The Reborn Genius of an Arts High School - Chapter 85

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 85.
The Cheonglim Festival began beneath a clear autumn sky.
But the temperature on such a bright day was as stifling as summer.
The delighted noise of students filled the school to bursting.
Just as the Art Department had arranged the Practice Room, the other departments had each set up their own entertaining booths.
The Model Department had opened a flea market and was already crowded from the start.
If you arrived late, all the decent items would already be sold out.
Ye Ji and Da Hye headed straight there once the festival opened.
“You made it?”
Se Hui greeted the two of them.
The cause was noble enough—all proceeds would be donated—so students swarmed the place in noisy crowds.
But most items weren’t ordinary clothes; instead, they were peculiar fabrics and props that made you wonder when you’d ever wear such things.
“What is this…?”
“Is it a silver fish?”
As Da Hye and she giggled while browsing, Se Hui spoke as if she had no idea what they meant.
“Ah well, they say silver is about to become a trend.”
That would be a difficult trend to follow….
Amid the joking comments, Da Hye picked out and purchased several items.
Being someone who preferred simple and ordinary styles when it came to clothing, Ye Ji was content to just look.
When they headed over to the Dance Department’s section, they heard a whole different level of commotion.
What they called the Random Play Dance had popular idol songs blaring loudly from massive speakers.
Somehow everyone knew all the moves—the moment the music started, they were automatically dancing along.
Students filming with their mobile phones were also visible in various corners.
Festival videos often became quite a hot topic on social media.
But everyone seemed indifferent to all that, savoring every moment with joyful expressions on their faces.
“Look at this—the Applied Music students are doing a busking session on the Sports Field later.”
Today, there were no classes.
Ye Ji headed toward the Sports Field with Da Hye, joining the students enjoying this rare moment of rest.
The morning passed quickly as they went from booth to booth, each one different from the last.
After lunch.
That was when the Art Department’s booth truly began.
“Everyone’s started with the makeup.”
As Ye Ji entered, Dong Ha hurried past and said a quick word.
From the entrance, blackout curtains blocked out the light to set the mood, creating a darkened hallway.
Thanks to red acrylic sheets attached to the fluorescent lights, the space was flooded with a crimson glow like a darkroom.
Beyond the black curtains that hung down, the space was constructed so skillfully it looked like an abandoned house.
“Where is everyone?”
“Next classroom.”
In the second room where they’d decided to turn on special lighting, the white fluorescent lights were on and everyone was doing makeup.
“Wow, here. Should we splash more blood here? And add another wound on this side….”
Young was excitedly applying gruesome makeup to a student.
Because friends from the Dance Department were taking on the roles that required physical performance, their makeup was the most elaborate.
Since it wasn’t professional Special Makeup, it wasn’t perfect….
“Hey, don’t you think I might actually have talent for this kind of thing?”
At Young’s joking tone, the gathered students all nodded affirmatively and applauded.
Since people who were naturally good with their hands and had a keen eye had gathered, they were all doing a convincing job of it.
“How do I look?”
Young playfully showed off the makeup he’d done to Ye Ji, smiling, and Ye Ji gave him a thumbs up.
“Hey, Ye Ji. Hi there.”
The student who was in the middle of getting makeup from Young was a face Ye Ji recognized.
It was a friend who had helped when she exposed Ji An last year.
“Wow, you really look creepy right now.”
“That’s a compliment, right?”
As they laughed with playful remarks, Young set down his brush with a satisfied expression.
“See, whatever I do, I do it well.”
He added with brazen confidence.
“After all, you never know until you try.”
Young couldn’t help but admit that he too had been caught up in prejudice.
He’d heard that Korean students all lived boring lives, just going round and round at hagwons every day.
Originally, the only students he could meet were a tiny elite group at this school.
Especially since he’d come here with expectations centered solely on the student Ye Ji.
“Ye Ji! Look at this! Teacher! Look at this!”
One group bragged to the two of them about the Props that had been causing trouble since yesterday and were now perfectly prepared.
After all, this wasn’t for grades, and it wasn’t to make money.
Just memories to last a day or two.
How beautiful were those moments when they put their heads together and made an effort for that value alone.
“The preparations are truly perfect now.”
Ye Ji smiled warmly as she watched her friends bustling about merrily.
Whether you could call it a Korean characteristic—giving your all even in play.
Everyone, without exception, happily holding creepy and ghastly Props was strangely paradoxical and yet amusing.
“You won’t get an experience like this anywhere else, right?”
At Young’s words, Ye Ji burst out laughing.
Even she thought it wasn’t an experience you could easily have.
Just then, Da Hye approached with her hair completely disheveled and wearing a school uniform drenched in fake blood.
“Look at me! I’m Zombie Number 3 who knocks on the classroom door!”
This was the role Da Hye had taken on.
For a zombie film, the fear came from those swarming masses.
It wasn’t a major role—Art Department students could handle the parts that just set the atmosphere.
Ye Ji had also taken on a role.
“Why can’t you do something different instead of that?”
Hyun Min, who was on standby while receiving simple makeup, spoke to Ye Ji.
He had a knack for speaking smoothly.
Since he’d orchestrated everything, he’d taken on the most demanding role.
In comparison, Ye Ji’s role was carefree and required no makeup at all.
“Why? I think I’ll have fun with it.”
“What if you get hurt and injure your hand?”
At Hyun Min’s concern, Ye Ji made an odd expression.
Was he worrying about her, or was he just worried her hand might get hurt and mess up the schedule?
As Ye Ji glanced at him sidelong, she shrugged.
“Would I actually step on it?”
“……Hey, don’t say inauspicious things.”
If anyone looked like they might step on it, she’d punch them in the shin before they got the chance.
Ye Ji let Hyun Min’s words go in one ear and out the other as she left the classroom.
She then passed through the hallway bathed in that bright red light again and into the adjacent room.
She headed to the place where the background she had completed was set up.
Dong Ha, who was doing a final check on the Props, was there as well.
“Did you see the kids in the other classroom?”
“Yeah, their makeup was super realistic. I think the reaction will be good.”
At Ye Ji’s words, Dong Ha glanced at her and spoke.
“More than that, your Poster was getting a great reaction?”
“Yeah? But you drew half of that. If we’re being honest, we both drew it.”
Ye Ji corrected his statement.
Horror and fear weren’t her area of expertise.
So based on the storyboard that Dong Ha had drawn, Ye Ji had simply added the details.
But because they each played to their strengths, the Poster was successfully drawing up people’s expectations.
Whether her words felt a bit embarrassing to him, he awkwardly pretended not to hear and looked away.
After finishing his final Props check, Dong Ha let out a sigh of relief.
“We actually finished all of this.”
Since they’d entrusted the final room to Ye Ji.
It had been quite a large-scale project.
But since he’d expected Ye Ji to be capable of finishing it, he nodded as if it were only natural.
“You did a lot of work putting it together. It seems like it’ll be fun, and I got excited just making it.”
“Well, yeah. I have to admit, it’s been more fun than I expected.”
Dong Ha spoke with an awkward expression.
In truth, everyone knew but just hadn’t said it.
They knew Dong Ha had been reluctant about the festival at first.
But his ideas had clearly been a huge help, and because of that, he’d gradually become more proactive.
Probably he himself felt awkward about how quickly he’d flip-flopped.
Yet his role had certainly been essential.
They had been woefully short on information about genres that could be fun entertainment for everyone to enjoy together.
Even if they’d wanted to enjoy it, they might have floundered without knowing what to do.
“It’s a relief. I think we only managed to complete everything because of you.”
At Ye Ji’s words, Dong Ha, still finding such conversations awkward and uncomfortable, turned away.
“Enough of that. Now it’s really time to start. Anyway… let’s do our best.”
***
Ha Eun, a first-year student in the Art Department at Cheonglim Arts High School.
She was thoroughly enjoying her first Cheonglim Festival.
“The second-year seniors participated in the festival?”
She’d heard the Art Department usually didn’t participate?
Ha Eun opened up the Promotional Flyer she’d received to look at it properly.
Though it was just a small leaflet, the illustration printed across the entire page was unmistakably striking.
“Wow, what is this… the Poster is insane.”
They would only be seniors by a year’s difference.
The Poster they’d drawn was impressive enough to pass for a game illustration from some major company.
A picture of a blood-soaked hand reaching for the Practice Room door.
It gave everyone who saw it both familiarity and a chill at the same time.
As a junior from the same department, it was enough to make her feel a bit intimidated by the quality.
“Apparently that’s why the back of the Practice Room has been covered up the past few days.”
Friends who’d already been there seemed to be going on and on with praise.
By now the sun was beginning to set.
With the days so much shorter, the sun had already started to sink.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Ahhhhh!”
The moment the Separate Building came into view, fierce screams erupted from inside.
A mixture of male and female voices screaming.
That such screams could be drawn from high school boys who live by appearance was something else.
“It must really be scary. Let’s go check it out!”
Not wanting to look weak next to her excited friend, Ha Eun awkwardly laughed and nodded.
But truthfully, Ha Eun was absolutely terrified of horror like this.
Just the thought of the dark Practice Room at night was scary on its own.
‘At least it’s not like actual ghosts or anything, right…?’
If it were, she probably wouldn’t be able to go to the Practice Room at night for the rest of her time until graduation.
“Ah, hey. Hey. Let go. Let go. That’s enough!”
As she stepped into the Separate Building, she could see third-year seniors who’d apparently already gone through and come back out.
One boy and two girls.
Could they have been the ones screaming just now?
In particular, one senior girl with long black hair was gripping tightly to the boy senior’s shirt.
The problem was that she’d gripped so hard his t-shirt was nearly choking him.
“Oh wow, that’s Kang Yura. Kang Yura!”
At her friend’s whispered words, Ha Eun belatedly recognized the long-haired female senior.
If it was Kang Yura from third year, she was second only to Ye Ji from second year in fame within the Art Department.
She’d heard Kang Yura had a terrifying personality…?
“Yura… Yura. I think you really need to let go?”
“………I let go.”
“You didn’t! You didn’t let go, I can’t breathe!”
Watching the three seniors exchange what seemed like comedy banter.
It seemed like the senior might not be as terrifying as the rumors suggested….
“Next group, please enter!”
As they approached the booth entrance, there were already plenty of students waiting.
It seemed everyone had high expectations—the line extending down the hallway was quite long.
“You two will be the last group.”
“Oh, thank goodness…!”
A senior managing the line gave Ha Eun the final number ticket.
It made sense—school was about to be dismissed anyway. Ha Eun was quite late.
Still, the course itself didn’t seem to be very long, and her turn came around quickly.
Ha Eun carefully stepped into the Art Department’s booth.
Opening the temporary partition door, she found herself in a hallway with all the windows covered by curtains.
The atmosphere immediately felt ominous thanks to the bright red lighting everywhere.
“Right now, the situation is that a Zombie Outbreak has occurred—a disaster scenario. Many people have died or been infected, and the school isn’t safe either.”
A senior helping people enter lightly explained the premise.
“But we’ve developed a successful Vaccine within our school. If you go inside, you’ll find a friend who’s found where the Vaccine is located.”
Since they were seniors rather than staff at an amusement park or escape room cafe, their familiar tone somehow made it feel more realistic.
“The Vaccine is in the final Sculpture Room 3, so find it and get out. Good luck.”
With that, Ha Eun and her friend drew back the dark curtain and stepped inside.
Everyone was skilled with their hands, so this was no joke.
The inner hallway was dark too, but similarly, red lights were scattered here and there.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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