Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: An Unforgettable Banquet
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94.
"Don't worry about it—just focus on preparing your speech well. It's about time you started greeting the folks from the committee too...."
"When is it?"
"What?"
"I've been invited to the meeting, right? I'll attend."
Dan Chorok looked up briefly at Kang Hyun, who spoke with such confidence.
He had that self-assurance no matter where he was, and the conviction that he wouldn't back down, so it made sense.
But her eyes, filled with worry, couldn't help but waver.
Dimly lit upscale bar.
Gong Hyun-jeong was explaining the situation to the man across from her, her face etched with frustration.
Unlike how she usually dealt with others—no crossed arms, no scanning him up and down—she was hunched over, her eyes darting restlessly everywhere.
She seemed utterly cowed by his presence.
"Do you think he'll listen?"
"...No. After meeting him, he came across as totally reckless. I doubt he'll back down."
"Kang Hyun, huh...."
The man trailed off with evident interest. Then, sharply, he turned to Gong Hyun-jeong.
"Rumor has it one of the center director's prized disciples lured Kang Hyun in. That true?"
"I'm ashamed...."
"Heh."
"...That's a separate issue. I'll take responsibility for it later."
"Why is it separate? You should've kept them in line."
"That's not fair to say."
"What?"
Bang!
The man's aura intensified.
"Trouble? Ha! Didn't Yang Bo-hyeon pull the same crap?"
As the atmosphere turned vicious in an instant, the people around them quietly edged away.
Gong Hyun-jeong couldn't hold her ground against the man opposite her and just stared blankly at the ice in her glass.
"...Still, the Yang Bo-hyeon incident was a mutual screw-up."
"Don't you know you caused it? That's the norm around here. I've never seen anyone who challenges that kind of norm come out on top!"
"..."
"Right or wrong?"
The mention of Yang Bo-hyeon had him riled up, like he could barely contain himself.
Yet his tone treated her not as a person, but as some disposable tool—like a favorite one that had just snapped.
"..."
She stayed silent again, so he let out a heavy sigh and continued. Every word was laced with blame toward Gong Hyun-jeong.
"Get that law school student council president or whatever properly trained. Put a tight leash on her. Damn, Seok Ji-hoon ends up like that and gets shipped off to Japan for studies. The center director's disciple is no better.... Any talent left in the law school? Does the Daijin Group Foundation even have anyone worth backing?"
The man in the striped suit.
Young face, neat hair, eyes obscured by glasses.
He was the chairman of the Daijin Group Public Interest Foundation.
"I'll keep them firmly in check."
Gong Hyun-jeong couldn't muster a single retort to his harsh tone and simply nodded.
Only then did the man cross his arms and ease his scowl. Speaking as if willing to give her one more shot,
"Got it. I trust you'll wrap this up properly. Just make sure I don't have to worry about it—I'm swamped with law school as it is! Understand?"
"Yes, Chairman."
"Phew, I'm busy. Time to go."
Clink.
The man glanced at his watch and left briskly.
Daijin Group Public Interest Foundation.
The powerhouse within Daijin that had been grooming talents since childhood to build pools of advisory lawyers and prosecutors for the group.
That chairman was someone within arm's reach of the Daijin family itself.
Gong Hyun-jeong scowled deeply as she pulled out her phone.
She had to bury this incident cleanly. But unlike before, nothing was falling into place. As he'd said, clamping down hard on control seemed key.
"Thank you!"
Vroom.
The two stood watching the taxi pull away.
Dan Chorok, dressed in the suit she only wore for major events, and Kang Hyun, neat but in everyday clothes.
"Phew. Do we really have to go this far?"
"I don't get it half the time myself, junior. You'll figure it out at twenty-one. How ruthless the world really is...."
Her face, as she muttered playfully, grew serious under the garish glow of the bustling streets.
"It's a famous hundred-year-old Chinese spot, so just eat well, say your hellos, and head out."
"If it goes that smoothly, it'd be great."
"...It could be a pretty sleazy affair."
"I know."
She spoke with heavy implication, but Kang Hyun replied matter-of-factly.
That didn't mean he was taking it lightly. He intended to read their intentions and play his cards accordingly.
The General Alumni Association was an organization dead set on chasing the school's gains and claiming their cut, no holds barred.
They likely weren't thrilled with how unstable the student council presidency race had become, which explained their sudden interest in seats they hadn't touched before.
In short, they wanted to throw their weight around—and tonight's target was Kang Hyun.
Which was why he knew this wouldn't end as some casual get-together.
"Phew."
Kang Hyun exhaled lightly and strode confidently into the building alongside Dan Chorok.
Ding-dong.
The doors slid open, and the elevator shot up to the top floor, offering a sweeping view of the glittering streets below.
"Must be pricey."
"Yeah, they've got money to burn."
The high-end restaurant, decked out in Chinese style, had an interior that defied expectations.
"Welcome."
"We're here for the Korea University Alumni Association."
The cheongsam-clad staff led them to an inner room, opening one door to reveal another. They stepped through again.
A top-tier place with those VIP rooms you'd only heard about.
Kang Hyun fought to keep his eyes from bugging out and kept pressing deeper inside.
Then the staff threw open massive double doors, revealing a vast room dominated by a round table laden with food.
Exotic dishes and liquor. Cigarette haze.
Nearly naked women keeping today's hosts company. And faint silhouettes lurking in the shadows behind them.
There were enough to fill the huge space, every one a big name without doubt.
They exuded immense pressure as they awaited Kang Hyun and Dan Chorok.
"..."
"...Hello!"
Unlike Kang Hyun, who stared them down in stony silence, Dan Chorok sized up the scene and bowed deeply with a booming voice.
A student council was society in miniature.
She had the patience for it—and she seemed to grasp the nature of this gathering right away, adapting on the fly.
But the reality was uglier than they'd imagined.
They partied on for ages without even noticing the newcomers. Downing drinks, stuffing their faces, belting songs, hollering.
Then, from the far end, came the low rumble of a sloshed middle-aged man.
"The law school's student council head is a chick?"
"Yes? Oh, yes! That's right!"
"Heh, get outta here."
"A chick? Damn, end times."
Murmurs rippled through again. Then one piped up.
"Dan Chorok doesn't know?"
"Oh, that disciple of Gong Hyun-jeong?"
The room buzzed as they chimed in piecemeal, eyes finally landing on the pair.
She tried introducing herself once more.
"Hello. I'm Dan Chorok. And this is..."
"Women sit with the working girls over here, yeah?"
"Hahaha!"
"The girls line up on this side—prettier than that one there."
"Hahaha!"
The room erupted in guffaws.
The kind of rudeness that would offend anyone.
At least someone intervened.
"Sheesh, you pull that these days, seniors, and you're asking for trouble."
"What? What trouble? Oh... that gender sensitivity stuff?"
Kang Hyun shot a glance at Dan Chorok. She wore a friendly smile, but her teeth were clenched tight.
"Yeah, yeah, enough. Juniors are here—time to wrap this up and do the welcome."
At a casual wave, the women vanished in a flash.
Space cleared in the room, so Kang Hyun and Dan Chorok awkwardly took seats on one side as gestured.
Faces came into focus one by one.
Doctors? Tycoons? Politicians?
Familiar mugs you'd swear you'd seen somewhere. All dripping with cash.
"I'll greet you properly again."
"Nah."
Dan Chorok moved to break the silence, but they waved her off.
Instead, claps rang out through the murky room.
Clap clap!
From the center, a heavyset man with doughy flesh grumbled in a low drawl.
"Snap! Our juniors gotta learn introductions from square one."
A massive bowl thudded onto the table's center.
The lazy Susan spun, sloshing in booze that'd scorch your throat into the giant vessel.
"..."
Splash splash.
Once brimming, the guy in glasses beside it announced like an emcee.
"Alright! We'll hear the juniors' intros after the bowl ritual."
"Bowl ritual?"
"Go!"
"Drink! Drink!"
The chaos hit Kang Hyun and Dan Chorok before they could blink, the mood locked in.
An atmosphere you couldn't refuse.
Or put another way, a brutal, intimidating vibe designed to toy with underclassmen.
It clicked why alumni meets had such a notorious rep—and why your head spun figuring out how to navigate it.
Dan Chorok seemed to hesitate for a split second, then hoisted the bowl high.
Gulp gulp.
"...Senior?"
Gulp gulp.
Kang Hyun's pupils quivered at the abrupt turn.
She was chugging their booze—and fast, and plenty.
Gulp gulp.
The alumni were already plastered, so the bowl was sloppily topped with cognac, gaoliang, you name it.
"Stop, enough!"
Splash splash.
Nearly drained.
By the time Kang Hyun snatched it away, she'd downed well over half.
"...Haa. I'm Dan Chorok, law school student council president! Pleased to meet you!"
"Whoa. Figures she's the head. Applause!"
Clap clap clap!
"Next—who're you?"
Every eye locked on Kang Hyun with the bowl in hand.
But something was off about his gaze.
"..."
He was weighing options.
Hurl the bowl? Flip the table? Or flash a bright smile and bow?
Then he flicked a look at Dan Chorok, swaying faintly from the booze.
'Damn.'
Couldn't let anything bad happen to her after she'd gone this far. If he was gonna mess with them, better do it right.
So Kang Hyun lifted the bowl slow and steady, draining every drop.
"Oh!"
Clap clap clap!
"I'm Kang Hyun, running for student body president."
He eased the wobbly Dan Chorok right beside him, then swept his eyes over the men encircling them.
And declared,
"Tonight's gathering—very, very."
"...?"
Kang Hyun halted, drawing a scowl from the boss-man type.
But while his face twisted, Kang Hyun's lips stretched into a wide grin.
His eyes, though, stabbed sharp as he boomed,
"I'll cap it off with fun you'll never forget for the rest of your lives. Pleased to meet you."
Now it really began.