The Yutonovel Festival, Part 1
"Everyone, welcome to the 3rd Yutonovel Festival!"
My editor raised both hands high in the air to welcome us.
The Yutonovel Cosplay Festival.
A festival for people who truly loved web novels.
A place where you could buy merchandise from Yutonovel's flagship series,
and admire the cool and beautiful cosplays of older guys and girls.
To me, it was paradise!
Yutonovel had already become the undisputed number one web novel platform.
Two years ago, the newly appointed CEO reportedly planned this festival so that both readers and authors could enjoy themselves.
I had desperately wanted to attend the last festival too.
But as expected of the top platform, getting tickets was absolute hell.
I had tried ticketing myself, but...
Seriously, how does it make sense for it to sell out in ten seconds flat the moment it opens?!
This time, however, my editor had personally gifted us tickets.
"Noona, I get Hyunseong, but is it really okay for us to take these?"
"Of course! After all, Geum Jeongho is my boyfriend~."
"Haha... Thanks."
My editor cast a heavy, suggestive gaze at Jeongho.
Feeling pressured, Jeongho turned his head away with a hollow chuckle.
Are they already speaking casually to each other?
Looking at Jeongho, it seemed he actually liked my editor quite a bit.
"And since the rest of you are all close friends of the author, I invited you all. So don't feel pressured and just have fun!"
"Thank you," Sia said politely.
The Yutonovel Festival.
Should we go look at the cosplays first?
Or should we go buy merchandise?
It was a happy dilemma.
But there was just one thing I wasn't happy about.
"Why are you here?"
"The editor invited me too."
"What...?"
Shin Jiwu. The girl I hated most.
The one who had bullied Sia.
Even though it had already been eight years...
I still detested her.
"I have some business to attend to, so I'll be going now. Have fun, everyone, and make sure to stay for the special event tonight!"
My editor waved her hand at us and quickly ran off somewhere.
"Hy-Hyunseong! Sh-Should we go check out the merchandise first?!"
Sia's eyes sparkled, looking incredibly excited.
Even in her excitement, she was absolutely adorable.
"Sure! Um... Jeongho, what are you going to do?"
"Hmm... I don't know. Dahye-noona invited me, but I don't really care about novels, so I'll just tag along with you guys."
Jeongho scratched his head and headed toward the merchandise shop with us.
"W-Wait! Take me with you!"
Shin Jiwu's urgent voice called out from behind us.
"Why? You and I are strictly business. Go play by yourself."
"B-But... it's lonely alone! Please, I'm begging you!"
"Why should I? I still don't like you."
I stopped walking, turned around, and gave her a cold reply.
Shin Jiwu put on a pitiful act and pleaded again.
"Hey, Jiwu looks pitiful. Let's just take her with us."
"Yeah, Hyunseong. I-I don't mind."
It seemed Shin Jiwu's pity play had worked on Sia and Jeongho.
Setting Jeongho's opinion aside for a moment...
Sia's sympathetic look toward Shin Jiwu was unexpected.
I thought Sia would hate Jiwu just as much as I did.
"Sia, are you really okay with this?"
"It's not like anything will change just because she tags along."
"Huh...? What do you mean by that?"
"I-It's nothing! Just forget it!"
Sia snapped back petulantly and whipped her head away.
Cute.
"Hey, hurry up."
"Okay!"
Reluctantly, I gestured for Shin Jiwu to hurry up.
Her face lit up as she ran toward us.
Shin Jiwu... you better thank Sia.
We made our way to the merchandise shop.
"O-Oh...! Isn't this Zinzzande from Aca-Seat, Yutonovel's mega-hit?"
The moment we arrived at the merchandise shop, it caught my eye.
A Nendoroid figure with long, sky-blue hair.
It was the figure of SkyBlue Zinzzande, the heroine of Academy Heroine's Left Diagonal Front Seat!
She was in a dynamic pose, looking as if she were about to unleash an ice punch!
I-I want to buy it!
But... something like that must be expensive, right? And I barely had any money...
"Oh! Do you like Aca-Seat, customer? I absolutely love it too."
"Yes! I really love it. Especially Wusi's feelings for Zinzzande! I can't help but admire it!"
It seemed the shop staff was a huge fan of the novel as well.
Finding a kindred spirit, we smiled at each other.
"It really feels like a dream that a web novel character got a figure. I actually bought a Zinzzande figure myself this time. This is a super popular item and it's the very last one left. How about it, customer?"
The staff member's eyes shone as they recommended the Zinzzande figure to me, but...
"No, thank you. I'm... not really interested in figures..."
"Ah... I see. Well, that's a shame. We have plenty of other merchandise, so please take your time looking around."
"Yes, thank you."
The staff member gave a slight nod and walked away to assist another customer.
Of course I was interested.
But with the state of my wallet...
there was no way I could afford such an expensive-looking figure.
"Hyunseong...? Do you want this figure?"
Sia was also staring intently at the Zinzzande figure.
"Huh...? N-No! I told you, I'm not interested in figures."
"Then... I'll buy it. I like Aca-Seat too."
With that, Sia picked up the Zinzzande figure I wanted so badly and headed to the counter.
Sia... likes Aca-Seat? I had no idea.
"Hy-Hyunseong!! Look at that."
"Why are you making such a fuss?"
Jeongho grabbed my shoulder dramatically and pointed in one direction.
"What in the... Is that... a cosplay of Lavender, the main heroine of Knight's Countryside...?"
A knight in bikini armor with long silver hair and blood-red eyes.
The cosplayer dressed as Lavender also seemed to be browsing the merchandise.
Her figure... was incredibly stunning.
A voluptuous chest, a slender waist, and thick thighs...
It was as if Lavender herself had descended into the real world.
Of course, she's not as good as Sia, though.
"Knight's... Countryside? Whatever it is, she's fucking gorgeous. Don't you think?"
"Yeah... I agree."
Jeongho and I stared blankly, completely captivated by the high-quality cosplay.
And it wasn't just us; everyone in the merchandise shop had their eyes glued to her.
"Oh...? Jeongho~. You were here?"
The cosplayer waved her hand and started walking toward us.
"Hey... do you... know her?"
"No... what the fuck... It's my first time seeing her too. How does she know my name?"
"Seriously...?"
"I swear."
Geum Jeongho... what is going on with you...?
Then why is she calling your name and walking right toward you?!
"Jeongho, how do I look? This is my first time cosplaying."
The cosplayer, acting very friendly, definitely seemed to know Jeongho.
"Um... wh-who are you?"
"It's me! Your girlfriend, Seo Dahye."
"Da-Dahye-noona?!"
Indeed.
The identity of the cosplayer boasting insane quality was none other than my editor.
Neither Jeongho nor I could hide our sheer shock.
My editor was grinning like a child.
How does this make any sense?
"No-Noona? Your eyesight is terrible. Are you wearing contacts?"
"Yep! Contact lenses these days are really high quality."
No, wait...
A woman with a body this amazing...
was a twenty-nine-year-old virgin who had never dated before?
I don't get it. I don't get it at all!!
"Excuse me, Editor. Why did you suddenly cosplay? And in such a revealing outfit..."
"I'm hosting the Cosplay Contest tonight, so I decided to cosplay as well!"
My editor put her hands on her hips and continued proudly.
"Determine the best cosplayer! Total prize money of ten million won! A lot of cosplayers are going to participate, so make sure to come watch."
Ah... so that was the special event tonight.
It sounded pretty fun. I should go watch it with Sia.
"Aren't you participating, Noona? I feel like you'd win first place if you entered."
"W-What? I'm twenty-nine, you know...? I'm already old... I'll be thirty next year..."
"No, you're not. Noona, you're really beautiful. Age doesn't matter. You're already number one in my heart."
"R-Really...?"
Jeongho tightly held my editor's hands, locking his gaze onto hers.
My editor looked incredibly embarrassed.
But she also seemed pleased by Jeongho's lavish compliments.
But this is way too cringey. You motherfucker, Geum Jeongho.
I quietly watched their cringeworthy display of affection with a look of disgust.
"Hyunseong, I'm ba— Huh...? Who is this?"
"It's my editor. Apparently, she's cosplaying."
"R-Really...? I couldn't even recognize you."
Sia, who had returned to our side after paying, had the exact same reaction.
"Hey, guys~. What are you all doing?"
It seemed that bitch Shin Jiwu had finished shopping as well.
"Oh?! Isn't this a cosplay of Lavender, the sub-heroine of Knight's Countryside?"
"Wait... what did you just say? Sub-heroine? Lavender is the main heroine, you know."
"Hyunseong, you have zero taste. Obviously, the main heroine is Forest!"
"Ha... Why would a dirt-poor character like Forest be the main heroine?"
I was already annoyed that Lavender's screen time had been low lately...
And now... Forest is the main heroine? Shin Jiwu is seriously out of her mind.
"Uh-uh! Stop fighting, you two!"
My editor maturely stepped in to stop us before we could start throwing blows.
"Save the heroine wars for the fan forums... By the way, Sia, Jiwu, would you two like to try cosplaying as well?"
"Cosplay?! I want to do it!"
Shin Jiwu raised her hand high, looking eager to start immediately.
"I'm n-not really..."
On the other hand, Sia seemed reluctant.
"Jiwu, come this way! I'll lend you an outfit."
"Yay~! I've always wanted to try cosplaying. Thank you so much!"
Before my editor walked away with Shin Jiwu, who was rejoicing like a child...
"Hyunseong... do you like cosplay?"
Sia tugged at my sleeve and asked shyly.
"Me...? Well, I don't dislike it. Though I don't really care to see Shin Jiwu's cosplay."
"...I changed my mind. Editor! I'll co-cosplay too!"
"What...? Didn't you say you didn't want to?"
"I-It's just a whim! I thought it might be fun to try it once. I-It's absolutely not because I want to show you or anything, so d-don't get the wrong idea!"
Sia twirled her side hair, acting petulant.
Her lovely reaction was almost too much to bear.
I wanted to hug her right then and there, but there were too many eyes watching.
"Oh~ then since you're cosplaying anyway, why don't you two participate in the Cosplay Contest tonight?"
Sia participating in the Cosplay Contest...?
I was fucking excited!