The Secret Festival of Gwichuok-ri (4)

"Now that I think about it, it's been ages since I've been out in the evening."

True to the early-to-bed, early-to-rise ways of country life, every house in the village had already turned its lights out. Ten o'clock was apparently considered the dead of night around here. A few scattered streetlamps lit the road, but the place was so quiet and empty that walking around after dark felt a little eerie. A round moon hung overhead. A cool breeze stirred the air. The chirping of crickets wove through it all. It was a perfectly ordinary night scene for the countryside.

After walking about ten minutes, the supermarket appeared in the distance. A silhouette sat on the wooden porch beside the store. It was Hyejeong.

She spotted him, stood up, and called out in her usual cool tone.

"Suho? You made it."

"Yeah, noona. Did you wait long?"

"Not at all. I just came out myself. Let's go."

With that, Oh Hyejeong turned and started walking. Suho followed after her. Their destination was the elementary school.

Apparently there used to be an actual school here. Each grade had only ten or twenty students total. It hadn't taken long for the place to be shut down. It was inevitable. After that, the village kids naturally started attending school in the neighboring town, and the abandoned building became the perfect venue for Gwichuok-ri's monthly festival.

Thrifty. Very thrifty.

Suho watched the back of Oh Hyejeong as she walked ahead. She wore a deep pink jersey with the sleeves rolled up and light pink dolphin shorts below. She was about 165 centimeters tall, but her proportions were so perfect that his eyes kept drifting to those long, healthy-looking legs. The white socks pulled up past her ankles somehow looked cute.

Just as that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thought crossed his mind, Oh Hyejeong, who had been walking with both hands stuffed in her jersey pockets, glanced back at him.

"Suho, why are you trailing behind me like that? Come walk beside me."

"Right, right."

Suho hurried up to her side. They walked shoulder to shoulder for a few minutes before she pulled her right hand out of her pocket and held it out toward him.

"Want to hold hands?"

"Uh… yeah?"

"What? You don't want to?"

"No, no! Of course I do…"

Suho gave an awkward little smile and gently took her hand with his left. Her hand felt rather cool to the touch.

They say people with cold hands have warm hearts.

A fresh, almost innocent feeling washed over him.

Is this… the start of something?

Like, were they officially dating from today onward? His heart pounded. He thought of Deokgu.

Deokgu, you bastard. Let's see if you can still call me a lifelong virgin tomorrow.

He'd probably be shocked. But even though holding hands felt nice, it was also incredibly awkward. He felt like he should say something, but he had no idea what. Sweat seemed to be pouring only from his left hand. Wait, was it actually getting clammy? Ugh…

On the outside Suho looked calm, but inside he was sweating bullets. With the sound of crickets as their background music, they walked along a gentle slope for another ten minutes or so. Finally, they arrived. The elementary school building stood before them. It didn't have a proper name. The sign on top of the building simply read ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in large letters.

There was a gatekeeper at the entrance. It was Uncle Dong-yeol, one of the men the villagers called Mr. Choi. His front teeth were missing in a rather unsightly way. Despite his shabby, somewhat off-putting appearance, he was surprisingly friendly. When he first met a young Suho, he had ruffled the boy's hair and said, "Well now, ain't you a handsome one~ The ladies are gonna be all over you when you grow up." After that, whenever they ran into each other, they would greet one another, and over time they'd grown close.

If there was one thing wrong with Uncle Dong-yeol's words back then, it was that "when you grow up" part. The village women had already been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠doting on him even at that age. Just like how Deokgu's mom always took better care of Suho than her own son, the other aunties had always treated him with special affection.

Anyway, Uncle Dong-yeol was also part of the village youth association. They were the ones who helped out and took the lead whenever the village faced any difficulties. It was called the "youth" association, but all the members were at least in their forties.

So the gatekeeper is one of the youth association uncles.

When he was little, his friends had once suggested sneaking over here at night, but since he'd been a good kid who listened to his mother, this was his first time actually coming. Now he understood.

Choi Dong-yeol spotted the two young people walking hand in hand and greeted them cheerfully.

"Well hey there! Suho and Hyejeong, is that you?"

"Hello, Uncle Dong-yeol!"

Hyejeong only gave a small nod from beside him. For some reason, Suho felt her grip on his hand tighten. When he glanced at her, she wore a cold expression he'd never seen before. It might have seemed rude to an adult, but Uncle Dong-yeol acted like he was used to it and didn't seem bothered.

Watching them, Suho remembered what Deokgu had said about Hyejeong being cold. Maybe she only acts nice to me…?

"My my. Suho, my boy, I wondered when you'd finally grow up enough to join the festival. Today's the day, huh? Hehehe! The ladies are gonna be real happy about this."

"Huh? Haha…"

"You two datin' or somethin'? The vibe between you is already kinda strange, ain't it?"

"Ah, it's not like that…"

Suho glanced at Hyejeong before answering. Should he have added "not yet"? She didn't seem to mind either way. A small wave of disappointment hit him.

Hyejeong, who had been completely ignoring Uncle Dong-yeol the whole time, gave a little nod toward the school as if to say let's go.

"Then… can we head inside now?"

"Sure thing! Since this is Suho's first time, you take good care of him, Hyejeong. Though lookin' at you two, I don't think I need to worry about that. Suho, you have fun now, ya hear? And keep comin' back, alright?"

"Yes, Uncle Dong-yeol. See you later."

"Take care now~"

The two of them passed the uncle and crossed the surprisingly small playground for an elementary school. Lively chatter and noise drifted toward them.

The scene before Suho's eyes confirmed his suspicions. He'd expected a boring festival in a boring village with nothing to do. He'd figured the adults would just sit around drinking. But this…

Wow. So this is what they were hiding?

Maybe they didn't want the kids seeing adults drinking together. His mother's expression came to mind. Had it been awkwardness? Or reluctance? Thinking about it now, it might have been both. Perhaps his mother felt embarrassed about leaving her son alone once a month just to attend a drinking party. Come to think of it, he only remembered her being a lightweight from when he was little. He'd also heard that some people disliked alcohol but enjoyed the lively atmosphere of drinking parties. Maybe she simply hadn't wanted to show her drunk side to her son.

As they got closer, his mouth fell open. Countless tables had been set up in the open area in front of the building. There had to be at least thirty or forty of them. Bottles of liquor and food covered every surface.

No… wait…

"Where does our village even get the money for all this?"

They did this every month?

"Village development funds," came the reply.

"Ah……"

A sigh escaped him. So the money that should have been used for village improvement was all being poured into drinking and partying. That explained why the town felt so backward even compared to other rural areas.

Why on earth did Dad decide to move to a place like this?

He shook his head in disbelief.

"Just sit wherever there's an empty spot. Let's go over there."

Suho followed Oh Hyejeong to an empty table and sat down. What surprised him was that instead of close friends gathering in groups of five or six, people were sitting in pairs or groups of four at each table. One man and one woman. Two men and two women. That sort of arrangement.

Maybe there are just so many tables?

"Hey! Isn't that policeman from the next village?"

"Yeah, that's him. He's originally from this village. His address is still here. There wasn't much to do in Gwichuok-ri, so he set up in a nearby town for work."

"I see……"

That explained why he saw quite a few unfamiliar faces. They must all gather here specifically for the festival. Roughly twenty to thirty men and women were paired up, laughing and chatting.

"Alright, Suho. Shall we have a drink with noona~?"

"Oh! Sure, sure."

While Suho was distracted looking around, Hyejeong expertly mixed soju and beer into their glasses. They clinked their glasses together and drank.

"Ahh, that's good."

"Whew…"

The soju-beer ratio was perfect. They continued chatting as they picked at the snacks and took turns filling each other's glasses. Maybe because so many people had gathered, Suho kept glancing around. He noticed that the adults' attention seemed to be focused on their table. The aunties in particular kept making eye contact with him.

Oh? It's Aunt Hyunsuk.

She ran the local diner and was close with his mom, often visiting their house. She waved at him with a bright smile. Suho smiled back and bowed his head in greeting.

Curiously, the man sitting across from her was Mr. Jeong, who ran the bicycle shop. Were those two close? Where were their respective spouses…?

Ah. Maybe it felt weird for couples to stick together at a festival like this. Then again, if they'd come together, there was no reason they couldn't hang out with others.

Hyejeong raised her glass, meeting his eyes. Suho clinked his glass against hers. As the alcohol began to take effect and a pleasant buzz settled in, she spoke with a playful look on her face.

"So, what do you think now that you've seen the festival? Surprised?"

"Yeah… I was pretty shocked……"

He nodded. Then kept nodding, sinking deeper into despair. The promising young people who were supposed to lead the village in the future gritted their teeth, endured this barren rural life without any benefits, and left for Seoul to succeed. Meanwhile, the adults were pouring the money meant for village development into monthly drinking parties?

Surprised? Yeah, I was very surprised.

It made sense now why they'd desperately kept him from coming to the festival before he became an adult. For kids old enough to understand, this was the ultimate betrayal. Even now that he knew, what could he do? From now on, this was a world Suho would have to enjoy too.

I should participate every month so I don't feel bad about all that money going to waste without me.

Ah! So that's why everyone attended so faithfully. Now he understood.

"You're not disappointed that it's nothing special?"

"Well… The fact that this festival they kept so secret turned out to be just a drinking party isn't exactly surprising. That's just how our village is… Haha."

Oh Hyejeong looked at him with an unreadable expression for a moment, then poured them each another drink. She raised her glass.

"Let's make a proper toast this time."

"Already?"

"We've had enough to drink. It's time for us to properly join the festival."

"Huh…?"

They clinked glasses and emptied them. Then Hyejeong stood up and offered her hand. Suho took it, looking confused.

"Come on, Suho. Shall we go enjoy the festival properly with noona?"

"Uh? Um…?"

Hyejeong led a dazed Suho toward the wide-open entrance of the elementary school building. The school in Gwichuok-ri had a rather unusual layout. Most schools had a separate auditorium building, but this one had its auditorium attached to the first floor of the main building. They had probably done it to save money. With so few students total, building a separate auditorium would have been a huge waste.

Turning right from the main entrance led to the auditorium. Turning left led to the classrooms. There were ten classrooms on the first floor for grades one through three, and ten more on the second floor for grades four through six. One faculty room, twenty classrooms total, and one auditorium. That was the entire structure of the school.

It's been a while since I went inside an elementary school.

When he was little, he used to play hide-and-seek with his friends here all the time. Entering the main building with Hyejeong filled him with nostalgia.

Hyejeong, who had walked in without hesitation, paused and looked back and forth between the left and right sides. Suho stopped beside her. From all directions came a chaotic mix of strange, unidentifiable noises. They sounded muffled, as if leaking from somewhere enclosed. They had rhythm but no language. It was a sound he'd never heard before.

Did cats take over the school or something?

It reminded him of the yowling of female cats in heat near his house.

"Since it's your first day… this is probably the best way to properly learn about the festival."

After a brief pause, Hyejeong took his hand and led him to the right. Toward the auditorium. Were the festival activities divided even inside the building? Suho tilted his head but followed.

Hyejeong stopped in front of the auditorium doors. Scattered haphazardly on the ground were what appeared to be men's and women's sneakers and dress shoes.

"We have to take our shoes off before going in."

"Ah, okay…"

Suho took off his shoes, following Hyejeong's lead. Then she took his hand again and opened the firmly closed auditorium doors.

The moment they opened, a humid heat completely different from the cool outside air rushed over them. At the same time, the unidentified noises that had been somewhat muted before slammed into his ears with perfect clarity.

Slap!Slap, slap, slap!Creak, creak… creaaaak…!

"Hngh! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hah! Hah, hah…!"

"Haa! Haaang! Aaaang…!!"

"Ah, yes! Haa! Yes, yes…!"

What he had mistaken for the cries of cats in heat were actually the screams of women lost in pleasure. And what met his eyes next… was an orgy of naked bodies.

Around twenty men and women were tangled together in every possible way. Some of the men were completely naked, others had only their lower bodies exposed in an unflattering manner. Some of the women were fully nude, others lay face-down with their skirts hiked up. Men thrusting into women from behind. Women sitting beneath standing men, bobbing their heads back and forth.

They were all residents of Gwichuok-ri. People Suho knew. Familiar men and familiar women, all mixed up together, exploring and indulging in one another.

What Suho was witnessing was the scene of a group orgy. Not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with strangers, but among the very neighbors of the village…