Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Standing Up to the Senior Bully
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#190
"Guhk...!"
"Say it again. Come on, say it just like before."
I grabbed the puffer-faced bastard by the collar as he sat there and yanked him to his feet. He started choking and slapping at my arm like he couldn't breathe.
"L-Let... guhk... go, you bastard...!"
"I'll let you go. I will. So say it again, just like before."
"Hah, what bullshit... you crazy fuck. Hey, Han Seo-ah. What's so great about this psycho? You got no fucking eyes."
"I told you not to touch Seo-ah, you piece of shit."
The moment I clenched my fist to deck him, a sharp smack! echoed through the room.
Both the puffer-faced punk, whose head whipped around, and I, who had been watching, turned with wide eyes. There stood Seo-ah, her expression ice-cold.
"...Don't talk shit about Jun-woo with that filthy mouth of yours. He's worlds better than you could ever dream of being."
Why had I thought I was the only one pissed?
We...
Seo-ah and I...
We could tolerate insults aimed at ourselves, but not at each other. That's what we realized.
Seo-ah must have been holding it in all day, too.
Just like how I'd snapped when he touched her, she'd finally lost it when he badmouthed me.
In front of me, Seo-ah was always cute and adorable.
But I remembered how Kim Seung-hyun and Park Jae-hwan, who'd known her since middle school, always said she was scary.
"Fuck, are you two insane...!"
He couldn't do shit when I was threatening him, but figured Seo-ah would be an easy target?
As the puffer-faced bastard raised his hand like he was going to hit her, she grabbed it and twisted hard.
"Where do you think you're putting your hands, you psycho?"
"Aaaagh!!! H-Help me, you bastards...!"
Only then did the others snap out of it. The surrounding seniors started yelling to calm down and tried to pull us apart. I couldn't help but scoff.
"...Why are you stopping us?"
"What?"
"Why are you getting in our way? Don't you seniors know who started this shit?"
"Hah, you have no idea what you've done to a senior?"
"You only saw the result? Didn't you see how it went down?"
"You little punk, what's with the attitude..."
As I confronted the seniors, unable to hide my disappointment, one of the guys—Kim Ji-woo, apparently—responded like it was the most ridiculous thing ever.
Then came the creak of the door opening.
"...Huh? What's going on? Everything okay here?"
The department head—no, the overdept president—walked in carrying another case of booze.
...We already had plenty of alcohol, and she's bringing more? The thought flashed through my mind amid the chaos.
#191
"...So, Kim Ji-woo. You knew about this situation?"
She shot a cold glare at Kim Ji-woo, the senior who'd nearly gotten into a shouting match with me while trying to intervene.
"No, I didn't know... I just figured Senior Young-chul was being his usual self..."
"...And if he's 'usually like that,' does that make it okay to treat freshmen like this? You just stood there watching because 'that's how he is'?"
Kim Ji-woo hung his head, speechless in the face of her straightforward logic. It felt damn satisfying.
"Hey, and Choi Young-chul."
"...What."
"Didn't you promise never to pull this crap again? That's why I let you come, even though I'm not in the business department anymore and factoring in that you're an OB. And this is how you repay it? Is this why you insisted on joining this time?"
"Hey, those bratty kids were mouthing off to me first, why are you blaming me..."
"Choi Young-chul."
Even though it wasn't directed at me, her voice was so chilling it made me tense up. The puffer-faced bastard visibly stiffened.
"You got beat by me last time for this shit and swore you'd never do it again. And now you're pulling it again and blaming the kids?"
"If I hear even one more word about this kind of bullshit during department activities, don't you dare show your face again. You're a 2021 admit—stick to hanging with your own class quietly or shut up and prepare to graduate."
It was like she was saying everything I'd wanted to.
I nearly dropped to my knees and called her "boss" as she ripped into Choi Young-chul.
"Lee Da-hye, who the hell are you to talk to me like..."
"Fine, then throw down with me, or go whine to the professors. Whatever you want. I'll make it happen."
The overdept prez—no, Senior Lee Da-hye—added that no professor would listen to a chronic screw-up like him. I gave her a mental standing ovation.
As the puffer-faced bastard slunk past me on his way out, he muttered under his breath.
"Serves you right, you fuck."
"You son of a...!"
"Hey, Choi Young-chul. Out."
I flipped him off with a grin while he glared at me, trembling with rage.
Blushing furiously but seeing Senior Da-hye watching with arms crossed, he bolted like a coward. Felt good.
"Sorry, juniors. I hate that you had to deal with this while I was away. Names?"
"Uh, I'm Lee Jun-woo, and this is..."
"Jun-woo's girlfriend, Han Seo-ah...!"
Wait, we were still doing that?
"I'm Han Seo-ah's boyfriend, Lee Jun-woo... And feel free to drop the formalities."
As I hurriedly corrected her, Senior Da-hye looked at us like we were adorable.
"Thanks. And really, sorry. That guy's pulled this crap before, swore he'd stop, so I brought him along. Never thought it'd happen again."
"No, it's that bastard—no, that senior—who's trash."
Senior Da-hye just smiled, like she couldn't argue with calling him trash.
"But aren't you a 2023 admit...?"
"Ah, I went through a rough patch in school and took two years off. Same year as Choi Young-chul. He hasn't even done his military service yet—says he doesn't want to."
At Seo-ah's question, she scratched her head sheepishly. Made sense why she'd offered to fight him for real earlier.
"I'm new to being overdept head, so I'm still figuring things out. If anything like this happens, contact me right away. Sorry again—you shouldn't have dealt with this on your first day."
As she bowed to apologize to Seo-ah and me, I thought, This is what a real senior is like.
And any thoughts of avoiding department activities because of jerks like Kim Ji-woo vanished.
"No, we're totally fine now. It wasn't your fault anyway... Honestly, what you did cooled us off a lot."
"Yeah...!"
"Good to hear."
She grinned at our words, and I nearly shouted "boss" again.
Then she spun around, clapped sharply to get everyone's attention.
"Juniors, sorry for the buzzkill during your fun. Us old folks will clear out and hang in front—grab us if you need more booze or snacks. Have a blast!"
Damn, Senior Da-hye, what perfect damage control is this...! My heart's on fire...!
I couldn't hold back and gave a standing ovation. Everyone else felt the same and joined in.
Blushing, she led the seniors out.
#192
After that, the drinking session with just us freshmen wasn't as lively as before.
But we pulled out drinking games we knew, awkward but laughing together as we got to know each other.
Even penalties were light—those weak with booze sipped slowly or swapped for soda.
Taking steps to learn about the people we'd spend the next four years with.
"Cutie pie~ super adorbs~ sorry~ one!"
"1, 2, 3...!"
"Okay, pass."
"Hey, Lee Jun-woo. Han Seo-ah didn't even do anything. Pass for what?"
"Seo-ah's cute and adorable just sitting there."
"You cheesy fuck..."
"Guys, I think the booze is coming back up..."
Now that they had a sense of our couple vibe, every time we got cringey, they roasted us mercilessly.
With Seo-ah beside me, playfully smacking my shoulder but never telling me to stop.
We penned the first page of our twenties together.
No one left until deep into the night—it turned to morning before we stumbled out in a daze, promising to meet again before classes started.
We met smiling, parted smiling, looking ahead.
The streets where dawn was breaking but darkness lingered.
Breathing the crisp morning air still cold enough for visible breath, Seo-ah and I walked side by side.
Despite the unpleasant midway hiccup, it had been a satisfying night overall. I found myself speaking up.
"Seo-ah."
"Yeah?"
"College life. Gonna be fun, right?"
"Yeah! Everyone seems nice."
She still looked tired, but beamed brightly beside me, chattering happily about the day.
I felt relieved.
If I'd held back then, I might never have seen her excitement for college life, might have regretted not protecting that smile forever.
Maybe for life.
On the bus home.
Exhausted beyond words, she boarded, plopped her head on my shoulder, and dozed off snoring softly. I stroked her hand and surrendered to sleep myself.
When we woke, we'd long passed our stop—the bus had reached the end of the line.