The World Beyond Common Sense
I couldn’t close my mouth.
The girls were flustered the moment they saw the cars waiting outside the hotel.
This was a whole different world from business class.
“No way... cars come out of hotels?”
“And there are two of them...”
“Why would anyone even need two cars that big?”
“I give up. This is so far beyond my common sense it’s not even funny.”
Watching that pretty boy gradually lose his spirit in real time was entertaining enough, but the girls’ nonstop reactions to everything also kept me thoroughly amused.
It felt good to spend money.
“It’d be a pain if getting around was uncomfortable. Besides, the trip’s only just starting. I heard taxis in Japan are expensive, too.”
“Wow... even if taxis are expensive, they still can’t be as bad as this, right?”
“What was that thing we did last time, then...? Was that even a trip?”
“We spent almost a whole day just getting to the hotel last time. So this is what travel is really like.”
Everyone looked completely dumbfounded.
Naturally, that made it even more fun.
While we were talking, the Japanese driver got out of the front seat and carried our luggage for us.
That alone told me all I needed to know about Japanese service.
We helped load the bags in as well.
The expressions on the girls’ faces as they got into the car held even more anticipation than before.
Well, wasn’t the beginning what mattered most?
After business class, there was now a luxury car waiting for us. It was only natural they’d be wondering what else was in store.
I’d already been briefed ahead of time, but...
I was looking forward to it too.
This was my first time traveling overseas, after all.
Just in case, there was a secretary in each car.
For translation and whatever other tasks might come up.
“Waaah... so this is really a trip.”
“It really is... feels completely different from last time.”
“Because of Sihyun, we get to take trips like this too...”
“Huh? It’s not because of me, it’s because of my brother.”
“We’re offering him overwhelming gratitude. Thank you again.”
“What’s there to thank me for? Didn’t you already go on a trip recently?”
“Don’t even start. That trip and this one aren’t even the same thing. Right, Sihyun?”
“... They really are completely different.”
Even Sihyun agreed with her friend.
“Ugh, back then... we were wandering around not even knowing how to get to the hotel. By the time we arrived, the whole day was gone... Looking back, it’s a memory now, but after experiencing this, that was just hard labor.”
“Exactly. And when you’re trying to have fun on a limited budget, everything just looks ridiculously expensive.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
They say the moment you start thinking about money, it stops being a trip.
Or so I’d heard somewhere.
We arrived at the hotel.
Everyone went quiet. Even me.
That was how luxurious both the outside and the inside of the hotel looked.
Instead of speaking loudly, we kept our voices low and traded comments.
“What the hell... was the place we stayed at last time a motel or something?”
“Right?...”
The staff guided us all the way to our room.
I asked the girls what they thought.
“I only booked one room for now. It’s got a connecting door, too. If it’s inconvenient, just say so. I can probably get another standard room. There’s only one suite left, though.”
“Come on, of course it’s fine.”
We reached the room. Room was almost the wrong word for it.
It was practically a house.
The space was so huge it bordered on excessive. The view beyond the windows. The lavish interior.
All the girls stared around with stunned expressions, looking at everything in disbelief.
Then, all of a sudden.
They looked at me.
“Oppa...”
“Yeah?”
“Please don’t kick us out into a different room...”
“... Of course not.”
“Really, we’re not uncomfortable at all.”
Ah. So that was the misunderstanding.
That pretty boy only looked more and more deflated as time passed.
***
After unpacking, we decided to rest until dinner.
We’d come here in comfort, sure, but that didn’t mean the trip itself had been effortless.
For the time being, it was free time.
Everyone went out to enjoy the hotel spa.
The only one left in the room was Lee Suho.
“Ha...”
He let out a sigh.
This wasn’t what he’d followed us all the way here to see.
At first, he’d definitely thought his hyung was overreaching.
From the perspective of an ordinary person, covering every expense for everyone really did sound absurd.
He’d planned to step in and help Sihyun once things started getting difficult.
That had been a mistake.
He realized that before we’d even reached the airport, the moment he got into the car.
Just how many cars are there...?
He’d assumed his hyung was picking them up. Or maybe they’d taken a taxi. Then a Rolls-Royce had pulled up in front of him.
Even the main car alone was one of several. It was absolutely beyond the level of any ordinary person.
The same thing had happened at the airport.
He’d thought economy was the best they could do.
What a joke.
He’d been disappointed that there was no first class, so they’d reluctantly settled for business class instead.
What on earth do you mean, “reluctantly”?
And even after arrival...
A car came out of the hotel.
Such a hotel actually existed...?
That wasn’t even the end of it.
He’d expected it, but when they got to the room and checked it, he was certain no ordinary person lived like this.
What was this? What kind of lodging for one night was this supposed to be?
He couldn’t even bring himself to join the girls for the spa.
He just sat in the room, stunned for a long while.
Then he searched the place online once.
“I’m losing my mind.”
It was already a luxurious hotel, but this room was apparently one of the best in it.
Almost thirty million won for one night.
What the hell was this? Wasn’t he supposed to be a chaebol or something?
And yet he hadn’t looked even slightly burdened while making all these arrangements.
He was only three years older than Suho.
Before, Suho had thought of him as a military veteran who’d come back to school late, someone who hadn’t even gone to college, yet still somehow had the gall to covet Sihyun, the top freshman...
But now.
... Was I the one who didn’t know my place?
He found himself seriously wondering whether he’d been the one who didn’t know his own limits when he’d looked at Sihyun and gone weak in the knees.
Fighting for something meant matching the other side in at least some way.
At this point, not even a tiny sliver of a chance was visible.
As time passed, his heart kept breaking down little by little.
He steadied himself as best he could.
Eventually, the others returned from the spa.
They all looked happy.
By now, Suho was at the point where he wanted to go straight back to Korea.
The more he was shocked, the more his sense of defeat deepened.
We ate dinner in a daze.
“...”
Every time someone nearby took a bite, another sound of awe followed. It was driving him insane.
Even worse was the fact that he, too, let out an awed sound after taking a bite.
For a moment, it was enough to make him forget even the feeling of defeat.
What was he thinking, exactly? He’d actually started wanting to give up this contest and serve the man as his hyung-nim instead.
Once defeat passed a certain threshold, it turned into admiration.
His desire to surrender was growing stronger.
Maybe he should just acknowledge his loss and focus on helping connect Sihyun and his hyung-nim instead.
After dinner, we moved to the next spot.
By then, even I was starting to look forward to it.
What was left on the schedule.
The plan after dinner.
“Ah.”
That was the killing blow. After coming all this way, still trying to hold out would have been foolish and pathetic.
Right. Give up.
No one would be foolish enough to try competing with hyung-nim after seeing this.
At most, maybe some second- or third-generation chaebol kid from a world Suho didn’t know about could try.
Even the rich people who bragged all over social media seemed like they couldn’t compare to hyung-nim.
Once he gave up, he felt oddly at ease.
***
Tastes good.
After dinner, I stepped back outside.
Even for someone as unsophisticated as me, this was a delicious dinner. Definitely worthy of Michelin praise.
Everyone had posted on social media and was thrilled because the reaction had blown up.
As we moved to the next destination, they didn’t let go of their phones for a second.
They looked happier than I’d ever seen them.
“Oppa, what’s the next thing we’re doing?”
“It’s a secret.”
“... Sihyun, you ask him.”
“Huh? Oppa, can’t you tell us?”
“We’re actually going to look at Osaka Castle.”
“Wow, what is this favoritism?”
Sihyun really had relaxed a lot.
Before, the second she heard a question like that, she’d panic. Now she just naturally asked me.
If Sihyun asked, I had to answer.
Of course, I left out the important parts and told them only what I wanted.
“Wow, I wanted to see Osaka Castle.”
“Last time, moving around was so exhausting...”
“This is so exciting.”
“But I heard there are tons of people there.”
“That’s part of the experience.”
We rode for a while and headed farther out.
The lodging and Osaka Castle weren’t exactly close together.
Without a car, it would’ve been a serious hassle.
We got out of the car.
Hmm...
Something had changed in the pretty boy’s expression.
Earlier, he’d looked tormented to the point of wondering why he was even here. Now he looked past pain, into resignation.
Or maybe beyond resignation, into enlightenment.
He actually looked much better than before.
Looks like he’s completely given up.
I wondered when he’d give up. As time passed, I was going to properly crush him for it.
So he could understand his place.
How dare anyone covet Sihyun?
But seeing that bastard give up before things had even really begun made me feel a little sorry for him.
I knew that feeling myself.
Less than a month ago.
Yeah, that hurt...
Hadn’t I given up on Jihyun the moment I saw that Benz guy come to pick her up?
He was facing a gap even greater than that. There was no way he could keep standing.
After all, he was just from an ordinary family.
“Hyung-nim, what’s the schedule this time?”
“Hm?”
“I was curious.”
“Oh. I was just planning to take a look at Osaka Castle.”
“Then I’ll make sure to get along with Sihyun’s friends.”
“... Sure.”
He was bowing his head and coming in on his own.
Fine. If that was how it was, then you might as well enjoy the trip too.
He’d been glued to Sihyun and the others so tightly that it had been awkward anyway, so I was counting on him.
By now, I’d let my guard down even more as we moved on.
There was no way he’d try anything stupid.
We reached the promised place.
“... Oppa, what is this?”
“I thought it’d be nice to look down at Osaka Castle at night.”
“... That’s not what this is, though.”
“It’s my first time on one of these too.”
A helicopter was waiting there.
A private helicopter for a forty-minute ride.
It had cost about twenty million won for a single experience, but...
Not even a little bit of a waste.
Everyone’s mouths were hanging open.
At this rate, a fly might wander in.
And why is Suho looking relieved again?