Jihye, who had been walking in silence, jumped in excitement while pointing to a stall where there was a line with an unusually large crowd.
The Ghost Bar sign had a spooky vibe to it, and at the entrance to the tent, a grim reaper and a maiden ghost were scaring people passing by.
âIâm sorry, but the seats are fully occupied. Even if you put your name on the waiting list, youâll have to wait for an hour and a half,â the girl dressed as a goblin repeatedly said while bowing.
âOh⊠it looks fun, but it seems we canât go.â
Jihye looked disappointed. Sangwoo wasnât interested in ghosts, but since he owed Jihye, he didnât want to stand around doing nothing. The weight of the gaming console in the shopping bag was like a sense of obligation to fulfill her wishes. Sangwoo asked Jihye to wait and squeezed into the tent through the crowd.
The final challenger who beat him at the arcade gaming competition had also been dressed like that. At that moment, the vampire turned around and their eyes met like magnets.
ââŠâ
Sangwoo stepped back as if he had been hit on the head, and he bumped into the goblin. The rehearsed line popped out of her mouth like an answering machine.
âIâm sorry, but there are no available seats right now.â
âYes. Iâll leave,â Sangwoo quickly responded and turned around. He then heard the vampireâs voice behind his back.
âCan you create another seat?â
âThereâs really no room to place another table on, sunbae-nim!â
âJust send away the customers who are done eating.â
Sangwoo rushed out of the tent. When he explained to Jihye that they had to find someplace else since there wasnât any space, she nodded with a sullen look. As soon as he was about to walk away, the goblin ran out of the tent.
âCap-wearing student? A seat just emptied, so you can come in! Hurry.â
âNo. I saw that there definitely arenât any seats just now. Weâll leave.â
âCome when you hear something pleasant.â
The voice that came from behind the mask was chilly, so Sangwoo stopped walking without realizing it. While he was hesitating, Frankenstein and the zombie, who were as big as baseball players, appeared from the tent and obstinately grabbed both of his arms.
âOkay, letâs go!â
âLet go of me. Are you gangsters?â
While Sangwoo was in a physical fight with the male students, Jihye was conversing with the goblin.
âOppa, they said that seats just cleared up inside. How fortunate!â
She entered the tent with a grin, and Sangwoo turned into a duck egg on the Nakdong River.3Â Sangwoo had nearly shaken Frankensteinâs hand off when a zombie pushed his back from behind. These men were so strong that he had no time to fight back when he was dragged into the tent.
âWelcome.â
He then faced the vampire, who was welcoming them, with a grim expression. His bangs had been pushed back with wax in order to reveal his forehead, and black makeup had been applied around his eyes, and white powder on his skin. It was bizarre how wonderful it looked despite having a bizarre appearance with dark red paint around the mouth looking just like blood. He definitely stood out among the staff dressed in odd costumes. In that moment as well, several students were hanging around him while waiting to take pictures together.
âHello, Jaeyoung oppa!â
âItâs been a while since we met, Jihye. Iâll have to give you plenty of service.â 4
âWow! Really? Thank you! Your makeup and outfit go really well together, oppa. The best! You totally look like Count Dracula, and you look cool!â
âA date⊠with Sangwoo?â
âNo, what do you mean, a date?! Hahahaha! Just⊠Sangchu oppa owes me something, so he decided to treat me to a meal.â
âOkay. Have fun,â the vampire said and went somewhere. Sangwoo didnât eat anything, but he felt like throwing up.
âThey really decorated it well. As expected, the theater club uses quality⊠Itâs great.â
On the other hand, Jihye took a picture while looking around at the bats and pumpkin decorations on the ceiling as if she were in a good mood.
âI actuallyâŠâ
Jihye lowered her voice as she put away her cell phone.
âIf I had known that this was hosted by the theater department, I wouldnât have come.â
âWhy?â
She checked so there werenât any people around them and then whispered.
âI thought that Jaeyoung oppa didnât like me.â
âWhy?â
âJust⊠a feeling.â
âThere doesnât seem to be any reason for that, though.â
âThatâs right. After today, I feel better since I think I was mistaken. Iâve been feeling a bit uncomfortable all along.â
Sangwoo closed his mouth with an expression that he didnât understand.
Footnote:
3. Turning into a duck egg on the Nakdong River ëëê° ì€ëŠŹì ì ìžê° ëìë€ is a Korean expression which basically means that one is doing nothing. The online translation for this is âhe was hanging, able to do neither.â
4. ìëčì€Â Service in Korean is giving/receiving freebies at food establishments etc.