Chapter 95: Demon and Human, You've Got Nothing to Lose Anyway
He paid the fee for his outer coat and stored it in a locker.
After getting a stamp on his wrist and entering the hip-hop zone, the music was much louder than he expected, hitting his ears with an intense force.
The bass thumped relentlessly in the enclosed space, and his heartbeat seemed to sync with it. He realized immediately why people got excited in places like this—the accelerated pulse alone would make anyone feel high-spirited.
Lee Junghoon smiled and spoke.
"Ah. It's been a while since I felt this vibe. Seo Juhwan, how do you feel about the atmosphere? Seems pretty good, right?"
"Yeah. It's better than I thought?"
"Kid, it matches your taste then."
Lee Junghoon laughed and gave his shoulder a light tap.
Seo Juhwan didn't even think to respond, just stared blankly around the club that was buzzing with energy.
Boom, boom, boom!
Colorful and dazzling lights pouring in from all sides and the booming sound that made his heart race.
People swaying their bodies to the music.
The half-crazy atmosphere felt completely different from the outside world.
He had thought the streets of Hongdae at night were incredibly free-spirited, but the inside of the club was even more so.
A space where people were allowed to let go and move wildly seemed to excite everyone just by being in it.
'Do I actually like an atmosphere like this?'
The fact that he felt fairly good about it surprised even himself. The club atmosphere that he'd wanted to experience turned out to be more enjoyable than expected.
His shoulders naturally bobbed up and down as his mood soared.
That's when Lee Junghoon patted his back enthusiastically and said something.
However, the music was too loud to hear properly.
Lee Junghoon shouted directly into his ear.
"Follow me!"
"Okay! Got it!"
Lee Junghoon pushed through the crowd and approached near the stage. The closer they got to the front, the more actively dancing people clustered together.
The second-floor railing of the VIP room was apparently for women only, right?
Women in rather revealing outfits were smoking and looking down at them. Then he made eye contact with one woman, and she smiled brightly and waved her hand.
Seo Juhwan unconsciously waved back.
"Seo Juhwan! You don't need to dance well, just follow the rhythm! If it's hard, just nod your head!"
Lee Junghoon, being considerate of Seo Juhwan coming here for the first time, rhythmically demonstrated while explaining like he was teaching a class.
At that, Seo Juhwan chuckled and started to follow the rhythm.
As the exciting sound elevated his energy, his shoulders naturally bobbed and his body swayed.
"How is it? Are you dancing right?"
"I heard you could dance, and it's really true? You're pretty good?"
To his question, Lee Junghoon nodded with a somewhat surprised expression. His B-grade dancing talent made him look decent even without using technical moves like shuffles or crocs—just swaying his body gave him style.
Seo Juhwan gained confidence and surrendered himself to the music. As he seemed to be adapting well, Lee Junghoon moved away.
'What? Where is that guy going?'
Lee Junghoon made a gesture like 'watch this' and approached a woman dancing nearby. The vibe that came with experience really couldn't be ignored, apparently.
Before Seo Juhwan could even react, Lee Junghoon raised both arms and started moving to the rhythm behind the woman. For a moment, it seemed too bold, but the woman, after glancing back to check Lee Junghoon's face, responded quite enthusiastically instead.
'No, seriously. Is that the so-called face chemistry I've only heard about?'
He clearly saw the woman's face distort for a moment, but the instant she saw Lee Junghoon's face, her attitude changed.
To be honest, Lee Junghoon was over 180 centimeters tall with a great physique and a handsome face to match. Moreover, Lee Junghoon's 'handsomeness' was the kind that most women liked—the kind that men sometimes called looking like a male courtesan. With that short military-style haircut, of course it would work.
'No, there's nothing to learn here.'
How was he supposed to learn about face chemistry? He couldn't get plastic surgery on the spot. An appearance-related item hadn't come up yet either.
Lee Junghoon chatted and danced with the woman for a bit, then returned to Seo Juhwan.
"What? Why did you come back?"
"The numbers don't match. There are three of them."
"Ah."
He hadn't considered it, but of course when hunting for dates, you had to match numbers with the other group.
"Usually, when groups come, three is the most common."
Naturally, this was new information for Seo Juhwan.
You'd only know this if you'd actually hunted before.
Lee Junghoon nodded and continued explaining.
"Still, quite a few groups of two come as well. Usually it's either two or three."
"That's good then."
"Let's each try our luck, and if it seems right, we'll call each other. Since we can't hear the phone ringing because of the music, put it on vibration and keep it in your pants pocket."
The way he spoke made it clear he'd hunted many times before. However, there was one thing he overlooked.
Seo Juhwan spoke with a confused expression.
"Hyung, I've never hunted before. Can't we just go around together?"
"Huh? Why? Is talking to them difficult for you?"
Seo Juhwan nodded.
No matter how accustomed he'd become to women, asking someone he had no acquaintance with to do something together felt burdensome.
Lee Junghoon clicked his tongue regretfully and spoke.
"Well, it's not like it matters, but doing it separately would be better, right? That's how I've always done it."
Actually, scattering and working separate groups was a method only for experienced people, and usually, the normal way was to approach together while staying together.
But Lee Junghoon was someone who, from the first time he went clubbing with friends, would scatter and check out several groups, then pick one he liked. The ordinary method felt unfamiliar to him instead.
Lee Junghoon shrugged and spoke.
"If you really insist, we can go together. But Seo Juhwan."
"Yeah?"
"Don't be scared to talk to them. More than half the women who come here are already here to hit on men. That's what this place is for."
"Well, yeah. I know that intellectually."
"You don't like Jjigae, right?"
"Jjigae is a rapper? Of course I know."
It was a random question, but he nodded anyway.
Jjigae was one of his favorite rappers even before his regression. He'd heard most of his songs.
Lee Junghoon smiled satisfactorily and spoke.
"There's a lyric in one of Jjigae's label group songs that goes like this: 'Why are you afraid that girl won't laugh? You and her are strangers anyway. Man, you've got nothing to lose anyway.' You know it?"
"I've heard it."
"Just like the song lyrics, everyone you meet here is basically a stranger, right? If you get rejected, you get rejected. If it works out, that's great. There's nothing to lose by getting rejected. Just think about it lightly, lightly."
What kind of customized impromptu lesson was this?
It was somewhat absurd, but not wrong. Rather, since he was using rap lyrics he usually enjoyed as an example, it really hit home.
'...Maybe? Now that I think about it that way, being nervous feels pretty stupid.'
Just like Lee Junghoon said, the purpose of coming to clubs or bars was mostly to seduce the opposite sex. Of course, some people came just to dance, but even they knew this kind of place was for that purpose.
And clubs weren't places to find a girlfriend. After all, these were people he wouldn't see after today. There was absolutely no reason to be scared or feel burdened.
Everything depends on how you think about it. As soon as he changed his mindset, his heart felt much lighter.
Seo Juhwan hesitated for a moment, then nodded and spoke.
"Then let's split up for now."
"Okay? Should we?"
"Yeah, but don't expect much since I'm not confident. I'm counting on you?"
"Haha. Alright, man. If it gets too hard, you can just dance a bit. I'll take care of things."
What kind of crazy confidence was that?
Seo Juhwan let out a hollow laugh and watched Lee Junghoon's back disappearing into the crowd of people. Was this the confidence of someone who'd lived with a handsome face?
Lee Junghoon's figure parting through the dense crowd of people looked reliable.
For this moment at least, he was Seo Juhwan's senior.