Chapter 139:
The students gasped once again at the appearance of Kwon Seokhoon.
"Wow"
"Guys, it's Kwon Seokhoon. No, it's Actor Kwon Seokhoon."
"What's this? Could this be some kind of hidden camera or something?"
Kwon Seokhoon smiled subtly at the students' reactions. As someone who had never experienced meeting fans so casually, this situation felt refreshingly new.
"Having the chance to eat food served by Actor Kang Jinseok is not something that happens every day. That's why I came."
With one hand on Jinseok's shoulder, Kwon Seokhoon spoke.
"Ah Sure."
"Make yourselves at home."
"Hey, Dongseok! Bring us some drinks."
Despite Jinseok and Kwon Seokhoon's efforts to be friendly, the students found it challenging to interact with them easily.
It was inevitable. To these students, Jinseok and Kwon Seokhoon weren't just celebrities or entertainers; they were dreams and goals.
After the initial excitement passed, Jinseok asked, "So, what should I do? I can handle pretty much anything."
The students exchanged glances again, unsure of what to assign him.
They hadn't discussed specific tasks, mainly because they thought anything illuminating Jinseok's face was already more than enough.
It wasn't that they couldn't assign him anything; it was just that nothing seemed fitting for Jinseok.
"What do you want to do, oppa?"
As the students hesitated, Seo Yeonsoo spoke up.
"Me? I'm fine with anything"
"Even if you're fine with anything, there must be something you particularly enjoy."
Perhaps only Seo Yeonsoo could speak so boldly in this situation. Of course, she couldn't speak as comfortably as before, cautiously watching Jinseok's reactions.
"Since you're here to help, how about serving? I used to focus on serving when I worked part-time."
At the mention of serving, some students reacted.
"Kang Jinseok, a senior, serving?"
"Does that mean I get to be a customer? No, not a customer But still, isn't serving usually tough? Are you sure it's okay?"
Though challenging, serving is one of the most direct ways to interact with customers, presenting various challenges.
Of course, with Jinseok serving, the sales would explode. Kang Jinseok bringing soju if you couldn't drink it here, many would probably take it home.
Caught between concerns about Jinseok and the potential sales, the students found themselves in a dilemma. While they genuinely wanted to assign Jinseok something relatively easy, they also knew that serving could greatly boost sales.
As the students grappled with these conflicting thoughts, Jinseok had already put on an apron.
"Wearing an apron after a long time. It reminds me of the old days."
"Haha"
In the face of Jinseok's overwhelmingly enthusiastic demeanor, the students couldn't help but chuckle, nodding their heads as if to convey that they had no choice.
"Got it!"
"We entrust it to you!"
"Please take care of it!"
Although the surrounding reactions were a bit lukewarm, since there was no opposition, Jinseok smiled and said,
"Well then, shall we start slowly?"
***
University pubs are usually about networking.' Since our department runs this pub, it's like, "Come and support us" that kind of networking.
As a result, it's not common to see people lining up to get into university pubs or regular individuals coming to university pubs without any acquaintances, unless it's a school festival attracting many outsiders.
However, today, the atmosphere at the Seoguk University Department of Theater's pub is very different.
"Whoa, look at all these people. Is this all for waiting in line?"
Looking at the queue in front of the pub, the customer clicked their tongue.
When pictures of Jinseok serving started circulating on social media, it attracted not only Seoguk University students but also students from other universities and even some regular people.
"Excuse me. How long do we have to wait?"
The customer asked the employee wearing an apron and the busy female student, Seo Yeonsoo. She was busy moving around.
"Yes, the expected waiting time from now is two hours and thirty minutes!"
"Two hours and thirty minutes? It's not even a club or anything"
"I'm sorry! There's a waiting list upfront; if you write down your name and number, we'll contact you 30 minutes before. We set a one-hour time limit per table, so we can contact you on time!"
Seo Yeonsoo, trained with numerous part-time jobs, pacified the customer's dissatisfaction with a suitable response.
Although the customer had come from quite far away and would have to wait for more than two hours, they couldn't help but smile at the polite service of the attractive student.
"But wasn't the employee who just came out wearing an apron the one from The Way They Chose'?"
Seeing Seo Yeonsoo's back as she went back into the pub, the customer asked, and the accompanying group inquired.
"Who? That person?"
"Yeah, didn't she fight with Park Hayeon with her hair pulled back?"
"Oh, no. It's a completely different image."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, absolutely not. I've watched The Way They Chose' several times."
Some customers were uncertain as they looked at Seo Yeonsoo, but no one directly asked.
It was because her image was so different from when she appeared on The Way They Chose,' with much softer makeup.
"Should we write our names and go somewhere else? There's probably a coin karaoke nearby."
"Oh, there's also a pub where Kwon Sunhee works around here. Let's go check it out."
"Kwon Sunhee? The singing YouTuber?"
"Yeah."
In this way, customers also entered the Seoguk University Practical Music Department's pub.
"One bottle of soju and Nagasaki for the appetizer"
"Hey, we're just killing time; why order an expensive soup? Just give us the basic appetizer."
The problem was that there were many customers, but the orders were unimpressive.
On the other hand, the Department of Theater's pub was flourishing thanks to Jinseok's professional service.
"Yes! What can I get for you?"
In response to Jinseok's bright greeting, the customers were rather taken aback and stammered.
"Uh, well, um, what's delicious?"
"Everything at our place is delicious. If you're having trouble choosing, may I recommend something for you?"
"Yes, please."
"Then one mussel soup, two dried appetizers, and if you order a steamed egg, I'll secretly bring you a complimentary drink."
It was too much to eat within an hour.
However, the customers couldn't refuse Jinseok's recommendation and just nodded their heads.
"Uh, yes, please."
"I got it! I'll bring it right away!"
As Jinseok swirled his apron and left, the students regained their composure and looked at each other.
"Whoa, unbelievable Is that really Kang Jinseok?"
"X, he's good-looking. There's a glow on his face as he walks around."
"But this isn't even a shoot. It's the first time I've seen an actor working in a real place like this."
"That's right. He was so diligent in YeonYoo Diary,' and now it turns out he was the real deal."
Thanks to Jinseok's performance, the showdown with the Department of Practical Music had already begun to lean toward the Department of Theater.
Although the students from the Department of Practical Music decided to offer a free bottle of soju if a snack was ordered to attract customers, it didn't have a significant impact on the situation.
"Hey, Park Dongseob."
In the end, the president of the Department of Practical Music, Gu Seungmin, came to Jinseok's pub.
Smiling at Gu Seungmin, who suddenly appeared and called him, Park Dongseob responded.
"Hehe Why?"
"No matter how much you want to beat us, isn't it cheating to call actor Kang Jinseok? Where's the fair play spirit!"
"Hey, do you think actor Kang Jinseok will come just because I call him?"
At some point, when Park Dongseob called Jinseok, the title used became Actor.' That was how much Park Dongseob was grateful to Jinseok.
"I didn't call him. He decided to come on his own. And isn't it too shallow for you guys to complain about fair play? You guys called Kwon Sunhee."
Although the conversation seemed calm, they were both from the same high school, and their relationship was quite good.
However, as club presidents,' they had roles to play, and they couldn't say a single word to each other.
"Hey! Is that the same as this?"
"What's the difference?"
Gu Seungmin glared at Park Dongseob. He seemed to have a lot to say, but he couldn't utter a word and just bowed his head.
"Well, let's make one request."
"Ahem. Just come in first. Speak, pitiful junior."
Gu Seungmin's forehead veins bulged at Park Dongseob's mocking tone. However, as of now, Park Dongseob was A,' and Gu Seungmin was B,' so he suppressed his anger and calmly spoke.
"Lend us actor Kang Jinseok."
"What?"
"Lend us actor Kang Jinseok. If not, we won't be able to pay back the money we borrowed for this pub. In that case, we'll have to use the student council budget."
Park Dongseob was overly surprised at Gu Seungmin's words.
"Wow. This is a real crisis. How serious is it?"
"Stop mocking. You know too. The students worked so hard preparing for this, and if we have to use the student council budget on top of that, how unpleasant would it be?"
"Um"
"Please make a request."
Park Dongseob clenched his fists. Honestly, he wanted to help Gu Seungmin, his friend.
Can I become someone influential enough to tell Kang Jinseok to go here and there?'
Even though he was the president of the student council, Jinseok was an active actor and a highly successful one at that. It was unreasonable for him to be serving here. Even if Park Dongseob wanted to extend a favor to the person who had shown kindness to him, telling Jinseok to work in another pub was a bit much.
But I can't just pretend not to know.'
After contemplating for a moment, Park Dongseob spoke.
"Um. Let's do this."
"How?"
"Since we also have too many waiting customers, and the students are about to burn out, let's merge our pubs. If we use two kitchens, the snacks will come out faster."
Gu Seungmin had no reason to refuse. Just as he was about to nod immediately, Park Dongseob laid down a condition.
"Instead."
"?"
"You have to ask actor Kang Jinseok. It might be hard for him to come and go since the pubs are closed. If he says it's tough, I can't do anything either."
"All right, then. Please ask quickly."
At that moment, Jinseok unexpectedly popped up behind them like a meerkat.
"Why me?"
Although he wasn't talking about Jinseok's stint in service, the sudden appearance of Jinseok made the two startle.
"Oh, well"
With a charming smile, Park Dongseob brought up the conversation he had with Gu Seungmin a little while ago.
Due to the Department of Theater taking too many customers from the Department of Practical Music, there was a concern that they might not be able to recover the initial capital used to prepare the pub.
"So we're thinking of merging our pubs. We're wondering if actor Kang Jinseok is okay with it. It's not far, but he'll have to come and go It seems like it would be too hard for you."
While saying this, Park Dongseob secretly thought, This is an unreasonable request.' He expected Jinseok to refuse outright. That was probably what Gu Seungmin, who asked Park Dongseob for the favor, also thought.
"Sure, I'll do that."
However, Jinseok casually nodded his head in response. Surprised by the unexpected answer, Park Dongseob hurriedly asked.
"I-Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, it's perfectly fine. No problem at all. Besides, it's fun to hang out with peers like this after a long time. Really."
""
"But I don't know the menu of the Department of Practical Music's pub. Can I write down orders on paper and take them?"
When Jinseok asked, Gu Seungmin nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes. Or should we assign another friend to help?"
"Haha, there's no need for that. Shall we move right away?"
"Oh, wait a moment. We need to prepare too. Hey, Dongseob. Thanks. Just wait. I'll be right back."
Gu Seungmin hurriedly returned to his own pub. Left alone, Park Dongseob smiled awkwardly and said,
"Are you really okay with this?"
"Yes, really. It's no problem. In fact, it's a reward."
"A reward"
"Please take our orders!"
"Yes! I'll go right now. President, then I'll go back to work."
"Ah, yes"
As Jinseok fluttered his apron and flew back to the customers, Park Dongseob stared at his departing figure with a blank expression.
Someone was capturing that scene with a mobile phone, not just Jinseok but also the students working with him. It seemed like they didn't want to miss the enthusiasm of this youth.
Foll𝑜w current novels on fre(e)w𝒆bnovel