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Chapter 68
Jaeylin took the stack of papers from Stefan and placed them into the box she had brought.
“I’m done too. Peanut, take this as well.”
Adrian gathered the star-shaped colored papers he had been cutting and handed them over to Jaeylin.
At a glance, there were quite a lot of stars. Since Adrian had hated the idea when it was first suggested to him, Jaeylin thought he might give up halfway.
But although he grumbled the whole time, Adrian still finished every bit of the work assigned to him.
Without resting, Adrian immediately stood up. There was work piling up everywhere, yet the two who had caused the mess were the ones taking it easy.
“Enough chit-chat. Get up already. Because of your little stunt, we’ve got a mountain of things to do.”
After scolding Jaeylin and Stefan, Adrian suddenly turned to Nathan.
“Hey, gentleman.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yeah. Since you’re here, carry that for me.”
“What?”
Caught off guard by Adrian’s sudden order, Nathan tilted his head.
“What else? That blackout cloth on the floor.”
Adrian jerked his chin toward the pile of blackout curtains stacked in the corner of the clubroom.
“Why should I?”
“Well, then Peanut can carry it. Just a moment ago you were bragging about being a gentleman. Where’d all that chivalry go?”
Adrian slung the heavy blackout cloth across both shoulders with a mocking tone. Just from the look of it, the rolled-up fabric was no small weight.
Of course, he had no intention of making Jaeylin carry it. She was so frail she could hardly hold herself upright—how could she manage something like that? He only mentioned it because Nathan was hanging around, and he might as well make use of him.
Right now they needed all the help they could get. Otherwise, they wouldn’t finish even if they stayed up all night.
When Jaeylin bent down, straining to pick up one of the blackout rolls, Nathan quickly stepped in.
“Jaeylin, wait!”
He rushed over to her.
“I’ll carry this.”
Nathan heaved the blackout cloth onto both shoulders.
“Ugh—hah!”
He even made a show of grunting loudly, as though to flaunt his gentlemanly manners once more.
Stefan struggled to lift another roll, barely managing it with difficulty.
Jaeylin carried the box filled with their designs and the long rolls of paper propped in the corner of the clubroom.
Their destination was the glass-domed greenhouse next to the Department of Pharmacy.
Stefan, insisting they do things properly, had gone ahead and rented the place.
Originally, the greenhouse had been used by pharmacy students to grow medicinal herbs. But since a bigger one was built, this dome had been abandoned.
It was slated for demolition, but due to procedural issues, it still stood.
When they arrived, Adrian set down his load with a deep sigh—loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Do you really think we can finish this today? Even if we stay up all night, it’s impossible.”
Nathan dropped his own load with a thud and asked,
“So what exactly do we need to do?”
“Clear everything out, then cover the entire dome with blackout cloth.”
“Just the three of you?”
“Those two have other tasks, so really, it’s basically me alone.”
“But the festival’s tomorrow, isn’t it? How do you expect to finish in time?”
“I don’t know. Ask those two troublemakers who caused all this without thinking about the manpower.”
Adrian shot an annoyed look at Jaeylin and Stefan.
Jaeylin averted her gaze, pretending not to notice.
Stefan, who had arrived last, practically dragged his load across the floor before dropping it in the center of the dome with a sheepish grin.
“Ahaha! We can do it. If we work together, we’ll finish before sunset!”
“Not with just the three of you. Even if you pull an all-nighter, no way.”
Nathan’s words made Stefan waggle a finger side to side.
“Such negativity isn’t good! If you keep thinking like that, things that might’ve worked out won’t.”
Stefan was recklessly optimistic. Nathan brushed the dust off his hands after carrying the blackout cloth and looked around the dome.
It was huge—and cluttered with leftover equipment the pharmacy students had abandoned.
He didn’t know exactly what they were trying to do, but one thing was certain: there was no way they’d finish by tonight.
After a short pause, Nathan spoke.
“Guess I’ll help, then.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow and stared at him, as if trying to read his intentions.
“What’s with you? Since when do you stick your nose in other people’s business?”
“The student council has plenty of members, with or without me. Our booth theme isn’t something I care much for anyway. And I’ve got nothing else to do today—just need to show up on the festival day. So, why not?”
Even with his explanation, Adrian’s suspicious look didn’t soften.
Truthfully, Nathan had found working alongside Jaeylin and Adrian during midterms tough but unexpectedly fun.
And he was curious—what would Jaeylin create this time to surprise him?
Still, there was no reason for him to help if he was going to be treated like this.
“Why? Don’t want my help? Fine, I’ll back off.”
“When did I say I didn’t? If you’re bored, lend a hand.”
“Tsk, you’re asking for help but with no hint of sincerity. Where’s your desperation? Honestly, what’s in it for me to help you guys? Forget it.”
Nathan stroked his chin, pretending to weigh Adrian’s response, then casually turned toward the exit. A smirk tugged at his lips—he wasn’t bothering to hide how amused he was.
He figured he’d only help if Adrian swallowed his pride and asked properly.
But Nathan underestimated Adrian’s stubbornness.
“If you’re not gonna help, then get lost.”
Just a few words would’ve secured another set of hands. But Adrian’s pride refused to bend.
“Well, if that’s how you feel… good luck finishing by tomorrow.”
Seeing a volunteer about to walk away, Stefan panicked.
He dashed over to Nathan and clung to his arm, afraid he’d really leave.
“Come on, Nathan! We’d be so grateful if you helped. You’re already smart, fun, polite, and a good guy—we knew all that. But now you’re proving you’re loyal too! Seriously, is there anything you’re lacking? Right, Jaeylin?”
Stefan tugged on Nathan’s arm and sent desperate signals to Jaeylin.
With Nathan, no flattery was necessary—a simple request from Jaeylin would do.
Catching Stefan’s hint, Jaeylin hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“N-Nathan. I know it’s a lot, but… could you please help us? The three of us alone might not be able to finish by tomorrow…”
“Well, if you put it that way, of course I’ll help.”
Nathan’s voice was as smooth as oil.
Adrian, face dark with annoyance, muttered as he unrolled a blackout cloth on the ground.
“Ugh. Give me a break.”
“What was that? You don’t want my help after all?”
Nathan had heard perfectly well.
“I’ll go get the ladder!”
Adrian, unwilling to throw away the progress Stefan and Jaeylin had just managed, stood up and stormed outside to borrow tools for setting up their booth.
“Geez, that temper. Try to understand him, Nathan.”
With Adrian gone, Jaeylin and Stefan immediately started floundering. There was so much to do they didn’t know where to begin.
After spacing out for a moment, Jaeylin turned to Stefan.
“Wh-what should we do first?”
“Let’s rest a bit. I’m exhausted.”
Hauling heavy loads from the student center to the greenhouse had completely drained Stefan. He collapsed onto the floor.
“R-really?”
Having run back and forth between the classrooms, the student council building, and the greenhouse, Jaeylin was also worn out. She found a spot and sat down quietly.
‘So this astronomy club only runs properly because of Adrian.’
Nathan, having now figured out the club’s dynamics, leaned back against one of the wooden pillars scattered around. With the actual members taking a break, he saw no reason to get up and work.
“So, what’s your club doing, anyway?”
Nathan brought up the question he hadn’t gotten an answer to earlier. He still didn’t know what the astronomy club was preparing for the festival.
“We’re making constellations in here.”
Stefan pointed proudly at the greenhouse ceiling.
“Really?”
Nathan had half-guessed as much when he saw Adrian cutting out star-shaped papers in the clubroom.
‘Still… I thought there might be something more. Kind of underwhelming.’
He swallowed his disappointment. Of course, he had agreed to help partly because of the midterm memory, but truthfully, he was more excited to see what Jaeylin would come up with.
“Don’t you think it’ll look amazing?”
“Not sure, looking at it now.”
Just then, Adrian’s chilling voice rang out from the entrance.
“What the hell are you two doing?”
Carrying a ladder and a toolbox, Adrian glared daggers at Jaeylin and Stefan.
“W-we just used up so much energy moving all that blackout cloth that we couldn’t even lift a finger… we were just catching our breath before—”
“Get up right now!”
Adrian’s furious shout cut Stefan off mid-excuse.
“Eek!”
Stefan and Jaeylin jumped up like startled foals.
“If you cause trouble, at least work hard to fix it! I’m running around like my feet are on fire, and you two—who caused all this—are just sitting on your hands? Start clearing this place out and cleaning right now!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
They hadn’t really been slacking… but Jaeylin knew better than to argue.
With Adrian’s harsh scolding, Jaeylin and Stefan immediately sprang into action, moving briskly.
