The Best of Tomorrow [ 내일의 으뜸]

Chapter 50 - 04 The street I saw in my dream

On the way to work after school, Baek In-hyuk turned to a bookstore, saying he needed to buy a cell phone charging cable. When he opened the door, the smell of books permeated the quiet interior. Baek In-hyuk walked to find the cable, and Seon-jae, who had been standing still, walked to the book corner.

With my hands in my pockets, I scanned the spines of the books neatly shelved. After going through foreign novels, I moved on to domestic novels, and then stopped at the poetry section. She turned her body and looked directly at the bookshelf. Book spines of different colors were lined up in a row. Then the title 'Affectionate Calling' caught my eye.

Seonjae took his hand out of his pocket and pressed the corner of the poetry book with his index finger to pull it out. He held the poetry book in one hand and scanned the title with his eyes over and over again. A friendly name, a friendly name.

The moment I entered the bookstore, I thought of Im Sol. It was because of the books with strange titles that he gave me as a tribute. Maybe that's why, as soon as I saw the title of affectionate title, names like Chunbaek or Seonjae jumped on my back came to mind. Even though I never called him affectionately.

I opened the book and scanned a few pages. On the page I turned without thinking, there was a poem I liked.

[What should we call things that suddenly exist and suddenly do not exist?]

Seonjae's face became gloomy. At first, I thought it was so absurd, but I kept thinking about those absurd situations and Im Sol who created those situations. Perhaps because of Baek In-hyeok's words, his quirky appearance seemed cute, and his heart gradually began to fall for her.

Even when I lay down with my eyes open or closed, Imsol's face followed me. When the sun is nice, it's nice, when the wind blows, it's nice. When asked why she thought of Lim Sol, she could give many reasons. The scenery outside the window during class reminds me of Lim Sol blowing on a bowl of ramen inside a convenience store, and after eating lunch, Baek In-hyuk and I stand leaning against the railing and looking at the playground, turning our bodies in a completely different direction to block the ball he kicked. It reminded me of Imsol flying.

Unable to hide my puffy feelings, I told Imsol that I liked her, and suddenly she became a stranger to her. He showed up even though I was told not to, created a room inside me, and walked away without even coming in. The room created by Im Sol was empty without an owner. The place was hollow and filled with feelings of having nowhere to go.

It was more painful for me to split the ground and go beyond than not to have my heart accepted. Imsol's two eyes lost their warmth. A face that looks like it doesn't really know itself. Unlike before, the atmosphere took on a gloomy tone. Seonjae thought he was lost and didn't know how to get back.

"Hey, do you want to buy a book?"

Baek In-hyuk walked between the bookshelves, holding a cable in his hand. When he realized that what was in Seonjae's hands was a collection of poetry, he frowned.

"You want to read poetry? "Is literature class not enough?"

Seon-jae, who burst into laughter at Baek In-hyuk's words, lightly tapped his side with the book and walked away. Baek In-hyuk's eyes widened as he watched Seon-jae carrying the book out without putting it back on the shelf. Then he ran after Seonjae as if he couldn't believe it.

"You really live?"

"Can't I buy it?"

Seonjae smiled silently as he placed the book on the counter. She was thinking of giving it to Im Sol. I was concerned about Im Sol, who seemed like a different person. It was both questionable and worrisome. Why did Im Sol suddenly become a dark person with no smile? That thought never left Seonjae's mind.