Chapter 426 |
As I paused mid-sip, Ellie asked.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m just worried Taekgyu might get into trouble again.”
“Oh, come on. I doubt it.”
“I guess so, right?”
The guy a Norwegian princess likes. Taekgyu must be the object of every engineering student's jealousy right about now, huh?
Well, Yang Hana said she was coming too, so I guess nothing major will happen.
Having graduated not long ago, Yuri knew a lot of the younger students. There were also classmates from her year who were still enrolled due to military service or studying abroad.
“Wow! Yuri, you’ve gotten so much prettier.”
“How’s work?”
As expected of a pretty girl, the male students welcomed her warmly.
Kyeongil, thinking he was being natural, asked a question at a terribly awkward moment.
“You don’t have a boyfriend yet?”
At that question, I could see all the male students prick up their ears.
Yuri said with a smile.
“I’m too busy with work to have time for dating. And I have no intention of meeting anyone for a while.”
“R-Right? Haha, you must be very busy. Still, if you ever want to grab a meal, or if there’s a movie you want to see, feel free to call your sunbae anytime.”
Min-young tapped Kyeongil’s shoulder as if to say, “That’s enough.”
While carrying drinks and food, the junior students also continued to keep outsiders from entering. I hadn’t paid much attention to the university for a while, but seeing these juniors looking out for me just because I was their senior, I felt a sense of gratitude.
“This reminds me of when I came here with you before, Jinhoo.”
“Oh! I was just thinking the same thing.”
I recalled the first time I came to Hanguk University with Ellie. Come to think of it, that was already four years ago.
“Speaking of which, I wonder how that woman we met back then is doing.”
“Seon-ah?”
“Not her.”
“Ah, Lee Hye-mi?”
As we smiled, reminiscing about the past, a familiar voice came from behind us.
“Oh my, Jinhoo. It’s been a while.”
I was taken aback.
“You’re here too?”
A short skirt, high heels, a flashy hairstyle and makeup. She hadn’t changed a bit since graduation.
Lee Hye-mi acted all friendly toward me.
“How long has it been? It’s so good to see you.”
Acting as if nothing ever happened between us was one of her greatest strengths.
Ellie smiled and waved.
“Nice to see you. It’s really been a long time.”
“Ah, you came with your girlfriend. Hello.”
Her demeanor suddenly became polite.
Two other female classmates were with Lee Hye-mi. We weren’t particularly close, but it was still nice to see them after so long.
“What brings you here?” Park Mi-ju asked.
“We heard you were coming, so we came to hang out too.”
“Huh? Who said I was coming?”
I had only told a few people.
Kim Min-young shook her head, and Min Kyeongil made a needless fuss.
“Hey, what does that matter? What’s important is that we classmates are all gathered in one place. Come on, let’s have a drink.”
The other departments’ pop-up bars were moderately empty, but the Business Administration bar was suddenly packed. I hadn’t expected business to be this good.
The Business Administration stall was located close to the stage, so we could see it from a distance. As we drank and talked, MC Ttaeng-dong’s hosting continued.
A singing contest, a dance contest, a talent show, a performance by music students, and so on. It seemed there was a special talent for making even the same lines sound funny, as laughter erupted every time he spoke.
“Alright, let’s begin the dance contest!”
Ellie suddenly shot to her feet.
“I want to enter!”
“Are you drunk?”
“Why? They said outsiders can participate. I’m a good dancer.”
“That’s the problem—you’re too good.”
Wouldn’t Ellie entering a college talent show be like a pro slaughtering amateurs?
Yuri put down her empty beer glass and said.
“Let’s go together, unni.”
“Are you drunk too?”
Now that I looked, the table was littered with soju bottles. When on earth did we drink this much?
Sang-yeop sunbae came over with a group of people.
He must have had quite a bit to drink, as his face was already red.
“Are they juniors from the Math Department?”
“Nope. The kids from the Practical Investment Club.”
The Practical Investment Club hadn’t been a very popular club. But after Sang-yeop sunbae and I became famous, the competition to get into the club became comparable to Hanguk University's entrance exams.
I hear that these days, they not only conduct interviews but even have applicants do simulated investments to get selected.
Do you really have to go that far to join a club?
“This guy is the current club president.”
The male student with glasses bowed deeply.
“Hello, sunbaenim. I am Choi Young-bin from the Korean Language and Literature Department. I’ve heard many legends about you.”
“We will also work hard.”
The eyes of the club juniors sparkled as they looked at me. Should I recommend a stock or coin that’s about to skyrocket?
Unfortunately, I didn't know anything to tell them.
After sending the club juniors on their way, Sang-yeop sunbae pulled up a chair and sat down.
“I think I’ll drink here too.”
Gihong sunbae asked.
“Soju or beer?”
“Just give me a mix.”
As we were making a toast, a commotion broke out over at the College of Social Sciences’ pop-up bar.
The murmur of the students reached all the way to where we were.
“Wow! The head of Golden Gate Korea is at the Economics Department stall with her husband!”
“I hear she’s drinking with the professors at their stall.”
“That’s huge! Their wedding was even on CNN!”
“What is with today?”
Ellie said.
“Looks like they’ve arrived.”
Unlike us, who left early, Hyun-joo noona had left separately after work.
Head of Golden Gate Korea was a position higher than most bank presidents or securities firm CEOs. And Henry was the grandson of the Golden Gate CEO.
It was no wonder the entire College of Social Sciences was in an uproar.
Ellie grabbed my hand and pulled.
“Let’s go check it out over there.”
“We’ll be back in a bit,” I said to our table.
Ellie and I headed to the Economics Department’s pop-up bar.
I could see Hyun-joo noona and Henry sitting there. At their appearance, not just the current students but even the alumni seemed completely frozen in awe.
I could also see the face of another Golden Gate employee.
“You made it, noona.”
Hyun-joo noona looked around as if fascinated.
“It’s really changed a lot. It doesn’t feel like our school’s festival.”
I filled Hyun-joo noona’s glass with beer.
“Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen you at school, noona.”
“I know, right? And to think we’re sunbae and hubae.”
Ellie stood up and raised her beer glass.
“The Head of Golden Gate Korea is buying the drinks tonight, so let’s all toast! And don’t forget to apply to Golden Gate when you graduate!”
At her words, the students all raised their glasses in unison.
“Thank you for the drinks, sunbaenim!”
***
When we returned to the Business Administration pop-up bar, the professors had arrived.
Professor Kim Myung-joon asked.
“Having fun?”
The department rep came over with a menu.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Just bring everything. One of the richest men in the world is right here, what’s there to worry about?”
“Aren’t you not supposed to get freebies from a student?”
“It’s fine at a department bar.”
Finally, the celebrity performance we’d been waiting for began.
The area in front of the stage had already been packed with people for a while.
“They’re the hot new girl group that CEO Kang Jinhoo personally nurtured and supported! Please welcome Pure Girls!”
Four girls came up on stage, and MC Ttaeng-dong held out the microphone to them.
“As you know, this is CEO Kang Jinhoo’s alma mater. And I hear that the CEO himself is here with us today. Would you like to say a word to him?”
I hadn’t even joined their fan club, but everyone considered me their official Fan #1.
The leader, I-eol, bowed deeply and said.
“Thank you so much, CEO-nim. We’ll never forget where we started and will always work hard.”
The energetic Solar added from the side.
“Please continue to support us!”
MC Ttaeng-dong said.
“We originally planned to bring CEO Kang Jinhoo up here for a fan meeting, but we received word from above that he’d fire me on the spot if I did, so we’ll have to postpone it for another time.”
Pure Girls gave a passionate performance of three songs, including “Catch Me Please.” Next, when the boy band KST appeared, the female students screamed with delight.
As time passed, people slowly started to get drunk. Some were sleeping with their heads on the table, some were crying in their drunkenness, and others were consoling them….
“Hey! Hwang Min-ah! I like you! Let’s go out.”
What’s with the idiot confessing while drunk in the middle of all this? Of course, he got rejected.
It seems like there’s always one of these guys in every school year.
“Who was it in our year?”
Min-young answered Kyeongil's question.
“It was you.”
“What? What did I do?”
“Do you even remember how many girls you confessed to while drunk?”
Park Mi-ju said.
“That’s right. You confessed to me, too.”
“What? I did?”
Everyone has an embarrassing past. At least back in the day, it would just be spread by word of mouth, but these days, it gets immortalized in video.
The department rep came over and said.
“Um, Kang Jinhoo sunbaenim.”
“Yeah?”
“Pure Girls came by and are asking if they could see you for a moment.”
“Huh? Me?”
Ellie pushed my back.
“Perfect. You’re a fan, Jinhoo.”
“…I am?”
Where did Oh Taekgyu go?
In any case, they came all this way to greet me, so I’d feel bad just sending them away.
I had no choice but to get up and head toward the entrance of the pop-up bar.
Four girls were standing there with their male manager. In order: I-eol, Solar, Tami, and Louise. They must have changed, as they were in regular clothes, not their stage outfits.
Seeing me, a very nervous I-eol bowed deeply in greeting.
“Ah, hello, CEO-nim. It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time.”
Chubby cheeks, large monolidded eyes, pale white skin, and her trademark pigtails. She didn’t look much different from how she did on TV.
She really was cute in person.
“I enjoyed your performance.”
“Th-Thank you, CEO-nim. We will work even harder from now on so as not to disappoint… hic!”
I-eol stopped mid-sentence as tears streamed down her face.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Ju-just a moment… Huu-eeng!”
Overwhelmed with emotion, she burst into tears, and the other members next to her started crying too.
I didn’t make them cry, did I?
***
As more famous singers came on later, the atmosphere grew even more electric.
While the concert was in full swing, Ellie and I took a slow walk across the campus. Ellie, perhaps a little drunk, leaned her body against my shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course. I think it’s been a really long time since I’ve had such a pleasant drink.”
It was dark, and everyone’s attention was on the stage, so almost no one recognized us.
I could hear the sounds of laughter and chatter from all around.
I saw people staggering drunkenly or being helped along by their friends.
Some departments were already cleaning up their stalls and carrying away their equipment.
A festival is a fleeting moment. From tomorrow, we’d have to return to our daily lives as if nothing had happened.
Ellie looked at me and said.
“You look a little wistful for some reason, Jinhoo.”
“I just feel a bit of a longing, that’s all.”
In that time, I’d earned an unimaginable amount of money, but in exchange, I’d missed out on the rest of my college days.
If I had stayed in school, I would have participated in festivals like this and hung out with my seniors and juniors. Then, by now, I would have graduated and gotten a job somewhere.
In the end, those are the things I couldn’t have.
After listening to me, Ellie said.
“Opportunity cost.”
“I suppose so.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Not a chance.”
You only live once, and you can’t have everything you want.
“But I think I’ve realized one thing for sure.”
“What’s that?”
“How precious the present is.”
Time that has passed never comes back.
Just like the saying that life is Choice between Birth and Death, it’s a series of countless choices.
Come to think of it, I’m only in my twenties. How many more choices will I have to make in my life?
Choosing one thing means losing the opportunity to choose something else. The present is what you gain by giving up all those other possibilities.
And the future, I suppose, is what you gain by giving up all the other possibilities available in the present.
Thinking that way, I was able to make up my mind for certain.
“What are you thinking about this time?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
I wondered if she already knew what I wanted to say.
Ellie looked at me and gave a beautiful smile.
“I’ll be waiting.”