Seo Yerin sits next to me, smiling.
Even though it wasnât a dormitory entrance, it felt so natural that I was caught off guard, and others started whispering.
âHuh? Whatâs your taste?â
âHey, this is a place for those entering the dormitory.â
I wanted to prevent others from expecting Seo Yerin to enter the dormitory just because she was with me.
âOh, right.â
Pretending to be surprised innocently, even though she already knew everything.
âThen letâs go drink somewhere else.â
Seo Yerin stood up suddenly, trying to take me with her.
âNo, no! Drink here. Itâs fine. Iâm not a dormitory student either, just drinking together.â
Lee Eun-woo urgently grabs Seo Yerin. It seemed like others didnât want her to leave either.
âSo this is how it feels.â
I heard that if youâre pretty or handsome, you never have to pay for drinks in college. And it turned out to be true.
âThank you.â
Seo Yerin sat back down with a smile. She clung to my side and took the glass I was drinking from.
âWoojin, you should stop drinking now.â
âWhy.â
âIf you drink too much, itâll be hard for me when we go back.â
âIâm not drinking enough to get drunk.â
âHow many glasses have you had so far?â
âHmm- about a bottle?â
âThatâs plenty.â
âYou know I donât get drunk easily with beer or soju.â
âBut you keep drinking, so youâll eventually get drunk.â
As we bickered, each holding our glasses, I felt the eyes of the people around us.
I glanced sideways and saw others staring at us, which was a bit embarrassing.
âAnyway, when Iâm with Seo Yerin.â
This is the problem.
Even movie stars want to scout her looks in person.
Her appearance stands out even among actors, so itâs impossible not to notice her among ordinary people.
Some men were already swallowing their saliva, revealing their desires.
âDonât you carry a mask? Put it on.â
I told Seo Yerin to cover her face, but she confidently brushed her hair back with her hand.
âI came on purpose to look pretty.â
âShe says sheâs pretty with her own mouth.â
âSo, am I not pretty?â
ââ¦Why did you come like that?â
âAnswer. Am I pretty?â
Does she really have no sense?
Everyone around was staring.
âSigh, youâre pretty. What else are you good for besides being pretty?â
âAh, itâs a relief that Iâm pretty. Thanks, Mom and Dad.â
Seriously, what a load of crap.
âIncidents like that often happen in university dorms. Cheating, promiscuity, and all that.â
âSo I came to let you know in advance. He already has a girlfriend, so donât mess with him.â
Seo Yerin poked my cheek with her finger and laughed.
Her mischievous yet innocent smile suited her well.
âIf Woojin gets any more drunk, itâll be your turn.â
She whispered softly and pinched my cheek this time.
Unconsciously, I tensed up, my back straightening stiffly.
It seemed a bit absurd to bring up dorm promiscuity or incidents to someone like me at this moment.
âAnd itâs obvious youâre not in a good mood these days, not mingling with people and playing the outcast.â
âHey.â
âI dressed up to boost Woojinâs spirits? How is it? Do you feel superior?â
Itâs not that I donât feel a sense of superiority. The feeling that I was somewhat lightly consuming Seo Yerin because of a trivial sense of superiority was unpleasant.
âDonât do it next time. Got it?â
As if reading my mind, she nodded with a bright smile and rubbed her face against my shoulder.
I had long since stopped caring about other peopleâs stares.
âEnough, I donât care anymore.â
Since Seo Yerin took my drink, I was just eating meat.
âOh, hello, senior! Iâm Kim Chul-soo, a first-year in the English Literature department!â
âIâm Choi Young-hee, also a first-year!â
Chul-soo and Young-hee?
Other kids behind them also bowed their heads and greeted.
When I was alone earlier, they didnât even glance at me, but as soon as Seo Yerin arrived, they immediately started greeting.
âMaybe they didnât know I was in the English department.â
After all, I do live a very quiet college life.
âHi, guys. Iâm Seo Yerin, a sophomore. This is Kim Woojin, also a sophomore.â
âYes, seniors, is it okay if we offer you a drink?â
Chul-soo immediately offers a bottle.
âNo, if he drinks more, heâll get drunk.â
âHey, I told you Iâm not drunk.â
âYes, Woojin isnât drunk at all. You donât have to worry about us, guys.â
She pinches my cheek again, teasing. Her demeanor and expressions are friendly towards the freshmen, which was nice to see.
But to me, it was clear she was just too lazy to deal with them.
The freshmen went back to their table.
âDidnât they say hello to you?â
Curious, she asked as I nodded while eating meat.
âWhy would they greet me? They probably donât even know Iâm in the English department.â
âHuh? How could they not know?â
What nonsense.
âOf course, they wouldnât know. Who else leads a quieter college life than me?â
I was drinking soda because alcohol was restricted, and Seo Yerin was staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.
âWhy.â
âIs there anyone who lives their college life as loudly as you do, Woojin?â
âWhat are you talking about.â
How am I loud?
âDonât you remember the karaoke? Fighting with senior Han Kang? You even got called out in the Bamboo Forest.â
âAt the gopchang restaurant too, you yelled at the third-year seniors. You got called out in the Bamboo Forest then as well. Twice in total.â
But wasnât Seo Yerin not there at that time?
I told Chan-woo to take her away and then went to find her.
âEven the freshmen must have heard the rumors by now. Number one senior to avoid! Kim Woojin!â
âAnd yet you claim to live a quiet college life. This is really absurd. Is this the mindset of the wealthy or something?â
âHey, Iâm not a millionaire. I need to get a part-time job now.â
âWhat kind of part-time job?â
âI donât know. But since I did well at Gold One. Maybe something related?â
âSomething youâre good at? Working at a shop?â
As I reached out and stretched both her cheeks, Seo Yerin burst into a giggle.
âAhaa! Itâs a joke! A joke! It hurts!â
âThis girl is crazy. Why do you cross the line like this?â
âYou cross it too!â
Letting out a sigh and releasing her cheeks, Seo Yerin took the drink she snatched from me and exhaled heavily.
âBut Woojin.â
âWhat now.â
Seo Yerin leaned on my shoulder and whispered softly, just enough for me to hear.
âYou know you were really cool back then, right?â
âWhen.â
âWhen you helped me.â
âIâve helped you so many times.â
âHeehee, right. Thatâs true.â
I said it as a joke, but she took it seriously.
Seo Yerin, slyly linking her arm with mine.
Her ample chest now softly presses against my arm.
âAt the karaoke, at the gopchang restaurant, and now at the casino too. Youâve always saved me.â
Have I become somewhat sentimental?
Honestly, I was a bit too excited back then and acted rashly, and I feel a bit embarrassed when I think about it sometimes.
But not to Seo Yerin-
âThinking about it excites me.â
ââ¦Wasnât this supposed to be a nostalgic, good atmosphere?â
âI think Iâm wet. Touch me.â
âThis is a restaurant. There are other people around.â
In fact, quite a few people were glancing over at Seo Yerin. Iâd already given up on caring about that.
âIsnât that what makes it exciting?â
âDo you want to ruin your college life?â
âYou already ruined yours.â
It hurts when you hit me with facts.
I thought it might be a bit troublesome if the conversation continued like this, so I averted my gaze.
From earlier, Lee Eun-woo, who was sitting next to us and looking at us with envious eyes, met my gaze.
âCome to think of it.â
Lee Eun-woo and Seo Yerin also have some kind of relationship.
As Anonymous69 and Anonymous90.
Should I mention it?
Lee Eun-woo still doesnât know Seo Yerinâs identity, and Seo Yerin doesnât know that Lee Eun-woo is Anonymous90.
I hesitated for a moment but decided not to say anything.
There was a reason for anonymity.
If I were to tell Seo Yerin.
ââ¦Sheâd probably suggest a real-life fight right away.â
She has a competitive spirit against Anonymous90.
âBut how is having three girls around ruining your college life?â
At Seo Yerinâs voice muttering beside me, I stuffed a wrap into her mouth.
Min Ju-hee, with her hands deeply buried in her sweatshirt pockets, exhaled cigarette smoke while staring at the ground.
The place she was at was the smoking booth in front of the barbecue restaurant where the dorm dinner was taking place.
Despite having arrived a while ago, the fact that she hadnât gone inside meant that Min Ju-hee was deeply contemplating.
âHoo, I really need to go in now.â
Although Min Ju-hee didnât particularly like dorm gatherings, there was only one reason she came here.
She wanted to talk to Kim Woojin.
Since he had been drinking, he would likely be quite drunk, making it easier to hear his true feelings.
That was her plan when she came.
But despite her determination, she was just smoking nervously in front of the restaurant, unable to go inside.
At that moment.
The restaurant door opened, and two people came out.
âAh.â
Kim Woojin and Seo Yerin.
The dinner gathering was not yet over, but the two seemed to be leaving early.
âWhat if you get drunk?â
âIâm not drunk!â
Kim Woojin supporting Seo Yerin, who was swaying as if she were drunk.
Min Ju-hee blankly watched the two of them.
âWoojin, are you going home?â
âAfter I take you home.â
âWhy? I want to sleep at your place!â
âNo.â
âThen you sleep at my place.â
âOh, right. I canât take you all the way to your house. It would be weird if your mom saw me.â
âOh, that sobered me up, Woojin.â
The two left, having quite a familiar conversation.
Min Ju-hee, who had been watching their backs blankly from the smoking booth, put out her cigarette.
Feeling inexplicably dejected, she decided to head back.
Dormitory move-in day.
I was moving all my belongings out of the apartment I had stayed in for a year.
There wasnât enough stuff to call a moving company, and thanks to Dae-sang hyung offering to move it with his car, all I had to do was move it into the room.
It seemed there were some vacant dorm spots this time, so some people had the rooms to themselves, and I was one of them.
âNice.â
The first floor of the dorm was crowded with people moving in, just like me.
It was so crowded that I was considering starting a bit later due to the congestion.
Poke, poke.
âHmm?â
Someone poked my back, and when I turned around, there was Choi Yiseo wearing a navy jacket.
âChoi Yiseo?â
Since the semester hadnât even started yet, I wondered why she was here, but Choi Yiseo smiled brightly and said,
âIâll help you move.â