Chapter 427: Jeju Island
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 427: Jeju Island
Stepping off the plane, I feel a strange flutter of excitement.
I didn't need a passport, the flight barely took any time, and I’m only in Jeju Island, yet it truly feels like I’ve gone on a trip.
"Hey! Hurry up!"
It seems I wasn't the only one feeling that way.
Yoo Ah-rin is already dashing out of the airport in high spirits. The yellow backpack on her shoulders bounces with every step, making her look like a little chick.
I follow her outside.
The weather is perfect, aside from the chill. I had taken my coat off on the plane because it was too warm, but it seems it’s time to put it back on.
"Come here for a sec."
Ah-rin pulls out her phone and calls me over for a selfie. After we snap a few together, I scan the roadside while she sends the photos to the others.
I heard November to February is the off-season for Jeju.
Surprisingly, there are a lot of people. I especially notice quite a few foreign tourists.
Just then, a black van pulls up. Seeing the words [Jeju Trust Scooter] written on the vehicle, I give Ah-rin a tug.
"Let's go, let's go. They're here."
"Huh? That was fast."
Ah-rin, who had been busy taking photos of everything in sight, snaps a picture of the van before we head over.
"We're Kim Woo-jin and Yoo Ah-rin."
"Ah, yes. Please, get in."
We decided to rent a scooter for transportation today. Our new accommodation is a bit far from the city center, so taking taxis would be too expensive.
Surprisingly, Ah-rin has a license.
She insisted on driving the scooter while I ride on the back. Even though the weather is a bit cold, she was remarkably well-prepared for once.
As we sit in the van waiting to depart, a group of foreigners climbs inside.
Two men and one woman, all conversing in English.
"Isn't it way too cold here?"
"Riding a scooter in this weather?"
"Tom suggested it. He says it's his dream or something."
Ooh.
Hearing them speak English makes me feel strangely intimidated, even though I’m an English Literature major. I can more or less understand them, but this is where my lack of diligent studying really shows.
"Pwahaha! Hey, look at this! Look at the photo Choi I-seo sent."
Ah-rin, completely unbothered by the people in front of us, shoves her phone in my face. It’s a photo of Seo Ye-rin with a bright red face and her cheeks puffed out to the limit.
She looks like an angry hamster, and I can't help but smile.
"Why is she doing that?"
"I sent her our photos earlier. Apparently, she’s been like that ever since she saw them."
"Gosh, she's cute."
When I say that with a chuckle, Ah-rin bites her lower lip slightly and stares at me intently.
A moment of silence follows.
I am, after all, a man dating three women. My intuition in these moments is top-notch.
"Do you need to use the restroom?"
"You son of a bitch, you knew exactly what I was going to say!"
Ah-rin punches my shoulder. However, seeing as there’s no real force behind it unlike usual, she must have realized I was teasing her on purpose.
As we playfully bicker, I suddenly feel eyes on us.
The foreigners are watching us, smiling with expressions that suggest they’re witnessing something sweet.
Feeling the awkward atmosphere, I whisper to Ah-rin.
"Wh-what is it? Should I ask them why they're staring?"
"Don't be stupid. They probably just think we're fun to watch. Don't go picking fights over nothing."
"Got it."
When I nod obediently, Ah-rin lets out a little giggle and pats my thigh.
"Excuse me, are you two dating?"
The only Black man in the group asks with a smile. He has the kind of friendly face you'd see in a movie where the character builds Legos.
"Dating?"
While I’m caught off guard by the sudden English and stand there looking helpless and dazed, Ah-rin links her arm with mine and answers.
"Yes, he's my boyfriend."
"Ah, right. Yeah. He was asking if we're dating."
I only fully process the question after hearing her answer. As the van starts moving, the conversation begins to bloom.
Once I calmed down and listened, the conversation wasn't that hard to follow.
They were nicer people than I expected.
Before we got off at the end, we asked them to take a few photos of me and Ah-rin in the van, then said our goodbyes and parted ways.
"Is this the true essence of traveling?"
I mutter blankly while standing in front of the rented scooter.
I’ve heard that travel is about new experiences, but I didn't expect to meet new people like this. When I mentioned in passing that I was enlisting in the military next month, they even offered me words of comfort.
"Hey, let's go."
Ah-rin, having finished taking photos of the scooter, puts on her helmet.
"Looking at the time, if we grab lunch on the way, it'll be exactly check-in time. What do you want to eat?"
"Hmm, I haven't really thought about it."
I put on my helmet and sit on the back of the scooter. I wrap my arms around Ah-rin's waist and rest my chin on her shoulder.
"What should we eat~?"
"Think about it while we drive. If we see a place that looks good, we'll just eat there."
Ah-rin laughs, saying that’s the charm of traveling.
It’s nice.
This is my first time traveling alone with Ah-rin.
Perhaps it’s because of her personality, but this trip feels especially liberating, making my heart feel light and refreshed.
*
"Ugh, another one!"
Seo Ye-rin shouted as she looked at the photo Ah-rin had sent to her phone.
Ah-rin had been sending photos in real-time for a while now, and it was quite provocative for the two left behind.
"They're eating meat! Meat!"
A photo of the two at a restaurant. They must be having black pork, as thick slabs of meat are sizzling on the grill.
"Ye-rin, stop looking at that."
Choi I-seo sighed as she sipped her beer. Their exams were over, but the two of them were stuck in a nearby hotel room, drinking dejectedly.
Sigh, this isn't how it was supposed to be.
She sighs again, trying to soothe her frustration with beer. What’s truly annoying is her phone, which has been buzzing incessantly.
"..."
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
I-seo's phone keeps vibrating. It isn't because of Ah-rin’s texts, but because of messages coming in from all over.
The contents vary, and the senders are all sorts of people.
"Sigh."
With a heavy sigh, she clears all the notifications. Normally, she would have replied out of politeness, but she isn't in the mood right now.
Messages are flooding in from everywhere, but not a single text has come from the one man she actually wants to hear from.
That fact makes her feel genuinely upset and irritable.
"I-seo, your phone is going to catch fire."
Ye-rin says with a laugh.
Ironically, Ye-rin’s phone—the original target for this kind of attention—is quiet.
"Ye-rin, aren't you getting any messages?"
I-seo asks, glancing over. Usually, these kinds of messages would be swarming Ye-rin. After all, she is the top beauty of the English Literature department and a professional actress.
"I don't get those kinds of messages anymore. How should I put it...?"
Ye-rin smiles slyly and strikes an elegant pose.
"Because I've become like an unreachable star?"
"..."
I-seo doesn't want to agree, but the answer makes sense. No one would dare message Ye-rin, who is now an active actress, thinking they could actually pick her up.
"Well, I do get them once in a while. But even then, I just use my agency as an excuse, and they back off easily. Simple, right?"
"Must be nice."
I-seo mumbles with the beer can pressed against her lips. As she takes another sip, a question suddenly occurs to her.
"Then don't you get contacted by other actors? Don't actors often date each other?"
Actors often fall for each other while working on projects together, and with Ye-rin’s looks and her fresh college-student vibe, it’s hard to believe handsome actors would just leave her alone.
"Hehe."
But Ye-rin was thorough in this regard.
"I only ever give out my work number. No actor knows my personal contact information."
So, if a personal message comes in, the agency naturally handles the reply. Since the work phone is managed by her manager, not Ye-rin herself.
"You're quite meticulous about these things."
"Of course! Because I am a woman of pure, devoted love!"
"Even though the other person isn't exactly practicing pure, devoted love."
I-seo checks her messages again. The top of her chat list is still filled with texts from people she has zero interest in.
She knows it can't be helped.
Because the fact that she is dating Kim Woo-jin is a secret.
Not just her, but Ye-rin and Ah-rin are secrets too. Since they can't announce that he’s dating all three at once, the official word is that he isn't dating any of them.
Because the four of them are always together, people don't usually hit on them this blatantly, but now that it’s break, it seems people are testing the waters.
Consequently, who Kim Woo-jin might be secretly dating among the three is one of the hot topics in the department. There’s even a rumor that his girlfriend is Oh Yun-ji.
"Aah! They're on the scooter again!"
A photo pops up in their group chat. Ah-rin sent it, saying they finished lunch and are heading to the hotel.
Just as Ye-rin starts pouting in annoyance...
A text arrives for Choi I-seo.
"..."
I-seo bites her lip. If she doesn't, she feels like a smile will break out across her face involuntarily.
It was just one text.
Yet it makes her far happier than the dozens of aggressive messages from other people.
How should she reply? He’s probably on the back of the scooter right now, so his hands will be cold if she makes the conversation too long.
There. She sent a reply that felt very much like herself.
As she basks in satisfaction, she notices Ye-rin also wearing a devious smile.
...She got one too.
Well, it’s not like he would only text her.
It’s a bit unsatisfying, but it’s enough for now.
Just as she starts humming a little tune in her improved mood while drinking her beer...
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
"Huh?"
She had forgotten about him, so she hadn't even updated the name saved in her phone.
A call is coming in from Chairman Kim Jae-un.