Otaku Resonance
The otaku resonance had me on edge right away. When someone reeking of that total in-crowd vibe approaches, my body just reacts on instinct. Like a hedgehog bristling its quills.
Clack, clack. The woman first spoke to the guy sitting in front of me, had a quick chat, then turned toward me.
"Yujin?"
"Ah, yeah."
"...Oh, it is you."
She nodded once and gave a short smile. The scrutinizing gaze she'd had on me moments ago softened a bit.
"Sorry for calling out to you like that out of nowhere. I'm not usually the type to strike up conversations with strangers."
It sounded like an apology, but her tone was straightforward.
"I've seen your name pop up a lot on the event roster."
I nodded. No need to chime in awkwardly.
She carefully pulled up a chair and sat down.
"I'm the department rep, so I handle all the attendee management and outreach."
Ah, so that's it. Things finally clicked into place.
"I try not to approach like this unless I have to, in case it makes people uncomfortable. But if I didn't now, I figured we'd never even say hi before graduation."
I fiddled with the cup in my hand and finally spoke up softly.
"Big crowds aren't really my thing... haha."
"I get that."
She nodded right away, then added,
"Still, drop by once in a while, even if just to show your face. Better than just knowing each other by name— at least we'd have exchanged greetings."
"True enough."
I'd wondered why she was suddenly talking to me, but with a reason like that, it was weirder she hadn't approached sooner. Guess I'd been getting a lot of consideration without realizing it.
Gotta check the group chat more often from now on...
I'd skipped all the polls and stuff because they were a hassle. Time for some self-reflection.
Right then—
"Oh, and—"
She paused, then extended her hand.
"We're the same age."
"No way, really?"
"Yeah."
Was it right for same-age people to keep using formal speech? As that awkward thought crossed my mind—
"So, wanna switch to casual? It's silly keeping it formal when we both know we're the same age."
She suggested it first. Sharp instincts.
She's got a vibe like Yujia's— quick on the uptake.
Some people just seem to read what you're thinking, and this woman in front of me felt like one of them.
I accepted right away.
"Sure, works for me."
Keeping formal with fellow same-agers just complicates titles later if we get mutual friends.
"Seo Haneul. Just call me Haneul."
Introductions first, anyway.
*
"So Yujia's a year younger, and the rest of us are all the same age?"
"Yeah."
"You must've been a good student. Not easy getting in on the first try."
"Got lucky."
"Whoa, humble too. Kinda feeling a wall here?"
Yujia was pretty unique compared to others. Getting into this art program usually meant at least one retake. Entering right after turning adult like her was rare.
I was listening to the table chat when—
"Do you have Gram, by any chance?"
The rep—aka Seo Haneul—asked cautiously.
Gram. I had made an account once, but never used it. X-Net was way more fun than in-crowd SNS like Gram.
"Got an account, but... it's just for lurking."
"Cool, as long as you have one. Let's follow each other."
Mutual follows, huh. First time hearing that in college. Felt kinda novel.
People really use Gram instead of phone numbers these days.
I opened Gram on my phone and handed it over. Since I'd never actually used it, this was quicker.
Handed it off, and shortly after—
"Done. Give me your phones too, everyone. Gotta follow."
"Okay."
"Here."
The tall, handsome guy at the table and Yujia also passed their phones to Haneul.
By the way.
Our table feels kinda isolated.
Other tables were mingling, sharing drinks, but ours was like its own little world. Probably 'cause of the rep.
Lost in random thoughts, we kept chatting. Naturally, the topic drifted to anime.
Even if they looked like total in-crowd types, we were all artists at heart. Anime talk was inevitable.
"Japan's got a ton of talent these days. Felt a wall after that short comic about the goldfish."
Despite his looks, the guy dove deeper into manga and anime than anyone at the table.
Haneul glanced at him and—
"Dude, that was straight-up otaku as hell just now."
—landed a critical hit.
"I am an otaku, though?"
"Don't say that stuff loud in public, it's embarrassing."
"Psh, it's just department folks here."
"Most people stick to mainstream anime or famous manga. Nobody dives that deep."
"...Fair."
They were clearly close—barbs flying at the slightest touch.
I kept my mouth shut tight.
Not fully friends yet, so chiming in felt risky. Could sour the mood.
...And above all, it was my wheelhouse. Didn't wanna come off like a total otaku rambling.
"Yujia, you into manga or anything? You don't strike me as the type."
"I enjoy it. Came to this school 'cause I love comics in the first place."
"What do you like?"
"Me...?"
Yujia pondered, then—
"The Blood Priestess has been fun lately."
—dropped a hipster pick.
Too hipster. I was curious how Haneul, with her strong in-crowd rep energy, would react to something like that.
And moments later—
"Whoa, Yujia! You watch that too? It's a total masterpiece."
"It really is. Nothing as fun coming out these days."
"Who's your fave?"
"Me... Samei."
"Nice taste. Samei's my top too."
"Got a figure of her at home."
...What?
Why were they clicking so well? I'd thought Yujia's hipster pick would derail things, but it flowed seamlessly.
...Maybe I can drop a hipster pick too.
I ventured carefully.
"That's good, but The Alleyway Wizard Dreams was fun too."
Moments later—
"Oh, what? You read that one too?"
The guy got super excited and kept going.
"Yeah, not mind-blowing or anything, but the cozy vibe kept me reading from way back."
I was a bit tense saying it. What if I came off too otaku-ish?
But that worry vanished fast.
"The heroine there is savage, right?"
"...You know your stuff."
This guy in front of me felt like an even bigger otaku than I was.
*
"...We got super close all of a sudden."
Lying in bed scrolling the group chat, the thought hit me.
I'd planned to just kill time at the drinking session and bail, but chatting with those two at the table revealed way too much hobby overlap. We got tight fast—enough to make a group chat right there with the whole table.
Didn't expect to bond this fast.
Never thought our tastes overlapped that much.
All four of us at that table had serious hipster streaks. Even hardcore otakus would tilt their heads at some of the deep cuts we rattled off.
We weren't close enough yet to pry, but these folks looked like they'd dived deep into stuff like Manga too.
With that in mind, I sent a message.
Quick reply.
Hmm. She doesn't usually go full formal with me one-on-one, but guess the group chat has her masking a bit.
She'll loosen up in time.
As I was pulling down shorts—
Ding!
Suihwa messaged me.