#14. Urban Planning Clause 8
#14. Urban Planning Clause 8
[I Imprisoned Her. Author. Han Gyeo-ul Author-nim, you know.]
Thump thump.
Han Gyeo-ul.
The moment my pen name slipped from her lips, I couldn't help but tense up.
[Yeah. What do you think the odds are that guy's a Mosol?]
...The odds that I'm a Mosol?
Na-eun's question was one that didn't even apply to me.
Because this was a proposition that could be divided cleanly into true or false.
It wasn't in the realm of probabilities like "could be" or "couldn't be."
Still, how the hell do I answer this?
[No idea? 50 percent?]
When you're not sure what the smart answer is, going fifty-fifty is always the best bet.
[You think it's possible to write that kind of super-pervy novel without any real-life experience?]
She was perfectly assuming it wasn't me, but her questions kept drawing me into an emotional immersion.
[Well... these days, indirect experiences are so damn easy, right? Books. Comics. Videos. Dramas. VR. And so on—you can reference all that stuff and still write something decent.]
...This was exactly how I actually wrote.
I'd never seen a woman's body with my own eyes, but I'd watched plenty of porn.
Sure, a lot of it was for my own one-dimensional kicks, but even beyond that, I referenced tons of it for new material or descriptions.
If I hadn't, I'd have run out of ideas and my descriptions would suck so bad I'd drop off the charts in no time.
[Hmm~ Is that so? Then conversely, what are the odds it's from some total stud who's banging chicks left and right?]
So basically, she's asking about the probability that the author Han Gyeo-ul is the novel's protagonist, Lee Jin-seong?
I dunno how many Erotic Novelists like that are out there, but at least it wasn't me.
No, not just "not me"—I was pretty much the polar opposite.
[Hmm... just my opinion, but would a guy like that even bother writing Erotic Novels?]
This was sincere.
Why would someone living out a fantasy life in reality sit in front of a monitor grunting away at a novel?
If you're gonna write an Erotic Novel, might as well just do it one more time with the hot chick right next to you.
I believed novels were born from longing for fiction.
Things that could never happen in real life.
Miracles that might visit you once in a lifetime, if at all.
That's the kind of stories people craved.
[Is that right?]
Na-eun's tone sounded amused somehow.
Honestly, there wasn't anything funny about it, so I couldn't figure out why she seemed in such a good mood.
[Got it. See you tomorrow.]
She said her piece and hung up abruptly.
Han Na-eun.
We hadn't known each other long, but her character was hard to pin down.
When you're writing novels, you inevitably sketch out characters and analyze their psychology and motives behind actions, but no matter how I thought about it, your average female college student in Na-eun's shoes would've distanced herself from me or reported me to the cops.
Who keeps a guy who tried to assault them this close?
And she didn't even seem particularly fond of me.
She'd been rude right back at me and summoned me whenever she felt like it, then sent me packing.
"What the hell do you want, anyway?"
Out of nowhere, she calls up asking crap like "What's the probability Han Gyeo-ul Author-nim is a Mosol?"
And even giving her the benefit of the doubt, so what if he is, or isn't?
I'm just business partners with Han Gyeo-ul Author-nim and HNE Author—nothing more, nothing less.
Feeling all unsettled thanks to her call, I rang up Hwi-min.
[Yo, come out for a drink.]
[What drink? We got class tomorrow morning.]
Hwi-min's tone screamed annoyance.
But I had no intention of backing down.
[I don't? Come on, hang out with me a bit. I'm feeling lonely as hell.]
[What, did you bomb your exam?]
It was karma from not studying, so whatever, but if I could reel him in with that, I'd act my ass off.
[Yeah. Modern Architecture fucked me raw. Man, wasn't number 7 total bullshit?]
[You didn't get 7 either? Yo, hold up. Heading to your spot now. Seriously, I didn't say it, but that test was such bullshit.]
Truth be told, I hadn't written a proper answer since number 3, so empathizing was tough, but as long as I played along, it was fine.
I threw on a hoodie and called him to the cheap street stall right by my place.
Haa... screw it. Screw it.
I figured I'd just pound some booze and dive back into plot brainstorming hard tomorrow.
I always thought evaluations of new professors were hit or miss, but this guy was way too much.
Urban Planning.
9 a.m.
The class already pissed me off from being first period, and it only happened because the regular prof was on sabbatical, so this new guy took over.
He seemed to want an interactive class, but no way could 9 a.m. seniors live up to that.
"Starting in the '90s, urban policies began changing drastically. Things like..."
The one that needed changing for sure wasn't urban policy—it was the professor.
The back-row kids were already out cold.
I glanced back slightly, and there were the fourth-years with their dark circles sagging like nobody's business.
My situation wasn't much different.
I'd planned to just grab a beer with Hwi-min real quick, but we downed two bottles of soju each before staggering out.
Hell, Hwi-min didn't even go home—he crashed at my place.
No way I was sober.
"Alright... you sleepyheads in the back, wake up."
The prof must've seen too many bald spots from the front, 'cause he smacked the podium to rouse us.
"You guys are done with midterms now. So how about we kick off a new Team Project?"
Nobody said it, but we were all screaming inside.
Ah, please no. I hate Team Projects now. No more, I'm done.
It was fourth-year second semester. We'd already done so many damn Team Projects we were sick of them, and plenty of friendships had tanked over them.
"Hmm~ Guess we gotta make groups. What's the best way? Department rep? Rep!"
Department rep. Aka "overrep."
I seriously thought the guys who volunteered for that were legends.
Every prof in the major calls them like they're summoning their house dog Happy whenever shit comes up—they had to put up with all of it.
Couldn't do it. No way in hell.
"Yes. Here."
The rep raised his hand, and the prof hit him with a question right away.
"Should they sort it out themselves? Or should I assign randomly?"
Freshmen or sophomores might've gauged the room and voted before passing it on, but this fourth-year vet knew better.
"We'll handle it ourselves."
It was the same old structure anyway—same cliques reforming every time.
"Alright. I'll give you time now. Get your groups sorted and hand me the roster before class ends. Got it?"
At the prof's words, the sleepers woke up and the room buzzed with chatter.
"Yo, Hwi-min. You're with me, right?"
For me, him was all I needed.
Honestly, it was a total steal from my end.
They should be grateful just teaming up with a slacker fuckup like me.
"You got nobody else anyway. You're solo, but we need more people—who you pairing with?"
"Why? Can't it just be two?"
"He said minimum four."
...Looks like I zoned out during that part too.
"Grab Hyun-jun or Jin-ho or whatever."
"They're already paired up with their crew, probably can't."
"Then who?"
I scanned around for options, but Na-eun was heading our way.
"Team up with me. Minho oppa."
Hwi-min shot me a look demanding an explanation.
"You already got your group full?"
"Nah, not yet..."
"Okay. Na-eun. Let's do it."
Hwi-min accepted her pitch without even checking with me.
"But can you snag one more person?"
Hwi-min asked Na-eun.
"Oh. Need one more? Hold on."
Na-eun glanced around, then approached a girl sitting alone.
That girl...
Never talked to her, but she wasn't from our school.
Heard she was from another uni, just auditing this semester...
After a quick chat with Na-eun, she nodded and came over to us.
"Hi. Mind if I join?"
...Never really faced her properly before, so I hadn't noticed, but damn.
Even in super casual clothes, her beauty was overwhelming.
Light makeup, straight black hair down past her shoulders.
She held her own against Na-eun standing right next to her.
"She's Si-eun unni. She hasn't found a team yet, so I brought her. That cool?"
"Ooh. Perfect. Let's roll."
Hwi-min's shoulders visibly relaxed as he jotted down the names, sounding all refreshed.
Urban Planning Group 8.
Lee Hwi-min
Lee Min-ho
Han Na-eun
Kim Si-eun
At that moment, no one could've predicted the future of Urban Planning Group 8, which we figured was just a volatile cluster for this Team Project.