Chapter 189
The bell rang.
“Next, number 4!”
The bell rang again.
“Next, number 9!”
“I’m going. See you later.”
“I’m leaving too.”
With each chime of the bell, a male student disappeared from the waiting room. Choi Woojin and Seungheon, who were ahead in line, had also already left.
Before I knew it, the once-bustling waiting room had emptied, leaving only Muyoung and me.
“He, heek… Leader… What do I do…”
Muyoung’s face had turned pale, drained of all color.
“You just… accept it.”
The bell rang once more.
“Ugh…”
Like a dog being dragged to the slaughterhouse, Muyoung shuffled out of the waiting room, shoulders slumped, and disappeared.
And then… unexpectedly, he encountered someone willing to pay quite a high price for him.
“Ho, up close, you’re even better to look at. Come here. This older sister will give you a proper ‘correction’ today.”
“Eek! Leader! Leader! Save me…!”
“Pfft. Such a cute little tantrum…”
A muscular female student with short hair practically hoisted Muyoung onto her shoulder and carried him off the stage.
Judging by her words, she seemed to be an upperclassman. It looked like she had taken an interest in Muyoung after hearing the rumors about him.
To be honest, she didn’t give off a promiscuous or indecent impression. Her voice, even behind the dignified lion mask, carried a surprising gentleness.
Maybe, just maybe, she would treat Muyoung better than expected…
The bell rang once more.
Soon, the bell announcing the final auction of the day echoed in the waiting room. The last item was none other than me.
“…Hoo.”
I exhaled deeply, steeling myself, before rising from my seat. Even Muyoung endured this, so how could I avoid it?
Even so, I couldn’t help but hope for a partner with a decent temperament. If I ended up with a senior making all sorts of strange demands, it would truly be exhausting.
And so, I opened the door leading to the stage.
“Come on, hurry up! Can’t you see the guests are waiting?”
“…?”
Standing before me was a female student dressed in a silk hat, rabbit mask, and velvet cape, wearing an eerie grin.
“Muhihi.”
***
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? I came personally to escort you. Here.”
Kwon Yuri extended her arm, naturally expecting me to take it, but I unknowingly took a step back. At that, she pouted, looking hurt, and grumbled.
“You could at least escort me.”
“You didn’t do this for anyone else.”
“You’re today’s highlight. Of course, I have to put in this much effort. And besides…”
Kwon Yuri hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“This way, it might motivate you more.”
“Motivate who? The auction participants?”
“…Well, you’re not entirely wrong. Hehe.”
Grinning slyly, Kwon Yuri extended her arm again, this time more insistently.
“So, take it. Take it!”
“…”
“It’s just for a moment. Are we so distant that you can’t even do this for me? You have no idea how hard I worked to keep my promise. Do you know how much effort it took to drag people who swore they’d never set foot in Minha’s salon? Just thinking about it makes me want to cry…”
“Haah…”
Fine. At this point, wasting time arguing was pointless. It’s just locking arms. How big of a deal could it be?
In the end, I heaved a deep sigh and offered my arm. At that, Kwon Yuri immediately latched onto me like a magnet, laughing mischievously as if nothing had happened. Zing. Zing. The unpleasant sensation I could never get used to coursed through my arm and spread throughout my body.
“Chick, why are you acting like this? You’re not nervous, are you?”
Walking side by side, Kwon Yuri glanced at me to check my expression.
“Or is it because of your friend? You don’t need to worry about Muyoung. Yu Eun senior might seem like that, but she’s kind and has a wide network of connections. If anything, she’ll help him rather than harm him.”
I had indeed been worrying about Muyoung. Hearing her words offered me some relief.
“Senior.”
“Yeah?”
“You deceived me.”
“Me? When?”
Walking through the dark passageway connected to the stage, I spoke.
“You never told me I’d be part of the auction.”
“Muhihi, I must have forgotten because I was too busy.”
Kwon Yuri nonchalantly shook her head.
“But I didn’t lie. It’ll really be fun. Those friends who went out earlier are probably grinning from ear to ear by now.”
“Grinning from ear to ear…”
“Goodness! And besides, knowing in advance would ruin the fun. Aren’t you curious? How much do you think you’ll go for?”
“I have no particular thoughts on the matter. And I doubt I’d be a popular item. You know my reputation.”
“Tsk, tsk. Our little Chick. You really don’t understand a woman’s heart, do you?”
“A woman’s… heart?”
“Have you heard of sour grapes? People desire things they can’t have even more. It’s their way of letting go of lingering feelings.”
Kwon Yuri, wearing a strange smile, raised her finger.
“But what if it turns out it wasn’t unattainable after all? What if the opportunity was suddenly within reach? Do you think they’d just sit there complaining? Definitely not.”
“…I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Ugh! Just trust this older sister and follow her lead, okay?”
Kwon Yuri patted her chest confidently before guiding me towards the corner.
The stage lighting and the heated atmosphere of the venue grew increasingly closer.
“About earlier… thank you.”
“Hmm? For what?”
“For looking out for Minha senior.”
“That? It was nothing. It was a promise, after all.”
Kwon Yuri waved her hand dismissively, as though it were no big deal.
“For two straight days, her salon was packed to the brim with people. Was that all thanks to your connections?”
“Um, probably not. Even I don’t have that many friends.”
Kwon Yuri mimicked a thoughtful expression, her hand to her lips.
“But I guess it helped. When the salon first opened, it was just me and my friends. But people tend to gather where there are already crowds. Before we knew it, even people from prestigious families or notable businesses were showing up.”
“…Was that okay with you? With Minha senior, I mean.”
“Not really. Minha kept glaring at me, so I had a hard time.”
“…”
“I came to help, and she questioned my motives. It was so unfair! She doesn’t even greet me properly despite all the times I’ve said hello to her… Hmph…”
Pouting with puffed cheeks, Kwon Yuri spoke in a voice tinged with sadness.
Watching her, I voiced the question I had been pondering for a while.
“But… is it okay for you to do that?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re known to be part of senior Baek Seoyeon’s faction. But to involve yourself so much with Minha senior’s salon…”
“What’s a faction? Yuri’s head is full of flowers and knows nothing, hmph.”
Referring to herself in the third person, her playful demeanor was infuriating. What irritated me more was that it oddly suited her.
Her head full of flowers, indeed. I’d heard similar half-joking comments from others before.
Although, now that I think about it, it doesn’t seem entirely true.
“…It’s a joke. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone just got along? We’re all students and magicians. I don’t understand why there’s so much animosity. So, I try to make an effort.”
In a calm voice, Kwon Yuri murmured her thoughts before turning to look at me.
“What do you think, Chick?”
“Yes?”
“Fighting each other is getting so tiresome now. Honestly, it’s been getting harder for me to handle it alone… So, what do you think…? Chick, will you help me out…? Hmm?”
Kwon Yuri, arms crossed, looked up at me with tearful eyes.
“…Senior.”
Lost in her gaze for a moment, I finally opened my mouth.
“It’s obvious you’re pretending to be sentimental.”
“What?”
Kwon Yuri stopped abruptly, as if she hadn’t expected my response. Then, she quickly changed her expression, letting out her signature sly laugh.
“Oh my, how did you know?”
“How could I not? Your lips were twitching the entire time.”
“Hehe, our Chick has sharper instincts than I thought.”
She was truly an unpredictable person.
Still, it didn’t seem like everything she said was a lie.
Before I knew it, we had reached the back of the stage.
Kwon Yuri let out a deep sigh full of regret.
“It felt like we were on a date… Should we just run away together…?”
“…”
“There’s no need to look at me like that…”
Kwon Yuri rummaged through her belongings and pulled out a long blindfold. It was the same one other male students had worn earlier. She moved behind me and began tying it.
“I’ll do it myself.”
“No, it’s fine. It’ll be faster if I do it.”
My already dim view turned completely black. Kwon Yuri firmly linked her arm with mine again and boldly pulled back the curtain. Then, she led me back onto the stage.
“Thank you for waiting so long! Now, the last item of the day is here!!”
“Look, over there!”
“Oh my, that mask…!”
“Isn’t that the one? From Heukryeon…!”
The introduction boomed through the amplifier, and I could clearly feel the excited atmosphere of the banquet hall.
Feeling my way forward, I sat on the chair prepared at the center of the stage. Soon, my limbs were tightly bound with ropes.
Of course, escaping these shabby restraints would be easy, but… that wasn’t part of the contract we had agreed upon.
‘You remember, right? Our promise.’
As she secured my limbs, Kwon Yuri whispered softly.
‘You must follow the rules of the Shadow Banquet until it ends. No suddenly hitting someone just because you don’t like them, okay? Hmm?’
“…”
Without waiting for my response, Kwon Yuri left the stage. There was no need for her to remind me; I had every intention of fulfilling the contract. After all, I had already received my payment.
“Alright, let’s begin! Write down your bids on the paddles and hold them up! Oh, we have fifty credits! A hundred credits! And now, a thousand credits…!!”
I couldn’t help but imagine the sight of the noblewomen enthusiastically raising their paddles with their bids written on them. I wasn’t in a position to pity Muyoung anymore.
“Two thousand credits! Two thousand five hundred credits! Oh my, what’s this? A record-breaking bid…!”
Well, in the end, it was just two hours of discomfort. Spending such valuable credits extravagantly for that short time seemed absurd.
“Three… three thousand credits…! I think we’ll need to confirm the account first! Oh, as I say that, four thousand credits… Oh, five thousand??”
This level of discomfort could easily be endured while wearing a mask. As long as no one demanded to see my face, a little physical contact was tolerable. Whether they were classmates or seniors, it was all just a student-level prank.
“Five thousand one hundred, five thousand five hundred! Six thousand!! Fifteen thousand credits! Is there any higher…? I’ll start the count…”
Now that I think about it, I never got to use the seduction techniques I secretly learned from the captain. I’d avoided situations like this until now, but given the circumstances, gaining some practical experience might not be such a bad idea after all…
“5, 4, 3…2…1… Sold! Sold! Wow… What is this…!”
As I was sorting out my thoughts, Kwon Yuri’s voice, almost breathless with excitement, snapped me back to reality.
Fifteen thousand credits? Even if most of the attendees were from prestigious families, that amount far exceeded what any student should be able to spend.
To waste such a large sum on just two hours of entertainment…
Even if it was an impulsive bid, once the auction was concluded, there was no turning back. Whoever it was, they were undeniably foolish.
-Tap, tap…
I couldn’t see. The enclosed space was saturated with the smells of cigarettes, alcohol, and perfume, leaving my sense of smell almost useless.
The only functioning sense I had left was hearing. I could hear the sound of footsteps—heels clicking as they approached the stage. The grace and precision suggested it wasn’t a freshman.
A second-year? Or perhaps one of the returning third-years?
-Clack.
Finally, the presence stopped directly in front of me.
“Hah…”
A deep sigh, as if trying to release tension, reached my ears.
And with it, a familiar yet overwhelming scent pierced through the dulled senses of my nose—it was the fragrance of forget-me-nots.
‘What…?’
The moment I recognized it, I froze in place. My heart pounded violently as if issuing a warning. Swish, swish. Someone approached and began untying the blindfold covering my eyes.
Paralyzed, I couldn’t stop them. My mind had gone completely blank, as if bleached white.
Unconsciously, I prayed. It couldn’t be. It had to be a mistake. Surely, I had misunderstood.
Then, the flood of light pierced my pupils, and a shadow stood before me.
At that moment, all my desperate prayers proved futile as I felt an unbearable throbbing pain in my chest.
Hair as dark as the night sky. Eyes shining brighter than all the gold in the world.
A mere butterfly mask around her eyes couldn’t hope to conceal her beauty.
“Ah, hello…”
The girl, her cheeks flushed, shyly greeted me.