Three Days of Observation
Three days had passed since that day. Three days wasn't exactly a short amount of time. During that period, I'd observed Kang Ajin and gathered quite a bit of information as a result.
First piece of intel: she was juggling school and part-time jobs. It wasn't confirmed, but that was the rumor going around. Plenty of people claimed to have spotted her working shifts, though the stories didn't line up. One person said they'd seen her at the convenience store during the graveyard shift. Another mentioned her managing a café on weekend afternoons. Someone else swore they'd caught her at a barbecue restaurant. There were even sightings at a PC bang, a billiards hall, and even as a wedding guest for hire. She'd apparently worked every kind of job imaginable in the past, but these days it seemed she was only at two places—the convenience store and the café manager gig, if I remembered right.
Second piece of intel: she was flat broke. Again, just my guess, but there was plenty of circumstantial evidence. Her pen name, Three Meals a Day Cup Ramen, pretty much said it all—she was always eating cup ramen for lunch. Even at the café, when everyone else ordered coffee, she'd said she wasn't having anything. The way she hesitated over spending money made it obvious. That explained why she was grinding through so many part-time jobs like the first intel suggested.
Third piece of intel: surprisingly, she had a bright and easygoing personality. She was just extremely shy around strangers; she didn't seem gloomy or withdrawn at all. I remembered four days ago when I'd bought her a chocolate latte—she'd looked genuinely happy. That moment had brought us a little closer. Man, I want to buy her something again. The way she'd sucked on the straw like a hamster had been worth every won. The memory made the corners of my mouth twitch upward.
That was when it happened.
"Huh?!"
I was heading toward the dorm when a familiar face appeared from the opposite direction. The moment I spotted her, my brows furrowed on instinct. The girl who'd spotted me at the same time lit up with a bright smile.
"Waaah!"
She waved both hands wildly, her expression sunny. That alone told you everything you needed to know about her personality—the exhausting kind that made hanging out with her a chore. Yeah. Ignore her. I stared at the ground and pretended not to see her.
"Hoonie Hoonie! It's Seokhun!"
"...I'm just gonna keep walking."
"Hehe, you can't. Come here."
"Noona, please."
This girl's name was Han Yeri. A year older than me, with striking natural brown hair. The kind of senior who didn't act like a senior at all. She was my number-one person to avoid because she was so loud and clingy. Every time we met, she sucked the life out of me. Today was no exception—she was already draining my energy dry.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
"Nowhere in particular. Just somewhere you're not."
"Yaaah~ That actually hurts. You can't just walk past a beauty like me~"
"Pretty sure the word 'beauty' is missing a few letters. It just says 'crazy,' Noona."
"Ahahaha! I really wanna hit you! Like, super hard!"
"Wow, we're finally on the same page. Same here. Well then—"
I tried to make a quick exit, but she grabbed my hood and yanked me back. If I got dragged along like this, things were going to get exhausting fast. I poured every ounce of strength I had into moving forward, but it was useless. My feet felt glued to the ground. What the hell, why is this noona so strong?
"H-Help me."
"Okay, okay. Noona will save you. Come with me!"
In the end, I gave up, exhausted. What the hell. She looked so skinny, but where did all that power come from?
"Haah. What is it this time?"
"I'm bored. Play with me~"
"I'm not your toy, Noona. Sorry, but not today. I'm actually busy."
"Eh? Why? Got plans?"
"...Give me a second. I need to come up with an excuse."
"Eheheh! You're really gonna keep doing that? If you've got nothing, then come with Noona!"
"Wait, just a second! I'll make plans right now, so please let go!"
"Nope. Let's make plans together! We'll go on a cozy little date."
"Ughhh. This is date violence. Also, don't you have other noonas and hyungs to hang out with? Go bother them instead of kidnapping random people!"
"They're boring. Teasing you is way more fun."
"You're insane..."
"Eheheh."
She flashed a victorious grin and dragged me off somewhere. Actually, "kidnapped" felt like the more accurate word. Either way, I was being pulled along by my hood. By the way, how am I supposed to get closer to Kang Ajin? Even while being dragged, my thoughts kept spinning. The reason I'd gathered all that info on her was simple—I wanted to get closer. Not in a romantic way, obviously. Just as a reader to an author. And if we got closer, maybe I'd get spoilers for the next chapter. But all my efforts seemed to be going nowhere. I really don't know... There was no angle to work with. It felt hopeless. I had no idea where to even start. I'd run through every possible simulation in my head, and they all ended with her kicking me away. Was there any other way? Also, what was this noona doing? She'd been throwing little jabs at me for a while now, like she had something to say.
"What? Got something to tell me?"
"Oh, right. A few people are at the club room. Just giving you a heads-up."
So that's where we were—the club room. I glanced at the sign hanging above the door. CNC. The theater club's activity room, famous even on campus.
"Is this okay? I'm an outsider with zero connection to this place."
"Relax! I'm the boss here. If anyone's got a problem, tell them to take it up with me."
"..."
Abuse of power much.
"Oh, and one more thing. There's a girl in the corner typing on her laptop. Probably best not to talk to her."
"Why? Is she some scary senior?"
"Pfft. Why are you so nervous? Don't worry, she's a girl."
She let out a bright laugh before continuing.
"She's just really shy. If you try to act friendly and she ignores you, you'll just end up disappointed, you know?"
"Act friendly? Look, sorry, but I'm not crazy like you, Noona. How would I even do that with someone I've never met?"
"Aww, come on. You're not that different from me. Anyway, let's go in."
She opened the door first and stepped inside. I followed awkwardly behind her. Just like she'd said, the room was packed. At a glance, there were at least ten people, all strangers, which only made me feel more out of place.
"Oh, you're here."
"Hurry up, Yeri. The ramen's gonna burn."
They waved us over without a second thought. Weird. It was my first time meeting them, yet they acted like it was nothing. Maybe this was normal for them. Probably not the first time an outsider had been brought in.
"Huh?"
My gaze landed on a girl. When I squinted, her face came into focus. A blonde girl in an oversized cardigan. Kang Ajin. Oh shit! Running into her somewhere I never expected was jarring. So the corner laptop girl Noona had mentioned was her? She was indeed tucked away in the corner, typing away on her own. But why was she here? Was she part of CNC too?
"Tsk. Even as a guy, you've got no shame."
"What?"
"Even another girl can admit she's pretty. Still, you should probably leave her alone. Like I said, she doesn't like people getting too close."
"..."
When I just stared blankly, Noona covered her mouth, clearly holding back laughter. What was with that shady look? It felt like she was jumping to some weird conclusion. I clicked my tongue.
"Noona, is Kang Ajin part of this club too?"
"Yep. She joined last year as a freshman. She's a veteran now."
Surprising. She didn't seem like the type who'd want to be part of a group. But that wasn't important right now. This unexpected meeting was an opportunity. A connection. Relationships started with connections. If I could create one with her, it would help my plan. Maybe it was the only key I needed. Suddenly, I felt grateful to Noona for dragging me here.
"Who's that next to you? A junior from your department?"
A guy sitting in the middle with his legs crossed, scrolling on his phone, nodded toward me. Instinctively wanting to make a good impression, I bowed my head.
"Choi Seokhun, class of '23!"
"Oh, cool. Welcome."
"He's pretty handsome, though. We have a strict no-handsome-guys policy here. What should we do? Kick him out or make him leave?"
"Huh?"
"Hahaha! We're not kicking anyone out. It's fine, Seokhun. Ignore them and come in."
For a second, I thought I'd misheard. I never expected someone I'd just met to crack a joke like that. After a moment of flustered silence, I managed to stammer out a reply.
"Uh, I'm not that good-looking... Honestly, I think the seniors should be the ones leaving instead of me."
"What? Puhahaha!"
"Whoa, the junior's already telling us to get lost."
"Look at us right now. It's just you and us. Have you looked in a mirror? Where else is there a handsome guy besides me?"
It wasn't flattery—it was the truth. Given the nature of the club, everyone here had the kind of looks that worked well on stage. But their energy was just as intense as their faces. These social butterflies were on the same level as Han Yeri Noona—draining and overwhelming. An introvert like me couldn't possibly understand them.
"Aww, he's cute. Class of '23 means he's twenty-one, right? Perfect cute age."
"Anyway, come on in. Help with the ramen while you're at it."
Thanks to the seniors' high sociability, I quickly blended into the atmosphere. Still, this wasn't the time to be casually eating ramen. Tsk. Would they even accept me if I applied now? Recruitment season had long passed. Asking to join this late felt like a burden. Hmm. I didn't necessarily need to join to make a connection, but it felt like a waste to let this chance slip by. Maybe I could use Noona's connections to get special treatment? I was lost in that pointless thought when—
—BANG!!!
"Breaking news!!!! Urgent breaking news!!!!"
"Agh, you crazy bitch! I told you not to do that!"
Two girls burst in, shattering my train of thought.
"Park Heena got a guy's number!!!!"
"Please shut up, you lunatic!!!"
"Our virgin queen Park Heena!!! She finally got a guy's number?!!! Ahahaha!!!!"
"You insane bitch!!! Be quiet—!"
The girl who'd been yelling suddenly locked eyes with me. Instinct told me to look away, so I glanced to the side. But the damage was already done.
"..."
The girl called Park Heena slowly backed out of the room. Then, with a swift motion—
—BANG!
She slammed the door shut behind her. Yeah, having your sex joke moment in front of a complete stranger probably wasn't fun. I would've run too. Pfft—! Oh, there was someone here who didn't know. Snrk! Heena, sorry! I'm coming with you!
"Uh, don't worry about it and just eat your ramen. They're crazy."
"..."
Hard not to worry when it's right in front of me.