By Zephyria 
Befоrе starting their businеss, they bеgаn рrоmоting in еarnest. Sеоn-kуu made сotton cаndy with а gradiеnt of рink and light bluе, аnd thеy deсided tо use it along with рre-made signs tо attract сustomеrs.
Тhey hadn’t decidеd who would handlе thе рrоmоtion, but uneхpесtedly, Gа-rаm stepped fоrward first.
“Yоu аll trust me, right? I’ll takе rеsроnsibilitу for tоdаy’s sаles.”
Ga-ram declarеd grandly, hоlding cottоn candy in оne hаnd and a sign in thе оther. Thе signs, which had things likе ‘Yeоnggоjeоn’ аnd ‘Cоttоn Cаndу’ writtеn on them, hаd bеen mаdе а fеw days prior by the club members who were good with their hands. The neat handwriting and cute drawings looked high-quality at a glance.
“Are you going alone?”
Woo-yeon’s eyes widened in bewilderment. Since he was the worst at making cotton candy, he naturally thought he should be the one to go. Although Do-hyun had said, ‘I won’t make you if you don’t want to,’ he figured he wouldn’t be of much help staying at the booth anyway. Yet, no one gave him a hint that he should go.
“Just trust this Noona. If our Woo-yeon goes to promote, someone might just snatch him up.”
“Listen to her talk.”
Do-hyun gave a light snort and placed a hand on Ga-ram’s shoulder. Woo-yeon thought he would tell her to have a safe trip, but instead of patting her shoulder, he pushed her back, telling her to hurry up and go. Ga-ram looked flabbergasted, but she set off energetically.
“Are we really sending Ga-ram Noona alone?”
Seon-kyu also asked with a surprised face, but the seniors answered nonchalantly. They said Ga-ram always went, and that her promotion skills were incredible. The way they spoke seemed very accustomed to it.
“Stop worrying about Mungaram and let’s get ready.”
Do-hyun quickly settled the chaotic atmosphere and took his place in front of the cotton candy machine. As per the opinion that one machine wasn’t enough, a club member with a car had hurriedly borrowed another one. For now, Seon-kyu was planned to use one, and Do-hyun the other.
Woo-yeon followed the other club members’ lead and packaged the cotton candy the two of them made. Since there wasn’t enough time to make and sell them instantly, they decided to make a few in advance for decoration. The process of wrapping them in bags so the shapes wouldn’t be ruined took much more effort than he had expected.
“But Hyung, aren’t you wearing a headband?”
“Oh, right. Only Darling is left out.”
While carefully packaging the cotton candy, Woo-yeon listened to their conversation. When Seon-kyu pointed out that only Do-hyun wasn’t wearing a headband, complaints began to pop up one by one. For the most part, it was teasing, but it seemed a bit sincere.
Do-hyun answered nonchalantly while twirling a wooden chopstick.
“This is the privilege of the club president.”
“Hey, since when was that a thing?”
“As the club president, I have to set an example!”
“Right, Woo-yeon, you want to see it too, don’t you?”
Suddenly, the target of the question shifted to Woo-yeon. Woo-yeon flinched in surprise, flattening the cotton candy he was holding. When he looked at Do-hyun with panicked eyes, Do-hyun kindly reassured him.
“It’s okay. You can just eat the ruined ones.”
“Yeah, the cotton candy isn’t what’s important right now.”
“Woo-yeon, you say something too.”
While the cotton candy was the only thing that mattered right now, the club members had pushed the business to the back burner. If Ga-ram, who had gone to promote, heard this, she would have flown into a rage. Woo-yeon awkwardly peeled off the plastic and slowly began to speak.
“Ah, I…”
The Teacher wearing a headband. He didn’t want to force it if Do-hyun disliked it, but honestly, he was a little curious. Since the light pink t-shirt suited him so well, he thought animal ears would look good on him too.
Woo-yeon weighed his words, then recalled what had happened in the club room and blushed shyly.
“…Which headbands are left?”
Do-hyun became the protagonist of an untimely fashion show (more accurately, a headband show) and had to try on every single type. From the ribbon Seon-kyu was wearing, to the remaining cat ears, and the rabbit ears Woo-yeon had taken off for him. Do-hyun, who wasn’t pleased at first, reluctantly gave in when Woo-yeon’s eyes sparkled.
“I think the rabbit suits you best.”
Woo-yeon spoke in a voice that was unusually excited. They had tried on various things, but in the end, Do-hyun was a rabbit. His neat eyes and overall gentle impression went quite well with the soft rabbit ears.
“Can I bend the ears?”
Do-hyun leaned his waist slightly, asking why he was only getting permission for that now. Woo-yeon reached up over Do-hyun’s head and tried folding the right rabbit ear halfway. He hadn’t noticed when he was wearing them, but there was wire inside, allowing the shape to be changed freely.
“Done?”
“Yes, done.”
The club members also watched the two of them with interest. They were the ones who started the whole thing, but Woo-yeon was actually the most excited. In fact, Woo-yeon was in a state of high excitement seeing the ‘Teacher with rabbit ears.’
“Cute.”
The Teacher, who was always so mature, looked different for the first time. As Woo-yeon smiled happily, Do-hyun let out a soft chuckle.
“I don’t know who the cute one is here.”
He murmured softly and ruffled Woo-yeon’s hair. Since Woo-yeon had given his headband to Do-hyun, he wasn’t wearing anything.
Just as Woo-yeon’s face was flushing red from the touch stirring through his hair—
“Excuse me… are you selling cotton candy?”
They were women who looked to be about twenty years old. After speaking cautiously, they looked back and forth between Do-hyun and Woo-yeon, hesitating as they continued.
“The person wearing the cat headband said we could buy some if we came here…”
“Ah, yes! That’s right!”
Seon-kyu, who snapped out of it first, nodded hurriedly. Do-hyun also greeted the customers with his usual pleasant smile. The woman at the front blushed at his softly curving eyes.
“How many cotton candies would you like?”
Woo-yeon felt his good mood vanish instantly and turned away. Since taking payments was the role of other club members, he intended to sit at the side table as he had before. But before Woo-yeon could move, Do-hyun grabbed his arm firmly.
“Let’s do this, and then go look around in the afternoon.”
Do-hyun whispered that and turned his gaze back to the customers. The customer, who was still blushing, seemed to notice the atmosphere between Woo-yeon and him and looked disappointed. Just those few words made Woo-yeon feel much better.
* * *
As if they had never worried about not selling, the cotton candy sold like wildfire. Customers who came one or two at a time eventually formed a line in front of the booth. However, unlike the business heading toward a surplus, Woo-yeon’s mood was not very good.
“Um, could I possibly get your number?”
Crinkle. The cotton candy Woo-yeon was packaging got crushed. Ga-ram, who had just returned from promoting, looked at Woo-yeon with a troubled expression.
Woo-yeon took a small deep breath to calm his boiling insides. Then, a familiar voice uttered a kind refusal.
“I’m seeing someone.”
The person who said that was none other than Do-hyun. Do-hyun skillfully made a cotton candy and handed it to the customer with a professional smile. “Thank you.” At those words, the customer took the cotton candy, making it very obvious she was disappointed.
“….”
It was exactly the fifth time. Both the time Do-hyun drew a professional line, and the time Woo-yeon ruined a cotton candy.
“…I’m sorry, I’ll pay for the one I ruined.”
Woo-yeon apologized softly and put down the crushed cotton candy. It was clearly supposed to be a heart shape, but one side had been unsightly ruined. The shape, now useless, felt like his own crumbling heart.
“It’s okay, just throw it away. It’s faster to eat it, so let’s just get rid of it.”
Ga-ram waved her hand and took the cotton candy Woo-yeon had ruined. Then, she compressed the large cotton candy into a bite-sized piece and held it in front of Woo-yeon’s mouth. Woo-yeon reflexively opened his mouth and ate the cotton candy she offered.
“Isn’t it tastier when you eat it like this? I prefer this over just eating it normally.”
Woo-yeon nodded silently. It was originally fluffy, but eating it this way made it crunch like a cracker.
Even though he ate something sweet enough to make his tongue sting, his mood continued to decline.
“You seem really annoyed.”
Ga-ram spoke lightly and winked. She brushed back her long hair and put a wooden chopstick in her mouth as if she were smoking. She probably wanted to smoke but was holding back because of the festival.
“It’s always like this during festivals. I guess it’s the atmosphere… plus, Kim Do-hyun looks kind at a glance.”
Ga-ram let out a hollow laugh, saying it didn’t make sense even as she said it. When she mentioned that he actually had a nasty temper, Woo-yeon couldn’t agree and shook his head.
“Are there usually not people asking for his number like that?”
“What, from Kim Do-hyun?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…”
Seeing that she couldn’t answer immediately, it seemed to be a common occurrence. Ga-ram didn’t confirm or deny, vaguely changing the subject.
“Don’t worry. You know how firm Kim Do-hyun is.”
Firm indeed. Even though he refused with a smile, he didn’t leave a single opening. Rather, he seemed so accustomed to it that Woo-yeon’s stomach twisted even more.
“If you’re really upset, go over there and smear plenty of your pheromones on him. I see he’s already drenched you in his.”
Ga-ram flicked the wooden chopstick and wrinkled the bridge of her nose. Because pheromones rubbed off whenever Do-hyun touched him, his traces still remained on Woo-yeon. Well, he didn’t know if he had intentionally smeared them on as Ga-ram said, though.
“If even you’re like this, imagine how much he’d be bothered.”
“Why would Seonbae be bothered?”
Woo-yeon answered indifferently and glanced at Do-hyun. It wasn’t like people were asking for his number or talking to him—what would he have to be bothered by? No, even if they were, the Teacher wouldn’t care.
“That’s obviously…”
Ga-ram was about to say something but stopped and grinned, showing her teeth. Then, she peeled the plastic off a well-packaged cotton candy and compressed it into a small piece like before.
As Woo-yeon stared at her blankly, she held out the cotton candy again.
“Here.”
Once again, Woo-yeon opened his mouth and ate the cotton candy Ga-ram gave him. The crunching, melting texture was more unique than eating it normally.
Just as Ga-ram was about to unwrap another cotton candy while watching Woo-yeon munch away—
“Mungaram.”
A low voice pierced clearly into Woo-yeon’s ear. Feeling a sudden surge of pheromones, Woo-yeon slowly turned his head. Do-hyun, who had approached them unnoticed, took off his headband and placed it on the table.
“You, go make cotton candy.”