Why Are You There?
Jeong Sua looked flustered under the sudden wave of attention, but she still managed to force the words out. “How about… um, deciding by picking an item? Seniors…”
“You mean the one where we each grab someone’s belonging and sit with its owner?”
“Yeah… That doesn’t sound too bad…”
By the end her voice had shrunk to almost nothing, but the guys didn’t care. What mattered to them was that the prettiest girl here—Jeong Sua—had spoken up. Already smitten, they were quick to agree.
“Alright, let’s do that. Guys pick or girls pick?”
“Guys! The guys should match the items. Kim Gicheol sunbae…”
“Heh-heh-heh. Works for me.”
They really liked being called “sunbae,” huh. I got called “oppa” all the time while eating, but whatever. Not like I was jealous or anything.
“O-oppa… I mean, Vice President, you’re joining too, right?”
She caught herself mid-word. So she wanted to keep our relationship a secret. Cute. I played along.
“Sure, why not.”
The guys all turned their backs, waiting for the girls to lay out their belongings.
“We’re ready.”
When I looked, the table was covered in typical girl stuff—lip balm, mascara, sunscreen, hairpins. One item in particular caught my eye. That lip balm. It belonged to Jeong Sua, the biggest prize here. How did I know? Because I bought it for her. Back when she’d just become a middle schooler, I gave it to her as a birthday gift to win her over. Six years ago. Never thought she’d still have it.
She must have put it out hoping I’d choose her—something that carried our shared memories.
“How are we deciding the order?” Kim Gicheol asked.
Leaning back in my chair, I answered flatly, “I’ll go last.”
“Uh… w-wait, that’s not…”
Jeong Sua’s panicked voice reached me. What, did she think I’d just snatch her up right away? Sorry, Sua. We’re in the middle of a cold war. I didn’t know why she’d come here, but I needed to show her I wasn’t going to keep chasing after her.
“Fine. I’ll start. I pick this one!”
One by one, the guys chose. Reactions were split down the middle—owners of chosen items looked disappointed, while the rest looked relieved. Mascara and sunscreen were taken. Only the hairpin and lip balm remained. The lip balm lasted longer than I expected.
Fourth turn was Kim Gicheol. He clearly wanted to sit with Sua; he kept glancing at her while pretending to deliberate. Our innocent Sua had zero poker face.
“Decided. I’ll take this. Whose lip balm is it?”
“Ah… it’s mine.”
“Hell yeah! Jackpot!”
“Damn, Gicheol, you lucky bastard.”
So Sua ended up with Kim Gicheol after all. She looked like she was about to cry, completely unable to hide her expression. She must have been devastated—her longtime oppa openly ignoring her.
Maybe I should stop messing around.
While the guys stayed seated and the girls moved to their new spots, I slammed my glass down hard enough to make a noise and spoke to the grinning Kim Gicheol.
“Hey, Gicheol.”
“Yeah?”
“Swap girls with me.”
“Huh? Dude, you can’t just—”
“My call. I like that one.”
“Even so, we decided this with a game—”
“Don’t want to? Then I’m leaving. You guys have fun without me.”
I’d already confirmed Sua wasn’t home, so there was no reason to stay. The moment I stood up, the girls’ faces stiffened. Kim Gicheol couldn’t refuse. He didn’t want to ruin the mood, so he gave in.
“Haa… Fine, let’s switch.”
“Sorry, but sit with him instead.”
I shoved the girl who was supposed to sit beside me straight toward Kim Gicheol. The atmosphere turned awkward because of me, but that wasn’t my problem. I’d gotten what I wanted.
The teary face from earlier was gone. Jeong Sua now sat beside me, looking a little embarrassed. I held my glass out to her.
“Pour me a drink.”
My tone was the same one I’d use with a bar hostess. Normally Sua would’ve glared at me in disgust, but—
“…Yes.”
She awkwardly poured with both hands. Even actions she’d never do otherwise, she did them all. This was what sex did to people.
“Alright, seats are set! Let’s have some fun!”
Kim Gicheol tried to lighten the mood. Everyone quickly introduced themselves, then he and his friends started singing to raise the energy. The girls, disappointed or not, joined in—singing along or chatting to keep the night going.
Loud music. Young men and women who couldn’t sit still, bodies swaying. At this volume, no one would overhear me talking to Sua.
Only then did I say what I’d been wanting to say.
“You’ve lost your mind. A kid like you, coming to a place like this?”
“B-but… Oppa…”
She looked like she had a lot to say, but here I held all the power. She was the one who followed me on her own, and I was the one who saved her from Kim Gicheol’s grasp.
“Look at how those guys are staring at the girls. They called them here for one reason. You really think a kid like you can keep your head straight around them?”
“I-I’m an adult too. I can handle myself just fine!”
She got angry when I treated her like a child and started acting stubborn.
“Oh? So you’re an adult now?”
“O-of course!”
“Then you can drink, right? Here, have this.”
“Huh?”
I held out one of the glasses sitting near Kim Gicheol.
“What? Can’t drink? You can’t even touch alcohol, yet you want to act like a grown-up?”
“That’s…”
“Just stay home and drink juice for the rest of your life, kid. Don’t be stubborn.”
“No! I’m an adult now, so I can drink!”
Normally this kind of provocation wouldn’t work on her. But maybe the noisy atmosphere, the perfume and alcohol in the air, or her own excitement got to her—Sua grabbed the glass with both hands. Her grip was so tight it looked like she was about to drink poison.
Before the liquor could reach her lips, I covered the rim with my hand. She blinked at me in surprise. I snatched the glass away and downed the contents myself.
Goddamn it. Kim Gicheol, that crazy bastard really did put an aphrodisiac in it. My tolerance could handle this much, but my heartbeat was already speeding up and my head felt light. Even I, who could hold my liquor, was getting dizzy after one glass.
Sua’s expression shifted as she realized something was wrong. Kim Gicheol had probably meant to give it to a girl. I’d have to punch him later.
“You were about to drink this without even knowing what it was.”
“Isn’t it just alcohol?”
“It’s spiked with an aphrodisiac. I had a feeling, and I was right. That asshole was planning to feed it to some girl.”
She’d seen him bring the drinks over, so she wouldn’t misunderstand. Sua, I didn’t put it in. I don’t need stuff like this to get girls.
Her face darkened. She finally seemed to understand what kind of place this was. And she looked guilty for almost drinking it while I took it instead.
“Haa… You really can’t be left alone. Go to the bathroom, then head straight home. I’ll tell the others.”
“Then let’s go together… I don’t want you staying in a place like this.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
She really had to ask?
“Because we’re nothing to each other anymore.”
I deliberately said something cruel—to make her understand exactly where we stood. Just because I drank the aphrodisiac for her didn’t mean things could go back to how they were.
“Don’t say things like that…”
She looked hurt.
“Like what?”
“We’re not nothing…”
“Maybe not. But I confessed, and you rejected me. This is what usually happens after that.”
One side confessed, the other rejected. We’d confirmed our feelings weren’t equal. Going back to how things were before was impossible. Only someone with no self-respect would hang around after being rejected. Someone like me, full of pride, would never do that.
“Do you… hate me now?”
“I don’t hate you. I still like you. But I decided to give up. What’s the point of holding on after getting rejected?”
“So that’s why you didn’t reply… why you left early on purpose… why you came here even though you never do…”
“Yeah.”
“That’s too much… How can you just… cut someone off so easily… sniff.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke. Ah, please! Don’t cry in front of me like that. It made me want to pin her down and take her roughly. I’d probably stirred up enough guilt. Time to move on to the next step. I wanted to tease her more, but honestly my head was spinning. Maybe because of the aphrodisiac-laced drink. I shouldn’t have shown off.
“Are you crying right now?”
“N-no, I’m not…”
“You are, though… Was it that upsetting when I avoided you?”
“…Yes.”
You should’ve accepted my confession earlier, then. We’d probably have two kids in kindergarten by now.
Normally I would’ve patted her head. But I started to reach out, then shook my head and pulled my hand back on purpose. So she could see I’d completely let go.
“You’re the one who rejected me, kid…”
“So stop calling me a kid already… sniff! Waaah!”
Unable to hold back anymore at my cold tone, Sua burst into tears. The lighting was dim, so I thought it’d be fine, but the others noticed instantly.
“Wait, is Jeong Sua crying right now?”
“Kang Ijin, did you make her cry?”
“Ugh, trash. Just because you’re handsome…”
“These guys really sink their teeth in the moment they get a chance. You wanna die?”
Perfect timing. I draped my coat over her head and pulled her to her feet. She looked like a criminal being escorted away.
“I’m calming her down. Don’t come looking even if I don’t come back. And don’t call.”
The guys gave me shady looks while the girls watched Sua with a hint of envy.
“Do whatever. I wasn’t planning to interrupt anyway—huh? Where’d the drink go?”
“I drank it.”
“W-what?! That one was—”
“I know. Anyway, stop relying on crap like that and work on yourself, Kim Gicheol.”
“Screw you.”
I was drunk too, if I was giving Kim Gicheol advice he’d never listen to. As I passed him with Sua, I heard him mutter under his breath.
“How the hell is he still thinking straight? Kang Ijin really is a monster.”
Great assist, Gicheol. Sua definitely heard that. She’d feel even more grateful to me. How was I holding on? Try spending seven years chasing after the biggest fish of your life, right at the moment you’re about to reel it in. Passing out now would make all that time feel like a waste.