Strangely enough, as soon as that message popped up, I could feel how flustered Yuchae was—even through the monitor.
Seeing that she didn't respond for a while, I started feeling awkward myself and decided to speak first.
[Party] SoSleepy: I didn't mean it like "let's meet up" or anything.
[Party] SoSleepy: I just thought asking for your number would be okay.
[Party] SoSleepy: Was it uncomfortable?
[Party] Yuchae: No, it's not that I'm uncomfortable.
[Party] Yuchae: It's just that I'm not really…
[Party] Yuchae: …fond of that kind of thing.
Isn't that the same as being uncomfortable?
[Party] Yuchae: Sorry.
[Party] Yuchae: Could you give me some time?
[Party] SoSleepy: Time for what?
[Party] Yuchae: Time to think about whether I should give you my number.
"…Huh."
I froze up at her unexpected reply and forced my hand to move.
[Party] SoSleepy: lol
[Party] SoSleepy: Sure, take your time.
＊＊＊
"Sure, take your time my ass. Fuck… So embarrassing."
"Huh?"
As I downed a glass of soju in one gulp and muttered with a frown, Kim Daeseok, sitting across from me, looked puzzled.
"What's embarrassing?"
"Something happened."
I answered gloomily, and Daeseok, giving me a sympathetic look, refilled my empty glass.
"Hey, cheer up… Everyone goes through stuff like that."
"What?"
"You got rejected by the girl Eun Haeseong introduced you to, right? You don't have to say anything, I can tell. I'm good at picking up on things."
Oh, right. Now that he mentioned it, I was introduced to someone. Before the semester started, I was too focused on Yuchae, and after the semester began, there were too many gatherings and events. I completely forgot.
"I never even contacted her."
"You didn't? Why not? She looked super pretty in the photo!"
"I was busy."
I held out my glass again, and even though Daeseok looked dumbfounded, he clinked his glass with mine. Gotta love a good friend.
"Ugh, it's kind of cold outside."
"Of course it is—you're only wearing a short-sleeved shirt. You think it's summer or something?"
As we had another drink, the classmates who had gone out for a smoke began trickling back. Kim Daeseok pulled Eun Haeseong, who had been among them, to sit next to him and spoke up.
"Hey, Haeseong. This bastard Yuji didn't even contact the girl you introduced him to?"
"Huh? Really? Why? Was she not your type?"
"No, I was just busy. Kim Daeseok, shut your mouth and stop acting up."
"I'm just saying it's a shame."
Like exchanging contact info is a big deal. Just because you message someone doesn't mean you're suddenly dating or getting married. People make too big a fuss.
Not that that bastard Yuchae even gave me her number. Thinking about it again pisses me off.
Eun Haeseong shrugged as he filled a beer glass to the brim and said lightly,
"She's got a good personality too, so maybe try reaching out later? Or do you have someone else already?"
"Wait! No way. Yuji, when you said you were embarrassed… don't tell me you hit on some other girl and got rejected?"
"You think I'm like you?"
"Tsk, well yeah. It's not like we need to worry about this guy's love life. He'll manage just fine."
"True enough…"
As I looked at Kim Daeseok and Eun Haeseong with a mix of exasperation and pity, some people from another table wandered over.
"Can we join you, senior?"
"Oh! Of course!"
Seeing that it was a group of first-year girls, Kim Daeseok lit up and hurriedly cleared the stacked glasses and bottles from the table to make room.
Two girls sat down on either side of me. When we made eye contact, they shyly lowered their heads. I recognized them—faces I'd seen at several of the packed drinking sessions lately.
"Cheers, cheers~!"
"Cheers~!"
With the girls joining in, the mood lifted even more, and we kept clinking our glasses in sync with Daeseok.
As I chugged soju like water, I shoved thoughts of Yuchae out of my mind as fast as I could.
Past 10 p.m., heading toward 11, this department gathering was finally winding down.
As everyone surged out of the restaurant—except for a few who stayed behind to settle the bill—the cool autumn night air brushed against my skin.
I adjusted the jacket that had been carelessly draped over my shoulders when a group of juniors who'd been drinking at the same table approached me with their phones out.
"Um, senior Yoo Ji-han… would it be okay to ask for your number?"
"Me too, please."
They looked so young, shyly holding out their phones like baby chicks. It was kind of cute, and I chuckled as I took one of the phones.
"Just text me your name later, one by one."
Even if only one side saves the contact, messenger apps automatically update the friend list anyway—but since we're all in the same department, I figured I might as well save their numbers too. The girls nodded eagerly at my words.
After exchanging numbers, I ended up adding five new contacts to my call log.
'It's this easy…'
Scrolling down the now-full call list, I sighed and slipped my phone back into my coat pocket.
Suddenly, everything felt meaningless. The interest from people who liked me, even the games I used to be obsessed with—it was all boring now.
'I guess I was way too into the game for a while.'
Now that the semester's started, it's probably better to take a step back. If I go to class, do assignments, and drink a bit, time will pass quickly enough.
With that thought, I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and put it between my lips.
＊＊＊
"Ugh, I'm dying…"
Lying like a corpse on my bed, I groaned and rolled over to my right side. Just that small movement made every muscle ache, and I let out a pained moan.
After drinking with my classmates until the crack of dawn, I finally opened my eyes to find it was already late afternoon. Damn those bastards… I sat up slowly, wincing, as the setting sun cast a reddish glow through the window.
Buzz—
As I was sitting there groggily, brushing my messy hair back, my phone—tossed in the corner of my bed—started vibrating like it was begging for attention.
"What now…"
It was Kim Daeseok, who had been drinking just as much as me last night.
Was he asking me out for hangover soup or something? I swung my legs off the bed and answered the call with my body still slumped forward.
"What?"
—"Did you get home okay?"
"Do you think I didn't?"
—"Whoa, someone's grumpy. You feeling rough?"
"No hangover soup, no nothing. I'm not going out today, so don't even ask."
—"I don't have the energy either. That's not why I called."
"Then what?"
—"Well, someone from Zenoris asked me for your number."
…Someone from Zenoris asked for my number? Don't tell me… was it Yuchae?
"Who asked?"
—"Muljom noona."
"Oh."
The moment I heard the answer, any hope I had washed away like a sandcastle in the tide, leaving behind only emptiness.
Realizing that made me laugh bitterly. What the hell am I even doing?
—"She said she'd check with you first. Is it okay if I give it to her? She seemed a bit concerned."
"Doesn't matter. Go ahead."
—"Honestly, I think it's 'cause you haven't logged into the game in so long. Come on, when you're in a guild, you should pop in from time to time even if you're busy."
"Yeah. Thanks a fucking lot for the info. Bye."
I ended the call without bothering to listen to whatever else Kim Daeseok was babbling about and stumbled into the bathroom to wake myself up.
After a freezing cold shower that chilled me to the bone and a quick towel-dry of my hair, I turned on my computer. I'd turned it on occasionally for assignments, but this was the first time in nearly three weeks that I was logging into the game.
[Guild] Ssesseh: Whoa
[Guild] SpicyCrabYum: Oh hey, Sleepy hyung!
[Guild] Ssesseh: It's Sleepy hyung! hey hey
[Guild] Haereun: Long time no see~
[Guild] I'mADora: Hihi~
[Guild] ManaOringGuy: Hii Sleepy hyung
[Guild] Staeric: hey
[Guild] SoSleepy: Hello
[Guild] TheHunter: Whoa, it's Sleepy hyung lol
[Guild] TheHunter: Why's it been so long lol
[Guild] SoSleepy: School started, been too busy to play lol
[Guild] TheHunter: Ah, semester started… yeah, I get it.
[Guild] TheHunter: I only logged in after a week too
[Guild] Haereun: Totally feel that about school
The guild chat was filled with greetings, along with the event page, login rewards, and notification messages that cluttered the screen.
After quickly clearing those out, I opened my friends list to check who was online. Both Muljom and Yuchae were logged in.
I had no idea what Yuchae was doing, but why wasn't Muljom responding? She definitely had a reason to ask for my number. Was she AFK?
[Yuchae: Hyung]
Just as I leaned back in my chair and scratched my forehead, Yuchae sent me a direct message—not through the guild chat.
[SoSleepy: hey]
[SoSleepy: long time no see]
I hadn't logged in even once since the wedding, so it had been a while since I last saw Yuchae. Not surprising, since I'd been deliberately avoiding the game.
[Yuchae: Yeah…]
[Yuchae: Hyung, can you hop on Discord right now?]
[SoSleepy: Discord?]
[SoSleepy: Why?]
[Yuchae: Just because]
[Yuchae: I kinda wanted to hear your voice]
[Yuchae: It's been a really long time since you came online…]
"..."
If that's how you feel, then give me your damn phone number already. I'll talk to you all day if that's what you want.
With a pout tugging at the corner of my lips, I launched Discord.
[SoSleepy: yeah, I opened it]
As soon as I sent the message, the call came in like he'd been waiting for it. I put on my headset and accepted the call. Yuchae's voice came through, clear as day.
"Hyung, have you been doing well?"
"Of course I have."
"You sound a little hoarse though."
"I just woke up not long ago."
It felt awkward talking to Yuchae again after such a long time. Especially since things had ended with me getting rejected…
A stiff silence settled between us after my reply. If this is how it was going to be, then why did he even ask to talk?
"…If you don't have anything to say, I'm hanging up."
Startled by my words, Yuchae cried out in a panic.
"No, no! Uh, hyung. I…"
"Yeah?"
After hesitating and faltering for a long moment, Yuchae finally forced the words out.
"I… I was wrong…"
…What?
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