Side Story 3. Free flight (3)

Tae-un seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood even as he drove Soram, who had finished preparing, to school. Eventually:

"Soram-ah. Look at me."

"Huh?"

Just as he was about to unfasten his seatbelt in the parking lot, his face was caught. What followed was a kiss that came as if to devour his lips.

This too was innocent in its own way, as he pulled Soram's mouth into his own without using his tongue, then released it with a pop. Then he rubbed Soram's lips as if a bird was pecking with its beak.

"Hey, what's really up with you today..."

At this point, a hollow laugh escaped along with his bewilderment. Tae-un responded to that question with a handsome smile.

"I'll come pick you up when you're done. Call me."

"...Alright."

"See you later."

"..."

His face was so radiant that Soram couldn't even chide him, saying why are you so excited when I was the one who drank.

"Hmm...?"

It wasn't just Tae-un who was excited.

As soon as he set foot in the lecture hall, the air felt more tingly than usual. It was because of the overall cheerful students. There were also quite a few students with noticeably different hairstyles or outfits today.

Could there be something for the students to be collectively excited about, except for me? A day for college students' neurons to run wild? Was Han Tae-un, also a college student, unable to escape that spell?

While the screen hanging from the ceiling was coming down, Soram, unable to contain his curiosity, asked:

"Is there something special today?"

"Lecturer, it's the school festival today!"

"Festival?"

"Didn't you see how decorated it is outside?"

"Really? I came straight in through the faculty underground parking lot. Ah, festival..."

Festival. Though he clearly knew the meaning of the word, it felt awkward as if he was saying it out loud for the first time. So they do such things at universities.

"What do you do at festivals?"

"Celebrities come to perform! Companies come to hold events with prizes, and during the day, departments and clubs open booths, and at night, they open drinking tents!"

"Wow, there's a lot going on. But don't students have classes during the day? Can they participate in the events?"

"We can drop by during free periods or briefly while going to and from classrooms!"

Soram looked out the classroom window. Only then did he notice the blue tents lined up crookedly and the plaza bustling more than usual. At the booth directly in front of his position, students wearing lab coats were selling various colored drinks mixed with syrup.

"Ah, many professors cancel classes too."

"Cancel classes?"

A glint appeared in Soram's eyes.

"Oho..."

'Ah, no!'

This was the inner voice of a student who had managed to secure the front seat in today's class after a fierce competition. The competition to see hunter Jin Soram was still fierce, even though additional class applications had overflowed, forcing the lecture hall to be changed to an auditorium, and even adding another one.

'Soram-aaah! There are festivals endlessly every spring and fall, but this lecture is only once this semester for me, so I wish you'd just have the class...'

The problem was that the lecturer smiled much more brightly than the students at the mention of canceling class.

"If I had known there was such a good thing, I would have been excited along with you from the start. Class is canceled! Everyone enjoy the festival."

Soram sent back the fully lowered screen without hesitation. Before the mechanical whirring sound even finished, he was the first to quickly slip out of the lecture hall.

***

"Why isn't he answering?"

As he exited the building, he called Tae-un, but he didn't answer. It was rare for him not to let his voice be heard before the call tone went past twice.

After leaving a message asking where he was, he looked up and saw a completely different campus from the one he had been coming and going to for a couple of months. There was much more than what he had briefly seen through the window gap! Banners hung everywhere with words introducing departments using various memes and trendy phrases, and as he came out to the plaza, booths of all colors selling snacks, cocktails, caricatures, accessories, and more were packed with students.

There were some people who stirred upon discovering Jin Soram, but thanks to his diligent attendance to classes every week leaving numerous eyewitness accounts, it didn't cause an uproar like at the beginning of the semester. Now he was treated more like a famous campus cat that one might be lucky to encounter.

Although it was still too early to be summer, the temperature felt a bit higher where crowds had gathered. Soram walked along the path where warm sunlight fell.

Some students approached with curious faces to solicit customers, and he politely declined with a smile, saying, "I'd like to look around first." However, when a student he recognized from his class appeared, he had no choice but to go in and buy a fluorescent green drink in a plastic cup. A fake cherry glistened on top of the ice. As he walked, he took a sip through the straw and immediately pulled it out of his mouth, thinking:

'I should give this all to Han Tae-un.'

After walking to the end of the plaza, Soram turned and walked to the opposite side. Away from the bright plaza, there were already some booths that had sneakily brought out alcohol. One place in particular caught his eye.

[Law Department Booth]

It was written in a serif font above a picture of an open law book. Unlike other places where three or four passersby stood in front of the tent, this place was empty. Its location was rather secluded to begin with. Despite the nice weather, they had set up in a spot shadowed by the gloomy law building.

If it hadn't been Tae-un's department, Soram wouldn't have given it a second glance.

Unlike other booths, the interior was dark and hard to see, so even the brief spark of interest quickly faded. There was no way Tae-un would be there, so he was about to pass by.

If it hadn't been for the conversation he heard from inside.

"Alright. I'm leaving now."

"Guys, don't let him go!"

"I told you, I can only spare an hour at most."

"That's more than enough! The law department booth is rumored to be boring, so no one's coming. Hey, don't you see these pitiful juniors? As a senior, shouldn't you help?"

"...Having a 28-year-old senior would just be uncomfortable."

"Hey, I'm 29. Guys, am I uncomfortable?"

"Noona, why are you still the president with that student number instead of graduating?"

"Well, I caught the startup bug, failed, and came back."

"..."

Soram turned his head again upon hearing a familiar voice.

"My classmate Han Tae-un, did I ask you to hand out flyers, dance and sing, or put on a superpower show? I'm not asking for that. I'm just asking you to go out, hold a picket sign, and walk around blankly for a while."

"Haah..."

"If you bring just ten teams, ten teams, I'll let you go. You said you have nothing to do right now anyway."

"...Fine, give it to me."

Soon, a large man trudged out of the tent. As he was about to sling a large hardboard picket sign over his shoulder, he noticed Soram standing blankly a few steps ahead.

"Why are you here?"

"Cla-, class canceled..."

"Suddenly?"

"They said it's the festival today."

"Oh. So I heard."

"You didn't know either?"

"I found out when I got caught on my way."

Tae-un answered with a sullen face. It was an expressionless dissatisfaction that only Soram could recognize.

It was definitely the same Han Tae-un who had been with him until this morning... Soram couldn't approach him and just blinked in bewilderment.

Seeing this reaction, Tae-un lifted the edge of the cloth draped over his clothes.

"What, does it feel awkward?"

"..."

He had covered the shirt and pants he had worn out this morning entirely with black cloth. A jet-black gown that covered down to his thighs, with two red strips of cloth hanging down along the collar.

'Wow, prosecutor's robes...'

Tae-un had also neatly swept his hair back to match the outfit.

Only after admiring his appearance for a while did Soram finally adjust. Soon after, he came to a conclusion. No matter what he wears, he looks handsome because he's a good clothes hanger, whoever's lover he is. He looks just like a spirited young rookie prosecutor.

While hunters gave a strong impression of using their bodies, this side emphasized the intellectual sexiness unique to professions that use their heads. A bright smile spread across Soram's face.

"No, it's just interesting."

Now that he looked, the reason the booth interior had seemed particularly dark was because everyone was wearing black legal robes like Tae-un. It seemed they had chosen a concept fitting for the law department.

"But those are fake prosecutor's robes."

"Real prosecutor's robes shouldn't be here. But how did you know they were fake?"

"Of course, because I've seen the real thing."

"When?"

"Want to hear about the record of Soram causing such a dynamic incident that he stood in court?"

"...Later. Tell me at home."

Heeheeheehee. As the laughter lengthened, Tae-un's eyes shifted sideways.

"So, what does the law department do? You seem to be in charge of soliciting customers, at least."

"This is a drinking tent. We'll sell alcohol and simple snacks from the evening, and now we're preparing in advance."

"Drinking tent?"

When he looked closely behind Tae-un's large body that had been blocking the view, he could see plastic chairs and tables under the shadow of the tent. Tae-un, who had been watching Soram intently, reached out with his fluttering sleeve and grabbed Soram's arm.

"Want to go in before you leave?"

"Huh? In there? Is it okay for me to go?"

"Of course it is! Of course! Absolutely! We're almost done with preparations!"

Someone wearing the same clothes as Tae-un had approached and shouted. Then, patting Tae-un, they gestured with their chin towards the tent and whispered 'Quickly, quickly' with their lips. Judging by the voice, it seemed to be the person who had been bickering with Tae-un earlier.

It seemed Tae-un had planned to take Soram in even without being urged. Soram's wrist was pulled as if being dragged into an unfamiliar world. And when he looked up, Tae-un's face wore a faint smile similar to this morning.

Soon, Soram was guided to a backless plastic chair. A rustling vinyl was spread on the red round table, and a young female student with a nervous expression approached and set out unopened disposable chopsticks.

"The, the menu is over there..."

Where she pointed, a menu written with markers on a large sheet of paper was hanging.

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Article 1, Section 1: Pork cutlet flattened with a gavel

Article 1, Section 2: Silent soup with rice and sausage from in front of the family court

Article 1, Section 3: White tofu with release from prison

...

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The concept was faithfully maintained even on the menu. To the right of the food menu was a list of alcoholic beverages. Tae-un approached and blocked the view, so Soram could only see up to the somewhat expensive soju.

"We don't sell alcohol. Only food."

Tae-un said as he put down a 500mL bottle of water on the table. Standing straight, he would touch the bulb hanging from the tent, so he was hunched over with his upper body bent.

"Why don't you sell it? There's an alcohol menu right there."

"We don't sell it to this customer."

"Is it okay for a server to treat a customer like this?"

"I'm not a server. I'm in charge of soliciting customers. Actually, I was forcibly given a quota, but thanks to you, I think I might fill it."

True to his words, the number of people lingering around the previously unpopular booth had increased a bit.

"Well then, I'll have tofu kimchi and... fish cake soup."

"One tofu kimchi and fish cake soup here!"

"Yes, first order coming up!"

The voice that had been arguing with Tae-un earlier answered energetically, and the students standing in front of the burners began to move busily.