One Assa, Three Beauties
One assa, three beauties. At our school, if you asked who the pretty girls were, exactly three names would come up: Mo Yuna from Korean Language and Literature, Kim Hayun from Korean Language and Literature, and Chae Songha from Physical Education.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Yet those three were currently staring only at my face.
“……”
Even locking eyes with just one of them would feel overwhelming, but having three impossibly beautiful girls gazing at me so intently left me unsure who I was even supposed to look at.
…Hmm.
My lost gaze wandered aimlessly for a second before, without thinking, it drifted toward the professor sitting up front. I hadn’t meant to invite conversation, but he must have misinterpreted my look because he smiled at me with genuine warmth.
“Student, your name is Lee Sunwoo, correct?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
“Wow, you must be thrilled. Ending up in a group with three such lovely female students?”
And just like that, smiling, he dropped the bomb. He probably meant it as a harmless joke, but the moment he mentioned the shameless group of one guy and three girls, the entire lecture hall fell silent.
“I’ll be reading your essay with extra care, Sunwoo.”
“…No.”
Professor. Why are you doing this to me?
If I had asked for this grouping I’d have no right to complain, but the groups had been assigned before we even knew what the project was. I felt seriously wronged. Still, saying so would only dig my own grave, so I kept my mouth shut.
As I sat there pretending not to have heard anything and staring awkwardly into space, a small voice spoke from beside me.
“Um… sunbae?”
It was Mo Yuna.
“…Yeah. What’s up?”
I tried to sound casual, but my voice still trembled slightly. The reason was obvious—the professor’s earlier attention-grabbing comment.
Anyway, she clearly had something to say, so I turned my head and met her eyes. Mo Yuna glanced around nervously, then covered her mouth with her hand and whispered in the tiniest voice.
“What time does your last class end today, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Uh… this is my last one. Why?”
“It’s our last class too. After it ends, would you like to meet up with us for a bit?”
“……”
Meet up after class? For a split second my mind filled with all kinds of wild scenarios, but—
“Yes. We should coordinate our schedules together. It would be bad if they overlapped after we talked separately.”
Her next words instantly killed every fantasy.
Ah.
Right. This was about the group project.
The assignment was so ridiculous I’d briefly forgotten, but if we were supposed to go on dates with our group members and then write essays about the experience, coordinating schedules was obviously necessary.
Feeling a little embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck and nodded.
“Yeah, let’s do that. Where should we meet?”
“Ah, yes. The place is—”
The coffee shop near campus that the girls from our department often visited. I’d never been inside since I was a guy, but the moment I opened the door I could feel its elegant, vintage atmosphere.
In other words, it was exactly the kind of place liberal-arts girls from Korean Language and Literature would adore.
We each ordered a coffee. Since there were no seats on the first floor, we headed straight up to the second. Kim Hayun and Chae Songha stepped away to the bathroom, leaving only me and Mo Yuna sitting across from each other at a four-person table.
What should I talk about during this short, awkward stretch of time?
I was still pondering when—
“Sunbae. I’m sorry!”
Mo Yuna suddenly bowed her head deeply.
My eyes widened. “Huh? Sorry for what?”
“For suggesting we do the group project together! It was wrong of me. If I hadn’t said anything, you could have paired up with your girlfriend instead…”
“……”
Girlfriend? As if an assa returnee student like me had one of those. I was busy frowning at the nonsense when a thought suddenly hit me.
Wait a second.
Maybe Mo Yuna had misunderstood Han Sara, who had been sitting next to me, as my girlfriend.
“You… I mean—wait, what?”
“Ah, you can call me Yuna, sunbae!”
“Ah, yeah. Okay.”
She was a junior in the same department, so calling her “you” did feel a bit off.
“Yuna, you’re not saying Han Sara is my girlfriend, are you?”
“Uh… she isn’t?”
“Of course not. Are you kidding me?”
No matter how lonely I got, Han Sara was off-limits. Given our relationship, even if it was a misunderstanding, the idea of us being paired together made me genuinely serious as I spoke.
“She’s just an acquaintance. Not even a friend—just a walking nuisance. A total pain in the ass.”
“A n-nuisance…?”
“Yeah. Exactly. A massive pain in the—”
I regretted it the second the words left my mouth. After everything Han Sara had put me through, I’d gotten worked up without realizing it. A crude word I would never say in front of others had slipped out, so I lightly tapped my own mouth in self-reproach.
“Sorry. Pretend you didn’t hear that last part.”
Mo Yuna stared at me blankly, as if she’d just watched a little comedy skit, then—
“…Yes. Understood.”
She nodded with the corners of her mouth softly lifted, looking like she’d seen something amusing.
I quietly appreciated her smile for a moment before continuing.
“Anyway, Han Sara isn’t my girlfriend, so you don’t need to apologize, Yuna.”
And besides.
Even if she had been, Mo Yuna still wouldn’t have needed to apologize. She had approached me with pure goodwill and offered a helping hand when I was facing the nightmare of this group project. If anything, I should be the one thanking her.
“Ah, no. I still need to apologize. Like the professor said, I should have listened to the assignment first before asking…”
“No, if we’re keeping score, shouldn’t I be the one apologizing to you three?”
“Uh… why?”
“Because if I’d known what the project was beforehand, I would have noticed and backed out. Instead I agreed without hearing a single detail, and now we’re stuck like this.”
I shrugged, half-joking to lighten the mood since she looked so genuinely sorry.
“No, that’s not something for you to apologize for, sunbae.”
It must have worked, because Mo Yuna smiled again, half-covering her mouth with her hand.
“If I had been more careful when I first suggested it, everything would have been fine. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Hmm, no. This is clearly my fault first.”
“What? No, it’s mine…”
“Hey, I’m telling you it’s my fault.”
“No. It’s my fault…!”
The two of us stared at each other, both stubbornly insisting we were the one at fault.
“……”
“……”
Then, as if we’d planned it—
“Pfft…”
“…Heh.”
We both started laughing at the same time.
“What is this? Are we shooting a comedy sketch right now?”
“…Ahem. Hm!”
Mo Yuna cleared her throat, embarrassed by my snickering. Her acting was poor despite her beautiful face; she couldn’t hide her expression at all as she pretended nothing had happened.
“…Well then. Since it seems we both feel responsible, shall we call it even and move on?”
“Yeah, let’s do that. That’s the cleanest way.”
“Ahem… Yes. Understood.”
Mo Yuna answered politely and gently tucked her hair behind her ear. It was a simple gesture, but because it was Mo Yuna doing it, every movement looked so elegant that I couldn’t help admiring it.
“Oh, sunbae.”
“Yeah?”
“About yesterday during the department MT…”
Department MT. The word I never wanted to hear again made my face stiffen instantly. But Mo Yuna was looking down, so she didn’t notice and kept speaking.
“You remember acting as my Black Knight, right?”
“Black Knight? …Ah.”
Right. I’d forgotten thanks to the hangover, but that had happened yesterday.
“Yeah, I remember. Why?”
“It’s nothing special, but you asked for an ice cream as your wish for being my Black Knight, and I couldn’t buy it for you. So—”
Mo Yuna clasped her hands together, fidgeting with her fingertips.
“If it’s all right with you, sunbae, would you let me buy you a meal instead of ice cream?”
“A meal?”
“Yes. I know tons of good restaurants around here. I’ve gone to many with my friends.”
Knowing tons of good restaurants, huh. Still, she couldn’t possibly know more than me after I’d lived in the area for over a year. But—
A free meal from a junior?
For a broke self-supporting student, that was an offer I could never refuse. I nodded without hesitation.
“Really? Then I’d be grateful. When are you thinking?”
“Hmm… How about during one of the project dates—”
Just as Mo Yuna was about to finish, a voice called from across the shop.
“Yuna!”
It was Kim Hayun. Of course Chae Songha was right beside her, carrying a tray with four coffee cups. The pager must have gone off while they were on their way back.
“Ah, Hayun! Over here!”
Mo Yuna waved. I stood up and took the tray from Chae Songha.
“Ah, thank you.”
We exchanged simple nods. I carried the tray back to our original seats. Kim Hayun sat beside Mo Yuna on the sofa, Chae Songha next to her. I glanced over the three girls sitting in a neat row and spoke.
“So, when are you all free next week?”
“I’m available anytime except weekdays.”
“I’m fine with anything except weekend afternoons!”
“I only have time on Saturdays.”
The answers came in order from Mo Yuna, Kim Hayun, and Chae Songha.
Their free times don’t overlap at all?
Interesting. Well, that worked for me. They could coordinate their own hangouts among themselves. All that remained was adjusting my schedule.
“Hmm, I’m free except for Friday afternoons and weekend mornings. So—”
“Why? Are you going on a date with your girlfriend then?”
Kim Hayun suddenly cut in.
…Girlfriend, my ass.
For a second I felt annoyed, thinking she was teasing me for being single, but her bright, playful smile made it clear she was just like this by nature. I let out a short sigh and answered.
“I wish, but it’s my part-time shift.”
“Oh! A part-time job! What kind?”
“Convenience store.”
“Wait, really? Where?”
“Well, just near my house…”
I was answering so smoothly I almost kept going. She was asking so casually that I nearly spilled private information.
“Hayun. You shouldn’t ask things like that.”
Mo Yuna tapped Kim Hayun’s shoulder to stop her. Kim Hayun made a surprised face like Oh, is that off-limits? then quickly bowed her head a little.
“I’m sorry, sunbae!”
“Uh, yeah. It’s fine.”
It wasn’t really something that needed an apology, but I let it slide.
“Anyway, I’m free except for Friday afternoons and weekend mornings. How about I meet each of you one-on-one during your free times?”
“Whoa.”
Kim Hayun looked at me again with that bright grin.
“Sunbae, that last line was totally like an Alpha Male with three girls on the go.”
“……”
What kind of Alpha Male is an assa like me?
“Could you say it one more time? This time with a really serious expression too.”
“As if I would.”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. At my sincere refusal, not only Kim Hayun but Mo Yuna and even Chae Songha burst out laughing.
“Sunbae, when it’s my turn later I’m definitely going to hear it, so please practice in advance. Got it?”
“…No, I’m not doing it.”
I’d rather die than say something that embarrassing again. For real.