*Mi Ra*

“Do we really have to wear these?” Baro’s expression said it all as he gingerly plucked at his bowtie.

“You all agreed to help out, didn’t you?” I chided.  “It’s part of the uniform. And besides, I’m wearing the same thing too, so don’t complain.”

Days have passed quickly. It’s the last week of school, and as per tradition, we’re holding the annual school festival, a week-long celebration where in each class from all levels are required to put up a booth of their choice. The aim, mainly, is to raise as much money as possible during the festival, and the proceeds were to be donated to a local orphanage. The class with the highest earnings gets to receive a trophy.

Our class decided to put up a café, and my friends asked me to bring my “housemates” to help out. Quite frankly, it wasn’t allowed. Only students can take part in working at the booths, although we were open for business to outsiders too. But our class had an epic failure last year, because practically no one came to visit our booth. And since Seul Mi was elected class president this year, she made a personal vow to ensure our class wins…or else.

Finding out about my well-mannered, good-looking housemates (her words, not mine) was the answer to her prayers. At least, that’s what she told me. Our homeroom teacher adamantly refused at first, but once she laid eyes on the guys, she suddenly decided to overlook the fact that Jinyoung, Shinwoo, Sandeul, Baro and Gongchan weren’t students.

This is precisely why, on the first day of the school festival, about thirty minutes before opening time, all five of them were standing in front of me, with expressions ranging from annoyance to eagerness to nervousness.

“I look stupid,” Baro complained again. “And this thing’s choking me.”

I swatted his hand away when he started loosening his bowtie, then adjusted it to a more tolerable fit. Personally, I thought he looked great. They all did. The outfits they were wearing were similar to what butlers in Western movies wear.

“Why does Sandeul get to work away from all the people?” he went on. “It’s not fair.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s because he’s a genius at making pastries, which I hope would sell well.”

I originally intended for Jinyoung and Sandeul to work in the kitchen, but all of my classmates convinced me to make Jinyoung one of the waiters instead. I guess they did have a point. One look at him and girls would surely come flooding in…

“Are you sure you won’t mind, Sandeul?”  He would, of course, be working with my other classmates, but I wouldn’t want to make him feel left out, and that’s why I wanted Jinyoung to be with him.

I turned to Sandeul, then shook my head. He was all over the tiny kitchen, marveling at the smallest things and looking extremely happy with his assigned task. One of my classmates went in, and Sandeul asked my permission to talk with her. When I said yes, he began peppering her with questions about baking and stuff. Now she was the one who felt awkward. I smiled at her apologetically. I guess Sandeul’s enthusiasm can come off weird at times, especially if you didn’t know him.

“We’ll be opening in five minutes, Mi Ra,” Nam Gyu informed me. I nodded, then faced them again.

“You remember your table assignments, right?”

They nodded. I handed notepads and pens to them. Girls would be waiting on the male customers and guys would be serving female customers. Honestly though, I don’t think I’d be doing much work today, once word gets out about who our waiters are. “All right guys, off you go. Don’t forget to smile, and be nice to everyone, okay?”

Jinyoung and Gongchan smiled and nodded before going out, but Shinwoo and Baro stayed. Baro was still sulking in the corner, so I went to Shinwoo first.

“I don’t think I can do this,” Shinwoo said as he adjusted his glasses. He looked nervous, and a little gray around the edges.

“You’ll do fine,” I assured him. “You look cool, and girls will be all over you. Just go up to them, ask for their orders, deliver it, then thank them for visiting.”

He took a deep breath then stood straighter with a look of determination on his face. “You’re right. I can do this. I promised to help you, and I will.” He smiled at me, then went out. I swear, I could almost hear some hearts breaking out there…. I turned to Baro.

“Pep talk isn’t gonna work on me you know,” he informed me as soon as I walked over to him.

I laughed. “Why are you so grumpy? Just go out there and help out. I’ll be serving people out there too, so just yell for me if someone tries to take you home.”

He nudged me. “Like I’d let them.”

“Oh hey, hold on.” I spotted my bag and rummaged for something I knew I’d stuffed in there this morning. I moved four of the keychains aside to find it. I’d only been bringing four with me, since Baro’s doesn’t work anymore. “Here it is.”

I placed a cap on Baro’s head, tilting it slightly to one side, the way he always wears it. “There. Perfect. Now go out there. I’ll be right out after I check on Sandeul.”

He sighed but followed my orders anyway. He touched the cap and smiled a little. “Thanks.”

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

An hour and a half later, there was barely enough room to breathe in. Even though we set extra chairs and tables outside the classroom, there was still a long line of people waiting outside. The customers deliberately ate slowly, drawing their time out just so they’d have a couple more minutes to stare at the waiters and catch their attention.

Shinwoo was, surprisingly, the most popular. I guess girls liked his scholarly appearance, and in his outfit today he really looked like a very intelligent and sensitive gentleman. Jinyoung came a close second, and already I overheard some girls trying to talk him into going out with them when his shift ended. I spotted Gongchan using his aegyo to convince some older female students to order more, to increase our income. Girls giggled whenever Baro flashed a smile.

I thought of a quicker way to make money.  Put them up for rent, and charge money for every hour spent with them. But wouldn’t that be like slave trade? Human trafficking? I shook my head, blushing hard.

“Do you think we can auction them off?” Nam Gyu suddenly appeared beside me.

Wha-

Did she somehow hear what I was thinking?

“You know,” she went on in a whisper, “have the students place bids, and the highest bidder can have them for one day. We can raise money faster that way. I know a couple of girls who’ve been eyeing them for quite some time now...”

I stuffed my hand in her face. Seriously, this girl… What she wants to do is even worse than what I had in mind.

She laughed. “Hey, I was just kidding. But anyway, don’t you think this is great? I can almost feel that trophy in my hands…Seul Mi’s busy supervising, but I think we can slack off. There are more girls than guys in here after all.”

“Who says you can slack off?”

We both turned to see a very stern looking Seul Mi, staring at us with her hands on her hips. I giggled, and she smiled.

“Thanks,” she told me. “I really think we have a fair chance of winning this year, because of them.” She then put an arm around me and Nam Gyu, then stage-whispered in her scarily murderous voice. “But even so, you guys cannot slack off. We’re winning that trophy no matter what, so get to work!”  She reverted back to her casual image, then smiled before leaving.

“Ouch!”

“I’m sorry,” Jinyoung said, and held a hand out to the girl who was sitting on the floor. She looked up at him and blinked for a few times before finally taking his hand. He pulled her up and released her quickly. He looked around. Now, just where was that room?

The café that Mi Ra’s class put up was full. Too full, in fact, that some of the customers couldn’t even get in. The class president decided to have delivery services as well, to accommodate the increasing orders. People just call or text, put in their orders and request for a particular waiter to deliver it. This, of course had an extra charge. Mi Ra usually went with him on his deliveries, but then she had been requested to deliver something to a particular class, so she left. A few moments later a request for him came in, and because Mi Ra wasn’t back yet and everyone else was busy, they just drew a map for him and told him to follow it.

That was what he had been doing for the past twenty minutes, but still, he couldn’t find the right room.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized again. He bowed slightly, and then went on his way. Do all classrooms have to look the same? He was sure he had already passed that photo booth at least twice but…

“E-excuse me?” A hesitant tug on his sleeve made him turn. It was the girl he’d bumped into earlier. “You’re lost, aren’t you?” she asked, looking at him with big doll eyes.

“Well…maybe a little,” Jinyoung admitted. “I’m supposed to find class 2-C, but I don’t know where it is…”

The girl smiled. “That’s my class. Come with me, I’m going there too.”

He hesitated. The only person he’d ever go anywhere with was Mi Ra. But he had a task to do. And the coffee was getting cold…

“I’m telling the truth,” the girl insisted. “See?” She showed him her school ID. Choi Jungsun, it read. Class 2-C.

“Well…okay. Thank you.”

The girl, Jungsun, smiled and turned to walk, and he followed her. They found the room easily enough.

Didn’t I pass this room before? I did, didn’t I? It looks the same…But then every single room looks the same… *sigh*

“Who do you need to find?” Jungsun asked.

“Lim Soo Jin. I’m supposed to deliver these to Lim Soo Jin.”

She nodded. “I’ll call her for you. Wait here, okay?” She went in and emerged a few moments later with three giggling girls in tow.

“Lim Soo Jin?” he asked. The girl in the center shyly raised her hand, blushing madly. He handed her the bag. “I apologize for the delay. I got lost and…”

“I-It’s okay,” she said, and giggled.

He handed her a small notebook. “Then, could you please sign here? Just for verification, so we know that you really received your order.” The girl signed it and gave it back to him.  He was just about to leave when she spoke.

“O-oppa?” She said hesitantly. “C-can we take a picture? Before you leave?”

He nodded. He had been receiving the same request every time he made a delivery. Some even asked for his phone number, but he didn’t have one. They took pictures using their phone.

“Thank you,” they said before hurrying back inside.

“Can you find your way back?”

He hadn’t noticed that Jungsun was still there. “I think so.” he did try his best to remember all those hallways they passed. The twists…and turns…

She smiled. “Are you sure? I can walk you back, if you want.”

“Well…” He had never been in an unfamiliar place, away from Mi Ra, for so long. It was making him uncomfortable already. If he could only find Mi Ra, he’d be all right. If he insisted on going his own way he’d probably end up getting lost again. He looked at Jungsun, who was still smiling at him. He sighed.

“I take that as a yes,” she said. “I’m Choi Jungsun, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Jinyoung.” They started walking.

“Jinyoung oppa.”  She glanced at him. “You won’t mind if I call you that, will you?”

“No, it’s okay.” He wondered what the difference was. Mi Ra never called him oppa, just Jinyoung.

Jungsun nodded, then smiled again. “Then oppa, after your shift end, would you mind—“

“Mi Ra!” He called out to a familiar figure at the other end of the corridor. He waved his arms in the air to get her attention. She had been biting her lip, looking worried, but broke out into a smile of relief when she saw him. He turned to Jungsun.

“Thank you for your help, but you don’t have to walk me back anymore. Mi Ra’s here.” He turned to Mi Ra, who was already approaching him.

Jungsun cleared . “Oppa. Can you go out with me when your shift end?”

He shook his head. “Thank you for asking, but I’m spending the rest of the day with Mi Ra.”

“Then what about tomorrow?”

“I’m spending it with Mi Ra too. Thanks for your help, okay?”

“Jinyoung,” Mi Ra said when she finally reached him. “Thank heavens. You got lost again, didn’t you? I’ve been here about three times.”

He nodded. “But then Jungsun helped me out.”

Mi Ra turned to the younger girl. “Hello Jungsun. I’m Lee Mi Ra. Jinyoung’s ow—“ She coughed. “—friend. I’m Jinyoung’s friend. Thank you so much for helping him, and sorry for bothering you.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Jungsun answered, smiling sweetly.

“Well, we’ll go ahead. Thank you again, Jungsun.” Mi Ra waved as they started walking away. “Come on, Jinyoung. Our shift ended about thirty minutes ago. You’re okay,right?”

He nodded.

“You could’ve refused them, you know. I already told Nam Gyu that you’re bad at directions, if you’d said something they wouldn’t force you to go and make a delivery.”

“It’s okay. ” He took Mi Ra’s hand. “Thanks for finding me.”

“Sure. Although…You’re really good at getting yourself lost, aren’t you?”

“Only because you’re good at finding me too. You won’t get tired of finding me, right?”

“No, of course not. Just don’t make a habit of it, okay? Let’s hurry. Sandeul and Baro had been nagging me, they want to go and explore the other booths.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

*Mi Ra*

“I want that one. Please~” Sandeul drawed the last word out, the syllable turning into a whine as he tugged at Baro’s shirt, giving him his best “Take pity on me” look.

“If you want it so bad, then go win it. And quit pulling my shirt.”

Sandeul then turned to me, his lower lip protruding in a pout. I tried my best to hold back my laughter as I faced Baro.

“Go on, play the game for Sandeul. Don’t you just feel bad for him?”

We both looked at Sandeul, who was, in turn, looking at a duck plush toy hanging from one of the booths with a kind of watery adoration. We had been wandering aimlessly through the school grounds, looking at random booths, when Sandeul’s attention was caught by a target shooting booth put up by a class of freshmen. His wandering eyes landed on the duck plushie, and immediately claimed it for his own.

“No, not really,” Baro said, in response to my question.

“Heartless,” Sandeul remarked, then crossed his arms.

I pulled Baro aside. “Come on, play it just once.”

He sighed. “Fine.”

I handed him some tokens, and Sandeul skipped beside him happily as he went up to the game area.

“Would you like one too?” Jinyoung asked me.

“No, that’s all right.”

“I’ll play for you,” he insisted. “I’m actually good at target shooting.”

“Well, okay then.” I started to give him some tokens, but he said he already had some with him. “Where did you get tokens?”

“From the customers, at the café. They gave me these and told me to visit their booths. They even gave me directions, but I can’t remember them. And anyway, I’d rather spend it to get something for you.” He went up to stand next to Baro and Sandeul.

“Hey, that’s not fair. How come no one’s playing for me?” Gongchan pouted. He latched on to Shinwoo. “Can you win me something too? I want that bear over there.”

“Well…” Shinwoo shrugged. “Okay then. I wasn’t doing anything anyhow.”

For the next few minutes, Shinwoo, Baro and Jinyoung played with total concentration, while Sandeul and Gongchan pelted out praises or complaints, depending on whether or not the targets were hit.

“Yay! You’re really good at this Shinwoo!”

“Hey squirrel! Are you blind? Can’t you see the target’s moving left?”

“We’re winning!”

“Hit the target, not the wall!”

Five minutes later, we all had our prizes. Gongchan was hugging his teddy bear tight, thanking Shinwoo over and over again.

“I’ll name this ShinBear,” he said. “Because Shinwoo won it for me.”

“Thank you, thank you, and thank you!” Sandeul held the duck plushie like a baby. “Thanks Baro! I do love you…” He hugged Baro and tried to plant a kiss on his cheek, but failed.

“Let go, or I’ll hang you on that wall to replace that toy,” Baro said in total deadpan voice.

“Aww…But don’t you love me too?”

“No.”

“So we’re in a one-sided relationship?”

A few passing students turned at that, and Baro stuffed Sandeul’s head into his armpits.

The first day of the festival ended well, but we still had four more days to go. I slept with a smile that night, as I hugged the teddy bear Jinyoung won for me. I was tired, but happy.

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Are the last lines familiar?

If you liked SUFFB as much as I did, it should be, XDD