“So, did you give it?”
“What, what do you mean…”
A dainty female student with a tear drop at the corner of her right eye. Kwon Yuri shot a sly glance at Baek Seoyeon.
Her face was already flushed from the alcohol.
“Candy, I mean, did you give it to your fiancé?”
Baek Seoyeon turned her head away, pretending not to know, but Kwon Yuri clung stubbornly, pressing her for an answer.
“Our Seoyeon wouldn’t just let such an event slip by, right…?”
Kwon Yuri knew very well how Seoyeon felt about her fiancé, being her closest confidante.
Though it was said playfully, it was a statement that hit right at Seoyeon’s heart.
There was no way she would skip the Nakseongil Festival.
Though it may have taken a different form, it was certainly one of the dreams she always had in her life.
“A few days ago, I gave it to him in advance…so can you stop asking now…?”
“Hmm…”
But even with Seoyeon’s admission, Kwon Yuri didn’t plan to back off.
In fact, a more devious smile began to form on her lips.
“Did he like it?”
“Y-Yeah, of course he liked it…”
Seoyeon blushed and nodded gently.
Despite appearing timid, her gestures were filled with certainty.
She recalled the countless nights she spent making candy.
It would be a lie to say it wasn’t tough, but the finished product was more than enough to wash away her fatigue.
She carefully adjusted the flavors to match his liking since he didn’t like overly sweet things.
She even added the joy of creating cute shapes with a variety of molds.
On top of that, the effort of individually wrapping each piece.
She was certain that if he tasted just one bite, he would fall right for it.
It was a shame that she couldn’t reveal that she was the one who made it, but…when she imagined him eating the candy she made, it filled her with happiness.
For now, that was enough.
She still had a long road ahead of hardship.
“But?”
“But what?”
Kwon Yuri still had no intentions of letting her go.
“You made the candy yourself and gave it to him, and you just let him go like that?”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
Seoyeon shook her head vigorously from side to side.
“Even you think that makes no sense, right?”
Kwon Yuri whispered, wearing a sticky expression that didn’t match her delicate looks.
“You didn’t apply for a sleepover this week, right? Then hurry up and finish your tasks…”
“Th-That’s enough… I didn’t do anything like that…”
“Huh? I didn’t say anything? What could that possibly mean?”
“Ahhh…”
Seoyeon now buried her face and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Yuri, stop bothering Seoyeon. You’ve had too much to drink.”
At that moment, Choi Ireh, a bespectacled female student sitting nearby, approached and pulled Kwon Yuri by the back of her neck.
“Ugh… I didn’t drink that much… Just three glasses…”
“Three glasses or three bottles?”
“Same difference…”
Beside the squabbling Kwon Yuri and Choi Ireh, Seoyeon’s earlobes were tinted a vivid red.
Kwon Yuri’s overly provocative whispers had stirred up a specific imagination within her.
Before she knew it, Seoyeon was envisioning him holding her tightly in a strong embrace.
It was also a future she could only wish for.
“Guys, enough already…?”
At the first chance to calm her heated body, Seoyeon was about to stop her friends.
Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of something across the banquet hall.
Seoyeon sprang to her feet at once.
Her expression stiffened, solid as stone.
“Seoyeon? Why the sudden change?”
“…I think I drank too much. I’m going to get some fresh air!”
“What? You didn’t even have a drink…”
Before Choi Ireh had a chance to reply, she rushed out to follow someone.
*
“Wh-What do you mean you’ll give it to me? There’s nothing like that…”
Yeon Minha stammered at Lee Hyun’s sudden question, caught off guard.
“Did you leave something with me…? What do you mean all of a sudden…”
“…”
Only after she let those words slip did she realize her blunder.
His slightly drooping shoulders spoke as if they were an answer in themselves.
Even without seeing his face, she could decipher it without any doubt.
After a painful moment of contemplation, she finally managed to speak.
“Well… actually… I do have one thing…”
Yeon Minha rummaged through her jacket pocket and soon pulled out a small bundle, handing it to Lee Hyun.
Her slender fingers were trembling the whole time.
The male student accepted it without a word.
“It’s n-not a big deal… I just made it when I had some free time…”
She found herself explaining, even though nobody asked her to.
“The shape is a bit off… but I swear I didn’t make it sloppily…”
Lee Hyun continued to play with the small bundle resting in his palm.
He looked back at Yeon Minha and opened his mouth again.
“…Can I open it now?”
“Wh-Why are you asking me? Do whatever you want…”
Then, Lee Hyun seemed eager, unwrapping it and gently flipping it over on his palm.
Soon, a few oddly-shaped, ungainly lumps rolled onto the tabletop.
“Ah…”
Yeon Minha let out a sigh without realizing it and tightly shut her eyes.
She shouldn’t have given it to him after all.
The alcohol-fueled courage had made things go awry.
She could easily imagine the disappointment washing over his face.
It was a stark contrast to someone’s well-made treat that popped into her mind again.
Her heart raced, and tears squeezed out from her tightly shut eyes.
Crack!
“Uh…?”
However, in the next moment.
A sound that echoed through the night air jolted her back to reality.
Yeon Minha opened her closed eyes slightly.
One of the lumps that had been on his palm had vanished without a trace.
Yeon Minha tilted her head up.
The male student was chewing something, gnawing on it.
Momentarily aware of her gaze, he spoke, a bit embarrassed.
“I usually bite into candy and eat it. It’s been a habit since childhood…”
“…”
Yeon Minha just stared at him blankly.
“Is it… edible?”
There was now an unmistakable hint of anticipation in her voice.
Lee Hyun finished chewing the remaining candy.
Then he nodded slowly and said,
“It’s delicious.”
“That’s a lie…”
“It’s not a lie. It really suits my taste!”
His voice was filled with genuine satisfaction.
Before she knew it, Yeon Minha’s heart was beating not with tension, but with joy.
The hesitant addition he made topped it all off,
“I was actually waiting for it.”
“Waiting for what…?”
“The candy you gave me.”
“Ugh…”
Her response came out as a squeak at the obvious follow-up.
The pent-up sorrow felt like it might burst out, so Yeon Minha buried her head.
He was undoubtedly someone who didn’t understand the feeling of embarrassment.
It was almost more malicious due to his apparent lack of self-awareness.
Lost in those thoughts for a while, Yeon Minha suddenly wore a resolute expression.
The night was still young, and the intoxication hadn’t worn off.
There was plenty of time for a courage fueled by unwarranted audacity to flourish.
Yeon Minha promptly acted on her impulses.
“…Senior?”
“J-Just stay still…”
As if drawing closer, she found her legs straddling his knee.
Soon, the white stockings she had concealed under her long skirt were revealed.
The pale skin between the lift of the skirt and the stockings glimmered in the moonlight.
She halted momentarily, poised over him, squeezing her thighs against him, closing the distance.
His presence was everything she could notice in sharp detail in the fog of alcohol; her unfocused red eyes, the warm breath escaping her lips, and the countenance, surely reddened from the liquor.
Lee Hyun had a clear view of it all right before his eyes.
“What are you doing now…”
“…Open your mouth…”
Yeon Minha snatched one of the candies from his palm and pressed it against his lips.
“I’ll eat it. And then get down…”
“Hurry… In fact, it’s a tradition that the original maker feeds you during the Nakseongil Festival…”
“…”
Lee Hyun wore a perplexed expression, but Yeon Minha’s determination was unwavering.
She even pressed her finger closer, adamant.
There was no way she had ever heard of such a tradition at the Nakseongil Festival.
It was abundantly clear that there was no need for this awkward position.
But the ardent fire burning in her eyes couldn’t be overlooked.
It was a strong will that she wasn’t about to concede.
Lee Hyun quickly realized the conclusion before him.
It would be indeed quickest and most certain to comply with her wishes to wrap up this situation.
“Hurry…”
“…”
Finally deciding, he slightly opened the mouth behind the mask.
Then Yeon Minha brought her trembling finger closer.
She could have just dropped the candy into his open mouth.
But the drunken girl boldly opted for a different movement.
Before long, she inserted her thin finger alongside the candy deep into his mouth.
“Senior? Even so, this is a bit… mmph.”
His last objection faded away, swallowed by the sweetness that filled his mouth.
The soft, thin touch of her finger mixed with the firm texture of the candy spread within the boy’s mouth.
Yeon Minha didn’t immediately withdraw her finger.
Hesitant yet playful movements teased the edge, not letting it slip free.
At that moment, just before his annoyance peaked, she finally rolled the candy with his tongue.
“Ah…”
She involuntarily let out a sweet sigh at the warm sensation enveloping them.
This whole process was bounded by her instincts, not her will.
For she, intoxicated, was more akin to a being beyond human.
Yeon Minha took her time, leisurely pulling her finger out.
Her slender finger, now revealed, had a somewhat viscous and glossy liquid stretching around it.
“Uh…”
Finally free, Lee Hyun breathed out with some astonishment.
And with that stimulation, her brain, soaked in alcohol, reached its limit.
Yeon Minha’s body slumped forward helplessly, but something firm and warm enveloped her tightly.
The rhythmic thumping of someone’s heart echoed in her ears like a lullaby.
In a voice mixed with intoxication and hesitation, Yeon Minha began her last confession before drifting away.
“I’ll make it prettier next year…”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
“On the Foundation Day… it’s your turn too, right…?”
“I understand.”
“And you… you really comb my hair well… do it again… every day…”
“I’ll do that.”
“You… that was our promise, okay? You have to stay by my side… don’t go anywhere…”
“…”
“Cooool…”
Her voice trailed off suddenly, cut short.
Lee Hyun glanced down, checking on the sleeping Yeon Minha in his embrace.
She was breathing softly with faint, gentle breaths.
Feeling an overwhelming mix of loneliness and sorrow disguised as intoxication, he had no choice but to incompletely accept her wishes.
As he gazed at the sleeping girl, Lee Hyun extended his hand.
Tenderly, he tucked away the hair that had fallen over her face.
Then he wrapped his arms around her tightly and slowly rose, stepping into the night’s embrace.
Yeon Minha remained cherished in his arms all the while.
And thus, the long banquet finally came to an end.
*
“Ugh… I can’t drink anymore… huh?”
At the time when the banquet was reaching its peak,
Kwon Yuri, blowing away a bottle’s rendition, turned her head at the sense of someone approaching.
A girl with black hair, moving sluggishly, stepped into Hwayangkwan.
With her head hung low, she held onto one shoulder with a trembling arm.
“Our Seoyeon… why did you take so long~”
“…”
But no answer came from Seoyeon.
Silently heading back to her seat, she gathered her belongings with droopy hands.
“Sorry… I’m not feeling well today… I’ll head in first…”
Seoyeon mumbled as she looked blankly at the space beside Kwon Yuri, not meeting her eyes.
Then, swaying unsteadily, she turned to step out of Hwayangkwan.
A biting chill and loneliness enveloped her.
*
“Uh?”
As the first light of dawn spread in the pale sky, Yeon Minha’s eyes shot open wide.
She reflexively sat upright.
Then, she whipped her head around, scanning the room.
The soft bedding that had been wrapped around her, the familiar bed, the familiar ceiling, and the familiar window.
But soon, a throbbing headache crept in, making her scrunch her face in pain.
“Ugh… my head… what’s this…”
The pulsating pain was more than enough to revive lost memories.
Realization hit, and she halted in her movements.
“…Wait.”
And just a few hours prior, certain memories flooded her mind.
“Ah… ah… uh…”
Yeon Minha screamed in a beast-like manner.
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