Chapter 10 : Doki Doki literary club

A tinkling sound greeted me as I opened the glass door and stepped inside the small, quiet cafe.

I found an empty table and sat down. My watch read 3:40 PM.

“Did I arrive too early?”

It was a weekend, and the streets were bustling with activity, more relaxed than usual.

The reason I was here instead of lazing around at home on such a nice day was the group project meeting.

But seeing no one else here yet, I must have left home a bit too early.

I watched the steam rising from the espresso I’d just ordered and closed my eyes.

I’d had trouble sleeping last night after running into that guy, Kim Seong-hyeon, at the library.

I wasn’t exactly exhausted, but I felt more sluggish than usual. A yawn escaped my lips.

It wasn’t because I was flustered by him that I couldn’t sleep.

It was always mentally draining to encounter characters from the game. Though Seon-a and my sister were exceptions now.

It had been a while since I last visited a cafe, and it brought back memories.

The first time I came to a cafe, I’d ordered a coffee with a fancy-sounding name, not knowing any better. It was so bitter that I spat it out immediately and swore never to touch caffeine again.

It was a frustrating and embarrassing experience at the time.

But with time, even that had become a memory.

Just how much did the flawed human memory romanticize the past? I smiled wryly, thinking about my distant past life, a smile as bitter as the espresso I’d ordered.

My reflection appeared faintly on the dark brown surface.

“Oops.”

Suddenly, something cold touched my cheek.

I turned my head sharply and saw Seon-a, who had arrived unnoticed, holding an iced tea with ice cubes floating in it.

“Honestly, you didn’t even notice me coming.”

“Sorry, I was spacing out.”

I apologized and looked her up and down.

Not in a suggestive way, but because of her outfit.

Today, instead of her usual school uniform, she was wearing a pure white dress with lace on the hem.

A simple but charming dress that suited her slender frame perfectly.

The light makeup on her cat-like face added a touch of freshness.

“Cute.”

“H-huh? What is?”

“You.”

Ah, she was blushing again.

The change in color was even more noticeable against her pale skin.

“W-well, what about your outfit?”

Her sudden remark made me look down at myself.

I was wearing a faded black t-shirt under an army green jacket I’d had since middle school, and baggy sweatpants covered my long legs.

It was definitely a sloppy outfit.

But it was hard to change, as it was a habit from my childhood.

Probably one of the few remaining vestiges of my male self.

My sister nagged me every time she saw me going out like this… But the clothes she picked out for me always felt uncomfortable and restrictive.

Girly clothes were just too much trouble.

“Let’s go shopping together sometime.”

I wasn’t good at shopping, especially with girls.

But Seon-a looked so determined that I nodded in agreement.

“Hi!”

“Everyone’s here?”

Hyeon-a and Choi Hyeong-gon arrived next, entering almost simultaneously, as if they had met outside.

Hyeon-a was wearing a rugged denim jacket and short shorts that revealed her thighs.

Choi Hyeong-gon wore a military-style parka and black jeans with ripped knees.

They both looked like they’d put effort into their outfits.

Or was it just because they were good-looking? They looked like they’d stepped out of a magazine, and I was a little surprised.

Choi Hyeong-gon had always been handsome, despite his personality.

But Hyeon-a looked surprisingly feminine today, her usual androgynous image replaced by a mature, womanly aura.

Well, I definitely felt out of place in my current outfit.

Perhaps I should pay more attention to my clothes from now on.

Though skirts were still embarrassing, unless it was my school uniform.

“…Let’s go buy clothes together next time.”

“…Even if you’re confident in your looks, that outfit is a bit much, don’t you think, Class President?”

As expected, they both said something similar to Seon-a as soon as they approached me.

And “confident in my looks”? That was an exaggeration. I was just bad at dressing up.

Anyway, being surrounded by these stylish people made me feel self-conscious.

I’d always considered myself at least average in terms of looks, but that meager pride was shattered now.

I lowered my head and turned on my laptop.

“…Let’s just get this project done.”

I closed the laptop with a snap and stretched.

My shoulders ached from sitting in front of the computer for so long. My neck also hurt, so I rolled it around.

“Ugh, finally done.”

“That took longer than expected.”

Choi Hyeong-gon and Hyeon-a spoke in tired voices.

Seon-a, on the other hand, silently sipped her strawberry smoothie.

We finished the group project in three hours.

All that was left was the PowerPoint presentation, which I, the only one with PowerPoint experience, had to do.

But I felt like I should do it tomorrow.

I hadn’t slept well last night, and it had been a while since I’d done something like this in a group, so I was a bit, no, very tired.

“Good work, everyone. I’ll upload the revised file to the group chat later, so you can rest until then.”

“Are you sure?”

“It won’t take long. Don’t worry.”

I reassured Choi Hyeong-gon, who looked concerned.

It was just a high school presentation, after all.

I just had to make it look neat and presentable.

There was no need for fancy animations or flashy effects.

“Then I’ll get going. I’m having dinner with my family tonight.”

“…I have something to do too.”

Hyeon-a and Seon-a got up first.

I waved goodbye to them and gathered my things.

I didn’t have any plans, but I was just going to go home and relax.

“Wait, wait a minute.”

Just then, Choi Hyeong-gon grabbed my wrist as I was zipping up my bag.

A large, warm hand brushed against the artery in my wrist. Were men’s hands this big?

That was my first thought, even though a strange man was holding my hand.

It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, so I pulled my arm back. But Choi Hyeong-gon’s grip was firm.

“What are you doing?”

“Sorry if you felt uncomfortable. But I have something to tell you.”

I growled at him, still holding my wrist. I deliberately lowered my voice, trying to sound threatening.

But he didn’t seem intimidated. He just smiled and started speaking in a teasing tone.

“Honestly, I worked hard on the project today, didn’t I? I contributed the most ideas and wrote the most.”

“…So?”

Unlike his usual laid-back image, he had actively participated in the discussion today, and most of his ideas were quite good.

It made me see him in a new light, so I nodded in agreement.

But I still didn’t understand why he was holding my hand and saying this. Did he want praise? How cute.

“So, shouldn’t you, the team leader and class president, give me a reward for my hard work?”

“Huh?”

A reward? I glared at him, but he just leaned closer.

His unnecessarily handsome face was so close that I instinctively pulled back.

W-what was he doing? Was he showing off his looks because he thought he was more handsome than me?

“It’s nothing much. There’s just a place I want to go with you.”

“Sigh… fine, tell me. Where is it?”

I had a feeling arguing with him would only give me a headache.

Seeing my resignation, his smile widened.

He looked like a fisherman saying, “I got you!” which made me feel uneasy.

“A PC bang.”