Chapter 47: Don’t Stain the Car Seats

“Is the schedule for two days and one night?”

Euigeon, who had been silent until now, asked his first question.

“No, it’s a day trip. Cheongju isn’t even that far, anyway. Yes, Professor, I’ll explain it to the kids like that and send them to Cheongju tomorrow. Yes, I’ll pass the word immediately.”

Chaewoo immediately searched for Cheongju on his phone.

A festival called ‘Cultural Night’ was being held tomorrow.

It was quite a large regional festival, featuring both celebrity performances and classical music recitals.

He felt like he had heard of it a few times.

So, because of this suddenly scheduled event, the four of them who happened to be in the department office became the scapegoats to wait on her.

Not for any other logical reason, but simply because they had caught the TA’s eye while being in the office.

“I’m not even entering the competition, so why do I have to go? I don’t even need to get lessons.”

Kim Yunso gritted her teeth in Chaewoo’s ear.

Since the others were all set to participate in the competition, they could at least get lessons in their spare time in Cheongju, but she truly had no connection to it at all.

“TA, what time do we have to be there tomorrow?”

“She said to be there by ten in the morning. I’ll send you the address via chat. Ah, also, Taehyun.”

“Yes.”

“The professor said she wants to do a simple skit as an icebreaker before her performance. She said you’re good at being sly and funny, so she entrusted it to you.”

“Heh. The professor? Entrusting such a grand role to me?”

“Yes. I think you can pick about two skits we did in the past and pack the props.”

Jeong Taehyun’s eyes sparkled.

Before a vocal performance at a regional festival, they occasionally performed a skit with comedic elements to increase the audience’s focus.

Since classical music wasn’t a mainstream genre, the days they performed a skit first definitely saw better audience reactions and responses.

“Heh, I am quite sly. To think even the professor heard that rumor.”

“Everyone, prepare the competition songs you’ve thought of and consult well with the professor. Have a safe trip tomorrow.”

“Yes, of course!”

“Also, Yunso, I know you hate this… but the professor said you must come too. She said she’ll mark it as mandatory attendance.”

“…….”

“Don’t think of it too negatively. Since you barely participate in department events, the professor probably called you out of a desire to look after you.”

Kim Yunso nodded reluctantly with a sour face.

To Kim Yunso, whose only goal was graduation, this must have sounded like a bolt from the blue.

Not counting it as attendance if she didn’t show up ultimately meant her graduation would be delayed and she’d have to retake the course.

In short, it was a threat to just come.

“Then shall we go prepare?”

Euigeon stood up calmly.

‘Doesn’t he even hate this?’

Just thinking about it already tired Chaewoo out.

Like Kim Yunso, Chaewoo felt as if a sudden spark had landed on him, making his steps heavy.

Feeling as though that damn competition was tirelessly tormenting him.

It was as clear as day that they’d end up saddled with all sorts of bothersome errands under the pretext of getting a one-hour lesson, making his stomach turn.

Although his expressions rarely fluctuated, Euigeon didn’t look to be in a good mood either.

On the other hand, Jeong Taehyun, who was excited all by himself, was making a fuss by messaging people here and there on his phone, saying he’d borrow props from the theater club for the skit.

“Seniors, I’ll stop by the theater club for a second. Decide on other things while I borrow a few props. See you in the department room, the department room!”

As Jeong Taehyun left the department office, Kim Yunso and Chaewoo exchanged silent curses with their eyes.

The TA looked away as if accustomed to this atmosphere, and Euigeon, the only one unaffected, grabbed the doorknob.

“I have to stop by the library again.”

“Then let’s each do our work and meet in the department room.”

Chaewoo answered on behalf of the frozen Kim Yunso.

Thus, they left the department office, agreeing to scatter for now and gather in a bit.

****

As soon as they opened the door to the department room, a loud noise erupted.

It was obvious who the culprit was.

Jeong Taehyun, who had already borrowed various props from the theater club, was taking them out one by one with his classmates.

Regardless, Kim Yunso pulled up a chair at the end of the table and sat down gloomily.

Confirming that Euigeon hadn’t arrived yet, Chaewoo went to sit beside Kim Yunso.

“Don’t we need to investigate what those theater club bastards spend their budget on? Why does a prop whip have feathers and a bell attached to it?”

“The sound of the bell is seriously too much.”

Everyone chipped in as they took out the props Jeong Taehyun had brought.

The most prominent among them was definitely a purple whip, which for some reason had two fluffy feathers and a small bell attached to the handle.

As the complaints about the props he’d chosen grew louder, Jeong Taehyun smacked the whip onto an empty desk.

Crack, crack!

The snapping sound was quite sharp.

“You guys! You need to be whipped to snap out of it.”

“Doing that with that whip makes you look like a total pervert.”

“This isn’t just a whip, it’s a whip that makes you feel good, you guys.”

“Ah, you crazy bastard. Don’t come near me, get lost.”

“Come here. Once you get hit with this, you’ll feel good.”

Jeong Taehyun, who was chasing his fleeing classmate while swinging the strange whip, drew close to where Chaewoo was sitting.

The tip of the whip brushed against the shoulder of Chaewoo, who had been watching the scene with interest, forgetting his uneasy feelings.

“Ah.”

“Ah, Senior!”

Jeong Taehyun hadn’t swung it hard in the first place, so it didn’t really hurt.

However, because it was unexpected, Chaewoo widened his eyes and cupped his shoulder.

“I-I didn’t do it on purpose. Senior, are you…”

“Don’t. It’s distracting.”

The moment Jeong Taehyun tried to touch Chaewoo’s shoulder, a large shadow approached and firmly pushed his hand away.

Still clutching the shoulder that had been brushed by the strange whip, Chaewoo looked up at the person who had cast a shadow over his seat.

“Oh, Euigeon… When did you get here?”

Euigeon snatched the purple whip Jeong Taehyun was holding and put it back into the prop box.

Once Euigeon joined them, Kim Yunso, who had been quiet until now, spoke.

“What are you going to do? We have to go to Cheongju tomorrow anyway, don’t we?”

“If it’s Cheongju… there are express buses, so couldn’t we take one?”

Chaewoo showed them the bus timetable he had searched for earlier.

“I think it would be better if we all went in my car for the trip down, at least.”

Euigeon spoke without even looking at the screen.

Jeong Taehyun, who had pulled up a chair to sit nearby, also nodded.

“Since we have luggage to bring too. The props for the skit and…”

“What else is there?”

“The TA said there’s quite a lot to pack from the professor’s office too. If we have to carry all that gear, it’s better to ride in Euigeon’s car.”

“Ah.”

“Why? Do you dislike the idea?”

Euigeon turned his gaze toward Chaewoo, who was hesitating.

“I’m grateful, of course.”

Kim Yunso said.

Only then did Chaewoo belatedly nod.

“Riding in a car works for me too.”

‘Though it bothers me a bit that it’s Beom Euigeon’s car.’

“Ah, the more I think about it, the more pissed off I get. I don’t even need competition lessons, so why do I have to go? Last time, I saw the humanities students posting public letters and formally protesting when they were treated unfairly by professors.”

“Whoa, come to think of it, didn’t something happen in the art department last year too?”

“I guess only the music department never changes.”

“Ah, seniors. Then should I order the lunchboxes to be delivered to the professor’s waiting room tomorrow?”

Jeong Taehyun clapped his hands as if he had just remembered.

As had always been the case, and quite naturally, students had to prepare snacks at their own expense for all of the professor’s performances.

There was no exception for a suddenly scheduled event like this one either.

“Why are you paying for that alone?”

“Because Euigeon paid for it all by himself last time. Tactfully, I figured it’s my turn now…”

“Then exclude Beom Euigeon and I’ll pay too. I haven’t participated in department events at all lately either.”

“Senior Yunso… A true senior who considers her juniors…”

The moment those words ended, Jeong Taehyun and Kim Yunso naturally turned their heads toward Chaewoo.

“What about Senior Chaewoo…”

Chaewoo, who had only been listening quietly, was flustered.

Since Chaewoo had also barely participated in department events due to the cost burden, it was difficult to back out this time as well.

“I should pay too. Let’s split it among the three of us then.”

“Awesome. Great.”

“Where should we book it? Chaewoo, don’t you know about this stuff? I’ve barely done it, so I don’t know where to book what. Why do I have to book lunchboxes for someone else’s performance… Sigh, talking about it makes me mad again, shit.”

To quiet the rising anger of Yunso, Chaewoo volunteered.

“Calm down. I’ll search and book it today.”

“Senior Taehyun! Aren’t you going to the PC room? We’re leaving first.”

“I’m going, I’m going. Wait! Well, I’d be very grateful if you seniors split the cost. Anyway, see you all tomorrow then. We’re meeting in front of the school and going in Euigeon’s car, right?”

Fearing his companions might head to the PC room first, Jeong Taehyun quickly wrapped up the conversation.

Then he busily packed his things.

“I’ll be going now, Euigeon, see you tomorrow!”

“Then I’ll be off too.”

Next, Euigeon grabbed his bag and left.

As the group disbanded in an instant, Kim Yunso also stood up, saying she had to go to her next lecture.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Kim Yunso.”

Chaewoo was the last to leave the department room, calculating just how much he’d have to spend on snack expenses.

Although he had saved some emergency money beforehand, it was still a burden.

For a regional festival like this, preparing even the minimum amount of snacks for the professor and the staff easily exceeded twenty servings.

Even if they kept the budget low and ordered from a cheap place, it would still cost several hundred thousand won.

Chaewoo left the music building to return to his studio apartment for now.

Just as he finished walking down the stairs, a chat message popped up on the phone in his hand.

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Order the stuff to pick up tomorrow from C Dessert in Sinsa-dong.]

Reading the message immediately, Chaewoo doubted his eyes.

C Dessert in Sinsa-dong was a place so famous and expensive that idol fans sent their catering from there as events.

Ordering twenty servings there would cost at least a million won.

Even split among three people, it was an absurdly large amount of money.

‘Why is he doing this again? There’s a limit to screwing someone over.’

– Me: [That place is too expensive.]

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Buy it with my card.]

– Me: [It’s a burden to the other kids too, not just me.]

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [I mean buy it all at once with mine.]

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [If we order from elsewhere, the sauce leaks out and it’s troublesome. I don’t want the smell to linger in my car.]

– Me: [Since they get a lot of reservations, they probably won’t accept booking the day before.]

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [If you tell them in advance that you’ll pay double the price, they’ll do it.]

Chaewoo doubted his eyes.

– Me: [You’re paying for all of that?]

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Yes.]

Chaewoo stopped walking and pondered for a moment.

How should he reply to the instruction to swipe over a million won on his card?

It was also awkward to readily agree.

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [I have to stop by the officetel today, so see you tomorrow.]

Fortunately, Euigeon ended the chat first.

Staring intently at the last message, Chaewoo hesitated over whether to ask the question he had wanted to ask since a while ago.

His hand, which had been quickly touching the screen to type ‘But what exactly changed about you today?’, stopped right before pressing send.

In the middle of his hesitation of several seconds, someone suddenly pounced on Chaewoo’s back.

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