—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The half-finished bottle of wine became the professors’ spoils.
It was a little disappointing, but everyone had already had a taste. Instead of sharing it with the other team members, I figured it’d be better to pour the professors a glass each and earn some brownie points.
“Professors, let me pour you each a glass.”
“Are you sure? Thanks, Soyeon.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. How was our team’s performance? Everyone worked really hard.”
Our team leader subtly looked out for the freshmen in our group instead of just promoting herself.
“You did well, that’s why you got first place.”
“I enjoyed it. The stage preparation was good.”
“It was fun because you incorporated acting along with the singing.”
The professors savored the aroma of the white wine as they each offered a word of praise. People from other teams who had come hoping for a sip of wine watched enviously.
“This student here planned the performance. He’s smart and capable. Cheol-jin, say hello. You’re taking the Visual Design class, right? Professor, he draws too.”
“Ah, hello. My name is Kang Cheol-jin.”
“Good. It’s good to hear you draw. Work hard and you’ll get a good grade.”
And so, our team chatted with the professors, using the wine as an excuse. Well, I wasn’t sure if appealing to the professors like this was actually meaningful, but it felt good to be praised nonetheless.
After finishing their glasses, the professors stood up.
“Alright, have fun. We’ll leave you to it.”
“Aw, it’s more fun with the professors here…”
Team leader, what are you saying? I inwardly cringed, but the professors chuckled and waved their hands.
“Soyeon, now that you’re a sophomore, you’ve learned how to flatter? Saying things you don’t mean.”
“Ho ho. Such obvious flattery, it’s cute.”
With those words, the professors left the accommodation. From what I overheard, it sounded like they planned to have drinks amongst themselves. Considerate professors.
As soon as they left, the other team members smacked their lips and asked.
“Is there any wine left?”
“Ah, it’s all gone. They should’ve left some.”
“Why are you guys after it? It was ours.”
“I just wanted a taste of that million-won wine!”
The other team members grumbled as they sat down. Why aren’t they going back to their own rooms?
More and more people crowded into our room.
Over twenty people.
That’s when the real drinking party began.
“The prettiest girl in our department is here! I seriously thought you were a girl.”
Someone said that about Sung-hyun.
The team leader nudged the speaker’s shoulder.
“Hey, Sung oppa is twenty-two.”
“…Sorry, hyung.”
“Haha, it’s alright.”
“Yeah, in college, seniority comes first!”
Some old-fashioned shouts were heard, but the overall atmosphere was good. That was thanks to Sung-hyun’s easy going personality.
Sung-hyun, the ultimate social butterfly, was already leading the mood.
“Give me the drinks. I’ll make you a Milkis cocktail. You have to drink this as soon as it’s made.”
“Oh, it really tastes like Milkis!”
Perhaps due to his age, he mixed drinks incredibly well, even better than the sophomores. He whipped up all sorts of mixed drinks in real time, starting with Milkis cocktails, then Heaven and Hell, IV Drip, Some-ricano, and others I’d never even heard of.
“What? Are you a bartender?”
“Wow, this is so good!”
As we drank and expressed our amazement, for some reason, many people started talking to me.
“Cheol-jin, you sing well.”
“We have a band club, do you want to join? Do you know how to play any instruments?”
A senior couple approached me, and then,
“You got first place in squats earlier, right? Do you work out?”
“Uh… Sunbae, the MC?”
A relatively familiar senior spoke to me amiably.
“Just call me hyung. By the way, which gym do you go to?”
So that’s why they had push-ups and squats in the MT games; he was a gym rat senior. From Seora noona to the Sports Science majors and my own department seniors, why did it feel like everyone around me was a gym rat?
After a few drinks, drinking games began, led by the seniors.
“What does the rabbit coming down from the sky say!”
“Bunny bunny bunny bunny!”
“Carrot carrot!”
“A-reum, drink!”
Most of the people who lost the games were freshmen. It was a natural outcome since most of them were new to drinking games.
“Apartment, apartment!”
“15th floor!”
“Cheol-jin, drink!”
I gulped down a considerable amount of alcohol. I personally preferred beer to soju, but for some reason, the alcohol was hitting me quickly today.
‘Is it because of the mixed drinks? I’m already feeling a bit tipsy.’
I wasn’t drunk, but compared to the last gathering, the alcohol was affecting me much faster.
“Sense Game, one!”
“Two!”
“Three!”
“Four!”
“Four!”
The team leader and I both said “four.”
“Kang Cheol-jin, Lee Soyeon, love shot!”
“Ah, come on, what love shot!”
The team leader frowned, but
“Love shot!”
“Love shot!”
Her protests were no match for the drunken crowd. The longer she hesitated, the worse it got.
“Level 2! Level 2!”
“Level 3! Level 3!”
“You crazy bastards, cut it out! Level 2 is fine!”
The team leader yelled and approached me with a glass. But what’s level 2 and level 3?
I asked, bewildered.
“Uh, how do we do this?”
“…Hey guys, he doesn’t know anything. What are you trying to do with him?”
“Why~ It’s even better when a handsome guy is innocent.”
“It feels like we’re doing something bad!”
“Move if you don’t want to. I’ll do it.”
“Woo! Yoojung is hitting on the freshman!”
“Yeah, I’m hitting on him. Let me date a handsome guy too.”
A female senior sitting next to me flipped her hair behind her ear and looked at me. I think her name was Heo Yoojung.
“Cheol-jin, what do you think of noona?”
“W, well…”
I avoided her gaze, feeling embarrassed.
Of course, it wasn’t because I took her words seriously. I knew she was just joking around, caught up in the mood. I wasn’t so stupid as to not understand that.
In fact, I overheard whispers around me.
“Is he handsome? I don’t know.”
“Right? He’s not ugly, but…”
“I don’t like the bear type.”
“That’s putting it mildly. He’s not a bear, he’s fat.”
I had very sensitive hearing. So, unintentionally, I often overheard their whispered gossip and got hurt.
It was the same now.
It was just a trivial comment about my appearance, but strangely, my body and mind froze.
So, I stammered and couldn’t meet the senior’s eyes.
“Oh my, look at him. He’s so shy.”
“Ahaha! Cute!”
It seemed even that was something to tease me about for the mischievous seniors.
Like other design departments, the Digital Contents Department had a significantly higher female-to-male ratio. Perhaps because of this, the women tended to dominate the atmosphere and be more vocal.
Someone with social skills would have handled the teasing well. But I wasn’t that kind of person. Just participating in the drinking party was already a big step for me.
Playful teasing is always like this.
If the other person doesn’t play along, the atmosphere becomes awkward.
That was exactly the situation now.
As I continued to freeze and fidget, people started to notice something was off, and their expressions changed. Ah, no fun. Can’t read the room. Was I imagining hearing those voices?
‘I think I’m going to throw up.’
Suddenly, memories of middle school flooded back, making me nauseous. This was why I hated being the center of attention.
Then, Soyeon sunbae, the team leader, pushed Yoojung sunbae’s shoulder.
“Hey, move. Cheol-jin, put your arm around my neck.”
“Ah, okay.”
I followed her instructions. As we put our arms around each other’s necks as if hugging, she whispered in my ear,
“If it’s too much, just hold it in your mouth for a bit and spit it into the water glass.”
Following her whisper, the “love shot, love shot!” chants rose again.
I emptied the glass in one go.
“Oh, Cheol-jin drinks well!”
At that voice, Soyeon sunbae looked at me with surprised eyes. I told you to hold it in your mouth and spit it out. Her eyes scolded me.
“I’m fine.”
“Weren’t you drunk?”
“I have a high tolerance.”
The nausea wasn’t from the alcohol. Last time I checked, I could easily handle 4-5 bottles of soju.
“Okay then. Don’t overdo it and drink in moderation.”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t want to deal with the aftermath later.”
Soyeon sunbae said curtly and rejoined the drinking game.
Meanwhile, feeling self-conscious about my awkwardness earlier, I stood up.
“I’ll go to the bathroom.”
Even after using the restroom, I didn’t return to the room. The brief resurgence of my trauma made me feel suffocated.
I stepped out of the building and wandered around. The chilly night air cooled my body.
On the other hand, my head was boiling.
With embarrassment and frustration.
“…Fuck.”
A curse slipped out unconsciously.
“Shit.”
Even when I was having fun, I hated the way my trauma would suddenly resurface like that. What I hated even more was that I still hadn’t overcome it.
When would I be able to shake off these haunting memories?
No, would I ever be able to shake them off?
What if I had to live the rest of my life like this, freezing up like a fool whenever something triggered me?
As I stood in a corner, banging my head against the wall,
“Kang Cheol, what are you doing?”
A familiar voice called out from behind me.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
