𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞

While you were sleeping

ⓒ Baek Nara

On Saturday morning, I woke up much earlier than usual. It seems I was excited because it was my first planned outing since transferring. Moreover, I had a rare appetite.

It was seven in the morning. <Simon> had already gone out for his jog. I went down to the dining hall and had a hearty breakfast of pasta loaded with meatballs. It was so early that there were hardly any people in the dining hall.

After leisurely finishing my meal and drinking some tea, I went back to my room and saw <Hugh> just coming out of the bathroom. He greeted me while only wearing briefs and shaking his wet hair. He immediately went into his room and started packing. His luggage consisted only of a few books borrowed from the library, underwear, and socks. When I went out to the living room, <Hugh> was opening all the windows in the house.

It was full summer. Forkground County, located in the northern part of England, had long winters and short summers. Bluebell, situated at the northern end of the county, had only a few hot days in its short summer. It was a cool summer without tropical nights. The weather was sunny and clear with low humidity, and the school even conducted fire drills several times this summer due to the dry conditions. In any case, the weather was that good.

I helped <Hugh> open the windows. Since there was plenty of time before our departure, I picked up the book I had set aside yesterday and sat on the sofa. <Hugh> sat on the floor and started rolling a cigarette. I realized that I really didn't know much about <Hugh>, not even that he smoked.

As I blinked and watched, <Hugh> looked up and said cheerfully, <Hi, you probably didn't know because you always sleep in. My family runs a tobacco farm, so we all roll our own cigarettes. We do this every morning. It's kind of a family tradition.

Watching his hands skillfully roll the cigarette, I asked, <But I've never seen you smoke before.>

<Hugh> gestured towards his room with a playful expression. <Thanks to our picky roommate, I'm not allowed to smoke in the dormitory. And anyway, <George> is as fussy as a girl.>

His use of the phrase <as fussy as a girl>left a strange impression on me. Do people normally use such terms to describe their friends? It seemed suspicious. It might be an unnecessary doubt, but being cautious wouldn't hurt. I stared at <Hugh> intently for a moment.

<Hugh>, still nonchalantly rolling his cigarette, continued, <By the way, if you're going out today, could you pick up some notebooks for me? Raymond, why are you looking at me like that?>

<Hugh> was startled when he met my eyes, as I had been staring at him with a suspicious expression. I replied calmly, <I'm just feeling strange today. I ate a lot for breakfast.>

<Hugh> laughed mischievously.

<You'll get indigestion and won't be able to go out, you know? That can't happen. I'm almost out of notebook paper, so it's a bit urgent right now.> Instead of answering, I shrugged and pretended to rub my stomach.

<Hugh> asked if I needed digestive medicine, but I shook my head. <Hugh> continued rolling cigarettes. He described the type of notebook he wanted me to get and how many pages it should have, then kept on chatting. He talked enthusiastically about the hotel and swimming pool he visited last weekend, and even about the dishes the hotel chef excelled at. I kept observing him. There were no strange signs.

<Hugh> was as cheerful and talkative as usual. Occasionally, a hint of anxiety slipped into his tone, but it was too subtle to address. <Hugh> was still worrying about the exam. Before I could find anything suspicious, <Hugh> finished rolling his cigarettes. He packed them into a flat copper tin adorned with acacia flowers, which looked quite stylish.