Chapter 102: Arts Festival (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 102: Arts Festival (6)
Business continued steadily after lunch. It wasn't until well into the afternoon that I finally closed up shop.
The flow of customers had slowed to a trickle, and we’d sold out of all the popcorn we’d prepared. There was no reason to keep going.
As I was tidying up the booth...
"I'm here."
Lee Seung-ah appeared, still in her school uniform.
"Oh, you're here?"
Had it already been that long? Seeing her carrying her backpack, she must have come straight from her own school.
"Where are the others?" Seung-ah asked, scanning the surroundings.
"Shin A-young and Ji Nuri stepped out for a bit. Lee Sol is inside the club room."
"Really?"
Seung-ah’s lips curled into a smirk as she lowered her stance. It looked like she was planning to sneak up and give her a surprise.
Rattle—
She carefully slid the club room door open and began to waddle forward in a crouch. Lee Sol was so preoccupied with tidying the back of the room that she didn't notice her approach at all.
"Wah!"
Seung-ah shouted at the top of her lungs, clapping her hands onto Lee Sol’s shoulders.
"……."
Sol’s head turned back slowly, like a creaking machine. She gave the girl a completely expressionless look.
"Uh... um... ahem."
Seung-ah let out an awkward cough. Since there was no reaction, she looked a bit embarrassed.
— She's not that surprised.
Her Mini-Me’s eyes drooped. She was disappointed by the lack of a big reaction.
But that wasn't it.
— "---------"
She was so shocked she’d simply frozen. I could tell by the Noise erupting from her. I carefully checked on Lee Sol’s condition.
"Are you okay?"
"...I-I was just a little surprised."
She nodded, saying she was fine.
— Phew, phew.
Her Mini-Me spread its arms wide and took a deep breath. Its short limbs moved rhythmically. She was slowly calming down.
"Oh?"
Just then, Shin A-young, who had been away for a moment, returned.
"What? Is that Seung-ah? Did you come to check out the festival?"
"Yep. I figured I’d scout out the school I’m joining next year."
She sounded incredibly confident. Well, her grades aren't bad and her drawing skills are excellent, so she has every right to be.
Shin A-young showed interest in the news.
"You're coming to our school, Seung-ah? For which department?"
"The art department."
"Hmm... Art, huh?"
A-young nodded, noting that it was her first time hearing that. She seemed somewhat excited by the news that Lee Seung-ah would be attending our school.
"By the way, what kind of booth is this, Oppa?"
Seung-ah looked around the club room. Since it had been neatly tidied, there was nothing left to see.
"Simple games and snacks."
"...Snacks? What kind of snacks?"
"Popcorn. The kind they sell at convenience stores. You know, the ones you pop in the microwave."
"Oh, that?" She looked a bit disappointed. "And here I thought you were selling something delicious."
We were out of popcorn anyway, so there was nothing to give her.
"Go buy something else somewhere else."
"No, I wanted to, okay?"
Seung-ah patted the sofa, signaling me to listen to her story. I lifted the floor desk and stepped further into the club room.
"I mean, why are the lines so long? Wow, seriously, the line stretched all the way down the hallway. It even went down the stairs!"
"Is that so?"
"That's why I couldn't eat the tteokbokki I wanted. The smell was everywhere—how was I supposed to resist that?"
"Is that so?"
"Oppa, are you even listening to me?"
"Is tha—"
Just as Seung-ah’s expression was about to crumple, I let out a short cough and changed the subject.
"...But there's plenty of other stuff. There are waffles and parfaits. Go eat those."
"No, I want tteokbokki."
Seung-ah tapped her thighs grumpily. She’s my sister, but she certainly has firm tastes.
Shin A-young, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, leaned in slightly.
"...Seung-ah. You wanted tteokbokki? Should I go get you some?" A-young asked softly.
"Huh? Really?"
"Yeah, if you want it, I can get it for you."
A-young brushed her hair behind her ear nonchalantly.
— I should score some points in advance.
Shin A-young’s Mini-Me opened its eyes into crescent moons.
"...But the line is really long. Even if you go now, you'll have to wait forever," Seung-ah said, waving her hand.
Even as she said that, her throat was honest. I could see her gulping down her saliva. A-young let out a faint laugh as she watched her.
"It's okay. The place is run by a friend of mine. I'll go and ask them to slide one out just for you."
"You really don't have to..."
"It might not work. I'm just going to ask if it's possible."
"Well, if that's the case..."
Seung-ah nodded, pretending to be swayed.
— I've helped them out plenty of times, so one cup should be fine. This is when maintaining a good image really pays off.
Shin A-young’s Mini-Me let out a low, alluring chuckle. Is this the power of networking?
— ...Sneaky.
Lee Sol’s Mini-Me’s eyes trembled as if she were frustrated. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't beat Shin A-young when it came to social connections.
A short while later.
"...Wow, she actually got it."
Shin A-young returned with a cup of tteokbokki. I watched in slight admiration. I didn't think it would actually work, but she managed to get her hands on it.
"Here, sit comfortably and eat."
"Thank you, Unnie!"
Seung-ah snatched it up and plopped down on the sofa. Her Mini-Me let out a silly laugh.
— Hehehe.
She was clearly happy.
"...Seung-ah."
Watching this, Lee Sol quietly held out a can of cola. It was a drink from the club room refrigerator.
"...Drink this with it."
"Really? Thank you!"
She didn't bother refusing what was offered. Seung-ah grinned like a happy quokka.
— I'm finally getting some perks thanks to my brother.
Her Mini-Me flashed a chilly smile. I wonder who she takes after to be like that. I’ll have to stop her if she starts taking it too far.
Seung-ah spoke to me while stuffing tteokbokki into her mouth.
"Wha' kin' of game i' i'?"
"Talk after you finish eating."
"……."
Seung-ah’s cheeks bulged as she chewed. Munch, munch.
Gulp— her throat moved as she swallowed. Then she asked again.
"...What kind of game is it?"
She looked around, curious. Her expression said she couldn't see anything that looked like a game. I handed her the instruction sheet. It was something I’d written down because explaining it over and over was exhausting.
As she read through it, Seung-ah tilted her head.
"...There's a trick to this, isn't there?"
She seemed to realize that the prizes were suspiciously large. I nodded.
"Yeah."
"Then this is just a scam...!"
Seung-ah slapped my arm repeatedly. It actually stung quite a bit.
"The school actually allowed this? You didn't just do this secretly, did you, Oppa?"
"...There's a limit on the number of attempts and a limit on the prizes."
"No, but still..."
She looked like she found it even harder to believe.
"It's fine. Anyway, we don't keep the profits," I added.
"Huh? Then who gets it?" She blinked as if asking what I meant.
"It's all going to the Donation Fund, obviously."
If we were just pocketing the money, there's no way the school would have given us permission.
"They said the donation money goes toward school equipment or student support funds. The Teachers' Office will handle that part."
In short, it was a structure where the money students spent on games went back to the students. It wasn't just us; every other booth was the same.
"Besides, all of this was made using the grant the school gave us anyway."
The ingredients for the popcorn and tteokbokki were the same. It was all bought with support funds. Otherwise, where would students get the money to buy all those supplies?
"And the 10,000 Won Gift Cards we prepared were all taken by the kids. There's only one left now."
Out of the five gift cards, the kids had won four.
"Huh? How?" Her face asked how they could have won if there was a trick.
"I lost on purpose to anyone who noticed the trick."
"...Aha?"
Because losing only to Ha Seo-rim wouldn't have been fair. I lost to every kid who caught onto the gimmick. In other words, the essence of this game was for kids to notice the trick midway through rather than winning a fair fight.
That’s also why the booth ended so quickly.
— ...It's a vaguely shady booth.
That was Seung-ah’s assessment. Her tone suggested that even so, it was still a scam. I had no excuse for that.
Rattle—
Just then, the club room door opened.
"Oh? Seung-ah’s here? When did you get here?"
Ji Nuri raised her voice as she entered the room. Since she was the only one who knew Seung-ah was coming, she wasn't surprised to see her.
"You're here, Unnie?"
Ji Nuri had already changed her clothes. A black cropped tank top and cargo pants. With the guitar bag slung over her back, she looked like a band member through and through. She’d said it was her performance outfit, and it was quite a hip look.
Since it was a high school festival, it wasn't overly revealing, but seeing her in civilian clothes at school gave off a completely different vibe.
"Where were you, Unnie?"
"Just changing my clothes. How do I look?"
Seung-ah’s eyes sparkled as she stood up.
"Did you look around a bit?"
"There was a lot of fun stuff!"
As the two of them chatted happily... I felt a cold touch on the back of my neck. Shin A-young tapped me with her fingertips.
"...What's with those two? Were they always close?" A-young whispered quietly.
Come to think of it, the others had never seen Ji Nuri and Seung-ah hanging out before.
"It just kind of happened."
It really was a coincidence. Meeting at the event venue and then again on vacation hadn't been intentional. It was a connection formed by chance.
"……."
Lee Sol didn't say anything, but she seemed to be feeling a bit wary internally.
"Since you're here, want me to show you the Band Club's practice room?"
"Can I?"
Seung-ah, who had a romanticized view of band clubs, showed great interest.
"Do you guys want to come too?"
I shook my head at Ji Nuri’s question. "I'm good."
I felt like the other kids there would be uncomfortable if I went.
"...I won't go."
"I'm fine too. You two go ahead."
The remaining two also expressed their refusal one by one.
"Really?"
Ji Nuri seemed a bit disappointed, but she didn't push it, seemingly having no intention of forcing us.
"……."
I watched Ji Nuri and Seung-ah walk away, lost in thought. A brief moment of worry flickered through my mind before vanishing.
It’ll be fine. It's not like Seung-ah knows Ha Seo-rim.
*
Seung-ah after a long time.
Munching Seung-ah.