Cultural Festival (7)
After parting ways with Kang Eunbi, I arrived home.
“I’m back.”
“Welcome home, Master~”
“……”
Wasn’t this the same pattern as last time?
The moment I stepped into the entryway, I came face-to-face with my sister in a maid outfit.
“You’re wearing that again today?”
“How is it? My greeting wasn’t too awkward, was it?”
“It’s cringey.”
“Ugh…”
My white-haired sister made a slightly dejected face.
“No, it’s not something to get down about. Those kinds of lines are just cringey by nature.”
“But in a way, it means my skills are still lacking.”
She pulled off the outfit better than anyone, so why was she so lacking in confidence? The thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t say it out loud. If I encouraged her like that, she might misunderstand me as a siscon again.
Kim Hayan was in the middle of practicing her maid service routine.
“Is the tea to your liking?”
“……Ah, yeah.”
And so, I’d been dragged to the dining table without even changing out of my uniform, sipping the milk tea she’d made. Dinner was apparently going to be omurice tonight, too.
“Hey, sis, how long are you gonna keep this up?”
“It still feels awkward?”
“No, more than that…”
With my own flesh-and-blood sister serving me so politely in a maid outfit, I had no idea how to react as her little brother. How do other siblings handle this? Ah, probably no other siblings even do this in the first place. If they did, it’d end with teasing and mocking, followed by a smackdown or one of them running away from home. Come to think of it, my sister and I get along surprisingly well.
“This is my first time doing customer service like this. Give me some feedback.”
“Hmm. Feedback, huh…”
Now that I thought about it, Hayan had no part-time job experience. The culture festival at her old school before we moved had been more academic, like a presentation event. It was no wonder she felt awkward with this stuff.
“Wouldn’t the kitchen suit you better?”
“Ugh~ Even at the school festival, you want me slaving over food?”
“Mm… Sorry.”
I’d only suggested it because she was good at cooking, but apparently that wasn’t on her mind.
“Anyway, even if I wanted to, the staffing doesn’t line up. Plus, the kitchen’s already monopolized by kids aiming for culinary careers.”
Her class was really serious about the culture festival, even roping in aspiring chefs.
“Oh, Taeyang. Speaking of staffing, another idea came up in our class.”
“What is it?”
“We figured out there’d be some extra male manpower, so we decided to do a butler cafe on top of the maid one.”
“Hmm, not bad.”
Adding butlers alongside just maids would probably draw more female customers.
“So we ordered butler outfits too.”
“Huh? The student council hasn’t allocated budgets to classes yet.”
“The students paid out of pocket. We’ll attach the receipts later.”
Yeah, reimbursing expenses after the fact was a thing. The culture festival was a pretty big deal locally, famous enough that the student council funded all participating classes, clubs, and school circles to a certain extent. But I didn’t want to think about work stuff at home. Time to relax.
“I’m gonna go change and wash up.”
“Eh? But customers in uniforms feel more authentic.”
“Cut me some slack. I just got back from work too.”
“Ah… Sorry. Go ahead and wash up. I’ll have dinner ready.”
As I left the table to head to the bathroom, she called out again.
“Oh, Taeyang, about the butler thing.”
“Yeah?”
Did she have more to say? When I turned back, her face lit up with a mischievous grin as she dropped a bombshell.
“Wanna try on a butler outfit, Taeyang?”
“Why the hell would I wear that?”
I tilted my head like it made no sense, but she kept her expression innocent and gentle.
“Because I think it’d suit you perfectly, so I wanna see you in it.”
It wasn’t playful or teasing at all, but it still felt like she was messing with me.
“Teddy bear costume last time, butler suit now? And it wouldn’t suit me anyway.”
“Aww~, but you’ve grown so much lately?”
I had grown taller, but I was still just barely a single strand of hair shorter than Hayan.
“I’ll bring one next time, then.”
“Not wearing it.”
“Not even for a plea from your one and only sister?”
“Why do you wanna see your little brother dressed up like that?”
Was my sister actually a full-blown brocon deep down?
“Sigh~ Honestly, I don’t wanna make things hard for you, Taeyang.”
“Huh?”
“But practicing the maid thing alone is embarrassing… If there was someone to join me and match the vibe, I could really get into it.”
Sigh~ Well, helping her out wouldn’t hurt. She already does so much for me. And she really was struggling with the maid practice. In the game, Kim Hayan hated customer service so much she was scared of it, even asking Seonwoo for role-play help. Since I’d gotten rid of Seonwoo, it was on me to step in. Definitely not because I’m a siscon playing along with her whims.
“Fine~ But if I wear the butler outfit, you’ll get motivated?”
“Yeah!”
We shook on it, and I finally headed off to wash up. After my shower and changing, I checked my phone and saw a message. It was routine now, so I picked it up.
These days, GlassMental even asked if I was studying first. If I said yes, she wouldn’t bother me. When I replied it was fine to chat, her messages came pouring in like rain.
I decided to console GlassMental.
The reply came right as I was typing. So that was the real point?
Lately, Yuli had been casually suggesting we meet up every now and then. Was it because Seonwoo was gone?
First time I’d seen someone straight-up type “sniffle” in chat. Yuli really kept revealing new sides the more I learned about her.
She sounded like a kid insisting to her parents that she wasn’t bullied at school. It made her even more pitiful. Everything Cho Yuli said was true. Hayan would be busy with maid cafe service and wouldn’t have much break time. Choi Gahee and Seong Juyeon were on committees, running around helping with everything. They could patrol or guide as enforcement or info staff, but they had to drop everything for call-ins, and it was more work than fun.
But what about Min Iri?
There is one, kinda?
Yeah, Min Iri had tons of sports team friends and followers even outside the heroines. Even if you were personally close to someone that popular, it’d be tough to butt in when crowds gathered around. I got it, but I couldn’t help either.
I thanked her and turned off my phone. Cho Yuli should be fine on her own now. She was getting steady counseling and even voicing her thoughts via chat. I’d trust her for now.
After school ended, students stuck around for festival prep instead of heading home. Clubs, classes, and informal groups all handled their tasks. The festival committee was no exception.
The support team was reviewing funding applications from participating school departments.
“Hey, Taeyang.”
And today, Choi Gahee resolved to finally talk to Kim Taeyang properly.
“What’s up, sunbae?”
“Sigh~ So we start like this, huh.”
Even as Taeyang kept his distance, Gahee didn’t mind. Thanks to Hayan, she’d at least made some inroads. She had to do something.
“What do you need?”
“Help me with some work.”
“If you don’t know how, ask me!!”
As expected, guys swarmed like hyenas, desperate for her attention. Gahee ignored their pathetic attempts.
“It’s something only Taeyang can help with!”
The air went quiet in an instant. Her words, from the already attention-grabbing Gahee, could easily be misunderstood. Or rather, not a misunderstanding— to Gahee, it was the plain truth. It was a problem for her and Taeyang to solve together.
Taeyang seemed to sense her sincerity and was about to respond when—
“Taeyang oppa, check this out!”
“Huh?”
“Oops?… Did I butt in rudely?”
“…No. Choi Gahee sunbae, really sorry, but let’s talk later.”
Gahee got shot down again. Taeyang turned from her to review the papers Eunbi handed him.
“Oppa, this looks weird, right?”
“Mm… The committee even sent out notices not to submit like this, but some people just don’t follow.”
“So it’s wrong?”
“Yeah, and the items aren’t even filled out fully? Total doesn’t match the calculations.”
“Right?”
“Let’s reject it for now.”
“Should I go to their club room and talk it over?”
“No need to go that far. Just tell them when they come by later.”
“Mm… But…”
“Eunbi, you don’t have to be that thorough. That’s why you’re always rushed and flustered.”
“Ugh… Oppa, why poke where it hurts all of a sudden?”
“Kidding. Well, that side of you is a good thing in some ways.”
Even while working, Taeyang and Eunbi bantered and joked like a close couple. Watching that tiny girl glued especially to Taeyang’s side— close enough their bodies nearly touched— Gahee muttered under her breath without thinking.
‘……Oppa?’