The Iljin Meeting
No. I cut her request off cleanly and refused. But Choi Su-yeon refused to back down and fired back at me.
“Why not?”
“It’s not a place for you.”
“After saying all that, you told me that if I didn’t want to do the practice run for the date course I should just follow you there and act like your girlfriend? And I said okay?”
Even after we’d revealed we were the same age, Choi Su-yeon had kept using polite speech the whole time. Now she suddenly dropped it and spoke casually. That earlier line had been pure bluffing, a negotiation tactic because I was one hundred percent sure she would refuse…
I didn’t see this coming.
I never imagined she would actually agree to tag along. But I couldn’t just shut her down anymore. Like she said, I had already used this as a bluff before, so my own words had trapped me.
While I stood there at a loss, Choi Su-yeon’s condition started deteriorating again.
“So you really were lying, Senior? You just said whatever would sound nice to me, right? There wasn’t a single ounce of sincerity in it? That I’m a good woman, that I deserve to be loved… Yeah, I figured. Haha… Am I really getting fooled by someone twice in one day? Huh? Was that it? You wanted to do that to me?”
“Ah, no! Fine, let’s go together! If I stay glued to you the whole time, those bastards won’t try anything weird.”
Seeing her on the verge of another breakdown, I quickly gave in and allowed her to come along.
Then…
“Hehe, thank you, Senior. I really didn’t want to go home like this anyway.”
Choi Su-yeon’s expression flipped completely. Like nothing had happened, she returned to her usual high-energy vibe. Her face still carried some shadows, her eyes were swollen from crying and a little hollow, but she was smiling again.
I had no choice but to admit I’d been completely played by Choi Su-yeon.
Su-yeon and I headed to the meat restaurant that served as the meeting spot.
“Su-yeon, didn’t you say you’ve never been to a place like this before?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you know what those bastards actually do when they gather?”
“I know.”
“Then tell me.”
“They eat, then drink and smoke, right? After that they go to a motel or something? From what I’ve heard from my friends who hooked up with seniors or juniors, that’s what it sounded like.”
She really didn’t know a damn thing.
“Su-yeon, I’m giving you serious advice for the sake of your mental health. It’s not too late. Just turn around and go home.”
“I don’t want to. You pulled me out of the rain and took me all the way home, so take responsibility.”
“You might actually faint from shock. And once I’m in there I won’t be able to keep acting like this the whole time. Those guys will look at it funny. Do you seriously understand what they do in there and still want to go?”
“Stop making such a big deal out of it. Who do you think you’re fooling with the scare tactics? Just stop trying to blow smoke in my face and walk.”
This time I really wasn’t blowing smoke. I wondered if Choi Su-yeon was even imagining what she was about to witness.
……
While I worried about her in silence, we arrived at the meat restaurant.
“Su-yeon, I’m warning you, apologizing, and asking for your understanding all at once. From now on, no matter how I treat you inside there, and no matter what you see, don’t look surprised, don’t resist, and don’t act awkward. You’ll become prey.”
“Prey…?”
Inside the reserved private room of the meat restaurant, everyone except me was already seated. They had left the most prominent central seat empty.
“Yo, Han Seong-jin! You’re here? We saved you a seat, so hurry up and sit down.”
“Seong-jin Senior, hello!”
“Hello, Senior!”
The higher-ranked guys among the third-year delinquents greeted me somewhat casually. Among them was Hwang Seong-tae—the same bastard who had messed with Lee Yu-ri and Gong Yeong-bae on opening day, gotten beaten by me, and passed out.
The lower-ranked third-years stood quietly from their seats. The first- and second-years bowed at ninety degrees like underlings greeting their boss and shouted their greetings at the top of their lungs.
I had tattoos on my forearms, but every other first- through third-year in here was covered in even worse ink. No matter how you looked at it, this didn’t look like a high school gathering. It looked like a straight-up gangster meet. The moment Choi Su-yeon saw the atmosphere, she froze on the spot.
A few of the girls recognized her immediately.
“Huh? It’s Su-yeon! Hey, Su-yeon!”
“Ah… Hello, Ji-ah.”
A group of girls sitting on one side of the table waved at her cheerfully. Their leader was a curly-haired girl with two pairs of ear piercings, heavy makeup, and such extreme skin exposure that she looked more like a bar hostess than a student. Jeong Ji-ah, the boss of the second-year female delinquent crew that Choi Su-yeon belonged to.
“What the hell? You never showed up no matter how many times we invited you, but you came with Seong-jin Oppa?”
“She’s my girl, so I brought her.”
Choi Su-yeon glanced at me quietly. I deliberately wrapped my arm around her waist in a showy grip and pulled her firmly against my side.
“Ooooh~”
Cheers erupted from the guys around us. A lot of those voices were thick with envy.
Second-year Choi Su-yeon was a famous beauty among both regular students and the delinquents. They had all figured that the moment she showed up at one of these gatherings they could easily take a bite. But since she never came, she had remained nothing but a picture on the wall. Now that same girl had become my woman and was attending for the first time. Everyone who had secretly been planning to devour her could only swallow their disappointment and smack their lips.
“Bring one more chair.”
“Yes, Senior!!!”
I sat in the center seat and gave the order. One of the first-years immediately sprinted over with a chair like lightning and placed it beside me. Everyone naturally scooted over a little, making space. I deliberately kept her right next to me.
On Su-yeon’s other side sat Jeong Ji-ah, the boss of her crew. On my other side sat Hwang Seong-tae, our crew’s second-in-command.
Jeong Ji-ah poked Su-yeon’s cheek and teased her.
“Hey~ Look at this bitch. You were always talking about meeting college oppa this and that, so when the hell did you start dating Seong-jin Oppa? I’m so jealous. You’ve really made it, huh?”
“Ah, ahaha… M-made it, what are you…”
“Aww~ Seong-jin Oppa, you’re so mean. I really wanted to play a lot with you today, but if the opponent is Su-yeon I guess I can’t win. Or maybe you could let me join in too?”
“Let’s put that on hold for now.”
I cut everyone off. The moment I spoke, the whole room fell silent.
“We have a new guest today, so don’t make too much noise. Let’s eat quietly. Got it?”
“Yes!!!”
Hwang Seong-tae, sitting right beside me, slammed the table and raised his voice.
“Hey, you bastards. The boss is here and the glasses are empty. Get over here and pour drinks. Let’s see… among the first-years, the one with the best face is…”
When Hwang Seong-tae scanned the table with his eyes, I stopped him.
“Forget it. I’ll have Su-yeon pour for me.”
“Huh? Alright. Hey, bastards, the boss is good so come pour for me. Oh, you there. Come sit next to me.”
Hwang Seong-tae called over one of the first-years like he was ordering an escort and made her sit beside him. Even though she was still a minor, the girl poured drinks with practiced skill. After she sat down, Hwang Seong-tae openly started groping her breasts.
When Choi Su-yeon looked over in shock, I gave her a light elbow to the side as a warning. Only then did she snap out of it and silently turn her head the other way.
“Hey, Boss. It’s been a while since we all got together like this. Shouldn’t you say something?”
“Say something… Yeah, I should.”
I let out a sigh, paused for a moment, then looked at Hwang Seong-tae.
“Actually, why don’t you run the show today?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Pretend you’re the king and give it a shot. I’m not in the mood today. My condition’s shit.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I saw the corner of Hwang Seong-tae’s lips twitch upward. He had always been stuck as second-in-command because of me, watching his every move. Now that I had handed him the right to lead, he was probably thinking he was the king of this room right now—the very thing he had dreamed about.
Hwang Seong-tae didn’t refuse. He gladly accepted my offer, stood up, raised his glass, and shouted.
“You bastards, seeing you all like this really puts me in a good mood! Come on, let’s toast to our friendship lasting forever! Our friendship!”
Our friendship forever, my ass.
I clicked my tongue inwardly. Normal people wouldn’t sit around dividing ranks among friends like this.
After Hwang Seong-tae’s toast, the meat and alcohol started flowing in earnest. There were plenty of first- and second-years present, but every single one of these bastards lived life like it was already over, so they didn’t give a damn. Staff normally wouldn’t sell alcohol to minors, but the room was packed with obvious thugs, so none of the employees dared to come inside.
Jeong Ji-ah, the leader of the second-year female delinquents, kept firing questions at Choi Su-yeon nonstop. The other guys kept stealing glances at Su-yeon’s body. As the alcohol kicked in, the true purpose of this “gathering” slowly revealed itself.
“Chuuup… Ha…♥”
Hwang Seong-tae was kissing the first-year girl he had called over, tongues tangled deep. One hand was on her breast, the other inside her skirt, fingers moving busily. The girl had slipped her own hand inside his shirt and was groping his chest.
Jeong Ji-ah, sitting right next to Choi Su-yeon, had straddled some guy whose year I couldn’t even tell, rocking her hips on his lap while they groped each other and kissed sloppily.
Choi Su-yeon’s eyes widened in shock at the obscene scene unfolding right in front of her. She looked at me, her gaze screaming that she wanted to get out of here immediately.
I hadn’t planned to stay long anyway, and I didn’t want to expose her to this kind of filth for any longer than necessary. I stood up and spoke to everyone.
“Hey, if you’ve all eaten, let’s get moving.”
“Yes, Senior!”
The same group that had looked ready to start an orgy answered in loud unison, quickly gathering their clothes and standing up. Some of the first- and second-years who especially wanted to stay in my good graces immediately ran outside to pay the bill.
Because in this gathering, we third-years—especially me—were the kings.
Tsk.
Even that didn’t sit well with me. That money had obviously been collected by harassing and extorting other students.
Now that the meal was over, I was going to leave and declare that I wouldn’t be attending any more of these gatherings. But then…
“Su-yeon! This is our first time coming together like this, so we’re going to karaoke for round two, right? We booked a room at Junko.”
“Huh? I…”
Choi Su-yeon glanced at me, checking my reaction. Before I could say anything, Jeong Ji-ah had already grabbed her arm and was pulling her along.
“You’re not going to ditch us after coming all the way here, are you? Honestly, I was a little upset that you never come out to places like this. Since you’re already here, let’s have some real fun, yeah?”
God damn it.
I could have dragged Choi Su-yeon out with me. The problem was that while I planned to cut all ties with these bastards starting today, Su-yeon couldn’t do the same. Even after today, she had no choice but to stay in that group for a while longer. Even if the relationships were fake and built on lies, that crew was the only thing giving her anything close to “friends” right now.
I would have to make her cut them off eventually, but it was still too early. No matter the reason, if she bailed again here, her reputation among them would be completely ruined. They would say she was acting high and mighty or that she was arrogant because she had Han Seong-jin backing her.
Since we were in different years, it would be hard for me to protect her properly. These kinds of people shout “our friendship forever” with their mouths, but the moment they get even slightly upset they’ll brand and sink the same kids they were hanging out with yesterday.
I could pull her out, but then she would have to bear every consequence alone. I couldn’t let her get marked like that.
Leaving her here and going alone? That was even more impossible.
“Everyone out. The ones who booked the Junko room, lead the way.”
The time to leave this gathering had been pushed back a little further.