Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: Let's Have a Party on the Cruise!
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Because it was summer, even a little past 6 PM, the outside was still fairly bright.
It was right around the time the sunset was starting to paint the sea in beautiful shades of crimson.
Being able to stroll around on a boat over the ocean like this—just the thought of it made happiness bubble up inside me.
“Wow, the sea is really pretty.”
“Right? It's got a totally different vibe from this morning.”
“Doesn't it look kind of like it's stained with blood? So cool, right?”
“Totally.”
Even as we walked to the boat, we kept chattering nonstop.
Just like always, Yuna would say something silly, and Chae-yoon unnie would shoot it down.
When those two started bickering, the unnies would step in to break it up.
President was leisurely strolling ahead on her own, as usual.
Following Ra-hee unnie's lead, we soon arrived at what looked like a small dock.
There was a little wooden bridge, and at the end of it, a boat was bobbing gently on the water.
The moment we saw it, our jaws dropped.
“Whoa...!”
“Holy crap...!”
“The boat's huge.”
“W-Wait, we're really riding that?”
And it was no wonder— the boat was way bigger than we'd imagined.
Not some Titanic-sized luxury liner, of course.
But for us, who'd pictured something like a modest little motorboat, it was shocking.
The cabin was even structured over three stories.
The deck itself was so spacious that even if we all boarded, it wouldn't feel crowded at all.
It was even bigger than the cruise we'd taken on the Han River with Ji-ah unnie not long ago.
“...How much did this even cost to set up?”
“Set up? I just brought it because everyone said they wanted to ride one.”
President clicked her tongue at the sight.
She gave a wry smile, shaking her head in disbelief.
Ra-hee unnie, the one who'd actually arranged all this, looked perfectly calm.
Like she'd just pulled a car out of the parking lot.
“Let's board first. We should eat dinner soon anyway.”
“Yay! Da-jeongie, hurry and let's get on!”
“Y-Yuna...?! Wait a sec...!”
Ra-hee unnie, the boat's owner, gestured for the members to follow.
Yuna suddenly grabbed my hand and bolted off at full speed.
It felt like getting caught in a storm.
“Oh, it's so pretty...! Right, Da-jeongie?”
“Y-Yeah. It's pretty. And super spacious too.”
The second we stepped onto the deck, Yuna let out an exclamation.
I nodded, slightly out of breath from being dragged along.
The boat itself was incredibly clean and sleek.
It was like someone had plopped an entire house onto the water.
A house with a stunning, wide-open view of the sea right in front.
『Hello, everyone. I'm Park Sang-jae, your engineer for today.』
“Eek...!”
The moment we were all up on deck, an unfamiliar voice came from somewhere.
Startled, Yuna clung to me.
I was just as surprised and instinctively grabbed her arm, looking around.
“Pfft, that's our engineer. More precisely, he's the captain and engineer. Look over there.”
Ra-hee unnie burst into soft laughter at the sight of us clinging to each other like twin startled mice.
She pointed somewhere.
Behind a translucent glass window was an older man with a white beard, watching us.
“Oh, so that's where he was.”
“Quick, wave to him!”
“Wheee!”
“Please take good care of us!”
He seemed like the shy type.
When we jumped up and down waving, the captain just smiled shyly, half-hiding his face.
With the greetings done, the boat slowly started moving.
It was my first time ever on a boat, so I'd taken motion sickness pills from So-eun unnie just in case.
But the deck didn't rock at all—it made the pills pointless.
Shwaaa—
“Whoa, the breeze feels amazing.”
“Feels like it's not even summer anymore.”
“After staying cooped up at home with just AC blowing on me every day... this is the best.”
As the boat picked up speed, the cool wind blowing in made us all squint and savor it.
This was my first time feeling such refreshing wind in the middle of summer—it felt magical.
Even the breeze from a handheld fan felt warm.
Honestly, outside of AC, I hadn't felt cool air like this.
Guess I'd been wrong.
“You all must be hungry, so let's eat while we sightsee. I prepared it on the second floor.”
“Huh? There's a separate dining area on the second floor?”
We were lost in admiration, staring blankly at the sea.
Ra-hee unnie's casual remark made everyone's eyes widen.
I'd assumed we'd eat right here on deck.
“Yeah. It's open around the sides, so it'll actually be better for eating while enjoying the view. The wind up here is pretty strong anyway.”
Ah, got it.
Makes sense—it's nice and cool now, but if the wind picked up too much, the food might fly away.
Plus, the sea view from the second floor had to have its own charm. I was excited.
“Ooh, can't wait! Let's go, unnie!”
“Hey, hey! You'll fall!”
“Good grief, those two...”
And I wasn't the only one hyped up.
Yuna grabbed Chae-yoon unnie's hand and dashed toward the cabin.
President shook her head pitifully at their retreating figures.
B-But President...
This time, Chae-yoon unnie has a point.
And Yuna's cute, so she gets a pass.
Clunk— clunk—
Anyway, we headed to the cabin and climbed the stairs to the second floor.
A space enclosed by low fences appeared.
The walls were transparent glass, letting us see the sea clearly while blocking the wind.
“Isn't this too luxurious, unnie?”
“Feels like I became a chaebol heiress or something...”
“When you're feeding VIPs, you gotta go all out.”
But more eye-catching than that were the dishes laid out on the table.
No idea when or who had set them up.
But there was enough food to break a horse's leg.
Even President and So-eun unnie, who rarely show surprise, gaped and let out disbelieving laughs.
So naturally, Chae-yoon unnie and Yuna, with the biggest reactions...
“Whoa, insane! Unnie! Lobster! Lobster!”
“Hey, can we really eat this? Won't our stomachs freak out?”
“It's fine, unnie! Gotta treat ourselves like this sometimes!”
They were too busy hugging each other and circling the table.
“...Sorry about this, Ra-hee.”
“No worries.”
President apologized, rubbing her forehead.
Ra-hee unnie smiled like it was all good and personally guided the members to their seats.
Whoaaa...
So this is what lobster looks like.
President had treated us to fancy places before.
But I'd never tried lobster—it felt like some mythical delicacy.
“There's wine and champagne too, so feel free to drink if you want. I even had them uncork everything so we can relax and have fun among ourselves.”
I was pondering how to eat it when Ra-hee unnie spoke up.
We quickly settled into a comfy vibe and started eating.
The timing was perfect—the food was all piping hot, like it'd just been made.
“President, care for a glass? Pretty good wine.”
“Sure. So-eun, you have one too.”
“Okay.”
“Might as well for once.”
Me, Yuna, and Chae-yoon unnie were devouring the food like wolves.
Everyone else filled their glasses with wine.
We three aren't big drinkers, so whenever we all hang out, it's always like this.
Oh, minus So-eun unnie.
She never drank even at company dinners.
Well, that's changed as of yesterday.
“Wow, this lobster is insane...! Da-jeongie, try some. It's a whole new world.”
“Huh? Uh, how do I eat it?”
I was picking at salad and bread when Yuna, already attacking the main course, shoved something huge in front of me.
It was lobster.
I was fumbling since it was my first time when Yuna made a chomping gesture with both hands.
“Just chomp. It's all meat and cheese anyway.”
“O-Okay... Nom.”
Following her advice, I bit into a plump piece of lobster meat and gently pulled away.
“Whoa, look at that cheese stretch!”
“Mmph...?! ”
The cheese mixed in with the lobster stretched out long.
It was so long it reached from Yuna's seat across from me to mine.
I somehow gathered the end with my fork and slurped it into my mouth.
Chewing...
“Wow...!”
“Good, right?”
“Yeah, it's so good!”
It was truly a new world.
Honestly, the ingredients were simple.
Literally just lobster meat and cheese.
But whatever top-shelf stuff they used...
The chewy sweetness of the lobster meat.
Combined with the cheesy savoriness—it created an incredible harmony.
Lobster's this delicious...!
Now I get why the Cherries freaked out when I asked them before.
Hehe, gotta brag to the Cherries that I ate lobster too when I get back.
“Hehe, President. Look at that. Da-jeongie's jotting it down in her notebook again?”
“Huh? Notebook... Oh, that thing you mentioned on stream?”
“Yeah. She writes down new experiences to share with the Cherries later. Isn't it adorable?”
“Like that's anything new. She only does the cutest stuff.”
Ji-ah unnie and President were whispering something nearby.
But their voices were too soft to catch.
Probably just sharing how tasty the food is.
“Ahh, nice wine aroma.”
“Right? It's one of my favorites.”
“Hearing you say that makes it seem like no ordinary wine.”
The unnies and President were all sipping wine.
Watching them share impressions felt oddly envious.
I wanna drink wine all fancy like that and drop some sophisticated lines too.
“Unnie, shall we do champagne?”
“Ooh, sure.”
“...!”
I was poking at my innocent steak to soothe my longing.
Then I overheard Chae-yoon unnie and Yuna across from me.
My eyes widened reflexively.
Gasp, champagne's like a fizzy drink that looks like alcohol, right?
I don't know much about booze, but that's what I heard.
People buy it with Christmas cake to drink with family.
And champagne feels classy.
Maybe I could say cool, grown-up things like the unnies while drinking it.
All elegant and mature.
“Y-Yuna. Can I have a glass too?”
“You too, Da-jeongie? Here.”
“Thanks.”
See? Even Yuna, who knows I can't handle alcohol, gave it without hesitation.
That means champagne's safe.
Trickle—
I licked my lips watching the translucent liquid fill the slender glass.
Alright, I'll drink this and say something cool and adult-like.
Can't keep sipping cola or OJ alone in the corner forever!
“Then cheers to the champagne crew! Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
“Hehe, cheers!”
Clink—
Smiling at the light clink of glasses.
I brought mine to my lips and tilted it back.
Downed the whole glass in one go...
“...Gulp!”
Huh, I feel kinda good for some reason.
Champagne really is tasty after all.