Chapter 137: Busan (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 137: Busan (7)
After spending some time at the sauna, we grabbed dinner at the department store and headed back to the hotel.
Sitting in the room, I scrolled through the photos we had taken today one by one.
These turned out well.
There was a shot of Lee Sol and Ha Seo-rim with their hair wrapped in sheep-head towels. Another of Ji Nuri focused entirely on peeling and eating a boiled egg. Then, a selfie of Shin A-young tilting her head, her hands framing her face in a classic "flower pose."
"?"
I didn't take this last one.
When did she take this?
I heard the rustle of movement nearby. The Club President was pulling on his coat.
"Are you going somewhere?" I asked.
"I'm going to take a quick walk nearby with Min-ji before coming back."
Ah. A date.
"Okay, have a good time."
I turned my attention back to my own business as the Club President left. The only ones remaining in the room were me and Ji Nuri’s older brother... Ji Woo-hyuk.
"……."
"……."
Well, honestly, it was a bit awkward.
— "…This is suffocating."
Perhaps he felt the same way, as his Mini-Me’s movements became stiff. His eyes darted around the room before he let out a small exclamation, as if he’d suddenly remembered something.
— "…Ah."
"…By any chance, do you like working out?" Ji Woo-hyuk asked. His voice was low, his tone cautious.
I nodded. "I do it pretty often."
"I saw a gym on the lower floor. Want to go?"
"Oh? There’s a gym here?"
"It didn't look big, but it's there."
"I’d love to."
I had nothing else to do, and I hadn't showered yet anyway. It was better than being stuck in this room in silence.
We decided to head down immediately. As we stood in front of the elevator, I struck up a conversation.
"Do you like working out too, Senior?"
"…I wouldn't say I like it."
"…Really?"
He had a pretty solid build for someone who didn't like it.
"I just do as much as is necessary."
"Aha."
So he didn't skip his sessions. Was it a family trait? Ji Nuri didn't like exercising much either, but at least he put in the effort.
It really isn't that big.
The gym was exactly as he had described. There weren't many machines; it felt like it only had the bare essentials. Since we were the only ones there, we had the place to ourselves.
"…Should we hit the treadmills?"
"Sure."
Since we had to wake up early tomorrow, doing anything too intense was out of the question. I moved at a leisurely pace on the treadmill. As we ran side by side, we ended up talking about various things. Naturally, the topic turned to Ji Nuri. She was the only common interest between us, after all.
"…Ji Nuri is the Club President?" Ji Woo-hyuk asked, sounding surprised.
"Yes, she said she wanted to do it."
"……."
— "Will it be okay?"
He seemed more worried about the club than his sister. I appreciated his concern, but there was no need to worry that much.
"Nuri is actually better at her job than she looks."
"……."
He nodded slowly at my words, but…
— "…Is he just covering for her?"
He didn't seem to believe me. Just what kind of reputation did Ji Nuri have at home?
"?"
Vrrr— Vrrrr—
Just then, the phone I had placed on the treadmill stand lit up. A notification popped up at the top. It was a message from Ji Nuri. Wondering what it was, I unlocked the screen.
It was a photo of Ji Nuri holding a game console in her room.
[Hurry up and get over here.]
[A-young is waiting like crazy.]
Did she bring her game console from home?
"Is that Nuri?"
"Ah, yes."
"……."
Ji Woo-hyuk nodded and looked away.
— "…To be young and in love."
His Mini-Me’s expression became peculiar. He looked a bit embarrassed, as if he had seen something he shouldn't have. I tilted my head. It was a strange reaction.
— "…No, if I keep him here, I'm just getting in the way."
The Mini-Me muttered to itself. He manipulated the buttons, and his treadmill slowly ground to a halt.
Seriously, what is it? It felt like we were on completely different wavelengths.
"Are you stopping already?" I asked, stopping my own treadmill.
"Yeah. Isn't Nuri calling for you?"
"She is, but…"
Didn't we have a prior engagement here? It felt wrong for him to suggest working out together and then suddenly ditch me.
"If your girlfriend calls and you ignore her, you'll hear about it later," Ji Woo-hyuk dropped the bombshell.
"Pardon?" I blinked, stunned. "Um… that's not it."
"…What isn't?"
"She's not my girlfriend."
"……."
A crack appeared in his expressionless face. His eyebrows twitched, and his face went blank.
"…She's not?"
"No."
"……."
Ji Woo-hyuk looked away, his movements becoming awkward.
— "…Since they went on a trip together, I thought he was her boyfriend. I guess not."
He rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed look. "Sorry for the misunderstanding."
"No, it's fine."
It could happen. Compared to the misunderstandings Ji Nuri usually caused, this was nothing.
"Uh, well… then I'll go hang out with the others for a bit."
"…Uh, yeah. Go ahead."
Ji Woo-hyuk nodded. I felt like staying here with just the two of us would be even more awkward now, so I decided to head back to where the others were. That seemed like the best move.
*
Chirp— Chirp chirp—
"Senior, wake up. It's morning."
Early the next morning in the girls' hotel room, everyone had woken up early and was busy getting ready to head out.
"Sol."
Ha Seo-rim called out to her. Since she was the first to finish getting ready, she had naturally taken on the role of waking Lee Sol. However…
"……."
Lee Sol remained unresponsive. Ha Seo-rim tried calling out at the top of her lungs again.
"Sol!"
"Uuuugh…"
It wasn't very effective. She just squirmed and hugged her blanket tighter, showing no sign of waking up.
"Mmm… Mom, five more minutes… It's the weekend…"
Lee Sol was still lost in her dreams. Did she think she was at home? Shaking her shoulders didn't help either.
"……."
Ha Seo-rim’s eyes twitched. She had heard Sol was bad in the mornings, but this was the real deal.
"Nuri, what should we do?" Ha Seo-rim asked for help.
"Sol must have been really tired." Ji Nuri also looked troubled.
Lee Sol didn't have much stamina to begin with. On top of that, they had walked around so much yesterday and stayed up late playing games.
"…Right, I told you we should stop the games at a reasonable hour," Ji Nuri said, scratching her head.
"No, well…" Ha Seo-rim’s face turned red. She had nothing to say. She was the one who had insisted on playing more. They had kept going even after Lee Seung-ho went back to his room. But still, who knew it would be that fun?
"Can't be helped. Grab that side." Ji Nuri rolled up her sleeves.
Ha Seo-rim grabbed Lee Sol’s left arm as instructed. "Like this?"
"Yeah. On the count of three, pull her up."
Ji Nuri grabbed Lee Sol’s right arm.
"One… two… three!"
As they pulled with all their might, Lee Sol’s body was hoisted upward.
"Hwah?!"
Waking up in a fright, Lee Sol looked around with bleary eyes. She blinked, trying to grasp the situation.
"Uh, um…"
But she was still drunk on sleep, nodding off where she sat.
"Hwaaaaah…" She let out a massive yawn.
— "Wait, hold on?"
The sound of a phone call drifted in from outside the door. Shin A-young’s voice reached the room. She glanced inside and continued her call.
"Yeah, Sol just woke up. We'll head down now."
"……."
Lee Sol saw that. She shook her head vigorously and stood up. Her expression was still sleepy, but she was moving through sheer willpower now. She struggled to brush her long hair, suddenly moving perfectly fine. It was a bit baffling, but a good thing nonetheless.
As soon as Lee Sol was ready, they headed down to the lobby. They saw the two people who had arrived earlier.
"Did you sleep late last night?"
"Something like that…"
At the conversation between Lee Seung-ho and Lee Sol, Ha Seo-rim felt a prick of guilt and tried to make herself scarce.
"Want some coffee?" Lee Seung-ho asked the sleepy-looking Lee Sol.
"Coffee?"
"There’s a vending machine over there."
"Then, just a little."
Lee Seung-ho got a coffee from the machine and handed it to her.
Slurp.
Only after finishing the cup did Lee Sol’s eyes finally become clear and bright.
"Let's go."
Lee Seung-ho led the way, and Ha Seo-rim followed him out of the hotel.
"……."
Their destination was the event venue. It was a place she hadn't originally been very interested in, but maybe because the games they played last night were so fun, she found herself looking forward to it just a little bit.
*
Early morning at Busan Station.
Before the cool dawn air had completely dissipated, the sound of low heels descending the stairs echoed.
"Mmm…"
Yu Ha-neul breathed in the morning air. It was refreshing, but far from feeling refreshed, a sense of stuffiness filled her chest.
"I was going to try and hold back for a while…"
Unfortunately, it was impossible. A single photo posted on social media—the moment she saw it, it was all over. Lee Seung-ho standing in front of Busan Station with some girls. How could she hold back after seeing a photo like that?
"……."
Yu Ha-neul looked at the station with sunken eyes. If she hadn't known at all, that would be one thing. But now that she knew, she couldn't stop herself. It was a natural progression for her steps to lead her here.
I'm glad I followed all of Seo-rim’s acquaintances…
Otherwise, she might not have even known they were here on a trip.
"Hmm…"
Yu Ha-neul walked slowly, the click-clack of her heels ringing out.
"Is it around here…?"
Judging by the scenery and angle in the photo, the spot where Lee Seung-ho had been standing was right here.
Click—
Yu Ha-neul moved one step to the side.
Snap—
She raised her camera and took a picture of herself.
"Ehehe."
Yu Ha-neul let out a satisfied hum as she looked down at the photo. Good. I'll edit this when I get back.
Now let's see…
Yu Ha-neul scoured Instagram, looking to see if there were any other good photos. She found a photo of Ha Seo-rim holding a game console among the girls.
"Looks like they're having fun."
Yu Ha-neul saw that and gave a faint, fond smile. It didn't really matter who Ha Seo-rim hung out with. In fact, she was sincerely happy for her.
However, the fact that she came here to play with Lee Seung-ho without saying a single word to her… was a little…
No, a lot.
Heartbreaking.
"……."
Yu Ha-neul’s eyes drooped as if she were hurt. But it was okay. She only needed one person by her side. So, the only thing she had to think about now was how to approach him naturally.
That was the only thing that mattered.
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(!Signpost!)
(Scroll down for illustration!)
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I originally wanted to draw Lee Sol wearing a sheep-head towel... but it didn't turn out well...
So I'll just give you Lee Sol wearing a towel and having sheep-head hair.