You Dream of Being a Harem King?
So my dream is to be a harem king?
Drrrk—!
"Hyewon! Baek Seojun!"
The classroom door swung open and Han Sohyeon burst through it without warning.
The kids packing up their bags for the day all swiveled toward her at once, and for a split second she froze under the sudden flood of attention. Then she gave an awkward grin and shuffled over to Kim Hyewon and me, with Han Areum slipping quietly in behind her.
"Do you two happen to be free?"
"Free?"
I was, technically.
"Why?"
"It's been so nice getting to know you guys, so I was thinking we should all hit the PC bang together!"
"The PC bang?"
So girls went to PC bangs too?
Just to be sure, I glanced at Kim Hyewon and Han Areum, but they both nodded like this was old news.
"Wow, you look completely floored."
"No, it's just... I didn't know girls went to PC bangs together."
"Ah-ha?"
Han Sohyeon smirked like she'd figured something out.
"Girls go to PC bangs too, you know."
Huh. That was actually kind of novel.
I'd always assumed girls kept their distance from the place — they weren't exactly stereotyped as gamers. But here were the prettiest girls in school, the ones you'd think lived furthest from anything gaming-related, casually planning a PC bang trip.
"Baek Seojun, you're coming too, right? You said you had time."
Han Sohyeon shot me a look of pure, sparkling anticipation.
Against eyes like those... it was hard to say no.
Not that I had any real reason to refuse anyway.
A PC bang with friends, huh.
It genuinely felt like ages.
When had I gone last? Middle school? I think I went with the friends I'd made back then, briefly.
After that, I'd gone all-in on Chaeeun and drifted away from my friends, so I never had a reason to go again.
Looking back now, I had to wonder what I'd been thinking.
I should have cut my losses with a girl who never looked my way, not poured everything into her. I'd been far too slow to accept the truth.
Or better yet — the moment she rejected my confession, why hadn't I just let go then and there?
I knew those hypotheticals were useless now, but the sourness in my chest wouldn't go away.
"Baek Seojun? Hello? Are you even listening?"
"...Oh, sorry. What did you say?"
"I asked if you were coming to the PC bang. You said you had time."
I glanced briefly at Kim Hyewon under Han Sohyeon's hopeful gaze.
Just in case. She was nodding too.
"I'll come."
"Huh? For real? No take-backs!"
"I won't take it back."
"Yay."
The sight of her delighting so openly was genuinely nice to watch.
Even if I couldn't for the life of me understand what exactly she was so thrilled about.
Well, maybe I'd find out once we got closer. Or I could just ask on the way there.
I was slinging my bag over my shoulder, ready to head out, when Chaeeun planted herself right in front of the door.
Her sudden appearance made Hyewon's group widen their eyes in surprise.
"Seojun."
She looked between me and Hyewon's group with a complicated expression.
"...Do you have plans again today?"
"Yeah."
The plans were all of three minutes old, but plans were plans.
"What kind of plans?"
"Hanging out with the kids behind me."
"Where are you going? If it's okay, could I tag along?"
"Chaeeun, you?"
Where was this coming from?
"Yeah. You haven't been able to hang out with me lately, Seojun, so I thought we could spend some time together. And I could make some new friends, too."
"Hmm."
I glanced back at the others.
Kim Hyewon wore an unreadable expression, while Han Sohyeon and Han Areum looked positively riveted, like they were watching a drama unfold in real time.
"I think their opinion matters more than mine on that one."
"Then I'll just ask them real quick—"
"But would you even enjoy it?"
I cut her off.
She visibly faltered, thrown by the interruption — all the more so because I'd never once cut her off before.
"The place we're going is a PC bang. And you don't like PC bangs, Chaeeun."
She didn't play games, for one.
She regarded PC bangs as something like dens of vice, for reasons she never bothered to explain.
She hated them because she hated the smell of cigarettes — even though most PC bangs these days had designated smoking areas and the smell was rare. She'd once treated me like some kind of delinquent back in middle school for going to one with a friend.
...Even though every guy goes to PC bangs with his friends. That's just how it is.
"...Oh."
"Right? And even if you did come, you'd have a rough time since you don't game."
That was enough. Chaeeun gave up.
Whether she'd genuinely decided it wasn't for her, or she'd picked up on my unspoken wish for her not to come, I couldn't say.
"...Then let's hang out together next time. You can manage that much, right?"
"Of course."
"Introduce me to your new friends later too. Okay?"
"Okay."
At last, Chaeeun stepped aside to let us pass.
And just as I was about to head out of the classroom with Hyewon's group—
"Oh, and one more thing, Chaeeun."
"Hm?"
I shot her one last glance.
"I don't think we'll be walking home together anymore."
"...Huh?"
"I moved apartments."
On the way out of the school and toward the PC bang.
"Hmmm..."
"......"
"Hmmmmmm..."
"......"
"Hmmmmmmmmmm..."
Sighing, I looked over at Han Sohyeon.
"...What's wrong with you?"
"Oh. Is it showing?"
"Uh, yeah. It's showing."
When you made noises like that right next to me, of course it showed.
From any angle, she was broadcasting please pay attention to me as loudly as she could.
"Hehe. There's something I'm curious about. Can I ask?"
I had a feeling I knew exactly what she wanted to ask.
"Nope."
"Tch."
When I shut my mouth, Han Sohyeon switched targets.
"Hyewon, you sit next to Baek Seojun — do you know something?"
"......"
"Whoa, wait. You DO know something, don't you, Hyewon!"
Was that some kind of high school girl sixth sense, or what?
Han Sohyeon somehow, uncannily, sensed that Kim Hyewon knew the answer. She immediately latched onto her, begging her to spill.
"Come on, just a little hint?"
"No."
"Aww..."
Facing that flat, absolute rejection, she seemed to realize it was hopeless and let out a cute little whimper.
Watching this quietly, Han Areum peeled her off.
"Sohyeon, stop making things hard for Seojun and Hyewon. Come sit by me."
"Okayyy..."
"Oh, and Seojun?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry. Our Sohyeon's just a little too curious for her own good."
Han Areum dipped her head apologetically.
"...It's fine. She can be curious."
This much I could tolerate.
She hadn't kept digging after I said no, and she'd backed off the moment I refused. She was just a curious person, that was all.
"Thank you. I appreciate you understanding."
Han Areum gave me a small, eye-crinkling smile.
"Hey. What's with the vibe between you two? I'm suddenly feeling like the odd one out here...?"
"Beats me. Probably your imagination."
"I don't think it is...?"
And so, chatting away, we arrived at the PC bang before I knew it.
The moment we stepped inside, the part-timer at the counter froze mid-greeting.
"Welcome t—"
He was staring at Hyewon and her friends.
Three pretty girls showing up all at once had apparently short-circuited him for a second.
We passed the counter and headed for a corner seat in the back. The seating worked out as, in order: Kim Hyewon, me, Han Sohyeon, Han Areum.
No sooner had she sat down than Han Sohyeon suddenly jabbed me in the side.
"Baek Seojun, did you see the way that part-timer looked at you?"
"His eyes?"
"He was looking at you like he was SO jealous."
"Me?"
"Yep."
Han Sohyeon launched in with full theatrical flair.
"Must be nice being you, Seojun. Strolling into a PC bang with a whole squad of pretty girls. You're basically an alpha male, aren't you?"
"Ha."
"Hm? What do you say, Mr. Alpha Male? How does it feel to have three pretty girls at your command?"
I gave her a look of pure disbelief.
I knew it was a joke, but pulling this level of teasing when we weren't even that close yet was a lot. And the more awkward I got, the more mischievously Han Sohyeon grinned.
"So, Mr. Alpha Male — who's your favorite? Hmm? Me? Or Hyewon? Or our delicate little Areum?"
This girl, seriously.
The absurdity of it left me laughing hollowly. A faintly blushing Han Areum opened her mouth to rein Sohyeon in, but—
"Um... Sohyeon? That's maybe a little too embarrassing to—"
"Hush! Areum, you be quiet!"
She was dispatched in two seconds flat. Han Sohyeon leaned in even closer to me instead.
"Well? Be honest, Mr. Alpha Male."
It was a total mess.
Han Sohyeon was grinning like the cat that got the cream, Han Areum — the one I'd counted on to defuse things — was stammering with a bright red face, and Hyewon...
"......"
She was staring straight at the side of my face.
Looking for all the world like a girlfriend pressuring her boyfriend to give a good answer.
It had to be my imagination, of course.
Either way, every girl in the group had her eyes fixed solely on me.
The pressure was crushing. Whatever I said, picking one person was guaranteed to sour the atmosphere.
"I like all of you?"
Choose no one — or choose everyone.
I went with the latter.
"Eek! That was completely shameless! Have you always been like this?"
"Who knows. Maybe I always was, maybe I wasn't."
"You're not an alpha male, you're a Casanova! And you've got the face to back it up, huh?"
It also turned out to be the right answer.
Han Areum went even redder and fell silent, Han Sohyeon grinned like she'd been thoroughly entertained, and Kim Hyewon wore an enigmatic little expression.
Not that Hyewon's expression didn't nag at me.
"Well, no helping it then. If Mr. Casanova wants all of us, I guess we'll just have to graciously say yes!"
"Yes to what, exactly?"
"Hmm... good question?"
Han Sohyeon ran her tongue slowly across her lips.
"Whatever Baek Seojun the Casanova desires?"
She was doing that on purpose. Obviously.
I was busy laughing at the absurdity of it when Han Areum grabbed Han Sohyeon's shoulder.
"Sohyeon... that's enough..."
"Oh! Was that too spicy for our baby Areum's ears?"
"But not that spicy, honestly," Han Sohyeon added.
Before I knew it, the two of them had started tussling with each other.
Swish—
Tap tap—
Seizing the moment, Kim Hyewon nudged me.
"Hm? Hyewon, what's up?"
Kim Hyewon looked at me for a moment, then said flatly:
"Seojun, is your dream to be a harem king?"
"...Huh?"
"As if it wasn't enough that you look at me with those eyes, now you're setting your sights on my friends too."
No, that's not—
"Pervert."
"......"
"But you're a gentle pervert, so I'll let it slide."
I'm sorry, what?