Reading Session

Choi Bit-na carried a freshly made pajeon with quick steps. She placed it on the table where Lee Dojin, Yeon Simun, and Rachel Walker were sitting.

Yeon Simun picked up and ate the pajeon with a somewhat suspicious expression.

“Oh.”

And that uneasy expression soon relaxed.

Probably because it tasted better than expected.

“With a little more practice, you’ll be fine without me.”

Choi Bit-na’s expression also brightened.

“That’s a relief!”

And suddenly Choi Bit-na sat down too.

“I’ll pour a glass for each of you. Seniors. Hehe.”

Choi Bit-na clung to Yeon Simun and Rachel and poured makgeolli for them.

“Hmm, it’s delicious.”

Rachel savored the makgeolli with a manner not at all like an American.

“But why are you pouring drinks for us, junior?”

Rachel tilted her head, looking at Choi Bit-na who was pouring makgeolli somewhat aggressively.

Choi Bit-na showed a kind smile that she rarely made.

“It’s just showing respect to my seniors and elders as a junior.”

There was a very shallow confidence in those words that she was a year or two younger than the seniors.

“It seems our junior Bit-na is afraid of women gathering around junior Dojin. It looks like she’s planning to get us drunk quickly and send us back to the dorm… that’s not a very noble thought.”

Rachel suddenly put her hand on the shoulder of Lee Dojin, who was sitting quietly beside her.

“When men and women cross each other’s lines and history begins, it’s usually when they’re drunk.”

At those words, Choi Bit-na’s already red face turned even redder.

“W-what outrageous things are you saying! In a Confucian country! This isn’t America!”

Rachel chuckled.

“Confucianism my ass. Junior, you don’t seem to know this harsh animal kingdom yet.”

30 minutes later, the food stall closed. The three women and Lee Dojin returned to their rooms in good spirits, moderately drunk.

---

Half of the second day of the festival passed quickly. Park Seonggu eventually became the winner of the arm wrestling competition for first-year males hosted by the Martial Arts Club. The overwhelming fundamental physique was the biggest factor in his victory.

“Woo-hoo!”

Enjoying the victory by making a banzai pose with both arms was short-lived.

“Lee Dojin! Come out! Where are you!”

Park Seonggu called for Lee Dojin to get revenge for yesterday. But Lee Dojin had already left the Martial Arts Club after judging the matches of the second-year seniors.

Lee Dojin’s footsteps from the Martial Arts Club headed towards the cooking club’s food stall booth.

“Um… just a moment.”

The problem was that the number of people he had taken pictures with during the journey was as many as four.

“Master! You came! As expected, you’re loyal!”

Lee Dojin greeted Choi Bit-na, who was busily creating pajeon, and helped with serving. Just as today’s schedule was about to be fixed on helping the cooking club.

-Dojin.

“Oh, Hwayeon.”

This time, the person calling Lee Dojin was Baek Hwayeon.

-Can you come save our club?

“Huh?”

-Just kidding. Just come over for a bit. No one’s coming, it’s chilly.

Unlike Choi Bit-na’s tension, it was very low and static.

“What are you doing at the club?”

-A reading session.

“…A reading session?”

A reading session in an era where gates open, dungeons open, and monsters roam the streets.

I’d understand if it was during regular club activities, but a reading session during the festival period.

“Is it like a hunter theory reading session or something?”

-No, a literature reading session.

Ah, literature.

“The club president must really be serious about reading.”

-That’s why. Sigh… I feel like he’d stay holed up in the library reading nobly even at the end of the century.

“I’m not sure if me going will be of much help.”

-If you come, it won’t be this quiet. Don’t you check Instagram?

Instagram. It was an SNS used by most age groups from elementary school students to middle-aged people.

“Why that?”

-Search by putting ‘Wooden Sword Lord’ or your name in the tags.

Lee Dojin hung up and went into Instagram. Although he had never posted anything, he had created an account, so there was no problem checking.

He searched by writing # in front.

“…What is this?”

The content was all ominous.

A journey following the Wooden Sword Lord.

First-year freshman representative’s festival pilgrimage.

Lee Dojin felt a headache coming on. No wonder, it seemed it wasn’t just his imagination that he occasionally felt gazes intently observing him.

He understood why Baek Hwayeon was confident it would help.

Wouldn’t all the people following him at least take a look at the reading session, even by chance?

Lee Dojin clicked his tongue inwardly and headed towards the reading club.

“Hello.”

Lee Dojin bowed his head. It was someone he had met once before. The person who had allowed Kang Changhyung, Baek Hwayeon, and himself to study together in the reading club room.

“Oh, yeah. Long time no see.”

“I heard you’re doing a reading session?”

“…Hwayeon called you, huh.”

“Yes.”

The plausible booth in front of the club room was literally chilly. As if it were a sanctuary in a demon’s cave, people avoided only the booth area of the reading club.

Well, it was understandable.

Who would stop to look at a panel that said <Reading Session>? When everyone was eating, chatting, and having fun, no one wanted to get serious.

“What do we have to read?”

The reading club president senior pulled out a book.

“It’s an anthology of short stories written by club members. Of course, there’s no story written by Hwayeon. Because she didn’t write a single letter.”

Baek Hwayeon coughed dryly.

“Ahem! If you suddenly say to write a short story, how can I write it in just a month or two? Huh? I’ve never written one before.”

The club president continued speaking as if he hadn’t heard those words.

“We put a lot of effort into making it. It’s not like we’ll have another chance to make something like this in our lives.”

The president senior wearing horn-rimmed glasses sighed.

“We put quite a bit of effort into the design.”

Lee Dojin looked over the book as a whole.

It was even a hardcover.

Navy blue cover. A golden square frame sprinkled with gold on the front.

And the title <Voyage of the Stars> embossed in gold inside that frame was pretty in terms of design.

“We planned to give this book if someone chooses one of the 7 short stories included and reads it aloud.”

“How many people read and took this yesterday and today?”

The president senior suddenly spread out his right hand.

“It’s not five people who took it, right?”

“Why not, it is. Three yesterday. Two today.”

“How many copies did you make?”

“500 copies.”

I see. At this rate, the remaining 495 copies might end up being stuck in the club room.

Lee Dojin tried to think a bit.

“If you sell them for about 10,000 won per copy, wouldn’t they all sell? The book looks pretty, so I think it would sell.”

It was a very rational judgment.

But the president senior shook his head immediately.

“No.”

“Is there a reason?”

“If we’re going to sell it, we should sell it for at least 20,000 won. Because quite a bit of money went into matching the hardcover and design. And we didn’t make it to make money. We have plenty of money.”

“Then…”

The president senior adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses with his index finger. For some reason, it seemed like light might flash from the lenses.

“You have to listen to the reading. Making the book together with the members was the most important thing, but the next most important thing was to make various people’s readings resound throughout this academy.”

Lee Dojin felt like he could sense a spirit from the body of the president senior, who was a theory department student far from martial arts or magic. Even though that shouldn’t be possible.

The president senior continued speaking.

“Reading aloud is as great an act as writing. It lets people who can’t read with their eyes hear stories. And by reciting narratives with one’s voice, it breathes life into sentences.”

He would only give out the short story collection if someone did a reading.

That will, close to a conviction, was felt in the president senior’s words.

“Now is the time for someone to read on that stage.”

The president senior uttered a line like an actor on stage.

Lee Dojin suddenly thought it was an out-of-the-blue statement. Soon after raising his head and looking around, he realized what it meant.

People had gathered in front of the booth that had been empty.

‘This isn’t the Pied Piper or anything.’

Over 30 people.

More than 30 people had gathered, firmly believing a single Instagram post that said Lee Dojin had been spotted at the reading club booth.

It was extremely rare for a fellow academy student, not a celebrity, to draw this much attention. Lee Dojin had achieved that.

Just as art students carry art supply cases on their backs, Lee Dojin carried a case containing his wooden sword, so he was easy to recognize.

“Just do one reading. I’ll give you something later, whatever it is.”

The president senior stared intently at Lee Dojin.

Lee Dojin slowly nodded. It wasn’t like he hadn’t received anything, and he had used the study room well for several days during the written exam period.

The president senior who opened the book started quickly skimming through it for some reason.

Then he chose a short story and handed it to Lee Dojin.

Lee Dojin checked the title of the short story.

<Song of the Gun>

“If you’re going to sell medicine, you should sell it properly. I think it would be perfect if you read this.”

“Alright.”

Lee Dojin stepped onto the stage.

Then exclamations flowed from the mouths of the 30-some men and women gathered. In an instant, a few more people gathered.

Some took out their phones and started filming. The scene of reading on stage and the voice would seep in.

Lee Dojin clicked his tongue inwardly but didn’t feel like stopping them. Because it was within the expected range.

And if they film like that, it would promote the reading session. Lee Dojin, who organized his thoughts, let out a deep sigh.

And he began to read <Song of the Gun>.

“The gunner who had been wandering in the forest for a long time stopped walking. He couldn’t tell whether it was a companion or a bear approaching him now, making rustling sounds.”

Lee Dojin’s voice resounded. The surrounding area fell silent. Lee Dojin’s low voice had the power to make the audience pay attention.

“The gunner thought. His companion’s right foot had been bitten by a bear an hour ago. The being rushing fiercely now, shaking the earth, is surely a bear.”

Lee Dojin, who finished reading a paragraph, briefly raised his head and scanned the faces of the audience.

A very familiar long-haired blind swordswoman was smiling with her eyes closed. Lee Dojin smiled back at her.

“He put strength into the gun barrel. He had to recall his experienced past. That past where he had pierced dozens of human heads, not even beasts. A black silhouette sprang out from the bushes. He pulled the trigger without hesitation. Through the sights, he saw darkness collapsing.”

A strange festival flowed on.

“Damn it. The gunner spat out a curse. What was lying sprawled out in a ‘ㄷ’ shape was his companion.”

Along with a strange reading.