“Did you pick that one too?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t sure which was best.”
The flat response came off a little naïve, making Jae-ha chuckle.
“Looks good.”
It was probably from an art club booth, and whoever made it had real skill. He was admiring it when, out of nowhere, his body was yanked back.
“What are you trying to pull on sunbae this time?”
Even after putting distance between them, Hae-hyun still wasn’t satisfied. He glared at Su-min, who shot the look right back at him.
“What’s it to you? Whether I hang out with hyung or not has nothing to do with you.”
“Hey.”
Hae-hyun’s eyes glowed icy blue.
“What makes a measly two-hundred-year-old Imoogi think he can act like this? Want me to turn you back into a worm?”
The sharp, threatening tone was unlike his usual self. And it wasn’t just bluster—golden energy flickered faintly across his shoulders before fading. This was dangerous. Alarmed, Jae-ha grabbed him and pulled him back.
“It’s nothing. He wanted to see the festival, so I’m just showing him around.”
Hae-hyun turned to Jae-ha, still glaring.
“Sunbae, why even talk to him when you know what he is? You know what he tried to do. Once you step into an Imoogi’s nest, you can’t escape on your own—it’s imprisonment.”
“He promised not to drag me there by force. Right?”
At Jae-ha’s question, Su-min nodded quickly.
“I’m not taking him anywhere. I just said I’d stick close to hyung.”
“What?”
The shout was loud enough that nearby students turned to look. As if he didn’t already attract enough stares… If this kept up, someone would be asking if they were having a lover’s quarrel at the festival. With a sigh, Jae-ha shoved them both forward.
“Let’s move. People are gonna complain we’re blocking the way.”
He didn’t wait for a reply and walked ahead. He didn’t need to look back to know they were trailing right behind him.
The booths offered just about everything—shooting games, marble toss, cotton candy making, “beat the basketball team,” even a shell game. It gave Jae-ha the chance to properly introduce Su-min to the joys of college festival life.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get to try much. Every few steps, someone stopped him, slowing them down. Half were familiar faces, half complete strangers.
The strangers usually had the same agenda: wanting to tag along or asking for his number. Some even snuck glances at Hae-hyun or Su-min. Even when he turned them down politely, they almost always added, “We’ll stop by the Business bar later,” before leaving. Half of that was probably lip service, but at least some would actually show up. At the very least, he could brag he’d done his part in promoting.
People he knew reacted almost identically. They’d greet him with excitement, laugh at how good the sash looked on him, and some even handed him snacks—obviously booth prizes—for the road. Thanks to them, he never ran out of something to munch on.
“Sunbae.”
Hae-hyun, holding cotton candy the size of his face, tore off a chunk with a plastic fork and shoved it into Jae-ha’s mouth. Caught off guard, Jae-ha chewed. The cloudlike sugar melted instantly into pure sweetness.
The whole time, Hae-hyun kept trying to outdo Su-min—eyeing him smugly, inserting himself between him and Jae-ha, or deliberately striking up conversations just to exclude him. Childish, yes, but compared to the way he’d started out, it was practically angelic.
“Done looking around now?”
…Or maybe not. The moment Jae-ha thought that, Hae-hyun fired off another jab at Su-min. Su-min didn’t even flinch.
“Not yet.”
“If you’re an Imoogi, then go hole up in a lake and train like one.”
“Learning about human culture is part of my training.”
“Yeah, right. You can start studying culture after your puny Yeouiju grows to the size of a fist.”
“You’ve seen my Yeouiju?”
The tension spiked again. Staring straight ahead, Jae-ha said flatly,
“If you two fight, I’m leaving you both behind.”
“…We’re not fighting.”
Grumbling, Hae-hyun pressed close to Jae-ha, clearly worried he might mean it. Su-min also quieted down, nibbling at his cotton candy like nothing had happened.
When Jae-ha checked the time, he saw the festival performance at the outdoor stage was about to start. He glanced at the two. He really should head over to the bar and help, but leaving them to watch the show together sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. After a brief pause, he spoke.
“I need to get to the bar. They’ll be starting a performance at the outdoor stage too. You two could—”
“I’m going with sunbae.”
Before he could finish, Hae-hyun cut in. Su-min didn’t seem interested in the performance either.
“Can’t I just watch hyung while he helps out?”
“Well, I guess that’s fine…”
But was it really okay for Hae-hyun? Unlike Jae-ha, who wasn’t expected to help anymore, Hae-hyun was still in the middle of his department years. Wouldn’t he get chewed out if a senior caught him lazing around in another department’s bar?
“You sure you’re fine?”
When he asked, Hae-hyun frowned.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“No, I mean—your department’s probably running a bar too, right?”
“Why’d you only ask me that and not him? Were you planning to ditch me and go with just him?”
The overreaction was something else. Instinct told Jae-ha this conversation would go nowhere. He nodded.
“Fine, let’s go. Keep up.”
By the time they reached the Business department bar, it looked completely transformed from the sunny afternoon—string lights wrapped around the tent poles, decorations in place, tables polished to a shine.
“Oh, Jae-ha oppa!”
“You’re here!”
“Hyung, your promotion was insane. The bar’s not even open yet and people already came by in droves. They said they’d be back.”
“Whoa, what’s that on your cheek? That’s adorable.”
Excited greetings filled the air, but when they noticed Hae-hyun behind him, everyone froze. They stared at Jae-ha like nervous meerkats, eyes darting back and forth.
“They wanted to come too. Should I kick them out if they’re in the way?”
Jae-ha asked with his eyebrows tilted slightly down. In unison, everyone shook their heads.
“No! The more the merrier.”
“It’s fine. They can just sit at a table.”
“Actually, this is perfect. With the bar this busy, it’d stand out if hyung sat alone. We’ll send plenty of food your way, so just hang out here. Right, Min-hee noona?”
“Yeah, perfect. With this much eye candy, the synergy’s insane.”
“Over here!”
Yoon-taek, bustling about, waved them over after setting up a table. Thankfully, Su-min and Hae-hyun only bowed politely without making a fuss.
“How much is left to do? I’ll help.”
Once he got the two seated, Jae-ha joined the juniors. The tables looked just about done, though the kitchen was still busy with prep.
“Oh, we’re fine. Almost done. You worked hard promoting.”
Smiling, Min-hee untied the sash from his shoulder. Jae-ha had nearly forgotten about the gaudy thing until she tucked it away in storage, murmuring about using it again next year. Jae-ha straightened up with a silent vow never to attend next year’s festival.
“How long until opening?”
“Almost there—thirty minutes.”
“Wow, that soon.”
They were chatting idly when Jae-ha’s eyes caught on someone lingering outside the tent. The moment their gazes met, the woman’s face lit up, and she hurried over.
“Um, earlier at the shooting booth…”
“Oh. Hello.”
Jae-ha bowed his head. She was the one who’d complimented his aim. She must’ve remembered and come looking for him, since she’d asked if he was in Business.
“Thing is, we’re not open yet. You’ll need to come back in thirty minutes.”
As he spoke, Jae-ha noticed her eyes drifting past him. She kept sneaking glances toward where Hae-hyun and Su-min were seated. So he wasn’t her target after all. Smiling blandly, Jae-ha said,
“Sorry about that.”
“No, no, it’s fine. I came early anyway.”
Her eyes darted nervously before she finally murmured,
“Um… that tall guy over there—he’s in Business too, right?”
