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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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The poll appeared even before classes started.
I couldn’t help but admire the initiative.
“Is this what being a social butterfly is like?”
They’ll see each other when classes start anyway, but they’re organizing a gathering to get to know each other beforehand?
Making plans and meeting with strangers whose faces they don’t even know. Just the thought of it made me so awkward that I felt like I’d freeze up.
Of course, I should skip this… Wait a minute.
‘If I don’t attend this, won’t I become an outcast?’
The worst-case scenario came to mind.
What if everyone else shows up and becomes friends?
What if they’re already in groups by the time classes start?
Nothing is more difficult than trying to squeeze into a pre-existing group. I’d be left behind even if we all started at the same starting line, but to be late to the starting line all by myself… It was terrifying.
Gripped by fear, I unconsciously clicked the attend button. I flinched even after clicking it, wondering if it was the right decision, but I still felt it was the right thing to do.
Let’s consider the possibilities.
What if a lot of people show up?
I have to go so I’m not left out of the socializing.
What if only a few people show up?
It means I’ll be able to interact with them faster, lowering the chances of becoming an outcast.
No matter how I thought about it, attending the gathering was advantageous.
The problem was that attending didn’t guarantee making friends.
That’s why I logged onto the university online community.
[How to make friends as an outcast]
I felt a pang of self-deprecation at the search term I typed…
It felt like back in the day, I could make friends just by talking to someone I met on the street, but now I didn’t know how. How do you even make friends?
Anyway, after searching for that topic, a flood of posts appeared. Since it was the beginning of the semester, there were many recent posts as well. It made me realize that there were many people like me.
Anyway, according to the posts:
[Freshmen worried about becoming outcasts, listen up!]
If you’re introverted, don’t try too hard, just react well, and you’re halfway there lol. If you just give good reactions consistently, the crazy extroverts will grab you on their own, you know?
└ So true. I’m a hardcore introvert, but I just nodded diligently and exclaimed,
“Wow, really?” and somehow became best friends with them.
└ I was also huddled up alone last year with no friends, and then I got picked up by an extrovert lol.
[Being picked up by an extrovert isn’t always a good thing]
It’s super draining. I was ignoring messages and playing games because I wanted to rest at home, and suddenly an extrovert barged in. I pretended I wasn’t home, and they said, “Where else would you be but home?” and sang in front of my door until I came out.
└ What the heck. That’s terrifying…
└ I’m an ENFP, and I’m looking forward to seeing what introverts I can collect this time. I put introverts in my shopping cart one by one and take them out whenever I’m bored. They’re delicious.
└ You’re such a creep…
└ Please pick me up.
└ Damn it, don’t talk to me, extroverts. I want to be alone.
“Hmm…”
I was impressed by the unexpectedly helpful information. There are people who will become your friends even if you do nothing?
“Give good reactions, is that it?”
Okay, got it.
From now on, I’m a reaction bot. Don’t try to be funny, just laugh like hell.
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The day of the gathering.
As I was about to leave, I suddenly realized a critical problem.
“I don’t have any clothes to wear…?”
I’m not saying this like those girls with closets overflowing with clothes. I literally had nothing to wear. The problem was my complacency in thinking I’d buy clothes after losing weight.
I’d been cooped up since I was fifteen. Since I didn’t go out, I never felt the inconvenience of not having any going-out clothes.
It was the same after I started living alone. The only time I left the house was for my early morning jogs. As a result, the only decent clothes I had were sweatpants…
“I’m screwed.”
It was too late to go shopping now. I hadn’t even showered yet, so there was no time to buy clothes.
“Damn it, I was planning to leave just on time, but I’m screwed.”
Being late was definitely not an option, but being too early was also a problem. Because it would be awkward if the first two people to arrive had to wait alone! That’s why I planned to arrive just on time.
I had no choice but to pull out my sweatpants and padded jacket. I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate, but I couldn’t go naked. And if I canceled now, I’d already be making a bad impression.
Hoping to get through the day safely, I left the house.
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The meeting place was the subway station near the university.
I arrived just in the nick of time, about a minute before the scheduled time. It was worth it to carefully manage my walking speed while checking the time.
“Brr, it’s cold.”
Even though it’s almost March, it’s as chilly as midwinter. Good thing I wore my long padded jacket. Come to think of it, a long padded jacket hides what you’re wearing underneath, so it’s perfect. No need to worry about clothes.
I arrived at the station and looked around to see where everyone was. Since I didn’t know their faces, I had to deduce their location based on the place and their outfits.
I checked the group chat and saw that those who had arrived first were describing what they were wearing. It seemed like a few people had already met, so I should be able to find them quickly.
I was looking around when,
Flinch.
I spotted someone and quickly averted my gaze.
A face that was both unfamiliar and familiar made me suddenly feel short of breath. My body tensed up involuntarily, and my hands started to sweat.
I tried to calm myself down and quickened my pace. As I was looking away, I spotted a group of three people, two men and a woman. Their outfits matched the descriptions in the chat.
But one person was walking in the same direction as me. It was the man I had just seen. I had a feeling, and as usual, my bad premonitions were usually right.
The man was also part of the group.
“Are you in the Department of Digital Contents?”
The man said that, exchanged greetings with the others who were already there, and then turned to me, the slightly late arrival, with a friendly smile.
I froze, feeling a lump in my throat.
“Are you in the Digital Contents department?”
Did he not recognize me? Or was I mistaken?
As soon as I thought that, the man tilted his head.
He stared at me for a few seconds.
His eyes widened gradually.
“Ch-Cheol-jin? Is that you, Cheol-jin? It’s me, Sung-hyun, Ahn Sung-hyun!”
Ahn Sung-hyun.
Hearing that name, a memory suddenly flashed before my eyes, making me dizzy.
“…Cheol-jin?”
I heard a worried voice.
I snapped back to reality and exhaled the breath I’d been holding. I forced a smile.
“Oh, uh. Sung-hyun, long time no see.”
As soon as I spoke, I calmed down surprisingly quickly. I was momentarily flustered, but it was okay. It had already been five years.
“Do you two know each other?”
One of the girls who was already there asked.
She had striking wavy brown hair. Short and pretty. The type who would be popular for being cute.
It was Ahn Sung-hyun, not me, who answered. He spoke, glancing at me, still dazed.
“We’ve been friends since we were three.”
“Wow, since you were three?”
“That’s amazing. You’re practically childhood friends.”
As she said, Ahn Sung-hyun was a longtime friend.
We went to the same daycare, kindergarten, elementary school, and even middle school, so we were quite close.
…Although I cut off contact after dropping out of school five years ago.
I awkwardly nodded and said,
“We naturally lost touch after going to different schools. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Ahn Sung-hyun flinched at my words. He must have understood that I didn’t want to dwell on the past.
I turned to the others and introduced myself.
“I’m Kang Cheol-jin. Nice to meet you.”
“Hey, why are you being so formal? We’re all friends. Drop the honorifics. I’m Pi A-reum.”
“Oh, uh, okay.”
Pi A-reum? That’s a very unique last name.
As I was thinking that, Pi A-reum narrowed her eyes and leaned closer. Even though she was short, and only reached my chest, the proximity was too close for comfort, and I was flustered.
“You just thought my name was weird, didn’t you? Huh?”
“No, no. I just thought it was a unique last name.”
“Hmm.”
Pi A-reum folded her arms and glared at me with an expression that said, “Aren’t those the same thing?”
Flustered, I desperately tried to explain myself.
“Uh, well, isn’t it good to have a unique last name? It’s easy to remember. And I heard there’s a famous poet with the last name Pi.”
Ah, I messed up. I blurted out whatever came to mind because I felt like I had to say something, but it made no sense.
But suddenly, Pi A-reum burst into laughter.
“Cheol-jin’s reactions are so cute. You’re such a cutie.”
“…Huh?”
I blinked in surprise, my mouth opening and closing slightly.
“Ahahaha! He said, ‘Huh!’”
Pi A-reum burst out laughing again.
Honestly, I didn’t know what was so funny.
‘She’s… not making fun of me, is she?’
Anyway, it was a relief.
The atmosphere seemed to lighten up thanks to Pi A-reum’s laughter.
“You’re Cheol-jin and Sung-hyun, right? I’m Kim Sung-joo.”
“I’m Park Mi-hyun.”
There were six of us in total for the gathering, including me.
One person hadn’t arrived yet.
We were exchanging greetings when, after a while, a girl rushed in from the subway turnstiles.
“I-I’m so sorry I’m late! I took the wrong train…”
The last member had arrived.
Kim Sung-joo said it was okay and pointed outside the station.
“Shouldn’t we go somewhere to talk? Everyone’s had lunch, right? Let’s go to a cafe.”
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