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Chapter 5
“Journalists must be diligent and truthful!”
“Dili-tru!”
The drinking party began with that corny toast from a senior who’d graduated late and had ended up with many peers already working adults. They called him a fossil, and the nickname fit him well.
People say the older you get, the less you feel age gaps—but right then, even a one-year senior looked towering. In the midst of it, Haejoo forced herself to summon every ounce of social skill she had just to endure the gathering.
And then, at last, the “spy” hidden among the freshmen of the Department of Journalism and Information revealed himself.
“You guys were really searching hard for me, weren’t you? And yep, it was me! Hahaha… wait, Jimin, why aren’t you surprised?”
“I saw you chatting so casually with another senior before. Figured if there was a spy, it had to be you.”
Jimin shrugged, as if to say he’d expected it all along. The senior faltered, clearly flustered. Not every freshman was like Jimin, so most of the room was in shock.
“What? I believed you when you said our department didn’t have anything like this…!”
“Damn it, what did I even say to you guys?”
The so-called spy had been pretending to be a transfer freshman, only one year older than the rest. Especially close with Hajun, his betrayal cut deep.
Luckily, thanks to Jimin’s earlier tip-off, Haejoo hadn’t been caught off guard.
“Hyung, then what about all the conversations we had? What were they, huh?”
“I’ll keep your secrets safe, don’t worry. But I didn’t know your tastes ran that way. Hey, everyone—guess what, Hajun actually—”
“Wait, stop!”
The table burst into laughter. Sometimes, saying nothing was the safest play. Haejoo looked at Hajun with sympathy.
The drinking grew livelier. Haejoo, imitating what she’d learned from online drinking etiquette videos, drank steadily every time a senior poured her a glass.
“Wow, you’re Seo Haejoo, right? You really can hold your liquor.”
“She’s better at drinking games than I expected. Look how serious her face is.”
“No way, she downed that in one shot?”
She was the kind of freshman people naturally wanted to look after: pretty, quiet, introverted, obedient enough to drink whatever she was given, never sloppy, and always careful with honorifics—even while tipsy. Her diligence showed, and that made her all the more endearing.
“Hold up, isn’t she drunk?”
“You idiot, how much did you make her drink?”
“I saw her down at least three somaeks. You’re crazy.”
“If Mr. Saint sees this, you’re done.”
Another quirk: no matter how much she drank, her already pale face only grew whiter, making it impossible to tell how drunk she was until she was on the verge of collapse. She was the kind of junior who quietly worried everyone at the table.
“Shit. Lee Hyunwoo’s here.”
At that muttered warning, all eyes shifted to the man entering the room. He fixed his gaze on Haejoo, who was nodding off at the table.
“Didn’t I tell you guys to stop forcing drinks on the freshmen?”
“She looked fine—her face didn’t even change color, she just kept drinking…”
“I’m fine.”
Haejoo raised her head, meeting the stern gaze of the newcomer. He wore the typical campus uniform: department jacket over a sweatshirt, jeans. Even without introductions, she knew at once—this must be the handsome senior Jimin had mentioned from their department.
Lee Hyunwoo. To be exact, not merely handsome, but tall, sharp-featured, and striking enough that “good-looking” was the only accurate word.
“You guys never learn, even after coming back from military service. What’s her name?”
“Hello, sunbae. I’m Seo Haejoo, first-year in Journalism and Information Studies at Korea University.”
She bowed, swaying on her feet. Hyunwoo grimaced and turned to the group of male seniors.
“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on her. You guys go mess around at another table.”
“Uh… okay…”
The group reluctantly picked up their glasses and moved away. Jimin had already gone home earlier, since he commuted. Most of the other classmates Haejoo knew were too drunk themselves to notice her. Worse, she didn’t realize that several female seniors disliked the men who’d been sitting with her, and had already fled the table earlier.
“Do you live far?”
“Nearby. I’ll sober up a little and head home.”
“All right. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll walk you back. Just say so if it gets bad.”
“Yes, sir.”
She tried to bow again, but her body wobbled. Hyunwoo, concerned, sat down across from her, ready to keep her company until she sobered up.
Crash!
“You bastard, Kim Minjun!”
The shout came from the other table. Hyunwoo shot up and turned toward the commotion. A messy love triangle had finally boiled over: one senior had broken up with his girlfriend before enlisting, only to find out she was now dating another senior—both of them his classmates.
Punch.
A heavy thud rang out, followed by the crash of tables and shattered glasses. The academic society president rushed to intervene, but the two men wouldn’t let go. Hyunwoo joined the fray, helping to separate them. Even after being pulled apart, the seniors hurled insults as passionately as they had fists.
Meanwhile, a freshman vomited all over the floor.
“God… today’s a disaster,” Hyunwoo muttered, trying to bring some order back. Then he glanced toward Haejoo’s table. At least she’d been quiet and well-behaved—
Or so he thought.
The drunk freshman was gone.
“Hey, did you see where the first-year who was sitting here went?”
“Haejoo? She said she felt better and was going home. Walked out just now.”
“….”
Hyunwoo raked a hand through his hair with a sigh. It was a relief she’d left on her own two feet, but something still felt wrong.
The alcohol swirled in her head.
It was her first real drinking session.
Since the college entrance exam, Haejoo had worked all sorts of part-time jobs. Sometimes the store managers had invited her to company dinners, but she’d always refused—those gatherings made her uncomfortable. With no adult around to teach her, she had practiced just once at home, using an internet video to learn basic etiquette.
She wasn’t stupid; she knew how important it was not to burden her seniors. If she lost control and had to be carried home, she’d forever be branded a nuisance.
She staggered on, weaving her way toward home. Tonight the road seemed endless. Her studio apartment was a thirty-minute walk away, perched on a hill in a part of town where the buses were just as inconvenient as walking.
“I should’ve paid a little more for a place closer by…”
Still, it had been a good deal. Clean, quiet, with no buildings blocking her window view. The rooftop was open, perfect for drying blankets on sunny days. The landlord kept everything well-maintained and didn’t even charge extra management fees.
Sure, the laundry was a shared washing machine, but for an older building the room was spacious.
As she walked, she passed a crowded restaurant. Another department must have been holding its own welcome party there. Outside, a man was smoking while chatting with a female junior.
Haejoo didn’t even look up—she didn’t have the strength. She just trudged by, eyes on the ground.
“Taehun-sunbae, I heard you broke up with Suhee. Someone said she filed for a leave of absence.”
“Yeah.”
“So… are you single now?”
“Not exactly.”
“‘Not exactly’? What does that mean?”
“Means I thought you were about to confess, so I was turning you down gently.”
“Oh… That’s not what I meant.”
The junior answered awkwardly, though in truth, he’d guessed right.
“Good. Then no problem.”
“…But what are you looking at, sunbae?”
“Somehow that drunk person looks familiar. Their crown, their hair—it’s strange.”
“You mean her? Wow, she’s really drunk. With her hair like that, she can’t even see straight, but she’s still walking.”
Shuffling, swaying. Long hair like a curtain covered her face, making it impossible to see, though her slim frame showed she was a woman.
“Walking around like that at night, all alone… it’s dangerous.”
“Exactly.”
The drunk girl passed them slowly. Then the wind lifted her hair. Just for a second, her face flashed through the strands before it fell back into place.
Both of them froze, eyes widening.
“Whoa… she’s gorgeous.”
The junior breathed out the words.
Taehun hastily crushed his cigarette and tossed the butt into a makeshift ashcan. He turned the junior toward the restaurant, pushing him back inside.
“Go in. Something just came up for me.”
