Two weeks has gone by and Wooyoung had planned to go to a coffee shop ran by Jongho's long-time friends from the university organization for the theater arts.
MATZ café was located just two blocks away from the south gate of the university. It was the only café in a street full of clothing boutiques and school supply stores. It had been there for a good two years as the owners, Hongjoong and Seonghwa, had already planned to establish a café since the nearest one before was at the very least needed a taxi to get there. They were both part of the organization Jongho was on, which conducted and produced stage plays.
He went to the café alone, as Yeosang and Jongho were not available at the moment. He needed to talk to someone, and these two were the only ones to actually sensibly help him.
"OH, so he's a STALKER!? WOAAHHHH CREEEEPPPPYYY~"
Seonghwa's voice really was not helping.
"WHY DID YOU NOT REPORT IT TO THE POLICE IF IT BOTHERS YOU SO MUCH!?"
Hongjoong said in a very loud and stern voice.
"Look, guys, I came here because I thought you might actually help me, but you fucking assholes, can't you just help me!?"
Hongjoong and Seonghwa just gave their usual smirks, and grunted. The two were typically answering Wooyoung for the last half hour with nonsensical and sarcastic remarks.
"To think I came to the two of you because you would understand the situation…"
Wooyoung took a sip on his caramel macchiato as Hongjoong took care of the customers who just entered. Seonghwa, on the other hand, looked at Wooyoung.
"Hmm," Seonghwa meticulously looked at Wooyoung's face. The latter tried to avoid, holding on the table as the bar stool has no backrest at all.
"What the fuck, hyung?"
"Nah," Seonghwa smirked once again, "Hey, Hongjoong, this guy's not worried. He's in love."
Wooyoung tried to refute, but couldn't say anything, as Hongjoong looked at him. When he was finished with the customers, Hongjoong went directly towards Wooyoung, and looked at him just as like what Seonghwa did.
"Tss, okay, Wooyoung… tell us, who is the stalker?"
-0-
"Meaning to say, he's your teacher?"
"Yes…"
"And he's been teaching this class every Thursday and Friday?"
"Yep…"
"He told you that your English skills are improving?"
"Uh-huh…"
"And he always greets you with a slight nod? Like good morning, hello, and whatever?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Oi, Jung Wooyoung," Hongjoong's voice became a bit raspy than earlier, "Are you telling us that this teacher is just greeting you and complimenting you, and you think he's stalking you by doing so?"
"Um…"
Hongjoong just looked at Seonghwa. The latter was controlling not to laugh, as it was indeed an absurd notion that a person will be stalking someone just because they greet and compliment you.
"If that's the logic," Seonghwa said, trying not to laugh, "Hongjoong, you're my stalker…"
That's when Seonghwa couldn't take it anymore. His laugh was heard all around the café, and Hongjoong started laughing, too. Only the miserable and annoyed Wooyoung was not happy.
"I mean, hoooooo, Hongjoong, remember when you said you liked my voice, hahahaha, and you complimented me, hahahahahha, hoooo, for real, ehem ehem. And then, you started greeting me when you realized, hahaha, ehem, I was older than you, god, wait water, hahahahhaha."
"Can you please, just, augh, just listen.." Wooyoung slammed his fist on the bar, huffing and rolling his eyes.
"Why would you even think of it as stalking? That's not how stalkers work."
"Hongjoong-hyung, seriously," Wooyoung sipped once again from his drink, "I'm telling you. Whenever I go around the school, he seems to be there. As if he knows that I will be there."
"Wouldn't it be rational that you are both in one university, and one department, and the two of you will definitely bump from time to time, or maybe, all the time?" Seonghwa said as he finished his drink to calm him down.
"Well, I do hope it's just that."
"Don't overthink about it Wooyoung. If he was indeed a stalker, you might find him inside your house later. But in your story, I don't think he' that type of guy." Hongjoong affirmed as he recollects the things that Wooyoung pointed out regarding the teacher / stalker.
"Fine…Maybe I am overthinking…"
"Next time, bring Yeonjun…"
At the sound of the name, Wooyoung sighed intensely.
"Yeah, sure…"
-0-
Thursday came by, and Wooyoung sat nervously and waited.
Waited.
His classmates were entering, and were gossiping. He looked at his phone and waited.
He looked at the modules that were needed to pass, and he saw that he completed all of them.
Still waited.
The door opened, but it was Mrs. Kim.
"Good day everybody," Mrs. Kim made her way to the podium, "Mr. Choi San is not available as of the moment, until next week. I will be handling your English classes as supervision only. Mr. Choi San had required me to give these modules for this week and next week. Make sure to do as it is written. Thank you, class dismissed."
As soon as Mrs. Kim said those words, everybody stood and went to their merry way. Some said that they can rush going to a fan meet with their favorite Kpop idol. The others were cheering and invited some to go to the billiards hall at the next block, and some just went on silently.
"Jung Wooyoung?"
Wooyoung looked up, and saw that Mrs. Kim was right in front of him.
"What happened between you and Mr. Choi San?"
"W-what?"
"From what I remember, you were so eager to change classes, or worse, drop his class. But, you seem…down?"
"Well," Wooyoung picked his things and arranged his bag, "The thing is that, it was a very awkward encounter before classes had even started. I can say that he's a great teacher, and he feels all the students welcomed, even those who don't really give respect to him."
"I see," Mrs. Kim's reaction became relaxed, and unfolded her arms, and swayed playfully towards the podium, "Then, you wouldn't mind if I hand this over to you?"
Wooyoung approached Mrs. Kim. She was holding a brown envelope, about the normal size, but sealed.
"He asked me to give this to you, which I really don't understand why…"
However, Wooyoung knows what that brown envelope meant. It wasn't money, it wasn't a threat, it wasn't anything negative. He immediately grabbed it, and his face lightened and said his thanks to Mrs. Kim, as he rushed towards the door.
-0-
Wooyoung was at the middle of the park, sitting on a bench.
He couldn't believe it.
It was a letter from the district office, pertaining his scholarship for a graduate studies program. He opened the letter and read it.
"Dear Mr. Jung Wooyoung, greetings, we would like to inform you that you are ACCEPTED AT YONSEI, HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
He couldn't contain his excitement, and the kids at the park were looking at him up and down.
"Ahjussi, shut up…"
Wooyoung looked at the kid, "AHJUSSI?!"
"Why? You look old, with those baggy pants, and jersey, you look 90s."
"Aish-"
Then the kids ran, as Wooyoung stood and tried to run after them. Yet, a figure approached him and his smile began to fade.
"Yeonjun, hey, um-"
"So, you are here…"
"Yeah, well, you did say to meet you up here, so-"
"Let's break up…"
Wooyoung pretended not to hear anything and proceeded to suggest they go at the arcades and get dinner afterwards.
"Wooyoung," Yeonjun pressed his hands on Wooyoung's cheeks, "I said, let's break up."
"What?"
"I…I don't love you anymore…"
Wooyoung stood silently. His eyes were reading Yeonjun's expression and his attitude regarding the matter. He just looked at him. All in all, his observation was correct.
Yeonjun was relaxed.
"What do you mean? We are almost at our anniversary, what the fuck do you mean?"
"Aish, really," Yeonjun let go, and turned around, without uttering another word. However, rage raised inside Wooyoung and ran after him. A good swing was all it took for the other bystanders to interfere. Yeonjun fell on the ground, still conscious, but his lips were cracked open. One girl ran immediately towards him, and was hysterically crying. She looked at Wooyoung and pleaded that there's a misunderstanding and that Wooyoung should forgive him.
All the while, Wooyoung had understood.
It's her, ain't it? Wooyoung asked with his eyes.
Yeonjun nodded.
Wooyoung broke free from the people who had been trying to calm him down, and ran.
-0-
It was only six in the evening.
Wooyoung still sat down and cried his heart out. The bench at the gazebo was covered with petals from the hibiscus that had fallen.
Where did I go wrong… What did I do? Am I really not that worth it?
The same old thoughts, the same old things, it was supposed to be easy for Wooyoung, but the pain weighed heavily on his heart, and he could not understand why.
"Why is it…"
Wooyoung looked up, and his heart skipped a beat.
"…whenever we meet, you end up crying?"
Before San can say or do anything more, Wooyoung stood and hugged him. San was stunned as the young man in front of him sobbed and cried like there was no other option for the whole situation. Wooyoung just grabbed onto San's shirt and started talking.
"WHERE WERE YOU?!"
"Wooyoung, what the-"
"DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS NOT SEEING YOU ANYWHERE?"
"Hey, I'm still your teacher so you-"
"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! HE LEFT ME! YEONJUN LEFT ME! HE LEFT ME FOR A GIRL!"
San did not respond to it as he knows this kind of pain too well.
"W-why am I-I al-always being l-left be-behind?"
"Shh…" San said as he massaged Wooyoung's nape, near the veins, to relieve his headache.
"I-I d-don't w-want to l-love any-anymore…"
The sobs were muffled as Wooyoung pressed his face onto San's shirt, while the latter doesn't seem to mind the tears, snot, and drool that had been discharged around it.
"Hey…calm down…"
Wooyoung tried to calm down, yet his heartache was much more than he could ever bear.
"Okay, calm down," San said softly, "Here, I have water, drink some water."
Sure enough, San was carrying a flask, which is about two liters at the very least. Wooyoung then drank, and calm down. He sat and San followed suit.
"Now, can you talk?"
Wooyoung nodded. He explained the whole thing, and San as always listened with no judgment and no inputs, just listened to Wooyoung and his story.
"Do you know what makes a break up less painful?"
"What, Mr. Choi?"
"Food. It's already dinner time and I've got a reservation at the Contessa. Do you wanna join?"
"But it might be a reservation for one only…"
"Huh," San looked at him with a smile, "No need for that. My family owns it."