chapter 11
11 – 11. Club (4)
“Wow? Have the guys arrived?”
“Wow, we thought you guys disappeared.”
When the subtle-eyed girl’s friends 1 and 2 entered the room, they cheered excitedly.
But did they reveal their ages to each other?
How are they “oppas” already?
Compared to them, the subtle-eyed girl still seemed composed.
Come to think of it, they didn’t even ask for their names.
Now that all the members seem to be here,
in the moment of pondering what to say first,
Han Dong-soo and Park Geun-woo suddenly stood up and warmly welcomed the ladies.
“We were getting tickets and waiting outside. They said the hottest people are here.”
“Disappearing is for tomorrow. Today, we drink and die here, right?”
…?
What’s with the comment?
They were just completely tight-lipped a moment ago, weren’t they?
Han Dong-soo flashed a charming smile and gestured.
“Come on! Have a seat! To have fun, you need to slip in between here and there, right?”
Han Dong-soo was taken aback.
There’s no way a man wouldn’t be surprised when a woman comes flying at him.
From what I saw, even before Han Dong-soo spoke, it seemed like friends 1 and 2 had no intention of sitting together as women.
Friend 1 flew next to Dongsu, and Friend 2 threw himself next to Geunwoo as if soaring through the air.
“Oh, really? You guys?”
The subtly stranded girl with a perplexed expression sat next to me after glancing around.
Oh.
Perfect.
After somehow completing the seating arrangements, Dongsu poured a new bottle of soju and began offering drinks to the girls.
“I’m Dongsu. This friend here is Geunwoo. And this guy is Hyung Woojin.”
Calling him ‘hyung.’
Very nice.
This is the effect of role-playing practice.
It’s funny to be called a team leader while drinking at a club, isn’t it?
So, we practiced it in advance.
Let’s just go with a relationship we know privately.
We’ve even finished organizing the family tree before.
Fortunately, I was the older brother.
Thanks to that, I was able to smoothly establish my position in role-playing.
Of course, there was a strong resistance when we first practiced.
How dare you call the team leader ‘hyung’? If Director Hwang Jaeha finds out later, he won’t let it slide, etc.
But with a bit of pressure and reasonable persuasion, he eventually started to be called ‘hyung.’ And at the end of the practice, the girls walked in.
Quite a nice timing.
Friend 1 looked at Dongsoo with glossy eyes and said, “I am Jieun. This one is Hyoju. And that one is an idol, Serin.”
In an instant, my eyes widened.
An idol?
Wow.
It wasn’t just for show.
Suddenly, Friend 1, or rather Jieun, looked at me and chuckled.
“Oppa, you’re innocent. We just call her an idol because Serin is pretty. She’s not a real idol.”
Upon hearing this, Friend 2, Hyoju, said to Jieun, “Hey hey, you’re being dense. Oppa here did method acting to impress Serin and get points.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
Oh, geez.
This is embarrassing.
In this moment of hesitation, it was clear my embarrassment would escalate.
I need to break this flow.
“I tend to fall for things easily. Anyway, nice to meet you. I’m Seo Woojin.”
As I raised my glass to speak, everyone lifted their glasses as if on cue, and there was a collective ‘clink’ in the air.
Gulp.
Oh my.
Is this real?
It feels like my throat is burning!
What proof is this liquor, exactly?
As I furrowed my brow, gazing at the empty glass where the liquor had disappeared, Dong-su stood up from his seat and spoke.
“We’ve had a light introduction, warmed our throats with some strong liquor, so how about we take some time to build a real friendship?”
Next to Dong-su, Ji-eun casually linked her arm with his.
“Too formal? Oh~ Oppa, this is how you build friendship. Like this.”
Yeah.
Don’t interfere.
Watching from the side, I feel envious—or no, embarrassed.
Dong-su seemed slightly surprised, or maybe pleased, but he kept his composure and smoothly continued.
“Especially in moments like these, playing a game to reduce the distance between us would be good, right? We did introduce ourselves earlier, but it might still be unfamiliar. How about a game of ‘Call My Name’?”
Oh. A game.
And it’s a name-calling game, at that.
Have you ever tried playing it?
I just heard the names of the three of them, but after some drinks and time passing, the likelihood of mixing up names was very high.
Would Se-rin get confused?
No.
Drinking alcohol might even make me forget my own name.
It seems like playing a game to familiarize ourselves with names would be a good idea to avoid mistakes later on.
But if we get drunk while playing the game, we might not only forget names but also where we are.
I briefly entertained the thought, but that wasn’t important.
Since there was nothing to say anyway, it was a situation where playing a game and laughing it off would suffice.
“You all know, right? The ‘Call My Name’ game. However, it’s different in every neighborhood and region, so mentioning international rules and starting eliminates any room for controversy. Let me briefly explain the rules and get started.”
Call my name.
Simple and straightforward.
Naturally, when the rhythm starts, you begin with “I am ground, call my name.”
And when it’s my turn to break the cycle, if I say, “Se-Rin Net,” Se-Rin shouts my name four times as “Woojin Woojin Woojin Woojin.”
Of course, the rhythm follows a 4-beat pattern.
In other words, the designated person calls out the specified person’s name in rhythm—a crucial point of the game.
Did you call the name incorrectly?
Miss the beat?
Have lousy pronunciation?
Then you’re immediately out of the game.
If you’re out, you naturally down the shot of liquor right in front of you.
But we usually play the game with soju.
If it’s whiskey…
You’d think one or two rounds and we’d be on the verge of death.
Anyway, perhaps it was because it was a private room, voices resonated well, and it seemed like a fantastic atmosphere for playing the game.
Despite the crazy lights and lively dancing outside the window, being able to have fun like this here was truly a great atmosphere.
“Now. We need to decide on the order—.”
“Hey! I’m going to do it, Jieun!!”
Jieun, who was standing next to Dongsu, raised her hand and shouted.
Dongsu quickly turned the spoon upside down and held it in front of Jieun like a microphone.
“If you have to give a reason why you should go first?”
“Because! I’m the top student in the Department of Game Design!”
Absolutely.
It’s definitely the vibe to start with a hundred-percent shot.
Dongsu couldn’t miss that, and since it wasn’t important who went first, he handed the start over to Jieun.
“Wow? The top student in the Department of Game Design! Then of course Jieun should start! Everyone, stay calm. There’s no need for cheesy stuff like the knight in shining armor or the black rose. Life is about living alone anyway. If you make a mistake, it’s a straight shot! Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
With a cry of joy, Jieun started the game with a trembling movement.
“Call out my name in the ground! Dongsu Seven!”
..?
What’s this?
Just a moment ago, it felt like my tongue had completely fallen into a pit, but as soon as the game started, I cut in with pronunciation so clear that it could knock out an announcer.
But Dongsu was not fooled by this kind of fake.
He immediately caught it with a look that said, “I’m the elite bodyguard trained to protect the conglomerate me.”
“Jieun Jieun Jieun Jieun Jieun Jieun!!”
Jieun swallowed her saliva as if feeling disappointed.
It seemed like a desire to make Dongsoo drink, but when things didn’t go as planned, his eyes looked displeased.
What is he up to, really?
What’s the point of making him drink?
That’s how the “Nobakku” variety drinking game started. Call out my name.
It’s a high-proof liquor, so even one mistake will have a significant impact.
Therefore, people straightened up and put their hearts into their rhythm and pronunciation.
But humans, being creatures, always let their guard down, and that subtle relaxation becomes the starting point for drinking the fiery liquor.
“Hey! Oppaddeul! You’re so mean!!”
I’ve been curious since earlier, but why “oppa” when you’re not even older?
Besides that, I’ve already had your glass too, you know?
The only ones not drinking at this moment are Dongsoo and Geunwoo.
Their agility and reflexes are no joke.
At this rate, except for those two, everyone else looks like they’ve showered in liquor.
If we analyze the situation a bit, the women have drunk an average of six glasses straight.
The reason for calling it an average is because there was one woman who drank a lot more, none other than Serin.
I asked Serin with a worried expression, “Are you okay?”
“Ah. Well, I’m… okay.”
Jieun and Hyoju, who are already sitting across from us, are “really” tongue-tied.
There’s no messing around with alcohol.
However, Seryn, who drank the most, still didn’t slur her words.
She just spoke a little slower.
It seemed like she was definitely drunk, but whether it was her pride or her competitive spirit, she continued with the game.
Then, Hyoju suddenly stood up and took the lead, speaking out loudly.
“Oh! Seriously! Oppa, why are you playing this boring game! It’s no fun!”
Dongsu scratched his head.
“Is it really? If that’s the case.”
Suddenly, Dongsu poured a glass of soju.
And next to him, Geunwoo opened another bottle of soju and drank it in one go.
Wow.
These people are crazy.
Don’t they know that drinking like that leads to acute alcohol poisoning?
But perhaps because of their well-trained bodies from exercising, they didn’t waver in their stance even after drinking like that.
“Shall we really start enjoying ourselves now?”
Dongsu chuckled and then operated a device in the corner of the room.
And then…
Incredibly, the soundproof room, which had been so effective, suddenly filled with the same sound as outside, as if it had become the center of a club.
“Let’s goooo!!”
Dongsu and Geunwoo loosened their ties and unbuttoned a few buttons on their shirts.
Through the gaps, their muscles looked hard and firm, like armor.
Jieun and Hyoju’s eyes were completely wide.
“aaah!! Oppa!!”
Heart-pounding music.
Couples sticking closely.
A steaming hot room.
At that moment,
Serin placed her hand on my thigh and whispered with a warm breath.
“Sasiil. Suri. Jo-om. Doen geo gatayo.”
At the same time, saliva gulped down my throat.