“Do you need something from me?”
“Yes. Let’s talk over a meal. You’re going to the school cafeteria, right?”
Nam Yiwon tilted his head slightly, standing just close enough for his shoulder to brush Seungjun’s. His eyes, meeting Seungjun’s, sparkled with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.
‘What on earth could be so important that he wants to eat lunch with me?’ Though not particularly eager, Seungjun found it awkward to refuse when Yiwon claimed to have something to say. He simply nodded and silently led the way.
“I’ll treat you to lunch. What do you want to eat?”
Eating with a junior, Seungjun felt obliged to pay. After checking the menu, he quickly asked to avoid any awkwardness. Nam Yiwon, who had been idly gazing at the menu, widened his eyes and turned to him.
“Oh, that’s alright.”
“No, I’ll treat you.”
“Me? Um… curry?”
“Sure.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s just school cafeteria food, it’s nothing.”
‘He probably has enough money to trip over,’ Seungjun thought, smiling inwardly.
Sitting with the food before him, Seungjun realized how hungry he was. As he picked up his spoon and chopsticks, Nam Yiwon followed suit. With a rather unenthusiastic expression, Yiwon gently began mixing the curry into his rice. Judging by the lifeless look in his eyes as he regarded the food, it seemed to be far from the young master’s taste.
‘Well, it’s none of my business,’ Seungjun thought, thoroughly mixing his food and taking a large, hearty bite. Nam Yiwon, meanwhile, merely continued to stir his rice until it was mushy, occasionally glancing at Seungjun.
When their eyes met, he gave a faint smile.
“I really enjoyed your presentation in the last class, senior.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. It seemed like you did almost all of it by yourself.”
Seungjun offered an awkward laugh. While he hadn’t *wanted* to do it alone, he was nonetheless pleased that Yiwon had viewed his diligently prepared, all-nighter assignment so favorably. He also felt a bit abashed, recalling his own harsh criticism. ‘He’s cooler than I thought.’
As Seungjun laughed, the smile slowly faded from Nam Yiwon’s lips. Seemingly oblivious to his meal, he abruptly pulled a tablet PC from his bag. He then displayed an image, seemingly prepared in advance, and held it out.
“There’s a competition, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in doing it together?”
“A competition?”
“Yes. All the details are here. I came to you because I wanted to work on it with you, senior.”
Nam Yiwon’s eyes gleamed as he leaned closer. While Seungjun was taken aback by this sudden proposal to join a competition, he couldn’t help but feel a little pleased, wondering if Yiwon had been genuinely impressed by his presentation in the peer review class.
It was a video competition, requiring participants to create a video of around ten minutes on the theme of ‘Life.’ Judging by the prize money and the name of the broadcasting station hosting it, it didn’t seem like a competition that would attract many participants. ‘I thought he was just a conceited guy, but he’s even digging into obscure competitions like this?’ Seungjun felt a quiet admiration for his diligent junior.
Seungjun tilted his head, deep in thought. A video of about ten minutes wouldn’t be too much of a burden, making it worthwhile to try just for fun. Besides, there was Professor Park Chan’s advice, who had mentioned that Seungjun might have something to learn from Nam Yiwon.
“We’d be handling all the planning and filming ourselves. We can just rent any equipment we need.”
Noticing Seungjun’s hesitation, Nam Yiwon added at an opportune moment.
“Hmm… I suppose it could be alright. The competition I was preparing for just ended, actually.”
“What competition were you preparing for?”
“A screenplay competition.”
“The one hosted by HBN, by any chance?”
“Yeah.”
‘The one your sister is involved with,’ Seungjun almost joked, but stopped himself. Someone so passionate about video production might take offense to a joke about connections.
Seungjun slowly nodded. With exams ending soon and the semester drawing to a close, there was no harm in trying it out.
“Alright. Let’s give it a shot.”
Finally, Seungjun’s agreement came. Nam Yiwon immediately pushed his tray aside and abruptly held out his phone.
“Give me your number.”
Seungjun entered his number without much thought. “Baek Seungjun, Senior,” Nam Yiwon murmured his name aloud as he saved the contact. His business seemingly concluded, he looked up with bright eyes and bowed slightly.
“I’ll contact you next Monday. Does that time work for you?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I look forward to working with you, senior.”
Nam Yiwon, clearly in high spirits, smiled brightly and bowed his head. Then, carrying his tray with the food still untouched, he strode away.
‘What a funny guy,’ Seungjun thought, letting out a small chuckle before continuing his meal.
****
“I decided to do a competition with Nam Yiwon.”
At Seungjun’s single statement, his classmates collectively jeered. Perhaps due to the boisterous atmosphere of their drinking session, everyone was more mischievous than usual. As Seungjun simply picked at the fruit anju, ignoring their chatter, a barrage of questions followed.
“With that young master? How did that happen?”
“He came directly to me and suggested it. He was very enthusiastic, pushing some competition I’d never even heard of.”
“Damn, you’re riding the right coattails.”
“What coattails, you jerk?”
“Stay close to him. After graduation, you won’t see that guy’s face easily. He’s from a different world than us. I guarantee, by the time we’re back from the military, he’ll have already made his debut.”
Seungjun let out a small laugh and emptied his glass. Regardless of his friends’ teasing, he had agreed to the competition because he thought there might be something to learn, not to chase connections. While Nam Yiwon’s last assignment had been a mess, Professor Park Chan must have had a reason for mentioning him to Seungjun. He playfully urged his friend on, refilling their glass.
“Drink up, drink up.”
“Hey, Baek Seungjun. Didn’t you just finish your screenplay competition? Are you doing another one right away?”
“The one Nam Yiwon suggested this time is a ten-minute video, so I’m just trying it out casually.”
“You’re relentless. When do the results for the screenplay competition come out? You worked so incredibly hard on that.”
“Around the end of this month.”
‘About three weeks, twenty-three days to be exact,’ he thought. Although he knew the exact date, he gave a vague answer, not wanting to appear overly eager.
There wasn’t a single friend around who hadn’t read his screenplay, as he’d sought advice from everyone. Everyone present knew that Seungjun had poured his heart and soul into writing it, sacrificing sleep and leisure. Professor Park Chan had also given it a good review, and while Seungjun hoped for a positive outcome commensurate with his efforts, he didn’t want to make a big fuss about it.
When Seungjun cut off the conversation with his curt reply, his classmates quickly moved on to another topic.
“But that Nam Yiwon, he’s already on the fast track, so why bother seeking out something like this?”
“They’d probably create a prize just for him, even if one didn’t exist, so he might as well do everything he can.”
“I took a class with him once, honestly? Even with all his connections, the best he could manage was morning drama level work, but the professor praised him to no end.”
“Who was the professor? If it was Kim Joonggu, he dotes on Nam Yiwon. Joonggu is probably friends with Yiwon’s sister too, you know?”
“Why doesn’t Nam Yiwon date? Is there something wrong with him?”
“Hey, hey, he might not date, but he probably does everything else, right? He’s super diligent and always out and about. He seems to be friends with all sorts of people. I saw him eating with Dormi the other day.”
“Isn’t it an attachment disorder? You know, how chaebol kids are often abused or neglected by their parents, so they end up a bit like that.”
Listening to the conversation, thick with overt jealousy, Seungjun let out a snort of laughter. Perhaps because Nam Yiwon was a well-known figure, even gossip he didn’t care to hear about him would often reach his ears. Seungjun gestured that he was going out for a smoke and stood up. Though a few seemed to follow, he didn’t wait and simply exited the room.
Recalling the conversations from the drinking session, Seungjun slowly smoked his cigarette. Standing in the cool outdoor breeze, he was suddenly reminded of something from last semester. ‘It’s all just jealousy,’ he thought. Nam Yiwon’s elongated eyes, smiling at his friend’s words, lingered in his mind for a while.
****
“Where are you going after this?”
Seungjun cleared his throat awkwardly as he asked. This was their first meeting to prepare for the competition. Unlike Seungjun, who had arrived in a simple white t-shirt and jeans, Nam Yiwon appeared in a gray jacket with a hot pink scarf.
‘Why is he so dressed up just to come to a cafe near school?’ He had even shown up with a neat two-block haircut, completely captivating the attention of everyone around him from the entrance to their table in that brief walk.
“Nowhere. Shall we have lunch together?”
Nam Yiwon smiled, resting his arms on the table so his wrists were exposed. Long, elegant hands were visible above the jacket sleeves. He seemed to like accessories, as strangely shaped rings were worn on his middle and index fingers. It was a fashion choice that most people, unless they were attention-seekers, wouldn’t attempt, but it suited him. Contrary to his friends’ speculation that he might have an attachment disorder, Seungjun thought he must have grown up showered with love. ‘You can’t dress like that unless your self-esteem is incredibly high.’
Anyway. Seungjun deliberately averted his gaze from the hot pink scarf and pulled out his tablet.
“Shall we decide on the topic first? ‘Life’ is the keyword.”
“Do you have anything in mind?”
“How about talking about the marginalized?”
“That sounds good. What kind of content?”
Nam Yiwon, surprisingly, was open to the idea. The marginalized was a good topic for a ten-minute video, and the message would be clear. Seungjun, invigorated, continued.
“We could focus on an elderly protagonist, filming a day from their perspective, capturing the everyday struggles that ordinary people might not know about.”
“Wouldn’t that be boring? A daily life without any events would likely be tedious.”
Nam Yiwon said, taking a sip of his coffee. Seungjun wanted to retort, asking if Yiwon hadn’t learned in the last peer review class that constantly chasing ‘fun’ leads to disaster, but he held back. Everyone, including Professor Park Chan, had stressed that to collaborate effectively, one must curb their temper and choose their words carefully.
Seungjun calmly explained, “The point is how difficult an uneventful daily life can be. This approach could actually be quite fresh. Plus, ten minutes isn’t a long time, so it’s awkward to try and fit a major event into it.”
“Ah, are we applying in the documentary category then?”