The Second S-Rank Talent

"Oppa, wanna hang out with us?"

A familiar system message. The Mongma's Blessing, which was nearing its end, had popped up at just the right moment.

Seo Joo-hwan, spotting it, replied immediately.

"Haha, sure, why not?"

There was no way he'd turn that down. Hip-hop or whatever, who cared. For starters, the girl in front of him had a pretty face and an overwhelmingly open mind. That alone was reason enough to hang out.

"Heehee, then let's party together tonight!"

She hooked her arm through his as she spoke.

Squish.

Of course, her breast pressed against his arm. She'd stashed her jacket in a locker, apparently, and was wearing a tight white sleeveless tee paired with skin-tight jeans. The glimpse of her sky-blue bra strap revealed not just her collarbone but a deep, wide valley of cleavage, making it a real chore to keep his eyes from wandering.

"Did you come alone, oppa?"

Seo Joo-hwan inwardly cursed at that. He'd jumped in without thinking, but she'd said "us." If the numbers didn't match up, this could fizzle out fast. It was too early to relax.

He managed his expression as best he could and said, "I came with one friend... And you guys? Hell if I know what to call this."

"Min Ga-hee. Just call me Ga-hee."

"I'm Seo Joo-hwan. How many of you are there, Ga-hee?"

"Hing. Oppa, just call me Ga-hee. Don't be so formal."

Min Ga-hee let out a nasal whine, full of aegyo. It was a type Seo Joo-hwan, who'd only dealt with older women so far, had never seen before.

She grinned brightly and said, "I came with two people too. One friend."

"Perfect. We match up great, then. Let's all hang out."

He jumped on it before she could change her mind. Sure enough, thanks to the system, the numbers lined up perfectly.

Just then, Lee Jeong-hoon, who'd wandered off during the performance, was heading back their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way. Their eyes met, and spotting Min Ga-hee, he looked surprised before flashing a thumbs-up.

Seo Joo-hwan returned it discreetly, out of her sight, and gestured for him to hurry.

"So, oppa, how old are you? Oppa-age, right?"

"Mm. Older than you, I bet? Twenty-three."

"Aha, oppa it is! I'm twenty-one!"

"No way? You look twenty."

"Heehee, it's 'cause I'm a December baby."

Her bright, laughing response radiated pure innocence. She just seemed so refreshingly naive, like a kid who was almost too pure for this world.

By then, Lee Jeong-hoon had sidled up beside them.

"Joo-hwan, who's this?"

"Ah, hyung. This is Min Ga-hee—we got chatting during the chorus. She's into hip-hop. Ga-hee, this is the buddy I mentioned."

Lee Jeong-hoon smoothly introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, Ga-hee. I'm Joo-hwan's friend, Lee Jeong-hoon."

"Ehehe. Hi! Like Joo-hwan oppa said, I'm Min Ga-hee, twenty-one. Feel free to talk casually to me too, oppa."

"Yeah? Alright, then you do the same with me, Ga-hee."

"Um... how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠old are you, Jeong-hoon oppa? Joo-hwan oppa called ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you hyung."

Lee Jeong-hoon glanced at him for a second before answering, "Twenty-four."

"Whoa, really?"

"Don't I look it?"

"I thought you'd be older."

"...Actually, twenty-six."

"Ah, yeah, that fits."

Lee Jeong-hoon's face fell a bit. She had a knack for casually gut-punching people with that innocent smile. He didn't even look that old, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠really.

Oblivious to his mood, Min Ga-hee said, "Mm. I'll just use formal speech anyway. It's more comfy for me."

"Yeah... whatever works."

"Yep!"

Min Ga-hee replied with bubbly aegyo. Lee Jeong-hoon chuckled despite himself. He'd lied about his age just in case she minded older guys, but that worry was clearly unfounded.

"Ga-hee, where's your friend?"

"Ah, she's in the EDM zone. I was there too, but I came over real quick 'cause Swings was performing."

That explained why she was MIA—they'd been in different zones. Did that mean heading to EDM?

Then Lee Jeong-hoon muttered low enough for only him to hear, "Joo-hwan, don't switch spots. We gotta hit afterparty now."

"Why? Dancing a bit in EDM sounds fun."

"How many dudes are in here? Gotta lock down our group quick."

Lee Jeong-hoon nailed it. The club was packed, but like most, way more guys than girls. Lingering too long meant risking some other dude swooping in while they blinked.

Seo Joo-hwan pointed toward the club exit and told Min Ga-hee, "Wanna head out first? It's crowded—call your friend and we can do afterparty outside?"

"Ooh, good idea. Ga-hee, we know a great bar."

Lee Jeong-hoon picked up seamlessly. Thankfully, she nodded right away.

"Sure! I danced so hard my legs hurt—I wanna sit."

*

Lee Jeong-hoon was a heavy smoker. Once outside, he gauged Min Ga-hee's reaction before casually bringing up a cig. She said she didn't smoke but didn't mind since her friend did.

His face lit up. "Joo-hwan, gonna step away for a smoke."

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll wait here."

They were waiting for Min Ga-hee's friend. About five minutes after she texted...

A woman emerged in a black off-shoulder tee and tight skirt, no outer layer—like she'd rushed out.

Min Ga-hee waved wildly. "Seol-gi! Here, here!"

"Ah, Min Ga-hee! You!"

The woman called Seol-gi strode right up and smacked Min Ga-hee on the crown of her head. It landed with a solid thwack!

Min Ga-hee yelped in pain, clutching her head. "Ow! Why'd you hit me?!"

"Why'd I hit you? Why'd I hit you?"

But Seol-gi's momentum was fiercer. Terrified, Min Ga-hee surrendered instantly.

"S-sorry! I don't know what, but my bad..."

"Why don't you know! Why! Wanna get hit again?!"

"Waaah! Oppa, save me!"

Min Ga-hee shrieked and ducked behind him. The still-fuming woman chased her but halted right in front of Seo Joo-hwan.

Caught off-guard, he stammered, "Uh? Uh? No idea what's up, but calm down first."

"Hoo."

Thankfully, she didn't snap at him. She just sighed deeply, glaring at Min Ga-hee peeking from behind his back.

"Min Ga-hee, come out while I'm asking nice."

"...You gonna hit me?"

"Hell yeah, I'm gonna hit you!"

"Waaah! No way!"

"You little—!"

She lunged for Min Ga-hee, who clung to him from behind, spinning him around to evade. They were putting on a full village comedy skit right on the street in front of the club, naturally drawing stares.

Seo Joo-hwan was about to intervene out of sheer embarrassment when—

"Huh? Seol-gi? Yoon Seol-gi, right?"

Lee Jeong-hoon, who'd finished his smoke and was heading back, recognized her from a distance.

Yoon Seol-gi froze mid-spin, then gasped at him. "Huh? The guy from inside the club earlier!"

"Whoa, Seol-gi, you're Ga-hee's friend?"

"Wait, so this guy's the one who didn't pick up?"

Yoon Seol-gi finally lowered her fist and looked up at Seo Joo-hwan. He could piece it together now—one of the girls he'd missed earlier.

He gave an awkward smile and bowed. "Uh... hi. Seo Joo-hwan."

"Ah. Oops, sorry. I get tunnel vision when I'm pissed. I'm Yoon Seol-gi, Ga-hee's friend."

Her face flushed with embarrassment as she bowed back quickly. As they exchanged greetings, Min Ga-hee peeked out from behind him.

"...Not gonna hit me now?"

*Might actually smack her one...*

No wonder Yoon Seol-gi seemed dying to throttle her.

*

The four of them moved to the bar Lee Jeong-hoon recommended. It had private rooms, perfect for chatting and drinking loud.

Min Ga-hee, who'd been grabbed and tickled mercilessly by Yoon Seol-gi, was in the middle of it.

"Kyahahaha! S-stop! Ahih! Seol-giii!"

"Sorry or not?!"

"Sorry! I'm sorryyy!"

Turns out, she'd told Yoon Seol-gi she was hitting the bathroom in EDM, then vanished for nearly an hour. No response to calls while she enjoyed the hip-hop show, and when she finally rang, it was to say come out and hang with some guys. After hunting for her forever, Yoon Seol-gi had every right to be furious.

Tortured to near-fainting with tickles, Min Ga-hee slumped against the wall, panting. Each heaving breath made her chest bounce, impossible to ignore.

With her friend punished, Yoon Seol-gi sighed in relief. "Phew. Truth is, this is her first time at a club. She vanished without a word, phone off—worried sick. I just wanted her to get a feel for the vibe and head home."

In other words, no intention of partying with guys. Though now they were paired off at one table anyway.

Listening quietly, Seo Joo-hwan caught something odd. "Huh? You were just gonna head home?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Uh... didn't you say earlier you accepted Jeong-hoon hyung's offer? It fell through 'cause I didn't pick up."

"Ah, that was..."

Yoon Seol-gi trailed off, glancing at Lee Jeong-hoon. Seo Joo-hwan smirked, reading her mind.

Figures.

She'd probably planned to dip after some dancing—no lie there. Just fell hard for Lee Jeong-hoon's looks.

Works out better.

No jealousy over her eyeing Lee Jeong-hoon more. Clean lanes, no overlap—a win. He'd been into Min Ga-hee more anyway.

Gazing at the still-panting Min Ga-hee, he mentally pulled up her status window.

An S-rank potential in composition. Seo Joo-hwan's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the status window.