Chapter 27: Failing the Etiquette Test

From his parents’ perspective, being a ‘s*x partner’ was something he should never do and must not do, yet it seemed surprisingly common.

Before heading to class, Chaewoo searched for “s*x partner” on the internet during his spare time, and after passing the age verification, he was met with an endless amount of information.

From simple worries to the pros, cons, and even reviews of being a s*x partner, the variety was immense.

It seemed to be as common in Korea as the overseas Reset Partner cases he had read about before.

It was unexpected and even a bit shocking.

Chaewoo clicked on the posts one by one, starting from the top.

The laptop was sluggish, and the windows took a while to open, but he had no trouble acquiring the information.

To further clarify the concept of a ‘partner’ that Euigeon spoke of, he read the ‘Rules for s*x Partners’ most carefully.

[Hey, you ill-mannered jerks, I’ll tell you the unwritten rules s*x partners should follow lol.]

[1. Kissing: You shouldn’t allow each other’s lips. This signifies emotional connection with the partner, and kissing in a relationship where you only sleep together is bad manners, okay? The moment you do, you’ve crossed the line and you’re out.]

The finger scrolling down came to a halt.

‘We already did it…’

Muttering to himself, Chaewoo recalled the past.

On the day he got into Euigeon’s car, driven by the alcohol, they had definitely kissed several times.

Anxiously picking at his lower lip, Chaewoo looked for an excuse.

It wasn’t like the post author was there to reprimand him, but he somehow felt he needed to justify that day’s kiss.

‘Strictly speaking, we weren’t partners then, so it’s fine, right? Yeah. We just won’t do it from now on.’

Next.

[2. No staying overnight at the partner’s house: Waking up in bed together is only allowed for lovers, so leave the partner’s house once the s*x is over. That’s called manners.]

“Ah…”

‘What should I do? We’ve already done this, too.’

[3. No condom, no s*x: This is the most important. Anyone thinking of doing it without a condom is being damn selfish.]

‘This is ambiguous. It burst in the middle last time. And since there are contract terms, we won’t use condoms in the future because of the pregnancy, right?’

‘Let’s skip number 3.’

[4. Interference in private life: A s*x partner is not a friend or a lover, so no interference in private life. This is the shortcut to ruining the relationship. It’s none of your business what they do or who they meet. If you’ve decided to be s*x partners, don’t be clingy and just be faithful to that role.]

Chaewoo finally found something he could do and brightened up.

‘Although there are many terms already broken, we can just be careful from now on.’

[Comment 1: A lifelong-single bastard wrote a novel here lol.]
[Comment 2: Need a three-line summary.]
[Comment 3: So, do you even have a s*x partner? lol.]
[Comment 4: Ugh, smells like it.]

He wanted to read all the comments, but he was short on time, so he closed the laptop.

“Gasp. I’m late.”

He had to leave quickly to get to the lecture hall on time.

Chaewoo hurriedly packed his books into his bag and stood up.

‘I would’ve read more in detail if I had more time.’

He felt a bit regretful, but this much was still a decent haul.

Contrary to Chaewoo’s wish, Friday arrived all too quickly.

Even though he prepared himself mentally while searching for various information, the tension wouldn’t ease.

Although the opera practice was longer than usual, it felt like it ended in less than two hours.

This time, the minor roles had to participate in the practice until the end along with the lead and supporting actors.

Because of that, he ran into Euigeon every now and then, but since they had nothing to say to each other, passing by each other was all there was to it.

He didn’t show it, but he was inwardly anxious that Euigeon might suddenly strike up a conversation.

“That’s all for today’s practice!”

It was the first time that sound wasn’t welcome.

It felt like a death sentence.

“Incredible. Professor!”

“Oh my, what’s this? What brings you here, Professor?”

“I felt like I hadn’t shown my face enough after leaving my kids here, so I came to cheer you on. The practice room is nicer than I thought.”

“Why, what’s going on?”

Suddenly, the entrance area became noisy.

Chaewoo, who was walking away with heavy steps, turned his head to check the uninvited guest.

The familiar voice turned out to belong to Chaewoo’s advisor.

“My wonderful singers. Have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet!”

Jeong Taehyun answered promptly.

“Okay, then let’s go eat.”

Thus, the professor’s appearance added an unplanned team dinner.

Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed difficult to slip away immediately.

It would be too noticeable if both he and Euigeon disappeared at the same time, even if Chaewoo alone would’ve been fine.

The opera team became busy packing their things to follow the professor.

Glancing at Euigeon, he was comfortably talking with other singers.

It felt unfair that only he was nervous while Euigeon seemed perfectly fine.

He wanted to finish quickly and return to his studio to rest.

From Chaewoo’s perspective, another schedule called a ‘team dinner’ had been added.

The opera team, deciding to go to a famous meat restaurant nearby, sat at separate tables with their close groups.

The table Chaewoo sat at was especially crowded, with a mix of minor and supporting actors.

To make matters worse, his appetite vanished because he was sitting diagonally across from Euigeon.

“Now, Senior Chaewoo. Hurry up and finish a glass.”

Although it was meant to be a meal, the atmosphere quickly turned into a drinking session.

Jeong Taehyun poured beer into an empty glass and handed it to Chaewoo.

Just like the last after-party, the ratio of foam to beer looked excellent.

However, he was reluctant because he had a history of causing trouble after greedily drinking that.

When he looked at Euigeon across from him, feeling troubled, Euigeon mouthed ‘No.’ to draw a line.

‘As expected, I shouldn’t.’

“I’m not drinking today.”

“Ah, why! I didn’t add soju this time, Senior. I’m serious. I swear! On the honor of Yeonseo University’s Business Administration Department!”

“Wow, look at your character. Why are you betting on someone else’s department?”

A minor actor listening nearby shot back while snickering.

“I just don’t feel like drinking.”

“Don’t tell me Beom Euigeon told you not to drink today? Is that it? No matter how great he is, to a senior as high as the sky…”

It was probably just a random guess, but the clumsy reasoning was surprisingly accurate.

“It’s because my stomach doesn’t feel good.”

“…If that’s the case, then there’s nothing I can do.”

“By the way, who on earth is the couple dating in our team? I’m so curious.”

“Oh, my, God. Is there a couple already? In the opera team?”

“I’m telling you, Professor. The other day when the practice room was empty for a moment, well, someone must have been there because the pheromone meter practically broke through the machine and was about to explode!”

“I never get tired of hearing this story; it gives me chills every time.”

Before he knew it, the topic of the drinking session had jumped to the couple within the team.

Although he had a guilty conscience, no one would suspect him.

Chaewoo quietly listened to the conversation while sipping on cider.

“Such an unsavory incident in the practice room… Jesus, I hope it wasn’t one of my students.”

“Come on, surely not. Who would do such a thing in a place where people constantly come and go…”

“Hey, don’t say things you don’t know. There are plenty of total perverts in this world, more than we can even imagine. You know?”

‘Right, right. There’s even a pervert who wants to have s*x with someone he hates.’

“Euigeon, do you know anything? Everyone else says it’s not them!”

“Oh, have you ever seen a thief say ‘I’m a thief’? They wouldn’t tell you even if you went around asking everyone individually.”

“I’m curious too, but I left early in my car that day, so I have no idea.”

Euigeon was shameless as usual.

Of course, the main culprit who made that pheromone concentration meter move was Chaewoo himself, but he was chilled to the bone by Euigeon lying without even blinking an eye.

“Huh? Isn’t that person the Harvard ‘Kwang-gi’? Whoa, Brother Kwang-gi. Why are you here…”

While Chaewoo was clicking his tongue inwardly, a familiar face appeared at the entrance of the meat restaurant.

Jeong Taehyun, who was sitting facing the entrance, was the first to stand up in surprise.

Then, other singers naturally showed interest in that direction.

“It’s been so long. Kwang-gi, oh, no, Brother Jin Kwang-gi! Are you also appearing in Benigni?”

“Hello. Has everyone been well?”

Kwang-gi, who appeared out of nowhere, naturally joined the team dinner.

It was the first time since the after-party for the opera where the professor was the lead.

As it turned out, Kwang-gi was also one of the leads in ‘Benigni’s Last Train.’

He explained that he had joined the practice late due to receiving treatment for a personal illness and asked for understanding.

“Brother Kwang-gi, you’re playing Giuseppe, right? I thought it was strange that I never saw you even though you’re a lead!”

“I’ll participate diligently from now on, so please look after me.”

“We should be the ones asking you that. Now, since it’s come to this, shall we introduce ourselves formally? There are some meeting Brother Kwang-gi for the first time, right?”

“Hello. My name is Jin Kwang-gi. I’m thirty-two years old. Glad to meet you.”

“Robin! Why did you leave out the reason why you started opera? That’s Robin’s identity. That’s the point.”

“Ah… I was originally majoring in economics at Harvard in the US, but I fell in love with opera after seeing one by chance. I dropped out of university immediately and came here after going through the vocal entrance exams in Korea. Haha.”

Chaewoo already knew this, but the singers seeing Jin Kwang-gi for the first time seemed somewhat shocked.

“Hey. Even his name is Jin Kwang-gi.”

“That’s so ‘Kwang-gi,’ so ‘Kwang-gi.’ I wonder if his parents foresaw the future when they named him?”

Hearing a reaction similar to his own when he first heard it made him laugh inwardly.

The whispering didn’t last long, and before long, Kwang-gi naturally blended into the opera team.

“I can’t eat anymore. My mouth feels stale.”

“Me too, me too.”

“Is anyone going to buy drinks? I’ll treat you.”

As the meal was winding down, the director shouted while holding a card.

Since most were lightheaded from having quite a bit to drink, Chaewoo, whose mind was the clearest, stood up.

“I’ll go.”

“Thanks, Chaewoo. If anyone wants anything, tell him here.”

“I want banana milk.”

People crowded around Chaewoo.

Chaewoo calmly turned on his phone’s memo app, carefully wrote down the drinks and snacks they requested, and left the meat restaurant.

Even though he couldn’t eat comfortably, his empty stomach felt bloated, perhaps due to the tension.

‘I should take a walk and cool my head while I’m at it.’

Chaewoo pushed aside Jeong Taehyun, who was sprawled out drunk on the table, creating a gap to leave his seat.