Chapter 23 — A “Neutral” Group Study

The Atria Café was, by all conventional definitions, a public space. Located on the bustling corner between the literature building and the tram stop, it was a glass-walled sanctuary filled with the hiss of espresso machines and the generic lo-fi beats designed to stimulate productivity. For Han Jae-in, however, the café had ceased to be public weeks ago. Today, it was a DMZ—a "neutral" territory where the three girls had agreed to meet for a group study session, a ceasefire that felt about as stable as a house of cards in a hurricane.

Jae-in arrived five minutes early, hoping to claim a table that offered some semblance of an exit strategy. He chose a long rectangular high-top in the center of the room. It was too exposed for a secret conversation, which he hoped would discourage the girls from anything too "intense."

He was wrong.

He had barely set his laptop down when the first wave of psychic static hit him.

Seo Yuri entered first. She looked impeccable in a beige trench coat, carrying a leather briefcase that screamed 'future CEO.' She didn't look for him; she knew where he was. Her thoughts were already vibrating with a frequency of cold, logistical dominance.

'Central position. High visibility. Sub-optimal for intimacy, but excellent for establishing social precedence,' Yuri’s internal voice rang out, clear as a bell. 'I will sit directly across from him. It forces constant eye contact. It establishes me as the primary interlocutor. I have already pre-ordered his coffee through the app. It will arrive in exactly three minutes. Efficiency is the highest form of affection.'

"Good morning, Jae-in," Yuri said, her spoken voice a smooth, professional contrast to the sharp edges of her mind. She took the seat opposite him, placing her briefcase on the table like a flag being planted in conquered soil.

"Morning, Yuri," Jae-in murmured.

Before he could say another word, the bell above the door chimed again—violently. Min Chaerin practically tumbled into the café, her scarf trailing behind her, her eyes wide and scanning the room with a frantic energy that made the other patrons look up in concern. When she spotted Jae-in, her face transformed into a mask of pure, radiant relief.

'He’s here. He waited. He’s sitting with her, but he’s looking at the door. He was waiting for me,' Chaerin’s thoughts were a chaotic, looping mess of dopamine and desperation. 'Look how handsome he is today. He’s wearing the blue sweater. I told him once I liked blue. He’s wearing it for me. It’s a secret signal. I need to get to him before she traps him in "logic" talk.'

"Jae-in-ah!" Chaerin squealed, dodging a waiter to reach the table. She didn't take the seat next to him—she squeezed into the space between the chair and the table, forcing him to shift his laptop to avoid hitting her.

'I’m in his personal bubble,' she thought gleefully. 'The air here belongs to us.'

"Hey, Chaerin," Jae-in said, feeling the immediate spike in temperature as she pressed her shoulder against his.

And then, the third presence made itself known.

Kuroe Hana didn't enter through the main door. She seemed to simply be there, standing near the condiment station with a black hoodie pulled low. She didn't approach immediately. She watched.

'Tactical assessment: Table is exposed from 360 degrees. Unacceptable,' Hana’s thoughts were a low, rhythmic hum. 'Yuri is occupying the frontal vector. Chaerin has compromised the right flank. I will occupy the rear-left. I will serve as the physical barrier between him and the rest of the room. If a stranger approaches, I will intercept.'

Hana walked over silently and pulled a chair to the corner of the table, sitting at an angle that allowed her to see the door, the counter, and the back of Jae-in’s head simultaneously. She didn't say hello. She just stared at her empty hands.

The "Neutral Group Study" had officially begun.

"I’ve prepared a study guide for the mid-term," Yuri said, sliding a perfectly bound packet across the table. 'Take it. Acknowledge my effort. Realize that I am the only one who can actually help you succeed.'

"Oh, snacks!" Chaerin interrupted, slamming a bag of artisanal cookies onto the table. "I stayed up all night baking these for you, Jae-in! I even put a little 'J' on this one. See?"

She held a cookie inches from his face. Her thoughts screamed: 'EAT IT. IT’S PART OF ME. IF YOU EAT IT, WE’RE ONE.'

"Thanks, Chaerin," Jae-in said, taking the cookie with a trembling hand.

The table was a battlefield of "territory markers." Yuri’s expensive pens were lined up in a row like soldiers. Chaerin’s crumbs were scattered everywhere. Hana had placed her heavy, tactical-looking backpack on the floor in a way that made it impossible for anyone to walk past their table without tripping.

"Jae-in, you look thirsty," Yuri said, glancing at her watch.

At that exact moment, a barista called out: "Large Americano with an extra shot for Jae-in!"

Yuri smiled, a terrifyingly thin expression. 'Timing: Perfect. He will now associate his physical relief with my planning.'

"Oh! I got you a drink too!" Chaerin cried, pulling a brightly colored, sugary concoction out of her bag. "It’s a 'Dreamy Strawberry Cloud.' I put two straws in it so we can share! It’s eco-friendly!"

'DRINK MINE. HERS IS JUST WATER AND BEANS. MINE IS SWEET LIKE LOVE. DRINK THE CLOUD, JAE-IN.'

Jae-in looked at the two drinks. One was a professional, bitter black coffee. The other was a pink, foaming nightmare. He felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple.

"I'll... I'll have both," he whispered, a deadpan rationalization for his own survival.

As he sipped the coffee, he felt Yuri’s foot move under the table. It wasn't an accident. She rested the toe of her shoe against his shin.

'Physical anchor established,' Yuri thought. 'He is connected to me. The noise of the other two is irrelevant as long as the circuit remains closed.'

To his right, Chaerin took this as a challenge. She leaned across the table, ostensibly to reach for a napkin, but her entire torso ended up draped over the corner of the desk, her chest pressing against his arm.

"Oops, so clumsy!" she giggled. 'DID HE FEEL THAT? HE HAD TO FEEL THAT. I’M SO CLOSE. I’M FALLING INTO HIM. I WISH I COULD JUST MELT INTO HIS RIBCAGE.'

Behind him, Hana’s hand reached out and rested on the back of his chair. She didn't touch him, but she gripped the wood so hard it creaked.

'Proximity violation by subjects Yuri and Chaerin reaching critical levels,' Hana’s mind analyzed. 'He is being compressed. I must provide a counter-force. If I pull the chair back four inches, I create breathing room. But if I pull him back, he enters my zone. Decision: Maintain grip. Provide stability. If they crush him, I am the safety net.'

The comedy of the situation was lost on Jae-in. To the rest of the café, he looked like the luckiest man alive—surrounded by three stunning women who were all focused intently on him. But to Jae-in, the internal monologues were a deafening roar.

'I'll manage his summer internship next,' Yuri’s mind planned. 'I'll make sure the office is in the student council building. I'll be his supervisor. Optimization. Control. Perfection.'

'We should get a dog,' Chaerin’s mind skipped ahead six years. 'A big dog that sleeps in the bed with us. No, a small dog. A small dog that fits between us so we’re always touching even when we’re sleeping. I’ll name it Jae-in Junior.'

'A knife,' Hana thought. 'I should buy him a better pocketknife. The one he has is dull. A dull blade is a liability. I will sharpen it for him while he sleeps. It will be my gift. Silent. Sharp. Necessary.'

Suddenly, the door opened and Lee Sunhee walked in. She was wearing her gym clothes and looking for a seat. She spotted the group and her eyes lit up.

"Hey! The whole gang’s here!" Sunhee shouted, walking toward them.

The reaction was instantaneous.

Yuri’s eyes narrowed. 'The intruder returns. My spam filter wasn't enough. I must escalate to physical redirection.'

Chaerin’s hand gripped Jae-in’s arm with a strength that was frankly alarming. 'SHE’S HERE. THE PREDATOR. SHE’S WEARING LEGGINGS. IS SHE TRYING TO SHOW HIM HER LEGS? I’LL KILL HER. I’ll KILL HER WITH KINDNESS AND THEN I’LL BURY HER IN THE PARK.'

Hana shifted her weight, her feet planting firmly on the floor. 'Threat detected. Vector: 2 o'clock. If she attempts to sit, I will occupy the chair first. If she attempts to touch, I will intercept the limb.'

Sunhee reached the table, oblivious to the fact that she had just entered a psychological minefield. "Mind if I squeeze in? The café is packed!"

"Actually, Sunhee," Yuri said, her voice like ice. "We’re in the middle of a very sensitive comparative literature analysis. It requires… extreme focus."

"Oh! I love comp-lit!" Sunhee said, reaching for the empty chair next to Hana.

Before Sunhee’s hand could touch the back of the chair, Hana moved. With a speed that was almost supernatural, she slid her backpack onto the seat.

"Occupied," Hana said. It was the first word she had spoken all day.

'Good,' Yuri thought. 'The blunt instrument has its uses.'

"Oh, okay," Sunhee blinked, looking confused. "Well, I guess I'll just stand for a bit. Jae-in, did you see the email about the departmental mixer? Everyone’s going!"

"He’s busy that night," Yuri and Chaerin said in perfect, terrifying unison.

Jae-in looked down at his 'Dreamy Strawberry Cloud.' He wanted to crawl into the cup and drown in the foam.

"Yeah, I... I think I have a thing," Jae-in said to the table, not daring to look Sunhee in the eye.

"Wow, you guys are like a synchronized swimming team," Sunhee laughed, though it sounded a bit forced. "Anyway, I’ll leave you to your 'sensitive' analysis. See ya, Jae-in!"

As Sunhee walked away, the three girls didn't look at her. They looked at him.

'He chose us,' Yuri’s mind hummed with satisfaction. 'He followed the script. The training is working.'

'He’s mine. He’s mine. He’s mine,' Chaerin’s thoughts looped like a broken record of pure euphoria.

'Safe,' Hana concluded.

The "group study" continued for another two hours. In that time, no one actually studied. Yuri spent the time creating a digital "Jae-in Calendar" that she hadn't shared with him yet. Chaerin spent it drawing little hearts in the margins of his textbook. Hana spent it watching the door.

And Jae-in spent it listening.

He realized that the café wasn't neutral at all. It was just a different kind of cage—a glass one where everyone could see him, but no one could reach him. The thoughts of the girls were like a thick layer of insulation, separating him from the rest of humanity.

When the sun began to set, casting long, orange shadows across the table, Yuri finally stood up.

"I believe we’ve made excellent progress today," she said, though the only thing they had accomplished was the consumption of three coffees and the psychological scarring of Lee Sunhee. "Jae-in, I’ll walk you to your apartment. We need to discuss the bibliography."

"I’m walking him!" Chaerin protested, clinging to his arm. "I live closer! It’s 'habit'!"

'He needs me to protect him from the night streets,' Hana’s thoughts intervened. 'The visibility is dropping. Shadows are lengthening. I will follow ten paces behind.'

Jae-in stood up, his legs feeling heavy. He felt like a prize being hauled away by a committee.

As they walked out of the Atria Café, the cool evening air hit his face. For a brief second, the noise of the café—the clinking of spoons, the hiss of steam—faded away, leaving only the thoughts of the three girls walking beside and behind him.

'The walk home is 12 minutes,' Yuri calculated. 'I will use this time to mention the benefits of shared living spaces.'

'I’ll hold his hand in the dark,' Chaerin planned. 'He won’t be able to see how red my face is. It’ll be like a movie.'

'Scan. Clear. Scan. Clear,' Hana’s mind pulsed.

Jae-in looked at the tram passing by, the lights of Seiren City flickering in the distance. He thought about the silence he used to have, back before the thoughts started, back when he was just a lonely literature student.

He realized, with a sudden, dark jolt of self-honesty, that he didn't miss it. The noise was exhausting, terrifying, and insane—but it was his noise.

He didn't want to be alone in the silence anymore. He just wanted to know which one of them would be the one to finally turn the noise into a lullaby.