Start of Semester (2)
The first-year class in my department, Digital Content, had 42 students total.
The MT groups were divided into seven teams of six.
Each team had one or two second-years attached as the team leader.
- Lee So-yeon: Let's meet briefly after class today to discuss.
- Yu-bam: What would be good to do? Bring ideas!
As it happened, today was a day when class ended early.
During the lecture, I agonized over what would work best for the talent show.
'I had to avoid drawing attention to myself at all costs.'
According to the team leader, every team member had to participate. At first, I despaired when I heard that, but after shifting my perspective, it seemed manageable.
'This is also decided by ladder game, so if I got picked for something...'
Ugh, I didn't even want to think about it. What was I supposed to do in front of all those people?
On the other hand, since all the team members were joining in, the mental burden lessened a little. There would be eight of us on one stage, so if we did it right, maybe I could just blend into the background.
I started brainstorming talent show concepts that would draw the least attention to me.
After class ended.
The first-years of Team 3, myself included, headed to the agreed-upon lecture room.
"No one's here?"
The lecture room was completely empty.
The team leader and assistant team leader's classes apparently hadn't ended yet.
We sat around awkwardly and exchanged names.
"I'm No Juwan."
"I'm Oh Si-hyeon."
Truthfully, I already knew their names. But unlike the three of us who had gotten close at the new student gathering, we were still awkward with the other two.
"I'm Kim Seong-ju. You probably know since you heard it at the self-introductions last time, but I'm twenty-two. You don't have to treat me with extra formality, though—just be friendly. Does anyone have ideas for the talent show?"
As expected, Kim Seong-ju steered the atmosphere. This hyung was already a popular guy in the department, thanks to his good looks and easygoing personality.
"Nothing comes to mind except just singing some songs."
"Hmm. What about doing a comedy skit by copying a Comedy Big League bit?"
Comedy, absolutely not. If the audience didn't respond, it would be a total disaster. All eight of us would be up there, and we couldn't even hype the crowd.
Just then, Kim Seong-ju spoke with a deliberately gloomy expression.
"Ah, how am I gonna do the female disguise? Never in my life did I think I'd end up cross-dressing!"
"Ahaha. But oppa, you're handsome, so I think it'll suit you even in a female disguise."
Oh Si-hyeon laughed and complimented Kim Seong-ju. Her gaze never left Seongju Hyung.
Conversely, No Juwan couldn't take his eyes off Pi Ah-reum.
"Hey, Areum, you're doing the male disguise, right?"
"Yeah. Not as much as Seong-ju oppa, but I don't wanna do it either. Ugh."
"You don't have men's clothes, right? Should I lend you my old middle school uniform or something?"
No Juwan kept the conversation going earnestly. With the male disguise topic right there, he seemed to be trying to get in one more word however he could.
'Well, Areum is pretty.'
It wasn't just No Juwan acting that way. Pi Ah-reum's looks were so cute and pretty that she drew all of our classmates' attention. Because she was short and had an adorable appearance, she was already being treated like a doll by some of the female classmates.
But in reality, Pi Ah-reum's attachment doll was me, who was relatively quiet. She turned her head slightly toward me and mouthed words.
'Can I come over to your place later?'
Having acquired a taste for sex, Pi Ah-reum tried to visit my studio apartment at every opportunity. Though she didn't stay over and sleep there anymore, unlike before.
I gave a small nod. Because I had acquired a taste for sex as well. As it was, we hadn't been able to be intimate lately because of the bomb of assignments suddenly dumped on us. I mean, who knew it was a crazy department that hands out assignments right in week two?
"E-everyone's so sociable. Right?"
Ahn Seong-hyeon said in a small voice. He seemed to find this gathering terribly awkward.
'This guy's body got all burly, but his personality hasn't changed at all.'
As I remembered him, Ahn Seong-hyeon was originally short and small-framed. He was so timid he couldn't even initiate a conversation with anyone.
But whatever he'd been eating all this time, he'd grown to be about my height and put on a macho, muscular build. Seeing him act like his old timid self with that appearance was a mismatch like no other.
"Didn't you get along well with everyone when we met before the semester started?"
"Th-that time, it was a place where everyone was meeting for the first time."
"Ahh."
I understood immediately. Getting friendly at a gathering where everyone is meeting for the first time and getting friendly within a group that's already formed are subtly but significantly different.
But wasn't the situation a bit different now?
For one thing, three out of the six people were people I knew. The attention was on Kim Seong-ju and Pi Ah-reum, but those two were also close with Ahn Seong-hyeon. For starters, I'd reconciled with him too, so we were friends.
Just then, the lecture room door opened.
The first-years who had been chatting turned their heads.
"Oh, it's the first-years. Freshmen!"
From the bubbly tone, I could tell it was Yu-bam sunbae, the assistant team leader and a third-year. The team leader, Lee So-yeon sunbae, always had a businesslike way of speaking.
Kim Seong-ju asked cautiously, half-hesitant.
"Um, are you Yu-bam sunbae?"
"That's right. Hello. I'm Yu-bam."
My guess was correct.
But there was a part I hadn't expected.
"I'm a third-year, but this is my first time going on an MT. First time for the talent show too. So I'm reeeally looking forward to it!"
An awkward way of speaking and pronunciation. And green eyes you wouldn't see in Korea.
No matter how I looked at it, Yu-bam sunbae wasn't Korean.
*
In conclusion, Yu-bam sunbae was indeed a foreigner.
The team leader, who came in a step later, explained.
"Yu-bam is an exchange student from abroad. So this is her first time going on an MT too."
"Yes, I'm an exchange student. I really like Korea. K-pop, dramas are fun. Korean food is so delicious."
"Bam unni, please introduce yourself."
"Aha. I'm Yu-bam. It's a Korean name. My real name is Leila. My full name is a secret!"
"Um, which country are you from?"
"That's also a secret. It's a concept. So, uh, hmm. Ah, mystique!"
She was clearly a peculiar person. But it didn't come across badly. She was smiling so brightly, and well, for starters, she was pretty.
Auburn hair with reddish undertones.
Teal eyes that looked like emeralds had been set into them.
Bright skin that suggested she was mixed-race with white heritage.
That alone was more than enough to give her an air of mystery, and on top of that, Yu-bam sunbae had a sense of refined elegance about her. I wasn't sure if this expression was appropriate for a foreigner, but she had the feel of a 'noble family's daughter,' so to speak.
"Let's decide quickly. Share ideas. Talent show."
"Bam unni, that one seems like it'll be a bit tricky, so let's settle the female and male disguises first."
"Aha, okay. Soyeon is reliable. But male disguise? I'm jealous you get to dress up as a man. I want to do it too."
"Huh? You want to do the male disguise?"
"Yes! I've never done a male disguise before. I'm curious! But since it was decided by ladder game, it can't be helped."
Maybe she wasn't a noble's daughter but just a bit of an airhead. She looked aristocratic, and her accent had a certain elegant quality, but the content of what she said was no different from a girl bursting with curiosity.
Just then, not missing her chance, Pi Ah-reum raised her hand.
"I'm okay with not doing the male disguise..."
"Oh, you're yielding it to me?!"
Yu-bam sunbae brightened up, and the team leader glared at Pi Ah-reum. She must have seen it as foisting it off onto a sunbae.
But soon she let out a small sigh and nodded.
"Well, there's no rule that says a third-year can't go up, so it should be fine. And Bam unni seems to want to, anyway."
"Thank you, Soyeon."
Yu-bam sunbae pressed her hands together, her teal eyes sparkling. Incredibly cute.
Before starting the meeting in earnest, the team leader looked around at us.
"First of all, since I'm— no, since I'm your sunbae, I'll drop the formal speech. You can all speak comfortably too. Hm, and also..."
A glance. The team leader looked at Kim Seong-ju. I wondered if even the businesslike team leader had a weakness for handsome men, but that wasn't it.
"Ah, you already know my age. Talk comfortably to me, too."
"...Got it. I mean, got it."
And so the meeting began.
First up, the female disguise.
"I have a wig. A long one would be good to make a clear difference from the before look, right?"
Oh Si-hyeon took charge of the wig.
"I'll provide the clothes. Something super lovely!"
Yu-bam sunbae took charge of the outfit.
"No, but something too feminine is a bit..."
"Seong-ju is handsome, so something lovely will suit you well. I'll make you pretty."
Yu-bam sunbae was highly enthusiastic. The other girls also looked intrigued about how to dress up Kim Seong-ju. Meanwhile, the male members, myself included, were busy either breathing sighs of relief or avoiding Seongju Hyung's eyes, which were sending SOS signals. Hang in there, Seongju Hyung...
Unlike the female disguise, there wasn't anything specific for the guys to do for the male disguise. It wasn't like wigs or makeup were needed like for the female disguise. We just decided to dress up on our own.
Now, what remained was the talent show.
I felt sorry for Seongju Hyung, but honestly, from my position of not having to do the female disguise, this was way more important.
"What should we do for the talent show?"
"I have an idea: a comedy skit by copying Comedy Big League..."
That No Juwan guy really seemed to want to do the comedy skit he mentioned earlier. It looked like he'd even thought up how to do it, but unfortunately, he couldn't get the support of the team members. Of course, I was against it too.
But the problem was that so far, no other opinions had come up besides the comedy skit. If there were no other opinions, the voice of the person who had spoken up was bound to get louder.
I was about to hesitantly raise my hand.
The team leader sighed and spoke.
"Comedy has too much pressure; that's the thing. I once saw one that failed, and it made the viewers cringe. If there are no other opinions, let's just do a group dance..."
I hurriedly raised my hand and said.
"How about a musical?"
"...A machineryul?"
The team leader's expression crumpled fiercely. She looked even more horrified than when she'd heard the suggestion to do comedy. The others had expressions like they weren't keen on it either.
I quickly added. Of course, I had no intention of doing a high-quality musical.
"It's not so much a serious musical as enacting just a part of a music video. So... please take a look at this."
I took out and opened a notebook I'd prepared in advance. Inside the notebook was a storyboard I had diligently drawn during the lecture.
Yu-bam sunbae looked at the storyboard and snapped her head up to look at me.
"Cheoljjin, you draw well. It's easy to understand. It's amazing."
"Th-thank you."
As I awkwardly greeted her, there was someone besides Yu-bam sunbae staring intently at me. It was the team leader, who had been frowning just moments ago. Wh-why are you looking at me like that?
Soon, the team leader, who had been boring holes into me, nodded as if finally getting it.
"So only three or four people sing, and the rest just chat and create the atmosphere?"
"That's right. Only the people who sing well need to sing. And with this structure, you can read the lyrics on your phone to some degree while performing."
"That's good. Forgetting the lyrics would be embarrassing too, so I'm glad that worry's reduced."
The team leader, who had been nodding for a while, looked around at us and said.
"I think Cheol-jin's idea is good. What about you guys? Any other opinions?"
No one raised a hand.
Team 3's talent show was decided by my idea.
But there was one problem.
Kim Seong-ju looked at me and said.
"Cheol-jin, you're good at singing. You'll take one of the male parts, right?"
"What? I can't sing!"
I waved my hands in denial, but the oblivious Ahn Seong-hyeon chimed in with a serious expression.
"No way, Cheol-jin. When you sang at the noraebang last time, you were good. Have some confidence."
This little shit?
My plan to coast by effortlessly was ruined.