Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: On-Site Field Trip (3)
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The attractions we rode together with Seol-i were all... well, incredibly tame ones, you could say.
So tame they might as well have been described as downright peaceful.
"Woo-hoo~"
They were the kind that made Seol-i smile like that.
Right now, Seol-i and I were on the train. It was a train attraction of sorts—not quite an attraction, not quite just a train—that looped around the park a few times.
Seol-i gazed at the flower beds, beaming from ear to ear.
"Seol-i, do you like flowers?"
"Yeah, I love them tons!"
Her bright, sunny smile like that was something I saw often, but it was always just as adorable.
"What about you, Haneul? Don't like flowers?"
If I had to pick a side on whether I liked flowers... I'd say yes, but barely.
With the caveat that I didn't really think about it much one way or the other.
Honestly, it's rare to find a guy with strong feelings about flowers, positive or otherwise. Men's sensibilities just aren't as attuned as women's, generally speaking.
"I like them okay."
Of course, explaining all that in detail would be lame. Better to just cut to the chase.
"So what flowers do you like, Haneul?"
Her follow-up caught me off guard, and my mind went blank for a second. I hadn't prepped for that.
So I just blurted out the first thing that popped into my head.
"...Snowflowers?"
"Pfft... That's not a flower..."
"Oh, uh... right."
Yeah. Snowflower is just a poetic term for snowflakes. Not an actual flower.
I felt like such an idiot. Why'd I have to answer like that?
I was too embarrassed to even look up.
Like my dumbass moment had been totally exposed or something.
Seol-i, though—the one who'd heard my stupid answer—seemed delighted.
Her already grinning face looked even happier.
Thinking about it, snowflakes were snow, and with her name tied to snow, maybe it was a decent answer after all.
...Nice save. Yeah, luck like that has to come my way sometimes.
Before I knew it, the train had looped back to the start. Seol-i and I got off and checked the time.
It was noon. Lunchtime.
"Seol-i, wanna grab lunch?"
"Mm~ Sure?"
She looked up at me with a soft smile.
I nodded and pulled out the pamphlet.
"Anything you feel like?"
She scurried over to peek at it with me, pressing right up against my side as we scanned it together.
"Hmmmmm... Let's eat here."
"Here? That's... just a regular chain place."
"But it's safe and familiar, right?"
The prices sure weren't safe.
One reason I'd never come to an amusement park before was the insane markups—like I'd mentioned before.
And this chain spot was the perfect example.
Franchise joints inside parks weren't joking around; everything cost at least 1.3 times more.
Stuff Seol-i and I usually ate outside could be had for under 20,000 won tops, but here? Easily over 30,000 if we weren't careful.
"...How about here instead?"
I pointed to a nearby Western food truck.
More truck than full restaurant, technically.
"Western food truck?"
"They've got some good options, don't you think?"
She seemed to like the idea, nodding slightly.
"Yeah, let's go there."
Decision made, I headed off with Seol-i to grab our meal.
To the food truck area.
And when we got there...
...kids were everywhere. Total chaos.
"So many kids..."
"It's lunchtime."
At least they were from our school, so Seol-i didn't seem too uncomfortable. Crowds weren't her favorite anyway.
"Let's just order something."
"Okay..."
"What do you want?"
"Hang on...?"
She started browsing, picking out what she wanted.
She'd said Western food earlier, but this spot had trucks for all kinds of eats.
I wondered what she'd choose...
...No clue. Everything looked like something she'd love.
She must've thought so too; she was pondering extra seriously.
"Seol-i."
"Mm...?"
"See anything you want?"
"Too many... Can't pick."
Figures.
I decided on something quick and easy.
"Seol-i, how about that beef sushi over there?"
"Beef sushi?"
I pointed to the popular-looking beef sushi truck, and she stood on tiptoes to check it out.
Beef sushi. Looked perfectly tame.
And sure enough, she nodded again.
"Yeah, let's get that."
"Cool."
"But Haneul."
"Yeah?"
"Won't it be too little...?"
I shook my head honestly at her concern.
"Nah, it'll be fine."
"Then why..."
Why that? Simple question, simple answer.
"It's easy to eat. And if we get hungry later, we can grab snacks."
Easy was key.
Plus... it seemed fast to get and fast to scarf down, so we could bounce quick.
Less time for Seol-i to feel crowded.
I wouldn't say that out loud, though. She'd feel bad if she knew.
Wish Kim Do-yoon or Lee Ji-yoon were here; they'd help. But neither came on the trip.
The other guys were probably looping S Express nonstop.
Friends are useless sometimes.
"Seol-i, let's go order."
"Okay...!"
We hit the steak sushi truck, paid quick, and got 12 pieces.
Then to a nearby bench for a simple lunch.
-Nom
-Munch munch
Seol-i took a bite of her steak sushi, savoring it. I tried mine too.
First time, but not bad.
Wasabi was decent too, seasoning spot-on.
Seol-i, though? Not a fan of the wasabi.
"Ughhhh..."
She shuddered, carefully picking it out with her chopsticks.
I started removing the wasabi from her pieces for her.
She gave a small smile and thanked me.
"...Thanks."
"No biggie. Here, eat these."
I slid three clean pieces her way. She fixed the one she'd been messing with and handed me one.
"...Haneul, you eat this."
"Huh? ...It's not loaded with wasabi, right?"
"No! Hee... You saw me...!"
"Kidding. So why this one?"
Her cute reaction already filled me up, but her next words made it worse.
"Six pieces... definitely not enough for you... So eat this too..."
How could she be so sweet?
I smiled and nodded.
"Thanks, I'll dig in."
"Heehee..."
"But you'll get hungry later, so let's get snacks then. My treat."
"Yeah...! Do that...!"
She nodded, grinning brightly, and I soaked in the healing vibes from her cuteness.
Eating sushi made it even better.
Over sushi, we started thinking about the afternoon schedule.
But Seol-i beat me to it with a question.
"Um... Haneul."
"Yeah, Seol-i?"
"Do you... not wanna ride stuff like S Express?"
The boys had bolted for S Express the second we arrived.
She must've noticed.
I shook my head.
"Nah, not really."
"For real...? Why...? Don't boys like that stuff...?"
Depends on the guy. Me? Not that into it.
Especially since Seol-i wouldn't want to.
She mattered more.
"Riding around with you on different attractions is way better."
"...Really?"
"Totally. You know I don't lie."
Such a stabbing lie. I'd fibbed to her before.
But she smiled with her eyes and nodded.
"Yeah, you never lie to me."
...Her cuteness made my conscience ache.
No more lies to Seol-i. Ever. That smile would haunt me.
Then I noticed steak sauce on her mouth.
"Seol-i, hold still."
I wiped it off gently after asking.
Something I always did when we ate together—cleaning her cheek.
Habit since we were kids, so it was natural.
Her face clean, we stood up.
"Let's hit another attraction."
"Ah... Yeah! Let's go...!"