Sorim Grapes is Wronged

40.

“Would you like to participate?”

“What?”

“Would you… Would you like… Would you like to participate?”

“……”

I looked up at Kwon Je-beom quietly. Despite his stiff expression, his eyes were trembling slightly. Why is he so nervous…?

I was going to refuse, but the prize was a bit tempting… Kwon Je-beom is Jin’s friend… and I’m always aware that Jin and Da-bin are fans of Kwon Je-beom.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

I said as I stubbed out my cigarette. Je-beom’s expression brightened instantly. But in the blink of an eye, he returned to his usual stoic face.

Je-beom quickly went and opened the smoking room door. And as if escorting me, he held the door until I went out.

“Thanks.”

“It’s nothing.”

Je-beom smiled, but it was such an awkward smile that it was a bit funny.

*

As I took out perfume to get rid of the cigarette smell, Je-beom also took out the same perfume from his pocket.

“Did you buy perfume?”

“Yes.”

“It smells good, right?”

“It’s excellent.”

“Is it worth a legendary grade?”

“It’s mythic grade.”

Mythic grade is the highest grade in POI.

When I chuckled, Je-beom’s expression brightened again as if he had received a compliment.

I followed Je-beom. Since I didn’t know where the e-sports department was holding their event, I had no choice but to let this guy guide me.

But the place Je-beom went to was the Hotel Management department’s pub. Unlike the Business department who just wore aprons, here they were dressed in neat and stylish hotel uniforms. Pointing at the glossy chicken skewers, Je-beom asked:

“Hyungnim, do you want the spicy flavor?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll get the regular flavor.”

“Huh? Wait. I’m not eating. I’ll buy yours.”

“…Let’s eat together.”

“No. I’m full.”

I quickly took out my phone. It was my first time paying at a university booth, so I wondered if they would accept mobile payment, but surprisingly, the student accepted it without hesitation.

“Two regular flavor chicken skewers, right?”

“Just one, please.”

“Come on, have two. Even if hyungnim doesn’t eat, look at our Je-beom player’s size. One won’t be enough. Buy two. You’ll have two, right? Should I charge for two? Seong-yun, two regular flavor here!”

He charged for two at rapid-fire speed, not giving me time to respond.

Indeed… I felt that this wasn’t just an ordinary restaurant but a university festival booth as the payment finished and I got my phone back. The chicken skewers came out quickly, and Je-beom held two in one hand.

“Hyungnim, I’ll enjoy these.”

“Okay. Don’t call me hyungnim, just call me hyung. And speak comfortably. You don’t need to be so formal.”

When such a big guy calls me hyungnim, it makes me feel like I’m some kind of gangster. I didn’t say it out loud because you shouldn’t make fun of people’s appearances.

“Yes, hyu… hyu… hyung. Ha-un hyung…”

“……”

“Hyung, have some chicken skewer too. It’s delicious.”

“You eat both of them.”

“How can I when you bought them?”

“I ate before coming, so I’m full. If you can’t eat them, tell me now. I’ll ask them to pack it.”

“Then… I’ll eat them all. Thank you, hyung.”

“Okay.”

Je-beom devoured the two chicken skewers. The way he finished each skewer in two bites made me think he could do a mukbang YouTube channel.

He said he would buy ice cream instead and immediately headed to the ice cream booth, and I accepted after checking the price. It was a soft serve ice cream cone, but the student gave too much, which almost made me angry again.

I don’t like unwanted service. The thought of having to throw away the leftover ice cream stresses me out. But the ice cream tasted better than expected… In the end, I satisfyingly ate all of that large amount.

“Hyung, it’s over there.”

Are we finally going to participate in this game competition? I went to where Je-beom was pointing, but there was a Korean Language and Literature department booth there. They were doing Korean letter tattoo stickers.

“I’m going to get ‘Tiger’ on my wrist, do you have anything in mind, hyung?”

Would I?

“No, I don’t really need to.”

“How about ‘Rabbit’?”

“I’m not getting one.”

“Oh, why not? This is a memento, get one. How about rabbit, rabbit? A big-eyed white rabbit would suit you so well. Kwon Je-beom player is tiger, and this white oppa is rabbit. It’s a perfect match.”

Caught up in the Korean Literature student’s persistence, I ended up getting ‘Small’ and ‘Rabbit’ tattoo stickers on my wrist. I rolled up my sleeve just enough so that the tattoo wouldn’t show.

For reference, Je-beom’s were ‘Big’ and ‘Tiger’.

I wasn’t short, but standing next to Je-beom now, I probably looked smaller than anyone in the world, so I wasn’t upset.

Je-beom said he would pay, but I couldn’t let my brother’s friend pay for anything more than ice cream, so I did.

Je-beom grasped my wrist with his large hand like a pot lid and said proudly:

“It suits you well, hyung. Small rabbit.”

His gaze and tone were strangely ticklish. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him to speak comfortably. Should I have let him keep calling me hyungnim?

“It suits you too. Now let’s really go to the game competition.”

“Let’s take a picture first.”

The guy put his wrist next to mine and took out his phone. I tried to pull my hand away, but he quickly caught it.

“Why are you trying to take a picture of mine when you’re taking one of yourself?”

When my tone turned prickly, Je-beom flinched but didn’t let go of my hand.

He swallowed hard as if trying to calm his nerves, then said with a determined look:

“Because it’s cute.”

“What?”

“The rabbit is cute.”

“Ah… Then you should have gotten a rabbit too.”

“I…”

Je-beom took a deep breath to calm his nerves again. I patiently waited. He’s my brother’s friend after all.

His chest swelled and deflated, and Je-beom opened his mouth.

“I’ve always liked rabbits since I was young…”

“Did you raise rabbits?”

“There was one in the school’s animal enclosure.”

Ah, so there are still schools with animal enclosures these days…

“It was a really bad-tempered and sensitive rabbit, it would kick with its front paws and run away when you tried to pet it, and even if you just sat quietly next to it, it would headbutt you, but after about 4 years, it only opened up to me and would hop onto my lap and sleep comfortably, and even then if I touched it first it would kick with its front paws again and run away but eventually it would come to me first and gently push its bottom towards me…”

The sentence just wouldn’t end.

It seems he has a habit of not finishing sentences when he’s too nervous.

The ‘todadak’ (pitter-patter) or ‘gungdeongi’ (bottom) pronounced in his deep voice was cute, but I tried not to let my lips twitch.

“Hyung, rabbits are that sensitive and bad-tempered animals. But that’s not wrong.”

“……”

“A weak and small animal had no choice but to become sensitive and bad-tempered to survive in a harsh ecosystem. And I have the patience and understanding to wait until such a sensitive child approaches me first…”

Is he ending with self-praise…?

“That’s the kind of person I am… hyung.”

“I see… Congratulations on your high understanding of rabbits…”

“Can we take a picture now?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

I rolled up my sleeve just enough to barely show the tattoo I just got. I was careful because if I rolled it up 1cm more, the hideous tattoo would be revealed.

The guy slightly lifted the corners of his mouth and took the picture. Only then did he let go of my arm. I rubbed the area near the tattoo with my fingers, feeling a strange itch.

Je-beom and I roamed the crowded campus again. After the tattoo, Je-beom became much more talkative and chatted with me about various things. He seems to have relaxed.

“Hyung, have you gotten tattoos anywhere else?”

“Not these sticker ones. Are we really going to play games now?”

“If you haven’t done stickers, then you’ve gotten real tattoos, right?”

I got them during the dark period of my life… It’s a past I want to forget. That’s why I have to wear long sleeves even in midsummer.

“What about you?”

“I haven’t. Personally, I think tattoos are cool. Especially tiger tattoos…”

I was about to show him the not-so-cool tiger tattoos on both my arms, but not wanting to reveal my dark history, I said something else.

“If we’re not going to play games, I think I’ll go see my brother now.”

“Look over there. They’re doing something interesting.”

Looking where he pointed, I saw a banner that said ‘VR Escape Room’.

“I’ve tried VR games and escape room games separately, but never combined. As a professional gamer, I simply can’t pass this up, and a pro gamer should always be prepared for this kind of thing, and for someone who makes a living from this, it would be negligent and lazy of me to just pass by-“

“You make longer sentences when you’re nervous, huh?”

“I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s fine. Let’s go.”

I strode towards the VR escape room booth. He quickly followed. People’s gazes poured towards us.

Arriving at the booth, I had to curse inwardly.

Actually, I had no aversion to ‘escape rooms’. I was even a bit curious, so I was willing to go in. But…

The booth was exactly labeled ‘Horror Escape Room VR Experience’, and there was a ghost drawing on the black background…

I started to have second thoughts.

“It’s horror, I see. Are you okay with scary things?”

“I think I really should go eat with my siblings…”

It was then that I was about to shake off Je-beom for real. Just then, as if a group had finished their experience, they came out saying, “Ah, that was fun,” and some of them spotted us and their eyes widened.

“It’s Je-beom and Jin’s hyungnim! Hello!”

Looking closely, they were Jin’s friends who had been to the housewarming party before.

“Hi.”

“What an unexpected combination. Were you two close?”

“Jin and Da-bin are working busily without even eating, why are you guys playing here? Aren’t you in the same department?”

“Hyungnim, your gaze is so scary. We worked hard during the day too. We’re on shift rotation.”

“Oh, is that so? Since we’ve met, I’ll buy you coffee. Let’s go.”

“Really? Awesome!”