Chapter 65: Greeting
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 65: Greeting
“Kim Woo-jiiiiin!”
Seo Ye-rin shouted my name while pointing at me aggressively. Since it was a drinking party and the surroundings were noisy, she didn't stand out too much, but the eyes of those near her naturally fixed on me.
“Get over here!”
She barked, slapping the empty seat next to her. Yoo Ah-rin and some other freshmen were sitting nearby.
Why is she so wasted?
The Seo Ye-rin I knew was someone who could pace herself.
Despite only being twenty, she was well aware of how dangerous it was for her to get so drunk that she couldn't even control her own body.
At the last drinking session, I’d even seen her push her glass away the moment she hit her limit.
“Hurry uuuuup!”
A heavily intoxicated Ye-rin continued to call for me. I was originally planning to head home and intended to refuse, but she was so stubborn that I eventually got sucked in and sat down beside her.
“Why did she drink so much?”
Since it was originally Yoo Ah-rin’s spot, I naturally ended up sandwiched between Ye-rin and Ah-rin.
Thinking this was a good opportunity, I whispered the question to Ah-rin, but she just shrugged.
“No idea. She just showed up and started chugging.”
“Really?”
“Now that I think about it, she did ask where you went earlier.”
“Huh?”
I was about to ask what she meant when I felt a sensation on my chin. My head was forcibly turned toward Seo Ye-rin.
“Where are you lookiiing! I’m the one who called yooou!”
“Called me for what?”
I brushed off Ye-rin’s hand from my chin, but she just stared intently into my eyes.
“...What? What is it?”
I saw no reason to avoid her gaze, so I stared back and asked.
“Hehehe.”
She let out a strange giggle and suddenly whipped her head away.
“You just asked where I was looking, you brat.”
If she’s going to look away herself after saying that, what does she want from me?
When I called her name, Ye-rin kept averting her eyes, looking everywhere but at me.
It didn't seem like she was embarrassed; rather, she seemed to be enjoying the fact that I was calling for her.
Ah, dammit.
Naturally, eyes began to fall on me. Senior Han-gang and the other sophomores were at a different table, so they didn't matter much.
However, the freshmen were staring at Ye-rin and me with slightly surprised expressions.
Just like when Hyun-ah first saw us, they probably found it fascinating that Ye-rin and I—who had been involved in so many incidents—were actually close.
“Look at you two, playing nice.”
Ah-rin, sitting next to me, clicked her tongue as she placed a soju glass in front of me and poured.
“Hey, I was just about to leave.”
At my words, Ah-rin furrowed her brows.
“What? You running away because you’re a lightweight?”
“That provocation is so pathetic it just makes me want to sigh.”
I said that, but looking down at the glass, I did feel a craving. The stress I’d gotten from being with Lee Eun-woo from the Physical Therapy Department earlier felt like it was throbbing at the back of my head.
“Ah, whatever.”
I picked up the glass and held it out to Ah-rin. She grinned, clinked her glass against mine, and downed it.
I tossed the drink back as well, and just like that, the drinking session began in earnest.
It felt like I was gargling my soul.
Or perhaps disinfecting my brain.
Once I started drinking, it went down endlessly.
The drunken voices of the people around me felt like a rhythmic beat urging me to move faster.
“My, look at him go.”
Ah-rin, acting like a human vending machine, kept refilling my glass.
“Woo-jini is so good at drinking!”
Before I knew it, Seo Ye-rin was clinging to my shoulder, reeking of alcohol. Her mere presence radiated pheromones that muddled my senses.
“Hey, pretty boy! My arm’s gonna fall off!”
For some reason, Senior Ju-hee, who had pushed aside the other freshmen to sit across from me, was also holding out a bottle.
As I kept tossing back drinks, the incident from last time suddenly flashed through my mind.
Get it together, Kim Woo-jin!
That day when I got drunk and whined to the girls to sleep over at my place.
I didn't remember it because I’d blacked out, but I couldn't afford to make a fool of myself like that again.
“I’m... going to step outside for a bit.”
After taking a sip of water, I stood up abruptly and headed out. As a bonus, Ye-rin, who had been asleep leaning on my shoulder, almost fell over and woke up.
“Ugh, man.”
Outside, the festival performances were still in full swing. I thought it was late because I’d drunk so much, but I was surprised to see it was only 9:00 PM.
I glanced at the other tables.
I’d been wondering where Choi I-seo was since I hadn't seen her for a while, but as the department representative, she was listening to the professors talk.
She’s working hard.
Well, doing that would get her on the professors' good side.
As I watched Choi I-seo navigate her social life, she felt my gaze. She tapped on her phone and then pointed at it with her finger.
Hm?
A gesture telling me to check my messages.
I checked the text that had just arrived from her.
The chilling message made me lose my breath for a moment.
But when I looked back at Choi I-seo, she was smiling playfully while shaking her fist at me, warning me to be careful.
I smiled back and gave her a small wave.
“Phew, I’m finally sobering up a bit.”
I straightened my back and did some light stretching. As I loosened up my body, the alcohol began to wear off.
Thump!
Suddenly, a heavy weight pushed into my back. I almost fell forward for a second, but I managed to regain my balance. When I looked back...
There was the crown of Seo Ye-rin’s head, frozen in the exact position she’d used to headbutt my back.
She remained still, eyes fixed on the ground. I wondered what was wrong, but she just wobbled and corrected her posture as if it were nothing.
“Where are you goooing?”
“I told you I was going to get some fresh air.”
“Oh, I seeee.”
What is actually wrong with her?
“Why did you drink so much today? You paced yourself so well last time.”
“Did Iiii?”
If it weren't Seo Ye-rin, her slurred aegyo would have been hard to stomach.
I was about to tell her she should stop drinking and go home to sleep, when...
“Everyone! Have a great night! I hope you all find a special someone. This is the kind of night where you lock eyes and head to a hotel, right?”
A joke from the rapper on stage reached us. The people around us burst into laughter.
I thought it was a bit of an exaggeration, but the important thing was that Ye-rin was staring intently in that direction.
“Woo-jin.”
She called my name, her voice carrying a complex mix of emotions.
“Yeah?”
“Is se-sex... really that good?”
“A-Are you crazy?!”
I reflexively looked around in a panic, but fortunately, there was no one nearby to hear.
Though for some reason, Yoo Ah-rin was glaring intently in our direction.
Is her Anonymous 69 speech habit coming out because she’s drunk?
I thought it was just the alcohol talking, but Ye-rin didn't stop there.
“All my friends... say they have plans todayyy. They’re gonna spend a hot night with their boyfriends...”
“So losers Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin are drinking together instead?”
I tried to force a joke to change the subject, but Ye-rin just stared at me with a pout.
“If you do it... does the world really change?”
“As if.”
It’s the same.
What would change?
If I had to be specific, maybe the fantasies built up from adult videos would disappear a bit.
“But then! Why! Why does everyone want to do it so bad! Why are they all like, 'Let's gooo'!”
“Hey, that’s enough. You need to go home.”
At this rate, she was going to become a real-life Sex Master. I was about to tell Yoo Ah-rin to take her home, but...
“Let’s go together!”
Ye-rin grabbed my waist and wouldn't let go.
After struggling a few times to peel her off, I eventually gave in and decided to go with her.
However, going with just the two of us felt a bit awkward, so I called for Yoo Ah-rin to join us. She followed readily, but...
“Ah-rin.”
Jeong Chan-woo had come to pick up the drunken Yoo Ah-rin. Ah-rin’s expression immediately soured, but Chan-woo’s expression was unusually serious today.
“Ah-rin, could you come with me for a moment? Just the two of us?”
It seemed Chan-woo had something he wanted to say. He asked Ah-rin politely, but for some reason, she looked at me. It was as if she was shifting the decision onto me.
“Go ahead. I’ll take Seo Ye-rin home and then head back myself.”
“...”
Ah-rin shot me a look of extreme displeasure, but she didn't refuse to go with Chan-woo.
She probably noticed that the atmosphere around Chan-woo was different than usual.
In the end.
Yoo Ah-rin left with Chan-woo.
Hoping their serious conversation would end as peacefully as possible, I tried to support Ye-rin to lead her away.
“Hey, guys.”
Senior Han-gang approached us.
I thought I’d slipped away quietly without anyone noticing, but I’d run right into the person I wanted to avoid most.
“Where are you going?”
“Ye-rin is too drunk, so I’m taking her home.”
When I said that, Han-gang took a large step forward. It seemed his immediate thought was that he had to stop me.
“I’ll... I’ll take her.”
“No... It’s not like I’m going to do anything to her. I’m just taking her home.”
Especially now, she was blurting out things she used to say as Anonymous 69.
It would be troublesome if she showed that side to anyone else.
But the senior was persistent.
“I said I’ll take her. Woo-jin, I really want things to work out with Ye-rin. Give me a break here.”
He was probably stopping me because if he were in my shoes, he would never just take her home.
“You’re really frustrating—!”
“Senior.”
Ye-rin, who had been leaning on me, slowly stood up and looked at Han-gang with clear eyes.
Her pronunciation was so crisp and her posture so straight that it was hard to believe she was the same person who had been wasted just a moment ago.
“I’m going with Woo-jin.”
Only then did I realize I’d been played.
*
“...”
On the way home.
Kim Woo-jin, who was walking beside her, hadn't said a word for a while, making Seo Ye-rin’s heart feel increasingly anxious.
She had drunk quite a bit, but her mind was still perfectly clear. It was a moment where she realized she was stronger against alcohol than she’d thought.
On the other hand, she had nothing to say for herself now that her intentional act of being drunk had been exposed.
Kim Woo-jin was the Bamboo Forest Manager.
From the moment she found out, her heart had been thumping wildly, and it was hard to suppress the emotions surging within her.
It was difficult to even talk to him without pretending to be drunk.
As she traced back her thoughts...
There were many embarrassing things, starting from the time she sent him her photos.
But regardless, Ye-rin was simply happy that he was the manager.
Yet, even knowing that.
She couldn't say anything to Kim Woo-jin.
It was harder than she’d imagined to speak her true self—the side of her revealed through the Bamboo Forest.
Am I still the same?
Or was she just not ready yet?
The moment that thought crossed her mind.
“You said it was here, right?”
They arrived at Ye-rin’s studio apartment. Kim Woo-jin looked around, shoved his hands deep into his pockets, and gave an awkward farewell.
“Then I’m off. I was going to buy you some hangover drink... but it looks like you don't need it.”
Kim Woo-jin began to walk away slowly.
Watching his back, various emotions surged within Ye-rin. He was effectively the only person to whom she could show her true self.
Was it right to keep her inner self hidden even from him?
If so, until when?
If she kept suffering until her heart festered, wouldn't it be too late?
Woo-jin...
Didn't she already know that he accepted her "ugly" side—the Sex Master persona from the anonymous Bamboo Forest board?
Just once, have some courage.
Let’s try.
The moment that thought took hold, Ye-rin was already running forward.
She barely managed to catch the hem of Kim Woo-jin’s clothes before he got too far, bringing him to a halt.
“You really aren't drunk. You’re a fast runner.”
She thought the man in front of her, making useless small talk out of awkwardness, was cute.
But now that she’d caught him, what should she say?
Amidst various worries.
Ye-rin, hilariously, thought of the phrase most familiar to her.
“Ah...!”
And also the one that suited her least.
“Aaah!”
If she had to label it.
It was a sort of greeting to move their relationship into a new stage.
“I want to have sex!”