This is a donation base per chapter no premium chapters will be released. 1 dollar – 1 chapter your name will be put on chapter if you are the one who donated. After donating please indicate the name of the novel. Thank you!
“Ah, let’s go together. I’ll buy you drinks. Okay?”
“So fucking annoying.”
“It’ll be fun. Let’s hang out together. When else will we play at festivals if not during college, right?”
Cha Geonhyeok pushed me away one more time. In my pushed state, I shot him sparkling eyes. Cha Geonhyeok wrinkled his nose and clicked his tongue.
“I’ll see how you do.”
Still, it was hopeful. I smiled cheerfully and took one of Cha Geonhyeok’s arms and massaged it. I felt his gaze.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to get on your good side.”
He let out an absurd breath and stretched out his legs fully.
“Hey, do my legs too.”
“Yes, hyung-nim.”
I knelt down politely and kneaded Cha Geonhyeok’s legs. Cha Geonhyeok laughed through his nose and hit the back of my head once. It didn’t hurt, but it felt bad. Still, I forced a smile and opened my mouth.
“To hit the back of my head. It hurts, hyung-nim.”
“Oh my, is that so? Move aside.”
Cha Geonhyeok moved his leg away and pushed me with his foot. Thud, I rolled off below the low mattress. Cha Geonhyeok, not even looking at me, propped up his head and lay down sideways at length. He changed channels with a leisurely attitude like an unemployed person. Sniff, I sniffled once and climbed back up on the mattress, leaning roughly against Cha Geonhyeok’s waist area. I brought my knees up together. I hugged my legs and watched TV. A smile leaked out.
The festival will be fun, right? They say pub work is hard, so should I buy something like red ginseng sticks to bring?
I hoped time would pass quickly.
* * *
For a while, I spent days that seemed busy but weren’t really busy. After spending a rainy weekend alone, I went to school according to my schedule, stole glances at Woogyun’s back and side profile as he started sitting in the third row again during major classes, and diligently processed the pouring assignments. On a day when class ended early due to the major professor’s personal circumstances, I slept with Cha Geonhyeok once. I say once, but because Cha Geonhyeok persistently insisted, we did it three times.
Exhausted, I absolutely couldn’t hold onto the assignment that had to be finished that day. When I got angry asking what he was going to do, Cha Geonhyeok grabbed the laptop in place of me sprawled out. With a frown, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.
I dragged my body that wanted to collapse from the sex aftermath and went to school to submit the assignment Cha Geonhyeok completed. And with the single determination to see Woogyun’s face, I stamped attendance in all classes while coming and going from our department building and department room. In my spare time, I went out for drinking appointments and also stalked Woogyun’s SNS where no new posts went up. The festival I faced after all that was truly heaven.
Most classes were canceled due to the professors’ consideration to enjoy fully since it was the first festival. Encouraged, I participated in various events prepared by each department and watched celebrities too. I also watched a performance by the band club famous on campus.
My classmate Kim Hoseong also stood on that stage wearing a bass guitar. He was cooler than I thought, and whether he seemed that way to others too, Kim Hoseong got numbers twice while drinking at the pub. Everyone who received numbers said they enjoyed the performance well, and Kim Hoseong answered them pretending to be refined, saying thank you. As a witness, Kim Hoseong’s appearance with only his ears turning red was a bit funny.
Like this, I spent the first day of the festival well and substantially. And today, the second day of the festival I’d been waiting and waiting for, Cha Geonhyeok, whom I’d hoped would help stabilize my mind and body, was nowhere to be seen.
“Pathetic bastard.”
I couldn’t even reach him.
“Who?”
Kim Hoseong asked while crunching on a chicken skewer. We passed the water balloon face-hitting event venue and entered a spacious area where some department pubs and game booths were gathered. Club music boomed out from a large amplifier set up at the edge.
“No one. Is there anything else you want to do?”
“Not really… Oh, let’s try that. That wasn’t there yesterday, right?”
Kim Hoseong pointed at a dartboard. I answered “Yeah” and approached that direction with him.
Cha Geonhyeok had been ignoring my calls since yesterday afternoon. He ignored messages too, didn’t come to my house, and didn’t appear at school. Although we hadn’t promised to go to the festival together, I thought there was no need to ignore me like this. Next time we meet, I should kick him in the shin. Grumbling internally, I received the dart arrow Kim Hoseong held out.
“Come on, come on! If you hit that red spot, you get a 5,000 won gift certificate! Only two chances! Shoot when you’re ready!”
The money paid to get two chances was 2,000 won. If done well, I could earn 10,000 won with that money. Is it okay to crush the hearts of future entrepreneurs dreaming of hitting the jackpot like this? I injected excessive confidence into myself, closed one eye, and threw the arrow.
“How unfortunate!”
The future entrepreneur shouted in a loud voice. Is this how they demoralize people? I gripped the one remaining arrow properly with renewed determination. I held my breath and threw.
“How! Un! For! Tunate!”
“Is that unfortunate? Both are misses.”
Someone fanned the flames on me who was already burning because of the loud-voiced entrepreneur. When I turned toward the voice with only my mouth smiling, pretty eyes were staring at me. It was Gong Minyeong.
“Do you have cash? Let me try once.”
“I have some.”
Gong Minyeong’s question was directed at me, but the one who took out his wallet was Kim Hoseong. With the opportunity Kim Hoseong gave, Gong Minyeong threw arrows twice and failed to win a gift certificate. More regrettably than me. Ugh, so! Un! For! Tunate! My ears hurt.
“Want to try one more time?”
Kim Hoseong, holding out a 10,000 won bill, asked Gong Minyeong in a voice contradicting his blunt expression. Is my friend a sucker? I shook my head and dragged Kim Hoseong away from in front of the booth. Gong Minyeong followed beside me.
“Where are you guys going?”
“Well… Yunhae-ya, should we start drinking?”
“Alcohol? Seniors told me, the Chemistry department snacks are delicious. Want to go there?”
At the alcohol mention Kim Hoseong uttered in a softer voice than usual, Gong Minyeong suggested a place. But I couldn’t respond to her suggestion. My biggest purpose for this festival was to secure a seat at our department pub on the second day. And to converse with Woogyun working there as often as possible. Whether I was unlucky, I hadn’t seen Woogyun much during the festival period. When watching the celebrity stage yesterday, we brushed past each other and exchanged hand greetings—that was all. Therefore, I had to take advantage of this opportunity.
If by chance the pub wasn’t very busy or Woogyun’s work ended early, I was thinking of suggesting we drink together. At a plastic round table imbued with the romance of the festival, drinking glasses with him… Just imagining it was thrilling.
“I want to go to our department pub, not Chemistry. We didn’t go yesterday.”
I spoke to Kim Hoseong while carefully putting Woogyun’s face that bloomed fluffily in a corner of my mind. That’s right. I deliberately didn’t visit our department pub yesterday in case Kim Hoseong might not hang out with me today.
“That’s true… Then let’s go to our department. Minyeong-ah, is that okay?”
“Sure. I don’t mind.”
Although one more bump got attached somehow, fortunately the plan was successful. At least so far.
Although it was late afternoon, since the sun was still up, the pub was relatively quiet. We greeted working classmates and seniors and occupied a table near them. We ordered while looking over the menu with personality. Woogyun hadn’t arrived for work yet.
“Minyeong-ah, why are you with these guys? Where did the other kids go?”
A senior who came to serve spoke to Gong Minyeong. Gong Minyeong distributed the drinks she received from her to us.
“They’re coming a bit late. I sat with them to kill time.”
“Yeah? Thanks to you, there’ll be lots of customers at our pub now. Unnie will give you plenty of service!”
The senior who threw a wink quickly moved away. And as the senior said, before long the pub’s tables started filling up one by one. By the time service corn cheese came out following the pajeon we ordered as a snack, it was full. It was the moment Gong Minyeong’s beauty shone.
“I guess you really are pretty.”
I spoke to Gong Minyeong while half-emptying my soju glass. Gong Minyeong grinned while tearing pajeon. Certainly, she was pretty.
“Nice sitting at the same table as a pretty girl, right?”
“Totally nice.”
Kim Hoseong, who drank half a bottle of soju alone, answered Gong Minyeong quickly. For some reason, I felt like I was seeing my future self. Just in case Woogyun sits at this table, I shouldn’t drink a lot or open my mouth hastily.
“But Geonhyeok isn’t coming to the festival?”
Gong Minyeong asked while clinking her glass against mine. Since it was awkward to ignore the toast proposal, I picked up the glass I’d put down. And I looked at her with an interested expression. As expected, does she have feelings for Cha Geonhyeok?
“I don’t know. I can’t reach him either.”
“‘Either’? ‘Either’? I can reach Geonhyeok well.”
That expression couldn’t be followed by just any celebrity. The manifestation of arrogance sat in front of me. But to say she can reach him. This bastard must have ignored all my calls and only answered Gong Minyeong’s.
“Well, not today though.”
I was kicking nasty Cha Geonhyeok’s butt in my head when Gong Minyeong added belatedly. She didn’t look pathetic. The way she flexibly tilted her head back to drink rather looked relaxed.
“Why are you looking for Cha Geonhyeok?”
Kim Hoseong asked Gong Minyeong while subtly pushing the pajeon plate to her. The pajeon was cut into easy-to-eat pieces.
“Just. I’m kind of interested?”
