Became an American Retro Novelist - Chapter 196



Only Noblemtl

196.

Stanford University was one of the most prestigious universities.

As is the case with most top-tier American universities, there was an incredibly high level of academic enthusiasm. Students spent most of their time at school studying, and when they weren’t doing that, they enjoyed discussions to develop their critical thinking skills, or they often participated in external volunteer activities to gain experience and careers.

Naturally, the College of Arts and Sciences, to which Shin belongs, was also like that.

No, rather, it was inevitable because it was comparatively more difficult to get a job in basic academics than in applied academics.

Obsessed with school grades and spending most of their waking hours reading books rather than interacting with people, they looked like the future humans predicted in ‘Country of Losers’.

Anyway, people tend to stick together like each other, and most of the freshmen had that tendency as well.

Stanford’s freshmen in creative writing often spent most of their time studying rather than going around and playing around like they did in high school. They even wrote during their free time.

Those who came here with such high hopes and dreams for literature felt their hearts fill with emotion as they went through the entrance ceremony.

I finally felt like the three years of college entrance exams were paying off.

An old building with a harmonious Romanesque style.

Tall trees and wide roads everywhere. A vast lot that seems to go on and on.

A wonderful college life where literature is nurtured······!

“You’re crazy! You’re crazy!”

“Isn’t the school building really pretty?!”

“What kind of days await us starting tomorrow?!”

The female students who arrived at the well-decorated girls’ dormitory screamed with excitement like the main characters of a musical.

“······.”

“······Ah, here is my bed.”

“Cool.”

On the other hand, after arriving at their own shabby dormitory on the other side, the male students start to shy away from each other.

And soon after, someone came into their room.

“hi?”

It was too big to be a person.

“Freshman in Creative Writing?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Nice to meet you. My name is John Smith. I’m a sophomore.”

“Oh, hello.”

John Smith was usually considered a very good friend who was ‘a bit’ talkative by those around him, but in front of a first-year student who had just entered school, the pressure of his huge height was bound to be considerable.

But John, with his natural personality, said without caring at all about the first-year’s attitude.

“We’re going to have a gathering for the freshmen welcoming party later. Do you want to come?”

“Uh, uh······.”

“I plan on drinking and maybe having some drinks too.”

“god?”

As soon as he heard the word God, one of the boys’ eyes widened.

“······! No way!”

“Yes, that is the ‘god’.”

“Who is that?”

A boy from another state tilted his head.

“‘Country of losers’······!”

“Oh, the person who wrote that novel is a student here?!”

As soon as John mentioned the title of the novel, a boy from another state who understood what he meant immediately cried out in surprise.

Outside of California, the name “Country of Losers” was much more famous than “SEEN.”

John answered with an inexplicable sense of pride.

“Then, you’re in the same second year as me.”

“That’s crazy! I heard about it through rumors! Of course I had to go!”

“Okay. Okay. I’ll pick you up later.”

John Smith aroused the interest of his students by mentioning the name of God in this way.

Some students didn’t know God, and some knew God. But everyone knew ‘Country of Losers.’

In this way, information about the freshman welcome party was passed on to all the male freshmen in the Creative Writing Department, and time passed and it was night after dinner.

“Okay. Everyone here? Let’s go!”

John began to walk, leading the first-year students gathered in front of the dormitory.

Same situation as last year, but the circumstances are different.

At that time, I was really excited and curious about what would happen and what the alcohol would taste like.

But now I’ve been given the role of organizing this event.

As he realized a year had passed, John Smith heard a freshman male student talking behind him, just as excited as he had been a year ago.

“God was a student at this university?”

“Yeah······! I went to the autograph session last time!”

“That person’s novels are selling really well in our state too. I wonder what kind of person he is.”

“It’s definitely going to be a badass!”

“A wonderful adult who suits a cigar······!”

John Smith, whose mouth is itching to tell them about the greatness of God.

However, he knew that no matter how much he talked, it would not be as good as seeing it with his own eyes, so he did not do anything to pour cold water on the freshmen’s expectations or add fuel to the fire, but just quietly guided them.

By now, everyone would be ready and waiting in the clubhouse.

After walking for a while, I arrived in front of the clubhouse, a little distance from the boys’ dormitory, and saw Lena, a third-year student, leading the female freshmen from the opposite direction.

As he approached, John greeted me first with a cheerful smile.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“You’ve worked hard too. It was Jeffrey’s job to lead the freshmen, but I ended up asking him to do it. That guy wanted to watch Shin make Jungle Juice.”

“It’s okay. I’m looking forward to today. I’m surprised that God knows how to make cocktails.”

“That’s right. I just hope the alcohol content isn’t too high.”

“Oh, is that okay? This is my first time drinking vodka.”

“They said it would be sweet and easy to drink, but is that true?”

Lena tilts her head.

Just then, a female freshman in the back asked.

“Excuse me, can I ask you one thing?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Is there a god inside······?”

“maybe?”

“I’m sure they’re waiting for you by now.”

[Gyaaaah-!]

The schoolgirls screamed at John’s words.

They, too, had heard from their upperclassman Lena, like the boys, that a ‘god’ was attending this school. The girls, who usually read a lot of books, and most of them had read ‘Country of Losers’, were excited and showed their fandom for the god just by hearing that one word.

‘This is a real star writer.’

Lena opened her mouth next to John, who was smiling, thinking that it was a worthy piece of work.

“Okay, let’s go in. And everyone, remember not to get too drunk.”

[yes-!]

It was a thunderous answer, like a choir.

The freshmen entered the clubhouse with anticipation of their first college event and meeting the famous author, Shin. A sweet smell wafted from the dark clubhouse, and as mentioned earlier, those who had only studied throughout high school were enveloped in a pleasant tension.

And then a man appeared in front of them.

“Wel······come. Hibap!”

“Huh, President?”

Lena’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment.

The president of the society was wearing a red plastic cup on his head, the cup that no one knew the name of but everyone used at these parties.

The glasses he usually wore were still on his nose, but his once pale face was bright red and he was in a state where he couldn’t look in his right mind.

‘Did you get attacked by a street vagrant?’

Unable to shake off the rude thoughts that came to his mind, John was speechless at the situation that was going in a completely different direction from last year’s freshman orientation.

The freshmen who had already entered and taken their seats stood behind John and Lena and whispered.

‘What’s that? It looks like a homeless person.’

‘Do people like that live at school?’

‘Poor thing. I guess he doesn’t have a job.’

Guys, that guy is the president of the student council.

John and Lena, who couldn’t bring themselves to say such things.

Then another person appeared from the darkness.

It was Rebecca Wong.

“Hey, Rebecca!”

“Oh, John. Did you bring a freshman?”

“Yeah, um······ Everyone was drinking first?”

“I need to taste it, so maybe a light drink or two?”

Lena said with a trustworthy smile and shook the red cup she was holding in her hand.

Even at the moment when the world was ending, it was typical of her to artistically analyze and accept why the world was ending.

But immediately afterwards, Rebecca opened her mouth, shaking the cup in her hand.

“This cup.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Nobody knows the name. That’s why I did some research before. I heard that it’s a model released by a company called ‘Solo Cup Company.’ It’s a disposable product manufacturing company founded in 1939, but at some point, it became an idea for various cultures. When you see things like this, isn’t it amazing that something that is just a cup can be given some kind of meaning depending on the collective consciousness?”

······I don’t know what you’re talking about!

John, the giraffe of the literary and creative department, who breaks out in a cold sweat for a moment.

It took about two seconds for the sweat running down the back of his neck to fall onto the floor. He was so tall that he passed over Rebecca’s head and noticed a group of people sipping drinks that someone was handing them.

The group was comprised of upperclassmen who were supposed to mingle with the freshmen at the welcoming party today.

That someone was none other than God.

He kept stirring the large bowl, as if a witch were making poison for Snow White.

***

“······What on earth is going on?”

In the third grade, I laughed awkwardly at Lena’s question.

“Ah, everyone said they were thirsty so they drank a glass or two each······.”

This is what happened.

The bowl-full of jungle juice completely captivated the literary and artistic community. Those who tasted it for the first time and sipped it, saying, “Wow, it’s really delicious. It doesn’t taste like alcohol at all,” didn’t take long to become drunk.

Since the dough is still going strong, I had to do some additional manufacturing.

After crushing the ice, pour in the juice, add the fruit sliced ​​with a knife, and then add the vodka.

Then the president of the society showed up and took it away.

“We should share this nectar with the freshmen too!”

For reference, nectar refers to the drink of the gods in Greco-Roman mythology.

Haha, it’s rewarding as a bartender when everyone likes it like this.

“Well, I guess it’ll be okay since the atmosphere is good.”

“That, that’s right.”

John looked back and agreed.

The freshmen were a bit awkward at first, but they quickly adapted because the alcohol tasted good and were sipping from plastic cups.

As I watched upperclassmen naturally approach and talk to kids who were excited about trying alcohol for the first time in their lives, I started drinking faster.

But there was one thing I didn’t account for here.

Actually, I couldn’t drink even one glass because I had to keep drinking.

······shit.

“What the hell are you?”

Lena couldn’t help but be shocked when she saw me like that.

“What is it?”

“Have you ever actually worked as a bartender? How can you drink so fast?”

“It’s nothing special. Just mix it roughly.”

“······His hand movements are too fast.”

“As expected, you’re amazing! God!”

John was amazed. This guy is like a fairy of admiration.

“That’s enough. John and I will make the juice, and you have other things to do, right?”

“Oh, right.”

Listening to Lena, I remembered my original purpose.

······You were clearly asked to give a speech in front of the freshmen, right?

***

After teaching John and Lena the recipe for Jungle Juice for the shift, I headed over to where the freshmen and upperclassmen were gathered, sipping on a red cup of Only Vodka with ice and a lime slice.

The cold vodka was nice on its own, with a viscous feel.

‘Ugh.’

Should we say that it goes beyond the taste that humans can feel with their tongues and is savored with their peripheral nerves?

In my previous life, I used to drink a lot, even alone, with my school teachers. I shivered at the sensation of alcohol that I hadn’t felt since I first encountered beer in college.

Now that I think about it, my mother said that my father was also a heavy drinker. Should I say that this is something that is innate?

I always took it upon myself to be a good son, so I didn’t drink much when I lived with my mother. But after she passed away, I felt lonely and started drinking alone, and I became a semi-alcoholic.

Of course, not anymore.

These days, I enjoy drinking with other people like this.

I approached the group of very drunk students, thinking that it would be fun to have a drink with my friends later, Simon, Julia, and Kate Moore.

“Hey, this is literature······!”

The president of the society is usually a bit serious, but he becomes really excited when he gets drunk.

“Isn’t ‘About T’ really fun? I recorded it all.”

“That’s right! It really captures the teenage sensibility so well······!”

“What is that? Is it fun?”

“The original novel was written by God, and it’s currently being broadcast as a TV drama in California. It’s a teenage romance.”

“Wow, this is going to be really fun······! Can you show me next time?”

“Okay, I’ll lend it to you. I don’t have a name, but the girl with the glasses is really cute.”

Jeffrey, who didn’t show it to me at all but was showing his affection for ‘About T’ without holding back.

······Should I get Alexa to sign this later?

I lifted the cup as if I were Dionysus, the god of wine in Greco-Roman mythology.

Those who were sitting against the wall of the clubhouse chatting away began to focus one by one when someone suddenly stood in the center and lifted a cup.

Silence came as if a candle had been blown out, and I glanced at the president and opened my mouth lightly.

“Hello, freshmen. I am Shin Han, a second-year student in the Creative Writing Department.”

At California State University, where I attended in my previous life, there was no such culture of everyone coming together. However, this style of culture suited me better because it was a ‘Korean’ style that valued relationships with each other.

“I am currently working under the pen name ‘SEEN’.”

[Woooooooo-!!]

I heard the freshmen shout in surprise.

‘Well, I guess I don’t need to explain much.’

Although I called it a speech, I ended up giving it as a speech with jungle juice.

College life can be as sweet as alcohol, but there are definitely costs involved.

A deadly price, like a ‘hangover’.

And the freshmen who still didn’t fully understand that fact just smiled broadly as if they liked this atmosphere.