“Girls, where should we go now? It’s only 9 o’clock.”

Da Eun, who had just finished dinner, said with sparkling eyes as if this was just the beginning.

Even though Yi Soo was usually more of a listener than a talker, she felt exhausted as if all the energy had drained from her body.

She desperately wanted to go home and rest right now.

But since they were meeting after a long time and considering Da Eun who came from far away, she couldn’t bring herself to suggest parting ways.

“Hey, let’s go to a club.”

Do Yeon suddenly said with sparkling eyes.

“Oh. A club? Should we?”

“Yeah. Let’s go. I’ve never been to a club in Seoul. It’ll be so exciting.”

Min Ju and Da Eun enthusiastically agreed with Do Yeon’s suggestion.

Yi Soo’s eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

A club all of a sudden.

If she was the only one to refuse, she’d look like a killjoy.

Deep wrinkles formed between Yi Soo’s eyebrows.

“Girls, but, I think it’ll be too crowded today……”

She cautiously added, but her excited friends didn’t even pretend to hear Yi Soo’s words.

A club in Hongdae on a weekend night.

Yi Soo felt like she was getting a headache just thinking about it.

**

“The line seems especially long today.”

Ha Joon said, looking at the long line stretching behind the club entrance.

“Then we don’t have to go.”

Ji Ho said with a displeased expression.

Though he had been dragged here reluctantly by Ha Joon, he had little interest in noisy clubs.

“Hey, why are you like this again? Did you forget it’s my birthday today?”

“Let’s do whatever Ha Joon wants today.”

“Yeah. He said he’d pay for everything.”

Sung Hoon and Jun Woo chimed in from the side.

“Acting like we’re only going today when we go often anyway.”

Ji Ho grumbled but followed behind Ha Joon while taking out his phone.

He had truthfully texted Yi Soo about going to the club, but there was no reply yet, maybe because she hadn’t checked it.

“Huh?”

Ha Joon, who was walking ahead along the long line, stopped and tilted his head curiously.

“I think that’s Jung Yi Soo.”

He muttered as if talking to himself, then turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

“Hey, where are you going?”

Sung Hoon and Jun Woo, who were following Ha Joon, turned their heads back simultaneously.

At that sound, Ji Ho stopped in his place.

As he was in the middle of sending another text to Yi Soo, Ji Ho’s gaze was still fixed on his phone screen.

Ha Joon walked quickly and stopped in front of a group of girls.

“Oh, it is Yi Soo!”

Ha Joon called out happily when he saw Yi Soo standing in the long line leading to the club entrance.

He leaned his head forward slightly as if to confirm it was really Yi Soo.

“Oh! Lee Ha Joon!”

Yi Soo was equally surprised to see Ha Joon.

As she turned her gaze slightly, her eyes met Ji Ho’s over Ha Joon’s shoulder.

Ji Ho slightly raised the phone in his hand as if to show her.

Yi Soo took out her phone from her bag and checked the text.

Seeing the message sent as if reporting in advance that he was going to the club because of Ha Joon, she belatedly realized her mistake.

‘When you’re dating, you’re supposed to tell these things in advance. I was so distracted I forgot to contact him, I wonder if he’s upset.’

Yi Soo’s face turned red with embarrassment without her realizing it.

She unconsciously brushed her hair behind her ear and touched her nape.

Ji Ho was gazing intently at Yi Soo’s unfamiliar appearance, as if appreciating it.

A short dress that revealed her slim figure, and high heels.

Eyes, nose, and lips that looked more distinct and darker with makeup.

If the high school classmate Yi Soo was meeting had been a man, he might have been blinded with jealousy.

‘It’s fortunate she’s meeting her girlfriends looking this pretty, but she was lining up to go to a club?’

Thinking that she had dressed up like this to go to a club when she said she was meeting friends, he couldn’t help but smile at how cute it was.

Ji Ho forcefully suppressed the urge to go right to Yi Soo’s side.

“Wow, I almost didn’t recognize you. You look like a completely different person outside of school.”

Ha Joon made an openly surprised expression looking at Yi Soo.

“You say that but you still recognized me.”

Yi Soo felt shy seeing Ha Joon’s exaggerated surprise and Ji Ho looking at her with a similar expression.

On days like this, you really shouldn’t meet anyone you know.

“Well, I recognized you because I have eagle eyes. But Yi Soo, are you also lining up to go to the club?”

“Huh? Oh. My friends kept saying they wanted to go.”

Yi Soo emphasized that it wasn’t her own will to come.

“Yi Soo, who is he?”

Da Eun asked.

“Oh. He’s a friend from my club. I’m in the ski club, you know.”

“All of them?”

Da Eun slightly gestured with her chin towards the group that seemed to be Ha Joon’s companions.

“Not all of them……”

“Hello? We’re Yi Soo’s high school friends.”

Just then, Do Yeon linked arms with Yi Soo and greeted Ha Joon first.

“Oh, hello.”

“Since we’ve met like this by chance, should we go have a drink together? It’s tiring to wait in this line anyway….. What do you think, Yi Soo?”

Do Yeon suddenly made an unexpected suggestion while looking back and forth between Ha Joon and Yi Soo.

Weren’t you the one who first suggested going to the club?

“It would be better for you guys too, right?”

“Umm. I’m okay with it…. Da Eun, what about you?”

“I’m fine with it too.”

Oh great. Da Eun and Min Ju also agreed with Do Yeon’s suggestion, passing the ball to Yi Soo.

Yi Soo felt unspoken pressure from the gazes of the three people looking at her.

She could see her friends glancing at Ha Joon’s companions.

Among them, the gaze towards Ji Ho especially showed amazement beyond just surprise.

If we join them here, who knows what will come out of Do Yeon’s mouth…..

After a moment of conflict due to her friends’ gazes, Yi Soo made up her mind and opened her mouth.

“Well, I think it would be more comfortable if we just……”

As she was trying to refuse with a troubled expression, Ha Joon suddenly cut off Yi Soo’s words.

“Let’s do that. It’s fun that we met like this by chance.”

Before Yi Soo could even reply, Ha Joon turned around and asked his friends who were with Ji Ho.

“Guys, are you okay with it too?”

**

Four men walked in front, with four women following behind.

“Yi Soo, all the guys from your school are so cool.”

Do Yeon said with an excited expression, walking arm in arm with Yi Soo.

“They’re all dressed stylishly, tall, and handsome. Especially that guy in the blue shirt.”

Do Yeon pointed specifically at Ji Ho in the blue shirt and whispered in Yi Soo’s ear with a grin.

Da Eun and Min Ju also had excited and thrilled expressions, as if they were going on a group blind date.

Yi Soo felt somewhat uncomfortable with this situation, but thinking about it, it seemed better than going to the club.

They could just sit quietly and drink.

The place Ha Joon led them to was a room pub.

As they entered, there were small rooms lined up on both sides of a narrow hallway.

They went into one of the rooms guided by the staff.

“Yi Soo, you go in first.”

Ji Ho, who had been waiting at the door, let Yi Soo enter first and then followed right behind, sitting next to her.

They sat facing each other, four on each side of the table.

After taking everyone’s order, the staff closed the door and left.

Despite the earlier enthusiasm about joining together, an awkward silence fell for a moment.

Meanwhile, Ji Ho held Yi Soo’s hand under the table.

Though it seemed like they didn’t need to hide since they weren’t at school, Ji Ho decided to stay quiet unless Yi Soo introduced him first.

Yi Soo smiled shyly and interlocked her fingers with Ji Ho’s large hand.

Strangely, holding hands secretly felt more thrilling and exciting than doing it openly.

“Yi Soo, introduce us.”

At Do Yeon’s words, Yi Soo startled and composed her expression.

“Oh! Oh.”

Yi Soo felt like she had suddenly become the organizer of a blind date.

“These are my high school friends, Min Ju, Da Eun, Do Yeon.”

She introduced them one by one, pointing at each friend.

“Hello?”

All three giggled as they greeted, as if they were so happy about something.

It seemed like the happiest smiles Yi Soo had seen since meeting today.

Honestly, it was a bit ridiculous.

“And Ha Joon can introduce his side.”

As soon as Ha Joon finished the introductions, everyone fell silent, looking at each other as if sizing each other up.

Yi Soo felt like her hands and feet were curling up at the sudden blind date atmosphere.

Yi Soo, who had never been on a blind date or group date until now because she constitutionally disliked such awkward meetings.

“Since we’re all the same age, how about speaking comfortably?”

“Let’s do that.”

Ha Joon’s friends also responded positively to Do Yeon’s suggestion.

After that, they quickly became lively, laughing loudly even at trivial jokes.

Amidst the exciting atmosphere, only Ji Ho and Yi Soo seemed like separate spectators.

“You look so pretty today.”

Ji Ho leaned his head slightly to the side and whispered softly so only Yi Soo could hear.

It was something he had wanted to say since they first met.

She looked pretty even in jeans and a t-shirt, but today she was so pretty it was hard to take his eyes off her.

Yi Soo blushed slightly and smiled softly.

Only her fingers in Ji Ho’s hand wiggled a little.

Even just holding hands felt tingly and ticklish, as if a faint electric current was flowing.

“Ji Ho, right? I thought you were some celebrity because you’re so handsome.”

Just then, Do Yeon’s coquettish voice cut in abruptly.

“You must be really popular.”

Despite it being their first meeting, Do Yeon called Ji Ho by name familiarly.

Ji Ho just smiled slightly without saying anything.

It was something he had heard so often throughout his life that he felt no particular emotion.

“You look like you’d be popular too.”

Ha Joon said, looking at Do Yeon.

Do Yeon had large features and a typically beautiful face with a Western look.

Today she looked even more feminine with clothes that revealed all her curves and flashy makeup.

“Hoho. Thank you. But, Yi Soo was more popular when we were in school.”

Yi Soo raised her eyes towards Do Yeon.

‘What is she trying to say?’

Do Yeon bent down to pick up a fork she had dropped earlier, and was startled to see Ji Ho holding Yi Soo’s hand tightly.

Seeing their interlocked fingers, it seemed certain that they were dating.

‘Wow, Jung Yi Soo. Looks like she’s dating such an amazing guy.’

Do Yeon smirked at Ji Ho and Yi Soo sitting there nonchalantly.

“There’s no point in talking about things from the past. Let’s talk about something else.”

Yi Soo tried to change the subject, not wanting to hear about herself from Do Yeon’s mouth.

“Why? Old stories are fun. By the way, do you have a boyfriend?”

Do Yeon asked bluntly, feigning innocence. Since they were holding hands secretly, it seemed to be a secret.

“……”

“Yi Soo has such high standards that she doesn’t date just anyone, I wonder if she’s still like that. Even in high school, she dated the most popular guy.”

At those words, Yi Soo’s face contorted.

Ji Ho’s eyebrows also twitched slightly.

“Min Jae, I mean.”

As soon as Min Jae’s name came out of Do Yeon’s mouth, Min Ju and Da Eun looked at Yi Soo simultaneously.

For Yi Soo, Min Jae was like a taboo word.

After various rumors spread about Min Jae, Yi Soo treated him like an invisible person and didn’t even like being asked about him.

Yi Soo’s expression instantly turned cold, but Do Yeon smiled, paying no attention.

“Can you stop talking nonsense?”

What did she mean by dating Min Jae?

Yi Soo was puzzled by why Do Yeon, who knew the inside story better than anyone, was acting like this.

Ji Ho squeezed Yi Soo’s slightly trembling hand firmly.

“What’s nonsense about it? You guys know too, right? About Yi Soo and Min Jae dating. Everyone at our school must know about this. They were a really famous couple at school.”

Do Yeon turned to Da Eun and Min Ju, emphasizing that there was no lie in what she was saying.

“You, come out for a second.”

Unable to hold back any longer, Yi Soo glared at Do Yeon and stood up abruptly.