Chapter 136: Festival (1)

After our trip to Gangneung, both Han-gyeol and I were incredibly busy. Even though we had only stepped away from our assignments for a few days, a surprising amount of work had piled up.

While I sat in front of the computer tackling my tasks, Han-gyeol was absorbed in his personal studies.

He studied hard in high school, but I never thought that dedication would continue into college. Watching him like this makes me think I need to step up my game as well.

Just as we were starting to get a bit of breathing room after those hectic days, the university festival was suddenly upon us.

As a freshman, this was my first festival, and I had no idea what to expect. I just tilted my head in confusion, not entirely sure what it was all about.

All I knew was that celebrities would come, and departments would open pop-up bars. Our department wasn’t an exception, and the seniors asked if anyone could spare some time to help out.

“Eun-ha, do you have any time to help?”

“Yeah, I think I can help out. But I’ll be watching the festival with my boyfriend, so I can’t stay for too long.”

“That’s totally fine! We’re already grateful for any help. Could you just help us with the setup on Thursday? We need to set up the outdoor tables and move some ingredients for the snacks.”

“Sure, I can do that.”

“Thanks so much! I was worried not many people would participate...”

When I readily agreed, the third-year senior seemed really thankful. After our brief chat, I headed off to my general education class.

I stopped by my locker for a moment before leaving the building and bumped into Yoori in the hallway.

“Oh, Eun-ha! Are you helping out with the festival too?”

“Hey, Yoori~ Yeah, I’m helping out too.”

“What time are you helping?”

“I’m just helping with the pop-up bar setup on Thursday. What about you?”

“Really? Jiyoung and I were asked to help with the pop-up bar too!”

“Then we can do it together!”

“Yeah, that works out perfectly!”

It looks like my shift will overlap with Yoori and Jiyoung’s, so I won’t be standing around awkwardly by myself.

“If we finish early, we can relax and enjoy the festival. Are you going to see the celebrities?”

“Hmm... I’m not too interested, so I’ll probably skip it. What about you?”

“I’ll probably check it out for a bit~ The guys are really excited about it.”

“I’m guessing it’ll be super crowded, so I think I’ll pass.”

Ah— I wonder if Han-gyeol will want to go check it out too?

“By the way, what’s your next class, Eun-ha? Want to grab lunch at the cafeteria?”

“Sorry, I’ve got another general education class, so I need to head straight there.”

“Aww, no worries. Can’t be helped~ See you tomorrow!”

“Yup, see you tomorrow~”

After saying goodbye to Yoori, I made my way to the class.

But now I’m wondering—will Han-gyeol participate in the festival? He’s never shown much interest in things like this, so I’m not sure if he’ll attend.

“Eun-ha! Over here!”

As soon as I stepped out of the building, I heard Han-gyeol’s voice.

When I turned my head, I saw him sitting on a bench, waving at me.

“Didn’t you say you were heading straight to class?!”

“The professor let us out a little early, so I came to find you. Let’s go together.”

“Okay!”

Meeting up on the way to class put me in a great mood.

“Hey, does your department have a pop-up bar too?”

“Yeah, the seniors asked if I could help out.”

“Are you going to participate?”

“I told them I’d help, but I haven’t decided on the exact time yet. I’ll try to match your schedule.”

“I only need to help with the setup on Thursday.”

“Then I’ll tell them I’ll help at the same time.”

“You’re good at cooking, so you’d be great in charge of the snacks.”

“Shh—if anyone hears that, they might actually make me do it.”

Han-gyeol glanced around nervously.

“What’s the big deal? Everyone would line up to eat if it’s made by you!”

“I’ve never made food in large batches before. It’d be a disaster in terms of turnover.”

“Worrying about turnover? Sounds like you’ve got the knack for it already.”

“I just want to spend the festival having fun with you~”

“Okay, then! Let’s have fun together.”

I had a feeling that our first university festival together was going to be a blast.

“Oh, by the way, I heard a ‘super’ popular idol is coming. The guys are really excited. Are you going to go watch?”

I teased him, but Han-gyeol responded without hesitation.

“Spending time with you is way better.”

“Oh~ Look at you, answering without a second of doubt! Good job~”

I ruffled his hair playfully.

“What would you have done if I hesitated?”

“Good question~”

Han-gyeol smiled brightly at my reply.

“I don’t think I’d be brave enough to go check it out now~”

“I’m kidding! You can really go if you want.”

“Nah, I don’t even know who’s coming. I don’t really follow idols.”

“Han-gyeol, you really don’t care about anyone but me, huh?”

“Well, I care about some things too~”

“What? Do you actually have a favorite idol?! Who is it?!”

I’ve never heard him mention this before!

“I was talking about the new graphics card that just came out.”

“Oh—“

Of course, Han-gyeol was always checking out the latest tech gadgets on his phone.

“You’re the one who wants to go see the celebrities, aren’t you?”

“I don’t even know who’s coming! Let’s meet up after we finish helping with the pop-up bar and explore the festival together.”

“I’d love that~ Just call me when you’re done. Got it?”

“Yup, got it!”

Once I entered the classroom, I found a seat near the back.

“We should sit down at the pop-up bar and have some drinks during the festival.”

“Just make sure to drink in moderation, okay?”

“I’ll drink a lot since you’ll be there to take care of me.”

I was getting more and more excited at the thought of wandering around the festival with Han-gyeol.

“If you get too drunk, you’ll wake up with pigtails the next day.”

“No way! That can’t happen!”

“Too bad~”

****

Time flew by, and the day of the festival finally arrived.

All the other departments and clubs were also busy with their preparations. Our film studies department was no exception and bustled around as well.

Honestly, I thought that since it wasn’t a real bar, helping out wouldn’t be that hard.

I figured it would be easy since I wouldn’t be serving customers like in a restaurant. But there was a lot to move and set up.

“Hey, sunbae*! We’ve finished setting up the outdoor tables and chairs. What should we do next?”

“Oh—thank you so much! Could you follow those guys over there and help move the last of the snack ingredients? Once that’s done, the setup will be complete.”

“Got it.”

“Thanks, Eun-ha! After this, go enjoy the festival! I’ll make sure you get lots of free food!”

“Thank you~”

By the time we finished setting up the tables, chairs, and moving the snack ingredients, I was exhausted. But thanks to everyone’s help, the preparations wrapped up quickly.

“Whew... everything’s ready. Great job, everyone. The others will take care of the rest, so feel free to go enjoy yourselves! You all worked so hard!”

With those encouraging words from the third-year class rep, everyone said their goodbyes and dispersed.

“Yeah~ I’ll come by later for a drink!”

“Great, I’ll make you some delicious snacks!”

“Okay~ see you later!”

“See you~”

After bowing politely, I made my way towards the stage with the others.

“Eun-ha, you’re going to meet up with your boyfriend now, right?”

“Yeah, sorry for bailing on you again. Let’s hang out together at the festival tomorrow!”

“Sounds good~ Have fun with your boyfriend!”

“Thanks! You and Jiyoung have fun too! But don’t drink too much, okay?”

“We’ll try~”

Yoori and Jiyoung headed off to enjoy the festival first. By the time I reached the stage, the host was already hosting the event.

“And now! Let’s give another round of applause for a performance that was nothing short of heavenly!”

The dance club had just finished their performance and were stepping off the stage, as the host continued with the program. Although there was still a lot of time left before the celebrities arrived, a huge crowd had already gathered in front of the stage.

It was getting noisy, so I moved to the far end of the plaza and called Han-gyeol. After a few rings, he picked up.

“And now! Let’s keep this energy going! Dance teams! Band members! You were amazing! But who wants to show off their talents? Any takers? Anyone here think they’re the life of the party? Raise your hand if you do!”

The festival was so loud that I could barely hear Han-gyeol’s voice.

“Hello? Han-gyeol, can you hear me?”

“Yeah, I can hear you! Where are you right now?”

“I’m at the back of the plaza. What about you?”

“I’m also at the back of the plaza! Do you see me anywhere?”

“I don’t see you! Are you near the main gate?”

It was hard to find Han-gyeol with so many people around, but then I spotted him in the distance, looking around.

“Han-gyeol! Not there—look to your right!”

“Right?”

I waved my arms as hard as I could, signaling to Han-gyeol.

When he finally noticed me waving like crazy, he smiled widely. But just as I felt the excitement of being noticed, I realized something strange—people around me had all turned to stare at me.

Wait, what’s going on?

Why is everyone looking at me all of a sudden?

“Oh! We’ve got someone waving at the back there! The person at the far end of the plaza!”

Huh?

“Camera, zoom in on them!”

I turned to look at the stage, and to my horror, I saw myself on the giant screen behind the host.

“We’re inviting you up to the stage! Give them a big round of applause~!”

Oh no. This is bad. This is really-really bad.

--- The End OF The Chapter --

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