Group Project with Strangers (2)
Group Project with Strangers (2)
"Then noona too..."
"Hehe, in the chat room with the girls."
I thought she would play coy, but A-ra scratched her head, saying she was similar when she was with other women.
A-ra being coy and lying or stammering was cute, but A-ra speaking honestly and openly seemed cute too.
After finishing the meal and doing the dishes, I sank into the living room sofa.
Looking at the chat room made me feel like my mental fortitude was being shaved away.
As expected, doing a group assignment with strangers was too much for me...
I needed to become a third-year quickly so I wouldn't have to take electives...
"Seong-hwan-a, drink this."
"Thank you."
A-ra held out a cup containing the cola I had asked her to buy earlier while I was in a daze.
After taking a cool sip, my heart felt a little calmer for some reason.
"They say Coca-Cola used to have cocaine in it back in the day."
"Ugh... why would anyone drink that?"
"Apparently, back then, they boiled wine with medicinal ingredients to make it."
I should look up the history of Coca-Cola and similar things sometime.
It was fascinating that A-ra knew quite a lot of this and that, even though she wasn't the studying type.
Where did she get knowledge like this?
"Where else, Qtube of course."
"....."
"These days, if you're curious about something, don't you search Qtube first rather than a portal site?"
"Maybe that's just a sign of the times."
The Q&A communities on portal sites were just about due to disappear.
They were flooded with ads and nonsense, and full of posts with bizarre concepts,
making it hard to find proper information.
"Haaaam..."
I yawned, opening my mouth wide.
I heard that yawning happens because the brain lacks oxygen supply,
and that's why sleepiness comes.
Then what on earth is the reason yawns are contagious?
If people don't emit something when they yawn, why do they spread?
"Haaaam..."
"Noona yawned too."
"Yeah. I guess I'm tired."
A-ra yawned widely, covering her mouth, then turned to look at me.
Seeing her face relax and break into a smile made my heart feel much more at ease.
Then she held out both hands in front of me.
Did she want to hold hands?
"What is it?"
As I tilted my head and asked what she wanted, A-ra beamed brightly.
Anyone who saw that smile once would not be able to refuse A-ra's request.
"Hug me."
"All of a sudden?"
"You're not going to hug me?"
A-ra pushed out her lips, on the verge of sulking.
I smiled wryly and hugged her lightly.
"This is unusual. For noona to act like this."
"I said it honestly, so you should hug me once."
"Alright, alright. Since you were honest, I'll pat you, A-ra."
"Hehe."
With one hand I patted A-ra's back, and with the other I stroked her head.
Both were soft and warm, the sensation wonderfully gentle and pleasant.
"But the assignment seems a bit tough, huh?"
"Yeah... I'll probably have to meet them tomorrow..."
"Where did you agree to meet?"
"At school."
At our school, there were lounge areas here and there to comfortably do group assignments.
They were places where students didn't mind whether they were working on group projects or eating,
so they were far from quiet places...
Jeong-hwan and Lee Min-ho and I used to go there often too.
"That place, it's not a bad atmosphere, right?"
"It's not that kind of place. It's a place where seniors and classmates all go a lot."
"Hmm... then that's a relief."
A-ra seemed worried about something, burying her face in my chest.
The sound of her sniffing Keung-keung reached my ears.
"A delicious smell...."
"We ate just a little while ago?"
"Not that, not a food smell..."
She placed her finger on my chest and started drawing circles.
"A delicious smell is coming from you?"
"From me? Keung-keung..."
What kind of smell was coming from me that it was a delicious smell?
I brought my nose all over my body to smell, but the only scent wafting up was fabric softener.
"I don't smell anything?"
"There's no way."
She buried her face in my body again and started sniffing Keung-keung.
Ah...
A-ra wasn't really trying to say she smelled a scent on me.
She was declaring she was going to eat me up like food.
***
The next day.
I went to school earlier than usual and headed to the lounge.
The lounge, bustling as always, was a place I didn't want to enter today for some reason.
"Haa..."
What did I do so wrong...
If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have said that to the professor.
Was this reaping what I sowed?
"Let's just go in.."
But I still had to get the grade, didn't I?
If it were a regular assignment grade, I might have let it slide, but this assignment was in place of the final exam.
I was just dumbfounded.
As I entered the lounge, a familiar, heavy smell wafted out.
Jjajangmyeon, jjamppong, tangsuyuk....
It was the smell of good, cheap meals for poor university students who didn't like the cafeteria food.
"Looks like someone ordered jjajangmyeon."
You could tell instantly from the smell of oil and the sweet scent.
As expected, stimulating food was delicious.
"Seong-hwan-ssi! Over here!"
"Haa... calling my name is a bit..."
They probably didn't hear me, but irritation washed over me from the start.
I didn't know who it was, but the moment they saw me, they called my name and waved their hand,
and at that sight, I let out a sigh.
I only asked them to tell me where they were via chat, and she was shouting too?
This is driving me crazy...
Should I just drop out of university?
"Excuse me. I told you not to call my name."
"Huh? Ah... I'm sorry."
I had clearly told them in advance...
Maybe because of that, irritation and a headache started creeping in for no reason.
At the same time, a wave of pointless irritation surged up, and I just kept sighing.
"Haa..."
"But if I hadn't told you the spot, wouldn't it have been hard to find?"
But then, out of nowhere, she started spouting nonsense, putting on a tone that suggested I should be grateful because she was supposedly thinking of me.
Was her way of thinking just a bit different from mine?
Did she not understand that I didn't want to stand out?
"That's why the tables in the lounge have numbers on them, isn't it?"
"Aha..."
"Let's move somewhere else. I don't think we can do the group assignment here."
The eyes of the people inside the lounge started focusing on me.
If it were just one or two people, maybe not, but everyone who had been talking was now focused on me,
so in this state, we absolutely couldn't do the assignment.
"Somewhere else? Where to?"
"How about we go to a place like a cafe?"
"Hmm... a cafe..."
"Aren't cafes a bit noisy?"
"I think it would be less noisy than here?"
"Or would you like to come to my place? No one's home right now."
"What?"
What was this?
She didn't seem like someone in her right mind to me.
"Excuse me, are you crazy or something?"
"Huh? What about it?"
The other female students who were watching this situation with their arms crossed looked dumbfounded too.
I'd been listening, wondering what she was trying to say, and then she said something incredibly dangerous.
"Excuse me, you do know who this person is, to be saying something like that, right?"
"I know. He's a Qtuber, isn't he?"
"Then you must also know he's a married man with a wife?"
"Of course."
"And yet you say something like that? Are you some kind of crazy bitch?"
My groupmate stood up from her seat, looking even more dumbfounded than me.
Somehow, I could only stare blankly at the sight.
"I'll be going now."
"Huh? We haven't even started yet..."
"I'll make a new chat room as well. Let's not meet in person and just communicate through the chat room from now on."
"That sounds good. Seong-hwan-ssi, get home safely too."
"Uh..."
I was a little angry too, but seeing that, I suddenly felt like I was cooling down.
And it was a bit strange how the person who had just been suggesting I go to her house just sat there quietly, not getting angry or saying anything.
"Ha... fuck. This is just ruining a done deal."
"What?"
"Nothing. If you're leaving, just go."
Was my hearing going dull these days?
I probably misheard, right?
*
I left the lounge and was standing with my arms crossed, tilting my head in confusion, when the groupmates from earlier came out cursing.
We met eyes, and they approached me, saying it was good timing.
"Seong-hwan-ssi, be careful around that person earlier."
"The crazy bitch?"
"A crazy woman... anyway, it would be best not to go near her. I got a bad feeling yesterday and asked people in her department, and
it seems she tried to bring a man home in other places too."
"Crazy...."
It seemed she really was a repeat offender.
It was dizzying.
What should I do in a situation like this?
"Seong-hwan-ssi, don't you have something like a bodyguard?"
"No..."
"Doesn't the Director take care of things like that for you? You never know, so ask them to arrange it."
"But bringing a bodyguard to school..."
Wouldn't I be treated like a crazy person?
Why on earth would someone like me need a bodyguard in the first place?
"Then at least don't walk around alone."
"Even at school..."
"Hmm... thank you for worrying."
First, I bowed my head and thanked them.
"If she bothers you again, tell your wife or report her to the police."
"Make sure you do! That bitch needs to end up eating prison food!"
After saying those terrifying words, the two of them waved and left, and I gave a small wave back.
From now on, I shouldn't come this way, or if I do, I'll have to stick with Jeong-hwan and Lee Min-ho.
No... should I try talking to A-ra about it?
She'll probably worry though...