Ch.97Festival (1)

I packed all my luggage and boarded the bus. And once again, Leo, who doesn’t have a license, took the wheel. On top of that, Leo is currently drinking an entire bottle of soju while driving.

“Um… Mr. Leo? Drunk driving is illegal…”

“Driving without a license is already illegal to begin with.”

“I mean, regardless of that, isn’t drinking while driving a bit much?”

“My body stays perfectly fine even when I drink deadly poison, so you think mere alcohol would affect me?”

People in this world have exceptionally strong bodies. So it’s natural that they deviate from common sense.

I understand this logically, but given my life experience, it’s still hard to accept this reality.

“But then why are you drinking at all?”

“Just want to get in the mood, at least.”

“Did something bad happen?”

“Something terribly bad happened. And it’s scheduled to happen again today.”

“What could possibly be so bad?”

“Don’t you already have a rough idea?”

Leo reminded me of the fact I’d been trying to forget. Today will probably be the last day before Leo disappears.

He’ll quietly meet his end that way. At least if Leo hasn’t changed his mind.

“What do you think about the magic tower?”

“Well, I’d like to go today if possible.”

“If you were to go, when would you leave today?”

“Probably around midnight.”

Unfortunately, Leo’s mind hasn’t changed. So today is likely the last day I’ll get to spend with him.

Despite this, Leo says he’s just going to focus on magical research today. Maybe he’s doing this to avoid getting too attached.

Whatever the case, the fact remains that today is the last day. Unless something unexpected happens.

I wish some random variable would suddenly appear and make everything work out smoothly. But reality is always cruel.

So I waited to arrive at the lodging with a somewhat gloomy mood while still making conversation.

***

After arriving at the lodging, I just shut myself in my room and didn’t come out. Though that’s mainly because there’s nothing to do outside anyway.

The people who originally lived in this world went out saying they were preparing for the festival. Even Ha-eun and Taeyang all went to prepare for the festival.

Ha-eun was working at a magic experience booth, and Taeyang seemed to be dragged against his will to a black magic related booth. Anyway, thanks to that, only Ju-an and I are left here.

But Ju-an said he was sleepy, as if he’d stayed up all night, and went to take a nap. So I have to find something to do by myself.

Should I look up things to do at tomorrow’s festival? But festivals like this are more fun when you go in not knowing what to expect.

So I turned on the TV just to kill time. While looking for a decent channel, I found one broadcasting a movie.

A movie, not bad. Since I haven’t seen any of them before, they’re all new to me. At least half of them should be decent. Oh, but this is a romance movie. I don’t really like those.

Still, let me watch a bit just in case. If it’s interesting, I can keep watching; if not, I can stop.

***

I watched romance movies until midnight. Why haven’t I watched this entertaining genre until now?

In the past, I found them extremely boring, but now I’m somehow much more immersed than before.

Anyway, after spending the whole day watching romance movies, my head is filled with related thoughts.

I wish I could date someone I truly love, just like the protagonists in those movies. Wouldn’t it be nice if my destined partner suddenly appeared before me?

But movies are just movies. In reality, characters like those don’t exist.

There’s no way someone truly kind, handsome, capable, compatible, reliable, and just enjoyable to be around could exist in this world…

Suddenly, I thought of Ju-an. When I think about it, he’s actually quite similar to movie characters. No, he’s much better.

How happy must someone be to be chosen by such a protagonist-like person? If that were me…

…I wouldn’t feel anything special. I’m going to return to being a man soon anyway, so why would I develop feelings for a man? That’s disgusting.

By the way, it’s getting a bit hot. The Holy Kingdom is quite humid indeed.

I should get some sleep. The festival starts tomorrow, and it would be a shame to miss part of it because I overslept.

So I fell asleep feeling somewhat happy.

***

As I always feel, mornings are always tiring regardless of whether I sleep a little or go to bed late. But I’ll probably feel better once I start moving around.

Come to think of it, today Ju-an and I were supposed to enjoy the festival just the two of us. Everyone else is busy running booths and such.

I should just get ready quickly. After all, we’re just going to enjoy the festival like good friends. I need to forget all those romance movies I watched yesterday.

So after finishing my preparations, I went to Agath’s room and rang the doorbell. After a while, Agath opened the door.

“Hello… Why are you here all of a sudden?”

Agath looks really tired today because of the festival. I wonder if this will affect her ability to help me.

“Um… Could you recommend some clothes for me to wear and teach me how to do simple makeup?”

“Great! Come in quickly!”

Agath, who seemed almost dead a moment ago, suddenly revived. At least I’ll be able to get her help.

As I followed Agath into the room, she grinned mischievously and said:

“But isn’t it pointless to try to seduce him? He already confessed to you.”

“I’m not trying to seduce anyone!”

Think about it logically. Ju-an became a celebrity overnight when he became a hero. Now imagine if there’s someone poorly dressed next to him – what would people think?

They would probably gossip about that person and include Ju-an in the rumors. At least Ju-an doesn’t have any features worth gossiping about.

So for Ju-an’s sake, I need to at least put on some basic makeup.

Besides, these days it’s normal for men to wear makeup too, right? So there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

Anyway, as I sat quietly waiting, Agath brought a flowy dress with a visible cleavage from the closet.

“Let’s start with this!”

“No thanks.”

“Didn’t you ask me to make you pretty?”

“No matter what, that seems a bit much.”

Makeup is one thing. Even skirts are acceptable since men in other countries wear them too. But that dress is definitely a no.

So no matter what happens, I absolutely refuse to wear that cursed dress.

“Don’t you have any other clothes?”

“Do you really hate this that much?”

“Yes. I really, really hate it.”

“Alright, I’ll find something else.”

Surprisingly, Agath obediently went to the closet to look for other clothes. But how does she have clothes that fit my size in that closet? There’s quite a difference in our builds.

While I was pondering this question, Agath spoke to herself loud enough for me to hear.

“This dress would look best on Lite, so it’s hard to find something else…”

It’s too obvious she’s doing this on purpose. But I won’t give in so easily just because of that.

As I sat quietly waiting, Agath once again spoke loudly to herself.

“That dress would look so perfect on you that anyone would fall for you.”

…Even so, that’s going too far. If it were something with less exposure, maybe, but something that deliberately shows cleavage makes me extremely uncomfortable.

But if Agath praises it that much, maybe it would actually look good on me?

“…Fine, I’ll wear it.”

“Great! Good choice! Now I’ll teach you how to do makeup!”

“Thank you.”

I said I would absolutely never wear that dress, but this time there are truly unavoidable circumstances.

After all, I’m dressing up for Ju-an’s sake, so it’s right for me to endure this now. I absolutely do not have any strange feelings about this.

Anyway, I listened to Agath’s makeup instructions and did my makeup with her help.

***

Dressing up definitely makes a difference. Thanks to this level of preparation, I can definitely protect Ju-an’s reputation.

I wonder how Ju-an will react when he sees me? Last time, he seemed to like my makeup.

But what if his taste has changed and he thinks I look strange? Should I wipe it all off now?

No, since I’ve dressed up this much, it’s obvious I’ll look good. So there’s no need to worry unnecessarily.

…It’s obvious that other people will think I look good. Yes, I’m glad I can protect Ju-an’s reputation.

“You’re really… beautiful…”

Suddenly, Agath spoke in a tearful voice. Why is she acting like this now?

“Is something wrong?”

“You’ve put in so much effort… but because of this damn festival, I can’t secretly follow you and take pictures…”

“…You know stalking is illegal, right?”

“I never said I was stalking…”

Agath looked truly heartbroken, but I felt deeply relieved. Today I can really move around freely.

“Anyway, thanks for your help. See you later~”

“Take care, and make sure to use protection…”

“I’m not doing anything like that!”

“Right… if possible, record your first experience and send me the video…”

“I’m telling you, I’m absolutely not doing anything like that!”

I hurriedly left. Anyway, I’m a bit late because of the time spent on makeup. Just a few minutes past our agreed time?

So I rushed down to the meeting place at the entrance of the lodging. There, I saw Ju-an all dressed up waiting for me.

“Sorry… I was doing some makeup…”

Ju-an stood there silently like a mute who’d eaten honey, just staring at me. Does the makeup or dress not suit me after all?

“…Does this not look good on me?”

“No… it’s just… you’re so beautiful…”

“…Thank you.”

My face suddenly felt hot. I’m glad it suits me well; at least now I can protect Ju-an’s reputation.

Looking closely at Ju-an’s clothes, he was wearing a regular summer formal suit. It looked stylish simply because the person wearing it was amazing.

But since he still looks great, I guess it doesn’t matter? Anyway, I returned the compliment.

“You… look handsome too…”

“…Thank you.”

Ju-an’s face also turned red, and silence began to linger. I want to break this silence right away, but I’m too embarrassed to speak.

Still, I managed to squeeze out some words to Ju-an.

“Let’s… go enjoy the festival! We’re wasting time.”

“Oh, okay.”

So Ju-an and I headed together to the place where the festival was being held.