"The person we talked about the other day."
Jaegyeom's hand, which had been fiddling with the corner of the newspaper, paused. It was even more troubling because it came right after having a bizarre dream. Reading Jaegyeom's subtle expressions, Hyomoon's eyes widened in shock.
"Wow, what happened, what happened? Did they contact you? What did they say? What did you talk about?"
Jaegyeom rolled the corner of the newspaper with his fingertips, hesitating for a moment. It wasn't a contact but a direct meeting, but anyway, it was all the same. Feeling like Lim Hyomoon would cling like a leech if he didn't tell, Jaegyeom opened his mouth reluctantly, not intending to give away too much detail.
"I asked why they kissed me."
Lim Hyomoon's eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out.
"What?"
You asked them that directly?!
"And they said a kiss wasn't a big deal to them."
"What...?"
I knew it! Lim Hyomoon reeled back as if he had been hit.
"Hey! Asking that... ah, geez, man!"
Both the questioner and the responder were mad. Lim Hyomoon grasped the back of his neck, lost in his wild imaginations, but Jaegyeom, having no idea what he was imagining, remained indifferent.
"You just dove right into the fishery!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Man, I told you! Why would you ask them that?"
Jaegyeom replied with a puzzled look.
"Who else would I ask about the kiss if not the person who kissed me?"
"Do you need to taste shit to know it's not bean paste?"
Lim Hyomoon tore at his hair in frustration. This was confirmation of the worst kind. Let's assume Seven-seven, who knows nothing, asked bluntly, but being twenty six and saying a kiss is no big deal?!
Clearly, that person had rotten morals, yet Seven-seven seemed utterly clueless.
"I just can't figure it out. How should I deal with them from now on...?"
If it wasn't for that, he wouldn't be muttering so seriously, lost in thought.
"Hey! I told you. That person is..!"
Lim Hyomoon, frustrated to the point of exploding, paused to catch his breath. This wasn't a matter that could be solved by raising his voice. He had to explain it in a way Jaegyeom could understand.
"Seven-seven. Let me explain it in a way you'll understand easily.
Look, there's a younger kid who's never had ice cream before in their life. Let's say you buy them ice cream for the first time. How do you think they'll react?"
Caught off guard by the analogy, Jaegyeom blinked. How would they react? That wasn't a difficult question because he remembered buying Merona for the first time for Mesani at the supermarket near his house. Mesani was incredibly shocked by the first taste of Melona. He was obsessed with it for days, constantly talking about it.
'My lord, my lord, why is it called Melona? Why is Melona green?
Why isn't Melona round but square? Do I have to eat only one Melona a day? Will I get a stomach ache if I eat two? Why don't people make bigger Melonas?'
"Well. They'd kept talking about that ice cream non-stop."
"Right! So, how do you feel watching that?"
"Well..."
Cute, obviously. Made me want to tease them. But Melona is tasty, after all...
Despite the indifferent reply, Lim Hyomoon clapped his hands as if he had received a very clear answer.
"Yes, exactly that! Do you get it now?"
"What?"
"So, Seven-seven. To that person, you are like the kid who tasted ice cream for the first time. See? You're jumping around just because of one kiss. How amusing must your reaction be to them? They're completely playing with you. They enjoy seeing your reaction, having fun, and controlling you!"
Hearing Hyomoon's analogy made it somewhat understandable.
"..So, what should I do now?"
Jaegyeom, who had been silent for a moment, asked seriously.
"What should you do? I told you not to see them anymore!"
"But I told you, I have to see them for a while."
Ah, that's right, Lim Hyomoon groaned, wringing his head.
"Then... uh... no reaction!"
"What?"
"No reaction is the answer."
"No reaction?"
"It means you should only show boring reactions. Here, the person who thinks too much loses the game. No matter what they say or do, just pretend to be unfazed. They'll tire themselves out and back off."
That's right, it makes sense when you think about it. If you poke a worm and it squirms, wouldn't you keep watching its movements?
Maybe it's a similar principle. If there's no reaction even when slightly provoked, interest will wane, and they'll move on. Jaegyeom realized his situation was like that of a worm. In retrospect, he had always reacted whenever Yoon Taehee provoked him, even just yesterday.
And it was the same in the dream he had just had. When jaegyeom saw Yoon Taehee's bewildered look, he honestly felt a bit pleased.
Having experienced it from the other side, he kind of understood the psychology behind it.
"Yeah, you're right."
Jaegyeom, who had been lost in thought, finally nodded.
"I got it. I'll do that from now on."
He inwardly repeated what Lim Hyomoon had told him. Yes. From now on, no matter what Yoon Taehee said or did, he would just let it slide... It was a conversation he initially wanted to avoid, but after talking with Lim Hyomoon, he felt like he found his own answer. He felt somewhat relieved.
"But... honestly, I wanted to get along well with them."
Thus, Jaegyeom found himself opening up without realizing.
"Because... honestly, I didn't dislike them. I thought we were the only ones who really knew each other. I even thought we could become friends. But now I see. I was the only fool harboring expectations."
Lim Hyomoon listened to his story with a seriousness not seen before. After finishing, Jaegyeom suddenly felt awkward and shifted his gaze away, rustling the newspaper unnecessarily.
"Seven-seven, well... having expectations isn't wrong."
Hyomoon quietly spoke.
"It's not your fault. Well, of course, if you don't have expectations, you won't be disappointed. But I think we need to keep having expectations to live. Otherwise, wouldn't life be too boring?"
Jaegyeom paused and looked at Hyomoon.
"So think of this as a dud and say, 'Fuck it, next time.' Just shake it off with that mindset, you know? What I mean is, don't be too heartbroken."
"Okay? You get it, right? You'll meet someone better next time, dude!
But next time, try someone your own age, not older!" Lim Hyomoon added energetically. Although the conclusion seemed to veer off in an unexpected direction, Jaegyeom felt strangely moved. He sensed the sincerity in the words, a comforting consolation that resonated with him.
Lim Hyomoon was a much better guy than he had thought.
"..."
Jaegyeom silently rolled the newspaper's corner.
I hate exorcists.'
As is often the case with human affairs, he had never once thought he would become an exorcist in his life. He had become one out of necessity, not choice. He thought all exorcists were swindlers and scoundrels, not worth associating with. His opinion hadn't changed even now but...
Suddenly feeling confused, Jaegyeom stared blankly at Hyomoon.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Hey. Why did you become an exorcist?"
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Lim Hyomoon blinked.
"What? Why would you ask that all of a sudden..."
"What's the reason you became an exorcist?"
Jaegyeom's expression was very serious as he asked the question aggressively, causing Hyomoon to fiddle with his piercing, slightly taken aback. Was he genuinely curious?
"Why I became an exorcist, well, it's obviously because..."
Lim Hyomoon started to speak, then got serious. Jaegyeom felt slightly anxious at his response.
To drive away evil spirits from this land? Out of a sense of duty to protect humans with his abilities? To prove his own worth? To be a person who does good and righteous deeds?
"Because they give you a pension when you get old."
"...What?"
"You don't know about iron rice bowls? Being a civil servant is the best."
Lim Hyomoon's gaze was incredibly firm as he spoke.
"I was going to prepare for the civil service exam if I failed the exorcist test. All my peers are preparing for it now... Seven-seven, if you ever go to university, you must go to an engineering school.
Especially not humanities and social sciences, absolutely not. From someone who's lived a few more years, seriously. This is advice that will become your flesh and blood. You'll just end up unemployed if you graduate with those degrees. Why did I even go to philosophy, when academia should be pursued at home with a book open, pondering alone..."
Lim Hyomoon ranted with a furrowed brow.
"..."
In times of severe job shortages, what better job is there than a civil servant...
"Oh, alright. Do your best..."
Eventually, Jaegyeom was overwhelmed by a sudden sense of fatigue.