The Opening Assembly (2)
In the end, I got half-dragged into the opening assembly. Somehow it felt like my carefully planned university life was already starting to slip off the rails, little by little...
That didn’t mean there was no way out, though.
All I had to do was stay true to the essential purpose Yu Jiyeon had mentioned. Meet the third-years, exchange a few awkward smiles, and report that I’d returned from the military. That was it.
Those people couldn’t care less whether I’d come back or not. An uninvited guest crashing the last school event of their university lives would only sour the mood.
So I’d just kill time quietly and head home. That way I could avoid any unnecessary expansion of human relationships...
“Senior...? Didn’t you say you couldn’t come today because of work?”
“...”
I’d completely forgotten about the unexpected variable. The moment I stepped into the seminar room, Han Gyeoul—who had been checking her laptop—greeted me with the startled eyes of a rabbit.
“Ah... I told them I’d take the day off. The juniors worked so hard preparing the event. Filling a seat felt like the least a senior could do.”
“Heh heh heh... You could just admit you came for Gyeoul instead of making such a pathetic excuse!”
Oh Sujeong cut in like a ghost and fired off her nonsense. Gyeoul’s ears turned bright red as she stammered “Sujeong...” in that distinctive trembling voice of hers—the inevitable result.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to sit down?”
Thankfully Yu Jiyeon, who’d followed a beat later, jabbed me in the side. When I turned, I saw the familiar faces already gathered in their seats.
Shuffle... shuffle...
I’d sworn off human relationships, not embarrassment. As I approached with stiff movements, a few female classmates who recognized me widened their eyes and whispered among themselves.
“What? Kang Taekgu came back? Then why didn’t he contact anyone?”
That was Aeri—Kim Aeri—someone who’d hung out with me and Jiyeon quite a bit back then. Her nickname at the time had been “Aeri-Cola,” famous for saying every single thing she wanted without a filter.
She shot me a look full of sulky dissatisfaction, and I had no idea what to say. I clenched my molars and turned to Jiyeon.
“See? I told you I wouldn’t be welcome.”
“Isn’t that obvious? You didn’t even tell your classmates you were coming back, yet you’ve been buying meals for the junior girls. Who’s supposed to like that?”
“What the hell... Hey! There’s no need to expose stuff the others didn’t even know about!”
Was she kidding me? After all that talk about not caring about rumors and trusting me, the second she got what she wanted she stabbed me right in the back?
“What!? Kang Taekgu, is that true?”
Of course chaos erupted. Any leftover affection for me was long gone, but that was separate from the hostility toward younger girls that was peaking at their age.
“Jiyeon’s misunderstanding. Of course I was planning to go find each of you and say hello.”
“It’s already been three weeks since the semester started. And the whole time you’ve only been looking after Yu Jiyeon. You think that’s an excuse?”
“...”
I didn’t care what they said. I’d steeled myself for hatred the moment I decided to come, so they could spout whatever they wanted.
“Who’s this? First time seeing him.”
The guy speaking was also someone I was seeing for the first time. A soft-looking man with a stocky, teddy-bear build and a gentle impression appeared and asked.
“This is Taekgu, our classmate. He just returned this semester. Taekgu, this is Kwak Dongbin-oppa—two years ahead of us.”
Jiyeon gave a simple introduction. Two years ahead meant he’d been grinding through military service when I first enrolled.
This must be the third-year section. I was about to greet him properly as a junior when he blinked at me first.
“Taekgu? If it’s Taekgu, then maybe that...”
Hup...
Kwak Dongbin had only started the sentence, yet a few of the female classmates clamped their hands over their mouths and let out gasps—like someone had brought up a taboo that must never be spoken.
“Ahem... Oppa, what exactly are you trying to say? I don’t know what you’ve heard, but Taekgu’s not that kind of guy.”
Jiyeon became my passionate defender today and cut off any mention of “that incident.” Dongbin, seasoned enough to read the room, quickly stuck out his hand.
“Nice to meet you. So what year are you taking classes in?”
“I’ll probably have to alternate between second-year and first-year courses.”
I shook his hand and casually checked his left hand. No couple ring or anything similar—that was one less thing to worry about for now.
“Yeah? You’re pretty tall. Do you like basketball by any chance?”
“No. I have zero talent for sports...”
“Hey, why would you say that? Taekgu loves basketball. He’s the best among our classmates, you know?”
It was obvious he was trying to bond over a shared hobby, so I moved to shut it down hard—but Jiyeon was faster. Why do you keep butting in?
“What? Why are you two saying different things? Come on, let’s play a game sometime.”
“Ah... The thing is, I work part-time every weekday.”
“So that means you’re free on Fridays, right? That’s why you came today, isn’t it?”
“...”
I’d been a fool. Instead of stewing alone in weekend loneliness, I should’ve forced myself to fill my schedule with reasons to go out!
Looks like I was going to have to play a game of basketball with Kwak Dongbin. At least it was just guys hanging out, so the pressure was lighter.
“Alright, let’s begin!”
Another classmate, Yeyeong, spoke from the podium. With Oh Sujeong and Han Gyeoul flanking her, she was probably the student council president.
Thanks to Dongbin’s consideration I sat among the other third-years. Naturally there wasn’t a single male classmate, so I had to diligently greet the unfamiliar seniors instead.
And so the opening assembly began.
Trudge, trudge...
After the assembly I left the seminar room. Just being there had felt like sitting on a bed of nails, so nothing had entered my ears.
“You’re coming to the afterparty, right?”
Kwak Dongbin asked. The seniors behind him were also watching for my answer.
“Of course.”
Even if I said no, Jiyeon would’ve dragged me anyway. All I’d done here was exchange a few greetings, so I couldn’t really say I’d properly caught up with anyone.
I already knew the location, so I quietly packed my things. That was when Han Gyeoul approached.
“Um... Senior?”
“Yeah. Gyeoul, is there something you want to say?”
“Well...”
She’d always been on the serious side, but today she was having an especially hard time opening her mouth. The whole-body hesitation of someone unsure whether she should really say it was plain to see.
Poke, poke...
Oh Sujeong, who seemed to know the whole situation, kept jabbing her in the side. The more she did, the more uncomfortable Gyeoul’s expression became.
“What is it? Don’t feel pressured—just say it.”
“It’s... nothing!”
“...?”
She gave up and turned away weakly. Watching Sujeong scold her with a “Hey!”, I suspected it might have been something fairly important after all.
“Aren’t you going?”
The second I stepped out of line, Jiyeon appeared like a ghost and stuck close. We walked side by side toward the afterparty venue.
“Dongbin-oppa takes good care of juniors, so there’s no harm in getting close. Fridays are busy for everyone anyway, so get-togethers don’t form easily.”
“Yeah, I really hope so.”
Somewhat trivial conversation continued. If you can’t avoid it, you might as well enjoy it—I decided to focus on digging up personal info on Kwak Dongbin and the other seniors at the drinking table.
“Ahem... So what were you talking about with Oh Sujeong earlier?”
“It was Gyeoul, not Sujeong. Looked like she had something to say but ended up just walking away.”
“Really? How’d you end up buying her a meal?”
“I already told you I didn’t. She suddenly blocked my path and demanded food, so I tried to make an excuse and run. We just happened to run into each other at the cafeteria.”
“You still bought her a drink, though. You didn’t completely hate it, did you?”
Jiyeon’s suspicion knew no end. I wouldn’t deny that I’d felt a tiny bit of pleasure from it.
But all I’d really wanted was to learn about the romantic situation inside the second-year class I’d be running into most. All because of the pheromone.
“Sujeong’s cute, right? Her personality’s bright, so plenty of oppas are interested. Come to think of it, her dry spell’s been getting long lately—she seems a little lonely.”
“What exactly are you trying to say, Jiyeon?”
“I’m just saying. Why? Is something pricking your conscience?”
“...”
She’d decided on her own that I was full of ulterior motives and then flipped it back on me? She’d always been oddly interested in my relationships with the opposite sex.
But it was only ever the curiosity of an “unnie” collecting gossip about a cute little brother. After all, Jiyeon’s birthday was earlier than mine.
Back then it had been so wretched. I liked you—so why were you so desperate to set me up with someone else?
I didn’t have any lingering feelings left now, but it still felt uncomfortable. She wasn’t planning to roll our relationship back to those days, was she?
Gogi Sarang
The afterparty venue was the same as first year: Gogi Sarang. Cheap, spacious, and rarely crowded—a meat restaurant perfectly optimized for group dinners.
Sizzle...
The grill looked hot enough, so I mechanically started cooking the meat. Around us were only our classmates, plus Kwak Dongbin and his friends.
“Now the student council president will say a few words!”
The usual formalities followed. Starting with the president, everyone took turns speaking, then the students mindlessly downed a shot each.
“Eat.”
Of course I had zero interest, so I focused on cooking the meat and dividing it onto everyone’s plates. The second I put fresh meat on the grill, Aeri at the next table voiced her complaint.
“You guys are already done? Hey, then give us some too.”
“Is this a robbery? You started late—why are you demanding our meat?”
“Isn’t it weird to start grilling before even raising a glass? You’re always so extra. You grabbed the tongs the second we sat down just because you were worried Yu Jiyeon’s stomach would growl, right?”
“...”
I was about to let it go and ignore her when Kwak Dongbin, sitting across from me, tilted his head and asked.
“Taekgu, you and Jiyeon seem really close. Aeri’s super jealous, huh?”
“That’s not jealousy.”
Aeri dismissed it as nonsense. Jiyeon shot her a single sharp look.
“We’ve been complete best friends since we entered school. Back then I was completely insane about partying—no studying, nothing. Taekgu and I stuck together like shadows and went everywhere.”
“Not a shadow—Kang Taekgu was your clingy stalker.”
“Hey, Kim Aeri, can you tone it down?”
Jiyeon finally drew her blade against Aeri’s endless needling. But the seed of suspicion had already been planted long ago.
Roll, roll...
I could practically hear their eyeballs spinning. Dongbin and the seniors who didn’t know those days had already measured the situation and convinced themselves.
Yeah, I’d liked Yu Jiyeon. But honestly, hadn’t every single one of them dreamed of something like that at least once?
“Anyway... Jiyeon, didn’t you say you were doing a study group?”
“The members are roughly set now, so we’ll start properly next week.”
A study group? Since she was a third-year, was she already preparing for employment?
“I’m taking the LEET. Looking at the seniors these days, everything’s getting replaced by AI, but the judicial cartel will hold out till the end, right?”
So she was prepping for law school. She said it casually, but I thought it actually suited her.
She’d never been able to stand injustice. If Aeri was a community-style sniper optimized purely for complaining, Jiyeon had thrown herself into abolishing bad practices the moment she entered school.
Why do I have to do this?
That very MZ-generation line had flustered the seniors more than once. But she was so popular she could easily control public opinion, so quite a few rules had been changed thanks to her.
“It suits you.”
“That’s a compliment in a good way, right? Taekgu, what are you going to do? Don’t think you can just play around because you still have lots of semesters left. I spent all last winter regretting everything I wasted last year, so if you don’t want to end up like me, prepare early.”
“Uh... yeah. I’ll think about what to do.”
“If you don’t have anything, want to prepare for the LEET with me?”
“I’ve never even considered it, so I don’t know. Plus the risk is way too high.”
Risk aside, I was already drowning in poverty—how was I supposed to prepare that expensive graduate school tuition? There was no guarantee of scholarships either.
“You two are suspicious. Yu Jiyeon, you’ve never even offered to study with the oppas, have you?”
Kwak Dongbin got huffy about being left out. Jiyeon answered that coolly too.
“Even if I’d brought the oppas, you’d have been cut at the door because of the study group’s own rules. I deliberately didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.”
“...”
Beauty is power. No matter how blunt the words, because the speaker was Yu Jiyeon, no one could even open their mouths.
Anyway, it was about time to fulfill the reason I’d come here. I poured soju into my own glass, raised it, and spoke.
“Guys, I have something to say. I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you in advance when I returned. But at the start of the semester I had so much to prepare that I couldn’t find the time. Now that we’ve met again, let’s forget the past and get along well.”
“...”
No one raised their glass. Only Aeri tilted her head crookedly and asked.
“It’s not even like we’re receiving a forced bow. How am I supposed to accept a line with zero emotion in it?”
“Did it not occur to you that I was so sorry I had to force the emotion down?”
“If you’re really sorry, show some sincerity. How about we all go clubbing after this? You’re treating, right, Taekgu?”
“...”
Did this school have a special class on how female students fleece male students? First of all, how many of you are there, and second, why do I have to go that far?
“Club? What club? Taekgu came to apologize, so everyone accept it. Just greet him when you see him, and if you have past exam papers or anything, share them.”
Today’s reliable Yu Jiyeon settled the situation. Since the words came from the alpha female who owned the group, even Aeri couldn’t talk back.
Whew... So that was that, right? Purpose achieved—time to get up from the seat.
Poke, poke...
But someone else jabbed me in the side. When I turned my head, Oh Sujeong was there.
“Oh... Sujeong, are you making the rounds? I’ll move so you can sit here.”
I’d been looking for a chance to bolt anyway, so the timing was perfect. I was packing my things in a flash when Sujeong gave a completely unexpected answer.
“No. Gyeoul says she has something to tell you, oppa.”