TRPM 349

chapter 349

As we moved in the teacher’s car, heading toward the valley, I listened to the whole story and thought to myself:

‘… Hmm….’

I already knew that even before she became a teacher, she used to cross-dress, but I never imagined she had once received a group confession from male guild members back when she was in the Cleaner Guild.

‘Maybe that experience is why she’s so calm when students confess to her—she’s used to fending it off.’

Anyway.

The fact that those male guild members might be at the butterfly festival we were headed to today… that must be a real burden for her.
It wasn’t as if each of them confessed separately either. They confessed as a group and pressured her to pick one of them.

“But there’s a chance they won’t be at the festival, right? They probably went to the region to raid a dungeon, not to enjoy the festival….”

“They’ll be there.”

Sitting in the back, Lee Ha-eun tried to sound hopeful, but Teacher Son Ji-hye shot her down.

“The Cleaner Guild is such a laid-back guild… once they finish raiding a dungeon, if a festival happens to be nearby, they’ll definitely stick around to enjoy it.”

“……”

I really don’t get it. How can such a laid-back guild be ranked third in Korea—and even raid more dungeons each year than any other guild?
That means they clear more dungeons than Legionnes, which has an enormous number of awakened members, and even Ironblood, with its veteran awakened fighters and mutants.

‘… Just how do they manage it?’

Since I don’t know how the Cleaner Guild operates, I couldn’t even guess. Of course, they probably have unique know-how they can’t leak outside the guild.

“… We’re almost there.”

While I was lost in thought, the teacher’s car arrived at the festival grounds where the butterfly festival was supposed to be held.

Unlike the rose festival, which went on thanks to magical barriers, or the hanok village festival, which was less affected by rain, the butterfly festival seemed to be suspended.
The parking lot was full of cars, but there weren’t many people in sight.

‘Well, yeah. When it rains, butterflies don’t fly—they hide where it’s dry.’

Even with a barrier to block the rain, butterflies would still try to hide, so of course the festival couldn’t proceed normally.

“Ha-eun. What does it say they’ll do about the butterfly festival when it rains?”

“It says… events will be held indoors only.”

So the organizers did have some kind of contingency plan.

“By indoors, do they mean where?”

“Uh… over there.”

Ha-eun checked the map on her phone and pointed to one side of the venue. There was a building, which seemed to house the festival HQ and a lost child center, and next to it stood a massive greenhouse.

‘Oh, that’s pretty big.’

Especially the greenhouse—you could tell even from afar what the inside was probably like.
Most likely, they were growing exotic plants in there, ones rarely seen in Korea. After all, the butterfly festival wasn’t just about butterflies.

“So, where should we go first?”

“Hmm….”

I asked, giving Ha-eun the choice of where to go. But she seemed hesitant. Was it because there were too many things she wanted to see?

“No, honestly… none of it sounds that appealing.”

Apparently she’d already checked the festival website for details.

“They don’t hold many events outside of spring, and even those can’t happen if it rains….”

What was left was just insect and butterfly specimens, live insects they raised here, and plants on display. In spring, they would at least hold events where butterflies were released indoors, but since it wasn’t spring and there weren’t any large group visitors, they weren’t holding those.
In fact… it wasn’t even festival season right now.

“Oh, so it’s not even festival season?”

“Yeah. They usually do the butterfly festival in April or May.”

Well, that makes sense. Butterflies are most active in spring.
So most events only happen then, while during other times they just run the minimum—an exhibition and small displays.

“… Let’s at least check out the exhibition hall. Who knows? It might be more fun than we expect.”

I wasn’t particularly into insects, but there would surely be something worth seeing. That’s what I thought, and Ha-eun seemed to catch on.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

And our expectations were pleasantly wrong.

“Wow….”

“Whoa….”

“Ha….”

When we entered the exhibition hall, we couldn’t help but look around in silence.

Colorful butterflies flew all around us, guiding us deeper inside. It was the kind of setup kids would absolutely love, but it was captivating for adults too.

‘This is… maybe holograms, powered by magic?’

And it wasn’t just butterflies.

The plants inside the hall moved as if they were alive, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
That in itself wasn’t unheard of. If a spiritist, especially a druid-type awakened, was tending them, this sort of display was possible.

Still, just because you know the trick doesn’t mean the show isn’t entertaining.

“… Whoa….”

“……”

“……”

We followed the holographic butterflies, forgetting to talk. Oh, and of course, we didn’t forget to record videos of everything. The staff had gladly given us permission to film.

‘We’ve got to show this video to our classmates later.’

Yeah, Ryu A-min and Ryu A-young, who left early, were really going to regret missing this.

“Ah….”

Once they’d finished their job, the holographic butterflies dispersed. Butterflies flying around would just distract from the exhibits, after all.

I didn’t think much of it, but Ha-eun sighed regretfully. Still, we moved on to look at the first display.

“This… is a simple model of the butterfly life cycle.”

“Ugh….”

But it wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience.

Naturally so. Butterflies hatch from eggs into caterpillars, then pupate, and finally metamorphose into butterflies. And caterpillars… weren’t really to Ha-eun’s taste.

“Is it that gross?”

“It’s not that I didn’t know how butterflies grow, but seeing it like this in person….”

“These aren’t real. They’re just models.”

The models were so lifelike they could trick you into thinking they’d put real caterpillars there.

“Still, they’re gross.”

“Hmm….”

“……”

Neither I nor Teacher Son Ji-hye could really argue back. Honestly—

‘Compared to monsters, caterpillars are cute.’

Not that they’re actually cute. But they’re not giant worms that could swallow a person whole, nor do they have endless rows of teeth that could shred you in a bite.

So I couldn’t exactly relate to Ha-eun. Neither could Teacher Son Ji-hye, apparently.

“Haha… Should we just move on quickly then, if it bothers you that much?”

It probably came down to experience: Ji-hye and I had seen plenty in real combat, while Ha-eun had seen far less.
Someday, even she wouldn’t blink at the sight of a mere caterpillar.

“Hmm?”

But then, in front of the next display, some suspicious-looking men stood.

Well, “suspicious” only because, as awakened, they were carrying weapons. Otherwise, they just looked like regular visitors.

But—

“Ugh….”

Teacher Son Ji-hye frowned and tried to find a place to hide when she saw them. Which meant—

‘Are those the guys who confessed to her back in the Cleaner Guild?’

No wonder she reacted like that.

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, nothing.”

One of the men glanced our way at Ji-hye’s odd reaction, but since she quickly turned her head to pretend to look at the previous display, it seemed he didn’t recognize her.

“Anyway, don’t you think this butterfly looks pretty?”

“What, you planning to raise butterflies now?”

“… Maybe just a few?”

“Well, it’s the butterfly festival, so I’m sure there’s somewhere selling them for raising.”

Then they turned their attention to the butterfly models.

Regardless of their guild ties, it seemed they really had just come as festival-goers, nothing more.

“You guys actually like butterflies? I can’t stop thinking of that giant moth that spewed poison—it’s disgusting.”

“Moths and butterflies are the same?”

“They look similar. And it’s not like we’re experts who can even tell the difference.”

Apparently one of them didn’t like butterflies but tagged along for his friends’ sake. Poor guy.

Thinking that, I glanced at Teacher Ji-hye. She was pretending to look at the display, but whispered to Ha-eun:

“… They’re not looking this way, are they?”

“No. They’re not.”

“… Sorry, kids. Would it be okay if I slipped away for a bit?”

We nodded.

If she kept walking the exhibition with us, they’d surely spot her eventually.
It felt unfair that she had to hide when she hadn’t done anything wrong.

‘… Well, maybe not completely blameless?’

After all, part of the reason they confessed was because she’d been cross-dressing and hiding that she was a man.
If they’d known the truth, maybe they wouldn’t have confessed….

‘… Hmm….’

But then again, the world is full of all kinds of people. And these days, thinking of same-sex attraction as “weird” is practically discrimination.

“Well then, sorry…!”

That was her last word before she tried to slip out of the hall.

But—

“Hm? That woman….”

“Woman? Who do you mean—oh?”

“… Could it be Ji-hye?”

Before she could leave, the men spotted her.

Ah, crap….

Realizing she’d been recognized, the teacher broke into a sprint.

“Was that really Ji-hye? Not just someone who looks like her?”

“Didn’t you see how fast she moved? Only a skilled awakened could do that.”

“And she ran the moment she saw us, so…”

The men, uncertain but suspicious, began to chase after her.

Seriously, why were they even chasing?

“… Geon-woo.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s report it.”

“… Report what?”

“Three armed men chasing one woman.”

Well, yeah, that’s exactly what it looked like from the outside.

And if we reported it, the police would intervene, meaning those men wouldn’t be able to do anything to the teacher….