The entire school buzzed with excitement due to the upcoming festival preparations. Jaeyoon looked with satisfaction at the students who were busily decorating their classrooms, each with their own expectations for the festival.
Various scenes unfolded—students accidentally stepping on painted boards, spilling paint containers, or getting scolded by the class president for slacking off.
‘Maybe I’m a bit excited since this is my first time preparing for a festival so thoroughly…?’
Unlike the school festivals depicted in manga, the schools Jaeyoon had attended held simplified festivals. He recalled how, when he was in middle school, he had been disappointed by the few events and performances despite having high expectations for the school festival. It wasn’t much different in high school or university either.
That’s why staying late to prepare for the festival felt somewhat unfamiliar. And also new.
‘Is it because this is a world inside a game? Or is this school just a bit unusual?’
As Jaeyoon tilted his head in contemplation, the class president approached.
“Jaeyoon, are you done there?”
“Yeah, this side is all finished. Is there anything else to do?”
“Take it easy. Jaeyoon, you’ve done everything there.”
The class president pointed to the boards lined up behind Jaeyoon.
“I’d be bored just sitting around, and my hands are quick, so I finished them quickly.”
The class president wiped his eyes, lifting his glasses, as Jaeyoon shrugged his shoulders. I wish those guys were more like you… The area the class president pointed to showed students playing, pointing paint brushes at each other. That doesn’t wash out of clothes easily. Jaeyoon smiled while having these practical concerns.
“Why don’t you take a break too, class president?”
“No, no. With everyone working hard, how could I rest!”
“Class president, those dark circles under your eyes are really severe…?”
“It’s fine. I declared during the class president election that I would work like an ant, so I can’t break my campaign promise. I will be a public servant who works like an ant for Class 2!”
The class president, clenching his fist as he spoke, looked fragile and exhausted, as if he might fly away if someone pushed him. Would it be easier to understand if I compared him to an office worker working overtime?
If he’s already a workaholic now, he might really end up living only for work once he becomes an office worker…
Imagining the not-so-distant future, Jaeyoon stood up.
“You should also eat some sugar. First, go to the infirmary and get a little rest.”
He placed a small chocolate in the class president’s hand. The class president’s expression filled with gratitude. As he held the chocolate preciously in his hand and shouted energetically, his eyes…
“No! I’m really fine, Jaeyoon!”
…were unfocused.
‘I’m telling you to go get some sleep…’
As someone who knew the pain of insomnia better than anyone, Jaeyoon, understanding the class president’s current state, wanted to put him to sleep somehow.
Most of the important tasks were already completed, and painting the boards was so easy even a child could do it. There wouldn’t be any problems without the class president. Even if there were issues, the vice president or Jaeyoon could help resolve them.
As Jaeyoon was pondering methods, his gaze met with Lee Heejun who was sitting in a chair.
‘You too?’
‘Me too!’
After quickly exchanging glances, the two naturally approached either side of the class president. Huh? Ignoring the class president’s surprised voice, Jaeyoon and Heejun each placed an arm around his shoulders and brought him out of the classroom.
“Wait a minute! I still have work to…!”
But not a single student in the class was on the class president’s side. The class president looked desolately at his classmates, with a betrayed expression, as they cheered for Jaeyoon and Heejun.
“No! I can’t sleep yet! I need to finish all the work until the end… hmm~”
The class president, who had been resisting, fell asleep within one second as soon as he was laid on the infirmary bed.
Phew, having completed the mission, Jaeyoon wiped the sweat from his forehead and showed a satisfied expression. Lee Heejun seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he also wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled contentedly.
Jaeyoon and Heejun’s gazes met in mid-air. Their hands shook in agreement with the class president in the middle.
‘We did a good deed.’
Upon returning to the classroom, Jaeyoon answered questions from students while painting. He also didn’t forget to hand out chocolates to tired friends in between.
‘Chocolate fairy!’
‘Angel!’
Unaware of what his classmates were thinking about him, Jaeyoon handled the class president’s duties along with the vice president.
***
“Ahhh~”
Heejun handed coffee to Jaeyoon, who was stretching. Thanks. Not forgetting to express gratitude, he received the coffee and drank it all at once, as if it were a recovery potion.
‘I’m coming back to life…!’
This is caffeine addiction. Jaeyoon smiled happily and leaned his back against the wall.
“You should take it easy too.”
Jaeyoon smiled slightly at Heejun’s words and examined his complexion. It was better than the class president’s, but not by much. Heejun stopped Jaeyoon as he was rummaging through his cardigan pocket.
“If it’s chocolate, I’ve had enough.”
“Hmm…”
“Candy is fine too.”
Jaeyoon, who had been taking out a lollipop, sheepishly put it back in his pocket. Silence fell between the two. But neither of them seemed to mind. Heejun, who was sipping his coffee—the elixir of life—while looking at his classmates, turned his head and called out to Jaeyoon.
“You’re much more comfortable than before.”
“Huh…?”
“At the beginning of the semester, you had an unapproachable feeling. Should I say there was a cold wind blowing?”
“Was I… like that?”
“Yeah.”
Jaeyoon smiled slightly at the immediate response without the slightest hesitation. You don’t mince words.
“But since a while ago, the atmosphere has changed. How should I put it, you’ve become much softer…? Sometimes you’re like an old soul in a young body.”
‘An old soul in a young body…’
Jaeyoon smiled bitterly at Heejun’s cold assessment.
“Well, it’s much better.”
A gentle smile formed on Jaeyoon’s lips. That’s a relief. When he responded with a bright smile, Heejun glanced at him and then got up from his seat, crumpling the paper cup. Shall we go finish the last task?
As he crossed—more accurately, kicked—through his classmates to return to his seat, he began working, taking on the class president’s share as well. There seemed to be an illusion of flames burning around Heejun as he processed work with hands moving so fast they were barely visible.
Jaeyoon was about to start working again after a short break when the vice president called him. Behind the vice president, who was looking at Jaeyoon with a troubled expression as if he were a lifeline, was a face Jaeyoon didn’t want to see. Jaeyoon’s expression automatically crumpled. But he couldn’t ignore the vice president who was signaling for help.
Haa, Jaeyoon exhaled a sigh that came from deep within and walked over to Han Doyoon, who was leaning against the wall.
“What can I help you with?”
Even hearing the sarcastic tone, Han Doyoon didn’t lose his smile.
“I came to see your face.”
Jaeyoon’s expression immediately crumpled. How rude. Han Doyoon said in a voice tinged with laughter:
“That was a joke. Here’s tomorrow’s festival schedule. Give it to your class president who collapsed.”
“Yes…”
Receiving the schedule filled with dense entries, Jaeyoon frowned with a puzzled expression. If it was just giving the schedule, he could have given it to the vice president, right?
“My saying I came to see you wasn’t a complete lie.”
Han Doyoon answered the question after reading Jaeyoon’s thoughts through his expression. Oh, I see. A monotone, dry voice flowed from Jaeyoon’s mouth.
The original Lee Jaeyoon might have had his heart flutter, but Jaeyoon, who knew Han Doyoon well, let the nonsense go in one ear and out the other.
“Well, I have a lot to do.”
Conveying his inner thoughts of ‘Please leave quickly,’ Jaeyoon turned around. Han Doyoon, who was staring at Jaeyoon’s back, curled up his lips and said:
“I heard you’ll be wearing hanbok.”
“Yes.”
Instead of turning around, he nodded his head slightly in response. Please leave quickly. As Jaeyoon was bending down to pick up a paint brush again, a mischievous voice was heard.
“I think a skirt would suit you well.”
Jaeyoon’s expression crumpled severely. He knows and is doing this on purpose. There’s definitely no mention of cross-dressing in the plan, yet he deliberately…
‘Is sexual harassment his hobby?’
“For cross-dressing, please visit Class 7, not our class. I heard they’re doing a maid cafe.”
The red eyes narrowed. Jaeyoon ignored him, whether he liked it or not, and started painting the board. Class 7 was where Kim Yeonwoo was.
Cross-dressing is essential for festivals! He recalled his friend fervently expressing this. He had said it was a staple in any BL. Wasn’t it called a corruption if not done…?
Thinking it was fortunate that he wasn’t in the same class as the protagonist, Jaeyoon took out a lollipop from his pocket. Just as he had wrestled with the difficult-to-open plastic and was about to put the pink strawberry-flavored candy in his mouth, it was snatched away. By Han Doyoon.
Jaeyoon looked at Han Doyoon with an expression like a raccoon that had lost its cotton candy. Han Doyoon, with a deeply mischievous smile on his lips, put the candy in his mouth while narrowing his red eyes.
‘What a punk…!’
“Delicious.”
Jaeyoon clenched his hand. The brush trembled. They say if you endure three times, you can avoid murder. Let’s calm down. No matter how scary a grudge over food can be, that guy is a high school student. That guy is a kid who’s still wet behind the ears. He’s a kid who wants attention by acting like this.
Jaeyoon’s mind became peaceful when he thought of Han Doyoon as a three-year-old.
Han Doyoon’s red eyes stared intently at Jaeyoon. He ignored the gaze that felt so fervent it made the side of his face burn. On the day before the festival, there’s no way a student council president would have free time. As Jaeyoon had expected, the vice president came looking for Han Doyoon, who was just playing around.
“I’m dying from being so busy, why aren’t you coming back?!”
Are you telling me to go around to all the classes by myself? You might as well tell me to die! At the vice president’s tearful, desperate cry, Han Doyoon shrugged his shoulders and left Jaeyoon’s classroom.
Even after Han Doyoon’s figure disappeared, the vice president’s dissatisfied cries echoed for a while.
“Jaeyoon, were you close with the student council president?”
“No.”
He flatly denied the classmates’ questions. Seeing Jaeyoon’s serious face, the classmates dispersed again with embarrassed expressions. He heaved a big sigh as he watched them concentrating on their tasks. It felt like all the fatigue he had been trying to ignore rushed in at once.
“Go wash your face or something.”
Heejun patted his shoulder comfortingly as he passed by. Yeah, let’s go wash my face for a change of mood. As Jaeyoon, massaging his shoulder, left the classroom and was about to enter the bathroom, someone burst out of the third-year classroom door.
The familiar silver hair was neatly pinned up today. Thanks to that, his handsome face was clearly visible, making Jaeyoon blink blankly, when Jung Jinhoo, who spotted Jaeyoon, quickly grabbed his wrist.
“Let’s run away!”
“Huh…?”
‘All of a sudden…?’
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
