[Chapter 121]
[Drink Up to My Friend Too (3)]
There was no need to promote it.
Eun-ha was at a loss for words seeing the students who came to listen to the cultural exploration club's explanation meeting.
It was truly packed.
"...What is this."
He barely managed to speak.
Eun-ha who was helping members prepare for the explanation meeting confirmed the crowd extending from the door to the corridor, and around the corner to the next corridor.
The conference room looked like it would burst.
"This is a disaster..."
While the club seniors might be happy so many students came to the explanation meeting.
Eun-ha who was just an ordinary member certainly wasn't.
His role was to distribute materials to as many people as there were, and clean up the conference room.
In the end, it's the subordinates who suffer.
Sure enough─.
"─Eun-ha! Sorry but I think you'll have to receive people with the kids at the door! There are too many people now so the waiting time is getting long!"
"Eun-ha! If you're not tired, could you help over there? And thanks so much for coming to help today!"
The officers made requests to Eun-ha.
They were also busy running around the site preparing presentations, checking the sound equipment, and so on.
There was no time to catch them.
Sigh... can't be helped. I can't join another club besides this one, and the kids are following well so I can't ruin the atmosphere.
I should think of it as building up some debt with those people too, I guess.
It's annoying but can't be helped.
Eun-ha who resigned himself decided to distribute club explanation meeting materials at the entrance according to Min-ji's instructions.
"...Refreshments are arranged inside so please use them freely."
"The kid has no soul in his words... And I told you to distribute them with a smile."
"You do that instead of me."
"No Eun-ha's personality..."
Min-ji who was working with him smiled when responding to students, and gave Eun-ha jabs after sending them off.
Of course, Eun-ha blatantly ignored her.
He just mechanically distributed materials.
Then when a student he took note of came, he changed his face and pretended to know them.
For example, Yoon I-byeol.
"...Ah, hello. You told me to come listen to the explanation meeting once... Can I have materials too?"
"Welcome. Is the person next to you a friend? You guys come in too."
Min-ji beside him clicked her tongue at Eun-ha's quick change in attitude.
Whether she glared at him from the corner of her eye or not, Eun-ha conversed with Yoon I-byeol while bored.
In fact, he didn't care at all about the friends she said she brought along.
"If you go inside and there are no seats, there's a grumpy-looking kid called Mok Min-ho, you know? If you go to him and tell him my name, you can get good seats."
"...Huh? No, it's okay. That's a bit... burdensome..."
On Tae-yang and his party members will probably attend this meeting.
So Eun-ha had reserved good seats in advance to listen to the explanation meeting for their convenience.
But it seems his foresight was a burden to her.
In the end, after exchanging a few words, Yoon I-byeol couldn't overcome her friends' gazes and left.
"Is that kid from earlier also someone you're interested in?"
"Well... that's right."
"I guess she's the type you'd be interested in. Yoon I-byeol, was it? From what I know, she's the kid who entered with a perfect score on the written exam."
"Oh, really?"
"...What criteria did you use to pick her when you don't even know that?"
"Curious?"
"Yeah."
"Not telling."
"Ha... really childish."
Kim Min-ji laughs in disbelief.
Eun-ha shrugged his shoulders after teasing her for the first time in a while.
Meanwhile, he stretched out his hand and distributed materials to passing people.
Then─.
"─Hello?"
A male student who stood in front of him without receiving materials.
Only then did Eun-ha raise his lowered head.
For a moment, surprise was reflected in his eyes.
But that emotion soon changed to gladness.
What's going on? Eun-hyeok did say Bong Gu-rae was looking for me...
He seems quite favorable?
Eun-ha looked at him who seemed to take good care of himself.
While they say there are many strange people among players...
He was called an oddball among oddballs.
He had another alias.
Self-proclaimed 8th wife of On Tae-yang, and the last harem member to enter behind closed doors.
In a way, he was the most abnormal among On Tae-yang's party.
But his skills as a sniper could be said to be real.
So even if people said his personality was strange, they couldn't say anything to him outwardly.
Well... his cheerful personality is the same.
If Lee Cheon-seo was the mood maker, Bong Gu-rae could be said to be the lubricant of the harem members.
Eun-ha was just satisfied that such a person was showing a favorable gaze.
"Yeah, hello. I'm No Eun-ha."
"Oh my. You have manners. I'm Bong Gu-rae."
Eun-ha held out his hand.
Bong Gu-rae responded in a high octave voice and grabbed his hand.
But he overlaps another hand on top of that hand.
...Huh?
Eun-ha tilted his head.
Because the handshake was long.
Regardless, Bong Gu-rae held Eun-ha's hand tightly for a while.
"You have a lot of calluses. I can tell how you've lived. It's cool. It's good that you don't neglect training."
"...Honey?"
"Let's be close from now on!"
Bong Gu-rae entering inside singing.
Eun-ha frowned at his outlandish behavior.
He did seem to be an oddball.
Meanwhile, Min-ji who watched that scene from the side asked with a sour expression.
"Is he one of them too?"
"Yeah, he is."
"...I really don't understand why you're interested in him... You're not..."
"Why? Why did you stop talking?"
"Curious?"
"Yeah."
"Not telling."
"Wow... really childish."
Eun-ha clicked his tongue in disbelief.
Not knowing that childhood friend, to that childhood friend.
Regardless, Min-ji who stuck out her tongue devoted herself to promotional activities.
He decided not to deal with her anymore either.
Since he was standing at the door anyway, he decided to wait for those who hadn't shown themselves yet.
And a little while later─.
─Finally they're coming.
Coming together with Jo A-ra.
On Tae-yang's figure appeared.
And Jo A-ra standing behind him, her particularly ivory-colored hair catching the eye.
The two people who were in line soon took their turn and moved their steps.
"..."
On Tae-yang who soon discovered No Eun-ha.
Eun-ha waved his hand at him with the brightest face he could make.
"Hmph."
But On Tae-yang snorted.
He strode forward with confident steps and entered inside without even acknowledging Eun-ha.
"Tae-yang! You need to take materials! Um, guys, I'm really sorry! Tae-yang seems to be in a bad mood today."
Jo A-ra who was left alone apologizes to Eun-ha instead.
She too looked at Eun-ha's reaction, just took materials, and disappeared inside following On Tae-yang.
"...Seems he's properly taken a dislike to me."
It's been like this for the past few days.
Eun-ha who sighed shook off idle thoughts and continued silently distributing materials.
Truly mechanically.
"...What's the use of being handsome. Having no manners like that... I'm getting annoyed seeing him ignore like that constantly."
Lest Eun-ha hear.
Kim Min-ji mumbled inside her mouth.
The other friends felt the same way.
☆
The club explanation meeting ended successfully.
Next week there will be club interviews, and the first activity is scheduled soon after.
Now the only work left is for the club seniors to do.
"─We will now begin the Pretty Girls Dormitory meeting."
""""Bang bang.""""
So the female students prepared food, alcohol and drinks for an after-party and gathered in Jung Ha-yang's room.
The reason they gathered in her room was none other than Jung Ha-yang's room being the largest.
The academy was an educational institution that differentiated even in dormitory room assignments.
"First, thank you everyone for working hard today. Let's start with a toast! Those who can drink alcohol drink alcohol, those who can't drink carbonated drinks. Cheers!"
""""Cheers!!!!""""
Meeting chair Kim Min-ji.
She who opened a beer can gave a toast to the members.
The members gulped down alcohol and drinks with the sole thought of eating and drinking.
"Now! Then I'll explain the background for holding today's dormitory meeting. Seo-na."
"Okay. I'll explain from now."
Secretary general Jin Seo-na.
She who chose dried snacks after long deliberation started explaining while wagging her fox tail.
"You probably know there are kids Eun-ha has been showing interest in recently. But among them, On Tae-yang's behavior towards Eun-ha has been bothering me."
Jin Seo-na turns on her smartphone.
Soon she places it in the center of the circle so others can see the screen.
It's something that happened recently.
A video of On Tae-yang sneering at Eun-ha in the cafeteria.
"Choi Ga-in's kids uploaded it to EveryFine, the academy community, and there were many comments saying On Tae-yang's behavior towards Eun-ha was refreshing."
""""...""""
"And today. I saw it earlier too, On Tae-yang blatantly ignored Eun-ha and entered the conference room."
The fox chews on squid.
As if chewing on On Tae-yang.
She opens her mouth again.
"It's not that Eun-ha didn't do anything wrong. To recruit talent, you might get ignored sometimes. But even so, I don't like Eun-ha groveling to this kid like this, and I don't like how the academy public opinion keeps trying to compare On Tae-yang and Eun-ha. So I want to raise this as an agenda."
I eat with my own money.
Recently, On Tae-yang's statement boldly spoken to Kim Byeong-guk in the cafeteria was circulated among students.
Along with his refreshing statement to Eun-ha who ignored Choi Ga-in.
As much as No Eun-ha's fame in the academy was considerable, On Tae-yang who boldly expressed his opinion became a hero of 31st grade students that day.
Of course, there were students who found On Tae-yang's behavior distasteful.
However, they gradually disappeared as rumors spread that On Tae-yang was gaining Choi Ga-in's favor.
Anyway, from that day on, students were watching On Tae-yang and Eun-ha.
"When I did a public opinion survey, it seems in the 31st graders' minds, On Tae-yang has become the good side, and Eun-ha and Min-ho have become the bad side."
"...Come to think of it, while taking a walk on the outskirts, I think I heard high academy students saying something like that. That On Tae-yang might change the academy's culture."
Rookie, intelligence director Hoshimiya Kaede.
She who was quietly drinking alcohol added words.
She was somehow dragged here by Seo-na.
"Me. I'll go burn On Tae-yang in front of people tomorrow. Then he won't act up anymore."
"Rejected. Su-bin, you drink penalty alcohol."
"Tch."
Action leader Bae Su-bin.
She who offered an opinion for once soon drank soju as Min-ji said.
She who wiped the alcohol dripping down her chin with the back of her hand raised her hand again.
"But I'm curious about something. Why is he popular now?"
""""He's handsome.""""
Everyone's opinion was unanimous.
They too thought objectively that On Tae-yang's face was particularly handsome.
He looks kind.
His appearance of seeming confident somewhere also captured the hearts of the opposite sex.
When Kaede relayed information that On Tae-yang diligently does personal training after finishing class, they could even tell how diligent a person he is.
"But what's the use of being handsome. I really don't like his personality."
"Ah, since we're talking about personality, isn't something strange?"
"Huh? What?"
Diplomatic affairs manager Cha Eun-woo.
Then, she who judged it was still too early to drink alcohol after the self-proclaimed Goddess incident opened her mouth.
She who tasted sweet juice soon supplemented what she felt.
"Actually I... At first, I thought the video of On Tae-yang rebutting Byeong-guk was a bit cool too. Somehow it gave a feeling of overflowing with a sense of justice?"
"And? Go on."
"But um... On Tae-yang got to sit at Ga-in's table because of that, right? And since that day, he started using the 2nd floor without minding gazes."
"So why? Isn't that natural? On Tae-yang secured his rights by making that fuss."
"It is natural. It's natural but..."
Eun-woo furrowed her brows.
She can't express it in words.
She tried to find something to say while receiving her friends' gazes.
After a while, she finally found an answer and spoke.
"Only On Tae-yang gained rights. Other 31st grade kids are still eating on the 1st floor, aren't they? They're all just minding the 2nd floor."
"...Huh? That's true?"
"Everyone is sold on On Tae-yang boldly speaking out and finding his rights, but they're not thinking about how On Tae-yang alone gained those rights."
Min-ji and Seo-na frowned.
Hearing it, Eun-woo's words were right.
On Tae-yang certainly cried out that it was a wrong system.
But after changing that system only for himself, he didn't act to change that system for others.
"...What is this kid? Isn't he someone who only thinks about himself?"
"Hmm... From what I see, I think he might have a personality that only wants to see what he wants to see, like Ga-in? Thinking that since he can eat on the 2nd floor now, other people can eat on the 2nd floor too..."
"Then it's the height of self-rationalization."
Min-ji harshly criticized On Tae-yang.
The other friends were the same.
Incidentally, Lee Cheon-seo who randomly asked female students to drink alone with him recently also became a target of criticism.
In contrast, Kang Si-hyeong who is a guardian like Cheon-seo gained immunity from criticism.
"Anyway... Lee Cheon-seo too, On Tae-yang too... I don't know what that No Eun-ha kid saw to take an interest in them."
"That's right. So what should we do? Just ignore Cheon-seo like this... and for On Tae-yang..."
"We can't build too much of a wall with On Tae-yang. I wish that No Eun-ha kid would just give up... But since he's not the type to give up easily, we need to prepare another plan."
Min-ji and Seo-na put their heads together.
Before they knew it, Kaede and Su-bin were drinking together.
One person as if uninterested.
One person showing she was sulking.
"Um... Min-ji, Seo-na. How about this? Since t
"Set it right? That's not bad. The reason 31st grade students in the academy are comparing Eun-ha and On Tae-yang now is because his rumors aren't good, right?"
"I think it wouldn't be bad to dispel the slander against Eun-ha, so the two aren't compared. That On Tae-yang kid too, when I saw him last time, he seemed to know the rumors about Eun-ha. He might be thinking worse of Eun-ha because of that."
Regardless, Cha Eun-woo added her opinions one after another.
And lastly.
"You know─."
Jung Ha-yang who had been watching the video repeatedly without participating in the meeting until now opened her mouth.
Her friends' gazes turn to her.
"─Right now he's gaining people's favor by saying everyone has the right to eat on the 2nd floor, right?"
Gift
She had been listening to all the meeting content while watching the video.
"And after getting to eat on the 2nd floor, he stopped caring which floor other people eat on. Now he just naturally goes up to the 2nd floor to eat without lining up."
The meeting chair was clearly Kim Min-ji but.
There was a separate decision maker.
Pretty Girls Dormitory Meeting Representative.
Host, Jung Ha-yang.
"─Let's make them realize how amazing Eun-ha is for thinking of others. Rather than saying it with words, show it with actions."
""""Huh?""""
"That's what the money and power are for, right? Let's ring our golden bell loudly once."
Jung Ha-yang found three people in her smartphone contacts.
Han Seo-yeon, Yu Do-jun, Lee Yu-cheon.
They were direct descendants of the Sirius, Eternal, and Luminous Groups.
"...How about it?"
Ha-yang explains her plan.
Min-ji as the meeting chair asks for the members' opinions.
Everyone unanimously raised their glasses.
Finally, Kim Min-ji also raised her glass high.
"Then we'll start the No Eun-ha Golden Bell marketing! Today's meeting, with this, it's over!"
""""Bang bang.""""
At last, it was the start of No Eun-ha image making without the person himself knowing.