MW 30

“Ah, I heard.”

“What kind of general assembly is held a month after the semester starts?”

It had been delayed due to various incidents. The place they had booked suddenly closed down, and it was hard to find a new one because it coincided with the soccer season.

“The students must have had a hard time.”

“I know, right.”

Yijae smiled faintly and nodded at Seoyoung’s words.

“Oh, and I heard you raised hell at school? Good for you. It would have been great if you’d done that sooner. From now on, live just like this. Seo Yijae, like yourself.”

Like myself. Yijae recalled what Dohae had said on the evening he returned from his part-time job, having apparently heard the rumors from school last week.

As if to compensate, he promised to take better care of my mother’s treatment and never laid a hand on me again.

“Yijae?”

“Ah, yes.”

Yijae, who had been smiling bitterly while retracing the memories of the previous night, straightened his head at the voice calling him.

“I was asking if you’re coming to the general assembly.”

“Ah. I don’t think I can go.”

“What? Why on earth?”

He just didn’t have the energy to make new friends anymore. It was overwhelming enough just to finish his studies quietly.

Seoyoung stared intently at Yijae, who was just smiling gently without a word. Then, she grabbed Yijae’s hand tightly and shouted.

“No way! What are you going to do if you graduate without making a single friend in your year!”

In his current situation, that actually didn’t sound too bad. Every time he met someone new, he’d have to worry, Does this person know Dohae? Even if we become friends, will Dohae allow it? It was tiring to be so anxious.

“Just this once. You can just come and sit for 10 minutes and then leave, okay?”

“Nuna……”

“We’re in the same department, you should at least know their faces. I’ll pay the participation fee for you. You know how poor graduate students are, right? I’m being really generous, you know?”

Putting her words into action immediately, Seoyoung transferred the fee to the department representative and showed the screen to Yijae.

“I sent it under your name, so you have to come. When you’re a freshman, you have to go to these general assemblies and MTs often! Got it? I’m going to ask Yujeong about it later.”

“No, still, I should……”

“Aack! Professor Song is calling. Was this professor my sworn enemy in a past life, why does he call for me so much, sob sob. Yijae, let’s see each other later if we can? Pay attention in class!”

He’d already gotten a free drink, and it didn’t feel right for her to pay the participation fee too, so he hurriedly took out his wallet, but she, looking at her phone, said it was a call from her professor and disappeared in a flurry.

“Hoo. I’ll have to pay her back separately later.”

Watching her back as she ran off, her hair flying, Yijae put the crumpled bill back in his pocket.

⁺₊❆₊⋆

Today was the shop’s day off, and because of Seoyoung’s earnest plea, he couldn’t bring himself to go home. And since nothing good would come of going home early anyway, he figured it might be better to just spend some time here before heading in. Yijae looked at the noisy pub, bustling right from the entrance, and eventually, hesitantly, walked towards it.

“Business administration? Name?”

As if they had rented out the entire place, a man standing at the door looked down at a chart and asked for his name. Yijae glanced up at him, who looked like someone he’d seen a few times on his way to and from school, and answered in a small voice.

“It’s Seo Yijae.”

“Huh? Seo Yijae?”

“Yes?”

The man, who had been looking at the chart indifferently, curled his lips into a grin as if pleased to see him.

“Wow, so you’re Seo Yijae? You’re famous among the students.”

“Pardon?”

I’m famous……? But why…….

As Yijae blinked with a bewildered face, the man tightened his grip on Yijae’s hand and led him inside.

“Yeah. Didn’t show up for the entrance ceremony, or the orientation. Doesn’t answer when people talk to him, and disappears in a flash as soon as class is over, they say? But I also heard some kids come to school just to see you because you’re handsome.”

The more Yijae heard, the more bewildered he became. He didn’t even know there was an entrance ceremony or orientation, and not a single person had ever tried to talk to him. He disappeared after class because he had no choice with his packed schedule. Had he already made a bad impression on the department’s students? Maybe it would be better to just go back home.

“Sunbae-nim, I, I think I’ll just head back now.”

“What? No way. Our junior here better be prepared today.”

He thought he might get dragged off and disciplined. Trembling with fear, Yijae moved his heavy legs and followed the senior.

Inside, the music was even louder than outside. The time he had hesitated in front of the pub must have been longer than he thought, as there were already drinks and snacks on the tables.

“Hey, guess who I brought?”

He was being pulled by the senior, who had an arm around his shoulder and was heading towards a table, when he stopped in his tracks. With a tense face, he looked down at his worn-out sneakers, then squeezed his eyes shut as gazes poured onto his face.

“Ah, hello……”

Yijae clutched his heart, which felt like it would burst, and opened his mouth.

What do I do. I shouldn’t have come.

Should I run away now? No. I have to keep seeing them, if I leave like this, I might get in more trouble.

It was his first time in such a situation, so Yijae was nervous about how to act around the seniors, and whether he had even greeted them properly. As time passed, his face grew paler and paler.

“Heol, daebak.”

“Wow, he’s even more amazing in person. Your name is Yijae, right?”

At the voices, which somehow held no malice, Yijae slowly opened his closed eyes. He then saw the many gazes looking at him, read the favor in them, and pressed his lips together.

“Oh no. He must be really shy?”

“Look at his earlobes turning red. How cute.”

“Did you say your name is Yijae? Have you ever had a drink? Nuna makes an amazing somaek.”

“Yoon Sujeong’s radar is going off again. Not today. Yijae is going to befriend me. Right, freshman?”

Yijae thought something was strange as the atmosphere flowed in a different direction than he had expected. At that moment, someone reached out and grabbed Yijae’s wrist.

Yijae, who was pulled into a seat before he knew it, felt his face flush red at the sight of someone resting their chin on their hand and looking at him.

“Ah, hello.”

“Ah, oh my god. He’s really cute.”

Yijae could feel his own body moving stiffly. A large beer mug was placed in front of him, who didn’t know what to do in an unfamiliar place full of people he was meeting for the first time.

“Drinking is the best way to loosen up. Shall we see how much our department’s most handsome and pretty freshman can drink?”

It was the male senior who had brought him into the pub earlier. When had he gotten a new glass? Yijae looked at the large beer mug held in his two hands and took a small breath.

‘This is the first time I’m drinking alcohol……’

Yijae, who had to go to the hospital regularly to check on his physical condition, never had a chance to drink.

Is it okay to drink? Yijae scanned the many pairs of eyes staring at him, then, with a what-the-hell attitude, put the glass to his lips.

Gulp, gulp.

Yijae’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he quickly emptied the glass. He could vividly feel the cold sensation flowing down his esophagus.

After drinking without taking a breath, Yijae put the empty glass down on the table and gasped for air.

“Hah, ha… cough.”

Someone handed water to Yijae, who was choking and coughing lightly, and burst into laughter.

“Kyah, it’s like a photoshoot. After only seeing guys like Yoo Jeongmin, my eyes are being blessed.”

“Yijae, this time you have to take nuna’s glass too. Have you tried soju?”

Before the question was even finished, a small thing that looked like a baby’s water cup was pushed in front of Yijae. Yijae looked at the clear, water-like liquid inside it and slowly picked it up.

When he brought it to his nose, he could smell a sharper, more alcoholic scent, unlike the beer.

“Cheers!”

How much time had passed in a blur of drinking and greeting new people? Yijae gnawed on his lip as his vision started to grow hazy.

It felt like his senses were dull, so he bit down a little harder, but there was no sensation of pain at all. Displeased by this, Yijae frowned and stood up from his seat.

“Yijae, where are you going?”

“It’s hot, I’m just going to get some ai, air……”

“Wanna go with hyung? Want some ice cream?”