Give Me the Study Guides, Sunbae! v1c10

Baek Iseon swallowed the shrimp tempura down his throat and said,

“From now on, every time you eat with me, I’ll give you one quiz.”

“……Really?!”

Color returned to Jang Juwon’s face.

“Yeah.”

“……That’s suspicious.”

“If you don’t want it, never mind.”

“No, no! That’s not what I meant…… What you want is……”

“……”

My body, right?

Yeah, what Baek Iseon wanted was his body. Jang Juwon knew that very well. Though he did wonder why he wanted to have sex with him so badly that he’d go this far. Giving up on sex and settling for just eating meals together? Of course he couldn’t believe that.

“It doesn’t matter. You’re going to need my help a lot anyway.”

Baek Iseon spoke with a very confident attitude. If he’d asked like this yesterday, Jang Juwon might have firmly answered no. But having tasted the flavor of study guides only today, for Jang Juwon it only reconfirmed the source of his confidence.

“……What if I don’t want anything?”

“That won’t happen.”

Baek Iseon smiled broadly, showing his teeth. As if he already knew what Jang Juwon would answer. And his intuition was accurate. Jang Juwon hesitantly opened his mouth.

“Um, I…… about the lab report……”

“Good. When do you need it by?”

“……Next Friday……”

“Really? Then…… when would be good?”

“……”

Baek Iseon propped his chin and pulled his body close to the table. Jang Juwon unconsciously pulled back and leaned against the back of his chair.

“Come this weekend. Weekdays would be hard for you anyway, right?”

“……Okay.”

Jang Juwon barely managed to answer while pretending to be indifferent.

* * *

The last class of the afternoon ended. Students rushed forward in groups to submit thick bundles of reports to the professor, then left the lecture hall in twos and threes. And standing among that crowd, Jang Juwon proudly submitted his completed first lab report to the professor.

“He really must…… be about to die……”

Watching Jang Juwon return with a triumphant expression after submitting, Choi Yeonho muttered. Beside him, Shin Jisu nodded with a serious expression.

“What kind of unlucky thing to say! I just worked hard, that’s all. You guys should be thanking me.”

“Hey, of course. Thanks, Jang Juwon!”

“Hmm…… Thanks.”

While Shin Jisu giggled and thanked Jang Juwon, Choi Yeonho felt slightly suspicious.

The three were in the same lab group. Jang Juwon, who they naturally expected to freeload again this time, surprisingly brought a very high-quality report. Originally they were supposed to write and submit it during class time, but Jang Juwon said he’d already written it at home in advance. But it was a bit strange that he’d completed the report before they’d even finished the last strain experiment. Of course, applying formulas and calculating could get theoretical values easily enough. It was even encouraged. But the problem was Jang Juwon. Jang Juwon wrote the report himself?

“Hey, let’s go eat dinner. I’m starving to death.”

Shin Jisu said while patting her belly. Choi Yeonho, who’d been lost in thought, also suddenly looked up and added,

“Shin Jisu’s buying dinner today.”

“What are you saying, you crazy bastard. Ugh, fuck. Fine, I’m buying!”

“Waaaah.”

“Our Juwon, is there anything you want to eat? Noona’s grateful.”

Shin Jisu draped her arm over Jang Juwon’s shoulder and asked.

“What I want to eat……”

“Chicken?”

“I had that yesterday.”

Jang Juwon answered thoughtlessly. Yesterday at lunch, Baek Iseon had called him out saying chicken was too much to eat alone.

“With who?”

“Come to think of it, you haven’t been eating lunch with us sometimes lately, have you?”

“Right, we clearly know Jang Juwon has no friends. Who did you get so close with?”

Shin Jisu and Choi Yeonho fired off questions as if they’d caught him.

“Could it be, you…… got a girlfriend?!”

“It’s not like that……”

“You traitor!!”

Choi Yeonho suddenly shouted. His cry echoed through the lecture hall where only the three of them remained. Choi Yeonho glared at Jang Juwon.

“It’s not like that! Just……”

“Just what?”

Jang Juwon didn’t want to say. But he also knew this wasn’t something that could be hidden. He knew Choi Yeonho and Shin Jisu had already waited plenty too. Most of all, Baek Iseon was a sunbae in the same department. Someone would notice eventually. If he hid something that was just eating with a sunbae and had to explain it then, it would be even more suspicious. It was better to talk about it now.

“Just…… I ate lunch with a sunbae. That sunbae also gave me the lab report.”

“A sunbae? You? Which sunbae?”

Choi Yeonho asked. He finally realized that the source of the report Jang Juwon brought was this sunbae person.

“……Baek Iseon.”

Jang Juwon reluctantly told them his name. At the unexpected name, Shin Jisu and Choi Yeonho’s eyes widened as if they’d pop out.

“That sunbae who won’t even lend notes gave you a report?”

“Uh…… yeah……”

“Just when did you get so close? And without us knowing.”

Shin Jisu asked, puzzled. It was a natural question since Jang Juwon, who had not even a speck of social skills, had gotten a report from that Baek Iseon.

“By chance, really…… by chance……”

“This bastard is super suspicious. Don’t you think so, Choi Yeonho?”

Choi Yeonho nodded. Shin Jisu’s eyes narrowed considerably. Feeling an ominous premonition, Jang Juwon took a step back. At the same time, Shin Jisu said in a low voice,

“Catch him.”

Choi Yeonho lunged at Jang Juwon.

* * *

Click. The lights in the lecture hall went out. Jang Juwon sat obediently in front of the table, unable to move. Shin Jisu brought over an incandescent lamp from the corner of the lab and shoved it in front of Jang Juwon’s eyes. Because of that bright light, Jang Juwon had to squint slightly.

Shin Jisu and Choi Yeonho sat across from Jang Juwon and began their interrogation.

“So how did you two become close?”

“I told you, it was by chance…… We smoked together at the Department MT. When you guys were drunk and passed out on the table, that’s when.”

“Hmm…… You got that close just from talking a bit then?”

Shin Jisu asked with a meaningful look.

“That’s not it…… We exchanged contact info then! So as we kept in touch…… we got close.”

“Ah, so you got close enough to abandon us?”

This time Choi Yeonho was sarcastic.

“Sorry about that…… I received something so I had no choice.”

“Received something? But the report is today……”

Suddenly Shin Jisu slammed the table. Jang Juwon’s body flinched.

“You bastard…… You! The fluid quiz, you got that too, right?”

“……Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you show me!”

Shin Jisu finally climbed over the table and grabbed Jang Juwon by the collar. Choi Yeonho, who would normally be the first to stop her, this time helped her from the side.

“That’s right! Jang Juwon, you shouldn’t do that to me even if not to Shin Jisu. After copying my notes so much, how could you!”

The two extremely excited people fiercely berated Jang Juwon. This was all Applied Fluid Mechanics’ fault. Its difficulty was so powerful it could even destroy friendships.

“I’m so fucking sorry, guys. From next time, I’ll definitely show you too. Really!”

“Really?”

Having gotten the answer she wanted, Shin Jisu smiled slightly and gently released her grip on Jang Juwon’s collar.

“You absolutely, absolutely have to stay close with that sunbae from now on.”

“Right, Juwon-ah. You’re really a good friend.”

“Fuck…… Yeah, fucking thanks……”

Shin Jisu and Choi Yeonho hugged the stiffened Jang Juwon in turn, and Jang Juwon reluctantly answered with the desire to cry.

“Does that sunbae have other subjects?”

“Let’s ask to see other subjects too. Doesn’t he have Machine Elements? That subject really pissed me off.”

The two who had been demanding to know who it was became completely shameless now. Choi Yeonho in particular revealed intense hostility toward Machine Elements Design.

“……I’ve already received a lot so it’s a bit much to ask again.”

“Then…… Ah, wait. Hello? Yeah, Yeonsu.”

Just then, Choi Yeonho’s phone rang. He answered the call and went outside the lecture hall. When he completely closed the door and went out to the hallway, Shin Jisu suddenly corrected her posture and held the incandescent lamp closer to Jang Juwon’s face. Her eyes were very sharp. Extremely tense, Jang Juwon gulped.

“Jang Juwon.”

“Y-yeah……?”

“You slept with Baek Iseon.”

“What? No!”

“Be honest. You slept with that sunbae!”

“I said no?”

Shin Jisu knew that Jang Juwon was gay. Perhaps because they were in similar situations, the two had subtly noticed each other’s orientation, and they were able to be open about it thanks to Shin Jisu bringing it up first. What Jang Juwon learned through that conversation was that Shin Jisu wasn’t in exactly the same situation as him, and that Shin Jisu was crazier than he thought. She was bi, and she was crazy about anything pretty or handsome without discrimination.

“As if, fuck.”

“……”