per year, it wasn’t as though they wouldn’t know about his past with Yang Jisoo. Just showing up to this party was enough to draw attention.

Sure enough, Jaegwang blurted out Jisoo’s name, then quickly covered his mouth.

“It’s fine. I already know.”

She wasn’t hearing anything new, so she smiled reassuringly. But Eunmi suddenly frowned.

“Yang Jisoo? You mean the one from my year? Why?”

“Ah, come on, what’s the point of bringing up old stuff? Let’s just drink.” Jaegwang raised his beer pitcher high.

Eunmi tilted her head but still smiled awkwardly at Yeonseo as they clinked glasses. The conversation shifted to Jaegwang’s fashion choices and local lunch spots.

Then, after sitting quietly for a while, Eunmi suddenly started to say,

“Yeonseo unnie, but—”

Yeonseo, glancing absently toward the entrance, froze.

A long-haired woman had just walked in, gripping her bag strap tightly as she searched for her group.

Well, she’s no saint either, Yeonseo thought.

Their eyes met. Yang Jisoo.