chanshik-centric | my learned friend
1289 words
chanshik-centric
law!au project side story
Chanshik starts law school with sandstone walls and well-manicured hedges. The first lecture is 9AM sharp, and everybody is utterly thrilled to be there - even if everybody’s reasons for being there is different. Law is as prestigious as prestige gets for these kids, and for Chanshik, just being in that lecture hall may as well be a dream come true.
Although, the friends he makes in law school generally tell him that - yes - being at law school and studying hard and slaying at contracts is awesome - but you can’t do university without going to the occasional party. So Chanshik goes, taking his well-meaning friends’ lead, and somehow really enjoys this gin & tonic and meeting girls thing.
There is a girl he meets. She’s red-haired and has the cutest eye smile, and she’s the first one he plucks up the courage to talks to. He doesn’t remember what awful thing it was that he said, but she’s incredibly welcoming and non-judgemental, and just laughs while he finishes off his sentences. She introduces herself as Jinri, and follows with an immediate, “I’m so sorry, I’m seeing somebody.”
Chanshik has never felt so embarrassed in his entire life. “Oh,” he starts off - he’s starting to feel like a sexual predator, “I’m sorry I came off that way.”
She says she’s okay, before afore-mentioned boyfriend swoops in. Taemin (in Chanshik’s opinion) has awful bleach-blonde hair but acceptable taste in printed button-up shirts. Taemin turns out to be a pretty straight-up kind of guy though, and they end up bumping into each other a couple more times around campus weeks later, and they end up friends.
Jinri comes along to their library study dates sometimes. Her hair is pulled into two short pigtails and a handful of bobby pins pull baby hairs out of her face while they all bend over their books, pens moving. Occasionally, Jinri will say she’s hungry, or tired, or one other of her billion complaints. And occasionally, she’d smile and look up from her work, and ask Chanshik how he’s doing. Chanshik usually doesn’t have anything profound to say, and usually comments on what he’s craving for dinner, or how awful reading cases is. Jinri admits she doesn’t empathise with him at all, as she highlights another line of the play she’s reading.
There is a comfortable friendship there, and Chanshik is incredibly grateful that it worked out the way it did. Although, sometimes, when Chanshik walks away from the table for a drink and returns, and he comes across a scene between Jinri and Taemin that causes his face to flush, he also wonders if he’d ever have what they have for himself. These are always short-lived thoughts, because he always gets back to his seat without too much hesitation, accompanied by mocking eye-roll and laugh.
“Couples, so gross,” he says dismissively as he picks up his pen again.
Taemin is always the defensive one - Jinri knows that they’re awful, and she just smiles to herself while Taemin jests about how Chanshik is eighteen and a virgin in every way.
This is something Taemin tries to change once, at a rival law school’s end of semester rager. Some of Jinri’s university friends are there, and Taemin drags Chanshik over to a Soojung. She doesn’t smile as she shakes his hand, and just keeps siphoning up her vodka lemon lime bitter. She does ask for his name, and asks him what he’s doing here. It’s a strange way to phrase the typical senseless stranger-talk, and Chanshik kind of likes it.
He wants to talk to her a little more - he manages a quick smile from her after a joke about checking out the intervarsity mooting competition. Soojung disappears quickly though, when an unnamed friend stumbles over and grabs her arm. Chanshik’s throat is a bit sore from trying to speak above the noise, and as he swallows to counter the dryness, he tries to catch sight of Soojung disappearing into the crowd. The thing is, he was probably hoping that she’d looked back at him - just in case she might have found him interesting.
The truth is though, Chanshik loses sight of her quickly, and she certainly never looked back at him. Taemin comes by and pats him on the back a minute later, laughing that it was a dumb idea and of course Soojung and him wasn’t going to happen.
“Why?”
“‘Cos it’s Soojung. She doesn’t date law school boys - I thought it was because the guys here were hopeless, but I guess it’s just a blanket ban.”
All Chanshik really thinks that night, and for the next month, is how he just didn’t make the cut, and he wished he had the something extra that Soojung was looking for.
But like all late-night love interests, Soojung fades from memory, Chanshik works part time at the post office through the mid year break, and upon returning, eagerly snatches up more law subjects. For a while, it looks like things are progressing smoothly, Chanshik and his band of brothers (half of them relocated from the countryside - Sandeul shows it the most) go out for the occasional movie, sprint through campus in pounding rain protecting pizzas, and generally ignore girls save for Tuesday night football games. Chanshik still only studies with Taemin though, and half the female cohort finds it adorable. Chanshik remains completely ignorant and Taemin contentedly keeps it from him.
Taemin is half-way through Torts and way past the census date when he tells Chanshik that he’s thinking about transferring. Taemin says all of this in a very matter of fact way - about how he finds it difficult, and while parts of it are interesting, he doesn't know if he really wants to do this for the next four years, let alone as a job. Chanshik’s first instinct is to joke and ask if Taemin is just flipping out because mid-semester assessments are coming up. Taemin doesn't laugh and Chanshik feels awful about what he just did.
Taemin ends up dropping out at the end of semester, and taking the rest of the year off. Chanshik feels a little lost the last time Taemin is on campus that semester, where for the first time in a long time, he felt a chasm opening up between them, and a sense of loneliness creep into him. It's embarrassing too, because Chanshik has a lot he wants to say to Taemin, about how much the older boy has helped him out this year, if only it was giving him old notes to Foundations classes and reassuring him that not all tutors are biased dickwads.
Jinri messages Chanshik in the summer break, asking him how he’s feeling about it. She apologises too, when Chanshik makes a comment about needing to find new study buddies. But he seems much happier, now that he’s left, she tells him, and for some reason, that hurts Chanshik. He goes to bed soon after, and tries not to think much of it.
Next year, Chanshik finds himself at the law library, heading towards their regular table. There’s somebody different sitting there now, and Chanshik is also distinctly aware that he will never find Taemin and Jinri there ever again. Feeling silly, and a little annoyed to have reminded himself of this depressing fact, Chanshik starts to turn and leave, but not before realising he’s seen that person now sitting at their old table before. She looks up at him, double clicking her biro as both of them realise they’ve seen each other before.
Chanshik smiles involuntarily and steps up to the table, hand resting on the seat opposite her. Here’s to new beginnings.
chanshik-centric
law!au project side story
Chanshik starts law school with sandstone walls and well-manicured hedges. The first lecture is 9AM sharp, and everybody is utterly thrilled to be there - even if everybody’s reasons for being there is different. Law is as prestigious as prestige gets for these kids, and for Chanshik, just being in that lecture hall may as well be a dream come true.
Although, the friends he makes in law school generally tell him that - yes - being at law school and studying hard and slaying at contracts is awesome - but you can’t do university without going to the occasional party. So Chanshik goes, taking his well-meaning friends’ lead, and somehow really enjoys this gin & tonic and meeting girls thing.
There is a girl he meets. She’s red-haired and has the cutest eye smile, and she’s the first one he plucks up the courage to talks to. He doesn’t remember what awful thing it was that he said, but she’s incredibly welcoming and non-judgemental, and just laughs while he finishes off his sentences. She introduces herself as Jinri, and follows with an immediate, “I’m so sorry, I’m seeing somebody.”
Chanshik has never felt so embarrassed in his entire life. “Oh,” he starts off - he’s starting to feel like a sexual predator, “I’m sorry I came off that way.”
She says she’s okay, before afore-mentioned boyfriend swoops in. Taemin (in Chanshik’s opinion) has awful bleach-blonde hair but acceptable taste in printed button-up shirts. Taemin turns out to be a pretty straight-up kind of guy though, and they end up bumping into each other a couple more times around campus weeks later, and they end up friends.
Jinri comes along to their library study dates sometimes. Her hair is pulled into two short pigtails and a handful of bobby pins pull baby hairs out of her face while they all bend over their books, pens moving. Occasionally, Jinri will say she’s hungry, or tired, or one other of her billion complaints. And occasionally, she’d smile and look up from her work, and ask Chanshik how he’s doing. Chanshik usually doesn’t have anything profound to say, and usually comments on what he’s craving for dinner, or how awful reading cases is. Jinri admits she doesn’t empathise with him at all, as she highlights another line of the play she’s reading.
There is a comfortable friendship there, and Chanshik is incredibly grateful that it worked out the way it did. Although, sometimes, when Chanshik walks away from the table for a drink and returns, and he comes across a scene between Jinri and Taemin that causes his face to flush, he also wonders if he’d ever have what they have for himself. These are always short-lived thoughts, because he always gets back to his seat without too much hesitation, accompanied by mocking eye-roll and laugh.
“Couples, so gross,” he says dismissively as he picks up his pen again.
Taemin is always the defensive one - Jinri knows that they’re awful, and she just smiles to herself while Taemin jests about how Chanshik is eighteen and a virgin in every way.
This is something Taemin tries to change once, at a rival law school’s end of semester rager. Some of Jinri’s university friends are there, and Taemin drags Chanshik over to a Soojung. She doesn’t smile as she shakes his hand, and just keeps siphoning up her vodka lemon lime bitter. She does ask for his name, and asks him what he’s doing here. It’s a strange way to phrase the typical senseless stranger-talk, and Chanshik kind of likes it.
He wants to talk to her a little more - he manages a quick smile from her after a joke about checking out the intervarsity mooting competition. Soojung disappears quickly though, when an unnamed friend stumbles over and grabs her arm. Chanshik’s throat is a bit sore from trying to speak above the noise, and as he swallows to counter the dryness, he tries to catch sight of Soojung disappearing into the crowd. The thing is, he was probably hoping that she’d looked back at him - just in case she might have found him interesting.
The truth is though, Chanshik loses sight of her quickly, and she certainly never looked back at him. Taemin comes by and pats him on the back a minute later, laughing that it was a dumb idea and of course Soojung and him wasn’t going to happen.
“Why?”
“‘Cos it’s Soojung. She doesn’t date law school boys - I thought it was because the guys here were hopeless, but I guess it’s just a blanket ban.”
All Chanshik really thinks that night, and for the next month, is how he just didn’t make the cut, and he wished he had the something extra that Soojung was looking for.
But like all late-night love interests, Soojung fades from memory, Chanshik works part time at the post office through the mid year break, and upon returning, eagerly snatches up more law subjects. For a while, it looks like things are progressing smoothly, Chanshik and his band of brothers (half of them relocated from the countryside - Sandeul shows it the most) go out for the occasional movie, sprint through campus in pounding rain protecting pizzas, and generally ignore girls save for Tuesday night football games. Chanshik still only studies with Taemin though, and half the female cohort finds it adorable. Chanshik remains completely ignorant and Taemin contentedly keeps it from him.
Taemin is half-way through Torts and way past the census date when he tells Chanshik that he’s thinking about transferring. Taemin says all of this in a very matter of fact way - about how he finds it difficult, and while parts of it are interesting, he doesn't know if he really wants to do this for the next four years, let alone as a job. Chanshik’s first instinct is to joke and ask if Taemin is just flipping out because mid-semester assessments are coming up. Taemin doesn't laugh and Chanshik feels awful about what he just did.
Taemin ends up dropping out at the end of semester, and taking the rest of the year off. Chanshik feels a little lost the last time Taemin is on campus that semester, where for the first time in a long time, he felt a chasm opening up between them, and a sense of loneliness creep into him. It's embarrassing too, because Chanshik has a lot he wants to say to Taemin, about how much the older boy has helped him out this year, if only it was giving him old notes to Foundations classes and reassuring him that not all tutors are biased dickwads.
Jinri messages Chanshik in the summer break, asking him how he’s feeling about it. She apologises too, when Chanshik makes a comment about needing to find new study buddies. But he seems much happier, now that he’s left, she tells him, and for some reason, that hurts Chanshik. He goes to bed soon after, and tries not to think much of it.
Next year, Chanshik finds himself at the law library, heading towards their regular table. There’s somebody different sitting there now, and Chanshik is also distinctly aware that he will never find Taemin and Jinri there ever again. Feeling silly, and a little annoyed to have reminded himself of this depressing fact, Chanshik starts to turn and leave, but not before realising he’s seen that person now sitting at their old table before. She looks up at him, double clicking her biro as both of them realise they’ve seen each other before.
Chanshik smiles involuntarily and steps up to the table, hand resting on the seat opposite her. Here’s to new beginnings.