Chapter 3: The One With The Nerd
Lee Sung-Hoon
Lee Sung-Hoon paid little-to-no attention to his friends' constant teasing regarding yesterday's events. Right after the woman stomped out of the lobby, Han-Jun and Jun-Seo raced to Sung-Hoon to get the details. According to them, they were busy gulping down food until the woman's yell caught their attention. Not knowing what happened, they curiously watched the scene unfold. Sung-Hoon shrugged and casually mentioned the little accident and how he spilled his drink on the woman.
Watching Sung-Hoon get yelled at by the woman was unexpected! Moreover, Sung-Hoon was forced to get the coat cleaned for the woman because it was the only way he could make it up to her. Ha-Jun couldn't help but laugh at his best friend's attempt at fixing his mistake.
"Stop laughing," said Sung-Hoon, having enough of his best friend and cousin's teasing.
"Why? This is hilarious!" laughed Ha-Jun. "The woman you just met is making you bust your ass to get the stain out of her clothes. The last I saw someone spill a drink accidentally was just slapped."
"She was planning on discarding it," mentioned Sung-Hoon as he rubbed the stain using a cotton swab. "But I offered to get it removed."
Jun-Seo pouted. "Why didn't I spill my drink on a cute girl? I could probably get her number that way."
Sung-Hoon turned to stare at the younger cousin. Jun-Seo remained unfazed while dreamily sighing at the thought of meeting someone like his cousin did. Sung-Hoon shook his head while Ha-Jun chuckled at the younger man. There was no point in explaining to the young one that whatever fantasy he created was far from reality. Shaking his head, he continued removing the Bloody Mary stain.
"So, when are you meeting her again?" Ha-Jun asked, leaning against the table with his arms crossed against his chest.
"I'm not meeting her," said Sung-Hoon. "I'll just text her, and she'll retrieve the coat from Rachel from the Geology department."
"But I thought you hated the Geology department."
Sung-Hoon looked at him and smiled. "Exactly."
Ha-Jun stared at him, waiting for an explanation. An awkward silence hugged them. Attempting to cut down the awkwardness, Jun-Seo cleared his throat.
"I think he meant to say that he'd rather go down to the Geology department than hand over the coat to the woman himself."
Ha-Jun glanced at Sung-Hoon, who chuckled while folding the aqua-blue coat. Sung-Hoon's chuckle turned into a burst of full-blown laughter.
"Like Jun-Seo said, if only you knew me as much as you liked to claim." With that, he left the lab, leaving a stunned Ha-Jun and a giggling machine, Jun-Seo.
Shutting the door behind him, Lee Sung-Hoon made a beeline toward the Geology department. It was no secret that Sung-Hoon despised the geologists and their work. To him, geology was all about rocks which he found dull and uninteresting. Nothing about rocks gave him the same thrill as chemicals did. With chemicals, he could potentially create something new. Maybe a new vaccine, drugs, organic acids, and growth regulators for insects and plants. The options are endless!
Once he reached the geology department, he stood in front of the door where the words RACHEL CHOI were written in bold letters. With one sharp intake of oxygen, he knocked three times. With each knock, he called out Ms. Choi.
The door swung open, and a woman with golden brown hair smiled at Sung-Hoon. She donned a pastel trench coat underneath which a body sweater dress was slightly visible.
"Dr. Lee?" Rachel's eyes widened in surprise. "What brings you to our humble abode?"
By the look on Sung-Hoon's face, it was evident that he did not wish to stay in the department long enough than he had to. He shoved the coat on the woman and said the following words.
"A woman about your age will come down the halls looking for this coat. When she does, give it to her."
Rachel Choi looked at him incredulously. "What woman?"
"I don't know much. If she asks about her coat, hand it to her."
"Well, why can't you give it to her?" demanded Rachel.
Sung-Hoon looked her dead in the eye. "I don't want to."
He walked away and left a very confused Rachel Choi behind.
A wave of relief washed over his being. Finally, he was debt-free. With a grin, he pulled out his phone from his pant pocket and texted the woman.
SUNG-HOON😎
I have successfully removed the stain from your coat. The coat is good as new. Please swing by and pick up your coat from SNU.
BLUE💙
SNU? You're a university student? No wonder you were so clumsy.
Sung-Hoon did not have the energy and the patience to sit and chat with the woman about his life and work. Besides, he didn't need to see the woman anymore now that the coat was completely stain-free. It didn't matter what he said.
SUNG-HOON😎
Yes, I'm a college student. Now, would you come and pick up the coat?
BLUE💙
Ya, I'm older than you then. Is that any way to talk to your elders?
Sung-Hoon rolled his eyes at the text and internally chuckled. Ah, if only she knew. The texting session continued for a little over fifteen minutes, and Sung-Hoon managed to convince Blue to swing by the university to receive her coat. Yes, today was the last time he had to deal with her! He couldn't help but feel his muscles relax at the thought. The woman bugged him for the past twenty-four hours to get the stain removed. Now that his job was done, he could return to his regular life and pretend to have never met her.
The ends of his lips curled upwards as he made his way back to his haven.
~
"Someone looks happy," Ha-Jun observed. "Did you change your mind and meet the girl yourself and realize that you wanna spend the rest of your life with her?"
Sung-Hoon looked at him in disbelief. "Do you even know me?"
"He's been questioning that since the minute you left," Jun-Seo walked in from the corner with a half-eaten donut. "Donut?"
Sung-Hoon waved his hand. "No, thanks."
"Seriously, then why did you take so long?" Ha-Jun asked.
Sung-Hoon rolled his eyes. "Ms. Choi stopped me and kept asking a bunch of questions. Once I left, I spent almost seventeen and a half minutes convincing Blue to come to pick up her coat."
"Blue?" Jun-Seo asked with a mouth full of donuts. "Whosedat?"
"The woman, Jun-Seo. Pay attention," replied Sung-Hoon. "Anyway, she's gonna be here in about an hour, and I'll see you two later."
Sung-Hoon pulled out the laboratory coat, placed it neatly over the chair, and wore his black leather coat.
"Wait, are you going you receive her?" Ha-Jun interrupted Sung-Hoon, who was rushing to pack up his things.
"No, I'm going home." Sung-Hoon casually answered. "Ms. Choi will hand over the coat when the woman comes. I don't wanna be here when she arrives."
"Why?" asked Jun-Seo, clearly baffled at his cousin's behavior.
"Because I don't wish to interact with the woman anymore."
With that, he left.
"He's a weird fellow," Ha-Jun remarked as he watched Sung-Hoon disappear right before his eyes.
"Oh, yes. But weird might be an understatement."
~
Kim Ha-Jun
Almost seventeen hours later, a phone dinged. The owner stirred and tried to grab the phone, but it fell to the floor with a loud thud.
"Shi-bal! " The man cursed and pushed himself to sigh upright. He grabbed the phone from the floor. Rubbing his eyes, he saw an unknown number on the caller ID. Without giving it much of a thought, he picked up.
"Yeoboseyo?"
"You don't remember me, do you, Ha-Jun-ah?" a smirk could be heard from the other side. Though the voice seemed familiar, he had difficulty putting a finger on it. Barely awake with a fully asleep brain, he asked.
"Who is this?"
Chuckle.
"Seriously, dude. You forgot me? I didn't realize my friend would do this to me."
Something clicked. Ha-Jun shook his head vigorously to wake himself up. He even slapped himself awake. Clearing his throat, he said the following words with the loudest scream.
"MIN HWAN-WOO?!"
"Haha, yes. Finally! Sleepyhead remembers me." Hwan-Woo laughed from the other side.
"Wait-why are you calling me right now? Aren't you supposed to be in the US?"
"Ah, yes." Hwan-Woo paused. "I know it's a bad time, but I need someone to pick me up from the airport. Long story. I'll tell you on the way."
"Alright, on my way! Give me an hour." Ha-Jun hung up the phone, jumped out of bed, and raced to the bathroom.
The next hour went by a blur. Soon enough, Ha-Jun was standing in front of the gate as he waited for Min Hwan-Woo to walk out. Hwan-Woo, Ha-Jun, and Sung-Hoon were close buddies growing up. However, Hwan-Woo's parents wanted him to finish his education in the States. Thus, he left when they were 11. It was when he turned 27 that he finally could return to Seoul, South Korea.
Butterflies constantly fluttered inside Ha-Jun's belly. He couldn't wait to meet his childhood friend after years. He wondered what he was like now. Was he anything like Sung-Hoon? If that was the case, then he was going to be a new member of the "Pain in the Ass" club. Each minute felt like an eternity. He couldn't wait for the waiting period to be over!
Before long, a man walked out with a suitcase in hand. He was wearing a loose, oversized plain white shirt and a black tee underneath. A pair of black baggy pants, combat boots, and a pair of shades complete the look. His deep, black curly hair was messy as always, and the fringes fully covered the forehead.
Within a fraction of a second, Ha-Jun recognized the man.
"Hwan-Woo!" He screamed as he dashed to hug the man.
The man looked up, and his face broke into a grin. He welcomed his friend with open arms, and they stayed like that for a while.
"Dude! I missed you." Ha-Jun cried. "It was so empty without you here."
"Haha, likewise, brother." Hwan-Woo patted his shoulder before they broke the hug. Ha-Jun took the suitcase from him as he walked toward the exit with Hwan-Woo right behind him.
"Now, care to tell me why you needed me to pick you up?"
"So..."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone