Chapter 29: Master of Relationships and a Winning Strategy

“What did you just say?”

As expected, the sharp question made me tense up so much that the back of my neck prickled. I couldn’t afford to say the wrong thing, so it felt like walking a tightrope.

But in the end, this was something only I could do. Something I had to do.

“Oh, of course I’m not saying your opinion is bad. I thought the introduction was really good at first, but the latter part was a bit…”

“…”

“For example, um, you said earlier that it’s a human instinct for people of different genders to date, form relationships, and have children as a result, right?”

I picked out a few striking words from Cho Hyunsoo’s earlier statement, then completely twisted the direction. I smiled harmlessly and asked back, and Hyunsoo reluctantly nodded as if he was willing to hear more.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely different from his own opinion.

“But the eugenics and social Darwinism you mentioned later… Maybe it’s because I’m not a sociology major, but I found it hard to understand at once.”

“…”

“The professor seemed to want us to focus more on modern society’s sexual culture, but instead of that, shall we go back to the original topic you mentioned at first?”

I continued to speak with all my might, trying to persuade Cho Hyunsoo, but my mind began to feel hazy, as if my head and mouth were moving separately.

However, since Jang Heeyeon had left, there were only three people remaining in this spot, and among them, the majority, me and Lee Rayoon, were clearly on the same side. That meant I absolutely couldn’t get swept up in Hyunsoo’s pace.

“I agree with Wooju sunbae. A narrow, precise topic is better than a broad one.”

I said it as gently as possible, but Hyunsoo made a displeased face, as if having my opinion accepted right away bruised his pride. Then Lee Rayoon, who had been quietly watching, also spoke up.

When a handsome, upright guy listened silently and then said something when it really mattered, it had a presence.

“Hmm… Yeah, that’s not entirely unreasonable.”

“…”

“So, how would you change the latter part? Wooju, do you have any ideas?”

No matter how much he was the team leader and a sunbae, he couldn’t just ignore the majority opinion. Once Rayoon also chimed in, Hyunsoo couldn’t completely kick my opinion away.

His face was still crooked, but he asked in a much softer tone than before.

“Then, starting from your introduction, um… how about focusing on methods for doing relationships well, to survive that fierce competition?”

“Mm… Go on.”

“The professor also said it would be good for this team project if we thought about how to build good relationships with others, haha.”

That was exactly why I was struggling with a stuffy feeling between Hyunsoo and Heeyeon, but also trying to somehow lead this assignment to success.

“Like, a master of relationships? Things to remember when you’re in the ‘talking’ stage, or how to be good at dating? I think it would be good to turn it in that direction.”

“Things to remember when you’re in the talking stage?”

“Yes, especially in the talking stage… An action I do to express interest might be seen as rude or unpleasant by the other person. When something done carelessly without ill intent crosses the other person’s boundaries.”

“…”

“You mentioned last time that the word ‘violence’ wasn’t great… Then, like you said, when different people develop into a romantic relationship, how about leading it to what they should be more careful about?”

I had also tried hard to come up with ideas through research during the week, but it was never easy. As expected, the idea Rayoon had first proposed was both fresh and most likely to suit the professor’s taste.

So everything I explained was actually Rayoon’s words, but I carefully packaged it so Hyunsoo would think it was his own idea.

“Oh, that’s good. It contains the core theme you’re trying to express, sunbae, and it also matches the professor’s important criteria.”

“Right, Rayoon, you think so too?”

“Hmm…”

“Ah, of course, what I did was just slightly twist what you had already fully planned, sunbae… But what do you think?”

At that moment, Rayoon also added weight to my words, so I took the chance while Hyunsoo wasn’t looking and gave Rayoon a small wink. I was sending a look that said, ‘You know this isn’t actually my idea at all, Rayoon, right? This is all your idea!’

Whether my feelings got through, Rayoon also firmly pressed his lips together and nodded resolutely. We understood each other at a glance. I was so glad Rayoon was quick on the uptake too!

“Then the people viewing the content won’t feel like potential criminals; instead, they’ll gain the courage to think, ‘If I just follow this method, I might be able to date too.'”

At the follow-up comment, I was startled and turned to look at Rayoon beside me. He said it with a fresh smile, but the words had a bite. ‘That’s about Hyunsoo, right?’ I had no idea Rayoon would land a blow like that with such a casual face.

“Ahem, fine. Let’s try that direction.”

After being lost in thought, Hyunsoo accepted our opinion as if doing us a big favor. Even if Hyunsoo missed the point, he obviously wanted an A on the group project. Moreover, I had even boosted his ego as if it was all his idea from start to finish, so he had no reason to refuse.

Compared to the ominous signs at the beginning, today’s group project meeting ended relatively well. Once the conclusion was roughly reached, Hyunsoo left the cafe first, and Rayoon and I tidied up the table before standing up a bit later.

“Rayoon, by the way, this coconut smoothie is really good.”

“Oh, did you like it?”

“Yeah. I thought I didn’t like coconut because it’s usually astringent and bland, but this one’s actually good?”

“I had a feeling it would suit your taste, Wooju sunbae.”

“Oh, I forgot to take a picture before drinking to post on Instagram.”

I tapped the mint leaf hanging on top of the coconut smoothie cup. I was very satisfied with today’s menu selection. Even while getting drained by Hyunsoo, the sweet drink helped me keep my sanity. As expected, it was a good idea to listen to Rayoon.

“Wooju sunbae.”

It was when I was packing my laptop into my bag and walking ahead of Rayoon. At the low voice calling me, I turned around to find Rayoon making a somewhat unfamiliar face. It wasn’t the gently smiling face he showed outwardly, nor the thoughtful expression he had when concentrating on something… It was a face that looked a bit confused, actually.

“Ah, uh-huh?”

“Thank you. Honestly, I… I thought I’d be stuck with that weird topic for sure.”

“…”

“I had given up thinking the person would never listen, but I didn’t know persuasion was possible like this.”

Rayoon gave a sheepish smile, and at the same time, [♥️27] the affection level above his head rose by 3%. But if Rayoon had been in my shoes, he would have come up with this method too.

For me, this was about returning safely to reality, not just an A grade, so it was only natural that I squeezed out every ounce of strength to find a solution.

“I’m thankful too, Rayoon!”

Not only was I pleased by the unexpected rise in affection, but Rayoon’s words made me puff up with pride. Looking back on it now, Rayoon had been secretly getting stressed over the group project too, even while pretending not to be.

I reached out and patted Rayoon’s shoulder.

“But you know, I could do it because I knew you were on my side.”

“…”

“If you hadn’t been there, no matter what, it would have been hard to push against a sunbae from a higher year. Besides, your idea was really good, Rayoon~.”

At that, Rayoon smiled brightly. As Cheon Yuhyeon said, this place isn’t just a game; it’s another reality for the people who live here. I’m not the only one who needs to complete quests; for Rayoon, who has actual grades at stake, it’s important too, so I’m glad I could help at least a little.

“But Rayoon, about earlier… that thing you said for the team leader to hear, right?”

“Huh? What thing?”

“Oh… ‘If I just do this, can I date too?’… something like that?”

“Ah. Did it show?”

A reddish flush spread across Rayoon’s slightly embarrassed cheeks. Rayoon raised a long hand and brushed the back of his neck. So it was intentional after all. To think he could throw a shaded jab with such a soft face, that seemed like a charming twist too.

“We should definitely make the content ourselves, right? Because the other two aren’t trustworthy at all.”

“Hmm… Yeah. The content seems to carry more weight than the presentation anyway.”

That was certainly true. We had changed the topic, after all! After coaxing and soothing Hyunsoo to barely set the topic properly, we couldn’t let the other villains mess up the content production and have the group project crumble to dust again.

But making a video properly would be a ton of work. Are we going to do it all alone? Like the name of this sudden quest, ‘Group Project Thanos,’ I naturally pictured Hyunsoo and Heeyeon’s names vanishing one by one from the PPT screen.

“No, no way!”

I can’t be a god of destruction like that. That’s too unfair. I definitely won’t let me and Rayoon do all the work alone!

“Huh? What is it?”

“Oh, that… Hey, Rayoon, would you be okay with appearing in the video as the main character?”

“I don’t mind. I could also film you, Wooju sunbae.”

In that case… A good idea suddenly came to me, so I stopped in my tracks and pulled out my phone.

“I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.”

After sending a carefully written message to Jang Heeyeon, who should be at the airport by now, I finally felt relieved.

[Heeyeon, do you want to film Rayoon’s video?]

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