Chapter 74
Yoo Seol-ah glanced around briefly before sidling up to Lee Seo-yeon and speaking up. "But why'd you call us here? I heard the club members are all around, but don't we not have a club room?"
"We got one."
"We got one?"
Could you even snag a club room at school like this? I'd thought it was impossible since we weren't an officially registered club. Curiosity piqued, I glanced at Doyun hyung beside me, and he gave a short reply.
"I don't know the exact details, but Seo-yeon said it's a done deal."
"The president doesn't need to know the details?"
"Everyone knows she's the real boss anyway."
"......"
No arguing with that. If it were a club full of strangers, the president role might matter more, but we were already way past acquaintances—we were tight. And when it came to drive and initiative, Seo-yeon was hands-down the best among us.
"Just follow me for now."
Trailing behind her, we didn't head into the student union entrance. We skirted past it slightly and arrived at the building next door. It was smaller than the union, sure, but that place was massive; this one still looked plenty spacious.
"Right here."
"What's this place? I don't remember seeing it on the map before."
"It's for student autonomous spaces. All sorts of facilities inside."
"Oh, it's new...? How'd you even know about this?"
It wasn't on the map, and the completion date etched on the stone plaque out front caught my eye. January 2023—brand spanking new. How the hell did Seo-yeon find out about this?
"...My parents sponsored its construction."
"Ah."
It didn't feel like bragging; more like she was reluctantly spilling the beans. Seo-yeon wasn't the type to flaunt her wealth. Still, hearing "parents' sponsorship" instantly solved the mystery in my head, which said a lot about the kind of person she was.
"They've been donating steadily for years, and part of it was earmarked for a building students could use comfortably. I found out on freshman orientation when I asked."
Her dad had come for the welcome speech, so yeah, he probably had time to chat after splitting from us. Speeches, donations, post-grad involvement—he seemed deeply invested in the school. I'd probably be the same if my kid was attending.
"So both your parents are Korea U alums?"
"Yeah. Mom graduated from business admin."
The three of us gaped naturally at her words. Talk about elite lineage... Seo-yeon shot us an exasperated look.
"Come on, you guys are Korea U students yourselves. It's not that shocking."
"Us being Korea U is whatever, but a chaebol owner from Korea U? That's the shocker."
"...Fair."
People grind for top schools for all sorts of reasons, but the biggest one? Success. And success usually means big money. In that sense, they were undeniably impressive.
"Anyway, there's shared facilities and rooms for approved groups, so I snagged one."
"Do we have to pay?"
"Yeah, but it's basically nominal. Like 30,000 won a month."
"That's dirt cheap."
30,000 won a month? That was essentially just utilities for a private space. Compared to the near-100,000 we'd dropped on a party room for one day last time, this was god-tier value.
Suddenly, Yoo Seol-ah's eyes sparkled. She slung an arm around Seo-yeon's shoulders. "No family discount or anything?"
"Hey, we pay the school. Anyone can book it if they apply."
Seol-ah was obviously joking, but the price was so low it almost felt like a steal. Makes sense if her parents pushed for student-friendly spaces.
"...Still, we heard first, so that's our family advantage, right?"
"Seo-yeon, you're a rock."
Her parents footing the bill didn't mean she got exclusive perks, but eyeing the building's size, I couldn't help wondering just how much they'd donated. And this wasn't even the full amount? The scale was insane.
"She mentioned various facilities too. Like a recording studio."
"Those communal?"
"Yep. Totally free, first-come-first-served."
"Nice..."
"Seo-yeon, you should be president for real."
Even Doyun hyung was ready to step down; the intel she'd brought was a massive win for the club. She didn't seem keen on the title, though. Still, a club room was huge news. On-campus meant we could drop by during free time or after classes easily.
"I haven't seen the inside yet either. Let's check it out."
"Sure."
Seol-ah looked downright childlike in her excitement over the new spot. She seemed so young in moments like this, a stark contrast to her mature vibe earlier when she casually dropped family planning talk.
"First and second floors are communal facilities. Our club's 301."
We skipped the rest for later and took the elevator straight to the third floor. The room was at the far left end of the hall. Opening the door revealed a super simple interior.
"It's got everything we need."
"Even a fridge?"
"Let's stock it with ice cream."
Seol-ah lit up most at the fridge. The rest of us chuckled, drawing our gazes to her. She cleared her throat awkwardly.
"I mean, you always keep snacks in places like this."
"Got it. We'll grab some later."
No books on the shelves yet, but there was a big solid-wood table in the center perfect for group work. Plush sofas and chairs screamed comfort for chilling. I'd only heard about college club rooms, but apparently they evolved into lounge-like hangouts over time—some folks even crashed overnight. The setup here was solid, though not overly fancy. Pristine, like no one had touched it yet.
Seol-ah wandered the room, eyeing it thoughtfully.
"Kinda wanna decorate it up."
"We'll renew the booking till we graduate, so go wild."
"For real?"
"Yeah. Worst case, I ask them to build another."
"......"
Seol-ah froze solid while Seo-yeon eyed her oddly. We knew it was a joke, but it landed too real.
"...Play along a bit."
"That was a real joke, right?"
"Obviously... Buildings don't just sprout from the ground."
Her acting was too damn good. Voice acting hopeful for a reason—even a line that'd make Seol-ah smirk came out so naturally, it threw us off a tad.
"Wanna scout decor later?"
"Sounds good. I love sprucing up rooms."
"Department store detour, then."
Seol-ah, buzzing with anticipation, turned to Seo-yeon. "Right, but didn't you say we had stuff to decide today?"
"Oh, nothing major. Just the club goal we set during recruitment—long-term."
We'd mentioned game or anime production back then. President instincts kicking in, Doyun hyung picked up seamlessly.
"Anything we make goes in my portfolio anyway, so pick whatever. I'll handle the tough parts."
Games or anime. Animation felt more my wheelhouse from Astasia, but for a group project, games seemed better.
"Game makes sense?"
"Anime would overload Seol-ah."
"I've got game experience anyway."
"Game it is~"
Seo-yeon sealed it lightly, but no one objected—minds aligned.
"Cool, club's adjourned for today."
"...That casual?"
"Game dev takes forever, right? And with you around, it won't be half-assed. Slow and steady wins."
Dev, art, sound—we were covered, no bootstrapping from scratch. Doyun hyung's experience was a godsend.
"Chill here a bit, then furniture hunt? Bathroom break first."
Doyun hyung stepped out, and the three of us flopped onto the sofa. Eyeing me and Seol-ah side by side, Seo-yeon tossed out a line.
"You two left home together today, huh?"
"......"
We'd just shown up together—no mention of me crashing at her place. How'd she know? Our eyes flickered in sync, and she smirked.
"You smell the same. Shampoo, body wash."
"......For real?"
"I've got a good nose. Most wouldn't notice."
She'd played dumb about me not staying over before, but we weren't hiding anything, so no big panic. Seol-ah just parted her lips slightly.
"Not already picking grandkid names, are you?"
"......"
Teasing mode activated, zeroing in on Seol-ah's stunned face. But modern Seol-ah wasn't easy prey.
"...Grandkids are far off. Baby names first—what's good?"
"......"
We both reeled hard. She'd freaked when I asked about baby names before, but apparently she'd been mulling it seriously. She fired back 'cause Seo-yeon started it, but still.
Seo-yeon recovered quickest, true to form.
"...Baek Seolgi?"
"Hey, don't half-ass it."
Baek Seolgi was a joke, sure, but her casually crafting a Baek family name felt oddly heartwarming.