Second Year
Second Year
After my birthday and our wedding anniversary passed, time truly flew by.
Every morning I saw A-ra off to work,
did the laundry, cleaning, and dishes, played with Lil' One, and when A-ra came home, we ate dinner — a repeating cycle.
But maybe it was because I spent time with Lil' One.
I felt like my break hadn't been boring or tedious at all.
Whenever I was alone without A-ra, I was always bored and had nothing to do,
but with Lil' One around... should I say my heart felt a bit more at ease?
It was one of those moments where I could really understand why people keep companion animals.
First of all, the biggest reason was probably that raising a puppy kept you busy without a moment's rest.
From potty training onward, there were so many things to pay attention to at any given moment — training, going out for walks while carrying her —
that it simply didn't leave room to feel bored or find things tedious.
Isn't it the same reason Go-Stop is said to be good for preventing dementia — because you're exposed to an environment where you have to constantly memorize and calculate scores,
your mind clears up and gets trained in the process?
It was similar to that.
As I spent my time like that, before I knew it, March 1st — the start of the semester — had arrived.
"Squishy, Daddy's going to school."
As I was putting on my shoes at the front door, she came scampering all the way to the entrance, thinking I was about to take her out too.
Lil' One, who still hadn't shed her baby puppy look and had come running with her little pattering steps, tilted her head.
"I'm sorry. If it were up to me, I wouldn't want to leave you alone..."
Only a lunatic would bring a puppy to university, right?
And it was about time for Lil' One to get used to spending time alone, too.
It broke my heart, but this was for our Lil' One's own good.
I squeezed my eyes shut, opened the front door, and stepped outside.
"So I'm a 2nd year starting today..."
Until last year, I had spent my school life with the title of freshman,
but starting this year, I would be going through it with the title of senior — or returning student.
Underclassmen... so the class of '18, huh...
Anyway, it probably wouldn't matter much to me, since I'd only gotten close to two people over the course of a whole year.
***
"Seong-hwan-ssi! Please!"
"...My wife and puppy are waiting for me at home."
I had been trying to head home quickly to take care of Lil' One,
but our department president pushed past the other seniors and came rushing over to me.
I tried to escape using the excuse that Lil' One and my wife were waiting at home,
but she still wouldn't let me go.
Of course, I didn't mean she was physically touching me —
just that she wouldn't step aside to let me leave.
"We're heading out first."
"You guys have no loyalty!"
"Loyalty? Who was it that handed you over to your sister-in-law when you passed out drunk last year?"
"Ugh..."
Jeong Hwan-yi and Lee Min-ho were absolutely brimming with plans to ditch me and make their escape.
No — they had already finished all their preparations to flee.
Those bastards...
"This time, if Seong-hwan-ssi doesn't come, not just the returning students, but the freshmen too said they won't attend... sniffle..."
Behind the president, who had started her crying act,
seniors and underclassmen were poking their heads out, one after another.
Normally, 2nd years don't participate in the Freshman Welcome Party.
So when the president came into the lecture hall after class ended, I had wondered if there was some other matter.
But my assumption was off, and the president's words were truly astounding.
Apparently, if I didn't show up this time, the freshmen were planning not to attend the Freshman Welcome Party either.
Still, the part about the freshmen not coming seemed like a lie...
There was no way freshmen who would never want to get on the seniors' bad side would do something like that.
"You listened to last year's president's request, didn't you? So this time too, just think of it as saving my life..."
"It's not like you'd actually die, ma'am."
"As you know, Seong-hwan-ssi, the professors also attend the Freshman Welcome Party — you know that!"
So she was saying I might get on the professors' bad side from the very first day of the semester.
And hearing words like that made my resolve weaken for no good reason.
That aside, last year's president really didn't need to feel so sorry about it.
Back then, I was a freshman, after all.
"It's really fine even if you don't do anything at all and just sit there quietly..."
If I stopped by the welcome party and then went home, I would arrive around 6 o'clock.
Then I could comfortably prepare dinner, and... I'd have plenty of time to play with Lil' One too.
I let out a deep sigh and scratched my head.
"Haa... Alright..."
"R-... Really?! Haa... What a relief."
When I nodded because she said it was fine if I didn't do anything,
the president's face immediately looked like she was about to burst into tears.
Then she hurriedly pulled her phone out of her pocket and showed me the screen as she sent a mass message to what looked like a group chat.
So the president was in the chat rooms for every year, from 1st years to 4th years.
"In exchange, it's okay if I just show my face briefly and then leave, right? My puppy is still a baby."
If it were up to me, I'd just go home, president or Freshman Welcome Party be damned,
but isn't that kind of thing just part of social life?
No matter how much Lil' One might be at home whining and crying because she missed me,
there was nothing I could do about it.
"Of course! It's perfectly fine even if you just accept one drink and go!"
Last time it had been full participation, but this time they said I just needed to show my face and then leave.
Considering that I'd stayed until late at night the previous time, this was at least a relief.
*
"Sunbaenim, you're not drinking?"
"I brought my car."
"Ah... That's a bit of a shame."
Since I felt a little awkward just walking straight out, I decided to stay for a decent amount of time.
Maybe they'd already received some kind of warning, because no one tried to force drinks on me, so I just sipped my cola.
"I, um, applied here because I wanted to go to the same school as you, sunbaenim."
"Pardon...? Isn't that a little extreme..."
No matter how scary fan devotion can be, there were still limits.
I didn't know what kind of reaction I was supposed to show to the statement that he had chosen his school because of me.
Maybe he noticed my expression.
The male underclassman suddenly laughed loudly and downed the beer he was holding in one go.
"Ahaha! I'm joking, joking!"
"I-... I'm sure you are, right? Phew... I'm the only one who took it seriously again."
If it had been real, this underclassman would have been confirmed a lunatic.
He would have become a scary person I shouldn't get close to.
"But it's not like I had zero such thoughts."
"So, you're saying... you had some degree of fan devotion?"
"Yeah. Still, I'm satisfied since it's an In-Seoul university."
Apparently, he had come to this school even though he could have gotten into a better university.
I suppose I was glad that he said he was satisfied.
Well, it was his choice, so it wasn't really my place to meddle.
"So, do a lot of male viewers watch my videos?"
"Not as many as women, but the fanbase is solid. Are you doing that thing where you pretend you don't know how famous you are?"
"No... it's not an act, it's real..."
Every now and then, people would ask me if the way I behaved was an act,
but I had never once put on a persona.
If anything, if I tried to establish a persona and put on an act,
my body would freeze up so I couldn't move, or I'd start stuttering —
so I couldn't even consider it.
"Then what about when you spilled the broth in the mille-feuille nabe video?"
"My foot caught on the lighting cord, so I..."
"And in the fried chicken video, when you got the flour and the frying mix mixed up?"
"I confused the containers I'd stored them in..."
"Uh... So it was all reality, then?"
"Yes..."
The other freshmen underclassmen listening nearby were laughing as if they were dumbfounded too.
I had explained my idiot-like behavior in videos before,
but hearing it in person seemed to make it even more ridiculous to them.
Watching my underclassmen's reactions, I just drank my cola.
*
"Madam President, I'll be heading off now."
"You really worked hard today, and I'm sorry for bothering you."
"I had fun seeing all the underclassmen, so don't mention it."
Unlike last year's Freshman Welcome Party, there wasn't anyone to make a big ruckus, but strangely, I had fun.
Was it because the freshmen underclassmen who came in this year had a lot of personality?
I got the feeling that if I filmed a video with people like them, it would turn out entertaining.
"But will you be alright going alone?"
"I came by car, so it's fine."
"Ah, Seong-hwan-ssi, you did have your own car."
The Porsche Cayenne shining brilliantly in front of the restaurant right now — that was my car.
Earlier when I was pulling into the parking lot, I saw the underclassmen looking at my car with fascination,
and I thought this must be why people drive sports cars or expensive foreign cars.
I guess I was developing a vanity I'd never had before.
No... at this rate, I might actually end up getting corrupted.
***
"Woof!"
"Squishy~"
When I got home, A-ra was walking slowly out of the kitchen, and Lil' One was toddling along.
My face automatically softened into a motherly expression.
"You came home sober this time, huh?"
"Didn't I clearly tell you I wouldn't be drinking?"
I was pretty sure I had told her in advance over the phone earlier.
"I wonder? Seong-hwan definitely said he'd come home without drinking, but he has a track record of drinking anyway~"
"Ahem... there were extenuating circumstances for that."
"Sure, sure~"
A-ra spun around and headed back into the kitchen.
Lil' One followed behind A-ra into the kitchen, too.
Did she like her mom more than me?
That stung a little.
"Don't make that face. You were late, so I fed her, and now she's following me around."
"That-... that's what it is, right?"
It had only been two months — wouldn't it be sad if she turned away from me?
I'd have to try and win Lil' One's favor somehow.
At times like this, should I give her something like Cesar treats to diligently coax her?
Or should I try bribing her with snacks or something?
Hmm... no particularly good ideas came to mind.