Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: My First Love Was Hyorin
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My first love was Hyorin.
Back then, I thought it wasn't, but now that I look back on it, I definitely liked her from the moment we first met.
If my memory serves me right, that first encounter was at the freshman orientation in college.
The atmosphere was different from high school.
Why was the campus so huge? After wandering around for ages, I finally stumbled into a lecture hall that was already packed with freshmen.
The student council president gave a greeting and explained the basics of campus life.
And then there was Professor Im Hayoung.
Her first impression was just like a neighborhood auntie.
She was pretty famous back then as one of the younger professors, but what did a wide-eyed freshman like me know about that?
The orientation finally wrapped up—awkward, uncomfortable, and somehow... detached—and I let out a sigh of relief, thinking it was over.
"Hoo."
"Hoo-."
"Uh."
"Uh."
What was that? In that instant, my eyes locked with another freshman's, who had sighed exactly like me.
Long straight hair and round eyes.
A perky nose and red lips.
I wasn't one to pay much attention to girls, but in that brief moment, I took in the face of this classmate and thought to myself.
'She looks like a painting.'
That was my first impression of Hyorin.
As if her face had been painted with a brush.
Not just pretty—it was like a single, perfect painting.
Swish.
I must have stared at her for quite a while.
She suddenly turned her head, and I awkwardly cleared my throat before looking away.
I ran into her again at the highlight of the orientation: the drinking party.
"Come on! Let's toast! Everyone, glasses up!"
Unable to resist the seniors' relentless prodding, the freshmen raised their glasses, faces flushed beet red like they were about to explode.
"Then I'll lead! Freshmen, follow along! For our bright college days!"
"For it!"
Clink!
The freshmen toasted.
I was a freshman too, so I joined in and downed the shot of soju.
"Krr!"
It burned.
I'd barely touched alcohol since that first curious sip as a legal adult that left me wrecked.
This was probably the most I'd ever drunk in my life.
The booze was bitter.
My face scrunched up on its own as the alcohol scraped down my throat.
But.
'Whew, I'm dying here.'
Maybe that last shot was the culprit.
Afterward, my stomach was in bad shape.
The liquor inside seemed desperate to see the sun again, constantly churning against my stomach lining.
I was barely hanging on, soothing it as best I could, when.
Swish.
A third-year senior plopped down next to me and shoved a glass my way.
"Our handsome freshman! Time for a drink with your sis!"
"Ah... um, well..."
"What? You turning down a drink from your senior? That's it, huh?"
Ah...
One more shot here and I'd really be in trouble.
But the vibe made it impossible to refuse.
With the senior yelling wide-eyed like a banshee, every other senior's gaze was locked on me.
As if she knew exactly how cornered I was, she scooted in uncomfortably close, grinning as she pushed the glass forward.
"Come on, take it."
"...Yes."
Reluctantly, I accepted the glass, barely calming my protesting gut as I drank.
'Whew, even the smell is killing me.'
Oblivious to my misery, the senior clinked glasses with a smile.
"Clink! First one's a one-shot."
I've already downed dozens...
But I couldn't exactly say that.
Right as I braced myself to one-shot it anyway.
Thud.
"Eh?"
Someone barreled over roughly and bumped into me.
The spill sent the untouched shot straight to the floor.
That's when I heard a woman's voice from behind—completely unfamiliar.
"Ah, sorry! I tripped and spilled your drink. What do I do, I'm so sorry."
Then she wedged herself between me and the senior, holding out her glass.
"Since it's partly my fault, mind if I drink one for you, senior?"
Senior.
I turned to check the voice.
'Ah, the painting.'
It was her.
The one who'd sighed with me back in the lecture hall.
The third-year senior scowled hard at that.
"Tch, you spilled it all because of you."
"I'm sorry! So, as an apology, let me start with one."
She grabbed the soju bottle in front of the senior, filled her own glass.
Gulp.
She downed it in one go and held it out again.
"Now give me one, senior!"
That's when it happened.
Wink.
'Uh.'
She glanced my way and winked.
What the hell? I blinked in confusion, and she gestured with her eyes, like she was telling me to bail.
Without thinking, I muttered.
"Ah, I, uh, need to hit the bathroom."
"Wai, wait..."
"Ah! Senior! You gotta take my drink too!"
Thanks to her, I barely escaped the drinking party.
I checked the time.
About five minutes until class ended.
I'd paused, planning to wrap things up...
'Hmm...'
But the students were more focused than ever.
That's when the one who'd been asking the most questions spoke up.
"Why'd you stop all of a sudden?"
"Uh, was thinking of ending class. You all bored yet?"
Their faces turned scary in an instant.
"Extend the class."
"Keep going!"
"Ah! You can't end it like this!"
I was a little dumbfounded by their reactions.
Extend the class?
This was just some outdated first-love story that wasn't even that entertaining—what was with this concentration?
Maybe because it was a special lecture, they were just being polite? I asked.
"No need to sit through a boring story. We can end here..."
But no— they seemed dead serious. Really serious.
And then there was one more.
Someone completely unexpected was serious too.
"Kanghyeok."
"Yes, Professor."
"In the name of your professor, I command thirty more minutes of class."
Uh... Professor, this isn't even a proper class...
But saying that wouldn't get through.
If I didn't keep going, who knows what chaos would ensue.
So, with no other choice...
I really had no choice but to continue.
Pretending to head to the bathroom, I slipped out of the bar and sank into one of the chairs out front, letting out a long sigh.
"Whew, I almost died there."
Then, from my right, came a voice that sounded half-dead itself.
"Me too. Almost died."
I jumped!
Startled by the sudden sound, I turned to see a girl whose face was flushed like it might burst.
From her clothes and face, she looked like a freshman too.
She held out her hand to me.
A handshake? I tentatively offered mine, and we clasped. Suddenly, she scrunched up her face.
"What're you doing?"
"Handshake, right?"
"What handshake? Got a cig? Gimme one."
"I don't smoke."
"What? Then why'd you come out? To smoke?"
I shook my head.
She sighed deeply.
"Sigh, why bother coming out if you don't smoke..."
Geez, like you can only step outside to smoke?
Feeling needlessly offended, I turned away to ignore her.
But she stuck her hand out at me again.
"I said no cigs."
"This time it's a handshake."
"What?"
What kind of guy is this?
She waved her hand in the air a few times.
"You gonna shake or not? My hand's getting awkward here."
Ah, I just wanted some peace.
Urged on by her persistence, I quickly grabbed her hand to get it over with.
She introduced herself.
"I'm Jungeun Park. Same freshman class as you. Let's get along."
Get along.
I forced a nod and replied to Jungeun Park.
Not sure if we actually would, though.
"I'm Kanghyeok Lee. Let's... get along."
"To mark the occasion, nice meeting you today."
"Huh? What?"
I tilted my head at his sudden words.
"Gotta bounce. If I stay, I'll really croak."
With that, he shot up from his seat and bolted.
Staring at Jungeun Park's retreating figure, I wondered what kind of weirdo he was, utterly baffled.
'Screw it, should I go too?'
Suddenly, the urge to head home hit me hard.
Going back and crashing would be the sweetest sleep ever—my butt even twitched to get up.
But.
For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to leave.
Probably because I felt bad for her, stuck drinking with that senior in my place.
Sitting there in the cool night air, her face flashing in my mind, that's when.
Creak!
The bar door swung open, and someone stepped out.
"Eh, you're still here?"
It was her.
She'd clearly drunk more than me, but she didn't look the least bit wrecked.
She plopped down next to me.
Then she asked.
"You saw me earlier, right?"
"Yeah, earlier."
"Back at the orientation lecture hall. That wasn't you sitting next to me?"
I remembered perfectly, but I played dumb—would've been too embarrassing to admit.
"Dun... dunno."
She gave me a weird look.
"Well, you might not remember. I'm pretty plain-looking."
'No...'
That wasn't it.
If she'd been plain, I wouldn't have noticed at all.
It wasn't about being pretty or cute.
More like the feeling you get facing a painting for the first time.
That subtle emotion emanated from her—that's why she'd caught my eye.
"Anyway, you okay? You looked like you were suffering big time earlier."
"Yeah, thanks to you, I'm better."
She beamed at that.
"Still, unless it's something special, don't go back in. That senior's been tearing the place apart looking for you."
"What, then maybe I should head in."
"If you're up for drinking with a wasted senior, be my guest."
"Hmm... nah, think I'll pass."
She snickered at my answer.
"Quick on the draw, huh."
"Not really the type to enjoy suffering."
"Pfft! Yeah."
She kept smiling, reaching behind her back.
She fumbled around for a bit.
"Eh."
Her expression turned serious all of a sudden.
Lost something?
"Eh, where is it?"
"What?"
"My bag. I had it in the lecture hall... Ah, did I leave it there?"
I shook my head.
"Nah, you were still wearing it when we left the hall."
At that...
She shot me a knowing look.
"You said you didn't remember."
"Ah..."
"What do you mean 'know.' You remember everything but pretended not to. Even noticed my bag—and you were staring right at my face earlier."
My face burned hot in an instant.
I hadn't expected her to call me out like that.
Caught off guard by her words, I blurted out something I absolutely shouldn't have.
"Th-that's because you look like a painting..."
"...What?"
Ah... just go die already, Kanghyeok Lee.