Ch.3003. Welcome Parties Are Hard!

Students gather in their assigned groups, huddled together.

“Since it’s the first day, why don’t we rearrange the desks so you can see each other’s faces and talk?”

At the professor’s suggestion, two people turned pale with dread…

AAAAARGH!

Professor! Please, no!

Suhyeok screamed internally, but beside him was someone who actually voiced those feelings aloud.

“Ahh…”

With a face drained of all color.

A sigh escaped from Juyeon’s lips, perfectly expressing Suhyeok’s inner feelings.

“Nayoung, should we move over there?”

Juho, who didn’t have much information about these people, blinked and lifted his desk.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Nayoung’s eyes immediately caught sight of Suhyeok, who was already shrinking into himself.

As expected, despite his big talk about leaving, he wasn’t the type who could actually do it.

Right. If he had been capable of leaving, he would have done so already.

It was clear that even sitting there stubbornly was taking an enormous effort for him.

If she coaxed and sweet-talked him a little, as usual, completely crushing his self-esteem, he would tuck his tail between his legs and return to Purple Storm. Just like when she had lured him into Purple Storm in the first place.

“Suhyeok~”

Nayoung called his name with unnecessary sweetness.

“Uh… yeah…?”

“Looks like we’re in the same group? Looking forward to working with you~”

Unaccustomed to this sudden change in attitude, Suhyeok felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

“What’s this? Are you two close?”

Juho, having finished arranging the chairs, quickly scanned the faces of his group members.

“Hey, Suhyeok is in our band with us~ That club~”

“Oh! Is that so? I didn’t know.”

Suhyeok missed his chance to refute Nayoung’s brazen lie.

Still, feeling that some explanation was necessary, he managed to open his mouth.

“…But I quit recently.”

Nayoung’s gaze sharpened.

“Hey~ Weren’t you just joking around that time?”

“No. It wasn’t like that.”

When Suhyeok answered with surprising firmness, Nayoung glared at him, clearly displeased with his attitude.

“Come on… You should come back. What are you saying? I know you don’t have anywhere else to go.”

That might have been true before.

But not today.

“I… I already joined another band.”

“You? Where? What band?”

“The central club…”

“Hey. What are you talking about? How could you possibly get in there?”

As far as Nayoung knew, the central band club was filled exclusively with monstrously talented people.

She thought there was no way Suhyeok, who didn’t have a single connection, could have gotten in there.

“No, really. It’s true.”

Seeing that she didn’t believe him, Suhyeok took out his phone and held the screen in front of her.

What he showed was the Spirit group chat.

A notice about tonight’s welcome party was pinned at the top.

“You… really… got in there…?”

Nayoung wasn’t the only one who was shocked.

“…Huh?”

Juyeon, who had been silently listening to their conversation, looked up at Suhyeok with an expression of astonishment.

Suhyeok, who had been focused on explaining himself, only then realized that Juyeon had been listening to this conversation.

“Ah… hello…?”

It was awkward since he hadn’t expected to greet her like this, but Juyeon’s reaction was more intense than Suhyeok had anticipated.

“So… so the new guitarist is…”

Juyeon stammered as she continued.

“Yeah. That’s me.”

Juyeon collapsed onto her desk, and Suhyeok, startled by her reaction, didn’t know what to do.

“Um… Does me being the guitarist bother you that much? Should I leave?”

“Alright, have you all introduced yourselves? Now I’ll distribute the keywords for each group. You’ll prepare your presentations based on these.”

The professor’s explanation came at a perfect timing.

Suhyeok never got to hear Juyeon’s answer.

Since the atmosphere was clearly not as welcoming as it had been with Seo-eun, he remained frozen in place as he continued listening to the lecture.

“Guys! So we’ll all upload what we’ve thought about by Wednesday to the group chat, right?”

Juho, who had become the group leader, announced the conclusion to the three band members as if issuing an order.

“Got it.”

Not wanting to be caught by Nayoung, Suhyeok dashed out of the classroom as soon as the class ended.

Uncomfortable.

It’s really uncomfortable.

To think I have to suffer this much just from those few words.

It felt like dark clouds were already gathering over the coming semester.

By the way, Park Juyeon…

He recalled her face, looking at him with trembling eyes.

Light brown hair that fell to about her shoulders.

A petite frame, probably about two hand spans shorter than him.

She gave off a completely different vibe from what Suhyeok had imagined a band’s vocalist would be like.

If anything, judging by atmosphere alone, Nayoung seemed more like a vocalist.

“I wonder… if she sings well…?”

It wouldn’t take even a few hours to find the answer to that question.

* * *

The area near the school wasn’t particularly bustling, but it had everything one might need. Bars, karaoke rooms, PC rooms, cosmetic shops, and so on—nothing was missing, but there was also nothing that would make someone travel from far away to visit this neighborhood.

After class, Suhyeok returned home and was intently browsing the internet with an extremely serious expression.

[Must-read before MT! Collection of tips to become popular at drinking parties!]

Of course, games are an essential part of welcome parties and drinking gatherings.

However, Suhyeok, who had never participated in school activities, didn’t know any games at all.

“I am ground. Uh… um… ah…”

Clapping his hands alone while watching the video, Suhyeok was overcome with self-loathing and banged his forehead on the desk.

What on earth am I doing…

These were games he couldn’t even practice alone.

This wasn’t helping at all.

He had finally joined the band club, but instead of practicing guitar, he was practicing drinking games. His situation seemed somewhat pitiful.

No, this time will be different.

After all, once this year ends, he’ll be off to the military without any choice.

If he were to be rejected here too, Suhyeok’s youth might be over.

He opened his eyes wide and fixed his gaze on the monitor screen, clapping his hands once more, but…

“Huh? Suhyeok, you want to play drinking games?”

Seo-eun burst into laughter.

There were quite a few customers at other tables, but no one was playing boisterous drinking games.

“What do you think, guys? It’s Suhyeok’s welcome party today, should we play?”

The reactions of the two people sitting across from Suhyeok were not good at all.

“Drinking games are for losers, Lee Suhyeok.”

“I… I also… g-games are…”

Choi Gang wore an openly contemptuous expression, while Juyeon wouldn’t even make eye contact with Suhyeok.

Suhyeok already wanted to run away and go back home.

He had just casually asked Seo-eun, feeling a bit disappointed after all his practice.

But to be publicly executed like this.

Tears streamed down inside his heart.

“Haha. We’re a bit short on people today anyway. Let’s do it later when all the juniors join us! When we go on MT.”

At Seo-eun’s mention of MT, Suhyeok’s face turned pale once again.

Wh-what? There’s an MT too!

I thought it was just a welcome party!

“Shall we have another toast then?”

As Seo-eun raised her glass full of beer and soju, the other members also lifted their glasses.

“Cheers!”

Unlike Choi Gang, who downed the entire contents of his glass at once, Juyeon sipped from her beer glass as if it contained barley tea, holding it with both hands.

“Ah~ Hana should have been here today~”

Seo-eun wiped the foam from her lips with a regretful expression.

“Yeah. Where is Yoon Hana and what’s she doing?”

“She said she’s helping her uncle with work today.”

“Hana is… the guitarist… right?”

That was the name of the only member absent from this gathering.

“Yes! That’s right! Suhyeok, you’ll be blown away when you see Hana!”

“Why? Why?”

Could she be some kind of terrifyingly skilled guitar master!

“Hana is super pretty~ Almost like a model. A model. She’s Spirit’s visual banner~”

Though different from what he had expected, Suhyeok didn’t think this was bad news either.

“I see…”

“Didn’t you see our performance at last year’s festival?”

“Uh… no.”

How could he have gone to such a crowded place?

But now that he admitted he’d never even seen them perform, the awkwardness was unavoidable.

“So how did you end up playing guitar and joining us, Suhyeok?”

“I…”

Suhyeok had been fascinated with guitar since his third year of middle school.

A friend playing through a small amp in the most secluded corner of the classroom, and other friends surrounding him with praise.

Standing at the very back, on tiptoe, watching his performance—that was the moment that ignited a fire in Suhyeok’s heart.

If I could play the guitar, would everyone look at me with admiring eyes too?

Could I be like that if I joined a band?

He had resolved to join a band when he entered high school, burning with hope, but sadly, the world presented Suhyeok with the gift of COVID.

Forget about band clubs or any clubs…

He barely remembered attending classes in the classroom.

Even then, he had to spend his high school life wearing a mask, not even knowing the face of the person sitting next to him.

By the time restrictions loosened, it was time for college entrance exams in his senior year.

And in college, he had been sucked into a completely wrong club and never got to perform properly.

Thinking that his story was pathetically insignificant when he tried to explain it, Suhyeok decided to keep his words brief.

“Just… I’ve wanted to be in a band… for a while…”

“Oh, so this is your first time in a band?”

Would a band that never performed even count as experience?

“I guess…”

Seo-eun tilted her head at his ambiguous answer.

“Lee Suhyeok.”

“Yes? Yes sir?”

Whenever Choi Gang unexpectedly called his name like this, Suhyeok could feel his body freezing up.

“You know the festival is in May, right?”

“Ah… yeah…”

“A true rocker must prepare performances too.”

Suhyeok, imagining himself playing guitar brilliantly on stage, nodded his head vigorously up and down.

Finally, I’ll get to do a performance!

A real concert on stage!

“We need to develop our abs by then so we can perform shirtless without any issues!”

…What?