TBBS 10

Chapter 10…..

However, in Sweden, the land of lakes, there’s hardly anyone who can’t swim, and falling into the water during rowing practice isn’t exactly unusual.

If it had been winter, there might have been more cause for worry, but it was only early autumn, just past summer.

Liam sighed, not particularly nervous.

“Everyone, stay sharp! The rest of you, keep moving!”

But after waiting a moment, no one came up out of the river.

“Benjamin!”

The instant his expression hardened while calling the freshman’s name, Liam leapt into the water without hesitation.

If anything happened today, even the slightest mistake, the responsibility would lie with him, the captain.

Noon—the time I was supposed to meet Liam.

I arrived right on time in front of the gym, but amid the crowd of big guys pouring out, Liam was nowhere to be seen.

Well, knowing Liam’s personality and the fact that he was captain, he would probably be the one making sure everyone else was fine and come out last.

So I stood there awkwardly near the entrance, waiting even after the clock struck twelve.

Ten minutes passed like that.

In the end, I had to pull out my phone and send Liam a message.

I’m in front of the gym!

I texted him just in case we missed each other, but there was no reply.

Not even a read receipt.

Did something happen…?

That thought finally crossed my mind as I tapped the toe of my sneaker against the sand.

I don’t know how long I was doing that before a long shadow stretched over the ground, and a voice called out.

“Bibi, have you been waiting long?”

I looked up in surprise.

But the one standing there wasn’t Liam.

It was Erik Brangell.

Even on a Saturday, when I had no reason to run into him, he was there, standing with the sun at his back.

“Uh… hi?”

Even to my own ears, my greeting sounded pitiful, and Erik of course let out a short laugh.

“That’s a pretty cold hello. Even if you came here to see Liam, I still came out for him, you know.”

Came out instead?

I blinked up at him, startled, and Erik explained.

“There was an accident during practice today.”

“What?”

My heart plummeted. Did something happen to Liam?

“Did Liam get hurt?”

The smile on Erik’s lips suddenly vanished.

My breath caught as I braced for something serious, but then his stiff mouth curved into an awkward grimace.

“Not Liam… a freshman. He fell into the water, and then got a cramp in his leg and sank straight down.”

“What? So what happened?”

“Fortunately, Liam noticed in time and jumped in after him. He managed to pull him out safely, but the kid swallowed a lot of water, so Liam took him to the hospital. It’s only the first week, and something like this already happened, so Liam feels pretty bad about it.”

“Oh…”

“You probably won’t be able to reach him.”

Erik glanced at the phone I was still gripping nervously and added,

“Liam wasn’t rowing today, so he had his phone on him, but in the rush he jumped right in with it. It’s water-damaged now, beyond repair—he’ll have to replace it.”

“…I see.”

It was disappointing, but still a relief.

At least Liam wasn’t hurt, and it didn’t sound like the freshman was seriously injured either.

So I tried to smile as brightly as I could.

“Thanks for letting me know. I couldn’t reach Liam at all—I might’ve waited here forever if you hadn’t come.”

I tucked my phone back into my bag, ready to head to the dorm, but unexpectedly, Erik spoke again.

“…I’m not done here yet.”

“Oh… really?”

Curious, I looked up, and instead he asked me a question.

“Since you transferred, have you had a proper look around the school? Or the nearby weekend market?”

I had heard there was a market nearby on weekends, but of course I hadn’t gone. Today was my first weekend here.

“No, I’ve just been too busy adjusting to classes this week…”

I caught myself sounding like I was making excuses, and for some reason Erik chuckled.

“So Liam really does know you well. He said you’d probably answer like that and asked me to show you around instead today.”

What? Please, no…

I reeled inside, but Erik only pressed playfully.

“Liam said he’d cover lunch, so how about we take the chance to eat something good? How about sushi?”

This has to be a dream…

Sitting across from Erik Brangell on the terrace of a Japanese restaurant near school, I thought that to myself.

But if it was only my wishful thinking, Erik seemed perfectly at ease, flipping through a menu thick enough to rival Tolstoy.

“They make great rolls here. I’ll have the California roll. What about you?”

How on earth did it end up like this?

I stared blankly at the menu.

“Uh, I’ll…”

“Oh, right—you said you’re Korean, right? They have Korean chicken here too. The spicy kind.”

What, like yangnyeom chicken?

Either way, I doubted I could swallow anything properly sitting across from Erik, so I picked something simple.

“Yeah, I’m Korean. But I’ll just go with tuna rolls.”

“Shame. Since Liam’s paying, we should’ve at least gone for sashimi.”

Erik said it like a joke, but none of this felt real to me.

My childhood friend Liam—the same boy I used to catch ants and pick blueberries with—was buying lunch for Erik Brangell?

Still dazed, I finished ordering, and silence fell between us.

Back in the library, I had managed to endure time with Erik only because there was work to focus on.

Unlike Erik, who always seemed unruffled, I couldn’t stand the quiet moments while waiting for food.

So I blurted something out.

“Do you think that kid’s okay? The one who fell in the water.”

“Oh, he’ll be fine. But Liam had no choice but to go with him to the hospital. You’re not too disappointed he sent me instead, are you?”

I waved my hands in panic.

“Of course not. I’m just happy to see Liam again at all—I’d been wondering for so long how he was doing. But… I am grateful you came instead.”

At my hurried addition, Erik gave a faint smile and asked,

“So you must’ve been pretty close to Liam, huh?”

It was almost the same question I’d asked him yesterday. Unlike him, I nodded right away.

“We lived next door. Our parents were friends too, so at least once a week we’d all get together for fika.”

Thinking back now, Liam’s mother was Albanian. Maybe she felt a sense of kinship with my foreign-born parents.

After all, since the refugee influx, perceptions of Albanians in Sweden weren’t the most positive.

But as a child, all I cared about was how delicious her Albanian kebabs were.

“I see. So you must be really glad to see him again.”

“Yeah.”

I smiled at the memory of Liam, but Erik’s subtle expression made me falter and cut it short with an awkward grin.

Without thinking, I rushed to change the subject.

“Turns out one of my dormmates went to the same elementary school as Liam. Don’t you also have lots of old friends here?”

“Oh, me?”

For some reason, Erik’s face darkened as he answered.

“Well… if we’re talking about people I’ve known longest, I guess Oxenstierna. We even went to the same kindergarten.”

So his ex—he wouldn’t even call her by name, just “Oxenstierna.”

Well, if things ended badly enough that they have to avoid each other, maybe he doesn’t have fond memories.

They said Christina hurt Erik—did she cheat on him or something?

Since Liam had asked me to, I cautiously broached the subject.

“You’re not still close with Christina? I mean, back at the library you two…”

But just then, the restaurant staff’s voice rang out cheerfully.

“Your rolls are here! Enjoy!”

The sushi looked every bit as mouthwatering as Erik had promised.

As he picked up his chopsticks with a strangely relieved expression, I realized there was at least one thing I could do better than him.

Not that I was staring rudely, but Erik quickly caught on and frowned slightly.

“My chopstick skills—aren’t they decent? Not so bad I need to ask for a fork, right?”

“I think you’re doing fine. Really.”

I floundered for words, then added a small tip.

“But if you use your fourth finger too, it’ll feel steadier. Like this.”

Erik’s eyes widened as he watched me demonstrate.

“That’s the right way? I’ve never seen anyone do it like that.”

I shrugged.

“I’m not totally sure, but I think so. I learned from my grandfather before he passed.”

Erik tried to mimic my grip with his long, thick fingers, but it looked awkward.

Were the chopsticks too short for his big hands?

Still, he didn’t give up easily.

“This is frustrating. Teach me properly.”

When his hand reached closer, I could see what was wrong—his thumb was moving too much, making everything unstable.

Carefully, I reached out and pressed his thumb down to hold it steady.

His fingers were rougher and harder than they looked.

Even though he was the one who asked me to teach him, Erik stiffened slightly at my touch.