Eighteen's Temperature (6): Why Is Lee Seol at This Barely-Related Theater Club After-Party?
Strictly speaking, there weren't many connections to speak of.
The only solid one was Kim Ji-min. And barely, Lee Min-woo.
Forcing in a fleeting middle school acquaintance stretched it to Choi Dong-rak.
So normally, she wouldn't have even thought of coming to the after-party. And even if she did, she should've kept her distance.
Yet here Lee Seol was, seated in this spot... all because of the woman currently standing alone, passionately holding forth—Lee Na-hee.
Theater club president or something like that.
A woman with her black hair tied back in a ponytail, giving her a rabbit-like vibe.
She'd been so thrilled that her juniors had pulled off the performance so well, practically buzzing like it was a festival. She'd dragged Lee Seol, U Hana, and even Lee Min-woo into the after-party.
From what Lee Seol had overheard, Lee Min-woo seemed interested in joining the theater club. And with U Hana there, Lee Seol couldn't just bail on the spot.
And now, here they were. A bunch of people crammed into some senior's spacious living room.
The house was huge, so even with a crowd, it didn't feel cramped. No wonder she'd invited them so boldly.
Anyway. Even at a theater club after-party, attention had briefly zeroed in on Lee Min-woo at first.
Maybe it was the celebrity aura making everyone look at him anew—they'd all stolen glances and chatted him up for a bit before the vibe settled.
Now, the only one standing amid the group in the living room was Lee Na-hee.
In the center of the wide room sat a low table piled high with takeout and delivery food. Untouched so far.
"Give us a word from the president."
"Yeah, show us what you've got, Na-hee."
Someone said that, and Lee Na-hee flushed but stood tall without backing down.
"You all did so amazingly... Kids, you were incredible. Really."
"So we can trust you with it?"
"Bye, Na-hee-chan."
"No! I'm still president this year too."
She was aiming for film studies, so she planned to stay president even in her senior year.
"No college entrance prep?"
"I'll do it alongside."
"That's code for not doing it, right?"
"Na-hee doesn't need to anyway."
She gushed once more about how great the performance was and how well the juniors had done, then promptly pointed someone out—Lee Min-woo.
"But Min-woo, you really gonna join our club next year as a sophomore?"
"Whoa, president has no tact. Asking that outright."
"She totally meant to."
"No! A president has to do what a president does!"
"Right. Gotta do the thing."
All eyes converged in an instant.
Lee Min-woo nodded.
"If it's okay with you... I'd like to join."
"We're more than okay with it."
"Yeoul's average hotness just skyrocketed."
Then a voice burst from the group.
"In that spirit, how about a proper self-intro?"
"Whoa... total boomer energy?"
"Self-intro? Really?"
"Gotta respect the guts to make Min-woo do it."
Jeers erupted from all sides right away.
Lee Na-hee waved her hands wildly, stepping in front of Lee Min-woo like a shield.
"No need for that crap—"
"I'll do it."
But Lee Min-woo stepped up anyway.
"Ooh, not dodging it."
Maybe Lee Min-woo wanted to break the overly chummy vibe too. It made blending in tough. Especially if he planned to join the theater club.
Creating a casual "just do it" atmosphere might actually be easier. Better than being treated like something special.
Lee Na-hee, who'd tried to stop him, froze awkwardly and stared.
"Uh... you wanna?"
"Na-hee ignored again."
"Club tradition, and you get it now. You're already Yeoul."
Lee Min-woo apologized to her.
"Sorry. Wasn't trying to ignore you..."
"No, no. I was just worried it'd be too much. But I wanna see it too. Go for it."
Lee Na-hee backed off like she was prompting him, and Lee Seol watched Lee Min-woo give his self-intro... from beside U Hana.
Wow... impressive. I could never do that.
As that thought crossed her mind, Lee Seol suddenly found it too hard to watch and quietly slipped away from her seat.
The wide table in the middle of the living room was loaded with food, but with so many people, she headed off to grab some bowls at least.
She approached the guy who owned the place, some male senior.
"Um..."
"Yeah?"
"Mind if I grab some bowls?"
"Want me to get 'em?"
"Nah, I'll do it since I'm up."
"Kitchen's right there—grab 'em from the sink."
"Got it."
Lee Seol snuck out of the rowdy space into the kitchen.
She spotted a small bowl by the sink and was about to grab it when she thought it'd be nice to have bigger ones for the others too.
But no big bowls in sight. Then her eyes landed on the shelf above the sink.
Maybe up there.
The shelf was higher than expected. On tiptoes, she could just barely reach.
Right then, someone entered the kitchen.
Sensing the presence, Lee Seol thought perfect timing and turned.
"Huh?"
Standing there was the last person she expected—Lee Min-woo.
"What?"
His face was a bit flushed. Even he must've felt shy doing a self-intro in front of that many people.
Lee Seol stifled a smirk and said,
"Nothing. Help me get this down."
"...Oh."
She pointed at the shelf above her head, and Lee Min-woo got it right away, nodding.
He strode over casually.
...Wait. I should step aside.
Before the thought fully formed, he was right in front of her.
He gripped the sink edge, leaned in, and stretched his arm up.
Lee Seol suddenly felt his body way too close.
"H-Hey... wait."
Instinctively, she backed up—practically pressing against the sink.
But there wasn't much room behind her. Just a couple awkward steps, heels lifting hesitantly.
Suddenly, his chest was right there in front of her eyes.
Lee Seol was chill with guys and girls alike, but everyone had their personal space. Normally, if someone crossed it, she'd lightly shove them back her way.
But this was too sudden—no chance to react.
She froze, eyes locked ahead. Couldn't look away.
Up would mean facing his face. Down felt weird somehow.
Her mind blanked. Like a toy with a blown fuse.
She couldn't comprehend jerking around like this over something so minor, but her body wouldn't listen.
Lee Seol gave up thinking for a moment.
The brief time it took him to open the shelf and grab the bowl felt endless.
Clink.
The bowls clinked, and he stepped back a few paces, holding up a big one.
"This?"
"..."
Lee Seol's thoughts rebooted belatedly.
...What the hell. This cliché drama setup out of nowhere.
And she was even more ridiculous for freezing up over it.
Her fumbling self from seconds ago flashed in her mind.
...Embarrassing.
Come to think of it, something similar had happened before. In the art room, correcting his posture. She'd tripped suddenly, and he'd caught her.
At least then she had the excuse of actually almost falling...
Why did she keep turning into an idiot around Lee Min-woo?
In a huff, she shoved his chest.
"Back off."
Lee Min-woo blinked.
"Huh?"
"You touched me, you perv."
"Touched what."
"My chest, idiot."
"...Pardon?"
She'd shoved harder than intended, and flustered, that was all she could blurt. Lee Min-woo looked thrown.
"Uh... sorry. Wasn't paying attention."
Lee Seol's face heated up more. It hadn't even been that much contact.
She knew she was playing the damsel card, but she didn't have the bandwidth to care.
She bolted from the kitchen like she was fleeing.
Back in the living room, the rowdy vibe continued unchanged.
Lee Seol wove through the crowd and plopped down next to U Hana.
U Hana turned, blinked at her.
"Seol, your face is super red right now."
"Mine?"
"Yeah."
"What, is it hot?"
"It's winter..."
"Boiler must be cranked."
She shrugged it off like nothing happened.
U Hana eyed her a moment, then looked away without a word.
Lee Min-woo emerged from the kitchen late, bowls in hand.
Someone spotted him and teased,
"Whoa, check Min-woo's consideration."
"What about us, huh?"
He ignored the jabs, set the bowls on the table.
"Huh?"
U Hana tilted her head slightly at the sight.