Chapter 88
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Shibuya Arrival
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"Hmm..."
I let out a sigh as I surveyed the disaster zone that my house had become.
The place was crammed full of packaging wrap, boxes, and unidentifiable scraps of paper.
"Did I go a bit overboard?"
Over the past two weeks while preparing for the trip, the activity I'd spent the most time on wasn't anything else—it was shopping.
Having never even been on an overseas trip, let alone a domestic one, I'd studied up on travel essentials and must-haves through the internet and YouTube, figuring I was getting properly prepared.
And so, watching those videos, I started buying items one by one.
Without any self-control, every time a new package arrived, the house got messier and messier until it ended up like this.
"..."
To be honest, yeah, it was a bit much.
I'd replaced my suitcase, clothes, shoes, sunglasses, and even my phone with brand-new ones.
All for this one trip.
Thinking about it, with everything brand new, my whole body was practically screaming how excited I was for the trip.
Standing in front of the mirror, I suddenly felt embarrassed.
Among it all, the sunglasses somehow felt the most embarrassing, so I decided to leave them at home.
I gave the contents of my suitcase one final check, then headed out.
Cleaning the house could wait.
Future me would deal with it.
After leaving the house, I hopped into the taxi I'd called in advance via my phone.
Even before I got in, the driver glanced at me and naturally punched Incheon Airport into the navigation.
"Incheon Airport, right?"
"...Yes."
He seemed to input it just from seeing my suitcase.
Was it that obvious?
The taxi ride to the airport was a long one.
Inside the airport, crowds of people were already bustling about briskly.
Honestly, it was a bit surprising.
It was 8 a.m.
I'd thought it was early enough for fewer people, but apparently, 8 o'clock wasn't too early for folks heading out on trips.
"Around here... Ah."
As I scanned near the meeting spot for the two of them, I spotted them easily.
Even passersby were like me, pausing their gaze on them at least once.
The two seemed used to the stares, calmly chatting with each other while peering at their phones, even as people walked by gawking.
I approached them slowly.
Hanna waved at me happily upon seeing me, while the woman next to her gave an awkward nod.
A white tee, jumper, and jeans.
Nothing particularly special about the outfit, but she wore it so well.
Probably thanks to her figure and looks.
"Say hi. This is my... Seonghan oppa. Oppa, say hi. This is Jian, my model friend."
Hanna started introducing me but hesitated a moment before correcting herself.
Oppa, huh.
Not a bad feeling.
"Nice to meet you."
"Yeah, uh... nice to meet you too..."
I greeted her first, but Jian just nodded curtly in response.
So transparent.
Showing hostility right from the first meeting.
I kind of liked that about her.
After our awkward introductions, Hanna took the lead, guiding us through the airport.
True to someone who'd been overseas most recently, she handled check-in with expert ease.
Once done, we hit the duty-free shops, where I watched the two of them shop.
They seemed pretty close, linking arms and chattering away as they enjoyed themselves.
I wasn't all that interested in the clothing brands or cosmetics they were talking about, so I just trailed a step behind, watching.
Then, in the midst of their conversation, an arrow came flying my way.
"Huh? Hanna, didn't you say you wanted this bag? Ask him to buy it for you~"
"Huh? J-Jian, what are you talking about... Oppa, no, it's fine..."
It came up at a luxury brand's duty-free counter.
Hanna waved her hands in denial, but it wasn't entirely baseless—she couldn't tear her eyes away from the bag.
It must really be the one she'd been looking for.
Her cuteness won me over, so I cheerfully called over the staff to pay for it.
Hanna kept refusing at first, but after I convinced her several times that it was really okay,
she reluctantly started discussing the color and design with the staff.
Seeing the faint smile lingering on Hanna's lips made the gift totally worth it.
"..."
Even witnessing this heartwarming couple moment, Jian was glaring at me with narrowed eyes.
Could this be... her way of trying to put me in a tough spot?
Well, luxury bags were pricey, after all.
I'd bought a ton preparing for the trip, but even all those combined wouldn't match this price.
Still, it wasn't a big hit for me.
The earnings from this hero world run had been substantial.
I met Jian's glare head-on without flinching.
"Thank you so much..."
"Nah, it's nothing. It's a gift."
Hanna without honorifics had a whole different vibe.
A naturally sweet atmosphere bloomed between us, and Jian eyed it with clear dissatisfaction.
She wasn't great at hiding her feelings.
Or maybe she'd caught on to me flaunting our cozy vibe while staring her down?
If you're tagging along on a couple's trip, you gotta handle this much.
On the flip side, I was grateful to Jian.
Thanks to her, I got to give Hanna a great gift.
Hanna carefully packed the nicely boxed bag into her suitcase.
She said excitedly she'd unwrap it once we got to Japan.
And with that, we headed to the gate.
Nothing much happened on the flight.
I was the only one riding a plane for the first time, buzzing with excitement and a bit tense, so the two hours passed just like that.
At first, I was amazed gazing out the window, but even that got old after about ten minutes.
We landed in Japan after two hours and hustled along following guide Hanna's lead.
On the way, I naturally asked her about the lodging, and she replied,
"Huh? Oh, Jian booked the place."
"..."
I could pretty much guess how they'd split the rooms.
We arrived in Shibuya.
It was just past lunchtime, and the place was packed like an ant colony.
With so many people, watching the massive crowd cross the scramble at once had become a tourist attraction in itself.
Our lodging was close enough to catch the view from the window.
Should be fun to watch.
"Whew."
Even though all we'd done was fly and head to the lodging, I felt a little tired.
At least once we checked in, I could snag a bit of rest.
Or so I thought, until a small issue cropped up.
The two were chatting with the hotel staff, exchanging flustered glances.
"What's up?"
"I can't really understand him..."
When I asked Hanna, that's what she said.
I asked the hotel staff in Japanese to explain again, and he kindly did so.
"Ah."
It wasn't a big deal.
The staff said we'd arrived a bit earlier than check-in time, so cleaning wasn't done yet—please wait a little longer.
But the two hadn't understood and thought something was wrong with check-in.
The staff looked flustered too, just like them.
Probably because the Korean-speaking staffer was busy with other guests.
In the end, once I relayed the message, things wrapped up.
"They're still cleaning, so we have to wait."
"Ah... Oppa, you speak Japanese too?"
"...A little."
Hanna looked up at me in admiration.
Jian shot me a jealous glare with a oddly frustrated expression.
Soon, the two started chatting to kill time, leaving me sidelined once more.
The topic was fashion and makeup again.
Jian had booked the place herself, and there was a reason for picking Shibuya.
I didn't know much, but it was apparently a shopping mecca even within Japan.
Packed with brands and makers unavailable in Korea, it was a spot no model could resist.
So the two were debating where to go and what to buy as they talked.
No matter what, jumping into that conversation wasn't easy.
That's when I felt a gaze.
Jian glanced my way while talking to Hanna.
Her look was like,
'See that?'—smug as could be.
I couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief.
Yeah, chatting with Hanna about that stuff wasn't my strong suit.
Still, to throw it in my face like this.
She really hated losing to me.
"Rooms are 1205 and 1305. The 12th floor is women-only."
I overheard as the staff handed over the key cards.
"Heh."
I figured there'd be two rooms, but women-only floor?
I couldn't even get close.
Jian had planned this on purpose.
We took the elevator to the 12th floor.
"See ya later. Let's go, Hanna."
"Huh? Uh, okay..."
Jian dragged Hanna—who looked back at me reluctantly—off on the 12th floor.
I quietly admired Jian's scheme as I headed up to the 13th and found my room.
I checked out the place, unpacked, sat on the bed, and gazed out the window.
Now that I was in the lodging, staring at the billboards and crowds outside, it finally hit me.
That I was in Japan.