It had been a few days since that day.
Truth be told, Seo Minjae would rather pretend it never happened. Just thinking about the dumb things he did made him want to bang his head into a wall.
His Image. His reputation.
Minjae's pride had taken a serious hit.
But fortunately, he didn't have the time to dwell on it.
The semester was in full swing, deadlines stacked like dominoes, and their new project was eating away at every waking hour.
Well, it couldn't be helped.
Minjae sat quietly, focused. His eyes were locked on the screen, fingers flying across the keyboard as he typed nonstop.
The cold blue light from the monitor flickered in Minjae's eyes.
He was laying the groundwork for their new game, sketching out the initial logic and tweaking the engine settings.
The boring stuff.
Most people usually overlooked this phase, but to him, it was the part that made or broke the build.
This was his world. Work, eat, sleep and repeat.
Spending every waking hour in this project room and sitting infront of the computer the whole day.
Sure, He kinda worried his lower back might complain soon, but honestly? He liked it this way.
Looking back... yeah.
He really had taken a long break this time around— partying all night, fooling around, wasting time.
And maybe… meeting Yun Jiho was the last thing he'd expected to come out of it.
Minjae crunched the lollipop in his mouth and leaned back slightly, still typing.
Next to him, Sangmin was spinning lazily in a creaky chair, chewing the end of his pen.
"I don't even know anymore. We're building a game, but we haven't even figured out what the hell it's about." Sangmin slumped over the desk, grunting. "Can we even finish in time? We still have our internship, too. We're so screwed."
This is what you get for acting on impulse. Whose idea was this, anyway? He couldn't even remember anymore.
Argh.
As if echoing his internal crisis, Sangmin groaned and clutched his head. "This won't do. I need some fresh air."
He glanced over at Minjae, who looked thoroughly unbothered.
This bastard.
Sangmin leaned forward and nudged Minjae's chair with his foot, trying to stir some life into him.
"Hey. I heard there's an exhibition happening on campus. Wanna check it out?" Sangmin probed, obviously bored. "Who knows, we might run into a designer who fits the style we're aiming for. You coming?"
"An exhibition?"
"Yeah. Apparently it's to commemorate the best works from the past five years. Kyungho said it's, like, the flagship event for their faculty."
Minjae finally looked interested. "Really?"
Well, that actually sounded… worth seeing.
"Okay," Minjae thought for a second and nodded, giving him the thumbs up. "Just give me five minutes. I'm almost done here."
"Five minutes? Fine."
Sangmin thought he'd be ready soon. So he waited and waited...
Ten minute went by.
While Seo Minjae showed no signs of moving.
Sangmin: "..."
He exerted strength on his feet and rolled his chair forward and knocked against the desk, with a calm and polite smile for someone barely hanging onto his patience.
He didn't mind letting Minjae know.
"Excuse me," Sangmin said sweetly. "But can we get going now? I think your 'five minutes' ended in a past life. You know, just in case you forgot to check the time."
"I know. I'm done."
Minjae's eye twitched as he calmly saved his progress.
"The exhibition will be over by the time we reach there. Come on, get your ass moving."
Sangmin didn't care to listen to him more. He stood up, urging him beside him.
"Okay, okay. I'm done. Let's go."
Seo Minjae listened to him nag and let out a sigh. He picked up his jacket and stood up.
If he stalled any longer, this guy might actually explode.
By the time they reached the exhibition hall, the place was packed. It clearly shows its popularity.
Minjae even spotted students from other art colleges mingling among the crowd.
The plain white walls were lined with framed works, each piece drawing clusters of attention.
People paused in front of them, murmuring like professional art critics.
It was the same for them.
Sangmin sipped on his ice americano, his eyes fixed on a particular peice of art — a hyperrealistic rendering of a wasp hive.
"Wow… that's so—" he almost cursed, his lips twitching. "—freaking detailed."
His expression twisted, still eyeing the peice warily.
"I can practically feel them crawling on me. Who the hell—" Sangmin apprehensively took a step back, gulping. "I mean, who on earth thought this was a good idea? I'm impressed and mildly traumatized."
Minjae calmly glanced at him. "You mean that as a compliment?"
"Of course," Sangmin grinned. "Only great art makes you feel this uncomfortable."
They continued browsing the gallery, pausing here and there.
Safe to say, the artists were insanely talented.
Minjae was quietly studying a piece across the hall, one of those abstract art, the kind that made you squint and pretend to understood its deeper meaning.
Then he heard Sangmin's voice cut through the chatter.
"Hey! Minjae, come here. You have to see this."
Hah.
"What happened? Did you find something you like?"
Sangmin excitedly grabbed his sleeve and tugged him toward a painting, massive and unmistakably the centerpiece of this part of the exhibition.
He gestured toward it with both hands, practically vibrating.
"Isn't this amazing? Like... I feel like I'm being pulled into a dream."
Seriously, if he didn't know better, he'd think he was the artist.
Framed under the spotlight, it depicted a breathtaking mountain-scape bathed in sunlight, morning mist curling like soft silk around the bright jade-green valleys.
Small traditional rooftops were nestled between the trees, and a winding river reflected warm golds and blush pinks.
Lee Sangmin stared at it impressively, totally taking a liking to it, fully enraptured.
"…Damn," he muttered, almost reverently. "Who drew this?"
Minjae nodded slightly. It did look like something straight out of a fantasy game. He took a stepped back and folded his arms.
Then he instinctively went over the name plate below the frame. It was a name he was not familiar with.
Sangmin had the same thought, squinting.
"Jason Yun? Is that even a real name? Who's this guy? It's my first time hearing his name... Do you know?"
Minjae thought about it and he was sure he didn't know. His eyes lingered on the brushwork then almost absentmindedly, he muttered,
"…Looks like something an elementary school kid with a rich imagination would draw."
"What?"
"Nothing." Minjae didn't elaborate and turned away.
"Let's go. I'm starving. You still owe me snacks."
Sangmin had a question mark on his face but he caught up. "Sure, wanna grab hotteok?"
"Okay."
As they made their way toward the exit, Sangmin slowed slightly, still mulling it over.
"…Was that a compliment?"
Probably.
Of course it was.
Minjae could admit the piece deserved to be the centerpiece, bright, colorful, and full of wonder.
The person who painted it was probably some cheerful kid with a head full of daydreams.
Definitely not someone like Jiho. That gloomy brat could never.
Come to think of it, he hadn't seen any of Jiho's work here. Did he not make the cut?
.
.
.
The cold white walls lined with masterpiece were daunting at this moment.
Yun Jiho fixed his gaze at the departing back. His mind unnervingly quiet.
Heh.
He couldn't remember the last time someone insulted him like that.
And yet...
His lips slowly tugged at the corner, eerily cool.
"...Kyungho?" he said calmly, eyes never leaving the exit.
"You said those guys are still looking for a main designer, right?"
An elementary school kid? Let's see.