Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Rest Stop Rumble
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“Yang Yeon-hee….”
“Yes!”
“Kim Ga-eun.”
“Yes.”
“…Do-yeon.”
“Yes.”
Jeong Eun-seong called out each of his friends' names one by one, clear as day, and handed out the chicken skewers.
“Gyeong Se-in.”
“Yes!!!”
Having successfully nailed everyone's name perfectly, Jeong Eun-seong let out a small sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
My take on the whole scene?
……Fan signing event?
It felt just like a debut artist's first fan meet-up, where both the fans and the singer are awkward as hell.
In the meantime, Ye-su-a had already demolished more than half of her sauce-dripping chicken skewer and asked with a grin.
“Eun-seong, you got these for us to eat? Worried we wouldn't have time after hitting the bathroom?”
“Yeah. …Ye-su-a.”
“That's so sweet……”
“Thanks, Eun-seong.”
“No problem. …Gyeong Se-in.”
“……”
I gave him a suspicious upward glance.
“What's gotten into you?”
What's with you suddenly nailing everyone's names without a single slip-up? He caught the unspoken question and replied.
“I finally memorized all our class's names.”
“Then what's that kid's name?”
I pointed at Jeong Na-jun, who was outside the rest area building, shoving an entire hot dog into his mouth in one go.
“He's from our school, you know?”
“……”
Hey! That guy's been singing the whole bus ride here!
“Okay, then what's Yang Ji-woong's ex's name? From our class.”
“Park Chu-han.”
“……”
I shook my head in disbelief. Next to me, Se-in was pounding on someone else's bus with her fist, complaining that the chicken skewer was too spicy.
Why were the kids lining up to eat their skewers so damn cute? As my lips twitched into a smile, Jeong Eun-seong asked me.
“Kang Da-hye, what flavor do you want?”
“What've you got?”
“This is gochujang, this is soy sauce.”
“Gochujang.”
“Sure.”
I took a bite, and only then did it hit me.
“Jeong Eun-seong, what flavor did you want?”
“Whatever you pick and leave behind.”
“……”
You little…….
“Kang Da-hye!”
It really was spicy. As I punched Jeong Eun-seong's arm instead of the bus to tough it out, Seo Jae-kyeom came running over, still pale-faced, clutching a paper bag full of twisty donuts.
“Take one each. These are cream-filled, these are red bean.”
“Whoa!”
This guy starts handing out snacks to my friends the second he arrives too. After a full round, one cream and one red bean were left.
“Kang Da-hye, what do you want?”
“Seo Jae-kyeom, what were you hoping for?”
“Whatever you pick and leave behind.”
“Oh……”
Did you two plan this?
“There's none for me. Only for our Da-hye.”
Seo Jae-kyeom smirked as his eyes met Jeong Eun-seong's blank stare. Just as Jeong Eun-seong's face twisted at the teasing tone.
“Hey!”
A woman yelled from across the lot, where Se-in was still pummeling the bus with her bare fist.
“You little XX! XXX!”
Jeong Eun-seong's expression hardened as he yanked me back.
“Hide for now.”
“…Why?”
“Why? Those people might recognize your face, and if they spot you……”
“…What are you talking about? That's Bang Eun-ji.”
“Huh?”
“It's Bang Eun-ji. Over there.”
Who's she fighting with all the way on the school trip? I swung my half-eaten skewer and headed behind the bus.
“Gogo High School, huh. What kind of idiot named that school?”
“Says the kids from Gukguk High.”
And then I saw it.
Bang Eun-ji, decked out even more glamorously than usual, and her new crew squaring off against kids from another school I'd never seen before…….
“No……”
I rubbed my forehead.
-Typical K-High School Traits from 11 Years Ago-
Whenever rival schools crossed paths at tourist spots or lodgings during retreats or trips, they'd glare at each other.
They'd scan each other with disdainful eyes, lock gazes without looking away, start a staring contest, and kick off a fight with 'What're you staring at?'
Mocking each other's school names or outfits as tacky, until teachers showed up yelling 'Hey, what the hell are you doing?!' and broke it up.
They'd part ways hurling double insults like they'd never see each other again, but since trip spots were all the same, they'd inevitably bump into each other at the next location.
Your school never did that? Sorry, guess ours was just full of fight-happy chickens. We'll rename it to Cockcock High.
'Either they fight or swap numbers. Behind the teachers' backs.'
Back at middle school retreat, girls from a nearby all-girls high tried to get Seo Jae-kyeom's number. Invited him to their room at night—they had booze.
Seo Jae-kyeom snorted and didn't go.
I fidgeted the whole time they talked, inwardly cheering when he firmly said no……
But he just skipped those seniors' room—he spent the night hanging out in Baek Eun-ju, Yang Da-jeong, and Kim Hae-in's rooms…….
As I got lost in nostalgic memories, Bang Eun-ji's verbal sparring with the Gukguk High kids escalated.
“XX XXX! XXXXX! XXXXX!”
Bang Eun-ji unleashing her ex-delinquent trash-talk skills in full.
Didn't look like it'd turn physical yet, so I scanned the surroundings.
No sign of the teachers anywhere, and more kids were gathering by the second.
Looks like that school's co-ed too. Their girls were scrapping with strangers, but instead of breaking it up, their guys were grinning and egging them on.
Kim Ga-eun shot a pitiful look at the Gukguk High boys and said.
“Why not just toss those guys in the arena with Park Su-hwan for a 1-on-1 deathmatch and call it?”
“Right? Whoever dies, we win.”
Bonus if they both bite it. I nodded and glanced at Jeong Eun-seong.
The one who could shut this down fastest. Sensing my gaze, he stepped forward.
“Bang Eun-ji, cut it out.”
Oh. Nailing her name too now.
“Yeah, knock it off. We're here to have fun—what's this about?”
Seo Jae-kyeom chimed in.
“He's right, stop it. We've only got classes 1 through 6 here. Numbers game if it turns into a brawl.”
Even Ye-su-a.
Did I mention?
Ye-su-a's so handsome she'd be a total heartthrob at an all-girls high or college…….
'And all three of them are tall too.'
The Gukguk High kids' eyes went wide at the sudden arrival of three hot students.
Ye-su-a flashed a grin at the Gukguk girls, who had abruptly clammed up.
“Where you guys from?”
“We're……”
The Gukguk girls fidgeted with their fingers, faces flushing as they answered the handsome student's interest.
The fight was over in one second.
Bang Eun-ji, beaming with pride, lifted her chin.
“We win.”
“Win what? Why fight on a school trip?”
“They started it!”
“Probably starstruck seeing a princess for the first time.”
“Huh?”
“Don't stoop to every rude challenger's level, Princess……”
“Ugh, seriously, quit with the princess crap……”
Bang Eun-ji grumbled, but she couldn't hide her gummy grin.
“Anyway, Bang Eun-ji. Ignore them even if they start something again.”
“Like we'll see them twice?”
“Who knows. Could be bunking together.”
What if the genre suddenly flips to Netflix drama? We all pass out from a ringing in our ears in the dorm hall, wake up to empty teacher seats, just us kids left.
Everyone's confused, murmuring, then bam! Back door flies open, blood-soaked teacher staggers in… Kyaaah!
“Then we'd have to team up with them to escape.”
“What the hell……”
“Exactly. Total nonsense.”
Here, eat this. I fed Bang Eun-ji the last bite of my skewer, shoved her back toward the Class 6 bus.
Across the lot, a guy who seemed like Gukguk High's class pres was sweet-talking his smitten girls back onto their bus. Hadn't noticed him during the peak of the fight.
Come on, step up sooner next time. As I stared thinking that, our eyes met.
The guy winked.
“Mmph.”
What the…?
I was floored, but then Jang Ji-won got dragged off the Class 5 bus, and the random guy's wink vanished from my mind.
“Jang Ji-won! You think hiding your face like that fools the teachers?! You know I almost left without one of my kids because of you?!”
“……”
Why live like that?
I sighed, tossed the skewer stick, and boarded our class bus.
And an hour later.
“What the hell? Why are they here too?!”
“…See? Told you we'd run into them again.”
All school trip spots are pretty much the same…….