So That's Why They Call Him a Rabbit
Today was a day I craved a self-made holiday more than any other.
Why? Because if I could just get through today, tomorrow would be a rest day. Yet I still had to show up at school for a single class.
I bet no college student alive could resist wanting a self-imposed break in a moment like this.
Unlike other students, if I wanted to skip, I first had to check whether the professor had any connection to my mom.
There was a connection. But it was only to the extent that they knew each other’s names.
At that level, it should be fine to take the day off, right?
Come to think of it, Chae-yeon had mentioned she was part of the samulnori club.
She must have been working hard to prepare for the performance.
People always envy and admire what they themselves can't do.
I found this side of Chae-yeon both enviable and impressive.
If it had been me, no matter how enthusiastically I joined a club, performing would have remained an impossible dream.
Chae-yeon seemed to have hidden it to stop me from showing up, but I wasn't about to give up over something like that.
I decided right then to take a self-made holiday today.
I had planned to fool around all day anyway, so spending that time going to see Chae-yeon instead was the ultimate upgrade.
I immediately checked the fastest bus schedule. Luckily a couple of seats remained, so I booked one.
Two and a half hours wasn't such a long trip after all.
Chae-yeon would assume I was still back in Gwangju. She wouldn't even dream I was on my way.
In short, a surprise event.
I wondered what kind of face she would make.
The entire bus ride to Daegu, my heart refused to settle.
It raced so violently that it reminded me of the moment I had resolved to confess to her.
After getting off the bus I took a taxi. Normally I would ride the bus or subway, but if I got lost, who would be held responsible?
For someone as directionally challenged as me, a taxi is the only reliable option.
That was how I arrived at Chae-yeon's university.
One final gate remained.
The instant I lost my way on campus the whole surprise would become meaningless, so my mission was to stay focused while navigating the grounds.
With the show starting at six, I still had an hour. There was no way I would get lost in an hour.
I wandered the campus consulting the map and the school directory. Fortunately it wasn't as vast or confusing as my own university, so I quickly located the festival square.
Food stalls were apparently a universal law at every university festival; the square was packed with countless booths.
If my body had been normal I would have strolled around sampling everything, but that was a shame.
Truthfully, I had zero interest in campus events, so the sight felt completely foreign. The sheer number of people alone was already draining my energy.
Still, I had to endure it if I wanted to see Chae-yeon. If the surprise succeeded, what couldn't I handle?
I located the performance venue first and claimed a good seat. Then the show began.
It was the first university performance I had ever seen, and it was happening at Chae-yeon's school instead of my own.
That felt strangely fitting.
I had come to watch Chae-yeon's performance, but there was far more to see than I expected.
Students showing off talents in events prepared by the MC, even celebrity performances I had only ever seen on YouTube or television.
“It's about to start soon.”
At the MC's introduction, the samulnori club members stepped onto the stage.
Even though dozens of people in identical costumes had come up together, I spotted Chae-yeon instantly.
There she was in her samulnori outfit, hair neatly tied back.
It was a look I had never seen before, so my eyes stayed glued to her.
Fortunately I finished the performance without any mistakes.
It was only my second show since joining the club, yet performances still made my heart race like crazy every single time.
Now that it was over I should have felt light, but one thing kept nagging at me.
I thought I had seen Jung-woo in the front row of the audience. The distance might have caused me to see wrong, but I had definitely felt someone's eyes on me the entire time.
Surely... it couldn't be him.
Jung-woo had classes today. There was no way he would have come.
“Chae-yeon!! Good job.”
“You too, Ju-hee.”
“But why do you look like that?”
“There's... something on my mind.”
“Something on your mind? What is it?”
“I think I saw my boyfriend just now. In the front row.”
“What?! No way. You must have imagined it.”
“You think so? Yeah, it must have been.”
“How badly must you want to see your boyfriend to start hallucinating him?”
I ignored Ju-hee's strange expression, finished cleaning up, and stepped out into the square.
It had to be a mistake. It was probably because I hadn't been able to contact Jung-woo much lately while preparing for the performance...
“Yeoni!!”
What? Was I hearing things? Why did that sound like Jung-woo's voice?
I shook my head a few times to snap out of it and turned toward the sound.
It really was Jung-woo. He stood right in front of me, waving.
“Oh my, so it wasn't a mistake?”
“What?! Why are you here!!”
Jung-woo walked over slowly and took my hand as naturally as breathing.
I still felt like I was dreaming. After the auditory hallucination came a visual one!!
“Jung-woo... don't you have class today? Why are you here?”
“I skipped to come see Yeoni.”
Your aunt is the professor. If she finds out you skipped her class just to see me, she'll be thrilled.
Then my image would take a hit too.
Even though his reckless behavior left me speechless, it still made me happy.
It had been three weeks since we'd last seen each other, so it felt good. The timing was a little off, though.
“Hi, I'm Chae-yeon's friend Ju-hee.”
“Nice to meet you. We finally meet like this.”
“Then I'll leave you two. Have a wonderful time!!”
“Yes, take care.”
Once Ju-hee left, Jung-woo and I walked along holding hands.
Maybe because we had met in a place like this, it felt as special as the first time we held hands after we started dating.
“During your performance I thought I saw someone who looked like you. I told myself it was a mistake.”
“Surprise!!”
“Yeah, it really was an enormous surprise. I thought my heart was going to drop.”
“You were really good. I had no idea you could perform like that.”
“I'm not good. I'm actually one of the weaker ones compared to the others.”
“No!! You were seriously amazing!!”
Jung-woo praised me with desperate sincerity.
Even if I tried to stop it, how could the corners of my mouth stay down?
I glanced around, confirmed no one was nearby, and hugged him.
“Thank you. I was able to perform without mistakes because I kept thinking that person was you.”
“So I was helpful after all?”
“Yes. Extremely helpful.”
“That's a relief. The surprise was a success.”
It felt like I had received a surprise birthday present.
If dating Jung-woo meant things like this would happen often, I might not live to old age.
“First time at a university festival?”
“I-it's not my first time.”
“Liar. I know you. There's no way someone with your personality would have gone to a festival before.”
“O-okay, it is my first.”
Maybe because of the huge crowd, Jung-woo had shrunk in on himself.
That timid posture made him look exactly like a frightened rabbit, so without thinking I reached out and stroked his head.
So there was a reason his friends called him a rabbit. He was just too cute.
“What are you going to do if your aunt finds out about this?”
“She won't find out. And even if she does, my future self will take responsibility.”
“You're way too reckless. This is guilt by association. I'll get scolded too.”
“Don't worry. I won't let any trouble reach you, Yeoni.”
Jung-woo leaned against my shoulder, completely focused on enjoying the head pats.
He had come all this way and looked so adorable that I couldn't stop even though we were surrounded by people.
“Oh? Chae-yeon.”
“Hello.”
“You worked hard today. Were you very nervous?”
“A little. I'm still not used to it.”
“Is the person beside you your boyfriend?”
“Ah, yes. Jung-woo, this is my club senior.”
“Oh, really? Hello, I'm Chae-yeon's boyfriend.”
“You two look good together. Enjoy the festival.”
“Thank you, senior.”
With that, everyone around me now knew I was dating.
I hadn't planned to hide my relationship with Jung-woo anyway, so there was nothing to feel awkward about.
If anything, I wanted them to know even more—that I was spending such happy times.
“Jung-woo, want to walk around and look at everything?”
“Yeah!! It's my first university festival, so I'm curious about it all.”
“It'll be fun. There's so much to see!!”