Thirty minutes of break was soon over and it was time for design application lecture. Four hours of fun and engaging activity. Really fun.
It was the module that I enjoyed the most; so much that I had to repeat a year because of it. All the laptops were out on the table and the lecturer started the lesson. The first two hours were spent on getting used to the application which I honestly needed since I've forgotten almost everything related to this module.
"Using the application, you have to create an interior design template and submit it by next Friday. This is an individual assignment." The lecturer instructed and the classroom was filled with the sound of students moaning. Seriously? Assignment on the first day of school? I sighed and swiped my finger back and forth against the touch pad.
The remaining two hours were spent brainstorming for ideas. I twirled my pen between my fingers, trying to come up with something but the brain just doesn't want to work.
I stared at the red numbers on the digital clock. "One more minute," I mumbled as I waited for it to flip from 3:59 to 4:00.
"That's all for today."
That was the sentence that I looked forward to hear. Lecture has finally ended. I shoved my laptop into my backpack and turned to see if Rye Il was ready to leave. We planned to hang out at an ice-cream cafe after school.
"Gary-yah, ask Hye Won if she wants to join us." Rye Il looks at me and then at their table.
"You mean Jihyo?" I corrected him.
He remain silence and is trying hard to not smile. I roll my eyes at him and sling one of the bag strap over my shoulder, and walk over to their table.
"Hye Won, wanna join us for some ice-cream?" I asks.
"Sure, oppa! Jihyo, let's go together!" Hye Won invited her but she seems to be debating internally if she should tag along. Her hesitation says it all.
Rye Il came over and threw his arm over my shoulders. "Jihyo ssi, am I right? Join us. The more the merrier."
I glared at him from the corner of my eye.
Jihyo ssi? Since when were you so polite?
Rye Il seems to have gotten my message and faced me with a forced smile plastered on his face.
Help me once.
I can imagine him saying that to me.
I turned back to the two girls and still, there was this blank expression on Jihyo's face. "Like what he said, the more the merrier." I tried to persuade her.
"Erm ok," she responded with a shy smile.
"Great! We will wait outside the classroom." I finished my sentence and walked out of there with Rye Il.
"You're definitely the best person that I can rely on. I'll treat you to ice-cream." He sticks his fist out for a fist bump which I unenthusiastically return him one.
We went to the ice-cream cafe that was a ten minute walk away from the university. It serves the best ice-cream that I've ever eaten. Smooth, creamy, cold scoops of happiness and it costs only four bucks for a double scoop cone.
We told the girls to find a table while we, the gentlemen, went to order.
"Give me a single scoop of rum and raisin, another single scoop of chocolate chip, a double scoop of espresso and another double scoop of chocolate. All cones. Thank you." Rye Il took out a $10 note from his wallet and gave it to the cashier.
"You're treating me using my ten bucks?" I asked in amused disbelief.
"Technically speaking, it's not really yours after that bet." He replied.
I swung my leg at him to kick him but he managed to dodge it in time.
"Remind me not to ever bet with you again," I muttered.
The girls were laughing when we got back to the table with the ice-creams in our hands.
"What's so funny?" Rye Il quizzed as he passed Jihyo the chocolate chip ice-cream.
"I was just telling Jihyo about the both of you." Hye Won took the rum and raisin ice-cream from me and said.
"What about us?" Rye Il and I spoke at the same time.
"Well you know, the incident that happened a few months back when you guys were late for class and tried to enter unnoticed but in the end the both of you got caught and were forced to stay in a half-squat position with both arms raised till the end of lecture."
"Yah! Ye Hye Won! How can you tell that to Jihyo ssi? You just ruined my image." Rye Il burst out and continued to lick his ice-cream. How anti-climatic.
"It's OUR image," I said and turned to Rye Il and gave him the second eye roll of the day. "Besides, we had a reason for that." I added.
Now it was my turn to receive an eye roll from Hye Won. "Yea, right. Gaming at a LAN cafe until you remembered that there was a lecture that day."
"Your ice-cream is melting. Stop talking." Rye Il pushed her hand that was holding onto the ice-cream towards her face. The tip of her nose was covered in ivory cream. Rye Il and I burst out in laughter and we ended up getting a hit on the top of our heads.
Hye Won wiped away the ice-cream smear on her nose and looked at Jihyo. "You will get used to this." She told her.
"Ah right. We have yet to introduce ourselves. Jihyo ssi, I'm Rye Il and he's Gary. We're 26, in our fifth year and you can address us as 'oppa.' " Rye Il extend his arm out to shake her hand but Hye Won shook it instead.
Jihyo let out a soft chuckle and tucked one side of hair behind her ear. "You guys can just call me Jihyo and I'm 23. It's nice being able to be meet new friends on my first day. Let's exchange phone numbers, shall we?"
Rye Il and I exchanged glances. We weren't expecting her to be so easygoing. She seems like a nice person afterall.
"Is it a bad idea..?" Her eyes darted across our faces.
"Not at all!" Rye Il was quick to answer and he got out his phone and slide it across the table to Jihyo.
"Why is it starting to feel like a matchmaking centre?" Hye Won shook her head and mumbled.
In the end, we got her number and Rye Il is probably the happiest guy on earth right now.
