Chapter 1: Plaything Senior (1)
It’s too loud.
Leaning back against the stale-smelling sofa, Choi Seongbin scanned the rowdy bar. The place, rented out for the Department of Public Administration’s start of semester meeting, hadn’t changed a bit since his freshman year.
Since it was run by a department alumnus, booking it was easy, and honestly, there was probably some unspoken pressure to use it.
In a country with freedom of choice, having to go to the exact same bar for both the first and second rounds was absurd, but that was just his opinion. The rest of the department felt differently. Without any other patrons to worry about, they were louder than usual. Even the drinking games they usually played with some restraint were fully permitted here.
Despite being a rental space, it was just a typical college town bar. Dark as a cave and smelling like stale piss. An average joint where the loud music and chaotic noise made the alcohol hit even faster.
Unfortunately, Seongbin didn’t drink. He didn’t enjoy it, nor could he hold his liquor. Fortunately, no one pressured him to. The car he drove to and from school served as an excellent excuse.
Instead of escaping the boring gathering, Seongbin took a sip of water. His classmate, Seokjun, who was on the student council but was stumbling around drunk instead of managing the event, wobbled over to him.
Seokjun grabbed Seongbin’s shoulder with one hand to get his attention. Having played baseball from elementary school through his sophomore year of high school, his hands were pretty rough.
Thanks to his trademark persistence, Seokjun had managed to enter Hankuk University’s Department of Public Administration after three attempts, with his military service falling between them. His loud, lively personality also made him highly popular among both seniors and juniors.
Although they weren’t the same age, Seokjun had told him to drop the formalities, so they spoke casually as friends. He was about the only person Seongbin would say he was close to in this department.
“Hey, guys. Isn’t this dude handsome?” Seokjun yelled, slurring his words. “Even the professor said he’s the top visual of our department.”
If you’re drunk, just be drunk quietly. Why drag me into it? Seongbin frowned slightly but quickly looked away. He hated dealing with annoying situations.
The freshmen were already sitting there looking awkward, so it was pathetic for a sunbae to start blathering on about who was handsome and who wasn’t.
Seongbin put on his charming act. To put it nicely, it was playing innocent. To put it bluntly, he was two-faced.
“Kim Seokjun, stop it,” Seongbin said, his voice smooth and polite. “You’re making them uncomfortable.”
“Why? It’s good to get to know each other like this.”
Seongbin twisted his shoulder, shaking off Seokjun’s hand. He held out a beer bottle to a freshman who was sitting quietly, scanning the room.
“You drink beer, right?”
“Ah, yes…” She nodded shyly. “I still don’t really like the taste of soju.”
“Nobody likes it,” Seongbin said with a soft chuckle. “I don’t get why people drink it either.”
“Do you not drink, Sunbae?”
“Not really. I can’t hold my liquor well anyway.”
Seongbin stared at the freshman sitting across from him. A twenty-year-old who had just turned legal, trying her best with makeup, styling her hair, and attempting to hide her youthfulness with her clothes.
“Ah…” She nodded and sipped her drink. Clearing her throat, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She couldn’t even lift her head properly, keeping her gaze tilted down at a forty-five-degree angle.
“Do you have any sunbaes you’re close with?”
“No, not yet…”
“Well, that’s normal. You’ve got plenty of time, so take it slow.”
“Ah, yes…”
Seongbin let out a quiet sigh, trying to keep his composure. He didn’t enjoy drinking, and he hated these chaotic, noisy gatherings even more.
He had only been to a club once or twice when he was twenty. Even so, it was a pain being dragged here just because his close classmate was on the student council.
The atmosphere at the table was terrible. If they were sitting with some lively sunbaes, the freshmen might actually have fun. But this? Nobody would even notice if he slipped away.
He fell silent as he cast a glance at a man sitting in the corner. He looked gloomy and depressing. His shaggy bangs covered his eyes, hiding his face completely.
Did we have someone like that?
If the man hadn’t been wearing the Department of Public Administration jacket, Seongbin wouldn’t have even known they were in the same major. He had no idea who had invited him. The guy was just sitting there by himself, silently polishing off the alcohol and snacks.
No one even bothered to go over and talk to him.
Is he a freshman? Or a returning student dreaming of a fresh start?
Either way, it was none of his business. If it were a girl, he might have struck up a conversation, but he had zero reason to initiate a chat with a gloomy guy.
Seongbin picked up a cup to at least drink some water instead of alcohol. But seeing the water stains inside the stainless steel cup ruined his appetite.
He looked around for water, but there were only empty pitchers. Surely everyone wasn’t drinking water instead of alcohol.
It felt too gross to drink anyway. Just as he was wondering if he should go out and buy a bottle, a water pitcher suddenly entered his field of vision. Seongbin’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh…”
A soft exclamation escaped his lips. The person holding out the water pitcher was the very man he had dismissed as gloomy and depressing just ten seconds ago.
Taking the pitcher, Seongbin nodded in a silent thank-you. He poured water into the stained cup, filling it up as the water glugged out, then took a sip to soothe his dry throat.
Even with the stained cup, it was better than alcohol. Though it still felt a bit gross.
“What year are you?” Seongbin asked the man, after wetting his throat.
He wasn’t particularly interested, but he wasn’t heartless enough to ignore someone who had gone out of their way to offer him water.
In a very quiet voice, the man stated his class year and age. It was soft, but surprisingly gentle.
At twenty-five, he was older than expected. He had entered the university three years before twenty-two-year-old Seongbin. Honestly, it was pathetic.
Seriously… why would anyone want to attend a semester opening meeting at that age?
It was pathetic enough for Seongbin to attend this meeting, since he’d returned to school after his military service. But this man was on another level.
Showing up at a semester opening meeting when he was much older than the freshmen and clearly had no friends there felt beyond pathetic, almost shameless.
But Seongbin put on his nice-guy act, his eyes curving into a smile.
“Ah, so you’re a sunbae.”
The man stared back silently.
“Would you like a drink?”
The man didn’t seem to want anything from Seongbin. Honestly, he had no idea why the guy was even sitting here. If he wanted to assert some authority in the department, he could have gathered a few clueless freshmen and bragged to them, but he didn’t do that either.