ETP Ch 66

Kim Seoleun stared intently at Kim Bokseung and Hwang Yoohyun, who were sitting side-by-side in front of her.

Hwang Yoohyun, whom no student in the business administration department didn’t know. There were more than a few rumors about him.

Of course, most of them turned out to be true rather than rumors, but some still remained as baseless gossip.

One of them was about his mysophobia towards pheromones, and that rumor had been changing in a different direction lately. It was because of that omega junior who was stuck to his side like glue.

Seeing that Hwang Yoohyun and Kim Bokseung were in her group, Seoleun couldn’t describe how much she had been waiting for the group project discussion time to come.

And finally, being able to see the reality of the rumor right before her eyes, Seoleun was somewhat certain. She felt that the relationship between the two had lightly surpassed that of just a close senior and junior.

Without taking her eyes off the two, Seoleun said,

“Everyone’s looked at the example the professor posted, right?”

“Yes!”

The reply came only from Bokseung’s mouth.

Lee Jihye missed the timing to answer because she was continuously staring at Yoohyun’s face with sparkling eyes, and Hwang Yoohyun was simply not interested.

“Should we divide up the roles, or since there aren’t many of us, should we prepare everything together from the start?”

“Um……”

As expected, Bokseung was the only one pondering her suggestion. Lee Jihye had stopped looking at the uninterested Yoohyun and was now scanning the people in the next group as if observing them, and Hwang Yoohyun was still not interested in this meeting.

“Then let’s start by deciding on the most important role, the presenter! Since the presenter will have more to prepare, let’s have them not do the research or make the PPT!”

Ooh, he speaks really well. Sungyeon’s favorability towards Seoleun rose within him at the smoothly flowing opinion.

“Then should we decide by drawing ladders? It’s more fun than just drawing lots!”

Lee Jihye, having finished scouting even the next group, finally joined the conversation and raised her hand. Seoleun also agreed with her remark, and Sungyeon naturally nodded.

Jihye drew a ladder on a sheet of paper. She had drawn so many horizontal lines that it looked like it would take quite some time for each person to go down the ladder.

“I’m number 1!”

Seoleun spoke first. After her, Jihye and Bokseung chose their numbers, and naturally, the remaining number became Yoohyun’s.

“Oh, Hwang Yoohyun Sunbae-nim is the presenter!”

Numbers 1 and 2 were both duds, and finally, Jihye who chose number 3 also got a dud. Excited by the fact that she had avoided the presentation, Jihye clenched her fists and shouted.

At that moment, Yoohyun’s expression crumpled fiercely. It clearly seemed to mean that he didn’t want to do it. In fact, the idea of that Hwang Yoohyun stepping forward and presenting with a friendly attitude was unimaginable.

The rest of the group members began to read his mood.

However, Sungyeon, with five years of work experience and a carefully hidden kkondae-like mindset, urged Yoohyun.

“Sunbae-nim, you know how important the presentation is, right?”

“What.”

“What do you mean, ‘what’?! It means you have to work hard!”

I’m telling you not to go “hmph, hmph” without any interest like you are now!

Sungyeon had to get a grade that was at least a little better than average, so it would be a disaster if this presentation was ruined.

When Yoohyun didn’t particularly react to his words, Sungyeon even tapped his shoulder to press for an answer.

Eventually, Yoohyun, with a look of utter annoyance, nodded his head. He knew very well that Kim Bokseung’s stubbornness was beyond words in moments like these.

It was the same when they worked at the PC bang; just where in a 20-year-old guy was this kind of diligence hidden?

“I’ll work hard too!”

Bokseung spat out a bold aspiration, having sold off his shy act somewhere. At that sight, the two group members, Seoleun and Jihye, laughed out loud.

Only Yoohyun frowned, not liking this friendly atmosphere.

Yoohyun wanted to pull hard on the kid’s cheek, whose fluffy hair was shaking with determination.

He shouldn’t be so cute.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

[Kim Seoleun Sunbae-nim: Bokseung, Jihye. We need to do the research, how’s your time this week?]

[Lee Jihye: I’m free tomorrow after 4!]

Sungyeon was spending time at a cafe on campus, looking at the messages exchanged yesterday. Next to him, Hwang Yoohyun occupied a seat as usual.

It was now 3:50. About 10 minutes were left until the appointment time. That also meant that Hwang Yoohyun’s class time had about 10 minutes left.

“Sunbae-nim? Shouldn’t you be heading to the classroom now?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t just answer with words, you need to move!”

Sungyeon frowned in frustration, looking at the still unmoving Yoohyun.

Look at this guy. Yoohyun raised his index finger and firmly pressed the space between the kid’s eyebrows.

“You’re not going to smooth out that expression?”

“Ah.”

When Yoohyun growled, Bokseung covered his forehead as if startled. However, Yoohyun knew that the kid thought of him as a pushover to some extent.

Especially since they started living together, he was only a Sunbae in name. The attitude Bokseung showed him was very much like an uncle dealing with a 10-year-old elementary schooler. Like the lenient expression when he caused trouble during their part-time job, or the resigned expression that said, ‘I’ll just do it myself.’

Anyway, he didn’t like any of it.

Whenever Bokseung showed such behavior, Yoohyun’s pride would crumble.

It was the same now.

Right now, Bokseung had the look of someone watching a student who was whining because he didn’t want to study. And that face, with that look in his eyes, was full of sternness. It wasn’t funny at all.

Yoohyun pushed the kid’s hand away and rubbed his brow even more forcefully.

Every time he did, the round face wobbled from side to side. It was a rather cute sight, but fearing Bokseung might get hurt if he did it more, he soon relaxed his hand and crossed his arms.

He was annoying, but he couldn’t even bully him, so only dissatisfaction was piling up inside Yoohyun.

“Ah, Sunbae-nim! There’s really only 5 minutes left! You have to go now!”

“Yeah.”

At Bokseung’s nagging, Yoohyun reluctantly got up. When he was fully standing, Bokseung had to crane his neck all the way back just to meet Yoohyun’s eyes.

He met the gaze of the eyes looking at him and said slowly,

“Even if the group project work finishes early, just stay here. I’ll come after my class ends.”

“Okay!”

“And don’t follow a stranger if they ask you to go somewhere.”

“Ah, I won’t! I’m not a child…!”

Sungyeon snorted at Yoohyun’s worry. How old am I that he’s worrying about things like that? Geez!

Nevertheless, Yoohyun kept looking back as he left the cafe. It seemed he was worried about Bokseung being alone. He looked like he wouldn’t bleed a drop even if you stabbed him, but he was surprisingly soft.

Seeing how he treated Yuja, and how he treated Bokseung, it seemed Hwang Yoohyun had a weak spot for things that were weak, round, and cute.

Well, Bokseung is pretty cute. He was cute enough to make the deeply hidden protective instincts of even the most blunt and mean person pop out on their own.

Sungyeon stroked his own hair and patted his shoulders, indulging in self-praise that others would find cringey. Anyone could see that his self-love was not just high, but overflowing.

“Bokseung, what are you doing alone?”

And that very scene was caught by Kim Seoleun.

Sungyeon, in the exact posture of patting his own shoulder, turned only his eyes to look at Seoleun. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Bokseung’s shoulder. The way he was tapping with both hands crossed in an X-shape seemed too much to be just brushing off dust.

Sungyeon smiled awkwardly and lowered his hands onto his thighs. In times like these, it was best to just play dumb.

“Hello, you’re here?”

“Uh-huh. You came early.”

Seoleun noticed that Bokseung didn’t answer her question and just greeted her, but she didn’t say anything and sat down.

She casually looked around. She was checking if Hwang Yoohyun was there.

“Ah, Jihye isn’t here yet.”

Sungyeon, thinking the person Seoleun was looking for was Lee Jihye, informed her that she hadn’t arrived yet.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Well, her class ends at 4, so I guess she might come a little later.”

Seoleun played along with Bokseung’s words and stopped scanning the cafe. Seoleun and Bokseung exchanged small talk until Jihye arrived.

It could have been an awkward situation, but Seoleun, Bokseung, and Jihye had already agreed in their group chat to speak comfortably with each other.

It was more convenient for exchanging various opinions, and as expected, the two sociable female students had actively pushed for it. Thanks to them, they could speak somewhat comfortably even though it was their first time meeting since class.

“Ah, come to think of it, Seoleun Sunbae, you must not be taking this class? You’re a second-year business major like Hwang Yoohyun Sunbae-nim, right?”

“Oh?! Hwang Yoohyun Sunbae-nim went to class?”

“Yeees!”

Seoleun nodded at the news of Hwang Yoohyun, which Bokseung had mentioned first. A quick calculation ran in her head that he wouldn’t be coming to the cafe for at least 2 hours. The sound of a clock’s hands turning automatically played in Seoleun’s mind.

“The class on the timetable right now isn’t a required major, so I didn’t choose it.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Uh-huh. But did Sunbae-nim say anything about us doing our group project?”

“Hwang Yoohyun Sunbae-nim?”

At her question, Bokseung’s eyes looked upwards as if thinking of something.

He had just recalled Yoohyun being displeased in the morning when he said he was doing a group project.