Chapter 26: Not Exactly Intentional
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26: Not Exactly Intentional
*
The next day.
I stepped out of my room dressed casually in a short-sleeved T-shirt.
"Yaaaawn..."
A long yawn escaped me as I stepped off the elevator.
In front of the hotel restaurant, I spotted the trio waiting for me. It seemed they were hanging back since we’d agreed to grab breakfast together.
"Ah...!"
My eyes met Shin A-young’s. Her eyebrows twitched.
"Lee Seung-ho, over her—!"
She started to throw her arm up in a wave, but then...
"He... Hey. Over here."
She awkwardly lowered her arm halfway through the gesture.
...What was up with her all of a sudden?
— "Should I... keep some distance?"
Shin A-young’s mini-me rolled its eyes, looking unusually wary of someone’s reaction.
I wondered who she was looking at, and it turned out to be none other than Lee Sol.
It was a bit baffling. Shin A-young, of all people, walking on eggshells around Lee Sol?
"..."
Did something happen?
Meanwhile, Lee Sol gave me a small wave.
"...Morning, Seung-ho."
"You guys are out early."
"...It just worked out that way."
Lee Sol looked remarkably put-together. Since everyone else had rolled out in light, casual morning wear, she stood out by being the only one fully dressed up. Had she woken up early just to get ready?
Perhaps because of that, there was a hint of fatigue on her face, though it wasn't glaringly obvious.
If anyone looked truly exhausted, though, it was the girl standing next to her.
"Hwaaaa-aaaam..."
Ji Nuri let out a massive, lingering yawn. She was standing there practically half-asleep.
— "So sleepy... Maybe I should've just skipped breakfast and slept more..."
Her mini-me’s head kept nodding off. She looked like she might collapse at any second. Had she stayed up late again out of excitement? I’d have to tell her to grab a coffee later.
"Let's go in."
I followed them into the restaurant.
The breakfast buffet consisted mostly of light options. After a quick scan of the spread, I filled my plate with a reasonable amount of cereal, milk, and bread before taking a seat.
"..."
I glanced around. Shin A-young and Lee Sol were still picking out their food.
...Hmm.
Is now my only chance?
Before the other two arrived, I leaned toward Ji Nuri, who was already seated.
"...Hey, did something happen between those two yesterday?"
Ji Nuri stopped chewing her toast and looked at me.
"Yesterday?"
— "Huh? Did something happen...?"
Her mini-me crossed its arms and tapped its fingers rhythmically.
— "No matter how much I think about it..."
"No, nothing happened. Everyone was tired, so we went straight to sleep."
Ji Nuri went back to chewing her bread, her eyes drifting to a Universal Studios guidebook. She seemed more preoccupied with tomorrow’s schedule than today’s, busy double-checking their route.
...She really has no clue.
"Why the sudden question?"
"Nothing."
I brushed it off, changing the subject.
"...Weirdo."
Ji Nuri gave me a look that said I was being random.
"..."
Just then, Lee Sol sat down and placed her plate on the table.
It was just that...
— "Now— I have to— — —ah."
I’d been hearing constant noise coming from Lee Sol for a while now.
...It wasn't like this yesterday.
Something definitely happened in the interim. Most likely, some kind of 'incident' occurred between Lee Sol and Shin A-young.
"..."
Lee Sol gracefully ate her soup. Her mini-me dabbed its mouth with a napkin and stole glances at me.
Watching that, I couldn't help but think that even if she didn't love me yet, she definitely had feelings for me. It made me wonder how I should handle this.
"..."
I took a bite of cereal.
...What can I even say?
To be honest, I didn't plan on doing anything specific. It wasn't like Lee Sol had confessed or even flirted with me. Just because I could hear her thoughts didn't mean I could say something insane like, "Hey, you like me, right?"
"..."
Besides, I had no intention of confessing first. Sure, Lee Sol was fun to hang out with, and she was undeniably beautiful, but I hadn't felt that specific romantic spark yet.
"..."
Of course, that was just for now. No one knows how a person's heart might change. That applied to Lee Sol, too. Her feelings could change before long. Thoughts are much more fickle than they seem.
"..."
If she ever did confess...
Well.
I could worry about that then. For now...
"Is it okay to eat that much in the morning?"
"...It's just for today. We're on a school trip, after all."
I'll just act like my usual self. Like I don't know a thing.
Let's stick with that for now.
*
The bus pulled up in front of an aquarium. This was our second stop after visiting a ramen-making workshop.
"Ugh."
Lee Sol stretched her stiff body as she stepped off the bus.
"Everyone had a good lunch, right? Take your time looking around inside and meet back here by 4:00."
""Yes, sir!""
As always, the experience began with a class commemorative photo. Following the teacher's instructions, the students began to scatter.
"Where should we go first?"
"Let's go see the whale shark before it gets too crowded."
The kids chatted excitedly. Seung-ho watched them for a moment before turning to the girl beside him.
"Ji Nuri, where should we start?"
"...Why are you asking me?"
"Just asking."
"..."
Ji Nuri was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"...We have plenty of time, so we can take it slow, but it's probably better to see the whale shark early. It's going to get packed."
"Got it. Let's do that then."
The route was decided.
"..."
Lee Sol bit her lip as she listened to their conversation.
...She had been like this since the morning. Ever since she realized she had feelings for him, her chest felt strangely itchy. She had no idea how to act anymore. She wanted to be as natural as possible, but even that was proving difficult.
How did she used to act...?
"...Want some help?"
A voice suddenly caught Lee Sol's attention.
"Huh?"
Shin A-young had leaned in close to whisper the question.
"...With what?"
"Don't you want things to go well with Seung-ho?"
"It's not that I want things to 'go well' with him, it's just..."
"Right, right. Anyway, you want to get to know him better."
Lee Sol looked away as she answered.
"...I guess."
She swallowed hard. What was A-young thinking? She wondered if it was really okay to accept help from her like this.
"..."
Lee Sol stood frozen in an awkward posture, observing Shin A-young. To her eyes, there didn't seem to be any ulterior motives. It felt like A-young genuinely wanted to help.
"..."
Right, it should be fine for now. Shin A-young didn't... like Lee Seung-ho yet.
"...Then, just a little."
She decided to accept the help.
*
Shin A-young strolled through the aquarium at a leisurely pace, keeping an eye on the two walking a few paces ahead.
"Hmm..."
Watching them made her wonder what 'liking someone' actually felt like. Lee Sol had always said she had zero interest in dating.
"..."
But look at her now. She was subtly matching her pace to Lee Seung-ho's. Could a person really change this much? To the point of obsessing over physical distance, something she never cared about before?
"..."
...Distance, huh?
"...If we're friends, how close is okay? ...This much? Or maybe this much?"
She thought of Seung-ho and tried to match her stride to an imaginary version of him.
"...As long as we aren't touching, it's fine, right?"
They were friends, after all.
"Sigh..."
...Maybe she shouldn't have asked. If she hadn't asked that question yesterday, she wouldn't have known about Sol's feelings, and she wouldn't be worrying about this in the first place.
"..."
...Still, since she'd decided to help.
"..."
Lee Sol was stealing glances at him. She was fidgeting, picking up her phone and putting it back down. It looked like she wanted to take a photo together.
Time for a little assist.
"Hey—"
"Want me to take a picture? You want to take one, right?"
Shin A-young approached Lee Sol and snatched the phone from her hand. Then, she naturally nudged Sol's back.
"Hmm... it's crowded here, so let's go over there and take one together."
This was the right move. It would be awkward if just the two of them took a photo, so this would feel more natural.
"This spot looks good."
It was quiet and perfect.
"Okay, gather 'round. Nuri, get a little closer."
"...Like this?"
"Yeah, that's perfect."
She set the camera to selfie mode. Stretching her arm out, she made sure everyone was in the frame.
"Okay, cheese! One, two, three—!"
Click—
She snapped a few more for good measure. Shin A-young checked the photos she’d taken.
"Oh..."
Not to toot her own horn, but she thought she’d done a great job. Surely Sol would be satisfied with these. Shin A-young handed the phone over to the 'expert' for review.
"Lee Seung-ho, how are these? Be honest. Give me a cold, hard evaluation."
"Oh, not bad for a beginner."
"What's the score?"
"I'll give you a 10."
"Huh? Out of 10?"
"Out of 100."
Wow, I got my hopes up for nothing. If it's out of a hundred, shouldn't it at least be over fifty?
"Here, Sol."
Shin A-young handed the phone back to Lee Sol.
"..."
Lee Sol’s expression was static as she looked down at the photos.
"...Oh."
Was this not it? Didn't she want to take a photo with Lee Seung-ho?
"..."
Lee Sol glanced up at her. Her eyelashes were slightly lowered, her gaze subtle.
...Apparently, this wasn't what she wanted.
...Better change the subject.
"...Shall we head over to the whale shark now?"
Shin A-young opened the guidebook and took the lead. She felt like they needed to move fast.
.
.
.
When they arrived at the exhibit, it was already swarming with crowds. Lee Sol looked a bit overwhelmed by the sight.
"...There are so many people."
"You can't see these in Korea, so I guess everyone flocked here."
Just then.
Swoooosh—
A massive fish—the whale shark—glided past the glass as if drifting through the air. The shadow it cast under the lights made its sheer scale feel real.
"Whoa..."
Seung-ho’s mouth hung open slightly at the sight.
"It's way bigger than I thought. Seeing it up close is insane."
His tone was uncharacteristically excited. Seung-ho was a guy, after all; he couldn't help but be impressed by something that massive.
"Ahem... Y-you can see it better from over here."
Lee Sol murmured softly to him.
"Huh?"
Hearing that, Shin A-young quickly moved to Sol's right side. Let's see.
"Oh, you're right."
From this angle, there were no other fish in the way, making the whale shark much clearer. It was definitely a better spot. Shin A-young turned her head and called out to him.
"Seung-ho! Come here. She says you can see it better from here."
Shin A-young tapped the spot to her right.
"Where?"
Hearing her, Seung-ho walked over and stood where she pointed.
"Oh..."
He let out a short breath of admiration. Was he really that impressed? Shin A-young felt a brief sense of satisfaction watching him stare at the aquarium in wonder.
Tug, tug—
She felt someone pulling on her sleeve. Turning her head, she saw Lee Sol giving her a strange look. Her cheeks were slightly puffed out.
Lee Sol pointed behind them with her thumb.
"Oh..."
Was she telling her to follow? Shin A-young followed her quietly, wondering if something was wrong. Seung-ho and Ji Nuri seemed busy trying to get photos of the whale shark from a distance.
They moved to a corner where no one was around.
"Sigh..."
Lee Sol let out a short sigh. Then, with a look that said she’d finally realized something...
"...I'll just handle it myself."
That was all she said.