School Trip Over Stardom

"The reaction's pretty heated."

At Jinbae's murmur, I lowered the book I'd been reading. "Really? Are a lot of people criticizing me?"

"Who in the world would criticize you, sir?"

"Lily Sweety is famous, isn't she? Turning down an offer from someone like that—"

"Even so, not a single person would blame you for it."

The tone was so resolute it bordered on grim, and I couldn't help a small laugh. They can criticize me all they want. With someone standing this firmly on my side, what's the problem?

But it seemed to be a genuinely serious matter to Jinbae, because he pulled out his laptop and walked me through the online reactions one by one. Huh. He's right. There really wasn't a single critical comment. I'd expected at least some grumbling that I was being greedy, so it caught me off guard.

The truth was, I'd never had any intention of turning down the music video offer. I had zero interest in the school trip anyway—not like Noh Bihyeok, who was too busy to go himself. And above all, CEO Jang had wanted me to take it. This was the man who usually told me to do whatever I pleased, so there was no reason to refuse the one thing he'd actually asked of me in ages.

The ones who fought tooth and nail against it, insisting I had to go on this particular school trip, were Jinbae and Junghyun. A career could be built any time, they argued, but your school days never came back. They harangued me with such passion that eventually even CEO Jang threw up his hands.

'Then let's contact them about adjusting the schedule. The trip's only three days, right? Surely they can wait that long.'

'No.'

The one to counter CEO Jang was, surprisingly, someone else entirely.

'Since it's come to this, let's frame it like they're the ones begging us.'

Team Leader Woo proposed that, just as Lily Sweety had issued a one-sided statement, we should put out our own one-sided announcement. 'If she truly wants Yeonjae, she'll reach out first to fit the schedule.'

'They have pride too, you know. What if they just decide to scrap the whole thing?'

'Then that's their loss. Whether or not he does the music video, Yeonjae's going to keep rising either way.'

Team Leader Woo spoke with such utter conviction that I was momentarily dumbstruck. What kind of shamelessly self-assured statement is that…? My face was burning, and of all moments, CEO Jang chose that exact instant to nod along—"she's got a point"—which left me no opening to object.

'A student being devoted to his school life is nothing to criticize, and turning us into the villain over it would cost them far too much face.'

If they contacted us about rescheduling, Team Leader Woo said, we'd simply stroke their ego a little then—a argument with a strange, undeniable logic to it. And astonishingly enough, the call came from Lily's side.

"The article announcing that Lily agreed to match your schedule will go out this evening."

"They weren't upset about it? We're in a pretty favorable position here."

"Buzz is what matters most. The project's generating this much talk before filming has even begun, so they've gotten plenty out of it already."

I see.There's a lot more to juggle in this industry than I thought. The entertainment world was a place that demanded consideration of a dozen things at once. The saving grace was that the people handling things well were on my side.

That night, the prepared article dropped, and the internet caught fire all over again.

And so I ended up with both the school trip and the music video.

At last, the day of the school trip arrived.

"Hyung, I'm off. See you in three days."

"……Sir."

"Don't look at me like that."

I cut him off flatly as Jinbae gazed at me with pleading eyes. "It's two nights and three days at most. You should go somewhere and relax yourself while I'm gone."

"What if something happens while I'm not there? I'll just stay nearby. No one will even notice me."

"Say that again after you remember how tall you are."

A man pushing past 190 centimeters, talking about going unnoticed. It was absurd, but I did my best to soothe him anyway as he acted like a child with separation anxiety.

"I won't do anything reckless while I'm there, and I'll listen to the teachers. Understood? If I stay any longer I'll be late, so I'm getting out now."

"Sir—"

I slipped out of the car before the conversation could continue.

The school sports field, with buses lined up one after another, was already in an uproar. Everyone's excited. The giddy atmosphere rippled through the clusters of kids huddled together. Wearing my uniform again after so long felt strangely unfamiliar as I took my place in the line, and the moment I drew near, the noisy chatter around me abruptly died.

"……"

Awkward. My fingertips went dry. Between the endless filming schedule and struggling just to keep pace with classes, getting close to the other kids had naturally been out of the question.

Should I say something first? Just as I was starting to fret over having silenced the whole group, my savior appeared.

"Yeonjae, hey."

It was Seo Jio. His usual drawling, unhurried voice parted the tension like a breath of fresh air.

"Hey."

"You're in your summer uniform. It'll get cold tonight."

Seo Jio handed me a cardigan, telling me to put it on when the chill set in. The black cardigan was absolutely covered in cat hair.

"Hey, everyone! Time to load the buses. The other grades are in class right now, so board quietly!"

"Okay~!!"

"I said QUIETLY."

The kids burst out laughing, though what was so funny escaped me. Even in the short scramble onto the buses, they chattered without a moment's pause.

Only Seo Jio and I were quiet. The silence might have looked awkward to an outsider, but to me it was comfortable in its familiarity. Seo Jio, it seemed, felt much the same.

"Yeonjae, wanna take the window seat?"

"Anywhere's fine with me."

Seo Jio sat down beside me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Unlike the endlessly restless Noh Bihyeok, having him there was peaceful. This isn't bad at all. When I'd first met Seo Jio, he'd clung to me so relentlessly my ears had practically bled. Looking back now, I realized how much effort he'd actually put in since. A kid who disliked going out and about as much as I did had even been the one to suggest we attend the Jeonju International Film Festival together.

"…? What?"

Feeling my gaze, Seo Jio opened his eyes.

"Nothing."

Even at my flippant answer, he gave an easy grin. "Bored? Wanna talk?"

And with that, Seo Jio smoothly steered the conversation to movies—one of his genuine talents, the ability to meet people on the wavelength of their own interests.

"When I auditioned, Team Leader Woo asked me what my favorite movie was. It was such an out-of-left-field question my mind went completely blank."

"Really? She ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠said you seemed so unbothered it actually annoyed her."

"Ha, seriously? That's a relief. Guess the acting paid off."

Talking movies with Seo Jio was, as always, fun, and while we traded murmured conversation with no room for boredom to creep in, we arrived at our destination.

The school trip destination was Damyang, in South Jeolla Province.

"Man, I wanted to go to Jeju Island."

"Other schools are going overseas. What even is this."

The kids up ahead grumbled. I understood the sentiment, if not the complaint—I'd been in New York just last week, after all. The breeze is nice. Away from the packed city, I felt oddly refreshed. At the lodging nestled close to the mountains, the fresh scent of earth hung thick in the air.

We dropped off our bags and headed for the Juknokwon bamboo grove. The moment free time was declared, the kids scattered, running wild in every direction—while Seo Jio and I strolled sedately along the walking path. Perhaps because there was no one in particular he needed to prove his closeness to "Lee Yeonjae," Seo Jio was quieter than usual today too.

The problem was that this made the stares all the more piercing. At first I wondered if it was the uniform, and I waited for the attention to disperse among the other kids dressed identically—but the stares stubbornly stayed fixed on us.

I'm wearing a mask, though. I had a mask on right now. Therefore, nobody could possibly know I was Lee Yeonjae. So why is everyone staring like that?

Fortunately, it didn't take long to figure out the reason.

"Seo Jio."

"Yeah?"

"Put on a mask too."

"A mask?"

I clicked my tongue at his bewildered face. He was a bona fide Wooyeon Entertainment actor now—wasn't he being a little too complacent?

"Everyone's staring at you right now."

"…?"

"That's why they keep looking. Here, hurry up."

His face sank deeper into confusion. "Yeonjae, what are you—"

"Don't tell me you forgot you were in a drama? Mask. Now."

Thank goodness I'd packed extra masks. I never dreamed Seo Jio's face had gotten out there too. So many people really watched Killing Horn, huh. The drama was still holding the number one spot, nearly a month after its release. I hadn't realized just how far its fame reached.

Between wrestling the mask back onto Seo Jio every time he tried to peel it off, evening crept up on us. School trips are less than I expected, too. It was hard to understand what Junghyun and Jinbae had been so adamantly insisting on. It was nice watching classmates who usually sat sedately in the classroom running around with such abandon, but without any real closeness to them, it meant nothing to me.

So the three days will pass just like that, I was thinking, when—

"Um… Yeonjae?"

One of my classmates, who'd been hovering around the edges of the room for a while now, finally approached. "Yeah?"

"We're doing recreation in a bit."

Unlike the second night, when the courage test was the main event, I'd heard the first night's entertainment was indoor recreation only.

"I just heard from the teacher. We're scoring by class, and the winning class gets treated to chicken ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and pizza."

"I see."

I had no idea what this had to do with me, but I nodded along politely. The classmate hesitated for a long, long moment.

"So, um, the thing is…."

Why is he dragging this out?

"It's okay. Just say whatever it is."

Worried he was uncomfortable, I prompted him—and his face lit up. Then he blurted out at the top of his lungs:

"Could you do a dance when it's talent show time later?!"

"……"

This was not the kind of comfort I'd offered.