024 Seoul Club

At the north entrance of the Business School building, Yoon Yun-hui, having finished his duties, returned to the shuttle bus to wait.

He pulled out his phone, searched for photos of Princess Park from her youth, and then compared them with Hwang Ye-ji’s everyday makeup look.

At first glance, they were remarkably similar.

Yoon Yun-hui’s perspective on things was a bit too peculiar; was this even something that could be voiced aloud? However, he didn’t take it to heart, dismissing it as a bit of harmless amusement.

Hwang Ye-ji was the second person to emerge from the restroom. Seeing Yoon Yun-hui, she offered a polite, somewhat shy greeting.

"Our manager mentioned that you are the Student Council President. I’m truly sorry for the trouble."

As the leader of ITZY, Hwang Ye-ji was quite professional.

"It’s no trouble at all. I should be the one thanking you all for coming to perform."

Yoon Yun-hui paid close attention to the way Hwang Ye-ji’s eyes crinkled when she smiled. With that expression, he felt she could easily pass as a lookalike actor.

Hwang Ye-ji sat in the passenger seat with impeccable manners, completely unaware of the dark thoughts passing through the mind of this seemingly sunny student leader.

Before long, the rest of the artists came out, and they hurried back to the open-air theater; the performance was about to begin.

Yoon Yun-hui caught Lee Jun-ho, who was trying to sneak off to the stage to join the excitement. The kid was using his volunteer vest as a cover to blend into the student staff.

"No, come on, Brother Yun, this is a bit..."

Upon hearing the little discovery Yoon Yun-hui shared with him, Lee Jun-ho struggled to find the right words.

"It’s all your fault. Now that I think about it, it really does look like her! Damn, there’s no going back now."

Lee Jun-ho was 'alarmed' after seeing the photos Yoon Yun-hui had pulled up.

"It’s genuinely eerie, Brother Yun."

"Are you cursing me, kid?"

Yoon Yun-hui feigned innocence. After a long pause, Lee Jun-ho finally managed to say:

"No, I just meant that you’re a genius, Brother Yun."

"I looked it up—Hwang Ye-ji is from Jeonju. She’s quite pretty."

Yoon Yun-hui’s method of researching people was simple: just search Namu Wiki.

"Their member Shin Ryu-jin is the best-looking. Short hair, very cool. She looks a lot like Han So-hee, that 'most beautiful mistress' who’s been trending lately," Lee Jun-ho remarked, unexpectedly exposing his own tastes.

"Pretty is pretty. Why do you have to say she looks like someone else? What’s the point of comparing them?"

Yoon Yun-hui put away his phone, looking at his younger brother with a straight-faced disdain.

Lee Jun-ho stared blankly.

***

Eh?

The sun slanted to the west as the highlight of the Yonsei University festival, the music concert, officially began.

The performance order was IZ*ONE, (G)I-DLE, ITZY, and BTS, with Psy providing a perfect finale.

The event lasted until dark. The artists left as soon as their sets were over; the student council wouldn't be providing them dinner.

Yoon Yun-hui had Lee Jun-ho take IZ*ONE back to the club first. There were plenty of things to do there, including a standard swimming pool.

With Kwon Eun-bi, the leader, acting as an inside source, the other eleven members all agreed to go and enjoy themselves.

As for Yoon Yun-hui himself, he had to wait until the entire show concluded.

The joy of the music festival belonged to the students. As the organizer, Yoon Yun-hui naturally had endless tasks to attend to. He watched the entire show from the control room.

The girls on stage were all charming.

It filled him with longing.

The open-air theater at Yonsei University—how could it not be considered a grand stage for thousands, bustling with life?

Yoon Yun-hui paid special attention to the girls he favored: Kwon Eun-bi, Kim Min-ju, Kang Hye-won, Hwang Ye-ji, Shin Yu-na, Shin Ryu-jin, Cho Mi-yeon...

It seemed there were a bit too many.

He would take his time in the future; perhaps one of them would eventually find her way into his heart, or even bear his child.

Yoon Yun-hui felt a restless agitation inside, especially after taking photos with each group of departing artists.

However, he was still at school, and he was still the Student Council President. Yoon Yun-hui viewed the position of Yonsei Student Council President as his honor, and honor was not to be tarnished.

Before his time—twenty-four years ago, to be exact—there was another student with the surname Yoon who had been elected as the Yonsei Student Council President. However, that man had committed a grave error and passed away in depression shortly thereafter.

Yoon Yun-hui wanted to atone for that man’s sins, perhaps because that man was his father.

Looking at the laughter and joy in the open-air theater today, Yoon Yun-hui found it hard to criticize the foolish things his father had done in his youth—after all, his father had only lived to see his youth.

The final cleanup was handed over to the campus maintenance department. Yoon Yun-hui approved a budget for his staff so they could organize their own department dinners.

His term as Student Council President had already passed its halfway point perfectly.

Aside from routine commemorative activities, the big event for the second half of the year was the sports competition held in September against their rivals, Korea University—the Yon-Ko Games.

This year was an even-numbered year, meaning the host was Korea University. The student council there would be primarily responsible, making it relatively easier for the guest team, Yonsei.

But that was no longer a concern for Yoon Yun-hui, as his term ended at the end of October, with the next student council election held in November.

Therefore, the Yon-Ko Games were an opportunity for the staff members who wanted to run for Student Council President to prove themselves.

Yoon Yun-hui could focus on being an actor and doing what he wanted. After all, he had already lived longer than his father.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Kim, waiting for me until now."

"It’s my duty, it’s my duty."

Assistant Kim indicated that she was also working: "Do you need me to drive you?"

"No need. You go straight to the club; I’ll ride my bike and catch some wind."

Yoon Yun-hui was in a foul mood. He had always talked about his grandfather, but never mentioned his father.

Clearly, for Yoon Yun-hui, who had inherited the family history, his father, who died young, was more like a heavy burden.

Seeing that Yoon Yun-hui was troubled, Assistant Kim decisively left first.

However, this was the peak of the evening rush hour. All of Seoul was gridlocked, and the motorcycle couldn't move quickly at all.

Yoon Yun-hui, who had almost digested his bad mood, was now filled with a belly full of fire.

86, Jangchung-dong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul—the Seoul Club, located near the Songdo Memorial Foundation.

This was a private social club with membership requirements. It claimed to have been founded during the late Joseon period under King Gojong, but in reality, its earliest operator was 'Pistol Park,' the second head of the security detail under Park-kaka.

After that man passed away, the Seoul Club was converted into a non-profit corporation, becoming one of the social clubs frequently visited by wealthy merchants of the last century.

And now? The Seoul Club, long past its glory, was just an ordinary recreational venue; almost no important figures visited this place anymore.

Yoon Yun-hui and Lee Jun-ho had both treated this place like a buffet cafeteria when they were children.

Although the place had fallen to such a state, the environment, facilities, and style were still decent, and it offered great privacy. Many people who had only recently struck it rich liked to hold weddings and birthday parties here.

To fool the naive members of IZ*ONE, it was certainly enough. The portrait of King Gojong and the photos and signatures of various prominent figures hanging on the walls were quite intimidating.

By the time Yoon Yun-hui arrived, the manager was already waiting at the entrance.

There was no helping it; Jangchung-dong was a former wealthy neighborhood, and there weren't many "old money" families left living there, let alone those willing to come to the Seoul Club.

Only this Young Master Yoon was willing to pay for his childhood nostalgia.

Yoon Yun-hui was only attending school at his family's institution in Incheon anyway; Incheon was nowhere near as fun as Seoul, and he came home whenever he had a break.

"Oh my, my Young Master, you’ve finally arrived."

"Manager, why not head home early today? I'll lock the door when I leave."

"Ah, yes, yes, of course."

The manager understood everything—non-essential personnel cleared out quickly, leaving only the professionally trained staff behind.

Yoon Yun-hui hadn't walked far inside before he heard the chirping laughter coming from the direction of the pool.

The kids were having a wonderful time.