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“Let’s go and sit. I knew you’d come, so I left a spot for you at our table.”
A cheerful Choi Cheol-ho pointed to his table, trying to grab Guk’s attention. It was in the opposite direction from Hyun-soo’s table. But instead of heading to the seat Choi had indicated, Guk glanced at him briefly before turning his gaze elsewhere. He really seemed to be looking for something.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like the seat? Should I ask them to change it? Where do you want to move?”
At that moment, Guk lightly pushed past Choi, who had been standing in front of him and talking animatedly. Caught off guard, Choi stumbled over his words. Meanwhile, Guk strode purposefully toward somewhere else. The classmates’ eyes followed his every move.
Hyun-soo was busy finishing off the last remnants of beer at the bottom of her glass. After taking two big gulps, the glass was predictably empty. Sighing involuntarily, she wiped her mouth and lazily raised her hand. It was a gesture to call the server.
“I’ll have another beer here...”
“Having a good time, huh?”
Huh? Interrupted mid-order, Hyun-soo turned around at the sound of the voice addressing her. The towering figure whose face she only saw after her eyes traveled up his body... was none other than Guk. He had been across the room just moments ago—when did he get here?
“You...”
“I’ll sit.”
“No, wait a second.”
“Why? There seem to be plenty of seats. Right?”
“Well, yeah, I guess so.”
She couldn’t deny it. Anyone could see that she was sitting alone at this table. With no real reason to refuse, all Hyun-soo could do was watch blankly as Guk took a seat.
Sitting directly across from Hyun-soo, Guk picked up a bottle of beer from the tray of the approaching server. He immediately started drinking it while leisurely crossing his legs.
“Should I pour you a glass?”
“Huh? Yes, yes. Please. No, I’ll take it myself.”
As she stared at him, entranced, the server standing beside her offered the tray with a question. Snapping out of it, Hyun-soo hurriedly grabbed a beer glass. This one was smaller than the oversized glass she had been struggling with earlier, fitting comfortably in one hand.
“...”
Hyun-soo fiddled with the orange garnish in her beer glass while stealing glances at Guk, who had already drained half the bottle. His hands were so large that the beer bottle looked like a toy in his grip.
“Got something to say?”
“No?”
“You keep staring.”
The two hadn’t had a proper conversation since spending the night together at the villa. Though it was part of Hyun-soo’s plan to avoid each other as much as possible while staying busy, they now found themselves face-to-face. Feeling an overwhelming urge to hide in a mouse hole, Hyun-soo gnawed on her lips nervously.
A brief silence settled over the table. Unlike Guk, who gazed steadily at her, Hyun-soo shifted her gaze and absentmindedly fidgeted with the back of her neck. The surrounding classmates chattered noisily among themselves.
“Why did you come here? Those guys over there seem to...”
“Seem to what?”
“Like you a lot.”
“Like me?”
He smirked. Both Hyun-soo and Guk turned their heads simultaneously. The low murmurs of their classmates chatting amongst themselves suddenly quieted down.
“They’re probably wondering how much they can gain from me by now or if I’ve backed off enough for them to benefit. Or maybe...”
“...”
“They’re secretly tearing me apart behind those smiling faces.”
“Why do you think that? Maybe they’re genuinely glad to see you.”
Hyun-soo’s weak reply barely made it out. Guk stared at her intently.
“Why?”
“Do you expect me to praise you for being naive?”
“...”
“Don’t trust people too much.”
“...”
“How can you still say things like that after living this long?”
Even though she hadn’t touched her beer yet, a bitter taste lingered in her mouth. She felt like a child scolded by a teacher, inexplicably upset. Why? What exactly did Yoon Guk say that made her feel this low?
Eyes cast downward, staring at the table, Hyun-soo was startled when a large hand suddenly reached across from the opposite side. It was Yoon Guk. He plucked the orange garnish from her beer glass, placed it carelessly on a random plate, then brought his beer bottle over and clinked it against her glass.
“Drink.”
Looking up, she saw Guk watching her as he took a swig of his beer. Hyun-soo hesitated for a moment before raising her glass and taking a few sips. Yeah, might as well drink. Sitting here sulking won’t change anything anyway. But...
“I still trust you.”
Guk looked at her, surprised by Hyun-soo’s sudden declaration.
“You. I trust you.”
“...”
“No matter what happened between us, or where our relationship stands now... I still trust you.”
“...”
“You’re not capable of being evil. I know that.”
His expression remained unreadable, betraying no thoughts or emotions as he listened to her words. However, the fact that he gripped the beer bottle so tightly that his knuckles turned white suggested that her words had struck a chord deep within him.
“Ah, Yoon Guk!”
Suddenly, a loud voice shattered the subtle tension between them. It was Choi Cheol-ho.
“What are you doing here?”
“...”
“Since you didn’t come over, I had no choice but to come here. Hey, join us here!”
Choi Cheol-ho, who had approached the table, sat in an empty chair and called over the classmates who had been sitting with him. As if waiting for the cue, several people quickly gathered around. In no time, the surroundings became noisy and chaotic.
“What are you two doing alone? Everyone is dying to know what you’re talking about.”
Even under Choi Cheol-ho’s direct questioning, Guk said nothing. He simply continued drinking his beer while staring intently at Hyun-soo. Uncomfortable under his gaze, she averted her eyes.
“What are you guys talking about, Kim Hyun-soo? Tell us something.”
“Huh?”
“Is it important? Something only the two of you should discuss?”
Choi Cheol-ho was quick-witted and crafty. By redirecting the question to Hyun-soo—who had no choice but to answer, unlike Guk—he skillfully shifted the focus. Suddenly finding herself the center of attention, Hyun-soo panicked.
“Oh, no. We weren’t talking about anything special.”
“Not anything special?”
“Yeah.”
Choi Cheol-ho smirked. After briefly observing Hyun-soo, he turned away and downed some cold water while waiting for the others to settle into their seats. The sound of ice crunching grated on her ears.
“Why don’t we push the tables together and play a game together?”
“Sounds good?”
“Yeah. There aren’t too many of us, so we can all play together.”
“Alright, let’s do it. Get up, let’s pull the tables closer.”
“Move aside for a sec.”
A classmate whose name Hyun-soo couldn’t even remember told her. Instinctively, she grabbed her beer glass and stood up, stepping back.
The classmates moved in perfect coordination, as if rehearsed. They pulled over the neighboring table and lined up three tables side by side. Though there was a bit of space left at the ends, they reasoned that having extra seats was better than not enough and began pulling chairs over to sit.
Amidst the commotion, Guk remained seated in his spot, unmoving.
“Alright, everyone, take your seats. You, Kim Hyun-soo, sit here.”
“No, I’ll sit over there...”
“Sit here, I said!”
With a friendly smile, Choi Cheol-ho firmly grabbed Hyun-soo’s arm and planted her next to Guk. While they had exchanged words earlier, sitting this close still felt uncomfortable.
Feeling his scent and warmth, her body instinctively tensed up. The surrounding noise faded away as if sinking underwater, leaving her feeling muffled and distant.
“First things first, it’s been a while for everyone. Let’s drink. Drink and talk. Raise your glasses!”
Choi Cheol-ho was the one leading from start to finish. As the host, it made sense, but his over-the-top behavior and exaggerated mannerisms were irritating.
All Hyun-soo wanted was for this moment to pass quickly. She prayed fervently for the gathering to end soon so she could dive back into her room, her bed, as quickly as possible.
“...”
“...”
Just as she reached for her glass, her hand accidentally brushed against Guk’s. Startled, Hyun-soo jerked her hand back as if burned. Guk turned to look at her with a subtle expression. She felt awkward, realizing she had overreacted.
“…To our reunion!”
“To our reunion!”
Too busy calming her racing heart, Hyun-soo missed Choi Cheol-ho’s lead-in toast. Without knowing what they were celebrating, she muttered “to our reunion” and tilted her glass. Ahh, the familiar sighs and exclamations erupted around the table.
After everyone raised their glasses once together, the group dispersed into smaller conversations. Though she wondered why they had bothered rearranging the tables if this was how it would turn out, Hyun-soo preferred it this way—it meant she didn’t have to force herself to keep pace with anyone.
Sip by sip, Hyun-soo cautiously paced herself while Guk, sitting nearby, polished off bottle after bottle with ease.
In the midst of everyone drinking and chatting, the atmosphere grew lively.
“Attention, everyone!”
Suddenly, Choi Cheol-ho sprang to his feet and waved his arms to gather everyone’s attention.
“Let’s play a game, a game!”
“What kind of game?”
“Hmm... what should we play? Let’s keep it simple. Something everyone knows.”
When Choi handed over the floor, the classmates eagerly threw out suggestions. Ideas ranged from simple clapping games to bizarre-sounding ones Hyun-soo had never heard of, but in the end, the choice was predictable. Truth or Dare—the classic game where a spinning bottle decides who answers a question, and if they can’t, they drink.
“Surely no one here doesn’t know Truth or Dare. Let’s play this.”
Boos and groans broke out sporadically, mocking the choice as boring. But Choi Cheol-ho ignored them and pushed ahead with the plan. His voice had grown louder, and his face was flushed red—clear signs that he was tipsy.
Because the joined tables stretched long, the game split into two groups. Hyun-soo desperately wanted to join the team without Choi Cheol-ho, but with no excuse or opportunity to switch, she resigned herself to staying put, silently hoping she wouldn’t become the center of attention.
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