Love for Love’s Sake - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Huh?”

“Nothing. I mean, Cha Yeowoon. I’m looking for Cha Yeowoon.”

When I hastily corrected myself, Glasses, who had called me, blinked again with a blank expression. Adding to my already bad reputation, at this rate I might even hear rumors that I had slightly lost my mind.

“But class is about to start…”

Indeed. As soon as Glasses finished speaking, the school bell suddenly rang.

Triiing–Triiing–

It sounded just like the high school bell I remembered.

If I were really 19, I might have ignored the start of class and rushed out of the classroom, but I was 29 years old.

Unlike my days as a hot-blooded teenager, I had grown accustomed to the endless cycle of going to work, leaving work, going back to work, taking a brief weekend break, and welcoming another dreaded weekday.

Remembering the whirlwind of a working adult’s life, I sat obediently in my seat like a well-behaved servant…or so I tried.

“By the way, buddy. Where’s my seat?”

Glasses stared at me as if I was strange, pointing to the corner by the window.

Wasn’t that the typical spot where the troublemakers sat? How absent-minded could I have been? Before, I had sat there and solved problems without even noticing whether I was by the window or in the middle.

Just as I had settled into the perfect spot to doze off, the wind blew in from the slightly open window, causing the curtains to flutter. It felt like a scene from a teen drama.

The white curtains fluttered gently and settled. The sight of the classroom came into view again.

A blackboard and teacher’s desk with the schedule and handouts by them. The backs of the children sitting between the rows. The smell of dust in the classroom gave a strange feeling of nostalgia.

Memories floated back like fish swimming against the current.

I noticed the grooves that had been cut into my desk with a utility knife. When I scratched the area where the wood had splintered with my fingernail, the wood splinter pricked my skin and caused a sharp pain.

Red drops formed in a round shape on my fingertip. It hurt and bled. The pain sobered me.

I was here now. My worst 19.

To change Cha Yeowoon’s 18.

* * *

High school classes that I hadn’t taken in a long time made me sleepy. Of all things, there was also the addition of English class.

In my sluggishness, it wasn’t easy for me to get down to the 2nd year students’ hall. Everyone subtly avoided me, perhaps afraid to make eye contact.

I couldn’t follow the kids into their classrooms, so I barely managed to grab someone who was dragging their feet.

“Do you know which class Cha Yeowoon is in?”

I asked, getting right to the point. The student I had grabbed was very shy and seemed to be looking for a way to escape.

“He’s in my class.”

“Really? Where is he?”

I wondered if I should at least explain that I wasn’t going to hit him, but it would be strange to say such a thing without being prompted. I also had the thought of letting him go quickly. At least if I could find Cha Yeowoon.

“Cha Yeowoon didn’t come to school today.”

The 2nd year student’s answer completely ruined my plan of action.

“Why?”

Really? Cha Yeowoon wasn’t the type of person to skip school. Was he attending a competition or something? But the hesitation to answer was ominous.

“His grandmother passed away. He’s busy with the funeral.”

The next sentence was like a blow to the back of my head.

I was aware that Cha Yeowoon’s grandmother had died when he was in high school. But I never imagined it would be now.

“Do you know where the funeral hall is being held?”

I asked urgently. The student hesitated, then faltered.

“I only found out after some classmates and the teacher came back. Cha Yeowoon will be back in school tomorrow.”

They had already been to the funeral hall. Cha Yeowoon would return to school tomorrow. As I put together what I had heard, something clicked in my head.

My heart started to race.

Thump–Thump–

It was pounding loudly, like it was hitting my eardrums.

“Where does Cha Yeowoon live?”

“I don’t know, really.”

“Do any of your classmates know?!”

“I-I don’t know! I’m not even close to him. I’m sorry.”

The student who had been grabbed by both shoulders cowered and sobbed.

A transparent window appeared in front of my eyes.

[ Would you like to find ‘Cha Yeowoon?’ ]

It was strange.

As if it knew exactly what I wanted, the transparent window that emitted a faint light asked me.

Behind the rectangular system message was a frightened student with his eyes closed tightly.

“Thank you.”

After taking a deep breath, I patted the student on the shoulder and turned toward the stairs.

The transparent window that had been floating in front of me became more transparent and seemed to cover me as it grew larger.

Luminous lines outlined the surrounding streets and buildings. It was a rough map.

I knew it instinctively.

The blinking dot in the middle of the intersection was undoubtedly Cha Yeowoon.

As I ran down the stairs, two and three steps at a time, my view changed rapidly. I heard the school bell signaling the start of classes as I left the school lobby, but I didn’t look back.

Cha Yeowoon’s high school days were briefly described in the novel.

His mother had died, his father was a terrible person, and he lived with his grandmother.

The only adult he could rely on, his grandmother, died of a chronic illness before he graduated from high school.

After his grandmother’s funeral, he was involved in a car accident and injured his leg, leaving him forever unable to run.

His plans to attend college on an athletic scholarship naturally fell through. All the money left over after the funeral went to his medical bills.

In other words, Cha Yeowoon’s high school days were just as dark as mine.

So I supported him.

Because he was like me.

I saw the big gates of the school. It seemed to be securely locked, probably because of security measures.

“It’s been a while since I climbed over a wall.”

I used to jump over the walls when I was bored. I looked around to see if there was anything I could use as a foothold under the secluded wall, but there was nothing, so I stepped on a tree instead.

I stepped on a tree trunk, grabbed the wall, pulled my weight up, and jumped down. If this was like a gymnastics routine, it would have been skillful enough to get about an 8 out of 10.

My motor skills hadn’t died. Maybe it was because I had a healthy teenage body, but I felt like I was moving better.

Coming down the other side, I saw an apartment complex and an intersection.

According to the map I was shown, it was straight ahead. It would be quick if I could get a cab. It seemed easy, but as soon as I reached into my pockets, I realized something.

I was a poor 19-year-old.

What money. There was nothing to grab but two 40-cent coins.

I couldn’t even afford the bus fare, let alone a cab. My shoulders sagged.

“What am I going to do?”

What was I supposed to do? If I had no teeth, I’d use my gums. For now, I had to do what I could.

Fortunately, the rough, flashing map showed the remaining distance.

[ 6km to Love Supremacy Zone. ]

Only 6km. If I ran, it would take me about 30 minutes.

I caught my breath as I turned my ankles. Thirty minutes to meet Cha Yeowoon. I didn’t have time to hesitate, not knowing when an accident might happen.

My worn-out sneakers kicked off the ground.

It had been a long time since I had run so hard.

I was quickly out of breath. Passersby glanced at me as I ran along the sidewalk in my school uniform.

[ 500m ahead. ]

The distance got smaller and smaller. After running for over 20 minutes, my back was soaked with sweat.

My face felt hot. It felt like my heart was bouncing around inside my chest.

It was a strange feeling. Running and running, enduring the pain as if my lungs were being squeezed, while looking at the shining finish line.

[ 100m ahead. ]

I wanted to fall down and catch my breath, but the fact that Cha Yeowoon was only 100 meters ahead of me kept me going.

It was the fact that he might get hurt today.

I stopped abruptly in front of the densely packed multi-unit housing. Thick drops of sweat rolled down my eyelids.

Cha Yeowoon’s home was an apartment in the form of a container on the roof. He hated living in the 71sqft rooftop. That was what he himself in the novel had often said.

I looked up, blocking the sun with my arm. Before I knew it, the setting sun had slid down the roof of the square building.

As the glowing dot on the map almost overlapped my location, the transparent window suddenly disappeared.

The map had turned off, but I knew immediately where Cha Yeowoon was.

[ Entering Love Supremacy Zone. ]

It was the only place where he was frighteningly vivid.

The low brick wall, the iron railing on the roof, the stairs leading up to it, and the separate lighting as if cut off from the rest of the world.

After taking a deep breath to ease the pain in my chest, I ran up the emergency stairs without hesitation.

It was the beginning of spring.

Yellow and orange intertwined in the sky as the daylight began to lengthen. The last ray of sunlight shone golden along the silhouette of a person.

Standing precariously on the railing of the roof was Cha Yeowoon. He looked so fragile, as if he would fall at the slightest gust of wind.

“Cha Yeowoon!”

Cha Yeowoon, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, turned to look at me.

Tears glistened on his wet cheeks. His unfocused gaze fell in a random direction.

A look that saw nothing clearly. A look of resignation, etched like an old stain.

My heart, which had been pounding from running all the way here, sank heavily.

The circumstances of Cha Yeowoon’s accident were never mentioned in the novel, but I couldn’t help but find out after coming here.

He had attempted suicide.

And fortunately or unfortunately, instead of his life, it was his leg that was injured and scarred forever.

The roof door behind me creaked shut.

Cha Yeowoon staggered. His unbalanced body seemed to slowly topple over the railing.

Again, I sprinted like crazy.

My heart, already at its limit, was screaming. I couldn’t even tell if my heart was about to explode because I had been running with all my might for too long or because I was afraid of losing Cha Yeowoon.

When I grabbed Cha Yeowoon’s hand as he was about to fall, the skin I touched tingled slightly.

His body, which had just crossed over the railing, suddenly hit the side with a thud. Our weight shifted sharply.

I was determined not to let go, even if it meant risking my life. Both my arms stiffened under the weight, and the soles of my sneakers, planted firmly on the roof, heated up quickly.

As I held him, he looked up at me.

It felt like I was being pulled into his eyes.

Swirling light poured into the black pupils. Like a sinkhole with no end in sight, just a black hole in the center of the iris.

In fact, the reflections in people’s eyes were cloudy and hard to see.

But my reflection in Cha Yeowoon’s pupils was now strangely vivid.

A bell rang from above.

[ Cha Yeowoon recognizes you. ]

It was a cheerful sound that didn’t fit the situation.

“Please don’t die.”

With every ounce of strength I had, I pulled Cha Yeowoon up with all my might. It was hard at first, but when I felt him coming up, joy surged through my muscles. My sneakers dragged on the roof surface, bearing the weight.

His weight, pulling me down, poured over the edge of the roof and into my arms.

[ World Transformation. ]

For a moment it felt as if the world had been turned upside down.

Cha Yeowoon had been pulled up, but my vision was spinning.

My back was touching the cold cement surface. I could see the sky and Cha Yeowoon’s face. He was looking down at me.

Time seemed to stop for a moment.

The air felt as if it had stopped.

Confusion spread across Cha Yeowoon’s flushed face. His boyish features were unrealistically beautiful.

It was the first time I could put a name to the word beautiful. Especially his eyes.

His eyes, bathed in the fading sunlight, appeared pale and golden.

A golden color of a warm sandy beach overlapped the transparent retina. It was like golden sand swirling under water.

For a moment, I felt out of breath, as if I had been hit by a falling rock.

If this were really a novel and I was one of the characters, this moment would be the most intense introduction.

The moment when the world changed.

Cha Yeowoon slowly moved away from me and stood up. His eyes turned to the name tag on my school uniform.

Emotions slowly filled his beautiful face as he looked back at me.

[ The world has been revised because of your actions. ]

A series of dinging sounds followed.

[ Calculating Cha Yeowoon’s favorability. ]

[ Favorability… ]