Festival (4): Shattered Illusions
A sharp, biting friction echoed from behind the quiet auditorium stage.
"...!"
Even Nam Siu's eyes widened in shock. Baek Isul's fingertips trembled faintly after slicing through the air.
Yoo Eunho clutched his cheek, turning his head in disbelief.
"You... how dare you...!"
"How? You just spilled your guts, and now you're saying that?"
Baek Isul met Yoo Eunho's glaring eyes without flinching, staring him down head-on.
"What are you gonna do to me? I wasted so much time back then, falling for your disgusting act like some idiot—it's infuriating and gives me chills just thinking about it."
"Baek Isul...!"
Yoo Eunho trembled, trying to retort, but Baek Isul stepped closer, crushing him with her sheer presence.
"If it weren't for you, I'd have been alone all through middle school? I'd rather stay a lonely outcast forever than smile gratefully by your side like that."
At her resolute words, Yoo Eunho lunged toward her, shouting.
"After all the time we spent together, you're treating me like this because of that bastard?!"
"Time?"
Baek Isul scoffed mid-sentence.
"Yeah! You leaned on me too!"
"Don't make me laugh."
She coldly swatted away his approaching hand.
"Even if the you from middle school—the one who reached out to me, my whole world back then—appeared right in front of me now!"
Baek Isul glanced briefly at Nam Siu, who stood silently beside her.
"I'm going to trust Nam Siu."
"...What?"
"If it had been Nam Siu by my side back then instead of you! He would've quietly stayed with me, no show needed."
Yoo Eunho's pupils shook violently. The past connection—his greatest weapon—was being denied from Baek Isul's own lips.
"You...!"
"Thanks to you, it's crystal clear now. You've wiped away every last bit of that pathetic guilt I felt toward you. Really grateful."
Baek Isul scanned the furious, trembling Yoo Eunho from head to toe with eyes devoid of any lingering attachment. Then she spun on her heel like a blade and grabbed Nam Siu's hand firmly.
"Let's go."
"Uh... yeah."
With their fingers interlocked, she pulled him strongly out of the shadows behind the auditorium without a backward glance.
"Hey... hey! You two...!"
As Yoo Eunho chased after them yelling, another figure popped out from the auditorium corner and roughly grabbed his wrist.
"Didn't I tell you before? If you show your face again, you're done for. What gave you the confidence to crawl into our school...?"
Seo Juwon stared at him coldly, his usual playful smile completely gone.
Step-
Step-
They returned to the bustling festival streets, but a strange silence settled between them. From the moment they escaped the shadows behind the auditorium, Nam Siu had been helplessly led by Baek Isul's hand.
"Isul."
She walked straight ahead without a word, no destination in mind.
"Baek Isul."
Nam Siu called her name carefully again, but she didn't respond. Her stiff back suggested lingering venom, yet her small hand gripping his trembled faintly.
Nam Siu's steps halted abruptly. As he stood firm, her momentum pulled her to a stop too.
"Isul. Look at me."
He gently turned her shoulders toward him.
"..."
She kept her head bowed, staring at the ground, refusing to show her face. Unlike her usual sharp, confident self, her small shoulders were hunched tightly.
The sight pierced Nam Siu's heart. Without hesitation, he reached out.
Swoosh-
His warm embrace enveloped her carefully.
"Because of Yoo Eunho? Want me to go back and deck him good?"
Resting his chin on her crown, Nam Siu patted her back softly.
Baek Isul, clutching his shirt, buried her face in his chest and shook her head faintly.
"...No."
"Then how about we grab something tasty? I can make you some ade too."
"..."
Even to his gentle words, she couldn't respond. Held in his arms, the emotions she'd bottled up came flooding out.
Nam Siu, who knew her entire past yet waited silently without prying. The fool who endured those words from behind without showing a hint to her.
Gratitude and guilt tangled inside her, aching in her chest. His body heat melted the ice that had frozen her heart, starting from where they touched.
Overwhelmed, she silently wrapped her arms around his waist in return, leaning into his warmth for a long while. The chaotic festival noise faded distantly from her ears.
"...Why'd you just stand there listening? You should've punched him like last time."
Calmed down, Baek Isul sat with Nam Siu on a secluded bench overlooking the field, whining with a mix of lingering hurt and apology.
"I promised not to resort to violence."
Nam Siu leaned in slightly, meeting her eyes with a playful grin.
"...Idiot."
Unable to meet his gaze, she whipped her head away.
A cool autumn breeze brushed softly between them.
After a brief silence, she nudged the bench with her toe, cautiously broaching the question burning in her mind.
"When... did you hear about me...?"
Her eyes lingered on the back of his hand. Nam Siu paused thoughtfully, then answered honestly without hiding.
"When you ran into Yoo Eunho at the library, back when things were super awkward between us. After midterms, I talked to Juwon alone."
"Seo Juwon?"
"Yeah. What happened in middle school, and the crap Yoo Eunho pulled behind the scenes."
Her pupils quivered at his matter-of-fact tone.
"So last time, when you punched Yoo Eunho... you already knew everything alone?"
"I didn't want to pry until you told me yourself. Can't force someone to dig up their past."
His hand covered hers, the one she'd been staring at.
"And anyway, your past doesn't matter much to me, no matter who tricked you. The Baek Isul right now is the best to me."
"...What're you saying."
Her face flushed obviously as she stared at the ground. Feeling the warmth of her small hand gripping his tightly, Nam Siu's lips curved up.
"You know? This is where we first met."
"Was it...? Oh, right. That scrawny-looking guy."
Baek Isul giggled, recalling the Nam Siu Juwon had introduced her to.
"Ah, what time is it? We gotta go help with booth cleanup."
Mid-chat, Nam Siu checked the time in a panic and startled, looking at her.
Sorting through the mess with Yoo Eunho had let time slip by to late afternoon.
"Crap. Class rep's gonna kill me."
"...I'll go with you and make excuses."
She squeezed his hand, pulling him up from the bench.
The glaring sun had faded, and Daeseong High School's lively festival hurtled toward its finale.
Ah, ah. This is an announcement. Entry for outsiders ends now. Visitors, please exit promptly.
With the student council broadcast echoing across campus, students from other schools and outsiders flowed out the gates like an ebbing tide.
Club performances start soon. All students, gather at the main auditorium under your homeroom teacher's guidance. This is a repeat announcement...
The school, exhausted from running booths all day, buzzed back to life at the voice over the speakers.
"...Cleanup's probably done already, huh?"
"Sigh... yeah. Guess I'm in for a beating or two."
Baek Isul let out a small laugh at Nam Siu's deflated voice and gripped his hand tight.
"Don't worry. I'll stick by you."
Their clasped hands stayed firm amid the crowd as they headed to the classroom.
(+Side Story)
"Didn't I tell you before? If you show your face again, you're done for. What gave you the confidence to crawl into our school...?"
Meeting Seo Juwon's icy eyes, devoid of any playfulness, Yoo Eunho involuntarily sucked in a breath. His rebuilt self-esteem crumbled, dragging him back to the shivering first-year winter of middle school.
"Ah, did you think you'd perfectly hidden where you live and go to school now?"
"..."
Seo Juwon chuckled down at him, but his eyes weren't smiling.
"Why so scared? Want me to tell you something fun?"
Yoo Eunho glanced up cautiously at his words.
"Siu brought up Kang Minji, right? Truth is, he doesn't even know her SNS."
"...!"
Yoo Eunho's pupils trembled with humiliation. Not content with getting burned by Seo Juwon once in middle school, he'd fallen for Nam Siu's clumsy bluff and thrashed alone.
"That bastard...!"
"I'm not done."
Seo Juwon cut him off, pulling out his phone. He tapped the screen and shoved the glowing display in Yoo Eunho's stiffened face.
The screen showed a long messenger chat with someone.
"W-Wait, Juwon...!"
"I told you, if I show up again, it won't end with just school rumors."
Yoo Eunho's legs gave out completely as Seo Juwon's face wiped clean of expression.
"I-I won't show up in front of you guys again...! I was stupid."
"Eh, looks like you put some effort into coming here. Did you really think I couldn't find you?"
His low, chilling voice evoked middle school memories. Scratching his chin as he gazed at the pale Yoo Eunho, Seo Juwon tossed out casually.
"Hmm... pity. Should I let you off once?"
At the sweet words, Yoo Eunho dropped to his knees without hesitation.
"Y-Yes! Just once! I'll really reflect and never look this way again! Please, Juwon...!"
"Fine. Just once."
"...! Th-Thank you! Really...!"
Seo Juwon shrugged, looking down at Yoo Eunho bowing repeatedly in relief.
"Pfft... heh heh."
The small leak of laughter grew thicker. After laughing aloud for a while, he crouched to eye level and whispered in his ear.
"Man, this is hilarious. Like I said last time, your learning ability is seriously fucked."
"...Huh?"
"You thought I'd actually let you off?"
Yoo Eunho's heart plummeted. Seo Juwon's eyes gleamed sharply.
"Dude, my words must've sounded like bullshit. Get ready. I'll tell Kang Minji your school soon."
"You... you...!"
"No idea when. So from today, live in anxiety every day. Siu did too. Fair's fair, right?"
Yoo Eunho began shaking like a leaf. A time bomb had dropped into his carefully rebuilt world, ticking unknown.
"Every class, glance out the window, trembling if Kang Minji's gang shows. Jump at every motorcycle rev or stranger's face, drowning in fear."
Standing, Seo Juwon looked down at the frozen, ashen Yoo Eunho, then turned away without regret, leaving the shadows behind the auditorium.
"Good luck. I end it here, but venomous Kang Minji? Who knows what she'll do."
In the silent shadows, Yoo Eunho clawed at the cold cement floor, unable to rise amid dread of what was coming.