Chapter 18

18. In the evening, there's a play.

"Jinhyuk, do you have time until lunch?"

Dohminwoo approached Jinhyuk.

"No, you know, I have art club stuff, right?"

Jinhyuk knew. Dohminwoo was good at only two subjects: art and physical education. Among them, he had a considerable talent for art.

"This time, the art club is having an exhibition. You know, the art room is in that corner. How can anyone find it?"

"So, what's the matter?"

"Hey, man. Why are you using such formal language with a friend? So, to put it simply, will you help me with the art club's promotion? Please, friend."

If Jinhyuk, who always draws attention wherever he goes, helps with the promotion, it would be like having an army of a thousand.

"I'll buy you lunch today. There are a lot of good things at the food market."

Dohminwoo smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit guilty.

"Jinhyuk, you just stand there, and I'll take care of everything..."

"Let's go."

"Huh?"

"I mean, let's go do the promotion."

"Ah, ah! As expected, friends are the best!"

Dohminwoo tried to tackle Jinhyuk, but Jinhyuk was a step faster.

"Ah!"

He barely managed to keep his balance from falling.

The schoolyard was bustling with children.

Students in clubs were busy with preparations and promotions, and other students were wandering around the booths with curious eyes.

"Jinhyuk, just stand next to me and help me hand out these promotional flyers."

Dohminwoo handed the flyers to Jinhyuk. They were printed on a computer but were well-designed, fitting for the art club.

"Hey, everyone! The art club exhibition opens at 10:00. Come and see amazing paintings and participate in the gift draw. Please come."

Dohminwoo, who was attending the festival for the first time, started moving around the schoolyard like a skilled promotional assistant.

"Hey, hey, who are they?"

"He's handsome. Especially that short-haired guy, he's really good-looking. He looks like a celebrity."

"That's him. 1st year, Woo Jinhyuk."

"Really? You know him?"

"Of course. He got full marks in all subjects in the recent midterm exam."

"What? That was him?"

In no time, the students' attention was focused. To be precise, it was the girls.

"Hey, can we have some flyers too?"

"Sure, seniors. Or, should I call you 'unnie'?"

Dohminwoo started his sales pitch with a friendly smile to the approaching girls.

"Here, there's a number at the end of this flyer. It's for the gift draw, so keep it. And bring your friends too."

"Will you introduce the paintings when we get there?"

The girls glanced at Jinhyuk, but Dohminwoo answered.

"Of course, unnie. I'll take good care of you."

"Hehe. It's lively, which is good. I'll come when it opens."

The girls started to gather, and where there are girls, boys tend to follow.

Thus, the art room began to form a line even before it opened.

"Here, here, while you're waiting in line, have some snacks."

Dohminwoo quickly distributed simple snacks. The senior art club members, watching from the side, were amazed.

"Wow. I haven't seen a line before the art club exhibition in three years."

"Me neither. Last year, it was like a gallery. So quiet, you could slowly appreciate the art."

Dohminwoo's sales skills were truly excellent. Or, it was Jinhyuk's appearance.

***

"Pardon?"

Mr. Park Dongcheol had been repeating "Can you repeat that, please?" for a while.

The guest, who should have been frustrated, seemed used to such situations and didn't mind, but the expression of the board chairman who invited the guest was different.

"Ahem."

"Chairman, I'm sorry. This person's English is..."

A thick American Southern accent.

Mr. Park Dongcheol, who had volunteered to interpret to impress the chairman, was flustered.

He felt a bit wronged. After all, even Americans sometimes can't understand a heavy Southern accent.

It was natural to ask a few times, so the guest probably didn't mind.

However, the chairman seemed to think differently. He seemed to believe that Mr. Park had volunteered without being asked and was being rude to the guest.

Mr. Park Dongcheol looked at the elderly gentleman with gray hair.

The American Southern region. Poor and low-educated white people, often derogatorily called 'rednecks.'

The elderly gentleman was a respected figure in education who had dedicated his life to the poorest children. Many people admired him, including the chairman of Myeongseong High School.

The meeting was arranged by the chairman's invitation. Mr. Park Dongcheol volunteered to interpret, seeing it as an opportunity.

He knew the man's background but assumed, as an educator, he would speak standard English.

But that was a mistake. Born to a farmer's son, he had not received higher education and had studied on his own.

He used the language of his birthplace, a remote mountain village in the rough Southern Appalachians.

He spoke. Every time he opened his mouth, Mr. Park Dongcheol tensed.

"Sir, there are a lot of kids. Can I go see them?"

"Of course, feel free to go."

The guest and the chairman walked towards the students gathered at the entrance of the art room.

"Hi, kids, why are you all gathered here?"

The elderly gentleman greeted them in simple English. High school students should have been able to understand, but the unfamiliar accent made it difficult for anyone to respond.

Just as Mr. Park Dongcheol was about to interpret, a student answered fluently in English.

"Good morning, sir. The art club exhibition is about to start. This is the line waiting for it."

Everyone's attention turned to the student.

***

When the elderly gentleman's voice was heard, Jinhyuk felt a chill run down his spine.

To hear a Hillbilly accent here.

In the mercenary unit, people of various nationalities worked together. As they used English, their accents were truly diverse.

Italian, French, Mexican, Filipino accents...

Thus, he became familiar with various English accents. However, this one was different.

"Sir! It's an honor to meet you. I'm Steve!"

The strange English accent he first heard about ten years ago. Even Jinhyuk, who had exceptional language skills in the mercenary unit, found it hard to understand at first.

"Hillbilly. American Southern accent. Sometimes I can't understand it either."

He thought Steve wasn't from an English-speaking country until James explained it to him.

But after living together and hearing it constantly, he soon became familiar. Jinhyuk had never been to America, but at some point, the accent felt as familiar as a local dialect.

"Hehe. Commander, here you go."

Steve was so simple and naive that it was surprising to see him in such a place.

However, hearing the same rare rural accent as Steve in a Korean high school courtyard, Jinhyuk couldn't help but be surprised.

His response was instinctive.

"Good morning, sir. The art club exhibition is about to start. This is the line waiting for it."

The chairman and Mr. Park Dongcheol's eyes widened at Jinhyuk's fluent English.

The students who had mistaken the elderly gentleman's words for a different language were also surprised.

"Oh, I see. You understood me well. Your speaking is excellent. Have you lived abroad?"

To be precise, he had lived abroad, but the elderly gentleman's question was not about his past life.

"No, I've never been abroad."

This time, not only the chairman and the students but also the elderly gentleman seemed surprised.

"Hehe. I see. Then where did you learn English?"

He couldn't say the mercenary unit.

"Just at school."

"Hehe. This is surprising. It seems I had a wrong impression of Korean education."

Since there was no way to correct the elderly gentleman's misunderstanding, Jinhyuk just smiled.

"Are you from the Appalachian region?"

"Indeed, indeed. You know it well. It's amazing! I teach students near my hometown. Hehe."

The elderly gentleman laughed happily. The chairman also smiled, seeing the elderly gentleman's first cheerful expression in the school courtyard.

"Which teacher taught you English so well without going abroad?"

When the chairman asked, Mr. Park Dongcheol quickly stepped forward.

"Ah, yes. Woo Jinhyuk is my English student. His English scores were very low until last semester, but as a result of following my classes diligently..."

"Ahem!"

The chairman cut Mr. Park Dongcheol off before he could finish. Mr. Park Dongcheol flinched as the chairman's brow furrowed.

"Is your name Woo Jinhyuk?"

"Yes."

"Woo Jinhyuk... Woo Jinhyuk... I've heard that name somewhere."

Dohminwoo suddenly interjected.

"Teacher, Jinhyuk got 100 in English and is the top student in 1st grade!"

The chairman snapped his fingers, as if remembering.

"Ah! The one who got full marks in all subjects?"

Jinhyuk bowed deeply, and the chairman exclaimed excitedly.

"Wow! I heard we have a genius at our school. I was planning to meet him soon."

The chairman lightly patted Jinhyuk's shoulder.

"Great, great. After the festival, let's meet separately, Jinhyuk."

Then the chairman asked curiously.

"By the way, is our genius in the art club?"

"No."

"Oh, then are you just here to look around?"

"No. I'm here to help a friend."

Jinhyuk pointed to Dohminwoo, and the chairman nodded.

"Got it. Then, Jinhyuk, do you have any special performance at the festival?"

"Not now. I'm in a play in the evening."

"Is that so?"

When the play was mentioned, the chairman's eyes sparkled.

"Of course, the highlight of the festival is the play. I'll see it in the evening. I heard it's Chunhyangjeon. What role are you playing?"

Jinhyuk glanced at Mr. Park Dongcheol and said.

"Damyang Byusa."

"Damyang Byusa?"

The chairman furrowed his brow, thinking, but nothing came to mind.

"Hmm. Anyway, I'll look forward to your performance in the evening. Hehe."

The chairman patted Jinhyuk's shoulder again and left with the elderly gentleman. Mr. Park Dongcheol, giving Jinhyuk a stern look, quickly followed the chairman.

Jinhyuk, watching the departing chairman, whispered to Dohminwoo.

"Minwoo, after the play ends tonight..."

"Huh?"

***

As the short autumn sun prepared to set, the bustling and lively schoolyard became quiet.

Now, only the conversations of students tidying up remained, preserving the last warmth of the festival.

"It's Chunhyangjeon, right?"

"Yep."

"Isn't it too cliché?"

"But this time, the main character is that guy, the talent... Kang Dodoon, I think."

"Really? It should be worth watching."

The annual play was not particularly innovative, but the atmosphere was always hot, as if it were the finale of the festival.

Many current students, who were sad about the end of the festival, attended, along with their families and students from other schools, making the performance well-attended.

"By the way, I heard this morning in the art room that there's a very handsome guy in 1st grade 3, named Woo Jinhyuk."

"I know, I know. He got full marks in all subjects and is the top student."

"He's in the play."

"Hey, don't get your hopes up. He's just an extra, I heard from someone in the play."

"Really?"

"Hey, we're late. Let's go quickly. We need to get good seats."

Although there was still plenty of time before the performance, some students were already hurrying to the auditorium.

While the schoolyard was quiet, the auditorium's waiting room was the busiest.

"Close your eyes for a moment."

The makeup artists were hurriedly finishing the makeup.

Students who had finished their makeup smiled awkwardly at each other.

"Students who have finished their makeup, put on your costumes."

The stage, makeup, and costumes were all well-prepared, as anyone could see.

"Finally, it's time to finish with a bang."

Mr. Park Dongcheol, the overall director of the stage, entered the waiting room.

"Just do what you've practiced. Got it?!"

Mr. Park Dongcheol encouraged the students with an enthusiastic voice.

Right then.

The eyes of Lee Youngjun, playing the role of Namyuan Byusa, and Woo Jinhy