Chapter 34: Crazy Talk
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34: Crazy Talk
If I had to pick the most grueling time of university life, it would undoubtedly be exam period.
You can tell just by walking through campus; students are huddled everywhere, whispering anxiously about the upcoming tests.
It’s also the time when the Bamboo Forest becomes most active.
"Yawn..."
I was also buried in my studies, preparing for midterm exams.
However, there was one major inconvenience.
I really should have made some friends for times like this.
It was frustrating not having anyone to get past papers from.
Back in the first semester, my ex-girlfriend, Oh Yun-ji, always managed to snag them from somewhere, and we’d study hard together.
But this time, I had nothing. I had to fly solo.
Wait, how far did the exam range go again?
The problem was that I hadn't even properly confirmed the scope of the material. But I couldn't take all the blame for that.
It was because of Choi I-seo and Seo Ye-rin that I’d missed half the lecture content on Tuesday morning.
Normally, I would have reached out to Choi I-seo since she’s easier to talk to, but things between us have been... ambiguous lately.
It felt like she was blatantly avoiding me.
What the hell actually happened at the gym?
Whatever it was, something definitely went down.
I considered using the exams as an excuse to strike up a conversation again.
Regardless of the situation, I wanted to avoid letting some weird misunderstanding fester by staying silent.
I figured she might be in a lecture right now, so I decided to contact her later.
I was passing by the English Literature Department office, heading to my next classroom to eat a kimbap I’d bought at the convenience store.
There, I saw Choi I-seo standing in front of a pile of boxes, sighing awkwardly while tapping away at her phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Eek!"
She hadn't seen me coming. She jumped, her shoulders hunching in surprise. Her reaction was pretty funny, but I just tilted my head at the pile of stuff.
"What’s all this?"
"The professor brought some stuff we can use for the festival."
"The professor brought stuff for the festival?"
"You know, souvenirs and things he bought while traveling. He said we should hang them up when we run the street stall."
"Wow, he’s really hands-on, isn't he?"
Thanks to him, our stall was destined to have a forced 'exotic' vibe. I just hoped there weren't any Indian masks or creepy dolls in there.
"So, I have to put these in the department storage room. I was trying to gather some people to help."
"Ah, I see."
I nodded and slowly started to back away.
Just moments ago, I’d been thinking about talking to her, but my mind changed instantly.
Maybe keeping my distance isn't such a bad idea after all.
Realizing that being close to the Class Representative meant getting roped into tedious chores, I waved my hand.
"Got it. Good luck with that."
I naturally turned toward the vending machine to grab a juice, but then—
Grab.
Choi I-seo’s hand landed on my shoulder. She muttered under her breath.
"Target acquired."
"...Let go."
"Kim Woo-jin, Class of '23, English Literature Department."
"I haven't even eaten yet."
"What a coincidence. Neither have I."
Seeing the sheer determination in her eyes not to let me go, I sighed and brought up the elephant in the room.
"You haven't even been talking to me."
"Ugh."
"And now you only call me when you need something?"
At my words, I-seo lowered her hand and fidgeted. It seemed she was at least aware of how she’d been acting.
"It wasn't on purpose. I just... I needed time to organize my thoughts."
Time to organize her thoughts?
So there really was something.
"Um, should we move these first and then talk? If you're okay with it, we could have lunch together..."
"Sigh. Just go inside and print out the roster for the English Lit students."
"Huh?"
"Hurry up."
Waiting for people to gather would be a waste of time. On the other hand, the pile was too big for just the two of us to move.
Once I-seo brought the roster from the office, I tapped a pen against it.
"Post in the group chat that the professor ordered this, and everyone needs to move one box to the storage room as they pass by. Tell them to sign the roster once they've moved one."
"Do you think they'll actually do it?"
She looked skeptical.
"Add that the professor will be checking the list later."
The students who cared about their grades would definitely do it, and even the ones who didn't would probably do it just to stay on the professor's good side if they happened to be passing by.
Especially during exam period.
"...But he’s not actually going to check it."
"What does that matter?"
When I offered to send the message myself if she felt uncomfortable, I-seo waved me off and sent the text to the department group chat.
"Let's leave this inside the office so the teaching assistant can see it. We don't want some jerk just signing it without moving anything."
That should solve it.
I signed for both myself and I-seo, then picked up the lightest-looking box.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
I-seo looked a bit awkward, perhaps because the problem had been solved much more easily than she expected.
After moving the boxes and stopping by the convenience store, we headed to a classroom. Half the boxes were already gone by the time we walked past again.
Even though we weren't in the same lecture, I-seo came with me to an empty classroom out of consideration.
She stared down at the chicken breast salad she’d bought, seemingly lost in thought about what to say.
Honestly, ever since she picked out that salad, I couldn't help but think she was a total fitness nut.
"You're seriously addicted to exercise."
"What?"
Startled, I-seo looked up, clearly not expecting me to speak first.
"You're eating chicken breast salad now, and I bet you'll eat something similar for dinner. It's not like you're gaining weight; do you really need to go that far?"
When I shrugged and asked if it was an obsession, I-seo stared at me blankly for a moment before a small smile played on her lips.
"You should work out too. You haven't gone running once since I stopped calling you, have you?"
"Going out for a run by myself isn't as easy as it sounds."
It felt significant to be having this kind of conversation again.
Before I knew it, we were bickering comfortably, as if there had never been a gap between us at all.
As the conversation continued...
"Whew."
During a brief lull, I-seo took a deep breath, as if bracing herself, and tried to ask me something.
"...What if."
But when she actually looked at me, she seemed to lose her nerve and turned her head slightly.
"What if?"
"What if a girl asked you... to, to go to a hotel with her? Would you go?"
"...What?"
Wait, what did I just hear?
I blinked at I-seo, but her face was already as red as a beet, and her head was bowed low.
Still, having started, she pushed through to the end.
"I mean, if a female friend... suddenly asked you to go to a hotel. Would you go?"
"Hold on. Does 'going to a hotel' mean what I think it means? Not like, going there for the buffet or something...?"
As my voice trailed off, I-seo gave a small nod.
"Wow."
So she was talking about sex.
"Asked me to go to a hotel?"
When I tilted my head and asked just to be sure, I-seo jumped and shrieked.
"N-No! I'm not the one asking! I said 'what if'! I'm asking what you would do if someone did that!"
"...Man, I thought you were hitting on me."
"Are you c-crazy!?"
I-seo slammed her hands on the desk, vehemently denying it. I watched her fanning her face to cool down and gave it some thought.
"Let's clarify one thing first. This question is important, right? This is the reason you've been acting weird around me?"
"Y-Yes."
I had no idea how her train of thought led to this being a major concern.
Regardless, if I-seo had been agonizing over this for days, I owed her a serious answer.
"Hmm."
I leaned my chin on my hand, feeling her gaze fixed on me.
Not enough information.
"Is this female friend pretty?"
"..."
For a split second, I-seo scowled at me with a look of pure disgust.
"She's pretty," she answered anyway. "Really pretty."
"A really pretty girl suddenly asks me to go to a hotel? It's not a scam or a cult or something, right?"
"Probably... not?"
I see.
I nodded with a grave expression.
"Where is she right now?"
"Huh?"
"I need to go immediately. Wow, my heart's fluttering."
"..."
"I'll even pay for the room. If she's that pretty... and it's been a while since I've had a girlfriend..."
Whack!
I-seo’s fist flew instantly.
But this time, I was expecting it and blocked it with my palm.
"Haha! Predictable."
"Urgh!"
After a bit more scuffling, a frustrated and huffing I-seo asked again.
"Would you really go? Even if she's not your girlfriend?!"
"So, like a one-night stand? Or a Sex Friend?"
"Y-Yeah, exactly!"
I’d hit the nail on the head. I-seo looked flustered but confirmed it.
I wasn't sure what answer she was hoping for, but...
"I'd go. I'd even skip class to go."
"..."
"I'm not saying every guy is like this, but most probably would, right? A gorgeous girl is seducing me. Personally, I'm a definite yes."
"..."
"If I had a girlfriend, I’d obviously say no, but I don't."
Perhaps because I’d answered her question seriously, the disgusted look on I-seo’s face gradually shifted into something more solemn.
"Right. I see."
Now looking like she’d confirmed something, I-seo actually seemed a little sad.
"Thanks for being honest."
Seeing her clenching her fists made her look almost pitiful, and I wondered what the hell was going on.
"Now, explain it to me. Why did you ask that?"
"Sigh."
I shrugged as she hesitated to answer.
"You're not actually asking me to go to a hotel, are you? Should I open Yanolja?"
"I told you, no!"
"Tsk, worth a shot."
"You son of a—!"
Finally unable to overcome her embarrassment, I-seo stood up with her fists raised.
I held up both hands to block her, but with every swing, her strength seemed to fade.
Eventually, she rested her hands on my blocking arms.
"With Ye-rin..."
She asked in a muffled voice.
"Is it true... that you're Sex Friends?"
...
......
.........
"Me?"
"Y-Yeah."
After letting out a long, deep sigh, I stood up abruptly.
"So, does that mean I can go to a hotel with Seo Ye-rin?"
As soon as I asked that seriously, I-seo’s fists started raining down on me again.