Once we were done with our SelfIntroduction, the seniors started speaking one by one, representing the department, students' council, and giving speeches about random things. The hum of conversation in the room quieted slightly as Gyuri sunbae answered a call, her expression sharpening as she listened. When she finally hung up, she stepped forward, scanning the crowd with a serious look.
"Did any of you meet Yamazaki Aoi yesterday?" she asked, her tone firm.
The name struck a chord in my mind instantly. Yamazaki Aoi—one of the crew members of Tungsten Riders. The moment he joined, the team's reputation skyrocketed, catching media attention, largely because of his connections in Japan. But that wasn't all—he was an exceptional skateboarder, full of potential. He had the most experience of playing in international leagues. His style was impossible to ignore. He was pretty a celebrity in the sports world. And he had always been kind to me. I remembered that vividly. Polite, respectful—to everyone. And he was also always chaotic and energetic—kind of like a child who would act as the happy virus everywhere. I never knew if it was his way of acting less nervous and owning the competitions—but he always acted oblivious, clingy, and persistent about the sports. He was stubborn when it came to skateboarding.
But my stomach tightened because I knew what was coming next.How could I forget thathe would be getting into an accident today? One that would leave him hospitalized for nearly two months. Aoi had grown close to Bohyun and Sunghoon, and I knew that Professor Chun Heon had specifically asked Bohyun to help him keep up with studies during his absence. That was how they became acquainted and he became a team member, though injuries had held him back, but his intense stamina showed him ways to get over anything.
"I met him," someone spoke up from the front.
Gyuri sunbae let out a heavy sigh before she delivered the news.
"He got into a car accident this morning."
A murmur of shock spread across the room, voices overlapping in hushed whispers.
"Silence, please," Gyuri sunbae said sharply, bringing the room under control again. "His condition seems to be serious."
The tension was thick, but before I could fully process what she had said, a chair scraped loudly against the floor.
Bohyun.
He was already on his feet. "Do you know which hospital he was taken to?" His voice was calm, but there was an urgency in it.
"The Trauma Center at SNU Hospital," Gyuri sunbae answered. "Do you know him?"
Bohyun didn't answer. He just gave a small nod of his head and sat back down.
Sunghoon leaned toward him. "You know this guy?"
Bohyun didn't respond. Instead, he looked straight ahead and said, "He is a skateboarder. Let's visit him after this."
It is obvious for Bohyun to know him since he is pretty famous too.
Sunghoon opened his mouth, probably to ask something else, but I cut in before he could. "Can I come with you guys?" I asked, glancing between the two of them.
Bohyun didn't react. He seemed lost in thought, staring blankly at the front of the room.
Sunghoon, on the other hand, nodded easily. "Yeah, let's go." Then he turned to Yumi, who was sitting beside me. "You wanna join?"
Yumi hesitated before sighing. "I wish I could. But my mom just texted—she's visiting me tonight. I have to pick her up in thirty minutes."
"That's okay," Sunghoon said with a shrug.
By the time we wrapped up, it was already 7:45 p.m. I spotted Sunghoon making his way over to Yumi, exchanging numbers with a grin plastered across his face.
That guy is seriously head over heels.
. . .
The hospital lobby was quieter than I had expected. As we walked in, Bohyun was already moving ahead of us, making a beeline for the reception desk.
"So, Aoi is Japanese, right?" Sunghoon asked, glancing at me. He was holding my skateboard in his hand. I won't bring it from tomorrow. It's a burden- I promised myself.
"Not entirely. His dad is Japanese, but his mom is Korean. He was born and raised here. He's Professor Chun's nephew."
Sunghoon nodded. "Oh. How do you know that? Were you two friends? Or did you go to the same school before?"
Maybe I should've stapled my lips shut.
"I… uh…" I faltered, scrambling for a reasonable excuse. "I heard it from some seniors just now, before we came here."
Sunghoon squinted at me. "Wow. The seniors are good at getting intel this early." I let out a nervous laugh, but thankfully, he moved on quickly.
"But why is Bohyun acting like he knows Aoi?" Sunghoon murmured, eyeing him from afar. I followed his gaze. Bohyun was speaking to the hospital receptionist now, his posture stiff.
"Bohyun just said, Aoi does skateboard. Maybe that's why. You never heard of him?" I asked.
He shook his head, "No. I will look up information about him." He exhaled saying, "Anyway, I hope this Aoi guy gets better soon."
By the time we reached the trauma unit, we were told visitors weren't allowed inside. Through the glass, we could see Aoi lying motionless on the hospital bed, his right hand wrapped in thick bandages, his chest rising and falling slowly under the weight of fractured ribs.
His parents were sitting in the lobby nearby. His mother was quietly crying, her fingers gripping a crumpled tissue.
His father noticed us and approached. "Are you Aoi's classmates from university?" he asked, his Korean flawless.
"Yes," Bohyun answered, his voice even. "We just heard about his condition earlier today."
Yuri's father gave a tired nod, his features lined with exhaustion. "Thank you for visiting. Aoi would be happy if he knew you were here."
"It's no trouble, Mr. Yamazaki," Sunghoon said earnestly. "We'll try to visit from time to time."
"What's his condition now?" I asked.
"It will take around 5 weeks to heal. His immune system is strong. So, the doctors are hopeful about his quick recovery."
"That's a relief."
"Oh, I forgot to ask your names," Aoi's father asked.
We introduced ourselves, and he thanked us again before returning to his wife's side.
We lingered for about thirty minutes, none of us speaking much. Sunghoon had leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, occasionally stealing glances at the clock. I, too, kept mostly silent, watching Aoi from where we sat. But Bohyun hadn't moved. He stood still, his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie, his gaze locked onto Aoi through the glass. His face was blank—so blank that it was almost unnatural.
. . .
Sunghoon strolled over to me, tapping on my shoulder softly as we walked out of the hospital and asked, "Hey, I heard you live near Bohyun. I'm in the same area. Let's go together."
"Sure," I said, shrugging. It's not like I had any better plans.
He looked around. "Where's Bohyun, though?"
"There." I pointed at the cafe near the hospital.
Sunghoon's eyes widened. "That's his fourth one today. What the hell? He wouldn't even try one when I offered."
I smirked, proud of myself. "I got him hooked."
Sunghoon blinked. "Wait, what? You two just met yesterday, and you convinced him to drink that much Iced americanos?"
I leaned back, basking in my own glory. "I bought two this morning and went over to check on him. His face was a mess, and I thought, hey, maybe caffeine would help? He said he'd never had one, so I told him to throw it away if he didn't want it. And, well, here we are."
Before Sunghoon could reply, Bohyun appeared. His face was unreadable, as always, but his eyes locked on me for a second, and I swear I saw something flicker there—annoyance, maybe? Then he sighed.
Why does it seem like he has become more of a guarded nature person in this timeline? I feel like he is keeping a distance from me today. He was all good yesterday. What happened suddenly? Is it because he is just tired as he is hurt and wounded now?
"I'm crashing at your place tonight," Bohyun said to Sunghoon.
Sunghoon laughed. "Like you ever ask. You just show up."
Bohyun shrugged. "Didn't I learn it from you?"
And with that, he was already walking towards the bus stop.
Sunghoon scratched his head, bemused. "Right…"
"He's like a stray cat. Shows up, eats, sleeps, then disappears. Actually I'm the same too. We have each other's keys," Sunghoon whispered to my ear.
I chuckled. "Yeah, except he drinks four iced americanos a day and doesn't look back."
"Can I ask you something?" he spoke.
"Sure."
"That guy, Jinwoo. Are you two friend or—"
"Used to be friends." I retorted.
"He was acting weird all day. The way he raged at Yumi, I thought he was about to hit her or something."
"I don't know but he was really different from his usual self today."
"I am getting these weird feelings about him, Aera. I shouldn't interfere, but you should—maybe try to keep your distance from him."
I nodded, looking down. He wasn't wrong.