The long-awaited J-High Festival finally began.
By morning, the usually chaotic halls were alive with streamers, banners, and booths set up by every class, The smell of fried snacks and sweet cotton candy wafted through the air, Music blared from the outdoor stage, laughter and chatter mixed.
Hana Mae Lee walked alongside Zoe and Mira, she was enjoying the day, She stopped at a booth where some seniors were selling chocolate-covered bananas, her smile bright as she tried one.
Meanwhile, Minsoo wandered with Vasco, Zack, Daniel, and Jay, He wasn't exactly thrilled by the noise, Vasco was going wild With his Hand to hand Strength, then Zack went Fighting at Ring with Somebody.
Minsoo broke off from them and drifted toward one of the quieter corners of the festival, where Eli Jang was leaning against a wall, watching over with a faint smile.
"You're Eli, right?" Minsoo said casually, slipping his hands into his pockets.
Eli tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly in curiosity "Yeah and you're Minsoo Ji-Seop."
Minsoo chuckled.
The two talked for a few minutes, nothing deep, but enough to spark a mutual respect Both could sense it.
But soon, the buzz of the festival shifted, Excitement rippled through the students as the "Date Auction" event began, A crowd gathered near the stage, the host hyping up the audience One by one, boys from different classes were pushed onto the stage while girls shouted bids, waving money in the air like it was some high-stakes gamble.
Vasco was pushed on stage too, nobody bid it.
Then, somehow, Minsoo ended up on the stage.
He sighed "I really don't need this." But the crowd was already screaming, His tall frame and sharp features drew attention instantly Whispers flew everywhere.
The bidding began.
"500!" someone shouted.
"700!" another girl called.
But then, a voice cut through the noise.
"₩500,000!"
All heads snapped toward the speaker, Lala Kim, her hair catching the light as she smirked confidently, Gasps through the students.
The host was stunned but managed to continue, Other girls tried to outbid, throwing in 600,000, 800,000, even a million, But every time, Lala raised her hand and topped them effortlessly.
Minsoo sighing inwardly "This is ridiculous."
But before the host could declare her the winner, another voice rang out, calm
"₩3,000,000."
Everyone froze, The crowd turned toward the front, where Hana Mae Lee stood She looked completely serious, no hesitation in her tone.
The entire audience erupted in gasps, Even Lala's confident smile faltered for a second.
Minsoo blinked, genuinely surprised, Hana?
Lala quickly recovered and smirked again. "₩4,000,000."
The crowd murmured louder, Surely that would end it.
But Hana's voice rang again clear.
"₩7,000,000."
Everyone stared at her in shock, Even the host's jaw nearly hit the floor.
Lala bit her lip, unable to top that without going absurdly high, Finally, she let out a frustrated huff and stepped back, conceding.
"Winner, Hana Mae Lee!" the host shouted, voice from excitement.
Minsoo stepped down from the stage, brushing his hair back, When he reached Hana, he leaned closer, his voice low.
"Thanks, for saving my ass up there." he said.
Hana exhaled "Don't mention it." Hana looked him, as he walked away, her expression look..... almost Sad?
Minsoo's smile faded just slightly as he glanced around the festival crowd, Crystal Choi still hasn't shown up yet, maybe she will at Daniel's bidding time.
...
Zoe leaned toward Hana, who had been stealing glances at Minsoo more than once "So," she teased, her eyes narrowing with suspicion, "why aren't you on that 'date' you just paid seven million won for, huh?"
Hana froze for a second, She quickly brushed her hair behind her ear and forced a small smile. "Ah… it's nothing, I just didn't want him stuck up with someone he don't want to." She changed the subject before Zoe could press further, asking about Mira's food stall. Zoe arched a brow but let it go, for now.
Meanwhile, the crowd erupted again as the host called the next participant onto the stage.
This time, Daniel Park with second body stepped forward The girls practically screamed at the sight of him, tall, lean, handsome, almost model-like, Whispers flew like wildfire.
"He's gorgeous…"
"I've never seen him around before!"
Daniel scratched his neck awkwardly, overwhelmed by the attention.
From a distance, Minsoo sat at the edge of the crowd, sipping from a juice box, his expression calm as if none of this concerned him, Vasco joined him, slurping his drink with childlike intensity, though his eyes darted toward the stage curiously.
The bidding began immediately.
"₩400,000!"
"₩600,000!"
"₩1,000,000!"
Voices overlapped as the girls competed fiercely, Daniel's smile strained.
Then, a familiar confident voice rang out.
"₩2,000,000."
All eyes turned to Lala Kim, flipping her hair and smirking, clearly enjoying the spotlight, The crowd roared with chatter.
Zoe suddenly shouted a bid too, her hand raised high "₩2,500,000!"
Daniel's eyes widened, shocked that Zoe of all people was bidding for him But her determination faltered when Lala immediately countered with ₩3,000,000, Zoe bit her lip, defeated again, unable to keep up with the outrageous amounts.
The host was about to call it when another voice cut through the noise calm, commanding.
"₩10,000,000."
The courtyard went silent, Heads turned toward the source.
Crystal Choi.
She stood tall at the back of the crowd, her posture elegant, eyes cold and unwavering Behind her, almost casually leaning with his hands in his pockets, stood Gun Park, dark glasses.
The silence was deafening.
"Sold!" the host announced, barely able to contain the shock in his voice "Daniel Park's date goes to Crystal Choi!"
Daniel stepped down awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck, and followed Crystal The crowd buzzed with gossip, eyes following them as they made their way toward the parking lot, Gun trailed lazily behind them, his presence enough to keep anyone else at bay.
From the sidelines, Minsoo and Vasco remained seated, quietly observing as they sipped their juice.
"Pretty big deal, huh?" Vasco muttered, his expression turning sad.
"Mm," Minsoo hummed, they followed the trio
At the parking lot, Crystal opened the car door, her expression clouded with displeasure, She seemed annoyed, Daniel stepped forward.
"Wait, Crystal, hold on-" he started.
But before he could finish, Gun Park's hand shot out, clamping down firmly on Daniel's wrist.
Daniel's eyes widened "Let go," he demanded, his voice tense, He twisted, breaking free with a surprising burst of strength.
Gun watched him Without a word, he pivoted and unleashed a devastating Brazilian kick The strike was so fast that Daniel barely registered it before it slammed into his guard, sending him skidding across, He dropped to one knee, the shock reverberating.
Minsoo lowered his juice box, watching silently, Vasco froze mid-sip his usual playful demeanor vanishing as seriousness carved across his face.
Daniel staggered up, chest heaving, disbelief written across his features, He's… this strong?
Gun adjusted his glasses with two fingers, calm as ever, His voice was smooth "You have talent, but, you should know your limits, kid."
Vasco stood, crushing his empty juice box in his hand, His eyes sharpened, all traces of his goofy energy gone.
"Minsoo." His tone was low.
Minsoo stood as well, tossing his juice aside A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, his eyes locked on Gun.
"Well," Minsoo murmured, cracking his neck, "looks like things are going to be interesting."
The two began walking toward the parking lot, side by side, two figures stepping, Gun and Daniel's eyes saw them.
"Hey glasses From the last time, What do you think you're doing, I saw everything." Vasco said.
----
NAME:|- VASCO
HEIGHT:|- 175 CM
STRENGTH:|- [ S+ ]
SPEED:|- [ A ]
POTENTIAL:|- [ B+ ]
INTELLIGENCE:|- [ E+ ]
ENDURANCE:|- [ S ]
----
Gun Blinked "Oh? Vasco and Minsoo."