Ch.124124. A Business Venture

Juyeon opened her notebook.

Juyeon’s handwriting was quite pretty.

Like her hands, her handwriting was delicate and had rounded strokes.

Rather than sharp and precise, it gave off an adorably cute impression.

The notes she had studied with during her exam preparation days were still one of her points of pride.

[So I Played the Guitar]

After writing the title at the top and marking it with two asterisks, Juyeon was ready.

Now she just needed to write the actual lyrics below.

If she were to express her true feelings, she felt the song would end up being desperately pitiful.

[Look at me]

[I’m trying so hard]

[When I strum the strings with my heart]

[Will you turn to look at me?]

Having already composed a song about unrequited love before, she figured the members wouldn’t particularly like such lyrics.

Especially Hana, who would likely object immediately.

Perhaps instead of basing it on romance, focusing on growth would be better…

She thought it might work if she did something similar to “The Dawn Is Blue.”

She scribbled with her small hand.

[Because I had nothing I could do]

[Because I hated myself for not changing]

[I played the guitar]

[Intoxicated by the sound of drums]

[I shake my head]

[My unstoppable heart]

[The vacuum tube about to burst]

[Could it reach you?]

[Please listen to this sound]

…I don’t know.

Though she had written lyrics a few times before, Juyeon wasn’t a Korean Literature major.

While humming it seemed like it could become a song, she had no idea how others would perceive it.

And if that was the chorus, what should come before it?

She wanted to ask Suhyeok to work on it together, but she also wanted to impress him with a finished product.

She wanted to see him praising her, telling her she’d done well.

Juyeon was lost in the maze of creation.

It seemed like tonight would stretch into the early morning hours for her again.

* * *

[Lee Suhyeok]

[Yeah?]

[Are you busy today?]

On Tuesday, when there was no practice.

Suhyeok, who was on his way home, stopped in his tracks at Hana’s message.

[No. I’m free.]

[Great. Then come help me with the shop today, just this once, for free.]

[Huh? For free?]

[Yeah. I think we need to do some sweet-talking for our winter performance]

Looking at his phone screen, Suhyeok blinked slowly.

Spirit’s regular winter performance was scheduled to be held at a private live hall in the city.

While the school provided an auditorium for performances during festivals, there was no such justification in winter.

Moreover, since it wasn’t a festival, there were fewer acquaintances passing by, so Spirit traditionally used external venues.

The costs were all covered by membership fees.

In that context, the 23rd generation was quite lucky.

Thanks to Hana’s uncle’s influence, they were able to secure a venue at the end of the year at a relatively affordable price.

[Please come~ Don’t make me go alone~ I’ll buy you something delicious.]

In truth, she knew that if she just used her aegyo on her uncle, things would go smoothly this year too, but Hana wanted to be alone with Suhyeok.

After his declaration that he wouldn’t date, Hana had been naturally creating pretexts to call him out separately.

She needed to help him deceive himself.

It was important to give him room to rationalize with reasons like “This is for work” or “This is for Spirit’s activities.”

If she boldly asked for a date, he would predictably hesitate and say something like “That’s a bit…” So this was definitely a clever move.

Juyeon’s rising momentum was also fueling Hana’s proactiveness.

Since returning from their trip, both Hana and Juyeon seemed to have little intention of hiding their feelings.

If Hana let her guard down even a little, that cunning girl would mysteriously cling to Suhyeok’s side.

Of course, Juyeon’s actions wouldn’t change the outcome.

Because it was Hana whom Suhyeok liked.

I’ve already heard the answer from Lee Suhyeok.

In terms of positional relationship, Hana was definitely ahead.

[What time do I need to go?]

[Want to come now?]

[I’m still on my way home.]

[Then come to the bus stop by 3:30]

[Okay]

As soon as he put down his bag, Suhyeok changed his clothes and prepared to go downtown.

He didn’t mind helping with the part-time job, but his thoughts about the place were a bit strange.

It wasn’t an ordinary live hall.

It was where Suhyeok had his first kiss with Hana.

It was the site of Suhyeok’s first kiss in his life.

Even though they had kissed a few times, Suhyeok still felt his ears burning when he recalled that scene.

Hana was waiting for him in front of the bus stop.

“Hey!”

Hana smiled brightly.

By now, her hair dye had grown out considerably, with black hair growing from the roots.

“Hi.”

“Hmm. What should we eat today?”

Hana naturally clung to Suhyeok’s arm.

“Huh? Oh… you said you’d treat me.”

“Hmm. Should I take you to my uncle’s favorite restaurant?”

“What does the owner like?”

“Tripe hot pot.”

Though it was an older man’s pick, that guaranteed its taste.

“…Sounds delicious.”

Suhyeok licked his lips as he imagined it.

“Okay. Request accepted. Let’s go right away.”

Hana chattered away about a drama she had recently watched.

About a new Enflix release, the casting, how there was nothing worth watching this quarter.

It was a field Suhyeok wasn’t very familiar with.

“Ahaha. That’s too bad.”

“…Hey.”

“Hmm?”

Suhyeok, who had been responding appropriately, tilted his head as if asking what was wrong.

“You find this boring, don’t you?”

“Ah. No?”

“What do you mean, no? You’re just humoring me.”

That was true, but Suhyeok didn’t want to show it.

“It’s not like that…”

“What do you like these days?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Let’s talk about what you like.”

Hana was bothered by what Juyeon had said.

[You don’t match with Suhyeok.]

Maybe it was true.

Besides the band, the two had almost no overlapping interests.

From Hana’s personal observation, Suhyeok seemed to have very few interests.

He didn’t seem interested in fashion, dramas or movies, or current events in the news.

When asked what he did with the rest of his time, he always just said he watched YouTube or played some games.

“I… these days…”

What do I like these days?

In truth, Suhyeok had always wanted an unremarkable daily life, but lately, it felt like he wasn’t doing much of anything.

Most of his alone time was spent thinking about Spirit, Hana, or Juyeon.

Going deeper, many of his thoughts were about his military service concerns.

“…I’m thinking about how to have more fun before I go to the military.”

Everyone said they went wild having fun before entering the military.

In fact, Suhyeok’s high school friend who had left for the military a few months ago had said something similar.

To have all the fun you can before going in.

“Oh… what else could it be?”

“What?”

“Being with me, of course.”

Hana didn’t want to miss the opportunity.

“If there’s anything you want to do or places you want to go, just tell me. I’ll make it happen.”

“But aren’t you busy? I saw your schedule last time.”

“Ah. I can skip classes. No big deal.”

You could miss class three times before it affected attendance.

Hana, who wasn’t particularly concerned about grades, was willing to skip classes for a date request from Suhyeok.

“Then… um… how about going bowling?”

“Yes! That’s what I’m talking about! Tell me these things!”

Sitting next to him on the bus, Hana tried to get even closer to Suhyeok.

Though he tried not to be conscious of it, something incredibly soft kept stimulating Suhyeok’s senses through his forearm.

“Should we go this weekend? There’s no bowling alley nearby, so we’d have to travel a bit.”

“Ah… if it’s far, we don’t have to…”

“I’m making the reservation~”

Hana showed him the reservation screen with a broad smile.

She was particularly pleased that it showed 2 people.

“Phew…”

Having arrived at the shop, Hana needed to warn Suhyeok in advance.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Even if I do something weird today.”

“Weird?”

“No, not like acting crazy or anything. Just if I seem different from usual…”

Though she had brought Suhyeok along, Hana was now wondering if it was a good idea to show him her aegyo-filled interactions with her uncle.

“Just go with it, okay? This is all my sacrifice for Spirit.”

“Ah… okay.”

While he didn’t think much about why she was saying this…

“Uncle~ Are you really going to do this to Hana? When your beloved niece is begging like this?”

The owner smacked his forehead as if he couldn’t bear it.

Suhyeok’s mouth fell open at Hana’s aegyo, which he was seeing for the first time.

No way.

Hana… has this side to her…

Though he knew it was for business, to Suhyeok’s infatuated eyes, Hana’s aegyo was incredibly cute.

“Please do it just this once~”