Chapter 11: The King’s Game and the Night Sea

The summer night deepened, yet despite coming all the way to the beach, they hadn’t even glimpsed the sea. Undergraduates, thoroughly inebriated from alcohol and meat, lay scattered haphazardly around the pension, like dried squid.

Fortunately, Yoonwoo’s team—the freshmen they had grilled meat with, a few familiar faces who had joined later, and Yeon-chae—though flushed, appeared to be clear-headed.

“Hyung… let’s, hmm, wow, let’s play King’s Game!”

“Yeah! Let’s do it! Kiiing’s Gaaame!”

“Woohoohoooo!”

Or so it seemed.

The elated freshmen were overjoyed, celebrating the successful completion of their first semester as proper university students. The suggestion of a King’s Game, something that felt like it existed twenty years ago, was immediately accepted without a single objection, which spoke volumes.

The only ones not caught up in the excitement were Yoonwoo, who was already five semesters into being a proper student, and Yeon-chae, who had seemed subdued ever since arriving at the pension.

Yoonwoo cast a sidelong glance at Yeon-chae, who was seated beside him. Yeon-chae’s once-chubby cheeks had somehow receded, highlighting his sharp jawline.

His darkened eyes, reflecting the dim light, silently gazed straight ahead. He did not look pleased.

Yoonwoo, feeling inexplicably guilty despite having done nothing wrong, replayed the evening’s events in his mind but found nothing amiss. He tilted his head, looking at Yeon-chae again, and it seemed to be just a blank expression.

Perhaps he was simply being too timid.

Still, feeling a prick of concern, Yoonwoo nudged Yeon-chae’s side. Yeon-chae flinched, looked down at Yoonwoo’s finger touching his side, then met his gaze with a calm, unreadable expression.

Yoonwoo pursed his lips and mouthed a question.

‘What’s wrong? Are you upset?’

Yeon-chae stared intently at Yoonwoo’s lips, then subtly licked his own with the tip of his tongue before sharply turning his head away. Yoonwoo, having his unspoken words ignored right in front of him, was left utterly bewildered.

“Hey, why are you…”

“Yoonwoo Hyung! Are we doing it? Hurry, hurry!”

“Starting now? Is it rock-paper-scissors? Oh, why aren’t you putting your hand out!”

“What, what, what? What game are you playing? Let us play too!”

“Oh, quick, join in. Everyone put your hands out!”

He tried to ask aloud again why Yeon-chae was upset, but his voice was drowned out by the boisterous shouts of the freshmen. Before he knew it, seniors and juniors alike were sitting in a circle, each extending a hand towards the center.

Yoonwoo also had his wrist grabbed by someone, forcing him to stretch out his arm. He felt Yeon-chae’s gaze on him, even though he had just turned his head away.

‘Yeon-chae, you too.’ Yoonwoo, unwearied, mouthed the words and tried to signal to Yeon-chae with his eyes.

Yeon-chae frowned, then completely pulled away from the circle the freshmen had formed.

“—Rock-paper-scissors!”

Around ten people simultaneously threw out scissors, fist, or palm. Predictably, not a single person won.

The young friends, at an age where even rolling leaves could make them laugh, burst into joyful laughter.

“Again, let’s do it again!”

“One more time, rock-paper…”

“Hey, hey, will doing this one more time actually settle anything?”

Someone raised a valid objection. The other side immediately grew boisterous.

“Hey, who’s trying to win this anyway!”

“What, you said let’s play King’s Game. Doesn’t the winner become king?”

“Yeah, but rock-paper-scissors is more fun than King’s Game.”

“It feels like it’ll never end, but the fun is in it eventually ending!”

He wondered if the fun had already ended the moment it needed such an explanation, but whether it was the power of alcohol or the power of youth, his friends excitedly resumed the game. Yoonwoo felt a compulsion to be excited as well.

In any case, it wasn’t the King’s Game; it was just a game of rock-paper-scissors.

“Rock-paper-scissors!”

“Agh, did I lose by myself?”

“Let me see. Oh, you’re the only one with scissors!”

“This one’s scissors too!”

Surprisingly, after about five consecutive rounds of rock-paper-scissors, two people were eliminated. Only then did it dawn on them that this game could actually work.

Even Yoonwoo, who had been making bored faces and merely miming the hand shapes, found his voice growing louder without realizing it. From the next round, the pace accelerated.

“Rock-paper-scissors!”

“Paper!”

“Paper… Ah! I lost!”

After just three more rounds, another person was eliminated. Seven people remained.

For some inexplicable reason, not only the freshmen but even Yoonwoo, who hadn’t played such an enthusiastic game of rock-paper-scissors in about fifteen years, became completely engrossed.

Completely absorbed, Yoonwoo forgot about Yeon-chae, who had been bothering him earlier, and excitedly shouted “rock-paper-scissors” at a rapid pace.

And in the very next round, a winner was instantly decided.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa? I won? I actually won? Woohoo!”

A female student, familiar to Yoonwoo from having seen her with Yeon-chae’s group a few times, jumped up and screamed. Whether from excitement or the effects of alcohol, her cheeks were blazing red as if touched by fire.

“Wow, so Da-eun is the king?”

“Why is Da-eun the king?”

“This is King’s Game!”

“Oh, right? Is this King’s Game?”

“They say it’s King’s Game!”

“Oh, really? Who’s the king?”

“I told you, Da-eun is the king!”

Yoonwoo couldn’t understand why they needed to pick a king when no one was thinking straight. As the game concluded, his excitement slowly waned, and he blinked slowly.

‘Couldn’t we just keep playing rock-paper-scissors?’ He felt a pang of regret, thinking he might have won the next round.

However, King’s Game was King’s Game. Da-eun, the victor, raised one hand triumphantly and declared boldly.

“Me! I have something for you to do. You all have to do whatever I tell you!”

“Uh-huh, whatever…”

The losers, who had been more interested in the group rock-paper-scissors than in a king, responded sullenly. Da-eun, completely unfazed, extended the arm she had raised.

Her fingertip, unexpectedly, pointed directly at Yoonwoo.

“Yoonwoo Oppa!”

“Yes?”

Yoonwoo blinked, answering meekly. The flush on his cheeks, which had heated during the intense game, began to cool, and the effects of the alcohol started to subside.

Conversely, the dejected losers suddenly remembered that rock-paper-scissors was merely a means to an end, and the main event was the King’s Game. The drinking party grew noisy once more.

“What are you going to make Yoonwoo Hyung do?”

“Hyung, Hyung, you know you have to do anything, right?”

“Oppa, you can’t back out. You have to do everything Da-eun tells you to?”

Yoonwoo glanced around, a troubled expression on his face. Everyone seemed to be out of their minds.

He wondered if anyone was sober, then his eyes met Yeon-chae’s, who had been standing back. He desperately sent telepathic pleas for him to intervene, but Yeon-chae’s light-colored eyes simply gazed at him for a moment before looking away.

The expression on his slender profile was utterly cold. Yoonwoo’s shoulders slumped.

There was no one he could rely on.

“…Alright. Fine. What is it?”

“Hehehe.”

Da-eun giggled, her face heavily flushed with alcohol. Yoonwoo grew uneasy.

“I!”

Da-eun, who had started loudly, paused for dramatic effect. While she cleared her throat, the noisy freshmen clamored chaotically.

“Oh, yeah, you!”

“What is it, what is it! Tell us quickly!”

“What, what, what, what! What are you going to make him do?!”

Da-eun, receiving the enthusiastic support of the crowd, smiled at Yoonwoo with a relaxed gaze—though it might have just been a drunken stare. Then she declared boldly.

“I like Yoonwoo Oppa! Date me!”

“Whoaaaaa!”

“Woooow!”

“Answer! Answer, Yoonwoo Hyung!”

“You can’t refuse! Da-eun is the king!”

The drunkards were thrilled by the unexpected turn of events. Their alcohol-soaked voices merged into a single roar that pierced the night sky.

“Ah, that was really embarrassing. I would have been in a difficult spot if it weren’t for you.”

Yoonwoo let out a light sigh as he continued walking. The night sea stretched out to their right.

Yeon-chae, whose cheeks had become quite plump, nodded his head. Ten minutes prior, Yeon-chae had abruptly grabbed Yoonwoo’s wrist, pulling him away from the spot, completely ignoring his chattering classmates who were left behind.

Though loud jeers followed them, no one gave chase. Everyone was already too intoxicated to control their limbs.

A thud made him turn around, only to see Da-eun fast asleep, her forehead resting firmly on a makeshift table, her eyes tightly closed. She seemed to have already entered a dream world, her expression blissful.

The awkward situation had been resolved in an instant.

“…So why… did you do that?”

“Huh? What did you say?”

Yeon-chae mumbled something inaudible. Yoonwoo asked again, unable to hear properly, but Yeon-chae merely gave him a sharp, sidelong glance without answering.

Seizing the opportunity, Yoonwoo gently cupped Yeon-chae’s cheeks. He had expected to be rebuffed, given Yeon-chae’s persistent sulkiness, but surprisingly, he allowed Yoonwoo to hold his face.

Yoonwoo kneaded his mochi-like cheeks and asked.

“Why? Are you pouting because I didn’t play with you?”

“…!”

Yeon-chae’s eyes widened. He seemed unable to breathe from surprise, then covered his mouth with both hands.

‘I must have hit the mark.’ Yoonwoo chuckled, teasing Yeon-chae.

“Yeon-chae. Are you a baby? Were you bored all by yourself because I didn’t play with you? What are we going to do if you’re so shy?”

“…”

Yeon-chae frowned, lowering his hands. A sulky voice emerged from his full, red lips.

“That’s not it.”

“Then why didn’t you play with us?”

“Why play such a game?”

“It’s just fun. We came all this way together for a change.”

“And in the end, we only heard strange things, didn’t we?”

“Come on, a confession and a request to date aren’t strange things. If you say that, you’ll hurt Da-eun’s feelings.”

“…”

Yeon-chae, who had been following well, stopped walking. Yoonwoo, noticing a few steps later, also halted. The silence that had fallen between them was filled by the sound of waves crashing and receding.

Yeon-chae’s lips parted.

“Are you going to answer?”

The moonlight cast shadows over his perfectly sculpted features. His translucent eyes shimmered like gold.

As they quietly faced each other, neither spoke first. Perhaps it was because of the incessant drinking.

That night felt strange. The sky, the sea, and Yeon-chae. And Yoonwoo.

Under the black sky, the round moon, and the scattered stars, stood Yeon-chae. The sky, the sea, and Yeon-chae. It felt like the entire world.

“Yoonwoo sunbae.”

It was the season when humid heat was just beginning. The early summer night breeze, caressing his neck, was pleasantly soft and ticklish.

His heart, too, beat at a moderately quick pace. Yeon-chae’s gaze was direct, fixed on Yoonwoo.

Yeon-chae asked.

“Are you going to date them?”