Busted by My Junior
I'd been busted. Shoving aside the ridiculous possibility that had flashed through my mind, we stepped into Yujia's room. Creak. The antique door swung open with a stately groan, revealing the interior. A piano that screamed "priceless" at first glance, plus a bed and various other furnishings.
But why are there so many towels? Was she painting in here or something? That would explain the towels. I was lost in such random thoughts when—
"Alright, guys, stop spacing out and let's set up the booze. I'm starving."
Seo Haneul broke the ice.
*And so we got serious about prepping for the drinking party. First, we stashed the imported whiskey in Yujia's dedicated storage unit—apparently, it automatically adjusted to the perfect temperature. "What do you all want to eat? I'm fine with anything."
"Hmm... Chicken feet for me. Craving something spicy."
"Chicken feet it is, then... and you, sunbae?"
Hmm. Nothing in particular jumped out at me. I loved good food, sure, but not enough to agonize over ordering something specific.
As I pondered, Yujia chimed in. "If nothing sounds good, should I just order whatever?"
"Ah, yeah. Anything's fine."
"Ordered."
With the food on the way, an awkward silence descended. It was only natural. At our usual dive bars near campus, we could've chattered away, but this place felt too... refined for casual banter. Even social butterflies like Seo Haneul or Lee Seungwoo held back in an atmosphere like this.
Should I say something first? Once the drinks started flowing, the vibe would loosen up quick enough... but waiting that long was torture. I was mulling over whether to steel myself and speak up when—
Whirr. Whiiiir.
The floor-to-ceiling window connected to the garden frosted over in an instant. The lights dimmed, and a TV emerged from the wall.
"Whoa, what the... insane."
"It's a small setup. Figured it'd be nice for when friends visit."
I'd known Yujia had money from her paints and canvases, but installing something like this? Whatever I imagined, her place probably topped it.
Anyway...
"Definitely perfect for a quiet night in. This room's top-tier."
"I decorated it to my taste."
"Your taste is unique, though. Not many people design a house so the outside world can peep in."
"I just like the sunlight. But now it sounds like I'm some pervert."
But aren't you? Passing our school's entrance exam on the first try? That alone screamed freak—or maybe not even human.
She's got bad luck as a baseline. Even the hottest shots needed luck to ace it first go. She was no ordinary person. A monster, you could say.
"Haneul sunbae, mind if Yujin sunbae and I step out for a bit? We have some private stuff to discuss."
"Sure thing. I'll set up something to watch."
"Thanks. We won't be more than ten minutes, so let Seungwoo sunbae know."
"Got it~ Go ahead."
Yujia suddenly excused us to Seo Haneul and dragged me outside. What the hell? Ah, no way.
Creak.
The antique door shut, and she led me to the sofa area. Then she dropped it bluntly.
"Sunbae, that was Kashio Yuu in your apartment, right?"
I couldn't say a word. No affirmation, no denial. I just wasn't good at lying.
As I clamped my mouth shut, Yujia smirked. "Sunbae."
"...Yeah?"
"I always check out your art."
"Art...?"
Art? What was she on about?
"What art?"
"You know, sunbae."
"...No clue?"
"Ah, sunbae. Your right eyebrow's twitching. That's your tell when you lie."
Startled by her words, I checked my eyebrow—and that's when she struck.
"You said it was a lie last time too, and you fell for it again, sunbae."
"Ah."
I caved completely. Damn, my head hurt. If anyone was gonna catch me, Yujia was the last person I wanted it to be. And yet here we were.
Where had I slipped up? Meeting Yuu in Japan and carelessly heading out together? Posting on X-Net without tweaking my nationality settings? Or bringing her to that pork belly joint?
...I've done so many get-caught-worthy things.
I'd been way too lax. Should've been more careful.
As I sighed inwardly, Yujia chuckled. "Why so scared, sunbae? I'm not gonna do anything."
"...Still, getting caught by you of all people. Sigh..."
"Better me than someone else. If it was them, the whole neighborhood would've known by now."
Caught was caught. Why tell me, though?
"...Why tell me, then? You want something out of it?"
No reason to pull me aside like this unless she had an agenda. I eyed her suspiciously.
"I don't want anything. Just curious, so I asked."
"Hmm..."
Didn't seem like a lie. Was she really just curious? ...Something felt off.
*His reaction was adorable. Not that I blamed him—it'd be mortifying if anyone else found out.
Though the Sino account isn't that embarrassing. He seemed to shame-spiral harder than I'd imagined about being "Sino." Or maybe he just hated his identity getting exposed, period.
Anyway. Him living with Kashio Yuu rubbed me the wrong way. No idea when that started, but... it didn't sit right. The way he'd seen her off, too. Probably not a simple relationship.
That was a problem.
...But he won't answer if I pry.
So I decided to drop the identity talk there. No point pushing for answers he wouldn't give.
"Sunbae, let's head back. The others are waiting."
"...Yeah, okay."
"Don't stress. If I was gonna spill, I would've already. This is just a heads-up to be careful."
"Appreciate it going forward."
She smiled instead of replying. She always wanted to look perfect to him. No weak spots.
...Anyway.
Since he hadn't answered about Yuu, I'd fish during drinks later. Loosen him up with booze, and his guard might slip. Or rather, blur.
Whatever.*
We wrapped up our chat and opened the door—and
—rightward pass from here! Through pass forward! What a chance!!!
Soccer commentary blared.
"Damn, he's good. GOATs are on another level."
"He's the best at soccer?"
"Yeah. Only one in modern soccer with three straight Champions League wins."
"If I've heard the name, he must be huge."
What? Did Lee Seungwoo like soccer too?
"You watch soccer?"
"Yup, it's fun."
"You do everything."
"Soccer, games, F1, billiards, comics, anime, webnovels... that's it."
"That's a ton."
"Is it?"
How did he juggle all those hobbies? I could barely handle drawing and streaming.
"You don't watch?"
"Not my thing. Can't get into it."
"Nothing beats soccer for fun. Watch seriously sometime. World Cup qualifiers are on now."
"Ah, World Cup. Makes sense."
I'd wondered why soccer suddenly. Qualifiers were decent viewing.
"Still, we're all here—let's do anime. Rare to get this many otakus together."
"True. Classmates claim to be otakus, but they know zilch deep down."
"Knowing the obscure stuff is weird, but... anyway."
As we bantered, Yujia piped up. "Ah, food's here."
She cracked the door and fetched it.
"...What? Delivery guy came inside?"
"No, we have staff who help with that."
"Ah."
Seo Haneul seemed about to say more, glanced at the room's gadgets, and shut up. Fair—odd not to have servants in a place like this.
"Set that there—"
We finished setup in a frenzy, then pulled the imported whiskey from storage.
Johnnie Walker Blue Label
It looked expensive just from the name. As I wondered how to drink it—
Pop!
Yujia yanked the cork with gusto. Hiss.
I had no clue on my whiskey tolerance. Better not overdo it.
With such thoughts, the drinking party kicked off.