episode_0188
by Afuhfuihgs“Huh? What did you say?”
Kwon Yuri, who ran over to her side, tilted her head with her finger on her lips.
“… No.”
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you curious about something?”
I denied it right away, but for some reason my eyes kept going to her hair. No matter how I look at it, isn’t it the same rabbit from before…?
“Or is it because I’m too pretty? Oh, man, this is going to be difficult… ”
I felt a desperate need to clarify the truth about that sinister smile.
“What’s that on your head?”
“White rabbit headband! Isn’t it cute? I wore it when I did the opera earlier, and I liked it so much that I kept wearing it.”
Then, Kwon Yuri immediately answers as if she was waiting for someone to notice.
As expected, I was right. The voice was completely different, so I had a feeling it might be true.
“Did you see our chicks? It was on the stage in the middle of the square.”
“… I saw it. You did a good job.”
“Hehehe, even though I look like this, I have some talent for acting. I’ve only seen one person act better than me.”
“One person? Who?”
“Secret.”
“… ”
“What do you think of me? Don’t I look good on you? Be honest. Do I really look like a rabbit?”
“That… ”
Every time Kwon Yuri jumps, her rabbit ears flutter pitifully. Honestly, I hate to admit it, but… why does it look so natural?
“… It doesn’t seem so bad.”
“What? That’s all you have to say?”
Kwon Yuri puffed out her cheeks as if she was being wronged and argued. It was true that even that swaying appearance suited her very well. Although she didn’t want to admit it.
We walked inside the fenced area of the shabby park.
“What did you do yesterday? I can’t find it no matter how hard I look for it.”
“I was just resting in the dorm.”
“What? That’s ridiculous! You were playing with girls and now you’re lying?”
“Why would I lie to my senior like that?”
“Trying to act innocent?”
“… ”
It’s surprising that even this crazy conversation has become somewhat familiar now. It was a sharp question, but strictly speaking, there are some parts that are a bit different from the truth. It’s true that I met ‘girls’ yesterday, but it’s hard to say that one of them was a ‘girl’.
“Oh my, then you don’t even know what happened yesterday?”
Fortunately, Kwon Yuri didn’t dig too deep and started blabbering on about something else.
“What’s up?”
“Yeah. You know what? Well, I heard he brought his fiancée to the opening ceremony. ”
“… ”
My heart sank for a moment at Kwon Yuri’s words.
“It wasn’t that much of a mess. Even today, when the kids got together, that’s all they talked about. But you know, I actually knew. I ran into Ye-seo by chance while I was out on a request period a while ago. The topic of her boyfriend came up, and she was so flustered… So I knew right away. It was definitely something… ”
It feels really strange to hear someone talking about my business as if it were someone else’s business.
I ignored Kwon Yuri’s long speech and went inside the park. But the surrounding scenery felt a bit odd.
Not to mention the rotten wooden fence, the squeaky carousel, the swings that dangle with one of the ropes broken…
“What is this place?”
“Cradle Park 1. Doesn’t it look a bit ugly? They’re going to start repairs this year. They say the budget allocation was delayed or something… ”
“There’s no way we’re having a gathering here… ”
“What? Of course not. Are you an idiot chick?”
“… ”
I thought so too. No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see a single person, not even a single baby ant.
The place Kwon Yuri led me to was in front of a half-naked female statue. She was in an obscene pose, and for some reason only her chest and buttocks were shiny.
As I turned my eyes in embarrassment, Kwon Yuri stared at me with her characteristically sinister smile.
“Why do you look like that?”
“Pervert. How rude.”
Kwon Yuri walked towards the lower body of the reclining statue, naturally grabbed her little toe, and turned it to the left.
Kikrik. Kikrik.
Then, along with the light of particles being injected, a sound like some kind of mechanical device is heard. Soon, the brick supports at the bottom of the statue begin to sink into the ground and disappear.
And what appeared there was a passage leading underground.
“… Oh my god.”
Before I knew it, the candles that had been lit on their own were swaying in the wind. The dark passage seemed endless, as if it were the mouth of a devil.
“Mhhihi… ”
Kwon Yuri, standing in front of the rabbit hole, greets me with comical and exaggerated gestures.
“Welcome to the Shadow Banquet!”
***
-Kukung!
As we stepped into the passage, the door closed by itself and disappeared. We slowly walked down, relying on the dim candlelight.
“Hehehe. Our chick, are you really surprised?”
Kwon Yuri walked ahead with skill as if she had been here dozens of times already.
“I didn’t know there was a passage like this under the statue.”
“One of the secret passages connected to the cradle’s underground space.”
It sounds like there are similar passages elsewhere.
“There are many forgotten sections because it is so large. I am borrowing some of them. I think the professors would never dream of it?”
Then he added one more word.
“Unless you’re a professor who played around a bit during your school days.”
“Seniors, do you know all these passages?”
“Some people know, some don’t. Each child knows a different number of passages.”
Kwon Yuri opens her mouth to match the rhythm as if she is asking a riddle.
“Oh, and this is a passage that only I know about. It’s a secret, so you can’t tell anyone else?”
“Why are you bringing me to such a place… ”
“There’s nothing I can do. I have to sneak up to the chairman without telling anyone. There are a lot of people who know about other routes, so we might run into each other in the middle.”
Airlift… I don’t really like the feeling of being treated like that.
“Is that the name of the gathering that your senior is hosting? Shadow Banquet?”
“Strictly speaking, I’m not the host. I’m just here for a little while.”
“You’re just taking care of it for a bit…?”
“Yeah. This is a long-standing club that has been around for the entire history of the school. When you advance to the third year next year, one of you will have to take over the position of club president.”
Didn’t you say it was an illegal gathering? But it’s been going on for the entire history of the cradle. That’s a grandiose topic.
“I’ve been worrying about that lately. I wonder who I should pass this seat on to. Or does our chick want to take it?”
“I will decline.”
“Huh.”
It was around the time when I thought I had come quite a bit down that long passage.
Kwon Yuri pulls open the window connected to the space on the floor and gestures to me.
“Just go down this way.”
I climbed down the creaky ladder and slid down it.
It feels like a more ordinary space than before. Beyond the opaque glass blocking the left and right sides of the passage, you can sense the presence of dozens of people.
As I listened to it, I heard a playful voice from above my head.
“Hey chick. I’m not wearing any underwear today. You can’t look up there? Absolutely absolutely absolutely… ”
“I don’t even think about it. Just come down quickly.”
“Huh.”
It’s a snort of frustration at the firm rejection. Surely you didn’t send me down first to make that joke?
“Sigh.”
Kwon Yuri, who had just stepped on the ladder, bounced it slightly. Then, as if it were a water spring, the ladder bounced up and disappeared without a trace along with the closing window.
“Okay, we’re almost there! Let’s go!”
Kwon Yuri, who had been shaking her hand, pointed in the direction with her finger. As I followed her steps, I could feel her presence more and more sensitively.
-ha ha ha!
-Drink, drink!
-This time, walk away! Everything!
The obscene sounds of men and women mingling together, the sounds of gambling, which is strictly forbidden by the Cradle Student Council, the sound of glasses clinking…
“… ”
Is this really the right space for me to be in? I think I know why this is an illegal gathering.
“How is it? Aren’t you excited already? Huh?”
“How could that be?”
Kwon Yuri, who was walking alongside them, asks a playful question.
“What do I have to do today?”
“What are you going to do? Just have fun and go.”
Rather, his face looks as if he is asking why such an obvious thing is being asked.
“Doing this and that… ”
“… ”
“Hehehe, you can look forward to it. It’ll be really fun, right? The Shadow Banquet didn’t last a hundred years for nothing.”
A bird is talking. Suddenly, a shabby door begins to appear at the end of the passage.
Before he could even think about what to do with it, Kwon Yuri strides over to him and opens the door with a swift movement of her hand.
I could glimpse the scenery inside through the gap.
A space decorated just like a break room.
There are about fifteen male students sitting there, each sitting in a separate group. A few of them recognize me and look startled.
And the moment Kwon Yuri opened the door.
“Hey, senior… !”
At the same time, a familiar voice’s plea suddenly pierces my ears.
“Please, let me out…!”
A male student rushed towards Kwon Yuri. There was a clear hint of fear in his voice.
“Huh… ?”
I recognized him right away.
A classmate with a strict look and glasses. This is Muyeong.
Why is he here…?
“Jo, Jojang… !”
Just as I recognized him, he also seemed to recognize me. Moo-young, who was about to cling to Kwon Yu-ri in thought, changed direction and ran towards me.
“Oh, no! Did the captain get caught too? Run away quickly while the door is open!”
“What…?”
Caught? Running away? What are you talking about?
“Kku. Stop dawdling and hurry up! This is hell…! It stink everywhere…! Kkeuk.”
“Oh my, that kid. You shouldn’t say things like that so carelessly.”
However, Mooyoung’s words did not last until the end.
Because Kwon Yuri let out a sigh and hit the back of his neck.
“Really… I took the time to bring you here. But you didn’t even know that I was trying to change your impression of you… Oh my.”
“… ”
Rather, there is a hint of regret in her voice. Kwon Yuri, who had been dragging the sagging Muyeong, throws him onto the comfortable sofa.
“Senior. Where is this?”
“The other kids will give you a detailed explanation. Then, let’s meet a little later. I have some things to prepare, so I’ll go first.”
Kwon Yuri waves her hand and exits through the opposite door. I look around the room again.
The space is luxurious and comfortable overall. You can see sofas, tables, and decorated picture frames under orange lighting.
Except for Muyeong, everyone else was sitting comfortably, chatting about this and that. Some were even whispering things with faces full of anticipation and excitement.
I could soon see what everyone here had in common.
They were all male students who were known among the first-year students for their good looks or good backgrounds. Only Muyoung and I were the only ones who stood out among them.
But what do you mean by preparation? What on earth are you preparing? Why did you call only male students?
This place didn’t seem to be the shadow banquet that Kwon Yuri had mentioned. Moreover, the noise and noise from outside were still felt to be several times greater than here.
I was just thinking about how to use this space and how to structure the staff.
Someone speaks from behind in a blunt and confident voice.
“You’re late. I was waiting for you to come.”
When I turned around to see the familiar sight, what I saw were two familiar male students.
Seongsan’s Choi Woo-jin and Sehwa’s older sister Ryu Seung-heon’s younger brother.
“What did I tell you? Didn’t I say you’d definitely come, right?”
“That’s right… It feels a bit strange to see it here… Haha… ”
“… Are you here to attend the shadow banquet too?”
Although it was an unexpected meeting, judging by their expressions while talking, it seems like neither of them are enjoying this situation very much.
“Well, that’s right.”
Choi Woo-jin shrugged his shoulders with a look of utter discomfort.
“What is this place?”
“This is the waiting room. Waiting for the auction.”
“Auction? Need to buy something?”
Now that I think about it, I heard that when a gathering is held, they put up valuables as prizes and hold an auction to kill time.
So is this the space set up for that kind of thing?
“What are you talking about? Are you sure you don’t know anything?”
However, Choi Woo-jin, who heard what I said, questioned me as if I was talking nonsense.
“Of course we are being sold out.”
0 Comments