Chapter 84: Puberty (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: Puberty (3)
“W-what?!”
Ji Nuri gasped, her mouth hanging open in sheer shock.
“······.”
I felt pretty much the same way. Deep down, I was stunned.
What on earth was she doing here? It wasn't like we’d bumped into each other in Seoul; we had crossed paths all the way down in Gimhae. Coincidences didn't get much crazier than this.
“...What are you doing here?” Ji Nuri’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
I answered her question calmly. I had nothing to hide, after all. “I’m on vacation.”
“On vacation?”
“Yeah.”
There wasn't much else to say. I really was just here for a trip.
“In Gimhae?”
“Yeah...”
“Today? At this hotel?”
“······.”
When she put it like that, the situation did seem a bit suspicious.
— “I didn't think he was the type... but he’s surprisingly aggressive when it comes to romance...”
Her Mini-Me’s large eyes trembled violently as it clamped its tiny hands over its mouth. Ji Nuri’s expression screamed, I knew it! as her imagination began to run wild.
‘I figured she’d react like this.’
It was exactly what I expected. A hollow smile escaped my lips.
— “I mean, I do prefer an Organic Match, but...”
Ji Nuri stole glances at me, her face flushing.
— “Even so, this is way too obvious! Following me all this way...! I know you like me, but still...!”
The Mini-Me squeezed its eyes shut, shouting and flailing its tiny fists up and down in a fit of dramatic embarrassment.
“······.”
Ji Nuri’s delusions were starting to spiral out of control. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep a straight face, but I barely managed to maintain a neutral expression. Regardless of my reaction, her train of thought steamed ahead.
— “...This isn't right.”
Ji Nuri’s expression suddenly stiffened.
— “...As a friend, I need to give him a piece of my mind.”
What "piece of her mind" was she even talking about?
“······.”
I couldn't let this go on. For Ji Nuri’s sake, it was better to stop her before the misunderstanding got any worse. I parted my lips to speak.
“Hey, look...”
Just as I was about to intervene.
“Huh? What? It’s Nuri!”
Lee Seung-ah appeared out of nowhere, her eyes widening as she spotted Ji Nuri.
— “What’s going on? What’s going on?!”
Lee Seung-ah’s Mini-Me chirped excitedly. She dashed over and grabbed Ji Nuri’s hands, shaking them vigorously. It was her typical, high-energy way of showing how happy she was to see a friend.
“Are you here on vacation too, Nuri?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah?!” Ji Nuri’s jaw dropped as she realized Seung-ah was actually here with me. “Seung-ah, did you follow Seung-ho all the way here too?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Lee Seung-ah tilted her head, looking completely confused.
Their conversation was completely out of sync. They just stood there, blinking at each other in a daze. This wasn't working. I stepped forward before the misunderstanding could deepen any further.
“We’re here because she got some tickets.” I tapped Lee Seung-ah on the shoulder.
“Tickets...? Oh.” Ji Nuri seemed to remember something and rummaged through her pocket. “...You mean these?”
She pulled a ticket out of her wallet. It was identical to the ones we had.
“What? You got one too?”
“No, it’s not that... Da-bin gave it to me because she’s going on an overseas trip during the break.”
“Da-bin?”
Who was Da-bin? As I was trying to place the name, Lee Seung-ah poked me in the side.
“You know, my friend.”
“Ah.”
Was the girl I saw at the school event named Da-bin? It had been two months already, so I couldn't quite match the face to the name. The memory was fuzzy, but I had a general idea of who she was.
“······.”
Hmm. So Ji Nuri had stayed in touch with them. I didn't know that.
— “Oh, so that’s all it was...”
Ji Nuri’s Mini-Me let out a long, exaggerated sigh of relief. It seemed the misunderstanding was finally cleared up. In the end, the culprit was simply the fact that we all had the same promotional tickets.
— “So it really was a coincidence...?”
Ji Nuri finally accepted the truth.
— “Uh...”
Her lips twitched.
— “I guess this counts as an Organic Match then...?”
Ji Nuri tilted her head, her inner voice sounding strangely hopeful. She let out an awkward laugh, realizing that a total coincidence was the definition of the "fated" encounter she craved.
“······.”
I turned away. Now that the drama was resolved, I needed to get back to picking out bread. Just as I was about to move, a voice interrupted.
“Nuri, is something wrong?”
A middle-aged woman I’d never seen before approached us with a relaxed gait. She looked quite a bit like Ji Nuri; I could see the resemblance in her sharp features.
“Mom, it’s just...”
“Is this someone you know?”
“He’s a friend from my class. Mom, meet Seung-ho.”
I bowed at the waist as Ji Nuri introduced me. “Hello. I’m Lee Seung-ho, a classmate of Nuri’s.”
“Oh my, a friend of Nuri’s?” She covered her mouth in surprise, clapped her hands lightly, and let out a soft laugh. “What an incredible coincidence! Are you here on a family trip?”
“Yes, we received some tickets as a gift.”
“Tickets?” She thought about it for a moment. “Ah. Then you must be the boy from the same club she mentioned?”
My eyes widened. I looked at Ji Nuri, surprised she had mentioned me to her family.
“Mom, stop...!” Ji Nuri cried out, her face turning beet red.
“Alright, alright.” The woman gave a mischievous smile. She glanced around and then said, “Hmm... meeting like this must be fate...”
She looked at the tray of bread I was holding. “You picked those out to eat, right?”
“Huh? Yes.”
“Give them to me.”
Ji Nuri’s mother quickly snatched up the tray and marched straight to the counter. I hurriedly followed after her.
“Oh, you really don't have to do that.”
“Don't worry about it. I’m buying this so you’ll look after our Nuri in the future.”
With those words, she finished paying in an instant. Then she set the tray down on a table. “There, enjoy.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll head up first, so take your time talking.”
Ji Nuri nodded at her mother’s words. “I’ll call you when I’m coming up.”
Only Lee Seung-ah, Ji Nuri, and I were left in the cafe.
“······.”
“······.”
Once the bustle died down, a strange silence settled over us. Come to think of it, it had been a while since I’d seen Ji Nuri. We’d texted occasionally, but this was the first time we’d met face-to-face in the two weeks since the break started.
“Um...” I struggled to think of a topic. The awkwardness was palpable.
“Mmm-hmm~”
Regardless of the atmosphere, Lee Seung-ah was in her own world.
— “This looks delicious...!”
Lee Seung-ah licked her lips, immediately grabbed a piece of bread, and started munching away. She was the only one who was truly relaxed.
“What have you been up to lately?” I finally managed to throw out a casual question. Just as I was about to pick up a piece of bread for myself, I noticed Ji Nuri just sitting there on the sofa. “...Aren't you going to eat?”
“Oh, yeah. I should.”
Ji Nuri’s tone was strange. She sounded stiff, and her gaze was oddly discontented. What was it now? What was her problem? I shifted my gaze to find Ji Nuri’s Mini-Me.
— “...Now that I think about it, they’ve been hanging out by themselves this whole time. They didn't even invite me...”
The Mini-Me puffed out its cheeks, its eyebrows slumped downward in a pout. That was the source of her dissatisfaction. It seemed she had spent a lot of time alone in her room lately and felt left out.
“······.”
What was I supposed to say to that? From my perspective, it felt a bit unfair. Besides, if she’d asked to hang out, I would have said yes. The words reached my throat, but I swallowed them back down.
— “Mmm... hmmm...”
The Ji Nuri Mini-Me’s cheeks wobbled like pudding. As she finally started eating the bread, her mood gradually began to lift. It was plain as day.
“······.”
...What can I say? Her mood swung back and forth so easily.
Slurp—
“Wow— but seriously, how did we all run into each other here?” Lee Seung-ah said, sucking on her milk. She was still reeling from the shock of the encounter.
“I know, right?” I couldn't help but agree.
It was a staggering coincidence. Even if we had the same tickets, the date of use was up to us. To run into each other at the same hotel on the same day... that part really was just a stroke of luck.
Ding—!
The elevator we were waiting for finally arrived. As I stepped inside, I asked Ji Nuri, “What floor are you on?”
“Uh... the 7th. Yeah, the 7th,” Ji Nuri replied, checking her key card.
“The 7th?”
“Oh, us too!”
Just as Lee Seung-ah said, we were staying on the 7th floor. Ji Nuri looked surprised.
“Really? Then what room number are you?”
“We’re in 731...”
“I’m in 710.”
I nodded at Ji Nuri’s answer. So we weren't right next door, but we were on the same floor. Since the tickets were the same type, it seemed the rooms were assigned in the same general block.
“Ah, you’re here.”
My mom gave me a gentle smile as we stepped out. Ji Nuri’s parents were already standing there with her. No wonder she was smiling differently than usual—she was in "social mode."
“Hello.” Even though it hadn't been long since we parted, I bowed again to Ji Nuri's parents.
“...What’s going on?” Ji Nuri whispered to her mother.
I had the same question. I didn't expect us to run into each other again so soon. Ji Nuri’s mother said with a bright smile, “We ran into each other on the way up. Turns out we’re on the same floor.”
“Ah...”
“I recognized Seung-ho’s father immediately because Seung-ho looks just like him. I was thinking I should introduce myself, so I did.”
Ji Nuri’s mother chuckled. Even if it was a chance encounter, her forwardness was exactly like Ji Nuri’s.
“Oh, right.” My mom clapped her hands together lightly. “Since we’ve met like this, it must be fate, right?”
“...I guess?”
“So, we decided to go on our outing together tomorrow. You two are close, aren't you?”
And just like that, our schedule was set. It seemed the mothers had already become best friends after just a few words. Talk about social skills. As expected of my mom—her 'Big E' extrovert execution was something else.
— “Oh...!”
— “Wow...!”
Ji Nuri and Lee Seung-ah’s inner thoughts rang out like a synchronized ensemble. The two of them started waving their arms around in their minds. They seemed thrilled at the prospect of playing together.
“Is that so?” I nodded noncommittally.
To be honest, I didn't really mind. It might have been different if it were a stranger, but it was Ji Nuri. It would probably be fun to hang out together, and Lee Seung-ah seemed genuinely happy about it.
— “...Lee Seung-ho really hit the jackpot.”
Ji Nuri’s Mini-Me gave me a triumphant smirk. It was annoying, but... looking at Ji Nuri, I couldn't exactly deny it.
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