Inanima - English version

2.1 Archives

Yeonjun breathed in the air, smiling happily.

The road he was walking along was deserted. Probably by that time everyone was already in the office working. The archaeologist passed a hand through his dark, freshly cut hair. The need to go to a hairdresser just back in Seoul had been the reason he had woken up early that morning and left Soobin's house. He had requested an undercut, of which he was always extremely proud. It was the same haircut he had before he left for the expedition to the Ordos Desert and he was aware of how it was one of the hairstyles that best suited him.

Yeonjun began whistling merrily as he walked the distance between him and Soobin's house. He wondered what it was like to live in that neighborhood, so different from the one he grew up in. Only walking along the streets, passing near perfect gardens and beautiful houses, he felt invincible, as if he had the whole world in his hand. Being rich really changed your approach to life.

Yeonjun arrived at Soobin's mansion, ringing the bell. If he had been close enough with him, he would have been able to enter the house independently, knowing the password of the gate lock code. However, Soobin's home only opened with fingerprint recognition, so there was no chance for Yeonjun. He just hoped some housekeeper would get him in as soon as possible. Suddenly the gate opened in front of him, at the same time as the entrance door opened at the end of the avenue. Yeonjun clearly saw Soobin walking quickly, almost running straight to him.

"Jun, where the hell have you been! -he exclaimed, still halfway-I worried about you not being in your room this morning, I thought you had left". "And why should I have done that- Yeonjun replied, raising an eyebrow as he approached the other boy- you are literally hosting me in a mega villa and I still have nowhere else to sleep. Give me a good reason to leave your house". Soobin lowered his head slightly, only realizing at that moment that the archaeologist was right. As always his emotions had beaten his rationality.

"I appreciate you worrying about me," Yeonjun smiled, winking in his direction. Soobin's cheeks blushed slightly. Only at that moment he seemed to notice the change of hairstyle of the boy. He stared at him a few moments in silence, blinking. Then he muttered, "You cut your hair... you look very well". Yeonjun couldn't hold back a satisfied smile, hopping slightly to be admired from every angle. "Do you really think so? - he hummed, laughing happily- I felt the need to return to my original cut, the months spent in Ordos had made my hair grow too much". "You could have told me- replied Soobin, looking at the boy's face- I would have gladly accompanied you".

Yeonjun smiled, moved by Soobin's sincerity. "I have another place in my mind where we can go," he replied. The dark-haired boy bent his head to the side, intrigued and puzzled at the same time. "We went back to Korea to do research, didn't we? -continued Yeonjun, staring him in the eye- there is only one place nearby where we can try to find clues related to Inanima". "A museum?" Soobin tried to guess, despite not understanding what the other wanted to tell him. The archaeologist shook his head, giggling amusedly "The University Archives".

Yeonjun smiled satisfied as he walked through the gates of Seoul National University.

He hadn't frequented those places for a long time and if he was partly relieved, on the other he felt almost a sense of nostalgia. He remembered all the hours he spent in the library to finish writing his papers, along with the inevitable and numerous cups of American coffee to stay awake. He could still clearly see himself sitting in the wooden tables of the University garden, while he was studying before an important exam. Yeonjun chuckled, recalling those moments of pure anxiety. He probably shouldn't have slept so much during class, forgetting to pay attention to the teachers.