Ch.105105. Let’s Talk.

# The Daily Life of a Job Seeker

Job hunting varies from person to person, but Jaejun’s job search wasn’t particularly busy.

His GPA was 4.2.

A level where he could say he had lived his life with reasonable effort wherever he went.

With internship experience and competition awards under his belt, he was at a point where he just needed to prepare well for interviews.

He was aiming for the second-half recruitment season and wanted to enjoy a relatively relaxed vacation, but…

“This is quite troublesome.”

Troublesome indeed.

He thought it had been a while since a situation so perfectly matched the word “troublesome.”

Sitting across from him was Seo-eun, who was repeatedly pounding the café table while saying she was doomed.

“Argh! I’ve unleashed poison! Oppa!”

“You sure have.”

When Jaejun nodded in agreement, Seo-eun glared at him so intensely it almost made a crackling sound.

“Is that what you should be saying right now?”

“You just said yourself that you unleashed poison.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“But you asked me to empathize with you.”

Keeping up with his girlfriend’s rhythm was more difficult than he had imagined.

“Sigh… What should I do? Oppa. You were a club president too. Have you ever had a case like this?”

“Well, I never had a case where Hana didn’t like me.”

“Ah~ Stop joking around!”

Seo-eun’s lips jutted out in a pout.

“Haah…”

Jaejun let out a sigh.

“So if things continue like this, one of them might leave the club?”

“Well… they probably won’t leave, but the atmosphere will be completely ruined, you know?”

“But what can you actually do about it?”

Hana likes Suhyeok.

Juyeon likes Suhyeok.

What could Seo-eun possibly do about this situation?

Telling them not to like him would be ridiculous.

Who was she to tell them what to do or not do?

“Ugh… I know… but if things continue like this, the club might fall apart before summer even arrives.”

Seo-eun clutched her head as if it was giving her a headache.

If people aren’t getting along, you encourage dialogue and reconciliation.

But what do you do when they like each other too much?

“Hmm…”

Seeing her so troubled, Jaejun couldn’t help but share in her concern.

“Suhyeok hasn’t officially stated his position yet, right?”

The current situation was in Suhyeok’s hands.

No matter how much those two liked him, this game wouldn’t end until he chose one of them.

“…I think he likes Hana. The probability is… over 90 percent.”

“Then why aren’t they dating? Don’t they like each other?”

“I don’t know. They seem to be exchanging a lot of signals, like they’re planning some grand confession.”

Though he didn’t particularly want to recommend it, a solution did come to mind.

“Seo-eun.”

“Yes?”

“Try saying this to Suhyeok.”

“What?”

Seo-eun perked up her ears.

“Ask him to wait until after the winter performance to officially date anyone.”

“Huh?”

“Tell him not to confess, and even if he receives a confession, to postpone his answer until winter.”

“But… will he… listen to that?”

While Suhyeok was certainly upright in character, it was uncertain whether he would comply with such a request.

The probability of such a request being considered reasonable was…

“Tell him to preserve the spirit.”

“Tell him the moment he accepts a confession, our carefully cultivated 23rd generation will be over.”

“Tell him we’ll no longer be able to hang out as five friends like we used to.”

Seo-eun’s heart ached sharply.

Those hypothetical statements would all become reality the moment he accepted a confession.

“…Is it okay for me to say that?”

Seo-eun wasn’t sure.

“You’re the president.”

Jaejun closed his eyes and spoke in a calm tone.

He placed his hand on top of Seo-eun’s.

Forcing her down a difficult path didn’t feel particularly pleasant.

“The reason a leader exists is to ensure the group functions healthily.”

Jaejun was saying that this wasn’t a choice but a duty.

Seo-eun’s eyes widened as she grasped this fact.

“…You’re right.”

Seo-eun fiddled with her glass, which was covered in condensation from the melting ice.

Her head seemed to be cooling down just like her hands.

A leader must seek the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

If that was the way to protect everyone for the remaining four months, then she had to do it.

At least until the winter, when their official Spirit activities would end.

“I’ll talk to Suhyeok about it.”

Seo-eun gently bit her lip.

* * *

It’s not easy for those who have never been in a relationship to establish standards regarding the opposite sex.

For instance, if there’s a question like “How far can a boyfriend go with a female friend?”

1. No private meetings between the two.

2. Meals or coffee are acceptable.

3. Even late-night drinking sessions are fine.

There’s no set answer to this question.

That’s why it’s a perennial topic of argument among couples, regardless of the era.

[So what you need is respect for your partner.]

[You need to know exactly what they want and what they dislike to act accordingly.]

Suhyeok found himself watching a relationship advice YouTube video.

His habit of searching the internet for things he didn’t know was serving its purpose once again.

“Ugh…”

From his personal diagnosis, the most problematic issue was how to treat Juyeon.

How should I treat Juyeon?

How do I actually feel about her?

If he had to put it into words, Juyeon was a good friend.

Someone he could confide in, someone he seemed to get along with well, someone who felt genuinely comfortable.

Suhyeok thought she was precious, and he wanted to maintain a good relationship with her.

Above all, he didn’t want her to suffer emotionally because of him.

But the person Suhyeok liked was Hana.

That was a clear fact.

As he pondered, Suhyeok arrived at a question:

[If I want to date Hana, should I not be friends with Juyeon?]

If Juyeon and Hana were strangers, this would definitely be a no-go.

An absolutely unacceptable situation.

But the two were close friends.

They had been friends before Suhyeok knew either of them.

Rather than being outsiders to be wary of, they were just close band members…

If he successfully confessed and reached a world where Hana asked him not to be close with Juyeon, then distancing himself from Juyeon would be the right thing to do.

But he didn’t want to push Juyeon away when he didn’t even know if his confession would succeed or fail. It would be cruel to Juyeon, and Suhyeok didn’t want to do that.

“Haah…”

If Hana rejected him and he later got together with Juyeon, how would Hana think of him?

Conversely, if he ended up with Hana and walked around arm in arm with her, would Juyeon still want to be his friend?

The exclusive property of loners.

Malicious delusions were taking over his brain.

-Vrrrrrr

His phone vibrated.

It was Juyeon.

[Hello?]

[Ah. Suhyeok. Are you busy?]

[No?]

[What were you doing?]

Suhyeok couldn’t bring himself to say he was evaluating and analyzing what future awaited if he dated her.

[Just lying in bed.]

[I… was thinking of buying a guitar.]

[Huh? You’re buying a guitar?]

[…Yes.]

At this somewhat random declaration, Suhyeok scratched the bridge of his nose.

[Suddenly?]

[I. I want to learn.]

Suhyeok didn’t think it was that strange for Juyeon to be interested in guitar.

After all, even he sometimes felt like learning when he watched Kang-i play the drums.

[Um… so?]

[Co. Come with me.]

[Where?]

[To the music store.]

[Ah… but for something like that, Hana would probably know better than me. Should we ask her to come too?]

Though Suhyeok had been interested for a long time and knew quite a bit, Hana was far superior when it came to equipment knowledge.

[…Can’t we go just the two of us?]

Juyeon’s fingers gripped her phone more tightly.

It took courage to make this invitation, and his response suggesting they include Hana was disappointing.

[Ah… sure… whatever.]

[…You don’t want to?]

[No. It’s not that I don’t want to.]

What should he call this ambiguous feeling?

[I. If I buy it, I’m going to practice really hard.]

[But what suddenly made you want to play guitar?]

There was no reason for Juyeon to play guitar.

It didn’t seem like Spirit would be playing songs that required three guitars.

[…You like playing guitar.]

[Huh?]

[I. I thought if I learned to play… we might have more to talk about…]

Despite it being an incredibly embarrassing answer, the girl haltingly revealed her feelings.

And Juyeon’s approach was making Suhyeok’s heart beat a little faster.

[I… see…]

[I was thinking of going on Thursday. Is that okay?]

How could he refuse a girl who spoke to him like that?

[Ah… yes.]

[Then 11 AM at the bus stop.]

[Got it.]

[Hee.]

A short laugh of satisfaction came through the phone.

[Thank you, Suhyeok.]

The call ended.

The pendulum in his heart swung wildly.

Juyeon’s actions were more than enough to confuse the naive Suhyeok’s heart.

-Vrrrrrr

His phone vibrated again.

He thought Juyeon might have forgotten something, but…

[We need to talk. Lee Suhyeok.]