Chapter 200
Chapter 200
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Preparing for the Last Night at the Travel Destination!
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With that, the night at the villa passed, and the next day arrived.
Starting today, we decided to venture out beyond the villa.
Ra-hee unnie had told us there were plenty of fun spots just a short drive away.
"Uuum...! This ice cream is insane. It's got this chewy texture or something?"
"Right? Right? It tastes so rich."
"Maybe they use really good milk?"
We'd had a simple lunch of sushi that everyone loves.
Afterward, we strolled the streets, each holding a soft serve ice cream.
I like sweet things, so I've eaten my fair share of soft serve.
But I can confidently say this was better than any I'd ever had.
It was so good that Yuna flapping her arms like a penguin and gushing about it didn't feel over the top at all.
"Oh? There's a punch machine over there! Anyone wanna try?!"
That's when we spotted a punch machine in front of what looked like an arcade.
Sure enough, the moment we saw it, competitive spirits ignited.
Chae-yoon unnie shot her hand up high, looking for an opponent.
"Hoo, guess I have no choice. I'll show you what a real gap in skill looks like."
"Ugh, your line is so cheesy."
"Heh...! Don't cry after you lose!"
Of course, with Chae-yoon unnie stepping up, Yuna followed right behind, insisting she wanted a go too.
But Chae-yoon unnie just snorted at the confident Yuna, as if to say she wasn't worth being her opponent.
"President, why don't you give it a try?"
"Yeah, show us the power of the Queen of Ilsan!"
"Huh? President, weren't you the Queen of Incheon?"
"Pfft, that's old news!"
With no other takers, and maybe feeling a bit bored, Chae-yoon unnie and Yuna grabbed the President's arms and dragged her out, planting her in front of the machine.
Once the President stepped up, the other members' curiosity kicked in, and they started lining up behind her one by one.
"Da-jeong, wanna try too?"
"Sure, I'll give it a shot."
Ji-ah unnie, who was last in line, noticed me standing there blankly and tugged lightly at my clothes as she asked.
I decided to join in for one go.
Hehe, who knows?
Maybe some hidden strength inside me would awaken, letting me beat the members and take first place.
"If Da-jeong hits it, the machine won't even budge, right?"
"Could be. Pfft!"
"Hiiing, I'm not that weak...!"
I stood in line at the back, secretly harboring some puffed-up expectations.
Then I heard the President and Chae-yoon unnie snickering.
Ah, come on, I'm a person too!
No way am I so weak that I couldn't even topple a punch machine!
Just watch—I'll show you the power of the Uparupa Punch!
"Alright, here goes?"
"President, fighting!"
With that, the first up, the President, wrapped her left hand around her right wrist.
She took her stance, showing her resolve, and we all cheered her on together.
Kwang-!
Soon, her fist slammed into the punch machine with a hefty thud echoing out.
Beep beep beep, the score started climbing.
And the result that appeared was...
"Whoa, 870 points!"
"Isn't this out of 999?"
"As expected of the Queen of Ilsan...!"
A pretty high score of 870 popped up.
The members clapped and made a fuss over it.
The President strolled past us with a smug 'Hmph,' chuckling as if we were pathetic.
She must have been proud of her solid score.
Well, the President does have a bit of a competitive streak hidden away.
Seeing her like this, she has her cute side too.
Kwang-! Kwang-!
Next came the punches in age order.
Chae-yoon unnie managed 858—the highest excluding the President.
The rest of us were around 700s to low 800s.
"So close...! I coulda beat the President!"
"Not close at all? You got wrecked."
"President! What are you, a kid?!"
"Yeah, if you're salty, beat me."
Most members were satisfied with their scores.
But Chae-yoon unnie, frustrated at not beating the President, vented her frustration.
And the President's teasing in that childish tone was hilarious.
Alright, finally my turn.
Yuna got just over 700, so...
Maybe I'd hit around that too?
Hehe, who knows, I might even beat Ra-hee unnie.
"Pfft...! Look at Da-jeong's face. She's all tensed up."
"Oh, Da-jeong's in serious mode?"
"Looks like she's gritting her teeth hard."
I stood in front of the machine, took my stance, and gathered all my strength.
All sorts of teasing voices tried to break my focus from around me.
But I endured steadfastly, concentrating solely on the machine ahead.
Holding my breath, I tensed my fist and arm, lowered my waist a bit.
Then charged with all my might and...
Kong-!
"Eh?"
Huh, what?
Wasn't that sound just now... different?
Everyone else's went kwang and knocked it back hard.
But this felt kinda slow and feeble...
[506 points]
"......"
And sure enough, my unease was spot on.
The score that came up left me speechless.
506 points? Lower than Yuna's lowest by over 200?
N-No, something's wrong for sure.
R-Right! Like, I hit the edge, so the damage didn't register properly...!
"Oh, Da-jeong's stronger than I thought?"
"Yeah, I figured like 400 points."
"Well, considering Da-jeong's size and weight, this makes sense."
Head down in embarrassment, I shuffled back.
But the sudden praise from around me made me look up in surprise.
Eh, ehhh...?
I-Is it... not as bad as I thought?
But it's still over 200 less than Yuna...
"I saw it, and your punch didn't connect quite right. A bit more solid, and you'd have hit 700 easy."
"Yeah, Da-jeong's got more power than expected? We unnies are impressed."
"R-Really? Ehehehe..."
Ji-ah unnie and Ra-hee unnie backed me up as I sat there confused.
I instantly brightened, puffing out my chest proudly.
Well, even if I'm the weakest among the members, I'm not someone who couldn't hit 500.
If I'd landed it right, it'd have been around Yuna's score.
Thinking back, the floor was slippery, and my stance crumbled a bit. Yeah, yeah.
"Um, sorry to ask... but where does 500 points rank?"
"Typical upper elementary school boy hits low 600s."
"I see... Thanks."
I overheard Chae-yoon unnie chatting with the arcade staff behind me.
But the unnies' voices around me drowned it out.
Great, gotta tell the Cherries about this later.
They'll all be shocked.
The unnies expected around 400, so hehem.
I pulled out my phone right away, opened my note app where I always jot things down.
And added one more story to share with the Cherries.
After wandering the streets for a while, we were sweaty and exhausted.
We headed back to the villa before evening.
Once again, I realized that on hot days, a house with the AC blasting is the ultimate summer retreat.
"Haaah, I'm dying..."
"It's so hot today. Right, unnie?"
"Yeah, it was bearable until last week."
"Guess that means real summer's here."
The members, worn out by the heat, collapsed everywhere like soggy kimchi—on sofas and all over.
Even hyper Yuna was draped over the sofa like a half-dried squid, breathing shallowly like a heatstruck puppy.
Huh, speaking of which, where are Ra-hee unnie and the President?
Ra-hee unnie would usually be where So-eun unnie is.
It blended so naturally I didn't even notice.
Should I look for them?
"Da-jeong, where you going?"
"Yeah, looking for the President and Ra-hee unnie."
I answered Yuna as she asked where I was headed, getting up.
I started checking rooms in the spacious villa one by one.
Then, voices from the end of the first-floor hallway drew me there.
"President, Ra-hee unnie. What are you doing here?"
"Huh? What brings you all the way here? Missed unnie?"
"W-Well, a little."
It was kinda true that I missed her.
I nodded past the shyness.
Ra-hee unnie immediately pulled me into a hug.
"Nothing much, just chatting with Ra-hee about what to do for dinner."
"Dinner? We're doing something?"
At least it wasn't a suffocating bear hug like before.
Just a light back hug from behind, thankfully.
So I could calmly voice my question to the President.
BBQ was yesterday, so not that...
Midnight beach swimming sounds risky.
Did they prepare something special?
"Come on, Da-jeong. Gotta tell the members too."
"Okaay."
Still curious, I headed back to the living room with unnie.
Problem was, she was still hugging me from behind.
So I waddled along like a baby penguin carried by its mom.
"What kangaroo are you?"
"Kangaroo would be better. I'd carry our Da-jeong in my pouch all day."
"Ugh, you're gross too."
The President laughed in disbelief at the sight.
Anyway, we reached the living room to find the members lined up on the sofas.
Just moments ago, they'd been sprawled out like laundry on a line, each in their own spot.
Clap clap-
"Okay, everyone, attention!"
"Attention!"
The President clapped to grab eyes.
They all turned their heads, propping up their upper bodies slightly.
It looked just like a meerkat burrow.
"We'll head out around 6, so rest till then. Dinner out tonight."
"Huh? Out again?"
"Where to, President?"
I hadn't expected another outing either.
I looked at her in mild surprise.
The President exchanged glances with Ra-hee unnie, then gave a small chuckle...
"You mentioned it before, the cruise. Ra-hee's taking us on it tonight. Dinner on the boat too, so if seasick worries you, grab some meds from So-eun."
She dropped the most unexpected bombshell.
We all knew Ra-hee unnie had a cruise from what she said before.
But no further mention, so none of us thought we'd actually ride it.
Eyes widened, mouths agape in unison.
"Gasp! We're really taking a cruise...?!"
"I-I said that as a joke..."
"Like in movies, a deck party?"
"Sounds fancy. Never dreamed of luxury like this..."
Even So-eun unnie muttered in a daze.
I was just as stunned, so I looked up at Ra-hee unnie and blurted,
"U-Unnie. For real? We're taking the cruise?"
"Yeah, got it ready. Thought about daytime, but night cruise for the night views sounds fun. Enjoy it, Da-jeong."
"Waaah...!"
To think I get to experience something straight out of cartoons or movies.
I reflexively hugged Ra-hee unnie as she patted my head.
And so, our last night at the travel destination was set: an elegant yacht party.