Chapter 20: Family Trip (5)
Chapter 20: Family Trip (5)
Time flowed by relentlessly, leaving no room for questions or hesitation.
Perhaps because she had done so well on her CSAT, Yu-ri didn't have much left to prepare. Even if she did, knowing her meticulous personality, she would have handled it all on her own anyway.
All that remained was to finish up my own tasks before the trip and clear my schedule.
[General Bank Account]
[35,517,317 KRW]
In that sense, the 50 million won I had handed over to my eldest noona was more than enough to cover the preparation costs.
I couldn't say it would solve every problem we’d faced or every challenge yet to come, but at the very least, it could put out the immediate fires and provide the momentum she needed to keep her business running.
Besides, what I gave her wasn't the only contribution.
“…Isn’t 50 million enough?”
“100 million would be better.”
Kang Yu-min had money too.
Since she had played the Family-Friendly Game with me, Yu-min’s bank account held an amount of money that was frankly excessive for an unemployed brat who did nothing but go to the gym.
When she gave a portion of that to our eldest noona, Noona was able to bring her business back on track in the time we had left.
As the old saying goes, if a problem isn't being solved, one should question if they lack sufficient power. In a capitalist society, money serves as a more than adequate substitute for power.
While Eldest Noona led her business with the great responsibility that comes with great power, the rest of us hurried our trip preparations.
Actually, is "hurried" the right word?
“Did you buy a new suitcase?”
We prepared at a leisurely pace. There wasn't that much to get ready anyway, and a cruise trip doesn't actually require all that much.
Kang Yu-min watched my relaxed preparations with a look of disapproval.
“I have some stuff to pack… and the one I brought back from the military was a bit, well, you know.”
To be precise, it was because of the painful reminders it triggered, but Kang Yu-min wasn't the type to try and understand my plight.
“Just use what you have. What a waste of money.”
“Look who’s talking.”
“Whoa, dropping the honorifics with your noona?”
“Whatever. You don’t use them with Eldest Noona either.”
Of course, even if our positions were reversed, it would have been the same, so we didn't get into a serious fight. Even if she truly objected, there was nothing she could do about something I’d already bought.
In the end, Yu-min ended up helping me pack.
“You look pretty excited.”
“How could I not be? It’s a cruise trip!”
If even the perpetually cranky and rude Kang Yu-min was grinning like that, that said it all. I packed my bags with a faint smile at her attitude.
Motion sickness medicine, underwear, clothes, a suit, swimwear, my passport, and even emergency medicine just in case.
Once the preparations were finished, only one thing remained.
“Is everyone ready?”
To leave and enjoy the trip.
We piled into the car and set off for Incheon.
*
“…Ugh… blegh.”
And the journey there, as always, was not smooth.
The other three don't get motion sickness, so they were fine, but I was the problem.
Despite the common saying that you get over it after serving in the military, my motion sickness hadn't improved at all. As a result, I was suffering just as much this time.
“Oppa, are you okay? Want some water?”
Resting my head on the lap of Yu-ri—who, aside from Eldest Noona, was the most maternal of the bunch—I felt like I was dying.
My stomach was doing somersaults. I felt so nauseous it was as if I were already on the ship.
Thinking about how I’d be like this for a while even after boarding the cruise made me wonder if I should have come at all, but it wouldn't be right for the three of them to miss out on this chance because of me.
I desperately held it in. Nausea surged, tickling the back of my throat.
“Geez, I told you to take the medicine beforehand. It’s useless if you take it after you’re already in the car.”
Even as she said that, Kang Yu-min kept glancing at me. She looked worried that I might be in serious pain.
She had been like this ever since we crossed that line. If it were just the two of us on this trip, she probably would have been acting like my girlfriend openly.
“Don't be so hard on him. You know the medicine doesn't work well for Jin-i anyway.”
Eldest Noona, who would normally have been the one giving me a lap pillow, couldn't because she was behind the wheel. Yu-ri and I were in the back, while Kang Yu-min had claimed the front seat next to Noona.
I wished I could just fall asleep, but my mind was sharper than ever thanks to the sensation of Yu-ri’s moist, supple skin.
I remembered what happened not too long ago. When she had asked to go shopping just the two of us, but we couldn't.
I remembered the bikini she had suddenly shown me.
Why on earth did she do that? I couldn't understand it.
…No, it would be a lie to say I didn't understand. I just didn't want to think that way, fearing the problems that might arise if I made such an assumption.
I was already someone who had crossed the line twice. And as a result, I had become acutely aware of the possibilities that might unfold.
Could it be that Yu-ri also harbored some kind of desire for me?
My thoughts weren't exactly coherent through the dizziness, but I felt that Eldest Noona wouldn't have acted that way either if she had zero desire for me.
As for Kang Yu-min, I had a vague idea of why she did what she did.
If I looked at Yu-ri in that context—since she had been particularly attached to me since we were young—and considered it a sort of lingering Electra Complex…
My train of thought cut off.
“Jin-ah, we’re here.”
“…Huh?”
When did I fall asleep? I blinked blankly and felt Yu-ri’s small hand brush against my cheek.
“Oh… sorry, I must have dozed off…”
“It’s okay. We all know you get motion sickness.”
Yu-ri stroked my cheek with a beaming smile. Given my recent thoughts, it was a touch that was hard to accept purely at face value, but I couldn't exactly complain after sleeping with my head on her lap and even drooling on her thigh.
I sat up from my position on Yu-ri’s lap and looked around.
It was the sea.
More accurately, it was a parking lot with the sea visible in the distance.
The pier was also nearby, and there sat the massive cruise ship that was presumably our destination.
“…Wow.”
The cruise ship sat there, boasting a majesty unlike anything I had ever seen.
It was something that possessed both the scale and the splendor of a castle. Looking at the ship, I tried to calm my churning stomach.
“Unnie.”
“Yes?”
“I got the long-term parking pass. They said it happens often and just gave it to me.”
“Really? That’s a relief. I should have looked into it beforehand.”
“Eh, whatever. We have plenty of money anyway. There’s always a way.”
Kang Yu-min grinned, waving the long-term parking pass. Eldest Noona took it and tucked it into her bag, worried the sea breeze might blow it away.
It was a bag our mother used to use a long time ago. Since Mother was now only a faint memory, it felt more like Eldest Noona’s bag than Mother’s.
But at least Eldest Noona would have memories of her. I watched Noona for a moment before being pulled along by a hand that suddenly grabbed mine.
“Let’s go, Oppa.”
“Yeah… okay. I feel like I’m gonna puke…”
“You want to puke? Should I go to the bathroom with you?”
“…Hey, you’re treating me like a younger brother, not an older one. You’ve really grown up, haven't you?”
Yu-ri giggled, and I headed toward the terminal, walking hand-in-hand with her.
In that regard, the boarding process wasn't much different from what you’d experience at an airport.
If I had to pick a difference, it would be the check-in process.
Aside from that, it felt exactly like an airport, with the only difference being that the vehicle was a ship.
“…This is a cruise? It feels like I just walked into a casino or something.”
Just as Kang Yu-min said, I didn't feel any motion sickness even after stepping onto the ship. In fact, I had the illusion that it felt even more stable than being on land.
A staff member waiting to conduct safety training answered our unspoken thoughts.
“Our Anurtin Hospitality Ship was built with state-of-the-art technology, and we have created an environment where the comfort of our passengers is our top priority.”
The smiling female employee explained this as she began the safety training.
How to put on and take off life jackets, prohibited items and actions, evacuation procedures for emergencies, and even the number of the lifeboat we were assigned to.
To be honest, I couldn't remember much of it because of the lingering motion sickness, but I figured Eldest Noona would explain it to me if anything happened.
Or Yu-ri would. I didn't expect anything from Kang Yu-min.
“We hope you have a wonderful time!”
Anyway, once the safety training was over, the next step was to find our assigned rooms.
“…They said it was a VIP pass, and they weren't kidding.”
Our accommodations seemed to be treated like a VIP room in a hotel.
We took the elevator to the very top—the 18th floor—where there were no other passengers besides us.
According to the floor plan, the VIP section consisted of only two rooms.
That was where we would be staying for the next three weeks. I was amazed to find that even we couldn't enter or leave without our cruise cards.
It was clearly a level of facility that one couldn't use normally, no matter how much money they paid. The strangely pristine, unlived-in feel of the place proved it.
So, I thought to myself instinctively.
This game really is strange.
Of course, considering the lines I had to cross for the quests it gave, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible…
But was it really possible to provide something like this? It wasn't something that could be done simply by having a lot of money. Realizing this, I looked at our luggage, which had already arrived.
“Huh? There are only three bags. Kang Yu-jin’s luggage is…”
“Oh, you’re right. They must have sent it to the wrong place. I’ll go—”
“It’ll be in 1802.”
Specifically, the luggage of the three women, excluding mine. The eyes of Noona, Kang Yu-min, and Yu-ri turned toward me in unison, and I showed them the cruise card I had received from the staff.
Seeing "1802" clearly written on it, the expressions of all three froze at the same time.
Uh, wait. What?
Their reaction is way different from what I expected.
Looking at Kang Yu-min’s sharp eyes, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had said something wrong.
“And I think I’m going to sleep for a bit because of the motion sickness, so you guys go look around.”
I had to force myself to say that. Truly, I was reaching my limit.
“See you later.”
“…Uh, yeah. Sleep well.”
With Eldest Noona’s farewell, I retreated to my room.