The Festival Begins
Maybe it was the festival.
Beneath a calm autumn sky where the leaves had turned crimson and were drifting down one by one, Hwaryeong High School — utterly at odds with the season — was overflowing with noisy energy inside and out.
With less than a month to go before the college entrance exams, even the third-years, who had done nothing but pile up stress day after day, were buzzing with the determination to enjoy themselves today if nothing else. But it was the main building, where the first- and second-year classrooms — the true protagonists of the festival — were gathered, that was a veritable war zone, excitement and expectation and nervousness all tangled hopelessly together.
As Yeoncheong headed toward Class 2-1, she murmured to herself.
Whoa, this is better than I expected...
It wasn't quite the cultural festival you'd see in a Japanese manga, but the atmosphere came close enough.
Her classroom, reached at a leisurely pace. Perhaps because anticipation and nerves were mixed together, some kids were standing up and bouncing on their toes, others were re-cleaning the already spotless floor while grumbling about ruining it, and the area behind the partition where drinks and refreshments were being prepped was visibly, audibly chaotic.
The friends who spotted Yeoncheong standing in the doorway spoke up.
"Class president's here."
"So is everyone in our class here now?"
"I'll go tell the teacher there's no one late~"
One friend brushed past her and slipped out of the classroom, leaving a question mark blooming on Yeoncheong's face. The vice class president noticed and came over to explain.
"The teacher said to let her know when everyone's here. Roll call is impossible on a day like this."
"Ah."
Desks had been pushed aside to one corner, only as many kept as were actually needed, and both teacher and students were busy with festival duties. Yeoncheong nodded and looked around the classroom. The kids were scattered and restless, but there was no sign of anything still being rushed together.
"Our class is all done preparing?"
"Yep, we just need to finish setting up the drinks and snacks behind the partition. Yeoncheong, you should hurry up and change too."
The vice class president helpfully reminded her of the fact she'd been trying to look away from. Yeoncheong nodded with a sour face. With a parting word to change quickly because Teacher Jisu would be by later, the vice class president left, and Yeoncheong, resigned to her inescapable fate, headed for the locker where her shopping bag waited.
Yeoncheong changed into her penalty costume behind the partition. Suyeon, who had been helping arrange the refreshments and drinks, was thoroughly satisfied with her own taste.
"It suits you so well. No matter how many times I look, I really did pick perfectly."
A headband with floppy dog ears, a fluffy tail like a feather duster, paw-pad gloves similar to Hasol's.
She could have forgiven it all for the festival's sake... except.
The sleeveless crop top and tiny shorts, dressed for some entirely different season, were the problem.
Yeoncheong raised her fist at Suyeon, who was clapping and singing her own praises.
"You really think it won't hurt if I hit you with these gloves? I'm actually going to kill you."
Yeoncheong brandished the paw-pad gloves in warning, but Suyeon didn't so much as blink. Instead, she said she had something prepared and pulled something out of her locker.
"There, with just this... done!"
"What? What is it?"
Suyeon fastened something around Yeoncheong's neck. Yeoncheong twisted her neck this way and that, trying to make out what it was, but without a mirror she couldn't see well. Suyeon pushed her friend's back, steering her toward the edge of the partition.
"It's an accessory that shows you and Hasol are different animals."
"So what is it... hey, wait! Don't push. I wasn't mentally prepared—"
But Suyeon shoved Yeoncheong clean out past the partition, and the classmates who saw her tumble out swallowed hard.
"Is that even allowed?"
"Ooh... wow."
"The older teachers would faint on the spot."
"Hey, shouldn't we be blocking the male teachers from coming in?"
As the classmates chattered on, all eyes naturally drifted to Yeoncheong's bare midsection and her rapidly reddening face. The paw-pad gloves awkwardly held over her stomach, and a pair of blue eyes peeking out — apparently unable to surrender her full field of vision no matter how embarrassed she was.
"S-stop staring like that..."
Even her voice carried a faint tremor that hit every syllable like a drawn-out note.
Watching Yeoncheong strike a pose entirely by accident, the class stirred yet again.
"Not... bad... maybe...?"
"Wow... damn."
"Exactly. There's no outsiders here, we're just hanging out among ourselves."
Everyone's eyesight improved regardless of gender. It was a feast for the eyes.
The classmates nodded among themselves, then suddenly turned to Suyeon and gave her a collective thumbs-up. Suyeon returned their thumbs-up with a proud smile. Yeoncheong, thoroughly dumbfounded, sought out Hasol, the only person in a similar predicament.
"Hasol, I kind of want to punch each one of those kids who just gave me a thumbs-up. What should I do?"
"Hmm... you're a puppy, so wouldn't biting work better than punching?"
Hasol was only trying to lighten the mood with a playful answer, but Yeoncheong was in no state to distinguish jokes from sincerity.
"True... biting would hurt more than these fists, wouldn't it?"
Instead of swinging her soft-gloved fists, Yeoncheong began practicing snapping her teeth together and gnawing at the air.
"I was joking?"
"I'm not. Make me really angry and I will bite."
Yeoncheong meant it.
The school festival kicked off at exactly nine o'clock. To confirm that all the students had arrived, Teacher Jisu stopped by the classroom.
"Everyone's here right now, right?"
"Yes!"
The students answered in unison. After counting heads, the teacher continued.
"Don't get too hung up on placing first. Having fun is important too, but no getting hurt while running around wild. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"And we all know you're cute too, Teacher!"
A mischievous voice was mixed in among the energetic replies.
A promise was a promise. Wearing the blue jersey she'd brought from home, now decked out with frills and a headband, the teacher raised her voice.
"Where do you get off teasing your teacher! I'll stop by whenever there's a spare moment, so quit giving me a hard time."
Her gaze couldn't help but land on the two people it inevitably drifted toward.
"Hasol and Yeoncheong... you're working hard too. If it's a penalty you really can't do, talk to the class."
"...Yes, ma'am."
"Alright, I'm really going now."
The teacher waved and left, and a short while later, the school broadcast announced the start of the Hwaryeong Festival.
Not everyone had to wait on customers in the classroom.
"Guys, we're going off to enjoy ourselves!"
"If you find any fun booths, let us know later."
"Don't worry. We'll check out as much as we can."
"But if you're late, you're dead!"
The bloodcurdling warning — be late for your shift and you die. The friends slated for the first break fled the classroom as if escaping, off to enjoy the festival.
The hallway exploded into commotion in an instant. Seoha, taking in the sight of Yeoncheong beside her, let out a small breath.
"Whew. I should head to the student council now."
"Already?"
Seoha had said she'd be busy with student council president duties. Perhaps because of that, Yeoncheong looked her friend — still in her uniform — up and down.
"Shouldn't you put on a costume? Get into the spirit."
"I'm fine, really..."
"Want to borrow my jersey, then?"
Seoha hadn't planned on wandering around in that getup anyway. But at Yeoncheong's next words, her red eyes went wide enough to pop out.
"Huh?"
"I mean, some people brought their own jerseys instead of tracksuits, right? Mine's black, so I figured I'd offer it to someone."
Saying so, Yeoncheong rummaged through the bag crammed into her locker and pulled out a black tracksuit jacket. The very jacket Yeoncheong loved to wear.
"Want it?"
When her friend just stood there blankly instead of taking it, Yeoncheong took it as a refusal.
"Oh, is it weird since someone else wore it?"
She moved to tuck the jacket away again — but Seoha, snapping back to reality, snatched the black jersey right out of her hands.
"No. If you're lending it, I'm grateful."
Her will to never give it back was ironclad. Seoha hugged the jersey to her chest, then put it on right there, adding the frill trim and a headband.
If the oversized jersey swam on Yeoncheong, it was all the more overwhelming on Seoha, who was of similar height. The long sleeves swallowed her hands halfway, and the hem hung down over her hips.
"Isn't it uncomfortable to move in?"
"It's perfect."
If anything, the look gave off a dress-like effect, and the combination of black jersey and white frills called to mind a textbook maid outfit.
Seoha brought a long sleeve up to her face, a faint smile playing at her lips.
"Thank you. I'll repay you someday."
"Oh, come on. It's nothing."
It was only lending an outfit for a day. Yeoncheong waved her off, telling her to hurry since she'd be busy.
Seoha walked out waving, then stopped short. Whether she'd remembered something, she came back and whispered into Yeoncheong's ear.
"I forgot to say this, but... you look really cute today. The necklace is perfect too."
"Huh? What, the necklace...?"
Seoha left the classroom, leaving Yeoncheong's murmur behind her.
Oh, right. Suyeon did put something around my neck.
She'd completely forgotten in the chaos of being shoved out past the partition. Yeoncheong hunted down a mirror and discovered the red accessory hanging at her throat.
An accessory that clearly distinguished dog from cat, was it...
Just as Yeoncheong slipped off her gloves and reached to undo the necklace—
"Take that off and I won't let it slide."
The voice from behind belonged to Suyeon.
Who knew how long she'd been watching. Peeking her head out between the partitions, Suyeon said it again.
"Take that off and I won't let it slide. I mean it."
Her voice was damp, as if soaked through by rain... and Yeoncheong's survival instincts screamed at her, loud and clear: if you want to live, just wear it.
Trusting that this was the intuition she'd built up from dealing with Suyeon all this time, Yeoncheong put her gloves back on, collar and all. Only then did Suyeon quietly tuck her head back behind the partition.
She'd put on the penalty costume without complaint. She'd done everything she was told — and Yeoncheong could only wonder what on earth had set the girl off this time.
She stared blankly at the partition through which Suyeon had vanished. Then Hasol and Nayun, who had witnessed the whole scene, came over.
"Your situational awareness is... ugh. Never mind."
"What?"
Nayun, who knew exactly what was in Suyeon's heart, thumped her own chest. And Hasol, who had firsthand experience of how Yeoncheong charmed people as easily as breathing, calmly pressed for the details.
"Yeoncheong, was there any special reason you gave your jersey to Seoha?"
It wasn't anything that needed to be kept secret, nor was there any grand reason, so Yeoncheong answered offhandedly.
"No reason in particular? I just figured, it's the festival, why not get into the spirit. And I happened to bring a jersey from home anyway..."
Just as Hasol had suspected. Whether the person harbored feelings for her or not, Yeoncheong had lent her jersey purely so everyone could enjoy the festival.
"Really?"
That damp voice again. At some point, Suyeon had come out and was standing behind Yeoncheong.
Startled, Yeoncheong flinched — but she didn't forget to nod.
"Really?"
"Really."
Grabbing the head that had been nodding along awkwardly, Suyeon stared deep into Yeoncheong's blue eyes. Was she hoping to see something if she kept looking? After locking gazes for a long while, she finally let her go.
"I'll believe you."
"Then can I take off the necklace—"
The damp voice had turned at least a little moist. Perhaps some inexplicable sulkiness had loosened. Yeoncheong, watching for a chance, asked just in case—
"That, you can't. You swore you'd carry out your penalty to the very end."
Without even asking her, the only thing that had been resolved was the jersey lent to Seoha. Suyeon was adamant.
"Right... I'm the idiot for having said that."
What the hell was pride worth, anyway... Yeoncheong cursed her past self for taking Suyeon's bait and blurting it out.
She was in the middle of thumping her own head with her paw-pad gloves when the classroom door opened and a familiar voice rang out — the one voice she'd hoped never to hear today.
"Oh, are we the first ones? I wonder what concept this class went with."
In came Senior Seoyun, trailing a group of girls who looked familiar from the tennis club. Taking in the charmingly decorated classroom and the maid costumes improvised from tracksuits, the senior licked her lips.
"A maid cafe? So are you going to call us 'Master' and all that...?"
The senior's eyes, glancing around with a giggle, met Yeoncheong's. Senior Seoyun was so loud that when she shut her mouth, a heavy silence seemed to fall.
Her eyes moved quickly, taking stock of the situation. Having finished her assessment, the senior drawled with practiced nonchalance.
"My, my~ looks like this cafe comes with both a puppy and a kitty."
Senior Seoyun smiled, having confirmed that Yeoncheong and Hasol were dressed differently from everyone else. The corners of her mouth stretched to her ears — together with a sly, crescent-thin gleam in her eyes.
Ha... we're dead from the very first step.
Yeoncheong thought getting the festival off on the right foot was going to be anything but easy.