Parties Are Only Fun for Extroverts #5
“And that concludes today’s sparring! We’ll begin meditation now, so everyone return to your assigned spots! Meditation is crucial. It lets you peer deeply into your own desires and decide which direction to take!”
Dr. Wi Seon-a clapped her hands sharply, shooing the children back to their places. Meditation? Sounds boring as hell. With that thought, I returned to my spot, sat in a lotus position, and had barely settled when someone poked me hard in the side.
It was Ppang-daeng-i, Baek Yeoul. Her face flushed bright red, she hissed at a volume only I could hear.
“Hey! I told you to get along with Wang Jahyeon from F-class! You completely wrecked his crew, so of course he’s going to hate you! It’s going to be insanely annoying!”
“But I can’t exactly let myself get beaten into a pulp, can I?”
“…….”
Unable to refute my flawless logic, Baek Yeoul could only open and close her mouth like a goldfish. Then, as if spite had finally kicked in, she managed to squeeze out a few more words.
“A ton of Wang Jahyeon’s gang is showing up at the headquarters party tonight. This is a complete disaster. What are we going to do…? We’re just going to get humiliated the entire time and add a mountain of black history to our records….”
“What exactly do you mean by humiliation and black history? Is it worse than standing in front of a crowd wearing nothing but your underwear?”
“…M-maybe not that bad.”
“Then it’s no big deal.”
“That’s only according to your standards! And why do you keep yanking your pants off like that anyway? It’s embarrassing just watching you!”
I was the one who took my pants off, so why was Baek Yeoul the one feeling ashamed? Maybe it was the same reason she apologized to Wang Jahyeon on behalf of Jang Geun-seong after losing the spar. Either way, the sparring session was followed by a perfectly ordinary meditation class.
Looking back now, if someone asked whether the Special Class was really worth 400,000 points, I’d honestly have to say I’m not sure.
“All right, from now on we’ll be adding yoga poses to the meditation.”
A little more time passed and we began combining meditation with yoga movements. Dr. Wi Seon-a must have thought my posture was too stiff, because she walked over, leaned her upper body forward, and pressed down firmly on my back.
“Be flexible. Both your body and your mind. Understand? Strengthening existing concepts and awakening new ones both begin with imagination. And imagination thrives on flexibility. Like this—”
Press. Press.
The “flexibility” pressing against my back was incredibly soft and warm. This place really knows how to teach a good special lecture! I need to save up another 400,000 points for next time! Hehehehehe!
Tick. Tock.
Time flowed on, and before long it was after school—the moment had arrived to attend the party being held at the headquarters.
“Is this real? You’re truly giving me the last remaining invitation?”
I had decided to hand over the invitation I’d obtained from the musclehead Jang Geun-seong to my friend Changsik. He seemed to find it hard to believe; he just kept blinking rapidly.
“To think you would invite me to that headquarters party. Are you truly sincere? Even if you simply sold the invitation for cash, it would be worth a considerable sum!”
“Stop talking about money.”
If he kept bringing up cash, I might actually change my mind. How many packs of ramen could I buy if I sold the invitation? But! I judged that investing in Changsik—who could let me eat free candy for the rest of my life—was far more profitable in the long run than the ramen I could eat right now. No matter how many points I scored with this guy, it would never be enough.
“My friend, art thou truly certain? I shall ask thee one final time. An enormous number of distinguished people attend the headquarters party, and many strive desperately to form connections with them!”
From the way Changsik spoke, the headquarters party sounded like a social arena for truly exceptional individuals. Obtaining an invitation was supposedly as difficult as plucking a star from the sky. Honestly, I had no idea who exactly would be there or what would happen, but there was one thing I knew for certain.
“No matter who shows up, there won’t be anyone greater than you, Changsik.”
“My friend, thou exaggeratest greatly. I can do nothing more than turn stones into candy or paper into gum. To be honest, I wonder if I could even fit in among such accomplished people…”
Though he trailed off in embarrassment, Changsik’s face was burning with a mixture of hope and anticipation. No matter what he said, he seemed genuinely happy to have received an invitation.
But where the hell was Ppang-daeng-i? We were supposed to meet in front of the school by 5 p.m., yet even though the time was almost up, she still hadn’t shown up. She had said, “I need to grab something from home! I’ll be right back!” but apparently her version of “right back” and my version of “right back” existed in completely different time zones.
“So there was a time difference between us after all.”
Tap-tap-tap—.
Just then, the sound of someone running reached us from somewhere. I turned my head and saw Ppang-daeng-i in her school uniform waving from far away as she sprinted toward us.
“Did you wait long?”
“Yeah. It’s exactly five o’clock. At least you’re not late.”
What exactly had she been doing at home? I quickly scanned Baek Yeoul from bottom to top, but nothing seemed different, which only filled my head with questions.
“What changed?”
“The bag!”
Swish—.
Baek Yeoul held out what looked like a small handbag in front of me. I wasn’t sure, but it seemed small, soft, and designed in a completely impractical way.
“Do you know how much they’ll look down on you if you don’t have at least one luxury item?”
“I-is that how it is!”
At Baek Yeoul’s heavily pretentious words, Changsik trembled as if alarmed. He probably thought he would be looked down on since he didn’t have any luxury brands.
Couldn’t be helped. I’d have to step up.
“Don’t worry, Changsik. There’s a way.”
Swish—.
I pulled a pen from my bag and drew a C shape on the sneakers Changsik and I were wearing, overlapping them so they faced each other to create the Chanel logo. Luxury brand completed in an instant! They were our couple shoes. The only pair in the entire world—true ultra-limited edition.
“How’s that? No one will look down on us now, right?”
“…….”
“…….”
Changsik and Baek Yeoul stared at me with strange eyes after I drew on the shoes. I wasn’t entirely sure, but they had to be moved by my pioneering, revolutionary idea.
# # #
The headquarters referred to the rooftop of the Seonam Group’s main building. The globally renowned Seonam Group had been headquartered in D City long before things like “concepts” appeared in the world. Now, with the world completely transformed and D City’s status rising after the discovery of the Great Labyrinth, the Seonam Group had soared to its peak as well.
“The place is packed with suits.”
As the sky darkened, burly men in suits stood like iron fortresses guarding the building entrance beneath the beautifully glowing lights of the skyscraper.
Vroom—.
Expensive cars arrived one after another in front of the building. When young men and women around my age stepped out from the back seats, Changsik made a huge fuss.
“L-look over there! Is that not Kim Byeol, the YouTuber with one million subscribers! To think the MeTuber I subscribe to and watch every week is attending the same event as me—it feels like a dream! Do you think I might even get to speak with her?”
Choi Changsik recognized a ton of important people, but I had no idea who any of them were. They were probably people who never managed to make a name for themselves in the world that was eventually destroyed.
“Here’s the invitation.”
The three of us—me, Changsik, and Ppang-daeng-i Baek Yeoul—showed our invitations to the guard at the entrance and entered the elevator. As it climbed past the 30th floor, the 40th, and kept going endlessly upward, both Baek Yeoul’s and Choi Changsik’s breathing grew rough.
“Ah, damn it. Why did I even come here? Should I just go back now? I knew it was obviously a trap, yet I came anyway. I’m seriously an idiot. A moron!”
Baek Yeoul in particular looked restless, like someone terrified out of her mind. I decided to comfort her.
“Ppang-daeng-i, I’m honestly impressed. So you already knew you were an idiot and a moron.”
“…What?!”
Ding-dong—.
We had arrived at the rooftop of the massive corporation. The elevator doors slid open, revealing an enormous penthouse before us.
“It really is impressive.”
It looked like the kind of place you’d see in the Batman’s charity galas. You know—the kind of venue where rich people are having a party and then villains wearing clown masks show up to terrorize everyone. The only difference from the movies was that all the guests were young.
Many people had already gathered in groups of three or five, chatting or enjoying the party. When I observed them with my Emotion eyes, they all seemed to be around the same age as me. It felt more like a party just for students.
Swish—.
The moment we stepped out of the elevator, several people’s gazes turned our way. They were probably curious about the new guests. Or perhaps they were moved by the appearance of today’s true protagonist—me.
I had practiced my autograph like crazy in preparation for this day, after all.
“Hey, isn’t that Baek Yeoul?”
“Oh? It really is Baek Yeoul.”
“Wow, she actually came to the headquarters party.”
“Gaeul’s been sending her invitations consistently, hasn’t she?”
What? They were paying more attention to Ppang-daeng-i Baek Yeoul than to me? Utter humiliation. Massive humiliation!
Baek Yeoul seemed to feel smug about stealing everyone’s attention; she let out a fake little cough, hem hem. What an arrogant attitude. And she was just Ppang-daeng-i! The only talent she had was having a slightly big butt! How infuriating!
How could I redirect all this attention back to myself?
Fortunately, my sharp ears caught a hint.
“Hey, look at Baek Yeoul’s bag.”
“What ancient brand is that?”
“Did she borrow it from her mom or something?”
“So the rumor that her family’s on the verge of collapse is true.”
Everyone’s attention was now on Baek Yeoul’s bag. Her face had turned so red she looked like she was about to burst into either tears or laughter at any second.
This was bad. Since I was today’s main character, I wanted all the attention—good or bad—to be on me.
“Looks like no one here is wearing better shoes than me.”
Swish—.
I dramatically stretched my leg out with exaggerated flair. The limited-edition luxury shoes adorning my prestigious legs. Everyone’s murmurs grew louder as they recognized their value.
“What the hell is that?”
“Wow, he actually drew the Chanel logo with a pen?”
“Who is that guy?”
Good, good. All the attention was on me!
I glanced at Ppang-daeng-i Baek Yeoul with a look that said, How about that? Having had all the attention stolen from her, she wore an extremely subtle expression, clearly undergoing a massive emotional shift.
“Uh, um…”
Even our most honored guest, Changsik, was glitching like a broken robot. I was thinking that I was undoubtedly the protagonist of this party when someone approached us, their high heels clicking sharply.
“You came right on time. I’ve been waiting, wondering when you’d arrive.”
A graceful, charming laugh followed. It was stunning.
“S-Seo Gaeul! My friend, it is Seo Gaeul herself!”
Choi Changsik couldn’t withstand the positive energy radiating from Seo Gaeul and quickly hid behind me. Only Baek Yeoul stood firm with her shoulders squared, glaring at Seo Gaeul like a raccoon whose food had been stolen and was now throwing a tantrum.
Seo Gaeul, however, didn’t seem to care about Baek Yeoul’s pointless wariness. She lowered her gaze to my shoes.
“Whoa, what is that? Those shoes are seriously unique.”
“Right? It’s a brand with only two pairs in the entire world. Want me to draw some for you too?”
“That sounds fun. Sure. But maybe a little later.”
Swish—.
Seo Gaeul grabbed my wrist. Even though we were supposed to announce our marriage today, openly making physical contact in such a public place was bold. It made me feel strangely proud!
“Ha Namjin, and his friends? Since you’re guests I personally invited, let’s head to the VIP room. Everyone there is stylish and beautiful, so I’m sure you’ll like them too. They’ll like you as well.”
The VIP room! It was supposedly the best room in the entire penthouse, where the most incredible people gathered. On the way there, Changsik kept muttering “I-is this a dream!” in delight while Baek Yeoul’s expression grew even more rigid.
The room we arrived at was dimly lit, leaving a strong impression like a cheap karaoke bar. Students wearing school uniforms or clothes from brands I didn’t recognize were sitting on wide sofas, laughing and chatting. I recognized a few faces.
“So when I graduate this time, Dad says he’ll buy me a car—”
“What? I’m so jealous. Instead of a car, my family makes me go on an overseas family trip every single year.”
It was Wang Jahyeon and his group. They didn’t even glance at me when I entered, just kept laughing and talking among themselves.
“Everyone, these are my guests. This is the Ha Namjin I mentioned. And over here…”
“I-I am called Choi Changsik… I mean, my name is Choi Changsik.”
“He’s Changsik. And this one you all already know, right? It’s Yeoul. It’s been so long since I’ve seen Yeoul, hasn’t it? Has it been two years since you last came to a party? Anyway, everyone wait here for a bit. I’ll go get some drinks for the guests.”
The moment Seo Gaeul left her seat, everyone’s eyes turned to Baek Yeoul. Again with the attention on her instead of me? I was feeling wronged when someone clicked their tongue.
“Ugh, how unlucky.”
A tall girl stood up abruptly and walked over, her heels clicking. She was incredibly tall—maybe a student model? She had a refreshing, slender beauty that left an impression. But instead of stopping at me, she walked right past and stood in front of Baek Yeoul, then poked her in the chest with a finger.
“Hey, Baek Yeoul. What kind of face do you have to show up here again? After causing that huge scene last time. Shouldn’t you apologize to us first? Or wait—did you at least apologize to Gaeul?”