the summer of 1993 ── dohwa baek - Chapter 3: Chapter 3
You are reading the summer of 1993 ── dohwa baek, Chapter 3: Chapter 3. Read more chapters of the summer of 1993 ── dohwa baek.
── ❝ no more keeping score now, I just keep you warm❞
Did Dohwa Baek just refer to an actual, breathing person as a human diary?
Yes. Yes he did. And it worked out in his favour somehow.
He rolled over to his right, his peach sheets crumpling with his movements. The tuff of blond strands atop his head was a tangled mess after the night's sleep. Throwing his legs down, he let his bare feet touch the cold marble floor, shuddering slightly at the impact.
His phone's inbox was filled with texts to the brim. Instead of opening them, he tossed the device on the bed, and then made a beeline for the shower.
Once he finally slid out of his suffocating house, completely dressed and trimmed, he found himself trapped in yet another asphyxiating environment.
His friends. Or so these snakes liked to think of themselves.
"Hey!"
Golden wisps fluttering with the zephyr, beautiful long lashes, and perfect eyebrows.
Wasn't that how Su-ae described Ra-im to him?
Dohwa was having a hard time finding anything in her features that was worth a second glance. She was waving at him with enthusiasm, and several other people around her mirrored the action. He mustered up an artificial smile.
"Good morning."
A chorus of greetings chimed in the air.
"Did Su-ae not come with you?"
Ra-im tensed at her sister's mention. She belted out an exhausted sigh, pointing to the injury on her forehead instead.
"Aren't you going to ask me about this, Dohwa?"
"Oh. Did you finally try to beat some sense into that rusty brain of yours?"
He spoke with such poise and radiance that no one around him batted an eye, brushing the interaction off as playful teasing. Ra-im knew better than it to be a mere joke. She pressed her lips together in a thin line, disappointed by his tepid reaction.
"Well, Eunhyeok will probably have a more empathetic response. Maybe Minu..."
Dohwa could barely stop himself from tamping down the smirk that threatened to spill over his face. "You're lucky I'm feeling nice today."
"Or what? You'd fight with me? Call me stupid names? Better yet, fail another subject?" She said with a small laugh, "How's your job as Su-ae's dog going, anyway?"
She really is testing me today.
"Guys, Ra-im just said she'd take us to the snack shop and pay for everything!" He shouted, a wicked grin clinging to his visage. "Won't you?"
The group started celebrating, all praising the benevolent Ra-im for being so mindful of her companions. She tried her best to maintain her vibrant expression, even though her brow twitched with annoyance. It was a silent warning to Dohwa— that she would get her revenge.
He could care less.
On his way to his class, he perused the sea of students, and finally spotted the familiar mop of dark hair engaged in a conversation with... Eunhyeok.
"Su-ae." He greeted, the heel of his chin resting above her head. "Didn't expect to see you so early."
Before Su-ae could speak, Eunhyeok intervened, shooting daggers at the other boy. "Didn't expect to see you ever."
"Ooh! Feisty, I see." Dohwa chuckled, leaning down to reach the short girl's field of vision. "Will see you later."
"Uh— sure! At lunch, maybe?"
Maybe.
The word sent a pang through his chest. No matter how many times he would tell himself that none of it mattered, that Eunhyeok didn't matter, that she didn't matter... he knew at the end of the day that he was simply fooling himself.
"Writing my own story, huh?" He recalled Y/N's advice, staring out of the window with a melancholy none could decipher.
June had started. Everything was bright— akin to a field of sunflowers tracing the wind's route. The atmosphere was humming the melodies of excitement. Warm rays seeped inside the classroom, illuminating the area with light.
Summer was a song, and Dohwa's lyre was stuck to the tune of the doomed.
"It's kind of late..."
The hands of the clock had struck nine. A pall of darkness bejeweled with a million stars draped over the city. It was the exact hour that Y/N had chosen to disrupt Dohwa's peace and quiet in the last two days, and he couldn't help but wonder if she had changed her mind.
Obviously, he did not know her enough to reach a conclusion, but he hoped that his phone would ring again. There was a lot that he wanted to let out, a lot that he wanted to ask.
On cue, the familiar ringtone bounced off the walls of his room. He jolted upright, his fingers wrapping around his phone in an instant.
It was her.
Before answering, he cleared his throat.
"Hello."
"I really hoped it would be Kai this time. You know what they say; third time's the charm or whatever."
"Why do our conversations always start with Kai?"
"Might be because he thanks me when I do him a favour. Gratefulness is a nice trait to have." Y/N spat, causing Dohwa to suppress an amused smile.
"I'm grateful. Extremely. In fact, your absence tugs at the strings of my h—"
"Remain silent!" She hissed, "Flattery will get you nowhere if it's me you're dealing with."
"Thanks for the advice. Now, my human diary, are you ready to record the day's happenings?"
There was subtle shuffling on her end. "Yeah, go ahead. And be quick. I'm only listening to you because I will be getting something in return."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"That's for me to decide after you're done. Start."
Dohwa knitted his brows together, perplexed. "Uh... alright. So, I had an encounter with the sister of my ex-crush. She's stupid, and rude, and annoying, and an asshole, and a heartless b—"
"Woah woah woah! Calm down there, loverboy. What did she do?"
"She kissed her ex-boyfriend while they were still dating. My ex-crush was devastated. Her own family, someone she trusted, did that to her and... ahem. I won't go into details, but long story short, I despise her."
"That's a lot of exes... and she's horrible, to be honest. Anyways! What happened when you ran into her?"
"She was trying to act all sweet and innocent, and when she realised it wasn't working on me, she resorted to pissing me off openly! Do you see how weird that is?"
Y/N snorted. "Piss her off back. You sound like you're really good at pushing other people's buttons."
"Hey. You're supposed to understand my agony."
"Continue."
"Yeah, okay." He breathed in, "In the morning, I saw my ex-crush with her current boyfriend. I tried to greet her but that stupid Eunhyeok interrupted us... What a piece of work. And do you know what happened after that? I told my ex-crush that I'll see her later, and she said maybe at lunch. She didn't see me, Y/N!"
The ending notes of a pleasant laugh hung in the tranquil premises.
"Eunhyeok... that poor guy..."
"I carry no remorse. He deserved the namedrop."
"Hah, your love life sure is interesting. Imagine being so popular and adored by everyone, but the one girl you like ends up choosing someone else."
"Quit it. Plus, I told you don't like her anymore."
"Uh-huh," She taunted, "This is a human diary you're talking to. I have emotions and intelligence. Don't try me."
"Use those emotions and intelligence to help me!"
"I really can't— you're stuck on someone who doesn't have feelings for you. It's no one's fault. When you feel like you're ready to let go of her, do it, and navigate your life towards the things that give you solace."
Dohwa sighed. She was right, even though she didn't know the entirety of his story. "I'm trying. It's just... I don't really have someone to help me through this."
"You have time." Y/N pointed. "Time cuts you open and heals you fine. It's your only enemy and your only shoulder to lean on, both at once."
"You... you really have a way with words. How cool."
"Right? I've been told before!"
He could almost imagine her rubbing the tip of her nose with pride.
"Well. That was about it. I'm slightly better now."
"See, this is why I don't get into the dating pool. Everyone acts like they're a hospital patient with a chronic illness that stops them from being happy!"
"Heartbreak comes with all kinds of relationships, though."
"That's true, but we've got to avoid the ones where it is certain. When you truly love someone, it's either marriage or the worst breakup you've ever had. Friendships, more often than not, end on a peaceful note where people grow apart."
"How are you sixteen?"
"...You're making fun of me again, aren't you?"
"Yep. Dramatic weirdo."
"Oh, wow! You're the one who came crying to me about your crush and I'm the dramatic weirdo here!"
"Excuse me? She's not a crush! Stop twisting my words!"
"Okay, loser. You're emotionally constipated too."
"You're.... ugh. Scratch that. Tell me about what you wanted in return."
"Ah, right!" Y/N exclaimed, "I want you to help me with deciding a name for my cat!"
"...You have a cat?"
"I rescued him this morning from the streets. He's a little rascal but it's fine... as long as he's safe."
"Hmm... good cat names... how about Su-ae?"
After all, she did have several feline characteristics.
"No."
"Missile?"
"What? No!"
"Samsung Z flip?"
"No."
"McDonald's cheese fry?"
"...No."
"Leonard VII?"
"Who even is he?"
"Eggplant?"
"What the hell is your problem?"
"I'm suggesting!"
"Stop suggesting! You suck!"
Dohwa finally decided to seriously heed her demand. He had a lot of names in his mind, but they weren't cute enough.
"...Dohwa."
Y/N spluttered out a cough. "What?"
"Name him Dohwa."
Of course, who in the world would be cuter than Dohwa Baek?
Did Dohwa Baek just refer to an actual, breathing person as a human diary?
Yes. Yes he did. And it worked out in his favour somehow.
He rolled over to his right, his peach sheets crumpling with his movements. The tuff of blond strands atop his head was a tangled mess after the night's sleep. Throwing his legs down, he let his bare feet touch the cold marble floor, shuddering slightly at the impact.
His phone's inbox was filled with texts to the brim. Instead of opening them, he tossed the device on the bed, and then made a beeline for the shower.
Once he finally slid out of his suffocating house, completely dressed and trimmed, he found himself trapped in yet another asphyxiating environment.
His friends. Or so these snakes liked to think of themselves.
"Hey!"
Golden wisps fluttering with the zephyr, beautiful long lashes, and perfect eyebrows.
Wasn't that how Su-ae described Ra-im to him?
Dohwa was having a hard time finding anything in her features that was worth a second glance. She was waving at him with enthusiasm, and several other people around her mirrored the action. He mustered up an artificial smile.
"Good morning."
A chorus of greetings chimed in the air.
"Did Su-ae not come with you?"
Ra-im tensed at her sister's mention. She belted out an exhausted sigh, pointing to the injury on her forehead instead.
"Aren't you going to ask me about this, Dohwa?"
"Oh. Did you finally try to beat some sense into that rusty brain of yours?"
He spoke with such poise and radiance that no one around him batted an eye, brushing the interaction off as playful teasing. Ra-im knew better than it to be a mere joke. She pressed her lips together in a thin line, disappointed by his tepid reaction.
"Well, Eunhyeok will probably have a more empathetic response. Maybe Minu..."
Dohwa could barely stop himself from tamping down the smirk that threatened to spill over his face. "You're lucky I'm feeling nice today."
"Or what? You'd fight with me? Call me stupid names? Better yet, fail another subject?" She said with a small laugh, "How's your job as Su-ae's dog going, anyway?"
She really is testing me today.
"Guys, Ra-im just said she'd take us to the snack shop and pay for everything!" He shouted, a wicked grin clinging to his visage. "Won't you?"
The group started celebrating, all praising the benevolent Ra-im for being so mindful of her companions. She tried her best to maintain her vibrant expression, even though her brow twitched with annoyance. It was a silent warning to Dohwa— that she would get her revenge.
He could care less.
On his way to his class, he perused the sea of students, and finally spotted the familiar mop of dark hair engaged in a conversation with... Eunhyeok.
"Su-ae." He greeted, the heel of his chin resting above her head. "Didn't expect to see you so early."
Before Su-ae could speak, Eunhyeok intervened, shooting daggers at the other boy. "Didn't expect to see you ever."
"Ooh! Feisty, I see." Dohwa chuckled, leaning down to reach the short girl's field of vision. "Will see you later."
"Uh— sure! At lunch, maybe?"
Maybe.
The word sent a pang through his chest. No matter how many times he would tell himself that none of it mattered, that Eunhyeok didn't matter, that she didn't matter... he knew at the end of the day that he was simply fooling himself.
"Writing my own story, huh?" He recalled Y/N's advice, staring out of the window with a melancholy none could decipher.
June had started. Everything was bright— akin to a field of sunflowers tracing the wind's route. The atmosphere was humming the melodies of excitement. Warm rays seeped inside the classroom, illuminating the area with light.
Summer was a song, and Dohwa's lyre was stuck to the tune of the doomed.
"It's kind of late..."
The hands of the clock had struck nine. A pall of darkness bejeweled with a million stars draped over the city. It was the exact hour that Y/N had chosen to disrupt Dohwa's peace and quiet in the last two days, and he couldn't help but wonder if she had changed her mind.
Obviously, he did not know her enough to reach a conclusion, but he hoped that his phone would ring again. There was a lot that he wanted to let out, a lot that he wanted to ask.
On cue, the familiar ringtone bounced off the walls of his room. He jolted upright, his fingers wrapping around his phone in an instant.
It was her.
Before answering, he cleared his throat.
"Hello."
"I really hoped it would be Kai this time. You know what they say; third time's the charm or whatever."
"Why do our conversations always start with Kai?"
"Might be because he thanks me when I do him a favour. Gratefulness is a nice trait to have." Y/N spat, causing Dohwa to suppress an amused smile.
"I'm grateful. Extremely. In fact, your absence tugs at the strings of my h—"
"Remain silent!" She hissed, "Flattery will get you nowhere if it's me you're dealing with."
"Thanks for the advice. Now, my human diary, are you ready to record the day's happenings?"
There was subtle shuffling on her end. "Yeah, go ahead. And be quick. I'm only listening to you because I will be getting something in return."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"That's for me to decide after you're done. Start."
Dohwa knitted his brows together, perplexed. "Uh... alright. So, I had an encounter with the sister of my ex-crush. She's stupid, and rude, and annoying, and an asshole, and a heartless b—"
"Woah woah woah! Calm down there, loverboy. What did she do?"
"She kissed her ex-boyfriend while they were still dating. My ex-crush was devastated. Her own family, someone she trusted, did that to her and... ahem. I won't go into details, but long story short, I despise her."
"That's a lot of exes... and she's horrible, to be honest. Anyways! What happened when you ran into her?"
"She was trying to act all sweet and innocent, and when she realised it wasn't working on me, she resorted to pissing me off openly! Do you see how weird that is?"
Y/N snorted. "Piss her off back. You sound like you're really good at pushing other people's buttons."
"Hey. You're supposed to understand my agony."
"Continue."
"Yeah, okay." He breathed in, "In the morning, I saw my ex-crush with her current boyfriend. I tried to greet her but that stupid Eunhyeok interrupted us... What a piece of work. And do you know what happened after that? I told my ex-crush that I'll see her later, and she said maybe at lunch. She didn't see me, Y/N!"
The ending notes of a pleasant laugh hung in the tranquil premises.
"Eunhyeok... that poor guy..."
"I carry no remorse. He deserved the namedrop."
"Hah, your love life sure is interesting. Imagine being so popular and adored by everyone, but the one girl you like ends up choosing someone else."
"Quit it. Plus, I told you don't like her anymore."
"Uh-huh," She taunted, "This is a human diary you're talking to. I have emotions and intelligence. Don't try me."
"Use those emotions and intelligence to help me!"
"I really can't— you're stuck on someone who doesn't have feelings for you. It's no one's fault. When you feel like you're ready to let go of her, do it, and navigate your life towards the things that give you solace."
Dohwa sighed. She was right, even though she didn't know the entirety of his story. "I'm trying. It's just... I don't really have someone to help me through this."
"You have time." Y/N pointed. "Time cuts you open and heals you fine. It's your only enemy and your only shoulder to lean on, both at once."
"You... you really have a way with words. How cool."
"Right? I've been told before!"
He could almost imagine her rubbing the tip of her nose with pride.
"Well. That was about it. I'm slightly better now."
"See, this is why I don't get into the dating pool. Everyone acts like they're a hospital patient with a chronic illness that stops them from being happy!"
"Heartbreak comes with all kinds of relationships, though."
"That's true, but we've got to avoid the ones where it is certain. When you truly love someone, it's either marriage or the worst breakup you've ever had. Friendships, more often than not, end on a peaceful note where people grow apart."
"How are you sixteen?"
"...You're making fun of me again, aren't you?"
"Yep. Dramatic weirdo."
"Oh, wow! You're the one who came crying to me about your crush and I'm the dramatic weirdo here!"
"Excuse me? She's not a crush! Stop twisting my words!"
"Okay, loser. You're emotionally constipated too."
"You're.... ugh. Scratch that. Tell me about what you wanted in return."
"Ah, right!" Y/N exclaimed, "I want you to help me with deciding a name for my cat!"
"...You have a cat?"
"I rescued him this morning from the streets. He's a little rascal but it's fine... as long as he's safe."
"Hmm... good cat names... how about Su-ae?"
After all, she did have several feline characteristics.
"No."
"Missile?"
"What? No!"
"Samsung Z flip?"
"No."
"McDonald's cheese fry?"
"...No."
"Leonard VII?"
"Who even is he?"
"Eggplant?"
"What the hell is your problem?"
"I'm suggesting!"
"Stop suggesting! You suck!"
Dohwa finally decided to seriously heed her demand. He had a lot of names in his mind, but they weren't cute enough.
"...Dohwa."
Y/N spluttered out a cough. "What?"
"Name him Dohwa."
Of course, who in the world would be cuter than Dohwa Baek?
End of the summer of 1993 ── dohwa baek Chapter 3. Continue reading Chapter 4 or return to the summer of 1993 ── dohwa baek book page.