Ch.22022. Rain. Please Don’t Rub!

Even if Suhyuk and Juyeon had sincerely wanted to withdraw, there was no way Seo-eun would have accepted it.

And there was also no possibility that those scraps of paper would have any real effect.

It seemed like someone had triggered the two people who clearly had glass-like mental fortitude that would shatter at the slightest touch.

The common denominator between the two non-Spirit members was the Economics department.

Knowing that the two were in the same team project group, Seo-eun had successfully identified that one of their unnamed classmates was likely the prime suspect.

While Seo-eun was clever, the two’s remarkably sparse social circles also made it surprisingly easy to predict.

“So you can’t tell me who it is?”

When both of them fidgeted and refused to name names, Seo-eun let out a short sigh.

“Sigh… Anyway, we don’t think you’re uncomfortable to be around or a burden at all, so please stop seriously declaring that you want to quit.”

The 23rd generation had already lost two members who had actually left.

This year alone, Suhyuk had brought one resignation letter to a drinking session.

She had almost received one from Juyeon too, so the president wanted to stop sweating over these situations.

“Hi!”

It was Hana who opened the door with a cheerful voice.

The scene was obvious—Seo-eun appeared to be giving a lecture while Suhyuk and Juyeon sat on the sofa with proper posture, listening.

“Did something happen?”

Clueless, she pulled up a chair and sat beside them.

“No. Nothing really.”

It was just a minor incident, nothing more.

Seo-eun figured that if another problem arose, they could deal with it then.

Today, there was a more important agenda.

“I’m here!”

As Choegang burst through the door, the Spirit members immediately began organizing plans for tomorrow’s integrated MT for first and second-year students.

“First, we meet at 9 AM! At Sangbong Station!”

Seo-eun quickly jotted down the plan on the whiteboard.

They discussed what time they would arrive and where they would shop for supplies.

“Then I think we can call for pickup from there.”

“How much meat should we buy?”

“Hmm… judging from how much the first-years ate last time, they seem to eat a lot, so let’s get plenty?”

Although the 23rd generation treated the first-years like children who needed looking after, they weren’t exactly experienced themselves.

The difference between being 20 and 21 years old wasn’t that significant when you looked closely.

“So about 5 kilos?”

“I don’t know? That should be enough, right?”

“Okay. Let’s go with 5 kilos for now.”

It was an improvised meeting through and through.

“Ah~ When we go, I’m going to drink so~ much~”

Hana smiled happily with anticipation.

“What are you saying~ Hana, you’re terrible with alcohol~ You can’t even drink half as much as Juyeon.”

Seo-eun found Hana’s confidence amusing.

“That’s not true! Juyeon, I’m not that bad, right?”

Her round eyes sparkled like rubies with trusting expectation.

But Juyeon was someone who took pride in speaking her mind, and she also had her own pride when it came to drinking.

“Comparing yourself to me… that’s a bit…”

Hana froze while the rest of the members burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Ah~ This is why I can’t let go of Juyeon~”

Seo-eun rubbed her cheek against Juyeon’s affectionately.

Choegang also seemed to find Hana’s downfall amusing, openly making gestures indicating his satisfaction.

Annoyed, Hana whipped her head around to glare at Suhyuk.

“Hey! Lee Suhyuk! Are you good at drinking?”

“Me? Um… just… average…?”

“What’s your limit?”

“Thinking back to the welcome party, I think I can handle more than two bottles of soju…”

For Hana, whose lethal dose was one bottle, her protruding lower lip expressed her dissatisfaction.

“Damn. Why are you so good at drinking too…”

The official lightweight of Spirit’s 23rd generation: Yoon Hana.

There seemed to be no chance of her alcohol ranking improving anytime soon.

“The first-years seem to be good drinkers too~ Hana-chan is failing at being a senior~”

“If I die early, I can sleep well in bed! That’s a win!”

Opportunities to tease Hana, the band’s discipline enforcer, were rare.

Seizing the moment, the members pounced on Hana with teasing remarks.

Watching the scene, Suhyuk found himself smiling without realizing it.

“Okay! Then I’ll post all the notifications for the first-years in the group chat!”

As Seo-eun meticulously organized the plans and schedule in her notepad, today’s social gathering came to an end.

Normally, they would have gone for drinks, but tomorrow was the MT.

To drink their hearts out tomorrow, they needed to save their livers today.

The members left the club room one by one, saying their goodbyes.

As Suhyuk grabbed the doorknob to leave, Juyeon followed closely behind him.

“Um.”

Juyeon’s hand caught Suhyuk’s collar.

“Hm?”

Wearing headphones, Suhyuk hadn’t noticed and quickly turned around.

“…Can we talk for a moment?”

Why were so many people wanting to talk to him today?

Nodding, Suhyuk suggested they go outside, and they headed toward the sports field.

“…Sorry about earlier.”

The night sky had darkened.

Juyeon and Suhyuk sat on a bench next to the basketball court.

A pleasantly cool breeze swept through their hair.

“Why?”

“That… withdrawal paper… I wrote it on my own…”

Remembering what was written inside, Suhyuk let out a small laugh.

“It’s okay. But to be honest…”

The problem was that the things Juyeon had written were thoughts Suhyuk had actually had himself.

While he hadn’t considered quitting, he couldn’t deny that he was self-centered, oblivious, and lacking in many ways.

Suhyuk was self-aware enough to recognize that.

“I kind of understand what you were thinking when you wrote it.”

“…Really?”

“But I still don’t have plans to leave Spirit.”

Seeing Suhyuk smile, Juyeon felt even more self-loathing.

Juyeon’s mental state had crumbled too easily at hearing an outsider’s evaluation after so long.

She felt she should apologize again, but Suhyuk beat her to speaking.

“Can I ask what you talked about with Kim Nayoung earlier today?”

It had been bothering him all along, and he was curious right now.

“Umm…”

Should she tell him exactly what she heard?

It certainly wasn’t anything pleasant for Suhyuk to hear.

Most of Nayoung’s words had been curses against Suhyuk, along with warnings that accepting him into Spirit could lead to disaster.

“Just… Nayoung said she wants to get along with you again…”

As expected, she didn’t want to say anything bad.

Juyeon only conveyed the part about Nayoung wanting to have a serious conversation with Suhyuk.

“…Really?”

He could tell it was a lie at a glance.

While he might not notice other things well, he knew that troubled expression better than anyone.

“But I have no intention of going back to Purple Storm.”

He decided not to press further and looked up at the sky.

“…Why?”

“Just… It was… not great! It was very different from what I expected.”

Juyeon saw an expression on Suhyuk she’d never seen before.

It was a rather lonely-looking face.

“Then.”

Juyeon trailed off slightly, asking him with curiosity.

“Do you… like Spirit now?”

“Yes. I do.”

Suhyuk answered without hesitation, smiling brightly.

Meeting his deep black eyes, Juyeon fidgeted with the strap of her eco bag.

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a plastic bag.

It was the rice flour donuts she had bought for Suhyuk earlier.

“H-here, this is for you.”

She had tied the string so tightly that she struggled for quite some time to undo the knot.

“Here.”

Her sugar-dusted fingertips touched Suhyuk’s hand.

“…Thank you.”

Last week she gave him cream puffs, and today it was donuts.

With her small frame, always carrying sweet snacks in her bag, Juyeon seemed like a character straight out of a manga with her cute quirks.

If past lives existed, she might have been a kind fairy or something similar.

“Do you… like donuts?”

Juyeon watched Suhyuk chew, not eating any herself.

“Yes, I like them.”

“I’m glad.”

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

“Then I’ll give you one more.”

Juyeon took another donut from the bag and placed it in Suhyuk’s hand.

The worry she’d been carrying since morning was finally resolved.

She felt a small sense of satisfaction that could fit in both her hands.

“The MT will be fun, right?”

Unlike Juyeon who was secretly happy, Suhyuk blurted out whatever came to mind as the conversation wasn’t flowing smoothly.

It was an ordinary question with nothing strange about it, but he had enough destructive power to completely shatter Juyeon’s happiness.

Just when she thought she was finally getting closer to the second-years, another MT with people she barely knew…!

“…I wish today wouldn’t end.”

For Juyeon, the new freshmen were like a new wave in a defense game.