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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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The restaurant for the welcome party was quite far from the university district. We traveled there in Noona Bam’s car.
Sung-hyun looked around the car’s interior and asked, “Cheol-jin, isn’t this a really expensive car?”
“I don’t know. I’m not good with cars.”
Sung-joo answered the question. “This looks like the new Por○che released last year.”
“Our president is rich…”
“There’s a reason she offered to buy us beef.”
“With this car, the beef is hardly the point.”
I thought she had a noble air, but she was richer than I imagined. What kind of student, especially an exchange student here temporarily, drives a car like this?
The restaurant itself was also unusual. I thought we’d be going to a regular neighborhood beef place, but we entered a private room. It was a spacious area with three tables that could accommodate more than ten people.
“I’ve never been to a place like this.”
“I don’t think any of us have.”
Arriving at the unfamiliar place, we were a little nervous and behaved cautiously.
‘My family is well-off too.’
But it seemed like nothing compared to Noona Bam. I’d have to treat our president with respect.
The awkward atmosphere soon dissipated, thanks to Noona Bam’s story, which she began while we waited for the food.
“The guy was three-timing! He was dating three club members at the same time!”
The story of how the anime club imploded.
“When his three-timing was exposed, it became a chaotic mess. One of the girls he was dating posted his identity on Camta.”
Camta, short for “Campus Time,” was a popular online community among university students.
“His personal information?”
“Yes. She posted his personal information.”
“S-so what happened?”
The three-timing story was incredibly interesting.
Everyone listened intently.
“Of course, the guy was heavily criticized. And he didn’t just stand there. He also leaked the girl’s personal information.”
Noona Bam’s pronunciation became a bit slurred, likely from excitement. But the story was so captivating that no one really cared.
“But here’s the thing!”
“Here’s the thing?”
“The girl got caught too! One of the girls the guy was dating was also cheating! With four people!”
“Whaaat?!”
“And three out of those four were also club members.”
“Crazy…”
This was peak drama. This was why makjang dramas weren’t popular anymore. Reality was more dramatic; why watch TV?
Sung-joo, who had been listening quietly, chuckled and clicked his tongue. “Tsk tsk. This is why you shouldn’t date within the same group.”
His words sounded seasoned. Come to think of it, Sung-joo’s philosophy was “Never date a woman in the same building.” For the same reason, he absolutely refused to date within the same college.
“What happened after that?”
A-reum, her face full of interest, urged Noona Bam to continue.
Noona Bam smiled bitterly and shook her head.
“After that, the club exploded. The people involved left, the ones who had a crush on the two-timer left, and the ones who confessed to the cheaters and got rejected left.”
“I-I see.”
“For the record, the two cheaters dropped out of school. And I became the president.”
It was a natural consequence. How could they show their faces after their personal information was exposed?
Sung-hyun shook his head and said, “I heard something like that happened at Cheonggwang University… I didn’t know it was about our club.”
“I saw it online, but I thought it was fake.”
I agreed. I had seen the story online, but I naturally assumed it was fabricated. Who would believe such an absurd story?
Sung-joo, on the other hand, shrugged with a calm expression. “Surprisingly, stories that seem fake are often true.”
Why did it sound like he was speaking from experience? I wondered what kind of life this guy had lived.
‘Maybe it’s because he’s handsome. He seems like a seasoned veteran who’s experienced all sorts of things.’
I didn’t really want to evaluate a man’s face, but objectively, Sung-joo was more handsome than the visual centers of most second-tier boy groups. It would be interesting to hear his stories sometime.
Soon, the food arrived, and the staff grilled the meat for us. I took a bite of the cooked meat, and it melted in my mouth.
“Wow. This is so good.”
“Was the beef I’ve eaten so far not actually beef?”
“Expensive stuff is different.”
“Thanks for the meal, unni!”
Both the meat and the side dishes were delicious.
I avoided carbs as much as possible and focused on protein.
Meanwhile, Noona Bam explained about our club.
“Including you all, there are now eleven members in our club. We finally reached the minimum number.”
“Isn’t the minimum number of members for a club five?”
“That’s for the club to exist. But we need more for the club room. Ten.”
So, ten members were needed to keep the club room.
‘There are more club members than I thought.’
It seemed like the “verge of closing down” referred to the club room. But what she said next proved me wrong.
“There are eleven registered members. But only four are actually active.”
“Huh? What about the others?”
“They just signed up. Because the club was on the verge of closing…”
It wasn’t the club room; the club itself was about to disappear.
“And one of the four active members is a senior. So they don’t come often.”
“So, practically, there are only three?”
“Now that you’re here, there are seven! Let’s have fun together!”
…I wasn’t sure if Sung-joo would actively participate. I glanced at him, and he just smiled awkwardly.
I quietly asked, “Hyung, are you going to participate in club activities?”
“…I’ll participate, but I wasn’t planning on going all out.”
“You’re not going to quit, are you?”
“No, not that. I’ll just participate moderately, depending on the situation.”
I stopped caring at that point. He was resourceful; he’d figure it out.
As we ate a few pieces of meat, other club members started to arrive.
Noona Bam stood up to greet them.
“It’s been a while, everyone! Welcome!”
“Uh… we’re here, but are we really supposed to be here?”
“Yeah. We just registered by name.”
The latecomers said with awkward expressions. They seemed to be the ghost members she mentioned earlier.
“It’s okay. But please come to the club room to hang out when you can.”
“That much is fine…”
Listening to their conversation, I could guess Noona Bam’s intention. She probably wanted them to participate in activities even a little by having a welcome party like this. I doubted it would work.
I felt a little sorry for her. It seemed like she had various activities planned, but I wondered if the club could function properly like this.
‘I think she said something about making a short anime.’
Realistically, there were seven members, no, six if you exclude Sung-joo. Could we really produce a short anime within this year? I doubted there were any skilled members in a university club. Even if I did the work of two or three people, there would be limits.
‘Well, there are other activities too.’
I stopped worrying. It wasn’t a problem I could solve.
Including my classmates and me, eight people had arrived so far. Perhaps because the welcome party menu was beef, all the ghost members showed up.
We awkwardly greeted the ghost members. Since we didn’t expect to do any activities together, our attitudes were naturally awkward.
They seemed to feel the same way, saying, “Don’t mind us and have fun. You don’t have to be formal just because we’re seniors.”
“Yeah. We just registered because our friends asked us to.”
“You all said you’re in the Digital Contents Department, right? I’m Jeong Mi-na, a senior in the Digital Contents Department.”
There was a senior from the same department among the ghost members.
The senior, who introduced herself as Jeong Mi-na, pointed at me.
“You’re Cheol-jin, right? Soyeon’s boyfriend, right?”
“Huh?”
“I’m close with Soyeon too. She brags about you a lot. She says you’re a good person and good at your work.”
Everyone’s attention focused on me. Relationship talk always drew attention.
I quickly waved my hands. “Ah, no. Noona Soyeon and I are just close friends.”
“Oh? Really? I was sure you were dating…”
The senior, who said that with a surprised face, stared at me intently and then giggled as if she understood. What was that? It felt unsettling.
“Anyway, you’re close with Soyeon, right? Let’s get to know each other.”
“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you, Senior Mi-na.”
“Hey, that’s too stiff. Just call me Mi-na noona. You too.”
Mi-na was very friendly. While the other ghost members settled down and focused on eating, Mi-na, perhaps interested because we were in the same department, actively talked to us.
Then, a familiar voice rang out.
“Bam~ We’re here!”
“Unni, I’m here.”
“Ah, hello…”
Three more women entered.
Two of them were familiar faces.
“Noona Seora?”
“Huh? Oh, Cheol-jin! What are you doing here?”
Noona Seora, my running mate and personal trainer, had arrived. Strangely, I wasn’t the only one who recognized her.
“Eh? Ahn Sung-hyun, you joined too?”
“What, what are you doing here, noona?”
Ahn Seora, Ahn Sung-hyun.
They had the same last name. Were they siblings? I thought Sung-hyun was an only child.
“Are you two siblings?”
I asked, and they both shook their heads simultaneously.
“She’s my cousin.”
“It’s just a coincidence that we have the same last name.”
Meanwhile, A-reum was preoccupied with someone else.
“Wooow! Saebyeok unni!”
A-reum stood up and ran towards Han Saebyeok with open arms. It was the girl from the writing club who had helped her when she was drunk.
Han Saebyeok unexpectedly accepted A-reum’s hug. The height difference made it a picturesque scene. Saebyeok, holding A-reum in her arms, looked at her with a rare surprised expression.
“You joined the club?”
“Yes! I joined today. Kang-chul is here too.”
A-reum pointed at me.
B-
Because of that, our eyes met, and I greeted her, “Hello. It’s been a while.”
“…”
Han Saebyeok simply nodded in acknowledgment and continued stroking A-reum’s hair.
‘Why is she like this only to me…’
I was a little annoyed, but since she didn’t completely ignore me, it was hard to say anything. I didn’t have the guts to anyway.
“You know each other! That’s great!”
Noona Bam said with a bright smile. It was clear she was happy they weren’t leaving.
“Let’s all introduce ourselves. I’m Yoo Bam, the president, and the vice-president is Saebyeok here. Saebyeok, say hello.”
“Third-year Fashion Design Department. Han Saebyeok.”
Han Saebyeok introduced herself in her usual cold voice and stiff manner.
‘So it wasn’t just me.’
She just seemed to be like that as a person. There didn’t seem to be any malice.
“I’m Ahn Seora. I’m active, but I’m a senior, so I can’t participate actively. But I’ll come by and help sometimes, so treat me comfortably.”
Noona Seora pointed to Sung-hyun and me. “I’m cousins with Sung-hyun here, and I’m in the Sports Science Department. If you have any questions about exercise, ask me. I’m also Cheol-jin’s personal trainer.”
“Personal trainer? Cheol-jin, you said you were getting personal training, and it was from Noona Seora?”
“Yeah, it just happened that way.”
After the introductions…
One person remained.
‘This person looks intimidating too.’
Less so than Han Saebyeok, but she had a somewhat stiff impression. She was also quite tall, around 175cm, and her bright yellow hair gave her a delinquent vibe.
However, that impression completely vanished the moment she opened her mouth.
“M-my name is J-Ju Ha-na…”
Her voice was timid and barely audible. I could tell she was a very shy person.
“Ah, r-right. I’m a s-second-year in the F-Fashion Design Department…”
Her self-introduction contrasted sharply with her appearance and height.
‘A kindred spirit.’
I suddenly felt a sense of camaraderie. I had been seeing so many outgoing people lately that a woman who seemed like a kindred spirit was very welcome. Since she was in the anime club, she must be an otaku too, right?
‘But her face looks familiar…’
Had I met her somewhere before?
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