Vacation is Almost Here # 4
Vacation is Almost Here # 4
The closing ceremony began.
"Our proud cadets!!! Have grown into more mature superhumans through this first semester!!! To ensure our cadets are reborn as true heroes!!! The academy is always striving, so we hope you will continue to trust and follow us!!!"
I wanted to cover my ears.
"Vacation is not a time for play!!! Use the break to reflect on your shortcomings and make up for them!!!"
Chairwoman, in her black uniform and general's cap, had drawn her sword and was flailing it around like a baton, shouting with a crimson face.
No matter how you look at it, she's not normal...
"Understood?!"
—Yes, ma'am!!!
—Yes, ma'am!!!
—Yes, ma'am!!!
I answered very energetically too.
Because I'd suddenly locked eyes with Chairwoman while she was scanning the crowd. Man, seriously. Feels like it was just yesterday that I got startled and cursed on the entrance ceremony day, and now the first semester's already over?
It was quite an eventful first semester.
"With that, I declare the closing ceremony over!!! Everyone, go home and be sure to tell your parents you love them!!! If any reprobate forgets to honor their parents, I, Chairwoman, will personally beat them senseless, so do it properly!!! Instructors!!! I will inspect upon the start of next term, so keep them in line!!!"
My parents aren't here.
Anyway, the ceremony was over with that.
"I think I need to see an ENT specialist."
My ears kind of hurt.
—Rumble rumble.
I blended into the crowd of students and headed outside. I'd agreed to meet my friends at the school gate, so I headed over.
I was walking ahead when.
"Hey. Kim Geun-cheol."
Mun Min called out to me with his arms crossed!
"Ah, shit. Mun Min, is that you? Hey! Do I have to see you on a nice closing ceremony day!"
"You crazy bastard! You wanna die!"
"Heh heh heh, but do you have the skills for that?"
"Fuck!"
Watching him have a fit was deeply satisfying.
"So, what do you want?"
"Nothing much. Just wait until school starts again. I'm gonna completely wreck you."
He said it with the most arrogant look, but now I could beat Mun Min even if I fought him by the book.
"Isn't that like the third time you've said that? Please, wreck me! I'm begging you!"
"You'd better be ready...!"
"Yeah. Ready? I'll do my best, okay?"
I said that while shaking my hips, shoulders, and head all over the place just to mess with him, and Mun Min pounded his chest in frustration.
Still, this bastard couldn't beat me.
"Oh, Mun Min! Mister Geun-cheol!"
That's when the monsterkin came over.
"Have a good vacation!"
Brian, speaking while his blond hair fluttered.
"Oh, this fucker. You have a good one too. But, Brian, what are you doing during vacation?"
"Oh, yes. I plan to spend my time reading introductory books on Japanese culture and American tourist guides at watashino house! I think I'll be homesick, you know!"
Ah, fuck, shouldn't have asked.
"Have a nice time! Call me if you need anything during the break! In celebration of vacation, I want to strengthen watashitachino friendship!"
"Bullshit. I can't call you anywhere because you might act like that in public."
"Oh, nooooooo!"
Brian, clutching his head, suddenly jumped up and pounced on Mun Min like some kind of face-hugger.
"Gahk!"
"Mun Min! Go PC café! We are going right now!"
"Get off me, fuck!"
"Ohhhh! Go! I kill you! If you don't want to die, you're going to the PC café! Korosu!"
"Aaaargh!"
And with that, Mun Min disappeared carrying Brian on his back.
"Crazy bastards."
Out of their minds.
"Yo, Scream Man."
"Ken?"
"Who else would it be? Have a good vacation, Scream Man. I'm looking forward to seeing how much stronger you've become next semester!"
"Heh heh heh, you too, man. But what are you doing during break?"
"I plan to train. And if I get a chance, I'm thinking of sending a letter to my family home."
"What?"
Sending a letter to his family home?
"Didn't you sneak into the country? Can you do that?"
Ken was definitely a kind of superhuman refugee who defected to Korea to escape the oppression of the Neo Daimyo. He should have almost completely severed ties with Japan.
"Ha ha ha, Scream Man. There are always dark routes, aren't there? I've been in contact with a broker, so I think I can probably send it. Ah, Scream Man. I'm telling you this just in case, but I hope you won't snitch!"
"Bastard...! If you wanna shut my mouth, huh? You gotta bring something to the table, man."
"I'll pay up at the opening ceremony!"
Anyway, this guy is also a cheerful fellow.
Even though his situation is tragic.
"Then, have a good vacation, Scream Man!"
"Yeah, you too."
"I hope we can meet up during the break!"
"Call me when you have time. Wanna hit the training ground together?"
"Sounds good!"
That's how I parted with Ken and walked on.
"A broker, huh."
I hope this motherfucker isn't getting mixed up in some shady business. But shit, Neo Daimyo? It's so ridiculous it's funny. Does that make any sense?
"Yo, Si-hoo!"
As I was walking, I spotted Si-hoo sitting on a bench over there.
"Ah, Geun-cheol. Over here!"
"Where are the others?"
"On the phone. Calling their parents, it seems?"
"Right."
Looking over, Yu-ri and Leona were on the phone over there.
"Heh heh heh, hey. Si-hoo. But what are you doing tomorrow?"
"Hmm, I think I'll have to go home right away. I'll probably be back in a few days."
With a slightly subdued voice, Si-hoo scratched her cheek and said it like it was troublesome.
"What? Home? Don't tell me..."
I lowered my voice and asked secretly.
"Sovereign Commander?"
"No. It's not like we live together. It's just home."
Ah.
I roughly understood.
"Man."
So that's how family clan situations are. They did say he's Sovereign Commander's bloodline... Well, I don't know for sure since he never directly called them his parents, but he lives separately, and it seems like family bonds are thin, like one of those conglomerate families in a drama.
"So do you not even have time to grab a meal to celebrate the closing ceremony? Tell them you'll come after eating."
"I'd like to, but someone already came to pick me up. I don't think I can."
"Ah."
I knew it was bad, but still. Well, if they've gone as far as making their own kid cross-dress, it means the control is that severe.
I didn't think they'd try to drag him away right now.
"Can't you just tell them to fuck off and just eat before going? What, if you don't go home right now, will they beat the shit out of you at home? Beat you to death? Do they bring a club and break your limbs or something?"
"Wh-what? No. It's not like that, but."
Si-hoo got flustered when I spoke a bit forcefully out of frustration.
"Then why the hell can't you just eat first? Is it a must to be exactly on time? If it were me, I'd eat and then go. Dude. Let's go eat."
"Ugh... it's difficult..."
"You're living under someone's thumb, huh. Give me the phone. As a friend, huh? I'll just tell them you're eating and coming."
"No! That's a bit much! Alright! I'll go eat before leaving!"
"Heh heh heh, good."
Nice.
So it's decided that we're going to eat.
"Ah, you two were waiting! I'm sorry! The call took so long!"
"Was it a call from home?"
"Yes. They told me to come home during break, but I said I'd stay here since going back and forth is annoying. Then I'll just pick up Woo Yu-ri and we'll go eat."
"Speak of the devil."
—Trudge, trudge.
Yu-ri, having finished her call, was sauntering over with her hands in her pockets.
"Hey. What are we eating?"
But for some reason... seeing that swaggering attitude sparked a mischievous urge in me. Yes, our Yu-ri. She's been tormenting me using her position as my master all this time.
"Yu-ri. How about Chinese, Chinese. I'm kinda craving 'jjamppong' today."
I said it while subtly watching Leona's reaction, and Leona shot me a look like 'what on earth are you thinking?'
"Oh, jjamppong sounds good. Hey, Leona. Are we going to a Chinese restaurant?"
"Well, about that..."
"A Chinese restaurant seems nice. Let's go there."
Si-hoo, who didn't know any better, immediately laughed and provided supporting fire. Good. My mouth will suffer a bit today, but I think we can have a fun time with friends.
"Then let's go to a Chinese place! Leona! Do you know a good one?"
"No, Woo Yu-ri, you... What on earth is Kim Geun-cheol thinking... Alright, fine! If you're asking me to go eat jjamppong, I'm not one to back out! I'll take you to a place I know well! Driver Kim!"
And so we headed to the jjamppong place with Leona.
* * *
"Haa, haa...! Heuk! Hngt!"
Yu-ri.
Yu-ri was crying and yelling as if wringing out the words.
"Hey, you fucker...! Who said let's go stuff our faces with jjamppong!"
"Me! I said let's go, heuk!"
"Gaaaak! Geun-cheol...! My tongue feels like it's gonna fall out...!"
Both Yu-ri and Si-hoo had zero tolerance for this level of spiciness! Both of them were suffering severely, tears streaming down their faces!
Honestly, looking at them made me laugh so hard I thought I'd die, but I was currently dying myself.
It's so spicy...!
"Oh my, how unfortunate! I didn't know you were all so weak to spicy food! Fufufu!"
This is something I happened to find out, but Leona possesses a kind of inhuman quirk of enjoying the sight of people who can't handle spice suffering while eating it.
"You're crazy, seriously! Leona! Who the hell eats this crap!"
"Here. Drink some milk, milk."
Yu-ri took the milk Leona offered and drank it. Si-hoo was also busy tearing open a carton of milk and drinking it to calm the spiciness.
I, on the other hand.
I just endured it.
"Phew...!"
It's because I started to feel a strange pleasure as I endured it. I see. Now I understand why Leona is so into spicy food. You train by pushing yourself through the pain and enduring.
After finishing a meal that was practically training in that way, we came outside.
"Aaaugh! Kim Geun-cheol, this bastard, I really gotta kill him! Hey! You knew this would happen! You suggested it knowing this would happen!"
"Gahk!"
—Shake, shake!
The enraged Yu-ri grabbed my head and shook it back and forth as she yelled. Naturally, my cover story was that I didn't know.
"Gahk! No, how would I know! Save me!"
"This son of a bitchhh!"
"Woo Yu-ri. That's enough. You'll actually hurt him at this rate."
"Leona, you...!"
"Fufufu, this is also a good experience. When else would you get to try something like this? It only tastes good."
"Since you paid, I can't even complain!"
Yu-ri, still fuming, clearly hadn't let off all her anger.
But seeing her looking a bit disheveled was strangely refreshing. Yu-ri after eating spicy food and crying it all out. I could say this is a good thing.
"Phew... Phew... Then I'll be off now. Geun-cheol? And Leona and Yu-ri. Let's meet when we go to the sea."
"Yes. Take care, Lee Si-hoo. See you that day."
"Yeah. See you then."
After saying goodbye, Si-hoo came up to me and said quietly.
"Geun-cheol, I really died...!"
"No, why. It was fun."
Honestly, watching everyone suffer from the spiciness was just incredibly fun for me. Isn't this what makes life enjoyable?
"What kind of fun is all of us suffering together!"
"That's exactly what makes it fun. Anyway, see you then."
"Okay."
After sending Si-hoo off like that, the rest of us got ready to leave too.
"Hey. Kim Geun-cheol. What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
Tomorrow, Leona said she'd buy me a swimsuit.
"Tomorrow, that thing. Leona said she'd buy me a swimsuit, so I was going to the department store. I mean, I told her she didn't have to, but she insisted on going together and buying it—"
"What? Department store? Then if you're going anyway, take me too, you bastard! Leona! I'm coming along tomorrow too!"
"Gasp!"
Leona suddenly sucked in a breath.
"Leona?"
"E-er, yes! Fine! Then let's all go together tomorrow! Kim Geun-cheol! Don't stare at any weird stuff! I'll be the one picking them out!"
"You're gonna control even my swimsuit!"
"I told you I'm your mom, your mom."
"I'm not your momeee!"
So I guess the three of us were going to the department store tomorrow, huh?
Come to think of it, I'd gone with each of them just the two of us before, but this was the first time we were all going together. Was Leona deliberately trying to dress me in something weird?