Chapter 12: Just a Little

He hadn’t originally intended to come to the after-party, but his evening shift had been unexpectedly canceled.

The manager had explained the situation, saying a car accident had occurred in front of the store, shattering the windows and making it impossible to open for business.

He considered just going home to rest, but he was hungry, and since it was a department event he hadn’t attended in a long time, he decided to join.

Normally, he would never have followed along to a place where he had to pay an additional participation fee, but now he had some spare cash, even if it wasn’t a lot.

With the worry over hospital bills gone and his uncle’s urgent money problems temporarily settled, he felt he could afford to enjoy himself for a day.

Furthermore, seeing as Euigeon wasn’t acknowledging him, there seemed to be no discomfort in continuing to attend school like this.

Everything was flowing in a favorable direction for Chaewoo.

“Alright, these are my class babies. Aren’t they all just radiant? Since we’re all gathered like this, why don’t you guys introduce yourselves? Later on, if these singers need someone for a minor role, they might even hire you.”

The professor introduced the guest singers as if showing off.

“Oh, gosh. I’m not really in a position to hire anyone.”

“Robin! You’re too humble. Everyone in my class, shall we stand up and introduce ourselves? If you’re sensitive about it, you don’t have to mention your secondary gender. In my day, there was no such thing, but I hear some kids these days don’t like it. Kids nowadays certainly have strong personalities.”

The professor suggested the self-introductions, encompassing a group of about twenty people, including students and singers.

The glitter on her eyes, which she hadn’t wiped off from her stage makeup, sparkled brilliantly.

One of the quick-witted freshmen stood up first.

“I’m Song Bin, a twenty-year-old freshman. I’m a tenor. Oh, and I’m an Omega.”

“I’m Jo Seeun, twenty-one years old and a sophomore. I’m a Beta and a soprano. I enjoyed the opera so much today!”

“Greetings! I’m Jeong Taehyun, a twenty-four-year-old junior and the class representative. I’m also serving as the class leader. I’m a tenor and a Beta. Please look after me. Oh, and today’s performance was legendary!”

“Kim Yunso, twenty-six years old, fourth year, soprano.”

“Jesus, Yunso. What got into you to actually attend a gathering like this? Am I seeing things? Unbelievable! I thought you’d transferred to another professor’s class, honestly.”

The professor made a sarcastic remark while looking at the “Yunso-saurus,” who usually skipped every mandatory event.
Kim Yunso didn’t care and just sat there chewing on appetizers.
When it was his turn, Chaewoo stood up quietly and greeted everyone.

“I’m Seol Chaewoo, a twenty-six-year-old fourth-year tenor, and I’m a Beta. I look forward to working with you.”

“Oh my god. Our Chaewoo was such a talented boy until his sophomore year, but I don’t know what got into him for him to suddenly go off the rails. Sigh… our Chaewoo really needs to snap out of it, hmm?”

“……”

“By the way, this is Euigeon, whom I cherish most in my class. He’s the son of the violinist Master Beom Jae-jun, you know.”

“Ah, that famous…!”

“Yes, yes. Robin, you know him too. His mother is the pianist Master Ha Hui-mi. He’s an incredible boy. He’s my pride and joy, my rising star. And isn’t his face just perfect? He inherited all of his parents’ artistic talent.”

“Hello, Euigeon. I’ve heard a lot about you from the professor.”

“I’m Beom Euigeon. I also enjoyed the opera today.”

The atmosphere over there was the best.

Chaewoo bitterly ate some of the appetizers.

Until his sophomore year, the professor used to always place Chaewoo in the center of such gatherings and introduce him to everyone.

Right now, he wasn’t in a position to continue music after graduation, but he still coveted the seat Euigeon was sitting in.

Foolishly so.

“I’m Jin Kwang-gi, and I played the role of Robin in this opera. I’m thirty-two in Korean age. I was majoring in economics at Harvard in the US, but seven years ago, I happened to see an opera and fell in love with it. So, I dropped out of university immediately, came back to Korea, started vocal music from scratch with entrance exams, and made it here.”

Hearing the singer’s introduction, Yunso nudged Chaewoo.

“Chaewoo-saurus. What is he saying? Is that man crazy?”

Chaewoo was equally taken aback.
What kind of fool drops out of Harvard to do vocal music in Korea?
Another junior, startled by the introduction, muttered in a low voice.

“Whoa, did you see the look in that Robin guy’s eyes when he was introducing himself? He’s literally ‘Kwang-gi’ personified…”

“Tell me about it. He’s lost his mind. Dropping out of Harvard? Isn’t that a lie?”

“Senior Chaewoo, aren’t you drinking today? It’s been a long time.”

“Huh?”

At that moment, Jeong Taehyun, who had been mingling with another group, suddenly cut in and handed Chaewoo a glass of beer.

“I’ve noticed you haven’t had a single sip since a while ago. You should have a light drink since you’re at the after-party!”

The foam rising in the glass Jeong Taehyun held looked delicious even to Chaewoo.

He couldn’t quite bring himself to take it and hesitated awkwardly.

Naturally, his gaze drifted toward Euigeon, who was sitting far away.

Euigeon was in the middle of a conversation with a singer who appeared to be an Omega.

“Come on, don’t tell me you won’t even have one glass. Even Senior Yunso is drinking.”

“Yeah, since we’re here, let’s all have a drink together before we go. It’s not like you have to drive.”

For some reason, caught up in the mood, Kim Yunso also chimed in.

The juniors around them all stared at Chaewoo with expectant faces.

The appetizers were varied, and everyone’s cheeks were already flushed from having a drink.

Chaewoo scratched his cheek with a flustered face.

He was confused about whether he was allowed to drink.

The doctor hadn’t explicitly forbidden alcohol yesterday.

He said it was better not to drink, but he allowed a moderate alcohol intake of about once a week.
According to research, the stress of quitting alcohol entirely is supposedly more harmful to the body.

Even so, he couldn’t comfortably drink right away.

In a situation where he had received money and signed a contract, if a problem arose during the pregnancy process later…

“Senior?”

“Hmm? Why is everyone spacing out here? Do you need anything else?”

A singer returning from the restroom approached the table where everyone was looking only at Chaewoo and asked.

“We asked the senior to cheers with us, but he refused…”

“Hey, just go along with the mood. What’s the harm in getting a little tipsy?”

The singer winked at Chaewoo and returned to his seat.

Being the center of attention like this was awkward for Chaewoo.

He considered refusing until the end, but for some reason, he felt like having a glass of beer today.
He felt that high.

“Wait a second.”

After some hesitation, Chaewoo stood up.

Leaving behind the juniors who tried to catch him, he slowly approached the table where Euigeon was sitting.

While some of the singers might be Betas, perhaps because of Euigeon’s dominant Alpha traits, the key figures naturally formed a group around him.

He occupied the center proudly like a protagonist wherever he went, acting as if it were only natural.

Once again, faint Omega pheromones surrounded Euigeon.

It was obvious they were dying to show their affection for him.

Because there were so many people, Chaewoo couldn’t bring himself to call out to Euigeon and paced around timidly behind him.

‘I want to ask if I can drink…’

“Whoa, is this a video of a performance in Paris, by any chance?”

“Who? Who?”

Just then, someone played a video on their phone, and the next table became noisy.

“It’s Lee Woo-min. He’s a senior from our department. Aren’t the costumes and the stage just insane?”

“I want to see too.”

Suddenly, everyone flocked to one side to watch the performance video, leaving both sides of Euigeon empty.
Chaewoo took the opportunity and cautiously approached him.

“Beom Euigeon.”

Euigeon, who was checking his phone, turned his head.

A look of curiosity crossed his bored expression.

Chaewoo hesitated before opening his mouth.

“Can I drink alcohol?”

“Pardon?”

Perhaps he hadn’t heard because Chaewoo spoke so softly, but Euigeon tilted his head.

Flustered, Chaewoo scratched his forehead and asked a little louder.

“I asked if I can drink alcohol…”

At that, the noisy surroundings suddenly went quiet.

The gazes that had been occupied with their own interests all focused on this spot.

Only then did Chaewoo realize his voice had been too loud.

‘I’m in trouble.’

While he berated himself inwardly, Euigeon scanned Chaewoo with indifferent eyes, unbothered by the attention.

“…Never mind, it’s nothing.”

“Just a little.”

Euigeon spoke to Chaewoo’s back as he tried to hurry back to his seat.

At the same time, the atmosphere that had turned somewhat chilling suddenly became boisterous.

“What? What? Why is Senior Chaewoo asking for your permission?”

“Yeah, what was that just now? Did I miss something?”

“No. He just came over and asked suddenly.”

Not just the professor and the singers at Euigeon’s table, but even the juniors at other tables rolled their eyes with interest.

He had received permission, but he regretted his actions just now because too much attention was focused on him.

As he hurriedly sat back down, the conversation behind him sounded exceptionally clear.

“What is it, Euigeon? I’m curious.”

“I’ve given Senior Seol a ride home before when he was drunk. We live in the same direction, so I sometimes drop him off in front of his place after that.”

Unlike Chaewoo, who was at a loss, Euigeon responded calmly.

He told a lie so smoothly without even a hint of hesitation.

“Whoa, were you two close? Why haven’t I ever seen you together?”

“It was a while ago. We’re not that close.”

Chaewoo agreed moderately and added a short comment.

“What does Euigeon giving you a ride have to do with asking for permission to drink? And Senior Chaewoo doesn’t even come to drinking parties often!”

A sophomore sitting at the same table as Euigeon pointed out.
She stared at Chaewoo with sharp eyes.

“His drinking habits are quite bad, so I teased him saying I wouldn’t give him a ride next time, and he’s been asking me once in a while like that.”

Euigeon didn’t even bat an eye this time either.

“That’s true. Senior Chaewoo gets a bit cute when he’s drunk.”

“Oh, really? That’s unexpected.”

“Unexpected or not, Senior Chaewoo, since you’ve got permission, have a drink quickly. Drink! Drink!”

Jeong Taehyun, chewing a mouthful of food, handed Chaewoo a glass of beer with the foam already gone.
Each table quickly returned to its bustling atmosphere.
Euigeon also resumed his conversation with people as if nothing had happened, and Chaewoo took the glass.

“Senior, one shot!”

“No, let’s toast first.”

Kim Yunso also seemed excited and held out her glass.

After toasting, Chaewoo took a few sips of beer.

Even though he had received permission, he felt a twinge of conscience about drinking freely.

Perhaps because he hadn’t gone to drinking parties since he became short on money, the bitter aftertaste of the beer felt sweet today.

‘Still, I should only drink a little.’

Promising himself that, he laughed and chatted happily among the students for the first time in a long while.

“Wait. Who ate all four chicken drumsticks while I was in the restroom?”

A freshman sitting at the same table stopped talking and looked around with a serious face.
Chaewoo shook his head.

“It wasn’t me.”

“It wasn’t me either. I didn’t even touch the drumsticks.”

“Maybe they just served a small amount from the start. Who would eat all four on purpose?”

Chaewoo spoke without a hint of suspicion.
The freshman looked incredulous at his innocent remark.

“You don’t know this, Senior, but the life of a chicken shop is a fair number of drumsticks. How mean to eat them all while I was in the restroom. It’s only been a few minutes.”

“Hey, hey, who here would do that on purpose? Just have a wing, okay?”

Jeong Taehyun picked up a wing and placed it in front of the freshman.

“Ha, unbelievable. Whoever it was, I hope your family business fails and you end up penniless for generations.”

The junior cursed the unknown culprit with a red face.

“I told you to eat a wing!”

“A drumstick and a wing are different! In my opinion, this was 100% intentional. Look at how they’re not even confessing. Whoever ate all the drumsticks by themselves is going to get vocal nodules next semester and their voice will turn into Gollum’s…”

“Hey, kid, that’s going too far!”

Jeong Taehyun, who had been trying so hard to push the wings, suddenly slammed the table and stood up, shouting.

“Whoa… so it was you, Senior. I knew it.”

“You little brat. I’m not saying I ate them, I’m saying this from a humanitarian perspective.”

“Humanitarian perspective, my foot.”

“Anyway, take back what you just said. Calling a vocal major a ‘Gollum with vocal nodules.’ You devilish brat.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why you…”

Chaewoo and Yunso watched the prolonged argument while eating appetizers.

“Ah, they’re so funny.”

“Exactly. Why would he eat all the drumsticks? No wonder the freshman is furious. But… Chaewoo-saurus, what’s wrong? Is it really that funny?”

Seeing Chaewoo giggling for a while, Yunso also burst into laughter.