Anyone who enrolled in a higher academy was treated under the law as having a status equivalent to that of an adult—in other words, as a quasi-adult.
They were considered nineteen years old and could freely engage in anything permitted to adults.
They could purchase alcohol and cigarettes.
They were no longer restricted by the Shutdown System and could play games late into the night.
They could enter jjimjilbangs at night.
They could share rooms with members of the opposite sex at lodging facilities.
They could marry without their parents’ consent.
They could even obtain a driver’s license.
Aside from criminal acts, they were permitted to do practically anything.
It did not matter whether they had passed their birthdays or not.
Some might worry that academies were granting their students too much freedom, but that was not the case at all in this world.
‘They’re telling us to play to our hearts’ content before we die.’
It was a world where monsters appeared.
In such a world, the lives of hunters who made a living killing those creatures were not worth much.
A hunter was someone who lived without knowing when, where, or how they would die.
Naturally, the same standard of death applied fairly to the students who were training to become hunters.
The percentage of students who died while training or attending classes before even becoming hunters was by no means low.
Whether they had sincerely wished to protect humanity, or merely sought wealth, fame, and power, or had some other reason, the fact remained that they had tried to become hunters the world needed.
Therefore, in order to repay their devotion, the world guaranteed them the status of quasi-adults and granted them freedom.
‘Of course, there are just as many social ills because of it.’
They were students in the prime of youth, still clumsy at handling their powers and prone to becoming intoxicated by them, while mistakenly believing themselves to be special.
In an academy city filled with such students, crimes, incidents, and accidents were bound to occur without end.
No longer eligible to be recognized as juveniles exempt from criminal liability, their methods became increasingly sophisticated.
When that was combined with the hunter world’s characteristic belief in the supremacy of ability, the academy city could not help but become both a paradise for hunters and a lawless zone.
It was something that had been mentioned in the game as well.
As someone who had been a veteran player in my previous life, if I went into greater detail here…
‘There are also many children born in the academy city without their parents even knowing about them.’
That was the academy city’s dark side.
It could be called a problem stemming from freedom without responsibility.
So one had to keep in mind that freedom came with responsibility.
Adults ought to know how to exercise a certain degree of restraint.
And so—
“Everyone’s poured alcohol into their glasses, right!?”
“Ooh!”
“I’m saying this as the host of this gathering: don’t just gulp down your first drinks recklessly. Control how much you drink so you don’t get drunk, and don’t pressure anyone else to drink….”
“If you think you’re getting drunk, drink some water. If you think you’re going to throw up, go do it in your room.”
“Like Gyeonwoo said, if you think you’re getting drunk, drink some water, and if you feel like it’s too much, just go back to your room and rest! Got it!? All right, everyone, cheers! To our enrollment!”
“To our enrollment!!”
That evening, after the entrance ceremony.
Yeon Haneul, Go Eunbi, Lisa, Yong Haerang, the triplets, and I—
We gathered in my room and threw a drinking party.
* * *
Geumgang Academy boasted a history of over 150 years.
As a result, it inevitably had a wide variety of traditions passed down through the generations.
The enrollment rite was one of them.
It was a traditional ceremony in which students who had completed the academy’s entrance ceremony drank alcohol to celebrate their becoming quasi-adults and to wish that only good things would come their way.
‘Although someone probably just dressed up an excuse to drink as a tradition.’
Talking about ceremonies and traditions sounded somewhat grandiose, but no one cared.
As long as we could drink, that was enough.
That was why Go Eunbi, Yeon Haneul, Lisa, and the others had brought armfuls of alcohol and food to my room to perform the enrollment rite.
For the record, we were not breaking any rules.
The dormitory supervisor had given us permission to visit another person’s room as long as we notified her in advance.
Thanks to that, we were able to gather in the room and drink together.
“Ugh, it’s bitter…. So this is the taste of adulthood. Still, it’s not undrinkable, is it?”
“Whew! It’s cool and fizzy. I like it. It’d be even better after sweating a bit, wouldn’t it?”
The first thing we drank was beer.
Among the useless household goods Go Eunbi had bought for her new life alone a while ago was a set of frozen beer glasses.
We poured beer into the frosted glasses she had brought and took turns judging the taste.
The reactions were generally divided into two camps.
Some, like Go Eunbi, tasted bitterness in the alcohol they were drinking for the first time and grimaced. Others, like Yong Haerang, took to it from the very beginning.
Yeon Haneul belonged to the latter group.
“It’s nice and refreshing. I think I understand why the director used to sing about wanting beer whenever it got hot.”
“That doesn’t mean you should drink only beer. One sip of alcohol, one bite of food. Eat some snacks while you drink. Here.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach was dangerous.
You had to put something in your stomach.
I stopped Yeon Haneul, who was fearlessly trying to gulp down her beer, and then speared a piece of chicken with a fork and held it to her mouth.
Holding back her hair so it would not fall forward, she opened her mouth a little and took the chicken. Then she smiled bashfully.
“That’s called chimaek. How is it?”
“I think it tastes better eaten this way. No wonder it shows up in dramas.”
“Try pizza and beer later, too.”
“Okay! Ah, but my hand….”
“What do you want to eat? I’ll get it for you.”
“Ah… thank you. Then, um… peperoni, please.”
The pizza was in an awkward position for Yeon Haneul to reach.
I leaned across the table, brought her the pizza she wanted, and took a slice for myself while I was at it.
Then I drank some beer as well.
‘…It’s been a while.’
It was the first alcohol I had drunk since reincarnating.
The taste was familiar, yet nostalgic.
Memories of returning home from work in my previous life, drinking alcohol, and playing games came vividly back to me.
After taking a sip and recalling those memories, I wore a bitter smile.
I did not know what my alcohol tolerance was like after reincarnation, but the alcohol went down smoothly.
Seeing that, Yeon Haneul butted in.
“You told me to eat food with my alcohol, so why are you drinking without eating anything? Here, you should eat some snacks too.”
“…It’s good.”
Just as I had done for Yeon Haneul a moment ago,
she fed me some food.
Perhaps because I was not eating it with my own hands, it seemed to taste even better.
Before long, everyone’s glasses were empty.
That was when Go Eunbi stepped forward.
“All right! We’ve had beer, so this time we’re drinking soju! If you’re Korean, soju is the way to go!”
“You haven’t even tried soju before…. And if you mix drinks, you can get drunk….”
“So you’re not drinking, Gyeonwoo? Who wants soju, besides Gyeonwoo!?”
“…Give me a glass, too.”
Go Eunbi took out a soju bottle brimming with retro charm.
Perhaps she had seen it done somewhere before, because she twisted her wrist and tried to shake the bottle.
“I heard from an older friend that soju tastes better if you drink it this way. Huh? Why isn’t a vortex forming?”
“Eunbi, give it to me. I’ll shake it.”
“Hm? Sure, here.”
“Not like that. You shake it like this.”
“Oh, you know what you’re doing?”
I had done it from memories of my previous life.
Fortunately, I succeeded without much difficulty.
Droplets swirled and spun inside the sky-blue soju bottle.
While everyone admired it, I poured soju into the small glasses.
“All right, cheers!”
“Cheers!”
Go Eunbi proposed another toast.
We clinked our glasses and downed the soju in one gulp.
‘Ugh…. Just like in my previous life, I can’t get used to soju.’
It felt like drinking the alcohol in a science lab.
It did not suit my taste.
Whether in my previous life or this one, I had no idea what flavor people drank soju for.
The others’ assessments were similar.
“So this… is the taste of Korea….”
“It’s so… bitter…. I feel like this is the kind of alcohol people drink just to get drunk.”
Go Eunbi and Lisa frowned.
After setting down their glasses, they quickly reached for snacks to wash the taste from their mouths.
The triplets’ reactions were no different.
“Really? I think I like it better than beer. Whew! This bitterness, as if it pursues nothing but the essence—that’s the taste of a man. It’s nice and clean.”
Apparently, Yong Haerang was the only one who liked soju….
No, there was one more.
“It’s a little sweet.”
“…That tastes sweet to you?”
“Yeah. If you savor it, you can feel sweetness at the end.”
“…”
Yeon Haneul liked soju, too.
I had thought she had been silent because she was enduring the bitterness, but she had actually been savoring the flavor.
Before long, she slowly reached out and filled her empty glass with soju.
“Do you want another glass?”
“…Just a little. And I’m going to eat some snacks, too.”
“Okay. Here, cheers. Ahh―”
“….”
“It feels less filling than the other stuff, so I think I like it. Another glass?”
“…You’re not just drinking recklessly, thinking you can dispel the drunkenness with magic, are you?”
“Hm? You told me to control how much I drink, so I’m controlling myself.”
“…That’s what you call controlling yourself? Still, drink slowly.”
“Okay! Here, cheers.”
“….”
Unexpectedly,
Yeon Haneul seemed to hold her liquor well.
Even while everyone else drank water and ate snacks, she continued emptying her glass one after another.
For me, who had been sipping alcohol alongside her, it was becoming quite a struggle.
‘This won’t do.’
My stomach already felt like it was burning.
Soju really did not agree with me.
It was not undrinkable, but if I was going to drink, I preferred to enjoy it.
I decided to switch drinks.
I grabbed the beer and soju bottles at the same time.
Go Eunbi grew curious.
“Are you trying to make somaek? Do you know how to get the ratio right? I heard it tastes bad if you get it wrong….”
“You can just eyeball the ratio. Who wants somaek?”
“Me! Me! Me!”
“I’d like a glass, too.”
“You’re making it? Then give me one as well.”
“Haneul, you’ll have some too, right?”
“Yeah!”
I could make delicious somaek.
It was one of the few things I had been proud of back when I had been nothing more than a low-ranking office worker in my previous life.
‘…That’s depressing.’
Still, being able to draw the interest of people who had just learned to drink and liven up the atmosphere with my pathetic little talent felt quite good.
Glug, splash! Swish! Fwoosh!
After taking their glasses, I put on an exaggerated performance.
At the end, I quickly brought my hands together and gathered the chopsticks crossed into an X.
The soju and beer, with their different alcohol contents, mixed together and bubbles burst for an instant.
“All right, drink up.”
“….”
I handed the glasses back to everyone.
They blinked, their eyes fixed on me instead of the drinks.
“Whoa…. That doesn’t look like the first one you’ve ever made. What? Have you made one before? You haven’t actually never drunk alcohol before, have you?”
“Indeed…. You looked quite used to it. This is a little suspicious.”
Go Eunbi smiled slyly.
Lisa gave me a suspicious look.
The two of them demanded an explanation.
“You’ve drunk alcohol behind my back before, haven’t you?”
Yeon Haneul joined in as well.
Her sharp gaze fixed on me.
Unfortunately, I had no intention of telling them about my previous life, so there was only one thing I could say in response.
“When would I ever have drunk alcohol? This is my first time today.”
“Suspicious….”
“Very suspicious.”
“I don’t think that’s true….”
“I just learned it from the internet.”
“That’s even more suspicious….”
“That makes it even more suspicious.”
“You’re lying right now, aren’t you?”
Of course, they were not easily fooled.
But since I continued to refuse to tell them anything, there was nothing they could do.
In the end, they decided to let it go.
“All right, there were people around me who drank secretly, too. When you think about it, it’s not really a big deal. You say it’s your first time, so I’ll take your word for it. Still, Do Gyeonwoo, turns out you were a delinquent, huh?”
“Gyeonwoo, you were a delinquent student.”
“I’m going to tell your mother.”
I flinched inwardly at Yeon Haneul’s words,
but I deliberately did not react.
Without any proof, there was no way she would tell my parents.
Meanwhile, Go Eunbi seized the opportunity and began teasing me.
“Well, well… You weren’t smoking behind our backs too, were you?”
“I’ve never smoked.”
It feels awkward to say this about myself, but I am a good person.
Even if I had recalled the memories of my previous life, my essential nature had not changed.
There was no way someone like me would have touched alcohol or cigarettes while still underage.
I answered Go Eunbi immediately, leaving not even the slightest room for doubt.
‘That said, cigarettes….’
It wasn’t as if I had no interest in them at all.
Since I had never tried them before, it was only natural that I would be curious.
I had never smoked in my previous life, either.
Cigarettes were simply too much of a waste of money.
It was money that could buy me a bowl of gukbap. There was no way I could spend it on cigarettes.
I would rather have invested it in games.
‘But now, I don’t have a reason not to, do I?’
Unlike in my previous life, I had no reason to be short on money in this life unless my family suddenly went bankrupt.
I could buy as many cigarettes as I wanted.
Thinking of it that way, I began to waver.
Moreover…
‘I bet it would look cool….’
A man who was popular with women should be something like that, shouldn’t he?
A man with blond hair, sunglasses, skin tanned by the sun until his muscles showed clearly, piercings, a sleeveless shirt that suited him perfectly, and tattoos.
If such a man flicked open a lighter, lit a cigarette, and smoked, wouldn’t he have an incredible atmosphere?
‘And if he had a motorcycle, it’d be perfect.’
An ideal man.
Regardless of whether they were men or women, no one would be able to resist falling completely for him.
Rather than just drinking, perhaps I should smoke as well and get a driver’s license.
I was about to voice my thoughts.
“Since we’re at it, maybe I should try smoking once….”
“No.”
“….”
Before I could even finish speaking.
They replied with stern expressions.
I was left speechless.
“I really hate the smell of cigarettes.”
“Cigarettes are bad for your health.”
“Just try smoking and see what happens.”
“….”
Go Eunbi, Lisa, and Yeon Haneul.
The three of them glared at me sternly and issued their threats.
‘Why do they hate them?’
Was my thinking mistaken?
Or were they the odd ones?
But there was nothing I could do, even if I was disappointed.
Since they—and especially Yeon Haneul—hated cigarettes that much, I decided to give up, despite my lingering doubts.
Yong Haerang also added his two cents.
“Cigarettes? Why would you smoke those? Smoking reduces your lung capacity, which means it would also reduce the amount of strength you can bring to bear at once. If you’re a man who seriously intends to become a Hunter, you shouldn’t smoke.”
“…Haerang, you’re right.”
Now that I heard it, it made perfect sense.
Cigarettes would make me weaker.
I didn’t know how much weaker they would make me, but if they weakened me even a little, I couldn’t ignore it.
I found myself thoroughly convinced by Yong Haerang’s words and nodded.
“Anyway, let’s just drink somaek. Cheers.”
“Cheers!”
At this rate, the alcohol would grow lukewarm.
I raised my glass to change the subject.
Glasses held by people here and there bumped against mine as they passed.
We drank the somaek in one gulp.
Everyone’s reaction was positive.
“Wow, this is delicious! What is this? Mixing soju and beer makes it taste like this? From now on, I’m only drinking somaek.”
“It goes down smoothly and tastes great. I like this better, too.”
“Soju is good, but this isn’t bad either. Can I have one more glass?”
“But it gets you drunk quickly, so everyone be careful. Give it here. I’ll mix it for….”
“Do Gyeonwoo! I want one, too!”
“Us, too!”
“…Just mix it yourselves. It’s easy once you know the ratio.”
Glasses came flying toward me from every direction.
Making them one by one was a chore.
While mixing a fresh glass of somaek for Yeon Haneul, I taught the others how to make it.
After that, we spent our time mixing our own somaek and laughing and chatting.
As the alcohol began to take effect, the atmosphere grew livelier as well.
It was then that Lisa spoke up.
“Somaek is getting a little bitter after drinking so much. Isn’t there any alcohol that tastes sweet?”
“Something sweet….”
A thought came to me just then.
I stood up and walked over to the refrigerator in the room.
Inside the freezer was some ice cream I had bought to eat after getting drunk.
I took out several of them and returned to my seat.
“This should taste sweet.”
I had made this drink several times in my previous life, too.
It was incredibly easy to make.
Open a bag of Screw Bar ice cream and place the ice cream in a large paper cup.
Then pour soju over it.
I handed it to Lisa.
“It’s called Screw Bar Soju. Here.”
“You poured soju over ice cream…? Thank you. I’ll try it.”
Lisa accepted the glass hesitantly.
She looked as if she were about to drink a punishment shot.
But after taking a sip, her expression brightened.
“Ah… It’s subtly delicious. I think I like it because it’s sweet. So this is another way to drink it….”
“It’s good with Melona, too.”
“Melona? I’ve never heard that Korean word before…. Does it mean ice cream that tastes like melon?”
“That’s what the name means, though the flavors have become more diverse these days.”
“I could make this myself, so I should try making it sometime.”
Lisa stirred the drink around and around with the ice cream stick.
Judging from how frequently she took sips of the soju, she seemed to like it quite a lot.
I let out a quiet chuckle as I watched her.
That was when I felt someone’s gaze.
“….”
“…What?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking that it must be nice to score points with Lisa.”
“….”
Right beside me.
Yeon Haneul was glaring at me.
I didn’t think I had done anything wrong, but I somehow felt uneasy.
Her gaze was too burdensome, so I subtly looked away.
I reached for the ice cream I had brought over a moment ago.
‘It was a good thing I brought several ice creams, just in case.’
Just as I had made one for Lisa, I made Yeon Haneul a cup of soju with a Screw Bar in it.
Only then did her gaze calm down.
“Here. You try it, too.”
“…Hmph. I’ll enjoy it.”
“How is it?”
“…It feels exactly like eating a Screw Bar. Wouldn’t it be better to just eat a Screw Bar?”
“….”
“Still, it’s cool and delicious. Thanks.”
Yeon Haneul giggled.
I giggled along with her.
I found myself laughing for no particular reason.
‘If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve learned how to make cocktails in my previous life.’
The thought suddenly occurred to me.
I couldn’t help feeling disappointed that I couldn’t make an even tastier drink for Yeon Haneul.
No, it wasn’t too late, even now.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to learn casually as a hobby whenever I had some free time.
“Guys! Let’s not just drink. Let’s play a drinking game, too!”
“There are drinking games? I don’t know any….”
“Ah~! If you don’t know~ You learn~ while drinking~ The drinking~ ga~me~!”
“Fine, bring it on! I’ll go with my instincts!”
“Gyeonwoo, you know how to play, right?”
“No, I don’t know either…. I only played games at home….”
“Huh?”
* * *
At that time.
The students were each holding drinking ceremonies to celebrate their admission, drinking and enjoying themselves.
Park Sagun and Kang Hanbyeol were no exception.
“Then let’s begin the ceremony.”
“Sounds good.”
Olivine Dormitory.
Since the space was not particularly large, the two had to sit on chairs with a folding table between them.
Their only food was the two fried chickens placed on the table.
They swallowed hungrily as they smelled the chicken, as if they wanted to eat it immediately.
“….”
They exchanged glances as a signal.
Following tradition, the two simultaneously opened the bottles of soju they had bought at a convenience store.
One bottle per person.
Park Sagun led the ceremony.
“Then, to our admission!”
“To our admission!”
“Hanbyeol, let’s get along!”
“Sagun, let’s have a good time!”
“What do we do first?”
“Bottoms up.”
The two clinked their soju bottles together.
Then, following tradition, they gulped down the soju in one go, as if determined to empty the bottles.
The result was—
“Cough! Cough! Blegh… It tastes awful…. Why did Master enjoy drinking this stuff?”
“I knew it was bitter, but it’s even more bitter than I expected. I guess knowing something in your head and experiencing it yourself really are different….”
According to tradition, they were not allowed to touch the chicken until they had finished all their soju.
The two had to force themselves to empty their bottles, making all kinds of grimaces.
And so…
Their academy life began.
I Became the Mid-Boss’s Childhood Friend