Change
"Hey, what'd you say?"
The guy standing in front of Han Seol was built like a beanpole—shoulders thrust back, legs spread wide in an A-frame, eyebrows deliberately arched. He looked genuinely pissed at her words, his face flushing red. Definitely not from the booze. Han Seol just crossed her arms, staring him down like he was pathetic.
Normally, you'd feel intimidated by a guy that much bigger than you, but she didn't flinch at his gruff voice—she even snorted in derision. A blatant sneer.
"Didn't you hear me? I said get lost. And don't act like that in a bar right by campus. Oh, and oppa? I don't remember having an oppa like you. You sure you're not mistaken?"
"Pfft."
Someone nearby stifled a laugh at the lanky dude getting roasted by this tiny girl. That was the trigger. He couldn't hold back anymore and closed in on Han Seol. One step, then another. With every step he took, disgust bloomed clearer on her face.
Serious case of misandry. Kinda understandable, maybe. She's probably dealt with crap like this now and before. Hell, maybe even worse. Thinking about it like that, feeling sorry for her seemed like a normal reaction.
"Fuck, hey. Say it again."
Say it again. That was my cue to step in. No matter how much I hated meddling in other people's drama, wrong was wrong. I had some basic morals, unlike that trash.
Guys who pulled that shit in a campus bar were either idiots or had some backup. This beanpole screamed idiot. Otherwise, he wouldn't wear every emotion on his sleeve like that.
"Hey, this is my underclassman. Mind if I take her and go now?"
I sighed at his antics, shoving one hand in my coat pocket while pointing at Han Seol with the other. What a loser—how'd he plan to deal with the fallout? Normally, I'd flash a friendly smile to de-escalate without room for argument. But my customer-service grin wasn't cheap enough for this clown.
I barely cracked my stiff lips. "C'mon, Seol."
"...."
She stared at me, eyes wide like she'd seen a ghost. Her jet-black bob gleamed mysteriously under the dim bar lights, even in this mess, stirring something odd in me. Definitely a face that turned heads. How was her skin that translucent? But her shoulders trembled faintly—she was scared after all.
I've been getting this vibe since last time: maybe Han Seol wasn't fearless, just pretending to be tough. Like some creature bristling with spines to protect itself from threats.
I met the beanpole's eyes for a stare-down, then turned away. Damn, he was huge—even from behind. I'm over 180, never called short, but this guy was pushing 190. Anyone might shrink in front of him.
He froze at first, baffled by the sudden shift, then grabbed my arm as reality sank in. "...Fuck. Today's just full of shitty bitches. And who the hell are you?"
"Whoa, watch your eyes. You'll poke someone."
At my jab, he raised his hand. A massive palm blocked the bar's soft light, filling my vision.
"What, think I won't hit you?"
Normal me would've wrapped this up quick for my awkward underclassman's sake and bounced. But this guy was way too far gone. Now raising hands? Guess he hadn't tasted real consequences yet.
I tilted my cheek toward him—aiming for the spot that'd hurt least. He snorted, tensed his arm, and swung hard.
I caught Han Seol watching, hand over her mouth, before she squeezed her eyes shut bracing for my pain.
"...?"
But no sting hit my cheek. Arms had slipped under the beanpole's armpits from behind, restraining him. Hilarious sight, that giant tilting backward.
"Y-you psycho, what the fuck are you doing?! Don't you know who that is?!"
"Ah, shit! Who the hell is he?!"
"Shut up, shut it! Hey, Suhyeon."
Looked like his buddy. Sweating bullets, he eyed me. Knew my name, so he recognized me.
"He's just drunk out of his mind—totally lost it for a sec. He's not usually like this, but booze... Sorry, man."
Now I placed him: some senior I'd seen around. Couldn't recall the name, but yeah, the guy who'd chatted me up in the fourth-floor lobby. How'd he know me back then?
I frowned, head tilted in sudden curiosity. He misread it, bowing frantically.
Same-school underclassman here, and a senior bowing? Awkward as hell.
"Sorry to your underclassman too. Ah... really sorry."
The beanpole sensed the vibe shift too—his rage evaporated, turning meek without anyone holding him back now. See? If you're gonna behave, why not from the start? Making your friend clean up your mess. Dumbass.
Murmurs swelled around us. Mostly raw insults at the beanpole. They hadn't seen the start, but stuff like "Why's he so clingy?" meant he'd been hounding her for a good twenty minutes.
As voices rose, the senior grabbed his nape and whispered fiercely.
"Ugh... you fucking idiot, you don't know him? That's Yoo Suhyeon. You wanna get fucked by every prof on campus? Bow and apologize now...!"
This was why I valued my rep and connections. They became my shield and sword.
He tried whispering, but it carried. Probably still buzzed himself.
Situation wrapping up, I sighed and turned to leave. Done wasting energy on these clowns.
Then an angry voice brushed my ear.
"Excuse me. What were you just about to do?"
"...Wh-what?"
Han Seol growled; beanpole flinched. She advanced on the now-subdued giant. Roles fully reversed.
"I'm not letting this slide. Everything today—including trying to hit my senior—all of it. Don't think it'll just blow over."
"N-no, that's not..."
"You know it. Fuck, seriously."
Didn't know she had such a foul mouth. Guess you gotta see people in action to get the real sense. First time seeing the infamous Han Seol up close, rumors checked out. No wonder they spread. Made me wonder how Jinseong got chewed out. He wouldn't have pushed like this idiot... right?
I watched her, intrigued, when a silhouette approached from afar.
No way.
I gave her padded shoulder a couple light taps—back off signal. No need to escalate further.
Because there was Jimin, pushing her bangs aside, heading our way. And behind her, I'd need every last drop of energy to hold her back.
Reality's exhausting. I wanna watch Rie.
The mess got sorted. Well, "sorted well" might be a stretch, but it resolved okay.
Word spread across campus; that beanpole senior couldn't show his face. School admins heard too... whatever, their problem.
Hardest part was restraining Jimin as she grabbed his collar. Ji Hye and I barely yanked her arms off—otherwise, she'd have been the one assaulting him.
After, Han Seol came to apologize personally. I brushed it off—said it was fine, comforted her. What'd she do wrong? Blame the horny drunk dog who hounded her.
She kept apologizing, which got awkward. Anyway, back to routine: classes, Rie's streams. Normal life.
One change, though.
"...Hello, sunbae."
The usually quiet girl next to me now greeted me first. At first, her politeness creeped me out—goosebumps all over. But we'd known each other awhile; I realized I was overreacting.
Thinking back, she'd said hi during group work too. Just the setting changed—feeling weird about it was silly.
Scraaaape! I waved back at Han Seol pulling out the chair beside me.