Preparations
There's such a thing as atmosphere.
"So, just because it's break doesn't mean you should slack off too much…"
Even the most free-spirited person alive couldn't refuse the silent pressure hanging in the air.
"…Though I suppose there's no point in saying any of this. You've all worked hard this ye—"
"WOOOOOO!!"
A roar erupted before the sentence could even finish. Watching the authority of the teaching staff get tossed out the window in real time, I found myself thinking something along those lines.
"It's break~♪"
"You're not a little kid. What's with all the excitement? They're just going to call us back for supplementary classes before long anyway."
"Nuh-uh!! Any statement that shatters the brilliance of the present moment is hereby banned!"
After the closing ceremony ended, we stopped by a nearby fast-food place to talk. Yurim had bailed again, saying she still had class-rep duties to wrap up.
"Alright, alright, settle down. So, Yu-seong — any plans for the break?"
"…Dunno. Haven't really thought about it."
I'd been living like it was break even when it wasn't, so being asked something like that out of nowhere left me with nothing to say. I let the sentence trail off.
"What about you guys?"
"I've got academy stuff and a bunch of other things lined up. My family's pretty serious about studying."
"Being first in the whole school isn't easy, huh."
"They're ridiculously strict about it. Still, I can carve out enough time to spend with Eun-ha."
"That's my Tae-yang! I love you~"
"Yeah, yeah."
"You two are still disgustingly sweet."
"But Yu-seong's break is gonna be different this time, right~? Isn't that right, Seol-hwa?"
"Huh?"
Seol-hwa's eyes were sparkling the way they had when she'd first tried pizza — everything about this hamburger place was brand new to her. She'd been just as absorbed while eating, too focused on chewing to notice a question flying her way out of nowhere.
Something must have caught in her throat, because she started coughing. I sighed and patted her back. "Be more careful."
"The break's pretty long this year, so you two can go all lovey-dovey as much as you want, right?"
"Hey."
"Frowning makes you age faster~?"
And whose fault is that? I swallowed the retort and just pressed my fingers to my brow. Then Tae-yang asked, "Seol-hwa must have something she wants to do too, right?" and I found myself listening in.
"W-well…"
Honestly, I'd expected her to dodge it — something like I've never thought about it or someone like me doesn't deserve — but her reaction suggested otherwise.
"I'm not going to judge, whatever it is. You can say it freely."
"The o…"
"The o?"
"The ocean… would that be too much?"
"Ohh!! So Seol-hwa's got a bold side after all!"
"B-bold?"
"Planning to melt Yu-seong with a cute swimsuit bounce? This Yu Eun-ha simply cannot look the other way!"
"The person you're talking about is right here, you know."
I gave Eun-ha a solid thump for the nonsense spilling out of her mouth — her brain must have frozen solid. She immediately clung to Tae-yang with a wounded look. "Yu-seong's bullying me, scold him!"
"You brought that on yourself."
Abandoned even by the boyfriend she'd trusted, she puffed out her cheeks in shock and sulked. I left the idiot to it, finished off the remaining fries, and brought up the part of Seol-hwa's words that had been bothering me.
"It's winter break, not summer. Swimming in the ocean's out of the question."
"Not swimming — more like a trip. I've never seen it in person… so I'm curious."
"If summer works for you, we could all go together. My family has a villa."
"For real?"
A villa was still pretty incredible no matter how you sliced it. My mouth fell open, and Tae-yang just laughed it off. "It's nothing special."
"I figure we're reasonably well-off. By the way, Seol-hwa — can you swim?"
I glanced over at her. Sure enough, she mumbled, "…I can't," and hung her head, embarrassed.
"She skips PE because of her health. Can't be helped."
"Oh right — is she okay after collapsing last time? She looks totally fine now, though."
"She's fine. If she ever hides being sick like that again, I'm shipping her straight to the hospital."
Eun-ha stuck out her tongue, saying it was scary how cheerfully I could say something like that — but on this particular point, I had zero intention of budging. Seol-hwa herself responded with a firm "I won't, I told you…," clearly aware she'd been in the wrong. So it probably wouldn't happen again.
"Then how about we find an indoor pool next time and go first?"
"Yes, yes! I'm always down for hanging out!"
"After you finish all your break homework."
"I said statements that shatter the brilliance of now are banned~!"
"It's precisely because now is brilliant that you should get it done. No slacking."
"I get it already…" Eun-ha visibly deflated — until Tae-yang said, "Once you finish everything, we can go on as many dates as you want," and her energy flipped like a switch. "Really?!"
"You're a pro at handling people, Seong Tae-yang."
"Carrot and stick — always essential."
"She's not a kid."
While we talked, we'd polished off everything we'd ordered. We were clearing the table to leave when something rectangular tumbled to the floor.
"Yun Seol-hwa, you dropped this."
"Huh? …Thanks."
I picked up the student ID that had fallen along with her wallet and handed it back, thinking to myself:
…It's pretty worn out.
Same with the wallet I'd just picked up. This girl barely owned anything to begin with. When she'd moved into my place, her belongings had fit inside a single school bag.
That reality.
And the fool who called that reality "perfectly normal"… both of them made me sick to my stomach.
"…Um, did I do something wrong?"
After we'd parted ways with the other two and were walking home, Seol-hwa suddenly asked me that.
"Why the sudden question?"
"Your expression just… didn't look great. I thought maybe I'd messed up somehow."
Had my sour mood shown on my face? Realizing I'd slipped up, I let out a long sigh. Then I reached over and gently stroked the hair of the still-fidgeting Seol-hwa, as if to say it was alright.
"It's nothing like that. You worry too much — that's your problem."
"Well, that's a relief, but…"
"Hey. So, uh… is there anything you want? Something you'd like to have?"
"Something I'd like to have…?"
It really had come out of nowhere. Seol-hwa tilted her head as if to ask what on earth I was talking about, and I could only scratch my cheek awkwardly.
Well — of course I was awkward. Because I'd seen it.
She probably doesn't even remember her own birthday, this idiot…
That was it. When I'd picked up her student ID, my eyes had accidentally landed on the birthdate printed there. And there were fewer than three days left until it.
This was probably going to be the first time anyone ever celebrated her birthday. If I was going to do it, I wanted to make it memorable — give it a real surprise feel.
…Though asking "so what would you like~?" kind of already ruined the whole surprise angle.
"It's more like… a thank-you for everything. You know."
"A th-thank-you? What did I even do?"
"I'd say you've done an incredible amount."
Honestly, I couldn't even imagine life without Seol-hwa anymore. Cleaning, laundry, cooking — every single household chore, she'd taken on herself even when I told her she didn't have to. Sometimes she even brought up ridiculous things like paying rent.
…If anyone had a conscience, they'd be paying her a wage. She put most housekeepers to shame.
Seol-hwa might have a weak constitution, but I thought of her as an extraordinary hard worker. Even after moving in, she spent every spare moment buried in textbooks and books. Watching someone push herself that hard for no reason other than wanting to be acknowledged — it just made me feel sorry for her.
"Have a little more confidence. How many times do I have to tell you?"
So if there was anything I could do for her, I wanted to do it… so she wouldn't have to cling to people like that anymore.
"You did… say that…"
"Take your time thinking about it and tell me, okay?"
"…I'll try."
"So, you need the great Eun-ha's assistance?"
"You're pretty much the only person I can talk to about this."
I'd steeled myself and called her, figuring another girl would understand these things better. She'd come out so readily I couldn't exactly grumble about her preening — so I let her have her moment.
"Hmm, and for free?"
"You little…"
I wasn't exactly in a position to refuse, so I had no choice but to buy her an enormous parfait at a nearby café.
"Ohhh, this is the one~ I've been dying to try it — it's super popular!"
"On my dime, no less."
"Come on, that's what friends are for. Give and take! Anyway, where's Seol-hwa? Why are you alone?"
"I can't exactly discuss this with the person in question sitting right there. She's probably doing break homework or something."
"Eek."
"You haven't done any, have you."
"I-I-I have so! I totally have!"
"Why does that sound like a question."
For the record, I couldn't just loaf around knowing a certain model student was diligently working away nearby, so I'd ended up doing mine alongside her. Break had barely started and I was almost done. …Though "alongside" was generous — I was mostly freeloading off her pace.
"If you don't finish, Tae-yang probably won't hang out with you."
"Ugh… I know, okay. I'll do it. I will."
Watching her grumble while noisily slurping her juice only made me more doubtful she'd actually follow through… but she'd figure it out on her own.
"Anyway, about the gift… Honestly, knowing Seol-hwa's personality, she'd gratefully accept pretty much anything."
"I can't deny that, but I also don't think she's ever received anything from anyone. If it's going to be her first time, I want to give her something proper. First times should be special."
"You're surprisingly earnest about this kind of thing."
"Drop the 'surprisingly.'"
"Hmm, first off, skip the pure-romance-manga move of just shoving flowers at her. She'd be happy in the moment, but they don't last and they're kind of a hassle. The simplest options are practical stuff — cosmetics, daily essentials? Fancy stationery and cute accessories work too."
"Cute accessories, huh…"
A sigh escaped me on its own. The idea of a socially inept, rough-looking guy like me on a quest for adorable things already sounded exhausting.
I sighed deeply once more, steeled my resolve, and forced the words out.
"…Will you come with me?"