Chapter 32
***
We didn’t even lose, yet a drinking gathering got started.
I desperately wanted to return to the dorm. Instead of the salty and sweet snacks here, I wanted to eat a light dormitory dinner, call my mom, and brag that we’d won the relay because of me. I wanted to wash off the sweat covering my body and lay my exhausted self on the bed.
But with Ryu Eun-seok gripping my elbow, I was dragged along. To the pork belly restaurant in front of the school where the Business Department students had gathered.
“You went through all that effort, you should hear the praise.”
My eyes sharpened at the reason Ryu Eun-seok gave. Afraid he might have sensed the envy I felt watching him being celebrated by others, I quickly pretended otherwise.
“I don’t need that. I just want to go back to the dorm and rest.”
“You can rest tomorrow.”
Ryu Eun-seok pushed past the restaurant threshold anyway. The pork belly restaurant, with its yellow lamps over each round metal table, was dimmer than outside. Packed with Business Department students in every corner—they might have rented the whole place.
“Wow! The stars of our victory!”
As Ryu Eun-seok and I stepped inside, thunderous applause poured out. Cheers erupted right by my ears.
I hunched my neck like a turtle.
“Move aside, everyone! Make way for our VIPs!”
“Hey, hey, scoot over a bit. There’s no room for Eun-seok hyung to sit.”
Ah, I want to go home.
Less than a minute after stepping in, a fierce desire to bolt surged up. If I were the type who didn’t care at all about what people said, I would have shaken off Ryu Eun-seok’s hand and returned to the dorm right then.
But I was curious about what the others would say about Hong Sang-hee, who’d suddenly jumped into the relay today. Half of me was worried that misinformation might spread, and the other half wanted to hear praise like “cool,” just as Ryu Eun-seok had.
Even so, I wish they’d let me sit in a corner at least. But Ryu Eun-seok, who was used to being in the thick of crowds, pushed me right next to the loud department representative and the student council members.
“I’m sorry, Senior.”
Song Hyuk-jun, the department representative, apologized with an awkward face. It seemed he’d finally caught on to my academic year.
“I thought you were a freshman, Noona. You look so young. Please accept this drink as an apology.”
There was plenty to criticize in Hyuk-jun’s explanation. Calling me young didn’t make sense since I was only two years older, and I’d never asked him to call me “Noona.”
Let me repeat: I just didn’t have friends; I wasn’t the type to lock my social skills in a room, so I silently accepted the beer. Song Hyuk-jun had skillfully balanced the ratio of yellow liquor to white foam.
“Do you know how to drink?”
Just as I was about to take a sip, Ryu Eun-seok grabbed my wrist. The warmth I’d felt earlier on the artificial turf was still there.
“Yeah.”
During my first year of university, I showed my face at these gatherings pretty often for the month of March. It felt like wearing clothes that didn’t fit, so I stopped quickly, but at least I learned my drinking capacity then.
“How much?”
Ryu Eun-seok still didn’t let go of my wrist as he asked. The gazes flying at me from all directions pricked my cheeks.
“About two bottles of beer and two bottles of soju each.”
Only then was I freed from Ryu Eun-seok’s grip. But he still didn’t seem convinced—his eyes lingered on my profile as I drank the beer.
“Wow, you can hold your liquor, Noona! But why have you never come to our department gatherings? If it weren’t for the sports event today, I might have graduated without ever knowing your face.”
Song Hyuk-jun chattered with a welcoming tone. I kept the corner of my mouth at its usual angle and set down the beer glass. I had to balance it—not acting like a fool just because someone was praising me, but also not putting on too much of an aloof act.
Acting politely while responding naturally in front of people was a very tricky task for me. That’s why I chose to be alone after struggling to make friends and then drifting apart. Who would have thought I’d walk into a place like this again on my own two feet?
“Wasn’t it good I brought her along?”
Ryu Eun-seok checked if the grill was hot enough and placed a thick slice of pork belly on it.
“Do you know how hard it is to get Sang-hee to eat with you? She’s busy, so she doesn’t usually come to these things.”
Ryu Eun-seok joined in supporting the department representative.
“She doesn’t even reply to texts well. You should get a good look at Sang-hee’s face while you can.”
Though their intention was probably to lift me up in this awkward group setting, it only made me press my palms firmly on my knees to keep them from fidgeting.
And why does he keep dropping the honorific? Unable to hold back, I rubbed my earlobe. That skin, which should be cooler than anywhere else, felt strangely warm today.
Just as the server placed complimentary steamed eggs at each seat—
“Where’s my seat?”
A girl who had just come out of the bathroom approached our table. It was the junior who’d given Ryu Eun-seok a sports drink earlier today.
“Sit here.”
Song Hyuk-jun pointed to an empty chair at the next table. The girl’s brow instantly furrowed.
“No. This was my seat originally.”
Given how her displeased gaze landed on me, it seemed this seat had a different owner.
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