Chapter 104: Arts Festival (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104: Arts Festival (8)
“…….”
Lee Sol’s expression darkened as she looked down at the cards.
“…What does this mean?”
The question that escaped her lips carried a chilly edge.
— “…It’s total nonsense.”
Even as she asked, her Mini-Me was pouring out words of denial regarding the cards' contents. Its cheeks were puffed out with dissatisfaction, looking like a dam about to burst at the slightest touch.
“Th-this…”
At that moment, the boy spoke up.
“Th-this is actually a very good set of cards…!”
He clapped his hands together and let out a hollow laugh.
“…Good cards?”
Lee Sol looked down at the cards again.
A gaunt, skeletal man. A red-eyed fox. Women fighting over jewels.
— “These are?”
The Mini-Me pitter-pattered around the cards. It looked at the cards, then at him, its gaze shifting up and down repeatedly.
I could understand that reaction. It looked the same to me. No matter how positively one tried to interpret them, there was a limit.
“O-of course. They’re great cards.”
Aware of the tension, he desperately continued his sales pitch.
“Individually, the meanings might seem bad, but cards take on a completely different meaning when you combine them.”
“…….”
Lee Sol didn’t respond.
— “…I think he’s just winging it.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
— “Aw, man… she doesn’t look like she believes me at all.”
Noticing her gaze, his expression stiffened again. I stepped in to defend him.
“Ahem. Well… that’s what I heard, too. They say the interpretation changes depending on the combination.”
“Really?”
Lee Sol nodded without a second thought.
— “…Then I guess that’s how it is.”
The Mini-Me’s expression softened instantly.
I was glad the atmosphere had settled, but man, that was some excessive trust.
— “Think. Think. Think.”
He had bought himself a little time. In that brief window, his Mini-Me scurried around busily.
— “Ah!”
The Mini-Me finally let out an exclamation as if it had realized something. He tapped the desk.
“You see this gaunt man here?”
“…….”
“This card represents the psychological state of the opposite sex. It means he has let go of his greed.”
“……?”
For the first time, a look of confusion appeared in Lee Sol’s eyes. She seemed lost in thought, as if she couldn’t quite grasp what he meant.
“He has let go of expectations or obsessions. In short, he has discarded old ties and is ready to meet his true fate…! That’s roughly what it means.”
“…….”
Lee Sol’s long eyelashes blinked slowly.
“…True fate.”
She murmured the words softly, as if she liked the sound of them.
“If you look at the second card, the foxes have many eyes, right?”
“…Yes.”
“This means the environment surrounding the man is complex, and he’s in a period where he has a lot on his mind.”
“Mhm.”
“The reason he can’t easily approach you is likely due to those internal or external issues.”
Lee Sol was now nodding along.
“Finally, this jewel.”
“Yes.”
“This card represents your emotions or worries. ‘Should I wait? Should I express myself first?’ It shows that you’re harboring these kinds of dilemmas.”
“…….”
Lee Sol’s eyes widened.
— “…Who is this guy?”
The Mini-Me jumped in surprise and clung to its owner. It looked genuinely shocked.
‘Oh….’
I was inwardly impressed. He was pouring out words as if his tongue were slick with oil. I guess that’s why he was running the Prophecy Deck.
— “Hmph….”
On the other hand, Shin A-young’s Mini-Me crossed its legs indifferently.
— “He’s a smooth talker, I’ll give him that.”
That was the extent of her impression. Now, it was her turn.
“Could you give me a love prophecy too?”
“Sure thing.”
He shuffled the cards, discreetly tucking away the ones Lee Sol had drawn. Then, he held the deck out again.
“This one… this one. And this one.”
Shin A-young made her choices, pulling out three cards.
— “Oh, for crying out loud.”
His Mini-Me facepalmed.
A hand tightly clutching a thorny rose. A leash. Children riding on someone’s shoulders.
The same situation was repeating itself.
— “…Did I not shuffle them right? No, I shuffled them well.”
When he drew cards for himself, normal ones came out—cards that weren’t exactly good or bad, but had plenty of substance to weave a story around.
— “…Pfft.”
Lee Sol’s Mini-Me sucked in a breath. Its shoulders were shaking as it held back laughter.
“…Excuse me, what does this mean?”
Shin A-young asked with a bright smile. But it didn’t feel like a real smile at all.
“Ah, well, you see…?”
You can do it.
I cheered for him in my heart.
*
Ha Seo-rim felt her expression nearly crumble at Ji Nuri’s words. She was just that surprised.
“…….”
So Lee Seung-ah was Lee Seung-ho’s younger sister.
Now that she heard it, they did seem to look alike. Then again, maybe they didn’t.
“…Is something wrong?”
Lee Seung-ah tilted her head and leaned in. That gaze that seemed to pierce right through a person—this peculiar atmosphere—ah, this was definitely it. It was as if their sibling bond was written all over her.
“No, it’s just… their personalities are so different.”
Ha Seo-rim shook her head at Lee Seung-ah’s question.
“Well, that’s true,” Ji Nuri agreed with a laugh. “Seung-ah is so energetic, while Seung-ho is quieter than he looks. Their personalities are so different you’d hardly think they’re siblings.”
Ha Seo-rim nodded, but she secretly thought they might not be that different after all. I mean, just look at the people they hang out with.
“Still, lately I can tell they’re siblings. They both have such striking looks.”
“…….”
Ha Seo-rim didn’t say it out loud, but she agreed.
“Seung-ho wasn’t like that before, but as he got taller, his features became more defined.”
“…Really?”
Lee Seung-ah tilted her head. She looked like this was news to her.
“Don’t you think so?”
Ji Nuri seemed confused by her reaction. Lee Seung-ah shook her head.
“I’m not really sure.”
“Well, I guess since you guys see each other every day, you might not notice the changes.”
Ji Nuri nodded, conceding the point.
“…….”
A question popped into Ha Seo-rim’s mind. If that was the case, didn’t Ji Nuri and Lee Seung-ho also see each other almost every day? They were in the same class and the same club.
“Anyway, I’m glad nothing happened between you and my brother.”
“…Yeah.”
Ha Seo-rim nodded.
“If anything ever does happen, feel free to talk to me.”
“Mhm. Thanks for looking out for me.”
“…But really, nothing happened with my brother, right?”
“I told you, nothing happened.”
Ha Seo-rim waved her hand with a faint smile. There was no need to worry. At least, not yet.
If anything, Lee Seung-ho seemed to be more considerate lately, perhaps because of that awkwardness.
‘I don’t even have to nag him at the shop….’
Compared to others, there was no need to micromanage him. He didn’t slack off, and she could see he was surprisingly meticulous and attentive.
…Even so, she had no intention of letting her guard down. Even if he was behaving himself right now, wasn’t he the type of guy who could break a heart or two? She had no intention of getting caught up in that.
Ring—! Ring—!
Just then, an alarm blared loudly. It was the alarm she had set before the performance. It was time to head to the auditorium.
“Shall we go?”
At Ji Nuri’s words, she nodded and started walking.
*
The sound that had been filling the air gradually faded. Another stage had come to an end. The students in the audience cheered and broke into a round of applause.
“…….”
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Ji Nuri stood with her arms crossed, her leg shaking restlessly.
“Where on earth are they…?”
Ji Nuri furrowed her brow and scanned the audience from behind the curtain. Left, right, front, back, corners—he was nowhere to be found. Not just him, but none of the others were visible either.
She had planned to show off her cool side in her element.
“Unnie?”
She hadn’t originally intended to do it, but that was the reason she had insisted on performing. Since she had been too embarrassed during the last anime event, she wanted to show Lee Seung-ho and the others a different side of herself—
“Unnie!”
“Wh-what?!”
Startled by the voice right in her ear, Ji Nuri whipped her head around.
“Are you okay?”
Ha Seo-rim was looking at her with a strange expression.
“I called you several times and you didn’t answer. You’re not feeling sick, are you?”
“No. I was just lost in thought for a second….”
Ji Nuri shook her head.
“But what’s up?”
“You really didn’t hear me….”
Ha Seo-rim turned toward the stage and continued.
“They told the next team to come out and get ready. It’s our turn now.”
“Huh? Already?”
Had time really passed that quickly? As she moved to her position, Ji Nuri hurriedly tapped on her phone screen.
[Ji Nuri: Where are you??]
[Ji Nuri: The stage is starting soon.]
Ji Nuri crouched down and began her final checks.
“Setup is done.”
“Me too!”
“Same here.”
One by one, the members of the band club signaled the sound team.
“Nuri Senior?”
“Wait a sec. The tone sounds a bit weird…?”
The setup had been finished long ago, but she kept fiddling with things for no reason. She stared at her silent phone while pretending to tune her instrument. The black screen remained unresponsive.
“…….”
Should she just start? Just as she was debating it—
Buzz.
[Arrived.]
A short text message popped up.
“Are you almost ready?”
“All set.”
At Ha Seo-rim’s prompting, Ji Nuri sprang to her feet.
…That punk, making me worry for nothing. If that was his goal, I’ll give it to him.
Ji Nuri let out a small snort and looked straight ahead as the curtains slowly began to part.
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