Chapter 109: The Lesson
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: The Lesson
[Alright, everyone~ Luka-tan is going to take a week off to recharge~]
[What do you mean, I look too happy?]
[No! You guys are happy when you go on vacation, right? Why can't I be happy too!]
Watching a clip from yesterday, I couldn't help but smile.
She had a point, though.
Doah didn't find streaming itself to be a huge burden, but at the end of the day, it was still a job.
It wasn't something she did for fun whenever she was bored, but a broadcast she was officially contracted with the company to do.
Doah had once told me how hard it was to have to stream even when she was busy or feeling down.
I just hoped this trip would be a good chance for her to heal and relax.
“Oppa!”
Doah's voice called out from a distance.
The moment I saw her, I burst out laughing.
“Doah.”
“Yes?”
“Are you emigrating somewhere?”
Her frame was already small, but the puffy padded jacket she wore made her look even rounder.
With a bag the size of a military rucksack on her back, she honestly looked like a dwarf setting off on a journey.
“No? This is just the bare essentials!”
“But we’re only going for one night and two days.”
What on earth could be in that enormous bag?
"Clothes, underwear, snacks, gloves, and also..."
Doah whined, listing off everything she had packed.
“Here, you carry this then.”
It would surely be much lighter than Doah's bag.
After all, my bag only contained underwear, a t-shirt, and pajama pants.
I figured it was a hassle to pack toiletries, so I'd just use whatever was there or buy them on arrival.
“Huh? Oppa, you barely packed anything, didn't you?”
“There was nothing else to bring.”
“This is practically an empty bag.”
Doah lifted my bag and shook it up and down.
“Oppa. You didn't pack so little because you're planning on abandoning me and running off somewhere, did you?”
“As if. You silly Luka.”
I gave her cheese-like cheek a good stretch, then took her hand and headed for the bus stop.
Our destination was the sports complex, about seven stops from here.
Fortunately, the ski resort ran its own shuttle bus, so we didn't have to worry about transportation.
When we arrived at the designated departure point, there were people in colorful ski suits waiting with large bags.
“See? Everyone else has a lot of luggage too."
"...Aren't their bags big because they're carrying their own ski equipment?”
Those looked like boot bags, plain and simple.
Doah stubbornly insisted that couldn't be it.
“How long will it take?”
“About three hours?”
Since it was an early morning bus, I figured we'd arrive right after getting some sleep.
Doah fell asleep leaning on my shoulder before I did, and I soon closed my eyes as well.
[Ahem. Ahem. We have arrived!]
As a deep, middle-aged man's voice echoed through the bus, people began to rustle and get off one by one.
“Doah.”
She was sleeping so soundly, with such a peaceful expression.
With only her face peeking out from her padded jacket, she looked like she was sleeping in a sleeping bag.
“Doah. We have to get off now.”
“...Already?”
“Yeah. It’s already 9:30.”
“Ughh...”
She stretched out with a big yawn, buried her face in my chest for a moment, and then slowly sat up.
“Woah.”
“Oh.”
Gasps of awe escaped us the moment we stepped outside.
It hadn't snowed this much in Seoul.
Just by looking, I could tell the snow was deep enough to reach my calves.
The world was painted pure white.
“It’s so pretty, isn't it?”
“It really is.”
A puff of white breath escaped Doah's lips.
We arrived at the resort, stored our luggage in a locker, and decided to go skiing first.
Inside the ski rental shop, rows and rows of clothes in every imaginable style were hanging.
“...What should I wear?”
I kind of wished there were fewer options.
If anything, the overwhelming amount of information seemed to hinder my decision-making.
“Hmm... Do you want something flashy, or something more plain?”
“I don't know.”
Or rather, it was more that I didn't really have a preference.
“Then I’ll pick for you.”
After looking around eagerly, Doah brought me...
“Oh. Not bad.”
A simple, navy blue ski suit.
I surprisingly liked the pattern on the right side of the chest.
“And wear these pants.”
She handed me a pair of plain black pants, and I took the clothes she'd picked out and headed to the fitting room.
“...How is it?”
I twisted my body this way and that for her inspection, and she gave her review with a bright smile.
“It looks great on you!”
Deciding I was all set, Doah dragged me over to help her pick out her own outfit.
“I like... this one.”
She told me to pick one I liked, so I did, but...
The look Doah was giving me was... not great.
“...Why pink?”
“Because you're Luka.”
Luka is supposed to wear pink.
Doah scoffed in disbelief.
“Hey, even Luka wears other colors sometimes, you know?”
“So you don't like it?”
Luka or not, the outfit itself didn't seem half bad.
“Umm... I’ll try it on, I guess.”
She tried it on with a reluctant face, but her reaction in front of the mirror didn't seem too bad.
“I guess it’s okay.”
“See? I told you it looks good on you.”
“Because I’m Luka?”
“That’s just bonus points.”
After renting the clothes, we successfully rented all the ski equipment as well.
Now, we were facing the final hurdle.
“Still, I think it’d be better to get a lesson during the day, don't you?”
“Yeah. Let's take a lesson in the morning and then try skiing on our own in the afternoon.”
We had come to the ski resort full of confidence, but since neither of us had ever skied before, we decided to get a private lesson for the morning.
“Alright, I’ll sign you up for a morning lesson for two adults!”
The staff member confirmed the payment details, and Doah nodded.
“Charge me for this later, too. The cost.”
“Okay! Later. Heh.”
For now, any expenses were being handled with Doah's card.
“Ah, then please wait just a moment. I’ll go get your instructor!”
About three minutes after the employee disappeared into the back office...
A young woman wearing a ski suit with the resort's name on it approached us.
“Hello~”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
“First, please put on your boots, grab your skis, and wait for me at the main entrance over there. I’ll be right out!”
“Understood.”
Following the instructor's directions, we went outside, and the ski slopes unfolded right before our eyes.
We had clearly come to a large resort, as the variety of courses was impressive.
“...We probably can't go there, right?”
Doah blinked, looking up at the expert course.
“We’d be lucky to even make it to the intermediate slope today.”
My athletic skills were garbage to begin with.
And Doah didn't seem to have much of a talent for physical activities either.
If we fell from up there, we would almost certainly end up stranded.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
The instructor approached us with a bright smile.
“So, neither of you has any skiing experience at all?”
“That's right.”
“Alright then, let's head over to the beginner's course and learn everything from the basics, one step at a time!”
The intimidating courses we'd seen just moments ago were nowhere in sight. The slope we arrived at had a gentle incline, almost like a sledding hill.
“When you're on the lift, don't stick your poles on the ground~”
I felt like I was at a daycare center.
But since we were paying for it, I was determined to learn properly.
“The first thing we’ll learn is the snowplow, what people commonly call the A-frame pose~”
As I brought my skis together to form an A-shape, I slowly started to slide down.
Doah, who went first, successfully made it to the bottom by following the instructor's directions.
If Doah could do it, there was no way I couldn't.
The instructor gestured for me to come down, so I made the A-shape just as I'd been taught and tried to descend, but...
“Huh?”
Was it because I put too much strength into my hips?
The tips of my skis crossed over at the point of the 'A,' and I started to lose my balance.
This doesn't feel right.
The moment I tried to lift my foot slightly to separate them...
-Swoosh-
I felt a cold, fluffy sensation on my lips.
“Are you okay?”
Before I could even feel embarrassed, the instructor's voice reached me.
“Ah. I...”
“Let's learn how to get up after you fall.”
She helped me up with both hands, then demonstrated how to get up by falling over herself.
“See? You get it, right?”
“Yes. I think I can get up now.”
After practicing a couple of times, I successfully made it down. The instructor then taught Doah the same thing.
“Alright, Doah-ssi, could you try going down to that flag over there by yourself?”
“Huh? By myself?”
“Taemin-ssi, you don't seem to have the hang of it yet, so I think it'd be better if we went down together.”
“Ah... okay...”
Doah glanced at me once, then turned her body and slowly got into position.
Just as expected of her cautious personality, Doah slid down carefully and skillfully.
I wish I could do at least that well.
“Okay, Taemin-ssi, I’m going to ski backward like this, so just think of it as following my path and give it a try!”
So impressive.
How can she ski backward like that?
People who are good at skating do that too.
I thought I was doing better this time, but I inevitably fell in the exact same way.
The instructor, who had been watching from right in front of me, helped me up and diagnosed what I needed to work on.
“So, you need to tense your hips right here.”
She moved behind me and tapped my waist.
“It’s easier if you just focus on maintaining that posture.”
“...I’ll try.”
And so, after about three hours, the lesson ended.
“...Should we just eat at the food court here?”
“I don't know. I’m not eating.”
For some reason, Doah wouldn't even look me in the eye.