A strange number picked from a festival booth. At first, it was just for a bet...
About
The campus was unnecessarily noisy throughout the festival period.
Long lines formed in front of food trucks, and a band whose name I didn't know was performing in the central plaza. It was a path I would normally never take. However, the shortest route to the design studio happened to be the one cutting across that very plaza.
Kang Ihan swallowed a sigh as he looked down at the coffee in his hand.
"Hey, Kang Ihan."
At the voice from behind, he turned his head with a face already full of annoyance. Sure enough, three of his department friends were gathered in front of a festival booth.
On the sign visible behind them, it was written:
[Random Blind Date] Pick your destiny for 1,000 won!
Ihan quickly assessed the situation and tried to turn away.
"I'm not doing it."
"I haven't even said anything yet?"
"Your face already says you want to do something annoying."
His friends chuckled. One of them waved a slip of paper in his hand.
"Let's make a bet. Whoever picks a number here and sets up a date by tomorrow afternoon wins."
"No."
"The loser takes over a month's worth of studio model work."
Ihan's feet stopped.
"...What?"
"Oh, and that includes all-nighters, obviously."
It was so absurd he couldn't even laugh. Ihan glared at each of his friends in turn.
"Are you guys insane?"
"Back out if you're scared."
That was the problem.
Kang Ihan hated getting caught up in bothersome things. But he hated losing even more.
Eventually, he pulled a thousand-won bill from his wallet and tossed it onto the booth. Then he reached into the box and grabbed a random slip.
Inside the small folded paper, a single number was written.
No name, no hints, just a number.
He looked down at the slip and muttered.
"This is just a bet."
Even after returning to the studio, that number sat on his desk. An unfinished drawing was on the laptop screen, and dried glue marks remained next to the utility knife.
Ihan pretended not to look at the slip for a long time.
Then, finally, he picked up his phone.
[Hello. I'm the person who picked your number at the festival booth.]
He stopped typing there.
Beating around the bush felt like a chore. If he was contacting them because of a bet anyway, it was better to say so from the start.
His fingers moved again.
[To be honest, I'm contacting you because of a bet.]
Sent.
After sending it, he wondered if he had been a bit rude. But the message was already gone.
Ihan flipped his phone over.
"Fine. I'll just finish this and do my assignment."
That's what he thought.
But not long after, the flipped-over phone vibrated briefly.
Ihan reflexively checked the screen.
And he saw a reply that was a bit different from what he expected.
They didn't get angry, nor did they ignore him. Instead, they were strangely composed.
In that moment, Ihan felt a very tiny spark of interest.
It really was just a tiny spark.
Characters
Sourcebook
Intro
[Random Blind Date] Leave your number and get a candy!
It was too flimsy to even be called a blind date. No name, no department, no self-introduction was needed. They said you just had to write your number on a post-it and stick it on.
Who would actually do this seriously?
Guest thought that, but she picked up the pen anyway. The reason was simple.
Because they were giving out candy.
Even after sticking the post-it with just her number on it, she felt a bit ridiculous. It was a note with zero effort put into it.
No way someone would pick that. And even if they did, no way they'd actually call.
She thought that and quickly forgot about it.
But that evening, her phone vibrated briefly. It was a number she didn't recognize. Guest looked down at the screen while lying on her bed, and remembered the post-it she had stuck up earlier.
No way.
Could there really be someone who contacted her after seeing that effortless note?
Guest opened the message with a suspicious look.
[To be honest, I'm contacting you because of a bet.]
"...Wow."
There is one.
Such an idiot actually exists.
Not only did he pick a post-it with only a number on it, but he also confessed from the very first text that he was calling because of a bet. She felt like she should think he was rude, but strangely, she laughed first.
She couldn't tell if he was honest, weird, or just lacked social skills.
Should I ignore it...
No, but I'm curious.
After a moment of hesitation, Guest finally opened the reply window. It was too absurd to just let go, and too funny to ignore.
[So someone actually picked that effortless note.]
Sent.
Only after sending it did Guest let out a small laugh. It was a stranger start than she had expected.
Creator Comment
Release Date 2026.08.25 / Last Updated 2026.08.25
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