Chapter 75: Why Are You Here?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75: Why Are You Here?
Doah is going out for drinks...?
And it's a drinking party with guys...?
The lecture had long since faded into insignificant background noise.
My mind was filled with only one thing: Doah, and the nameless junior who would be sitting next to her.
Minji had cornered me with that typical popular-kid way of talking, but inwardly, I was screaming.
Noooooo!
Kim Doah! Don't go! I said don't go!
But I was the one who got swept up in the mood and gave her permission.
I'd even told her it was fine when she asked again just to be sure, so it felt weird to go back on my word.
It would make me look like a loser...
I'd pretended to be cool about letting her go, and it would seem strange to suddenly say no after thinking it over.
Still, I hated it.
Ah. Maybe I should talk to her properly next time...
Whether she knew what was on my mind or not, Doah seemed to be paying close attention to the lecture, but then...
...Huh?
My eyes caught the letters Doah was scribbling on her paper with her right hand.
They were notes, but left in a rather secluded corner to be considered lecture notes.
She'd written them small, but they were still easy enough to read.
[I wanna go home...]
[I'm hungry...]
[The drinking party is a pain...]
It seemed my girlfriend was also filtering out the professor's words, just like me.
As if scribbling words wasn't enough, Doah, with a look of intense concentration, drew a heart.
A perfect heart, as if it were printed by a computer.
I kept watching to see what she would draw on top of it, and it turned out to be an incredibly cute-looking cat.
As if wanting to give it blush, Doah even added little lines on its cheeks before giving a slight nod.
...Why do you look so proud of yourself, Kim Doah?
Finding her incredibly cute, I let out a small chuckle.
I tore off a small piece of scrap paper to make a note, deciding to try passing notes like we did in elementary school.
What should I write?
[What time are you planning on going home today?]
I folded the paper neatly and flicked it over to Doah. She glanced at me and unfolded the note.
After reading it, Doah picked up her pen, wrote something on the same piece of paper, and held it out to me.
[Before 12?]
...12? You mean midnight?
No! That's way too late!
You're starting at 7 and drinking until 12?
I, who had been thinking 10 p.m. was the absolute latest, felt my sanity take a hit from her neat handwriting.
[You're going to drink for five hours?]
The truth is, I'd rarely ever been to a drinking party and was a lightweight, so I'd never lasted more than two hours.
From my perspective, five hours seemed nothing short of catastrophic.
[We'll see?]
We'll see...? Does that mean it could go even later?
Anxious, I tore the note into tiny pieces and made a decision.
I took my phone out of my pocket, opened my contacts, and searched for a name.
[Seo Yoonje]
I didn't want to, but it was necessary.
I thought asking him for help was a bad move, but there was no way I was letting Doah go alone.
[Drinks tonight?]
It was the first time I'd ever been the one to suggest going for drinks.
*
"Ugh... what a pain..."
I'd promised to go, so I was going to, but the moment I got home, all desire to go out vanished.
The weather was cold, and I had a lot to do.
I considered just saying something came up and not going, but it felt like a waste of the makeup I'd put on, so I slowly gathered my things.
I should send Oppa a text before I leave.
My boyfriend didn't look too happy when I told him I was going to a drinking party.
If he'd asked me not to go, I wouldn't have.
Just as I took out my phone, it vibrated.
Feeling like it saved me the trouble, I swiped the screen with my thumb.
[Hello?]
[Yeah, hello?]
[Oh? Sounds like you're out?]
I could tell right away because there was never any background noise when he called from home.
The noisy chatter sounded exactly like a restaurant or a bar.
[Ah. Since you were going out today, I made plans with a friend too.]
[Which friend?]
I wasn't sure I'd know them even if he told me, but I was curious.
Oppa seemed to spend most of his free time just watching streams by himself.
A high school friend? Or maybe a close college classmate?
Who is he meeting?
[Yoonje!]
[...Seo Yoonje oppa?]
My brow furrowed at the unexpected name.
It might have been better if it were someone I didn't know.
Hearing he was hanging out with Yoonje oppa, who was famous in our department for being a womanizer, made me feel a little anxious.
[Yeah!]
[Is it just the two of you?]
[I don't know? More people might come?]
I instinctively wanted to ask if girls would be coming too, but I felt that would be a bit too hypocritical.
After all, I was going to a drinking party with guys, even if I wasn't close to them.
I thought it would be ridiculous to be so persistent with Oppa.
[I'm about to leave now. I'm all ready.]
[Don't drink too much. And it'd be nice if you could check in every now and then.]
Hearing those words from Oppa made me feel good for some reason.
Right. I'll just be back soon.
I figured that just as he was showing me his trust, I should show him mine.
[Okay. You have fun too, Oppa. And check in with me.]
[Okay. I'll call you again.]
I slipped on my sneakers, buttoned up my coat, and headed outside.
Oof... it's cold...
The meeting spot, a pocha, was near the school's back gate.
When I arrived and went inside, my department classmates had already taken over a table in the center.
"Oh! Doah's here!"
Minji stood up and came over to me.
"Doah, sit here!"
She pulled my arm, sat me down at the edge of the table, and immediately poured me a glass of soju.
"Hey! You know you have to catch up if you're late, right?"
"...I'm not that late, though?"
I was only five minutes late.
"Come on. We've all had a round already. You drink up."
It was a bit ridiculous, but it was just one shot of soju.
I grabbed the soju glass and downed it in one go.
"Ugh. Tastes awful."
"That's because your life is so happy these days, Doah."
Sooin said, smiling with her eyes.
"Ahh~ I'm so jealous! You're even dating Taemin oppa!"
"Come on. What's there to be jealous of?"
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I gave an awkward laugh.
"Hey! You have to tell us the story later, you know. Everyone is dying to know."
...What?
You want me to spill the details of my relationship?
Faced with this unexpected obstacle, my head started to spin.
I mean, I guess it's natural to be curious.
Of course, if my friend got a super handsome boyfriend, I'd be curious too.
But our relationship was one giant secret.
To explain it, I'd have to reveal that I'm an internet idol, and that Oppa is an otaku who's crazy about VTubers.
"Alright, looks like everyone's here, so Hansu wants to say a word!"
From the opposite table, where most of the guys were gathered, the man of the hour raised his glass with sad eyes.
"Haa... fuuuck..."
As expected of someone about to enlist, even though the party itself was lively, his heart seemed to be in turmoil.
"Ah! Whatever! Life sucks! Cheers!!!"
For a toast, it was full of profanity, but considering he was being dragged away to a place he didn't want to go for a very long time, it was completely understandable.
"So, our Doah! When are you gonna tell us~"
Minji said in a sleazy, old-man-like tone, wrapping an arm around my waist. I freaked out and scooted away.
"Ugh! Stop! I'll tell you later. After I've had a few more drinks."
It looked like I'd have to make something up to get through today, and then work out a proper script with Oppa later.
After all, he couldn't just go around revealing my identity to his friends either.
Having bought myself a little time, I listened to the others talk while racking my brain for the most natural way to get past this.
"Whoa~ Everyone's in high spirits today, huh?"
The atmosphere grew more and more lively.
How much had we drunk?
It felt like everyone had had at least one bottle of soju each.
I could feel myself getting a little tipsy, and when I touched my cheeks, they felt pleasantly warm.
"Hey! Hey! Let's play a drinking game! A drinking game! The man of the hour wants to play a game!"
The guys were shouting and messing around among themselves before suggesting we all play a game.
But... I'm terrible at games.
I'd barely ever played drinking games, so my chances of losing were high. I couldn't help but grimace.
Aah... I wanna go home... Let me go home...
"Aah~ Hansu's favorite, random~ game! What game~ game~ start!"
Everyone starts the game, waving their arms enthusiastically.
And as always, my prediction came true.
"Wow~ Doah can really drink~"
After being forced to down three shots of soju in a row, I staggered slightly as I got up from my seat.
"Hey, I'm gonna use the restroom."
I wasn't drunk enough to lose control.
But if I drank even one more bottle, I might be in trouble.
It was also about time to contact Oppa, so while waiting in line for the restroom, I took out my phone.
There were three messages from Oppa.
[Are you having fun?]
[Where are you now?]
[No word from you...?]
Realizing Oppa had been waiting, I checked to see how much time had passed.
[8:37 PM]
About an hour and a half had passed.
I thought it was a bit of an ambiguous amount of time to get mad about not hearing from me.
Still, I figured I should reply quickly, and just as I started typing...
"Doah."
A voice I knew, though it wasn't a familiar one.
I looked up, and standing right in front of me was someone I had no reason to expect here.
"Huh? Yoonje oppa, why are you here?"
He, who I'd heard was out with Taemin oppa, was for some reason standing in front of the restroom of the very bar I was in.
"Why else? Your boyfriend dragged me here."
...Taemin oppa did?
"Hey. Do something about your boyfriend."
I turned in the direction Yoonje oppa jutted his chin and looked toward the main hall, to a table deep in the corner.
There was my boyfriend, radiating a menacing aura as he fiercely crunched on some popcorn.