Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: School Trip (4)
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"Ah... Teacher! I seriously feel like I'm gonna puke!"
"Quit whining and hurry up. We're almost there."
The fluffy romance from last night at Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond was long gone.
School trip day two, morning.
What greeted the students was the uphill march leading to Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto.
"Haa... haa... Fuck, who the hell planned this schedule?"
"Hoo... Who walks up to Seokguram these days? Don't people usually take the bus?"
Even Juwon, who usually worked out, was drenched in sweat as he dragged his legs along.
Siwoo had built up his stamina with daily runs and workouts, but hiking was a different beast.
Siwoo pushed off Juwon, who was trying to hang on his shoulder, and kept walking until he spotted the Class 2 group ahead.
"..."
There was Iseol, walking a bit further up ahead.
True to her hatred of heat and sweat, deep wrinkles furrowed her pale forehead, and her lips were pressed tight, radiating an intimidating aura.
Even Jiyoon beside her glanced at her and kept a slight distance.
Seeing that, Siwoo looked around briefly, spotted something, and slipped away from the group.
A moment later.
As Iseol mechanically climbed the uphill path, irritation boiling over, something cold with condensation droplets touched her cheek with a soft tap.
"Ah, it's cold...!"
Startled, Iseol whipped her head around.
There stood Siwoo holding a chilled water bottle, wearing his usual soft smile.
"Hot, right? Just got it from the vending machine nearby. Press it to your neck."
Siwoo handed her the ice-cold bottle, beads of water dripping from it.
Then, he naturally tugged the strap of her small crossbody bag toward himself.
"Give me your bag. It's sweaty. I'll carry it up."
"Huh...? Hey, no need. It's not heavy or anything..."
"I'll carry it. It's no big deal for me anyway!"
Siwoo snatched her bag and slung it over his broadened shoulder before scampering back to Juwon with sweat pouring down his face.
Iseol alternated between the cold water bottle in her hand and Siwoo walking with her bag among his friends.
"...What the heck."
The irritation creasing her forehead slowly smoothed out.
Even holding the chilled water, she oddly felt a feverish heat rising from her earlobes to her cheeks.
After trudging up under the scorching early summer sun, gasping for breath, they finally reached the flat entrance to Seokguram.
"Hoo... That was fucking brutal. Is this what school trips are really like?"
"I should've just faked being sick and slept in at the dorm more, damn it..."
Juwon and Park Geon, who arrived first at the shaded entrance, swept back their sweat-soaked bangs and collapsed on the ground.
Behind them, Siwoo—with Iseol's crossbody bag slung over—climbed up slowly, catching his breath.
"Huff... huff..."
Even with his usual training, the endless stairs in this hot, humid weather had soaked the back of Siwoo's shirt with sweat.
"Dude, how are you sweating this much? Gotta work out harder, man."
Juwon, sitting on the ground, remarked to Siwoo.
But before Siwoo could reply, Iseol appeared right behind him, her face comparatively fresh and dry.
"Haa... Nam Siwoo. Give me my bag."
Iseol snatched the crossbody from his shoulder.
She acted nonchalant, but her gaze lingered on the sweat beading along Siwoo's jawline and the flushed nape of his neck.
"Not hot? Why push yourself carrying someone else's bag? You're soaked."
Iseol furrowed her brow slightly in mild scolding.
But it seemed less annoyance and more concern for his struggle.
"Huff... Still, better me carrying it than you in this heat..."
Gasping, Siwoo looked up at her through his lenses with clear eyes and grinned goofily.
At that silly smile, Iseol bit her lip, unable to scold further.
"...Idiot."
She pulled the cold water bottle from her pocket and pressed it to his cheek.
"Ah, cold!"
"Payback from earlier. Hold it there. Cool off."
Iseol placed the bottle—now wet from his cheek—into his hand.
"Uh... th-thanks."
Siwoo carefully cradled the bottle in both hands.
The hellish Bulguksa and Seokguram.
And the boring afternoon tour of the Gyeongju Museum.
The grueling school trip day two was finally winding down, having mercilessly tormented the students.
"Ah... Feels like I'm alive after a shower. My legs nearly snapped."
"Just wanna crash, for real."
The kids, after dinner, returned to the dorms and flopped exhausted onto beds and floors.
But that sweet rest was short-lived. At 8 PM, a familiar yet terrifying bellow echoed through the hallway.
"Alright! Freshmen who've showered, assemble in the main hall! Whole room penalty points if you don't come down now!"
The student affairs teacher's shout.
It signaled the arrival of the school trip's highlight: recreation time.
"Ugh, such a hassle... Think if I just lie here, they won't notice?"
"Hey! Nam Siwoo! Hurry up! Gotta secure front row for our class!"
Juwon, who moments ago lay like the dead, bolted up and dragged Siwoo—hair still damp—by the arms to the basement auditorium.
Flashy psy lights and thumping bass from massive speakers that shook hearts.
The hall buzzed with hype from the hired MC's flashy charisma.
"Alright~ Any classes still missing? If you don't sit soon, I'll drag you onstage myself!"
At the MC's cheeky call, even the late-entering Class 1 rushed to seats.
"Now, the flower of the school trip! Let's ignite Gyeongju's final night with a talent show! First up..."
The slick MC kicked off the talent show proper.
Some flaunted hidden singing talent, others dropped hype raps or dances, heating up the hall.
Amid it, Juwon and Park Geon, class aces, got called up repeatedly, racking points and laughs.
The two, overflowing with energy usually, danced shamelessly before hundreds.
"Woooaaah—!!"
"Seo Juwon's form is insane!!"
The auditorium filled instantly with cheers and laughter.
Siwoo, alone in Class 1's corner, gawked slack-jawed at the wild performances.
If dragged up, he'd freeze like stone before fleeing.
Just clapping made his ears ring and energy drain.
As Siwoo nodded vigorously with a mix of secondhand cringe and awe,
Tap.
Amid the heart-pounding speaker noise, someone lightly touched his shoulder.
"Huh...?"
Turning, under the flashing psy lights, Iseol sat propping her chin—uncertain when she'd approached.
Other girls crowded the front, jumping and cheering, but she'd skipped that.
"S-Seol!"
Iseol grimaced like her ears hurt, hands over them.
Though the show had run long, her bobbed hair ends were still damp, wafting faint soap scent.
"What?! Can't hear!"
Blasting music forced her to read his lips and yell louder than usual.
Siwoo leaned toward her in panic.
"When'd you come sit here?!"
"Ugh, ears hurt. Sound's no joke. Too loud up there."
Iseol shook her head, leaning close to whisper in his ear.
Suddenly, soap scent and her warm breath tickled his earlobe dizzyingly.
"...!"
Siwoo's body stiffened like stone.
To talk over the deafening music, heads had to press ear-to-ear inevitably.
In that unavoidable closeness, Siwoo swallowed dryly without thinking.
"S-school trips are all like this, right? Haha..."
Siwoo ducked his head carefully to reply near her ear.
His lips hovered perilously close to her soft hair ends.
"You not going up? Weird Juwon didn't drag you."
"I seriously can't do that stuff. If forced up, I'd probably cut ties with Juwon."
At Siwoo's bashful reply, Iseol chuckled softly, glancing stageward.
"Good thing. Friendship preserved."
She tossed it out casually, then propped her chin watching Juwon and Park Geon bounce onstage.
But her head, facing the stage, tilted slantwise toward his shoulder, nearly touching.
Amid hundreds of kids' heat and shredding speakers.
That narrow space where Iseol and Siwoo sat shoulder-to-shoulder felt wrapped in a strange, distant silence apart from all else.
The friends' onstage hype faded from Siwoo's eyes.
Blink, next team up; close eyes and open, turn over—time blurred.
He just focused on Iseol now leaning her head on him, scrolling her phone, desperately praying his racing heartbeat drowned in the music.
The school trip's hot final night seemed to ripen fluffily.
"Yo, Namjin! Get over here quick!"
How'd it come to this?
Siwoo's room was packed with guys—barely space to stand, exaggerating a bit.
Their eyes fixed on the green glass bottle Juwon proudly held high.
"How'd I even smuggle this in?! Time for class guys to bond!"
Talent show over, teacher nagged lights out and left.
Soon as patrols passed once, kids swarmed Juwon's room like planned.
'...Teachers probably hitting their own booze session by now.'
No oversight left the boys' floor a lawless zone.
"C'mon, Nam Siwoo! No dodging—one shot for loyalty!"
"Huh? Dude, I've legit never drunk..."
No chance to refuse; bitter liquid sloshed into a paper cup thrust at him.
Swept by vibe, half-sip of soju burned his throat viciously.
"Kaa! Hits good! Yo, open snacks!"
As time passed, the cramped room stewed in heat, stale booze, and snack smells.
Siwoo, booze-virgin, spun dizzily from that half-sip.
'Ah... Dizzy...'
Already hating noise, plus rising heat and alcohol—breath short.
Siwoo leaned on the wall, exhaling, then staggered up.
"Gonna... grab an electrolyte drink from the first-floor machine."
As he clutched his spinning head and reached for the door,
"Huh? Yo, I'll come too! Who'd clean up if you pass out alone?"
Flushed Juwon jumped up, slinging an arm over Siwoo's shoulder and tagging along.
"Hoo... Dude, half-sip and you're wrecked? Lightweight."
"Wha... Your face is beet red too."
Tipsy banter as they walked, they quieted in the cool AC of the basement first-floor hall.
Moments later.
At the empty vending machine, fiddling coins, Juwon lowered his voice slyly.
"Ahem... Hey, you still super into Baek Iseol?"
"Dude...! C-crazy?!"
Siwoo frantically scanned around at the sudden question.
"Chill. Who crawls out here this late? Empty, man. Spill honest."
"...Of course. How do you just drop feelings like that."
Siwoo sighed softly, head against cool wall.
One-sided crush plus booze made his lensed eyes wetter, more wistful than usual.
Silent at Siwoo's pathetic vibe, Juwon tsked and nudged his shoulder.
"...Dude. First loves never go your way, forget 'em with new love."
Siwoo tilted his head at the random wisdom.
"That's why... Seriously think about that blind date I mentioned?"
"Huh...?"
"Yesterday's Insta story group pic—you're tiny in it—but legit got one girl from another school interested."
"Wha—?!."
The bombshell pierced Siwoo's boozy haze.
In 17 years, no girl ever approached him first. Swear.
'But... she likes me first...?'
First-time scenario blanked his circuits white.
"Can't pine forever on hopeless Baek Iseol. She's cute, nice. Not just 'cause she's my friend..."
As Siwoo floundered wordless, pupils quaking, lips flapping—
Thud—!!
Beyond convenience rack, steps from the machine.
A dull crash split the quiet basement hall sharply.
"Whoa, shit... What, what was that?"
Siwoo and Juwon jolted, whipping heads toward the sound together.