GBAS 7

As the gathered people excitedly awaited the show, someone spoke in a sarcastic tone.

“Isn’t this honestly a punishment for the viewers?”

“Is it? But what do I care as long as it’s not me? Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

Jiwoo shrugged and turned to ask the king standing behind him, and Yonghee nodded with a benevolent expression.

“You’re right. From the punisher’s point of view, the more people suffer… the better, the better, right?”

As if amused by his own words, Yonghee started to chuckle, even letting out a “hehehe” sound. The squad leader, watching him, clicked his tongue with a bewildered expression.

“Damn it, Your Majesty. Please, have mercy on us.”

At that moment, those who had forcibly pulled Hyunwoo up from his seat spoke up.

“Whoa, whoa, number 7 is coming. Our number 7 is going.”

It was a signal to clear the way.

Bahahak and Bachheuk, who had barely managed to control the drunk Hyunwoo, who almost stumbled several times on the soft lawn, brought him in front of number 3. They asked Seonwoong, who looked as if he was about to cry before the moment of judgment,

“Ready, number 3?”

“Do I look ready?!”

Seonwoong collapsed onto the lawn, making sobbing sounds.

Damn it, of all people, a man, a man!

One guy was so drunk he didn’t even know what was going on, and the other was yelling loud enough to wake the neighborhood because he didn’t want to do it… Bahahak, looking back and forth between the two, pointed at the penalty drink prepared beforehand in a crystal fruit basket and said,

“Drink that if you don’t want to do it.”

At his words, Seonwoong, who had lifted his head abruptly, saw the liquid sloshing in the basket, which looked large enough to hold a whole watermelon, and slammed his forehead back onto the lawn.

“I’m not drinking!”

“Then there’s no other way.”

“…Are you letting me off?”

“No. There’s no other way but to kiss.”

“I fucking hate this!”

“It’s just unfortunate.”

“I’m going to go crazy.”

“Be a man, huh? Just once. It’s not like it’ll wear out from a single touch.”

Although they used honorifics in the game, they were in no state of mind to be mindful of such things in this emergency.

While Seonwoong desperately covered his face and resisted, Hyunwoo, blinking his half-closed eyes, glanced at the crystal basket filled with the penalty drink. Staring blankly at the basket, Hyunwoo pointed at it and asked the person standing next to him,

“…That.”

“Yeah.”

“If I drink that, I don’t have to do it?”

“What?”

“If I just drink that, I don’t have to kiss that guy, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

He had decided to have just one more drink anyway. What’s a penalty drink compared to that? It was much better than brushing lips with that dark-skinned guy.

“How embarrassing, with a guy…”

Just as Hyunwoo, determined to drink the penalty drink, was about to lift his swaying body, someone who had been quietly watching the scene approached Seonwoong, who was lying face down on the ground.

“…Huh?”

It was such a short, short moment that it was hard to grasp what had happened.

The person who grabbed Seonwoong’s nape, his face buried in the grass, turned his head without a moment’s hesitation and kissed him.

“Crazy.”

People gasped, and the startled Seonwoong, as soon as the hand supporting his nape was removed, collapsed onto the spot, landing on his butt.

“….!”

Hyunwoo was equally surprised. So much so that the intoxication he had built up with three bottles of soju vanished in an instant.

While everyone was shocked, only the person involved remained calm.

The person involved, Baek Jooin, who passed in front of Hyunwoo, picked up a piece of fruit from the table and took a large bite. Then, he pointed his chin at Hyunwoo and said to the people staring at him in surprise,

“Knight in shining armor.”

As soon as Jooin finished speaking, cheers and applause erupted.

“Wow, crazy!”

Those who witnessed the legendary scene shared their impressions.

Baek Jooin is definitely crazy. It was such a charismatic performance that I wonder if a person is allowed to be this cool. -Han**-

If this were a YouTube video, it would be ranked in the ‘Most Viewed Scenes’. A freaking legendary scene. -Kim**-

This is hip-hop. -Park**-

From now on, I will call him hyung. Jooin-hyung, marry me. -Yoon**-

Baek Jooin, the best knight in shining armor of my life. -Kwon**-

I want to give him the Best Scene of the Year award on behalf of Earth. Anyone who disagrees, raise your hand and slap yourself. -Koo**-

What did I just see? Hyunwoo rewound the scene that had passed in an instant over and over again. As he recalled Seonwoong’s wide eyes and the back of Jooin’s head, Hyunwoo’s face crumpled mercilessly.

Is it disgust?

‘….’

Half right, half wrong.

Hyunwoo, who had been bracing himself on the ground in the position he was about to stand up, straightened his body. Then, he placed the hand he had lifted from the ground on his stomach. It was right here. Just below his chest, he felt something bubbling somewhere.

What is this?

As he was preoccupied with figuring out what this feeling he was experiencing was, his eyes met Jooin’s through the crowd of people rushing towards him.

Ah.

Like a robot with faulty logic, Hyunwoo abruptly stood up and strode away, leaving everyone behind.

Quickly reaching his destination, Hyunwoo looked down at the thing sparkling before his eyes. It was the crystal basket filled with alcohol.

“Hey, hey! You crazy bastard!”

Hyunwoo grabbed the glass filled with the penalty drink and, without giving anyone a chance to stop him, gulped down the amber liquid.

“Someone stop him!”

“Hey, Jeon Hyunwoo!”

As he swallowed the strong alcohol pouring into his mouth, Hyunwoo thought.

What is this feeling of having something taken away from me, something I never even had?

Annoying.

👾🎮

Q. When do most accidents occur?

Everything flowed naturally. Jeon Hyunwoo, a true-born Korean who grew up normally in a neither rich nor poor family, had a righteous face, righteous mind, and righteous body, thanks to which he had been able to easily make girlfriends without much effort since he was a snot-nosed kid.

Although he had never been the one to fall in love first, Hyunwoo always did his best for his partner. That’s what he learned from his loving father, who said it was a man’s duty.

Hyunwoo tried. Based on several failures he experienced throughout his school years, Hyunwoo perfected the image of a perfect boyfriend, but despite that, his relationships didn’t last long.

‘Let’s break up.’

‘I don’t think we’re right for each other.’

‘Let’s stop this.’

6 months at most. All relationships ended with the other person breaking up with him. Without a single exception.

Where did it all go wrong?

Hyunwoo recalled the conversation he had with his classmate Han Jiwoo a few days ago in a corner of the lecture hall.

‘Hey, did you break up with that noona?’

The question popped up at the same time as an object, which could have been a bag or a black bundle, landed next to him. He was already feeling down. Anyway, Han Jiwoo had a knack for getting under people’s skin.

‘…Do you really have to rub salt in my wounds like that?’

As Hyunwoo replied with a sigh, Jiwoo looked around as if being chased by someone and said,

‘I’m going crazy. You didn’t check Everytime today, did you? And no one contacted you separately?’

At the sudden mention of the online community, Hyunwoo’s frown deepened. Hyunwoo nodded and waited for Jiwoo’s next words.

Jiwoo continued, looking around cautiously.

‘You didn’t? Okay. It’s better you didn’t see it. Well, maybe it’s better not knowing… But this is a bit…’

Jiwoo’s monologue was so messy that it was hard to tell if it was a conversation or him talking to himself. Besides. It’s better not knowing? Picking up a few clues from the incomprehensible sentences, Hyunwoo nudged Jiwoo’s shoulder and asked,

‘What is it? What’s going on?’

Jiwoo, who had been burying his face in the desk and shaking his head, sighed deeply at Hyunwoo’s question. Then he muttered to himself things like, “No, it’s not.” and “Ah, it’s really not.”

After waiting patiently for several dozen seconds, Jiwoo, as if deciding to tell him directly, beckoned Hyunwoo to come closer.

‘Oh, man… This is so embarrassing, really. Hey, come here, come closer.’

As Hyunwoo bent down, Jiwoo, who was close beside him, whispered cautiously,

‘You know the rumor that’s been going around, right? That noona you were seeing was really nice, but how did you break up to make her write something like that…’

Rumor? He had no idea what he was talking about. As Hyunwoo lowered his gaze with a puzzled expression, Jiwoo looked at him with pity and began to speak.

‘You see, there’s this thing.’

‘Yeah.’

‘A post went up on Everytime early this morning saying you’re a good-for-nothing impotent guy with only a decent physique, and it was chaos, man… What did it say? It was written for the public good? Isn’t that fucking hilarious? It’s not like you’re a public good. Ah, I shouldn’t laugh. Anyway, it’s been deleted now, but someone captured it and is spreading it in group chats. I bet everyone in our department has seen it…’

‘…What?’

‘Hey, it’s okay.’

Meeting the noticeably stiffened Hyunwoo’s gaze, Jiwoo smiled slightly and waved his hand dismissively.

‘It’s just a rumor, a rumor. If it’s not true, and the person involved is confident, that’s all that matters, right? Huh? If you just maintain a bit of social distancing with the toilet from now on, you know, and show them you’re confident, people who saw it will just figure out it’s not true… Why is your face like that?’

‘….’

‘…Oh dear.’

‘….’

‘…Really?’