Chapter 463 – The crazier they get, the scarier it is.
“Have you thought it over?”
“Yep…”
Just when I was wondering what to do next, Hyeji happened to come looking for me again.
“That guy looks like a lost dog, lol.”
“F*ck.”
Of course, Kyoukyou was snickering beside me.
Hyeji still had a slightly sulky expression, as if she hadn’t completely cheered up.
But compared to earlier, the atmosphere was significantly lighter.
Besides, she contacted me when she could’ve just left, so she must’ve wanted to see me.
“Then let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
No matter how you slice it, she really was an overqualified girlfriend for me.
Anyway, just as I was about to hold Hyeji’s hand and move again.
A sharp voice pierced my ears.
“Let go of this, you f*ckers!!!”
Hearing that, I immediately turned to Hyeji to explain.
Just in case her mood soured again.
“I didn’t say that, Hyeji.”
“I know. Don’t be scared.”
As I said that, I naturally turned my head towards the sound.
There stood a woman, red-faced and dead drunk, causing a scene and attracting attention.
Strangely enough, she was clutching a bundle of papers in her hand.
“What did I do wrong!”
“Calm down. Just cool your head.”
“Shut up! Do you even understand my feelings!”
“First of all, since it’s a festival, please leave.”
“I’ve poured three years into the Academy!!!”
And quite a number of people were struggling to get her out somehow.
From what I could see, it looked like they were just trying to handle a drunk person.
But there was something odd about it.
The people trying to stop her all looked extremely distressed.
She seemed to look like just a regular woman on the surface.
Yet the expressions of those trying to calm her down were filled with genuine pain.
As if there was something special about her.
While I was silently staring at her, I suddenly felt Hyeji’s gaze on me.
When I turned to look at her, she had a rather displeased expression.
Then Hyeji quietly began to speak to me.
“Shinwoo.”
“Yeah, I get it. You don’t like people ruining the festival either, right?”
Hyeji probably disliked that woman who was spoiling the atmosphere of the festival as much as I did.
“Why are you looking at other girls? Want to die?”
“Oh, was that the problem?”
I felt uneasy for a different reason.
“Still, seeing someone turning into a dog after drinking isn’t pretty, Shinwoo.”
“Then Shinwoo-chan should go and talk to her, lol. Because Shinwoo-chan is a f*cking dog, lol.”
“Seriously, you’ll get it one day.”
[She isn’t entirely wrong though.]
‘This f*cking girl is impossible.’
As I knocked Kyoukyou’s head hard, the woman causing the ruckus shouted even louder.
“Why did I fail at the art school! What makes me less than you!!!”
Now that I looked, the papers in her hand had some drawings on them.
Honestly, I’m not exactly skilled enough to judge someone’s artistic talent.
But at least, seeing that drawing, I felt one conclusion was inevitable.
It wasn’t good enough to get into an art school.
Of course, comparing it to my own inability to draw a proper line, it was pretty decent.
Still, I could at least half-confirm that to get into art school, it needed to be better than that.
“What’s wrong with my drawing! This is all because of AI!”
She was blaming her lack of skill on AI instead of herself.
Moreover, the place she was causing a ruckus in just happened to be a spot where artists receive commissions.
She was probably feeling envy and jealousy towards artists who drew better than her.
[Guess she’s spoiled. It’s ironic that this story has no room for such feelings.]
‘Please, just let me finish the story without it getting cut off, f*ck.’
Eventually, it was only after more people latched onto her that the situation calmed down a bit.
But instinctively, it didn’t feel like it would end that easily.
So I decided to quickly erase her existence from my mind.
No matter how I thought about it, it seemed like it had nothing to do with us.
[Indeed, you folks are crazed fools, not art students.]
‘And you’re included in that.’
[Ah, f*ck.]
Anyway, I felt I’d rested long enough.
I immediately directed my gaze back to Hyeji and Kyoukyou.
Time to decide where we were headed next.
“Hyeji, and Kyoukyou. So, where do you want to go now?”
“Hmm, honestly, I don’t know.”
“Then let’s go for lunch, lol.”
Hearing Kyoukyou, I suddenly felt a bit hungry.
It was still a bit early for lunch, but since the topic came up, we decided to go eat.
Trying to eat lunch during peak time might take up too much time, after all.
“Shinwoo, is that okay?”
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s hurry and grab a bite.”
“Follow me, lol.”
And so we started following Kyoukyou’s lead.
There were still a lot of people, but this time it was pretty easy to move.
Compared to earlier, it felt like everyone was busy playing around, so the crowd had thinned a bit.
Moreover, Kyoukyou was fiercely shouting at anyone blocking the way.
“Who’s pushing? Do you really want to die?”
“You f*cking bastard, move!”
“……Isn’t that a bit too harsh?”
“Your mom’s a whore!”
[……’F*ck’ is pronounced the same as back home now.]
‘Kyoukyou must have a Korean mother.’
Thanks to that, we managed to arrive at our destination pretty smoothly.
“Where are we, Kyoukyou?”
“This is the Academy cafeteria, lol.”
The place we arrived at was none other than the Academy’s cafeteria.
The Academy’s overall architecture was modern, but the cafeteria stood out as an oddly retro wooden building.
As if time flowed backward just for this spot.
“Is this the best place?”
“I’d say so, lol.”
It definitely seemed like a good choice.
Vendors at festivals mostly cater to the one-time rush customers.
And people who visit once often end up as their victims.
So following a local who knows the place well would be the smartest move.
“And if you eat a jumbo size per table in the limited time, it’s free, lol.”
“Really? I wouldn’t do that anyway, but thanks for the tip.”
Getting such insider information is a bonus too.
“Shinwoo, eat a lot. That’s how it works.”
“That’s right! Why is Shinwoo-chan so skinny all of a sudden?”
“……Aren’t you growing me just to eat me, f*ck.”
Of course, I wasn’t planning to eat that much.
Even if I eat a little more than others.
But since the term jumbo was attached to the food, the portions would be substantial.
If I just carelessly stuffed myself for the sake of it.
[Are you out of money, or out of pride?]
‘I have a lack of capacity for stuffing myself, you know.’
If I wasn’t careful, it could affect our plans later on.
[Cowardice, is it?]
‘Not that kind of courage, f*cking girl.’
Just as we arrived at our destination.
I left a message in the group chat to gather everyone.
Me [We’re at the Academy cafeteria, let’s grab a meal together.]
Of course, initially, everyone was busy with their own stuff and acted separately.
But at least when I mentioned lunch, they’d all start to trickle in.
However, the responses I got back were quite different from what I expected.
Champi [I think it’s best to eat with these people.]
Me [Who are you with right now?]
Champi [Don’t worry too much. It’s not NTR, I assure you.]
Me [……That’s not what I meant.]
Soon after, Ayeon sent a random combination of letters and numbers and then disappeared.
I’m not sure, but it seemed to be a booth number from the festival.
And it was pretty much the same with Caressy.
Caressy [I might find it a bit difficult.]
Me [What’s with you?]
Caressy [There’s something going on. Come see it later.]
Then Caressy also sent a combination of numbers and letters, similar to Ayeon.
It seemed that Caressy was preparing to do something at the festival just like Ayeon.
At this point, I was feeling a bit scared and worried.
[They’re all acting separately for different reasons at the festival.]
‘What are they planning… it’s freaking me out…’
Meanwhile, Elcia hadn’t responded either, like Ayeon or Caressy.
But this time, I didn’t need to worry or question it.
Because she had unexpectedly shown up behind us by now.
“Did you come?”
“Mmm!!!”
“Eat all you want, and then talk…”
She was holding a ton of food, probably from the street vendors.
So she had gone off separately just to eat.
Honestly, I had the urge to smack her, but…
“Hey, was that why you were moving separately this morning? Just to eat?”
“Yes, Hyeji unnie! I was worried you’d be dragged along since there’s so much to eat!”
This time, I decided to just let it slide.
“Elcia, just tell us next time. We can go together, you know?”
“Got it! I’ll stick together from now on!”
But Elcia was just trying to be considerate.
[Elcia doesn’t seem to embody that concept at all, though.]
‘That’s you now.’
[Ah, f*ck.]
Anyway, since we had gathered everyone who could, we decided to have a simple lunch.
“Let’s all hurry and eat, lol.”
“Yeah, Kyoukyou.”
“I’m counting on you, Elcia.”
“I don’t know what it is, but I’ll take your word for it!”
It didn’t feel like it would end simply, but there you have it.
