SMNTCERR, Chapter 41 <110> #5.

   “It’s okay, you can take it.”

   “No, I can’t accept it.”

   Sangwoo took a hesitant step back. Jihye held a Super Nintendo CX gaming console in her hand, but Sangwoo had nothing. Despite their agreement to exchange prizes, his repeated failures left him with no face to show.

   “It’s okay, really… What am I going to do with this old gaming console? I can’t even play it properly.”

   “Sell it online. I’ve already taught you how to buy and sell second-hand items.”

   “Then let me sell it for you.”

   Sangwoo perked up immediately. It was the best way to be Ru Jihye! The perfect plan quickly formed in his mind. Sangwoo spoke with excitement in his voice.

   “Today, you’ll sell it at the “Secondhand Kingdom” café. I’ll go to your post and contact you. Don’t sell it to anyone else, only sell it to me…”

   “Are you crazy, or what?”

   Jihye burst into laughter and patted Sangwoo’s shoulder. He flinched, causing her hand to drop. Jihye laughed for a moment before she handed Sangwoo a shopping bag with the gaming console inside.

   “Here, consider it a direct transaction.”

   “Uh…”

   “The game console doesn’t cost any money, but can you treat me to dinner tonight instead?”

   “This price must be more than a hundred thousand won.”

   “If you’re not satisfied with the terms of the purchase, you can return it.” Jihye reached out with a serious face. Sangwoo was surprised.

   [NonPaddler 3: I’ll pick you up at four tomorrow_23:09.]

   When he thought about the message he received yesterday, his heart raced and he felt dizzy. Originally, he should have separated from Jihye by now and returned home to prepare himself… At that time, when Sangwoo was confident in himself and met Jaeyoung on Friday, he disappeared without a trace after conquering the stages of theoretical homosexual intercourse.

   ‘It’s probably impossible.’

   However, no matter what, he thought he would apologize to Jaeyoung and change his mind. Sangwoo pulled out the game console and hugged it tightly before answering.

   “No, let’s go eat together.”

   “Okay.”

   Jihye closed her mouth, giggled, and made another smirk.

   The atmosphere around him suddenly darkened without warning. He was dragged by Jihye towards the Faculty of Humanities. Along the way, the fluorescent lights turned on in various colors, making his eyes dazzled. The popular stalls organized by various clubs such as the empty liquor stall, the aquarium food stall, the dog cafe, the board game liquor stall, and others were bustling.

   “Oh! Let’s go there, right there!”

   Jihye jumped up excitedly and pointed to a crowded shop where people gathered in a special way, forming long queues. The shop sign said “Liquor Spirits.” creating a dark and eerie atmosphere, and at the entrance of the tent, there were ambassadors and ghost girls standing there, scaring passersby.

   “I’m sorry. It’s already full now. Even if you make a reservation, you still have to wait for another hour and a half.”

   A female student dressed as a dokkaebi repeatedly.

   “Ah… it looks so fun. I guess we won’t be able to get in.”

   Jihye looked disappointed. Sangwoo didn’t care about those spirits, but because he owed Jihye, he didn’t want to stay indifferent. The weight of the game console in his shopping bag was the responsibility he had to listen to the desires of the young lady. Sangwoo told Jihye to wait and squeezed into the crowd.

   Inside the dark restaurant that resembled a cave, decorated with strange decorations, all ten tables were occupied with customers sitting at each table. The staff in the store were fully dressed as zombies, wizards, mannequins, angels and demons, vampires, Frankenstein, providing entertainment to customers. Among the staff, Sangwoo felt a bit dazed by the vampire’s figure hugging and leaning down on one side.

   ‘Don’t tell me…’ 

   The final challenger who defeated him in the arcade game competition dressed the same way. At that moment, the vampire turned around, and their eyes met instantly, like steel clash.

   “…”

   While Sangwoo took a step back feeling as if his head had been struck, he collided with dokkaebi, who spoke immediately as if following a script, prepared like an automated response.

   “Sorry, there are no tables available right now.”

   “Alright, I’ll leave then.”

   Sangwoo quickly responded and turned back. At that moment, he heard the loud voice of the vampire coming from behind.

   “Can you add a table?”

   “There’s no space for additional tables now, oppa.”

   “Some people have finished eating and will leave, then.”

   Sangwoo hurriedly ran out of the tent. He then explained to Jihye that there were no seats available and they had to go somewhere else. The other party heard it clearly and made a disappointed face. As Sangwoo was about to step away, a dokkaebi came running out of the tent.

   “Hey, student with the hat? There were just enough seats available a moment ago. Come in quickly!”

   “It’s alright. I saw very clearly that there were no seats. I’m leaving now.”

   “Come when I am still speaking nicely.”

   The voice that sounded coolly through the mask made Sangwoo stop walking unconsciously. While he was hesitating, Frankenstein and the giant zombie-like zombie came out of the tent like baseball players, and they grabbed both arms of dokkaebi firmly.

   “Alright, let’s go!”

   “Let me go. Are you a gangster or something?”

   While Sangwoo fought with the guys, Jihye was talking to dokkaebi.

   “The big samchun, he said there were just enough seats inside. That’s really lucky!”

   The girl laughed and walked into the tent like that. Sangwoo was left behind, alone, like a duckling in the water without its mother on the Naktong River [2]. He struggled to free his hand from Frankenstein’s grip, but this time there were zombies pushing from behind, these people were too strong and unconscious. Sangwoo was dragged into the tent without being able to resist.

   “Welcome!”

   Then they encountered the vampires who welcomed them with scowling faces. On the other side, someone had their hair styled like a horse’s mane with wax, revealing their forehead, painted black eyeliner, and powdered their face white, while the edges of their lips were painted with deep red instead of blood. Although it was an odd appearance like the other staff members, they looked unbelievably good and stood out. At that moment, there were several students swirling around them, waiting to take pictures.

   “Hello, Jaeyoung!”

   “Long time no see, Jihye. I guess I have to compensate you heavily.”

   “Wow! Really? Thank you in advance. But you look amazing with your makeup and outfit, it suits you so well, incredible! You look like Count

   Dracula, so cool!”

   “With Sangwoo… Are you two here on a date?”

   “No, not a date! Haha! It’s just… because Sangwoo owes me a little, so he promised to treat me to dinner.”

   “Is that so? You have fun on your outing then.”

   After speaking, the vampire disappeared somewhere. Sangwoo didn’t eat anything but felt a knot in his stomach.

   “The decoration is really nice, indeed. The quality of this drama club is… excellent.”

   In contrast, Jihye swept her gaze around, captivated by the golden decorations hanging from the ceiling and took photos with a happy expression.

   “Actually…”

   Jihye put away her phone and lowered her voice.

   “If I knew it was organized by the drama club, I probably wouldn’t have come.”

   “Why not?”

   The young woman looked around to make sure no one was there before whispering.

   “Because I think Jaeyoung doesn’t like me, that’s why.”

   “Why do you think that?”

   “Well… it’s just a feeling.”

   “There seems to be no reason for him not to like you.”

   “Yes, that’s right. From what I’ve seen today, it seems like I was overthinking things, so I feel better now. I was a bit uneasy before.” Sangwoo remained silent with a puzzled expression on his face.

   “Well then, sunbae…”

   Suddenly, Jihye shifted her body and approached the table, speaking in a secretive whisper. Sangwoo instinctively leaned forward to listen to her voice.

   “I have something to tell you today.”

   The flickering candlelight reflected in her eyes. It was the first time Sangwoo closely examined Jihye’s face, realizing for the first time that there was a faint smile on her cheeks.

   “Wingardium Leviosa!”

   Just then, a man dressed as a wizard rushed in and presented them with a menu, cutting off their eye contact. Sangwoo returned to his seat and glanced at the menu.

   Sinister Rolled Egg Aged Alp[3] Chilled Yakisoba Soup. Although they were quite expensive, they paled in comparison to the gaming console Jihye had just acquired.

   “You can order anything you want. Budget is not exceeding 130,000 won.”

   “Yes!”

   Jihye pondered heavily and ordered, ‘Odung Coated Fried Dumplings,’ while Sangwoo ordered, ‘Kimbap Ramyeon Combo’ and ‘Plain Rice with Silkworm Pupae.’ After the wizard left… Sangwoo caught Jihye’s dissatisfied expression.

   “Are you about to say something?”

   “Oh… no, I’ll tell you later.”

   “Okay.”

   Silence fell over them. Sangwoo sat still, but his ears were attentive to every sound in the tent, as they had to go through this ordeal because he wondered what Jang Jaeyoung was doing, who he was talking to, and the voices he heard from that spot. The other side conversed with an unfamiliar person, took orders at the table, and provided service, causing Sangwoo’s heart to beat faster.

   “Oh, oppa! Would you like to hear a fun story?”

   “Hmm? Oh… sure, go ahead.”

   “So, I was walking down the street with Tuna Kimbap and Cheese

   Kimbap. Then we encountered a head floating in a jar, but…”

   “Brew~voo!”

   “Yikes, you startled me!”

   Just then, Frankenstein extended his spiked head towards them. Jihye seemed to levitate thirty centimeters in surprise. Although Jihye wore an angry and annoyed expression, lifting customers was the concept of the ghost tavern, so she could only be dumbfounded without being able to do anything.

   “The staff members are all mischievous, aren’t they?”

   “Do you like being here or not?”

   “It’s true, I don’t know what to say…”

   Then the conversation stopped again. Jihye moved her fingers for a moment before asking an unpleasant question.

   “Hey, I’ve been wondering for a long time… Do you have a girlfriend?”

   “No.”

   “Oh, really? Well then, hypothetically speaking… would you consider dating someone?”

   Sangwoo intended to answer that he was busy with studies and didn’t have time to think about it, but the vampire suddenly appeared, casting a curse and leaving in a grand gesture. It seemed like a made-up act. Then he disappeared.

   “What did he say?”

   Sangwoo sighed, leaning back in his chair. While Jihye remained silent for a while.

   “Shall we finish eating and leave?”

   “Take your time.”

   “Well… it’s too noisy here. I guess we won’t be able to talk.”

   At first, Sangwoo thought the young woman was just being timid, but the longer it went on, the more he understood those words. It was strange that as soon as Jihye said something, food would be served one by one. As they started talking about something, drama club members would show up and disrupt the rhythm. It might have been a coincidence, but it was clear that this wasn’t a suitable place for a talk.

   However, no matter what, Sangwoo’s attention was fixated on someone else entirely. Even as the other party was constantly taking pictures elsewhere. Having not been around here once, he didn’t even have the opportunity to see the other party’s makeup clearly.

   ‘Are we fuck-buddies?’

   Although he was now thinking of saying no.

   Sangwoo took a deep breath and leaned back on the chair. The more he imagined having sexual intercourse with Jaeyoung, the more he became confused. Sangwoo did not have the courage to penetrate his own genitalia into Jaeyoung’s ass. Furthermore, he was not confident that he could see Jaeyoung suffer from pain and agony like a person in a visual media perspective studying information.

   Jaeyoung kept his promise to provide full service by giving them three bottles of soju, dried squid, and egg rolls they had not yet ordered. Even the one who said she was leaving soon. Jihye. While still eating free food and drinking free alcohol, he even picked up a chopstick.

   “You’re really good at drinking, oppa.”

   Jihye also drank as well, but mostly the soju went into Sangwoo’s mouth, perhaps because of the stress he had accumulated over the heavy SaturdaySunday, he wanted to get drunk and forget it all.

   His state of mind resembled a computer that encountered hundreds of lines of error code, unfamiliar sadness, limited fear, conflicting feelings about intimacy, overwhelming anxiety, and lingering desires. Even the feeling of failure that came with losing in games didn’t bring him to press the keyboard; all of it was a mixture of negative and entangled emotions. If alcohol could make one forget everything, he would drink as much as he could.

   “Oh… the alcohol and glasses have arrived. Oh…”

   “Again? Thank you so much, is it too much?”

   “Meh, you foolish humans…”

   “Oops, it’s falling. And here’s the buttered corn, I’ll hold it myself.”

   At first, Jihye had a positive impression of Frankenstein, but then she started to get annoyed. No matter who came from the other side, she no longer felt surprised.

   They sat quietly for a while, eating with glasses and a free bottle of Soju. Jihye’s face turned red with the power of alcohol, and the young woman swayed along with the music. At the same time, they burst into laughter.

   Sangwoo blinked slowly, feeling his heavy eyelids.

   “Oppa… I said I had something to tell you today, right?”

   “Hmm, go ahead then.”

   Jihye smiled, raised her hand to fix her hair, and pulled a chair closer to the table. Then she spoke with a serious expression.

   “I might be a little drunk… I might say something wrong, so I’ll tell you next time, okay?”

   “When will that be?”

   “There will probably be another chance, just remember that today we went out together, read comics together, played games together, drank together, got it?”

   Jihye smiled and extended her hand as if receiving a gaming console. Sangwoo remembered the time she smiled like that before, and he raised his right hand. Then their hands touched, making a loud sound.

   “…”

   She was confident that he reached out his hand all the way to his arm, but for some reason, the hand that touched was a vampire’s hand. It wasn’t Jihye’s hand; it was a hand firmly holding Sangwoo’s finger.

   “It’s a shame, but it’s time to close the store, kids.”

   Jaeyoung placed Sangwoo’s hand on his own knee and spoke. Jihye had an indescribable expression as she still held her hand in the air. Jaeyoung gave a smile to the young woman.

   “It’s late now. Did you call home?”

   “I have freedom at home, no curfew. It’s okay.”

   “So, you have to hurry back. Your parents will worry, and I don’t know where your house is, but you should be able to catch the last bus.”

   A meaningless conversation. Sangwoo couldn’t overcome his drowsiness, feeling confused and scattered. And when he heard Jaeyoung’s voice above his head, he thought it felt good, but even so, it didn’t solve any problems.

   He had drunk too much; he was probably drunk.

   “Thank you for your concern. I’ll do what you said.”

   Jihye’s answer fell silent for a moment, then she spoke again.

   “Sangwoo sunbae, aren’t you going?”

   “Don’t worry about Sangwoo. I’ll take him home myself.”

   “Huh?”

   “It’s already dark outside. How can I let him go alone? Who knows what might happen?”

   “…”

   “Be careful, Jihye.”

   He seemed to be about to say something, but Sangwoo blinked his eyes. As soon as he managed to forget and open his eyes, he saw Jihye’s back disappearing from the tent. He had to go home, but he had no strength left.

   The people in the tent were busy clearing the tables. Jaeyoung looked away and said something, and that side turned to look at Sangwoo. When their eyes met, Sangwoo couldn’t control the muscles on his face and burst into laughter.

   ‘Ah… I must look like a fool.’

   Sangwoo turned away with an unwilling face, his heart beating irregularly and anxiety building up. At that moment, a large hand moved closer and covered his eyes, causing his vision to darken, his heart to tremble, and his mouth to involuntarily open.

   “Hyungjin, do you know where my car is?”

   “Yes.”

   “Take this child and put him in the seat next to the driver.”

   “Yes! Can I have the car keys, too? And what about you, hyung? Aren’t you coming back?”

   “Where can I go like this? I have to change clothes and wash my makeup first.”

   “That’s true. Oh, well, let’s go then. Thank you so much today, really. Because of you, the store sold a lot; it’s become a legend. I heard you were busy, thank you so much for listening to our request.”

   “No problem, I had fun too.”

   “Initially, you said you would only help when the restaurant opened., but you ended up staying until it closed. I’m grateful, really.”

   “It was only a few hours, after all.”

   When Jaeyoung removed his hand, light shone through Sangwoo’s eyelids once again. As soon as Sangwoo blinked his eyes, he saw the back of the vampire walking away. “I’m sorry.”

   Someone forcefully shook Sangwoo’s shoulder.

   “Wake up, please. Go wait in Jaeyoung’s car.” Frankenstein tugged on Sangwoo’s arm nonchalantly.

   ________________________________________.

[1]                 Cafe. Here, it refers to an online community type in Korea, similar to Facebook pages or groups used in Thailand.

[2]                 Duck eggs in Naktong River. Derived from the idiom 낙동강

   오리알

   “nakdonggang orial”, meaning “duck eggs in Naktong River.” which refers to being alone and isolated, having nothing in an unclear place.

[3]                 Al-bap “알밥”. Rice mixed with fish roe may include other side dishes as well.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME