The Senior Who Wasn’t Invited

The welcome party for first-year Business Administration students was held at a bar near the university’s main gate.

They moved around for over two hours according to a planned route designed to help freshmen bond not only with seniors, but with each other as well.

By the end, it no longer felt awkward no matter which table you sat at.

Jaeyoung rinsed his mouth with soda and glanced around.
That was when he spotted a table that caught his attention.

Clack.

Someone failed to control their strength under the influence of alcohol and set their glass down too hard.

“Could you scoot over a bit?”

Jaeyoung smiled with his eyes as he spoke to the startled person who looked up.

“Oh, what the— you scared me.”

The classmate patted their chest and shifted over.

Jaeyoung took the empty seat and unfolded the menu so the person across from him could see it easily.

“Jeongmin, what kind of snacks do you like?

The treasurer said we can order one more thing.

Let’s just get what we want.”

He winked playfully.
Faced with his easy familiarity, Jeongmin stared at him in a daze.

“Or… not this side?
Then how about something soupy?”

Jaeyoung tilted his head and tried to flip the menu.

But his lack of finesse kept sending it straight to the last page.

He puckered his lips and furrowed his brows, focusing intently on the menu.

“Huh? Why won’t it turn?”

“Oh— no, it’s fine.
I’ll just pick from there.”

“Really? You like soup?”

Jeongmin glanced at Jaeyoung, who still hadn’t wiped the smile off his face, then nodded.

Jaeyoung immediately shot his hand up.

“Ma’am! One sausage platter over here.
And could we get a little extra corn cheese too?”

What he asked for as “extra” wasn’t a free side but a popular item clearly listed on the menu.

Still, considering how generously they’d been ordering drinks and food, he figured asking once wouldn’t make him that customer.

“Hey, Kim Jaeyoung!
You already wiped out the table and you’re ordering more?”

The treasurer senior yelled from a distant table, having clearly heard him.

“See?
I want to order too, but if I do any more, I think I’ll actually die.”

Jaeyoung put on a pitiful expression, like a puppy with drooping ears.
Switching from a bright smile to a sad face only made it more effective.

“Ugh.
It’s obvious, but fine.
I’ll let it slide.”

“Thank you, ma’am!”

Jaeyoung watched the owner turn away with a grin and raised his arms to form a heart over his head.

“Are you a regular here?”

A classmate at the same table asked, eyeing his familiarity with the owner.

“Nope. First time.”

Jaeyoung blinked his round eyes innocently.

“Have you been to places like this a lot?”

He smoothly tossed the question back at the friend across from him, leaning forward with his arm on the table.

The distance between them closed instantly.

“N-no…

I’m from the countryside, so…We don’t really have places like this there…”

“You didn’t live in Gaon City? Then where are you from?”

Caught in the flow of questions, Jeongmin was half-forced into continuing.

“Isn’t that near Dalmuri City?”

Jeongmin’s eyes widened.
Most people didn’t recognize the place even when you explained it.

“That’s really far.
If I ever go there to hang out, can I hit you up?”

“There are some tourist spots, but…”

Jaeyoung suddenly handed over his phone.

Jeongmin hesitated, glanced at him, then typed in his number.

“Me too! Give me your number!”

The classmate beside Jeongmin immediately held out their phone as well.

Just like that, the table turned into a phone-number exchange zone.

And then, inevitably, the drinking game began.

“Drink! Drink! Drink!”

The punishment target was the freshman sitting next to Jaeyoung.

Jaeyoung remembered that the same guy had gotten picked earlier too, grimacing in misery back then.

“Is it okay if I drink this for you?”

Jaeyoung whispered into his ear.
The bar was loud enough that only the person right next to you could hear.

“How long are you gonna keep dancing~”

“Huh? B-but—”

The freshman looked happy at the offer but hesitated.

You didn’t often see a guy stepping in as another guy’s ‘black knight.’

Jaeyoung took that hesitation as permission and swapped his pre-filled water glass with the beer glass.

“Drink! Drink! Drink!”

Putting on an innocent smile, Jaeyoung pushed the glass to the freshman’s lips as if forcing him to drink.

To outsiders, it probably looked exactly like that.

Everyone was too focused on watching the guy chug.

Jaeyoung quickly reached under the table and poured the alcohol into the beer glass he’d set down earlier.

“Ah—”

His hand slipped from the alcohol buzz, and some spilled onto his skin.
The friend beside him immediately handed him a tissue.

“Thanks.”

“But Jaeyoung, didn’t you say you had a friend from the same school?”

While wiping his hand, Jaeyoung looked up at the question.

“That’s not a friend.
That’s my nemesis.”

He pointed with his eyes at Mintae, who was standing on a chair.
Despite his words, Jaeyoung’s gaze was full of affection.

“Is he always like that?”

One of the freshmen asked, staring in disbelief at Mintae dancing wildly on the table.

Jaeyoung laughed and shook his head.

“When he’s with close friends, he can be even worse.”

And that was without alcohol.
The people listening were horrified.

“Well, at least we’ve secured someone for the festival.”

The student council president, now sitting across from Jaeyoung, clapped as if pleased.
Others laughed and nodded along.

“Alright, enough watching other people have fun.
Let’s play too.”

“Yes!”

Someone raised their glass high, and the rest followed.

Soju, water, soda—everyone had something different.

No one forced anyone to drink, keeping the atmosphere warm and friendly.

“Damn— these freshmen are quality.”

That was, until a hoarse voice cut through the air.

It was loud enough that everyone near the entrance turned to look.

Jaeyoung sensed the sharp shift in atmosphere among the seniors and turned his head.

Mintae, who loved attention but was secretly a coward, quickly climbed down from the table.

Jaeyoung let out a breath of relief.
He’d been worried the newcomer—clearly a senior—might start picking on Mintae.

‘These freshmen are quality.’

You shouldn’t judge people by appearances, but thanks to that line, even the man’s ordinary bulbous nose now looked like it belonged to someone unpleasant.

‘Is this a club or something?
What’s with “quality”?’

As the man drew closer, Saheon’s voice echoed in Jaeyoung’s head.

That’s exactly how he’d snap back.

Just imagining it made Jaeyoung feel a little better.

‘If only I could say whatever I wanted like hyung…’

But he didn’t have that kind of courage.

Unlike Saheon, Jaeyoung could only quietly read the room, and he smiled bitterly at himself.

“Senior, you’re here!”

Just before the man reached the table, the student council president jumped up and greeted him brightly.

The other seniors around her looked visibly flustered.

“Hey. Park Minju.”

The senior lowered his voice when he said her name.

It was an intimidating tone to use on someone half his size.

Jaeyoung slid his chair back slightly, ready to stand at any moment.

“You gather everyone and don’t even contact me?”

Now even the people deeper inside the bar realized someone had arrived.

The once-lively space went cold, as if someone had thrown water on it.

“So I’m not even a senior anymore, huh?”

The man sneered.

Jaeyoung narrowed his eyes slightly.

Everyone else looked the same—he’d only spoken a few lines, yet it was obvious why no one had invited him.

“Oh, come on. You’re still around campus, senior.

Of course we wouldn’t do that. But… how did you find out?”

As Minju spoke soothingly, the man’s smirk softened.

He didn’t seem to catch the nuance in “still.”

“I called the department office. Took forever to find out. What do you think the TA thought of me, huh?”

That you were trying to wedge yourself into a place you weren’t invited, Jaeyoung thought.

“You’ve been busy with job prep lately, senior.
We didn’t want to bother you unnecessarily.”

Jaeyoung admired Minju inwardly.

Student council presidents really aren’t just anyone.

Unlike the others, she didn’t let her irritation show at all.

“You know how intense it’s been, right?
I need to get some air once in a while.”

It was preparation he chose for himself, yet he said it as if he were making sacrifices for others.

“Yes, that was short-sighted of me.
I’m sorry, senior.”

“This is all for your own good, you know that?”

“Yes, of course.”

The senior puffed himself up and sat in the chair Minju pulled out for him.

“Alright, everyone, attention.”

Standing beside him, Minju raised her voice.
Everyone was already pretending not to stare anyway.

“This is senior Gil Seongpil, class of 2010.”

At “class of 2010,” silent shock rippled through the class of 2020 freshmen.

‘Ten…?
You can stay in school that long?’

‘What’s he been doing for ten years?’

‘At that point, campus must be his home.’

They whispered without moving their lips.

“He’s usually on the third floor of the library, so if you have questions, bring him a coffee and ask. That’s okay, right, senior?”

The irritation drained completely from Seongpil’s face.

“Of course. There aren’t many classes I haven’t taken. If you want tips, make it worth my while.”

“Yes!”

“Yes, sir!”

Jaeyoung answered quickly and loudly, and the rest echoed him a beat later.

“Good response.”

Seongpil looked satisfied.

Minju glanced at Jaeyoung with a pleased expression.

“So, who’s the freshman rep this year? Let me see their face.”

Leaning far back in his chair, the man scanned the room with gleaming eyes.