Chapter 80
My classmate stared at me as if to say, “What the hell is wrong with you?” I shrugged.
“What’s the point of me listening? There are other people making the decisions.”
“Still, if you came to the meeting, you should at least pretend to listen. Ask some appropriate questions, you know?”
“That’s why I asked how to make tomato pasta.”
The meeting was already winding down anyway. Since there wasn’t much we could decide concretely yet, we only determined the venue, number of participants, rental fee, and basic program based on last year’s plan.
The department room was quite crowded as almost all the student council members from each year showed up. I was comfortable since I didn’t have anything particular to do.
In liberal arts classes mixed with students from other departments, there aren’t many proactive students, so I sometimes have to take charge. But in the Business Administration department, there are plenty of people who like to show off, which is good. They make decisions well among themselves.
Thanks to that, I just need to think about how to win over Ryu Jeong-ha.
Since I promised to make pasta then, I should research a bit when I have time. Ryu Jeong-ha seems to like delicate food, just like his appearance. It makes me want to bite his cheeks.
But I really don’t know anything about fancy foods like steak or pasta. I wonder if I can find something on YouTube?
Ah. Isn’t it too ordinary to just copy a YouTube recipe? If I’m going to do it, I want to prepare something amazing to feed him. He must be expecting something since I acted confident.
Come to think of it, the pasta the chef made at the Bucheon brunch café was quite delicious. Should I ask him to teach me the new menu recipe?
“Why are you ignoring people’s greetings? It must have been awkward.”
As I was seriously considering when and how to make pasta for Ryu Jeong-ha, a classmate sitting next to me hit my shoulder.
“Me?”
“Seo Yu-jung greeted you from outside. Didn’t you see?”
At those words, I turned my head towards the window. Seo Yu-jung was no longer visible, perhaps having already left.
The meeting had ended, and everyone was gathered in groups of familiar faces, chattering away. Maybe it was because of the noise around. I didn’t hear her greeting.
“I didn’t see her.”
“Hmm. Try contacting her after the exams are over.”
“Why should I?”
I packed my bag while ignoring my classmate’s advice, which he delivered in a serious tone.
“…Weren’t you interested in her?”
“What are you talking about? I’m busy enough as it is. And whether I’m interested or not, what’s it to you?”
“No, it’s just interesting. It’d be nice to have a campus couple.”
He’s the one interested in Seo Yu-jung, yet he keeps poking at someone who’s minding their own business. He probably thinks he’s hiding his feelings well, but it’s so obvious.
As I was about to leave the department room, another classmate clung on and persistently added to the conversation.
“Ah, Joo Kwon-oh, that overfed bastard. Play hard to get a little. It’s not nice to see a guy acting like that.”
“And Seo Yu-jung is pretty good, right?”
Should I just ignore them and leave? I don’t even want to talk to these guys.
But guys who are so desperate for women usually want to drag others down to their level. If I ignore them and leave now, they’ll probably badmouth me in a weird way to others of their kind behind my back.
The problem is that this type makes up the majority in university. From experience, the inferiority complex of these guys who belong to the majority is the worst and most troublesome.
I chose to shake off these idiots by making a plausible excuse.
“Hey. If I want to help with my dad’s business after graduating, I need to build up my specs from now. I’m the only one in my family who knows how to handle documents.”
“That’s right. You said your family runs a business.”
“You don’t know how many times I’ve had to clean up after my dad and brother’s mess. Anyway, I might have goofed off in my first year, but now it’s time to get serious.”
If this were high school, it would’ve been easiest to just use force to shut them up. But university relationships are a bit more subtle and complex, so it’s better to maintain at least a conversational relationship even with people you can’t stand.
It means there’s no need to make enemies and deal with the troublesome aftermath.
“True. If you’re thinking about the future, it makes sense to start preparing seriously from now.”
When I gave them a reasonable excuse for why I couldn’t be interested in Seo Yu-jung, the guys nodded, pretending to understand.
They seemed relieved that a competitor had disappeared. What pathetic guys.
Anyway, it’s not a complete lie since I do want to help with my dad’s business.
After leaving the department room, I briefly met with Senior Lee Sung-rok and received support documents and materials related to the furniture exhibition.
When I first decided to apply as a staff for the exhibition planning, I thought I’d get in if I just prepared roughly and submitted. But surprisingly, the competition was fierce even here.
It makes sense, since it’s a direct route to learn about business from furniture unit prices to distribution, marketing, and exports, so there are bound to be many applicants like me.
Anyway, not just anyone can get the qualification to apply, and it’s an important opportunity that I didn’t want to miss.
“Haven’t you been talking to Yu-jung lately?”
Senior Lee Sung-rok, who was handing me the materials, said the same thing as the other guys. Is this really that interesting? I suddenly realized Seo Yu-jung’s popularity in the department. Well, it’s none of my business.
“No. There’s just nothing particular to talk about. I’ll make good use of the materials.”
I came to the library to prepare for the final exams after receiving the documents, but somehow, none of the words were registering. I can’t understand what it’s saying.
I feel like I could read it well if it were written in Ryu Jeong-ha’s handwriting. Why does that guy have such round, cute handwriting for a man?
As I thought about Ryu Jeong-ha again, my stream of consciousness naturally flowed towards the notebook. Come to think of it, it’s really ridiculous. It’s too much to keep quiet after getting the notebook back. He looks innocent, but he’s playing with my feelings as he pleases.
I guess it’s fortunate that we have plans for a get-together next week to celebrate the end of our liberal arts presentation.
I didn’t want to show Ryu Jeong-ha’s drunk face to other guys by holding a drinking party, but for now, there was no other point of contact to meet him, so it couldn’t be helped.
Since I was the one feeling regretful, it was important to create any opportunity to see his face even one more time.
“Right. Our liberal arts get-together. A few other kids are coming too.”
It was after the major classes ended, and we were gathered at a café with the study group members. Suddenly, Choi Kyung-won brought up the liberal arts get-together.
“Who are the other kids? Business Administration students?”
“Yeah.”
“What? Did you tell Jeong-ha and Ji-ye too?”
“Yeah.”
Ah, Choi Kyung-won, you crazy bastard. Why are you doing unnecessary things? We’re going to eat with the liberal arts group members, why invite Business Administration students?
“You guys are having a liberal arts get-together too? Looks like you’ve gotten close.”
Another study member sitting nearby showed interest and spoke. Choi Kyung-won nodded, smiling obliviously.
“Everyone’s nice, so we get along well.”
“What did Jeong-ha and Ji-ye say about Business students coming?”
I asked, pretending to be indifferent to this matter.
“They said it was fine.”
“…Then whatever.”
That’s unexpected. Well, given Ryu Jeong-ha’s personality, he wouldn’t actively oppose it. Shin Ji-ye always liked being around lots of people, so she wouldn’t object.
Anyway, even if they said okay, I think Ryu Jeong-ha will be uncomfortable. I wonder if it’ll be alright.
*
On the day of the get-together.
As soon as Ryu Jeong-ha arrived at the drinking party, I pushed him into a corner. To minimize the possibility of him mixing with other guys, I made him sit right next to me.
Fortunately, Ryu Jeong-ha didn’t seem to mind the seating arrangement I had arbitrarily decided.
Before, I used to enjoy drinking parties by exchanging glances with girls and observing their reactions, or chattering lightly about trivial topics while moderately drunk. But today, perhaps because Ryu Jeong-ha was here, all my attention was focused on him. I could barely hear the conversations of the other kids.
As I watched Ryu Jeong-ha glancing around the table, I remembered something. Because we had ordered all the side dishes in advance, there were no assorted skewers that Ryu Jeong-ha likes today.
“By the way, why are the side dishes so meager? I thought you said you got recommendations for good food.”
I immediately criticized the menu composition.
“Why? This is fine.”
“Don’t they have skewers here? Like assorted skewers.”
“Who looks for skewers at a bar? That’s not cost-effective.”
“Just go down later and buy some for 3,000 won. They’re all over the place at the food stalls.”
These bastards, how much do they think it costs? Despite the flurry of objections, I stubbornly ordered assorted skewers for Ryu Jeong-ha to eat. Then I brought over the appetizing side dishes to our side.
At my unusual behavior, Ryu Jeong-ha rolled his eyes with an embarrassed expression, but once he started eating, he swallowed everything well.
He’s eating the side dishes like a squirrel storing acorns in its cheeks. I chuckled inwardly while checking on Ryu Jeong-ha’s side occasionally as I talked with the other kids.
Besides the assorted skewers, he seems to eat all the side dishes well. Haha. Is watching someone eat supposed to be this endearing?
He’s drinking quietly too, sipping little by little. Even though his face is so pale, it barely turns red. Is it his constitution?
Ryu Jeong-ha mostly listened to the conversations, but occasionally he would timidly chime in with answers. His responses were sometimes a beat late when questions were directed at him. Often, he would chew on his lips, contemplating whether to join in, and then just let it pass without saying anything.
“Hey, where did all the skewers go?”
A classmate who had been excitedly talking about his college entrance exam story while downing drinks suddenly started looking around for skewers.
Because I had moved all the skewers in front of Ryu Jeong-ha, he and I had finished them long ago. This idiot is late to the party.
“You came to drink, why are you eating skewers?”
I threw back the exact words I had heard earlier, and my classmate looked at me incredulously.
“What? Joo Kwon-oh, you’re the one who ordered them. Did you eat them all?”
“There weren’t many to begin with. Order more if you want.”
“I just wanted to try one. At least let me taste it.”
“Go buy some from the food stalls downstairs.”
At my response, I felt Ryu Jeong-ha glancing at me from where he was sitting quietly. When I looked, he was pouting his lips, twitching as if about to smile or not, and it was so cute I wanted to kiss him right there.
