Chapter 4: Plaything Senior (4)

　　Once Seongbin actually noticed the man, he started seeing him everywhere. The department building, the nearby park, the library study room. Their daily routines overlapped constantly.

　　Yet they never exchanged the typical greetings expected between a sunbae and a hoobae. Mostly, the man just watched him from afar, and even when their eyes met, they passed each other like total strangers.

　　It was a week later when their paths crossed again.

　　Because the department was on the smaller side, there was an endless stream of events for the incoming class. You would think they would have combined the freshman welcoming party with last week’s semester opening meeting, but no. Now they were throwing a department-wide welcoming party.

　　Calling it a welcoming party was just a polite excuse for everyone to get wasted.

　　Naturally, Seongbin had zero intention of going. Sitting around drinking last week had been more than enough. His classmate, Seokjun, begged him to show up just to fill a seat, but he shut him down.

　　“My professor asked me to have dinner,” he had told Seokjun.

　　Except the excuse was actually true. The professor was always looking out for him, and since the semester had just started, he had invited Seongbin out for a meal. Seongbin, of course, chose networking with a professor over a rowdy college party.

　　It was far more useful to build a connection with a faculty member than to sit around giggling with a bunch of sloppy, wasted undergrads.

　　But he had overlooked one crucial detail. The professor absolutely loved hanging out with students. The first round at the restaurant went fine, but when it came time for the second round at a nearby bar, the professor dragged Seongbin along under the pretext of paying the bill.

　　“I thought you said you weren’t coming,” Seokjun called out, welcoming him with open arms. “How’d you end up here?”

　　Seongbin pivoted his entire body, easily dodging the bulky guy’s attempt at a hug.

　　Do I seriously have to sit through this part, too?

　　Since he had arrived with the professor, he figured he would just kill a little time and slip away. An hour felt like a prison sentence, so thirty minutes would have to do.

　　“The professor insisted on coming to pay,” Seongbin said smoothly.

　　“Ah, I meant to tell you he was coming, but it totally slipped my mind,” Seokjun admitted.

　　Seongbin arched an eyebrow. “Sure you didn’t keep it a secret on purpose?”

　　“No way, man,” Seokjun scoffed, waving a hand.

　　Seongbin let out a quiet tut and scanned the bar.

　　“Anyway, change the venue next time. Why do we always end up here?”

　　They were back at the same dive bar from last week’s meeting for a second round. At least it wasn’t the first round.

　　“Come on, a sunbae owns this place. It’s good to show some support.” Seokjun grinned, ever the people-pleaser. “Hey, don’t just stand there. Sit. Is the corner fine? You don’t even drink anyway.”

　　“The aisle seems safer if I want to make a quick escape,” Seongbin muttered.

　　“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Seokjun chided, nudging him. “Go over there… Help out a bit.”

　　Nudged along by Seokjun, he reluctantly took a seat in the corner. He hadn’t understood what his friend meant by helping out, but the moment he sat down, it became crystal clear.

　　He scanned the faces around the table. Once again, it was a remarkably gloomy lineup, just like last week. Still, it beat sitting with the loud, rowdy crowd. It was Seokjun’s quiet way of being considerate, knowing how much Seongbin despised noisy environments.

　　Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a single spot. His brow twitched.

　　Why the hell is he here?

　　The gloomy man was sitting directly across from him again. Since Seongbin was the latecomer, technically he was the one who had approached, but at this point, it felt like some twisted stroke of fate.

　　Seongbin looked him up and down. When their eyes locked, Seongbin let his lips curve into a sweet, practiced smile.

　　“We meet again,” Seongbin purred. “You must really like drinking, Sunbae.”

　　“I knew you’d come.”

　　“Were you looking for someone?”

　　The man offered no reply.

　　Instead, he silently held out his empty glass. He didn’t even bother asking for a pour this time. Seongbin bit his lower lip, suppressing a laugh.

　　This old-school bastard is ordering me to pour his drink the second I sit down.

　　Still, he filled the glass without complaint. He went around the table, pouring drinks for the other freshmen as well. When one nervous-looking freshman tried to return the favor, Seongbin politely declined, repeating that he didn’t drink.

　　“I don’t get why people who don’t even drink bother showing up,” the man muttered under his breath.

　　He clearly had no filter, and just like last time, he had absolutely intended for Seongbin to hear it.

　　Seongbin glanced at him, but the man had already downed his soju. He tilted the empty glass back toward Seongbin.

　　“Is it really right to expect a hoobae who doesn’t drink to keep filling your glass?” Seongbin asked, his tone dripping with sweet sarcasm.

　　The glass trembled ever so slightly. Seongbin tried to catch his expression out of the corner of his eye, but the long, overgrown bangs made it impossible. To make matters worse, the man was wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, obscuring his face even further.

　　Seongbin filled the glass once more.

　　He poured a few more rounds and made small talk with the freshmen. Whether the man was just socially inept or painfully shy, the atmosphere at the table was beyond awkward. It was dead silent.

　　Having killed enough time, Seongbin looked for his exit window. He scanned the room. The professor who had dragged him here was currently downing shots in the opposite corner with the student council president and some grad students.

　　The professor was usually a decent guy, but he was a notoriously messy drunk. Seongbin knew he had to avoid that corner at all costs. This side of the room was infinitely safer.

　　Seokjun was fully occupied entertaining the freshmen, and everyone seemed to be having a blast. Just as Seongbin was about to stand up and head home, someone slid into the empty seat beside him.

　　“When did you get here?”

　　It was a freshman he occasionally exchanged messages with. What was her name again? He hadn’t saved her number, and since she had just messaged him out of the blue one day, he didn’t actually know it. Her profile was just saved under the initials “YH.”

　　Thank goodness she had a profile picture, or he wouldn’t have even recognized her.

　　“Less than thirty minutes ago,” Seongbin replied smoothly. “Have you been here the whole time?”

　　Even without her name, he could carry a conversation in his sleep. He had no desire to ruin the vibe by asking for her name when she was so clearly trying to flirt.

　　“I was so surprised to see you here, Sunbae,” she said, leaning in. “Have you been drinking?”

　　“No. I don’t really drink.”

　　“Is it because you drove tonight?”

　　“That’s part of it.”

　　“Then pour me a drink.” She held out her glass with a playful pout.

　　Seongbin poured beer into her glass. As he went to set the bottle down, he noticed the man was still sitting across from them. He wasn’t drunk, nor was he doing anything to engage with the group. Seongbin had no earthly idea why he was just lingering there like a ghost.

　　Deciding to prod him, Seongbin picked up a soju bottle and offered it to him.

　　“Want a drink?”

　　“I’m good,” the man replied.

　　“You practically ordered me to pour you one earlier.”

　　“I don’t really want one right now.”

　　The man shook his head slightly, looking away.

　　“Suit yourself, then.”

　　Seongbin shrugged, turning his full attention back to the girl beside him. Her eyes sparkled as she eagerly peppered him with questions.

　　“Do you live alone, Sunbae? Where do you live?”

　　“Near Seoul Forest.”

　　“Why don’t you live near campus? Isn’t it way cheaper around here?”

　　Dealing with a multi-bedroom apartment was too much of a hassle, and honestly, he preferred a luxury building with good management, even if it cost a fortune. The money came straight out of his father’s wallet anyway, so he felt zero guilt. It was just the tax on his father’s neglect.

　　“Can I come over and check it out sometime?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

　　“It’s pretty far. You’d probably find the commute annoying.”

　　“Aw, but I really want to see it.”

　　“Maybe sometime.”

　　He had absolutely no intention of bringing her over. If it were his hotel room, he wouldn’t mind showing it to a random stranger, but his actual home was strictly off-limits. He smoothly redirected the conversation without bruising her ego.

　　“What was your name again?”

　　“Wait, you’ve been talking to me this whole time without even knowing my name?” she gasped, playfully offended. “We literally chat on KakaoTalk!”

　　“You messaged me on KakaoTalk without giving me your number,” Seongbin pointed out. “I never had a chance to ask.”

　　“Wow, and here I am with your number, oppa. I’ll call you right now, so you’d better save it. I’m Ji Yeonhui, by the way. I took a gap year before starting college.”

　　Her fingers flew across her screen. A second later, Seongbin’s silent phone lit up. Seeing the call go through, she set her phone down with a satisfied smile.

　　“Save it right now. Right in front of me.”

　　“Alright, alright.”

　　“And don’t save it with my major and class year like some business contact.”

　　“Then what should I put?”

　　“Just Yeonhui.”

　　“I might forget your last name. You okay with that?”

　　“Then just don’t forget it!” she giggled.

　　Yeonhui had slid right up against him. Their forearms brushed intimately, but he pretended not to notice, letting the contact linger.

　　“Saved.”

　　“Let me see.”

　　[Yeonhui]. Seongbin turned his screen to show her. He usually saved numbers however people wanted them. His contact list was already a graveyard of various heart emojis next to random names.