Chapter 98: Ticketing
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: Ticketing
If Choi I-seo had truly wanted to, I was willing to go to a different PC Bang.
It wasn't like this was the only one around, and I didn't want to make things unnecessarily uncomfortable for her.
However, it was Choi I-seo herself who changed her mind and said we should just stay at Zero PC Bang.
—It’s not like I can avoid them forever anyway.
She had a point.
Rather than having things be awkward when we ran into each other at school, it was probably better to meet like this and set the tone for how she’d deal with Ahn Hyun-ho moving forward.
Still, there was no need to sit right next to them. I hung my coat on a seat a good distance away and then approached the three of them.
"Hi, you morons."
"Who invited this guy?"
Pyo Jin-ho immediately scowled at my cheerful greeting. Kang Han-gang and Ahn Hyun-ho didn't look particularly thrilled to see me either.
"Look at you guys, becoming besties. Congratulations."
I clapped, celebrating the fact that these idiots had bonded.
"We didn't invite you, so how are you here?"
"Who was it? Who called him?"
"Wasn't me."
"Cut the crap. I'm here for an assignment. I'm not a man of leisure like you lot."
Wait, these bastards really did come here without me?
Honestly, I wouldn't have come even if they had asked, but knowing I wasn't even invited made me feel strangely annoyed.
"Hey, since you're here, sit down and help us with ticketing. We're going to the U-Ai concert."
"The three of you?"
Pyo Jin-ho nodded boldly. However, the expressions on Ahn Hyun-ho and Han-gang’s faces behind him told a different story.
"Doesn't look like they're on board?"
When I pointed with my chin and asked, Pyo Jin-ho whipped his head around to root out the traitors.
"I'm... going with my girlfriend."
"I was going to ask I-seo. She's a huge U-Ai fan."
Han-gang’s game was so insane that he’d already landed a girlfriend before even heading to the military. He and Pyo Jin-ho started bickering, but I ignored them.
"Choi I-seo is a U-Ai fan?"
"You didn't know?"
Ahn Hyun-ho wore a smug winner's smile.
I scratched the back of my head with an ambiguous expression. I was wondering how to explain the situation when I felt a tap on my back and caught a whiff of a refreshing scent.
"Where's our spot?"
Choi I-seo was wearing a white sweater, looking effortlessly put-together in a way that felt subtly intentional.
As she walked up beside me, she locked eyes with Ahn Hyun-ho and the others. She gave them a brief wave and moved on.
"I hung my coat over there."
I answered awkwardly under the piercing glares of the guys, but Choi I-seo didn't hesitate and headed straight for the seats.
The moment she was out of earshot, the losers immediately started chirping.
"You son of a bitch, you're NTR-ing her right in front of us!"
"Don't make me out to be the bad guy! You never even dated her, so why are you making me look like a creep?!"
I immediately flipped the bird at Ahn Hyun-ho, who was pointing his finger at me in disbelief.
"Is Ye-rin coming too? Don't tell me you're going to flaunt being with her right in front of my eyes as well."
Since it had been less than a few hours since I’d spent the night at a PC Bang with Seo Ye-rin, my conscience pricked me slightly, but...
"I'm sorry, but aren't you the last person who should be saying that to me, Senior? You already have a girlfriend, so why are you even bringing up Seo Ye-rin!"
It was infuriating how this guy acted like he’d die without Seo Ye-rin while still doing everything he wanted on the side.
"You're not in that kind of relationship with Ah-rin too, are you?"
"Definitely not with her!"
When I barked back in frustration, Pyo Jin-ho nodded, looking relieved.
In the end, only Ahn Hyun-ho was left huffing and puffing with hatred toward me. We parted ways after exchanging middle fingers.
"Fuck you."
"Yeah, double fuck you."
Leaving the idiots behind, I walked over to Choi I-seo, who was already settled and practically swallowed by the large gaming chair.
She looked like she was about to fall asleep, so I sat down next to her with a small smile.
"Have you eaten?"
"Not yet. I fasted so I could eat after working out."
It was already well past lunch, and she still hadn't eaten?
"Order something. My treat."
As I spoke while pulling up the familiar ordering screen, Choi I-seo stared at me intently before covering her mouth.
"Ahem, ahem."
"What? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Let's see, what should I get?"
Choi I-seo leaned toward me to browse the menu. Since everything at the PC Bang was high in calories, she seemed to be struggling with the choice.
'Damn.'
Our shoulders brushed slightly, and her chest grazed my arm every now and then. It felt strange.
Between yesterday and today... was a PC Bang always such an erotic place?
"I'll have the spicy ramyeon."
I quickly added the ramyeon and two coffees to the cart and placed the order. Since it would take a while for Chan-woo to bring it over, I started downloading the materials I’d emailed to myself. Choi I-seo glanced around and whispered softly.
"We... we look like a couple."
"..."
"Thanks for the food."
Choi I-seo was acting completely different from how Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin had been yesterday. It made me feel good, but it also made me feel uneasy.
"...I'm only buying it so I can put you to work."
I tried to sound blunt, but Choi I-seo just gave a small laugh and nodded, as if she thought I was just trying to hide my embarrassment.
"Sure, I'll help."
Should I call it cozy?
Or maybe fluffy?
Either way, my heart felt strangely at ease. I wasn't so dense that I didn't realize it was because I was with Choi I-seo.
Just then, Chan-woo brought the drinks and ramyeon. While waiting for Choi I-seo to finish eating so we could start, I remembered something.
"By the way, are you a U-Ai fan?"
Recalling what Ahn Hyun-ho had said earlier, I asked the question. Choi I-seo nodded while slurping her noodles.
"Yeah. Most of my playlist is U-Ai songs. I listen to her when I work out, too."
"The guys over there are trying to get tickets for her concert. I think it's a year-end show or something?"
"Really? I love her, but I've never really thought about going to a concert."
The competition was notoriously fierce, so that made sense.
"It shouldn't take long. Want to try ticketing too?"
When I suggested it, Choi I-seo stared at me blankly, swallowed her ramyeon, and asked cautiously.
"Are you... asking me on a date?"
"Why are you framing it like that? We're just going to see a concert."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
Though she tilted her head in confusion, she quickly pulled up the ticketing site.
However, since neither of us had ever done this before, we felt a bit lost.
"Do we just keep hitting refresh?"
"Do you know what time the tickets go live?"
"It says here the booking starts at 3:00."
"About ten minutes left."
I thought about looking up some tips, but then I remembered there were people right over there already preparing with feverish intensity.
"I'll go ask them for a second."
I hopped out of my seat and headed toward the idiots. Chan-woo was also there, watching them with ten minutes to go.
"Ah, don't come over here. If you join us, the whole gang is here, and it reminds me of that time!"
"Technically, the bald guy isn't here, so the whole gang isn't together."
"Ugh!"
When I joked back at Ahn Hyun-ho’s complaint, Chan-woo strangely took the hit, his face turning pale.
"We're going to try ticketing too. Give us some tips."
I noticed they were looking at a clock that was different from the standard one. Where did they find that?
"Piss off, Kim Woo-jin!"
"Eat shit, you show-off!"
The morons immediately flipped me off.
Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho even stuck their tongues out to mock me.
"You think we'd help you? Why would we increase the competition?"
"Go do your assignment! There’s no mercy or consideration in ticketing. It’s a winner-take-all game! Winning is everything!"
"Please, just fuck off to the military already."
"Oh, you're coming too!"
"You're going to be my junior. Good luck with that."
"P-P-Private K-K-Kim Woo-jin!"
"R-Reporting for duty!"
"...You bastards."
Defeated, my shoulders slumped. For a moment, imagining Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho as my seniors in the military was more than just dizzying—it was terrifying.
But then.
"Stop crying and talk, you idiots."
"Waaaaah!"
"Sniff."
I clicked my tongue as I saw tears welling up in Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho’s eyes. They quickly turned back to their screens, pretending they weren't crying.
They were hurting themselves by trying to project a future they hadn't even experienced yet onto me.
Anyway, it was clear they weren't going to give me any tips, so I decided to try a different tactic.
I caught Ahn Hyun-ho’s eye and gestured for him to come over. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stomped over with a rebellious air.
"What."
"Give me some tips. I-seo really wants to go."
"You think I'm gonna let you go with her?"
"If I tell I-seo that you helped us out, don't you think you'll have a better shot than you do now?"
"..."
"Your image is already in the gutter. Isn't this a chance to redeem yourself even a little bit?"
"..."
"To be honest, I wouldn't like it if you dated Choi I-seo either. But couldn't you at least stay close friends?"
"..."
"Is our friendship just something that falls apart after one night of drinking? Or is it love?"
I put my arm around his shoulder and whispered with a smile. Ahn Hyun-ho’s expression began to waver.
He glanced at me, nodded, and shared the ticketing tips.
Then, because the other two had been so obnoxious, I gave him one more instruction.
"That's a bit..."
Ahn Hyun-ho hesitated after hearing my plan, but I slapped my forehead and said,
"Hey, wake up. Those guys are going to the military soon. Do you want to see them cheering because they got tickets? Or do you want to see I-seo smiling because she got hers?"
"..."
"Don't you want to hear I-seo say, 'Hyun-ho, thank you so much!' after she succeeds?"
My words seemed to seal the deal. Ahn Hyun-ho nodded firmly and returned to his seat.
Perfect.
A wicked smile spread across my face. As I walked past the three of them, I raised a fist.
"Good luck, guys."
They looked confused as to why I was suddenly cheering for them, but I ignored them and returned to my seat.
"You're back? Did they tell you?"
"Yeah, there's a specific clock to use."
I quickly passed on the tips I’d gotten from Ahn Hyun-ho and prepared for the ticketing.
"I-I'm kind of nervous."
"It feels like registering for classes."
"Exactly like that."
We continued chatting and laughing, but as the time drew near, I gave Choi I-seo a warning.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"No matter what you hear, just ignore it and focus on the ticketing. Got it?"
"...What does that mean? What did you do?"
"Nothing much. Ten seconds left!"
The clock ticked down.
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
"Ahn Hyun-ho, you son of a bitch! Why did you turn off my computer?!"
"Are you insane?! I've been waiting an hour for this! You psycho!"
"Huh?"
Choi I-seo turned around in surprise.
"That's two down."
With a winner's smile, I focused on the ticketing.
"...It actually worked."
They weren't the absolute best seats, but I managed to snag two seats side-by-side.
"Ah, I failed."
Choi I-seo looked disappointed. But when I showed her that I’d succeeded, she beamed with joy.
Finally.
I stood up slightly and looked over to see Ahn Hyun-ho getting pummeled.
Even so, his eyes were fixed on me. I gave him a wink and a thumbs-up.
"Thanks, Hyun-ho!"
"You motherfucker! Not you!"
But hey, I was the one who got the tickets.