Episode 103: Party (4)
“Alright.”
Yu Serin accepted Jung Haein’s condition of “three questions.”
After all, he had already refused once—getting even this much felt like a win.
Come to think of it, this wasn’t the kind of party just anyone could attend.
It wasn’t a place meant for students.
“But… how did you even get in?”
The question slipped out before she could stop herself. Jung Haein chuckled briefly.
“Is that one of the questions?”
“N-No! Absolutely not!”
Yu Serin waved her hands hurriedly.
Normally, she preferred steering conversations with her signature relaxed tempo.
That was her style, and it usually worked.
But for some reason, whenever she spoke to Jung Haein, her rhythm kept faltering.
He’s just a student…
It wasn’t that he was exhausting to talk to.
It was more like she kept getting pulled in, effortlessly.
“…You’re a lot different than I expected.”
At her murmured words, Jung Haein tilted his head.
“How so?”
“I thought you’d have a sharper impression.”
Jung Haein laughed shortly at that.
Then, shaking the can in his hand, he replied:
“Must be the beer.”
“Does beer change a person’s demeanor?”
“Of course. Even if the beer doesn’t change you, the buzz does.”
He took another sip with a grin.
Yu Serin didn’t laugh. Instead, she narrowed her eyes slightly.
Then she spoke.
“Alright. First question. I’ve decided.”
“Go ahead.”
Jung Haein nodded.
Yu Serin took a steadying breath.
Then, carefully—yet enunciating each word clearly—she asked:
“Why did you reject Lotus?”
There was no teasing or testing in her tone.
She was genuinely asking.
Before joining the scouting division, Yu Serin had reviewed the records of how Lotus had approached Jung Haein.
She hadn’t been there at the time.
But the traces left behind were disgustingly predictable.
Endlessly formulaic.
Utterly underhanded.
She had tried to change that.
Swore she’d erase those methods—and for a while, she had.
Of course, as of today, she’d been pushed out again.
So she asked.
“Lotus’s initial approach didn’t sit right with me.”
Jung Haein’s answer was simple.
Yu Serin lowered her gaze briefly.
So that had been the issue.
And yet… something told her that wasn’t the whole story.
Jung Haein continued.
“But if I just say that, you probably won’t be convinced.”
He took a short breath, then lifted his head.
His gaze pierced straight through her, unwavering.
“Do you think a flower can bloom in a trash can?”
The question was playful.
Yu Serin’s brow furrowed instinctively.
She could tell—
That “flower” wasn’t referring to him.
Jung Haein tilted the beer can slightly.
Not to drink, just spinning it idly.
“Most would die, right? In that sense, I’m not a flower—and my roots aren’t sturdy either. So… a trash can wouldn’t work for me.”
He used the blunt word trash can—
Yet his tone wasn’t brazen or aggressive. It just carried a quiet certainty.
She felt it naturally.
It didn’t upset her.
If anything, it was refreshing.
Because deep down, she already knew.
She exhaled softly.
“Let’s say Lotus is the trash can. Then who’s the trash?”
Jung Haein tapped the rim of the can lightly with his fingertip.
He smiled briefly.
Only his lips moved—his eyes didn’t.
“You already know, don’t you?”
Yu Serin inhaled sharply.
She almost spoke, then stopped.
“…I retract the question.”
“Fair enough.”
His tone remained calm.
From beginning to end.
Yu Serin studied Jung Haein for a moment before speaking again.
This was her second question.
“Then… if you empty out the trash, can the trash can become clean again?”
At some point, her questions had stopped being about Jung Haein.
They were the questions she had been asking herself all along.
The answers she had secretly wished someone would give her.
Jung Haein held the half-empty can, chewing over her words for a long moment.
“The trash can probably never imagined it would become a trash can in the first place.”
“……”
“At first, it must have been a pot meant for pretty flowers and plants. But then, bit by bit, plastic bags started getting tossed in… then garbage… until one day—”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“—its very essence changed.”
He set the can down and continued.
“Even if you empty it, it’ll only be temporary. Sooner or later, it’ll just fill up with trash again.”
Yu Serin knew.
She knew he wasn’t wrong.
It was the same conclusion she had reached herself, over and over.
And yet… and yet—
She couldn’t help but ask.
“Why… are you so sure?”
Her voice trembled slightly.
She forced the emotion down as she spoke.
Jung Haein’s expression softened with something like regret.
“…Sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”
For just a moment, genuine remorse flickered across his face.
In a way, Jung Haein was the one who had designed Lotus to become a trash can.
He carried that guilt.
Yu Serin’s eyes glistened.
She wasn’t crying because she wanted to. She was trying not to—and failing.
It wasn’t just because of this conversation.
From morning until now.
Every emotion that had weighed on her had piled up, breaking the dam, breaking her.
Jung Haein watched silently, saying nothing.
He turned his head slightly, gazing out at the nightscape.
Minutes passed like that.
There was still a third question left.
But Yu Serin didn’t speak.
He didn’t rush her. Just waited until she steadied herself.
The beer can in his hand was already empty.
Rolling it idly between his fingers, he finally broke the silence.
“Guess I’ll live a little longer.”
He set the can down on the table.
“I’ve always preferred beer like this over fancy party wine.”
The moment those words registered, Yu Serin lifted her head.
They struck her, oddly and deeply.
Because she was the same.
The wine was just for show.
What really suited her palate was plain, familiar beer.
She studied Jung Haein as he sat there, chin resting on his hand.
A man leaning back, staring at the night sky.
Objectively handsome, with a presence that balanced softness and sharpness.
But the direction of his gaze, the angle of his body, even the way his foot tapped absently—
All of it was subtly attuned to her.
‘He’s been paying attention this whole time.’
Even while saying things that cut her to the core.
He’d also been quietly worrying about her.
Only now was she starting to see it.
She’d been too shattered to notice before.
Her senses were finally coming back online.
”Pfft.”
A short laugh escaped her.
Jung Haein turned, eyeing her.
“What’s funny?”
“Nothing.”
Yu Serin brushed her chin absently.
“Haein-ssi. You’re popular with girls, aren’t you?”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
He smiled slightly as he answered.
Now, it was time for the final question.
Yu Serin reached for the one she had buried deepest.
‘Then what should I do?’
She wanted to ask.
Because if it was Jung Haein, he’d probably have an answer.
He’d sigh and give her something perfect.
But she—
She swallowed back the question rising in her throat.
The words climbed up, then quietly settled back down.
With a smile, she lifted her head.
“Jung Haein-ssi. No—just Haein-ssi.”
The title of “student” ended here.
She was no longer a scout, just an ordinary vice guild leader now.
They were both adults anyway.
Person to person.
What was there to stop them?
“What’s your relationship with Vice President Kang Arin?”
—Clatter.
The empty beer can rolled from Jung Haein’s fingertips.
It spun slowly before coming to a stop near Yu Serin.
His expression stiffened slightly.
This wasn’t the question he’d expected.
‘What should I do?’
He’d thought she’d ask that, and he’d planned to offer some light advice.
But this?
The can rolled to a halt right in front of her.
Yu Serin stopped it with her foot, smiling as she met his gaze.
For the first time, she’d caught him off guard.
“Wh-what kind of relationship?”
When Jung Haein faltered, Yu Serin slowly shrugged.
“That is my question~~”
She had fully regained her usual rhythm now.
Then—
—Creak.
The rooftop door, silent until now, swung open.
Click, click. The familiar sound of heels.
“Jung Haein.”
It was Kang Arin.
Stepping through the doorway, her sharp eyes quickly scanned the scene.
Then, her brow twitched faintly.
“I told you to take a break, not abandon your partner.”
She exhaled sharply, walking toward him.
“The party’s over. Let’s go.”
“Already?”
Jung Haein replied nonchalantly.
Only then did Kang Arin’s gaze shift to the person seated beside him.
Specifically, Yu Serin.
Despite all her efforts to keep them apart, they’d met anyway.
She’d expected it, but seeing it in person made her stomach churn.
Yet Yu Serin wasn’t cowed at all.
If anything, she stretched her legs out further, leaning back with a bright, relaxed smile.
“Vice President~ Long time no see~”
“Yes.”
Kang Arin’s reply was curt, her eyes already sliding away.
She’d never been one for small talk.
Her hand reached for Jung Haein’s arm.
—Clutch.
Effortlessly linking arms, she pulled him close.
“I hope my partner hasn’t been wasting your precious time, Vice President.”
“Not at all~”
Yu Serin beamed.
“It was wonderful, actually.”
“Haein is just… naturally kind to everyone. Don’t take it too personally.”
“Is that so?”
Yu Serin’s smile turned knowing.
Kang Arin didn’t bother responding further, tightening her grip on Jung Haein’s arm as she pulled him away.
The two of them left the rooftop like that.
Silence returned to the empty space.
Only the wind remained.
Yu Serin kicked off her heels, tilting her head back to gaze at the night sky.
The emotions that had threatened to overwhelm her earlier had finally settled.
“The weather’s nice~”
She murmured to herself, nudging the empty beer can with her foot.
—Clatter.
It rolled in the same direction Jung Haein’s had earlier.
“Oh?”
Then, after wobbling slightly… it came to a perfect stop right beside the other can.
“Ahaha!”
Yu Serin laughed out loud.
A short, bright burst of laughter.