"Goddamit!"
"Crashing hard, you dumbass!"
"Come on, pump it, pump it!"
...Fuck.
The club room's been chaotic lately.
Bitcoin's making it a mess...
Everyone's jumping into altcoins or whatever now.
"Should've gone with Ripple, fuck..."
"Please, Ethereum, moon, please take off..."
Is this a club room or a gambling den?
Everyone's glued to charts...
"Just do delivery and trade coins?"
"You got a bike, bro?"
"Yeah, dumbass. Wanna see a pic?"
"Whoa!"
I glance at the charts.
Dozens of weird coins, jagged graphs...
What's Dogeza Coin, fuck? Is that real?
Honestly, I don't get it...
No clue when to enter or exit.
Buy when it's up, take 1% profit, and sell? Would that work? Hoo...
"How do you do this?"
"Download the app first, idiot."
Joo Ye-jin's curious, bouncing between seniors.
Kim Myung-jun's the only one who doesn't care...
Heard people making 3x, 5x profits.
Someone turned 200,000 into 800,000 for fun... hard not to be interested.
"Joonhyung, you trading?"
"Huh? Nah... just looking..."
Ye-jin sits beside me, tilting her head.
Feels like back in class when guys were betting on sports...
Guys yelling *"Dogezaaa!"* while girls go, *"What's that? What's going on?"*
*500,000 won?*
Or maybe 1 million?
I link my account and deposit 1 million.
What do I buy, fuck...
"Watched charts all night, eyes hurt..."
"Set a stop-loss when you sleep, dummy."
"Felt sketchy, so I just watched, fuck."
Right... heard our nighttime's when foreigners trade, so you can get wrecked out of nowhere.
If I buy, will I not sleep at all?
"Eyes hurt. Heading to class, bros..."
"Alright, Ye-jin going too?"
"Yeah, see ya."
*Whoosh.*
Club room's quiet now.
Just guys left.
"Fuck, if it wasn't for the military...
I'd have 40 million in seed money..."
"Same old story, fuck."
"It's true, fuck! Two years of part-time jobs, I'd have 40 million.
Give me back my time, fuck!"
"Think of it as losing 40 million day-trading."
"Get your ass over here, punk!"
Military talk again.
Been hearing it a lot lately...
Returnee seniors joining the club room, probably.
Like three times a day, fuck...
"How much's military pay now? I got 1 million as a sergeant."
"They're getting 1.5 million now. Go later, maybe 2 million."
"Fuck, that's sweet."
Whoa.
2 million by our time?
How much for corporals? No tuition worries then?
"Go air force... air force or bust... navy if you can't..."
A senior mutters weakly about the air force.
Army's no good?
"Don't go air force.
They tie you to a fighter jet wheel instead of confinement..."
"Navy drops you in the ocean for discipline..."
What's true, fuck!
It's almost June, and my hands and feet are trembling...
Wasn't thinking about it, but it's creeping closer...
"Marines, say something."
"...You'll just make black bean noodle jokes, assholes."
"Fuck, speaking of noodles, I'm craving marine jjajang. Chinese for lunch?"
"Goddamn it—"
What's that now...
Can't join in when it's military talk.
"Ugh, easy money, please, fuck..."
"Re-enlist."
"Fuck you, asshole..."
Bitcoin talk reminds me of Yoo In-ha.
She was yapping about investing earnings in coins to grow them...
Did she invest?
No word on how much her video made. Curious, but...
"Let's hit up Chinese for lunch..."
"Order in?"
"No, go eat, fuck."
I'll check later...
And I gotta do volunteer work or an expo visit.
Big points for that.
Am I doing assignments right? Been quiet lately.
---
...
Yoo In-ha, you're no saint either.
"Ugh, full."
"Thanks for the meal, bros."
"Anytime."
Leaving the Chinese restaurant...
A familiar figure nearby.
Up, down, side, jump—definitely Yoo In-ha. Long brown hair, slim frame.
What's she doing at the stationery store?
"Yo, bros, I gotta grab something from the stationery store, cool?"
"Yeah, go ahead. We're heading out."
"Yep. Need anything?"
"No, see ya later."
Go on in...
I nod slightly and turn back.
Yoo In-ha's brushing her hair behind her ear, staring down at something.
What's she looking at? Carnations?
"What's up?"
"Fuck, you scared me!"
Why's she so startled?
I approach quietly, and she clutches her chest.
Was I too creepy?
"Goddamn, you scared me, asshole..."
"S-Sorry..."
"Whatever, fuck."
What's she looking at, anyway?
I scratch my nose, glancing down.
Red carnations. Right, tomorrow's Parents' Day.
"Buying carnations?"
"Yeah, it's Parents' Day."
Deciding between 5,000 and 10,000 won ones?
The 5,000 won ones look kinda cheap...
"Want me to buy them?"
"Nah..."
She sighs, picking the 10,000 won one.
Yeah, buying for her parents would be weird if I paid.
Hope she sorted things out with them.
Maybe not, and that's why she's here...
"20,000 won."
"Alright."
She carefully puts the flowers in her bag and trudges out.
I awkwardly follow beside her.
So fucking awkward...
Haven't talked since *that* time. Her vibe's different too...
"..."
"..."
Painfully awkward...
I don't think I've ever started a conversation with her.
She's always the one stirring shit or joking...
"Eat lunch?"
"Nah."
"Why?"
"No money."
...
Cold sweat.
Did she skip lunch to buy carnations? My small talk sucks...
"G-Got class now?"
"Nah. Why?"
"Wanna eat? My treat."
She stares at me oddly.
W-Why...
"Hoo."
She turns away, sighing.
Why the sigh? Can't read her. But her face looks a bit better...
"Yo, you not buying carnations? Did you?"
"Me? I don't usually..."
"?"
Her face screams, *What's wrong with this guy?*
She makes an "Oh" sound.
"Gave money instead?"
"Just... didn't do anything."
"..."
Her mouth gapes, brain freeze.
This convo's weird for a reunion...
"Like, your family doesn't do holidays?"
"Y-Yeah... something like that..."
Guess you could say that?
She looks uneasy at my answer.
Muttering "This Joonhyung guy...", she crosses her arms.
"Still, parents get upset if you don't do anything.
Especially moms."
"Huh..."
Really?
Can't remember, was too young.
I blink, staring at the glowing red traffic light.
"Or maybe dads? My dad's been extra sensitive since menopause hit."
"Hmm..."
Got it.
Conversation dies again.
She pouts, *This guy's responses suck.*
Gotta change the topic...
"Done that assignment?"
"...Nah."
"Want me to send pics?"
"...Yeah."
She nods slightly.
Knew it. Figured she hadn't done it... it's tough.
"And we need 5 expo points or 5 volunteer hours.
Same weight as attendance, so we gotta do it."
"Oh, right."
"Two expos nearby next week, should be fine."
"Yeah?"
Yeah...
Volunteer hours might be easier, but...
Expo's just snapping pics.
Or fake it with photos? Not sure.
"Hah—"
She sighs deeply.
Probably overthinking...
No need to say more. We'll both get stressed...
"Been to the women's center?"
"Not yet..."
"Wanna go together later?"
"Maybe."
She looks mentally drained.
No words to help...
Her OnlyFans is doing alright, though. Lots of slender fans. Maybe she'll make bank...
Saying that would get my head ripped off...
"Hnng..."
Think positive, what else can I do?
Things might resolve faster than expected.
Women's center support seems solid...
"I'm heading out."
"Yeah."
She waves, grabbing her bag and trudging off.
Wonder what she's doing with Bitcoin.
Should I study coins? Don't wanna lose everything and cry...
"Ugh."
Maybe buy fruit for Juha's place later.
Fruit and snacks for depression...
But her being down might be better.
Thinking of her bouncing back already pisses me off.
---
Poker tournament's soon.
Soccer's around the corner too.
Honestly, poker or soccer, win or lose, I don't care.
"Holololo!"
"Lulululu!"
Worried seniors will go half-crazy if we lose soccer.
They're already acting off...
People are getting weirder...
*Scratch scratch.*
Why's it so itchy lately?
Stomach and groin are crazy itchy.
Ingrown hairs? Hoo... maybe that's it.
"Ugh..."
It's red as hell.
From scratching? Why's it so red, fuck... I've been keeping up with grooming...
Did they half-ass the second maintenance?
That's too much!
Said they'd do it properly, but didn't...
Maybe they counted rubbing my dick as payment?
〔Ji-hyun Noona〕
Gotta call her later...
What do I do if hairs grow back?
Wax again? Already getting chills, fuck...
"Argh! My foot! My foot!"
"Medic!"
Coming, coming...