Chapter 14: New Member Welcome Party
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14: New Member Welcome Party
"…Shin A-young, I am never playing ranked with you again."
Inside the classroom, I spoke to the girl sitting directly behind me.
"Aw, why~?" Shin A-young grumbled.
I couldn't tell if she truly didn't know why or was just playing dumb. If it was the former, I felt a dire need to enlighten her. I pulled up a match history site on my phone and shoved the screen toward her face.
"…Do you not see the sea of red you caused?"
It was red. So red it looked like the screen was bleeding.
"……"
Shin A-young’s shoulders gave a little flinch. She briefly averted her eyes before glaring back at me as if she’d just remembered a counterargument.
"…But honestly, that wasn't all my fault. Don't you remember that one game? You played like total crap as a Jungle Meister."
"……"
"And you fed. A lot."
That…
Well, I had no defense for that.
"Besides, we won the last game," Shin A-young said, pointing at the very top of the history. That specific spot was the only one colored blue.
…Yeah, but that’s only because we kept playing until we finally managed to win one.
"Ahaha."
Lee Sol, who had been eavesdropping, let out a series of snickers.
"That’s all because I wasn't there. You guys need a Yuumi pro like me."
"…? Since when were you a Yuumi pro?"
That was news to me.
"Why? Want to play a round together—"
"No."
The answer came out instantly.
"……"
Shin A-young just sat there with a silent, beaming smile.
"Hey, why not…!"
Lee Sol flared up, her lips pouting. She grumbled, asking what the problem was.
…The fact that she didn't know the problem was the problem. Lee Sol really needed some self-reflection.
"You've gotten close to them pretty fast, haven't you?"
Ji Nuri, who had just walked into the classroom, showed interest after seeing us together. She looked surprised to see us chatting away like this.
Thud.
She sat in the seat next to mine and set her bag down. But the bag she was carrying wasn't her usual guitar case. It was just a normal backpack.
"……"
Hmm. I could pretty much guess what was going on.
"…Hey."
Ji Nuri scanned the room. Her eyes met mine, and she tentatively opened her lips.
"I want to join the Counseling Club too."
At that calm declaration…
"Huh…?!"
The reaction didn't come from me, but from behind. Shin A-young was blinking rapidly, looking quite shocked.
"…What happened to your other club?"
"I quit properly," Ji Nuri replied flatly.
It was an obvious answer. Looking for a new club meant she intended to leave her current one. It seemed Kang Han-sol’s attempts at persuasion had ended in failure.
— “…And since I rejected his confession again, he probably won’t come looking for me for a while.”
So she rejected him again. In a way, Kang Han-sol was impressive for confessing a second time. That’s not an easy thing to do.
Shin A-young leaned forward, bracing her hands on the desk.
"So suddenly? Why are you quitting?"
Shin A-young didn't know the details. To her, this news must have come out of nowhere. She looked a bit worried about what might have happened. Ji Nuri shrugged as if it were no big deal.
"Just… I wanted to experience different things?"
She offered the excuse casually. However, it seemed that wasn't entirely a lie.
— “I’ve felt like my skills have hit a wall lately. I needed a change of pace.”
It looked like she had been considering leaving the club anyway. It wasn't just because of the confession; Kang Han-sol’s confession had simply been the catalyst. Of course, I couldn't say the confession wasn't a factor at all.
"……"
Shin A-young’s lips twitched. She seemed to be contemplating something, her eyebrows wiggling up and down.
— “…Everyone’s joining the Counseling Club. At this rate… should I join too?”
She let that inner thought slip. What was her deal now?
"……"
Between this and the PC bang incident, it seemed Shin A-young was the type to get major FOMO. Of course, I didn't think she’d actually quit the Drama Club. She didn't seem to have the guts for it. She was all bark and no bite, after all.
Ji Nuri asked softly, "What do you think?"
Even if she asked, it wasn't something I could decide on the spot.
"I'll ask the President first."
Though I didn't think she’d agree to it so easily.
*
Clap, clap, clap—
"Welcome to our club!"
The President and Senior Min-ji welcomed Ji Nuri with a round of applause.
…This was a bit ridiculous.
"…Can you really decide this easily?"
It hadn't even been ten seconds. It felt like the decision was made the moment they heard the request. Even so, I felt they’d accepted her way too fast.
"It's fine," the President said, waving her hand dismissively. "We have to think about next year. Besides, we didn't get any freshmen this year, did we?"
"Well…"
She had a point. Both the President and Senior Min-ji would be graduating next year. If it were just me and Lee Sol left, it was a given that we’d struggle to find new members. As expected, the President had a plan for everything.
"Here. Take this."
The President pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Ji Nuri. It was an application form.
"Just submit it to the teacher by tomorrow."
"Thank you."
A lot of steps were skipped, but regardless, Ji Nuri had officially joined the Counseling Club. It felt a bit rushed, but hey, all’s well that ends well.
"Since Nuri just joined, this is perfect. Why don't we do it today?" Senior Min-ji suddenly brought up a new topic.
"…Do what?"
"A welcome party for the new members! We’ve been so busy with counseling that we haven't had a chance to do one yet."
She pulled out a white envelope. It looked quite thick.
"Let's use the club funds for a dinner out. Is there anything specific you guys want to eat?" She gave a playful wink. "Of course, attendance is optional, so feel free to come if you want."
She said it was optional, but it was essentially mandatory. In this kind of atmosphere, a normal person wouldn't even consider skipping—
"Oh, then I'll pass," Lee Sol said, raising her hand.
She immediately started packing her things, looking ready to head home right that second.
"Huh? Uh, wait…"
Senior Min-ji’s expression went blank. A normal person wouldn't skip. But what if that person was Lee Sol? Yeah, she was exactly the kind of person who could pull that off.
"……"
However, there was one thing Lee Sol hadn't considered.
"…Wait a second."
And that was the fact that one of the new members was Ji Nuri. Ji Nuri gave a bright smile and led Lee Sol out of the club room.
Slide—
The club room door closed.
"……"
I don't know what happened out there, but afterward, Lee Sol silently attended the welcome party.
…A "Lee Sol Suppressor" had been created in the Counseling Club.
*
"Phew~ I'm stuffed!"
"This place is pretty good."
Senior Min-ji and Lee Sol walked side by side, expressing their satisfaction.
…What was the deal with Lee Sol? She ended up eating the most.
"…She always acts like that, but she enjoys herself once she’s actually hanging out," Ji Nuri said, looking at her with disbelief.
Senior Min-ji, who was walking ahead, spun around and pointed toward a building.
"It feels a bit awkward to just head home now. Want to go to the arcade?"
An unmanned arcade next to the Malatang restaurant caught her eye. To be honest, calling it an arcade was a stretch; it was mostly filled with claw machines.
As she scanned the interior, Lee Sol kept glancing at me. When I met her gaze, wondering what she wanted, she made a request.
"…Got any cash? Lend me a thousand won."
…She was so much work. I felt like I was looking after a younger cousin. It wasn't a lot of money, so I pulled a thousand-won bill from my wallet and handed it to her.
"Thanks!"
Lee Sol took it excitedly. Since I’d lent her the money, I figured I might as well watch.
"Are you any good at these?"
"The real skill is finding the ones that are actually winnable. Let’s see…"
Lee Sol wandered through the arcade, inspecting the machines. She came to a halt in front of one.
"See this? It’s hanging right on the edge. This is a guaranteed win."
Lee Sol inserted the money and began nudging the lever. She moved her body around to check the angles before pressing the button with a tense expression.
Whirrr—
The tongs descended and grabbed the plushie firmly. It lifted it up quickly, holding on tight.
…Is she actually going to get it?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, the tongs lost their grip, and the plushie dropped right in front of the chute.
"……Wow, so close."
I let out an involuntary groan. It really almost worked. That was frustratingly close. Lee Sol seemed to feel the same way, looking up at me with pleading eyes.
"I think I can get it if I try just one more time…"
That was her way of asking for more money. Should I let her try just one more? I pulled another thousand won from my wallet.
"I'm definitely getting it this time…"
Her eyes sparkled with fierce determination. Her slender fingertips made minute adjustments to the lever. She moved back and forth between the front and side of the machine, seriously analyzing the angles. She took her sweet time until there were only three seconds left on the clock.
"Now!"
Thwack!
With a shout of determination, she slammed the button.
Whirrr…
Scrape.
The tongs went down, gave the plushie’s back a nice little scratch, and came right back up empty.
"……"
"……"
Yeah. Not even close. This machine was definitely rigged.
"…Hey."
Lee Sol sent another suggestive look my way, but I shook my head and turned around.
"Aw, come on! Just once! I really think I’ll get it next time!"
She clung to my waist, but no meant no. I dragged Lee Sol along as I moved. Since she was so light, it wasn't even that hard.
We arrived at a machine where the other members were gathered. Senior Min-ji was moving the lever with a serious expression.
"What are you trying to get?"
"…Saw Blade Boy."
If it’s Saw Blade Boy…
"Ah… the movie that came out recently?"
The President, who was watching from the side, gave a wry smile.
"…I think Min-ji is totally obsessed with it right now. It’s really popular these days."
She added that Min-ji had already seen it twice. Well, Senior Min-ji did like anime. Though she wasn't a hardcore fan and usually only watched the famous ones.
"……"
I glanced around. It really must be popular. Now that I looked, the arcade was filled with merchandise for characters from Saw Blade Boy.
…Maybe I should give it a shot too.
"You're going to try?"
"Yeah."
I nodded at Lee Sol’s question. Since I was here, I might as well try, even if I didn't get anything.
"Hmm."
This one looked good. I stood in front of a machine with expensive-looking figures. If I was going to do it, I wanted to try for something challenging. It was a pretty-looking character.
"What was this one's name again? Ri… Ri…"
— “Haa… Rizu, you are truly a vision of beauty.”
"?"
…What was that?
An inner thought suddenly drifted from behind me. When I glanced back, Ji Nuri was standing there with her arms crossed. I caught a glimpse of the piercings in her earlobes through her hair. She must have put them in as soon as school was over. She looked every bit the band member.
But…
— “The quality is actually really good for an arcade prize. Should I try for one? Ah, but I probably don't have any room left on my display shelf…”
She was thinking that with a dead-serious expression.
— “…Or should I just win it first and worry about that later?”
"……"
Ji Nuri was an otaku? Was I seeing this right? It was a similar feeling to when I first met Shin A-young.
"……"
No, more than that, it was surprising that I hadn't known until now. It meant she hadn't thought about this stuff at all while at school.
— “Should I go for Rizu after all? Or Miki?”
Ji Nuri’s Mini-Me was making a fuss, hopping up and down on the machine’s control panel. She looked incredibly excited.
"Ughhh…"
Just then, Senior Min-ji walked over with a dejected slouch. Judging by her face, she’d blown all her money.
"See, I told you to know when to stop."
"…Where did all my money go?"
The President was busy consoling her. Senior Min-ji asked with a tearful face, "…Did you guys get anything?"
"I'm about to try."
"What about you, Nuri…?"
"Not yet. I’m just… not sure which one to go for."
Senior Min-ji’s eyes lit up when she saw the machine Ji Nuri was standing in front of.
"Nuri, you know Saw Blade Boy too?"
Ji Nuri didn't deny it and gave a slight nod. But her approach was a bit different.
"Yes, it’s very popular lately. I thought this one was pretty."
Ji Nuri lightly pointed at the character with her index finger. She didn't use the character's name, which she had just been saying perfectly fine in her head. She was acting like she knew of it, but wasn't deeply familiar with it.
"Right? Miki is pretty too. I like the protagonist the best—"
Senior Min-ji went on and on about Saw Blade Boy, looking excited nonetheless.
— “I guess she doesn't know the series in that much detail.”
A normie who likes anime. Just that much. Ji Nuri defined Senior Min-ji’s level as such. And then, she continued to react to her words as if she knew nothing.
Watching her, I was speechless. She was incredible.
"……"
Between her and Shin A-young… maybe she really should consider becoming a professional actress.