Consultation. (1)
‘What on earth happened that day?’
Camilla found herself wondering about the events that had unfolded between Haneul and Valentina.
Ever since that day when Haneul and Valentina had dined with Angela, the two had grown strangely distant from each other.
At times their eyes would meet and they would quickly look away, while at others they would hold each other’s gaze for a few seconds. Even in the presence of their friends, conversations would flow normally until the moment the two of them spoke to each other, at which point an awkward silence would fall.
The silence wasn’t long, yet Camilla, who had known both of them for years, could sense the underlying unease even within those brief moments of quiet.
‘Should I be happy about this… or should I be sad?’
Was the awkwardness between Haneul and Valentina something she should welcome? Camilla still couldn’t decide whether to feel relief or regret.
Valentina had always been someone who shared the same feelings for Haneul as Camilla herself did. If their relationship had grown strange, it meant one of the two rivals had vanished, which should have been cause for celebration. Yet Valentina was not merely a rival—she was also Camilla’s closest friend.
They had been together since they were very young. Camilla had met Valentina later than she had met Haneul, but because they were both girls, they had spent even more time together. When they entered the dormitory, they had shared the same room for years, which meant that “close friends” barely began to describe the bond between Camilla and Valentina.
That was why Camilla found herself unable to judge how to feel about the strange situation that had arisen between Haneul and Valentina.
And it was around that time that Haneul had quietly approached her. The awkwardness between Valentina and Haneul had continued, and it was then that they had come to the hotel for the Mallorca trip.
“Camilla.”
“H-huh?”
Camilla had been lost in thought about Haneul, so when he spoke to her first she found herself stumbling over her words without realizing it.
“I have something I want to consult you about…”
“Consult?”
Haneul asking for a consultation? From a young age, Haneul had always been a mature child. No matter what happened, he would handle it with ease and maturity. That was why the word “consultation” felt completely out of place when it came from him.
Yet here he was, asking her for advice. Whatever it was, it must have been serious.
‘…It’s probably about Tina.’
And in this situation, the only thing Haneul could possibly want to consult about was the one thing he had been worrying about for days.
“Yeah, consult. Is that okay?”
“Sure.”
“It’s nothing big… Where should we talk? Hmm. Why don’t you come to my room later?”
“Your room?”
“Yeah. I don’t want anyone else coming in.”
His room. Camilla’s heart raced. She had traveled on many trips, but Haneul had never invited her to his room before. The thought sent a thrill through her.
“Okay. I’ll eat and then come.”
“Yeah, see you later.”
The words “see you later” made Camilla want to nod vigorously. No matter what the consultation was about, going to Haneul’s room for the first time felt like a wonderful thing. He had called her specifically, which meant he trusted her a lot.
But she didn’t want to show how happy she was, so she simply nodded once, keeping her emotions in check.
After their short exchange, time passed until dinner. Camilla ate so quickly that she barely noticed what she was putting in her mouth, then headed to her room to finish brushing her teeth.
“What’s up? Where are you going?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
After brushing her teeth and stepping out into the hallway, Laurenza asked her as she returned to her room. Camilla answered casually, as if nothing was wrong.
“Hmm… You seem different from usual. Did a guy show up? Don’t exert yourself too much tomorrow, since it’s a selection trip.”
But Laurenza’s expression turned mischievous as she looked at Camilla.
“W-what? Nothing like that!”
“Then why are you smiling so brightly?”
Laurenza’s words struck straight to the heart, yet she still kept up her teasing with that sly grin.
“I-I’m just going to exercise!”
“Sure, sure. Just don’t come back too late. I’ll tell Coach if you do.”
“Hah… No, really.”
Escaping Laurenza’s amused gaze, Camilla glanced at herself in the mirror. Sure enough, her features had taken on an unnatural glow.
‘I almost got caught.’
If Haneul asked why she was smiling, she wouldn’t know what to say. So she forced her face into a poker expression and headed toward his room. When she reached the lower floor, his door came into view.
Knock knock.
She knocked on the door.
‘Calm thoughts, calm thoughts.’
Camilla forced down the smile tugging at her lips and waited for a response from inside. But no answer came.
‘What? Hasn’t he come yet? Wait, Haneul was almost done eating, right?’
She was about to call him on her phone when the door opened with a beep. There stood Haneul, toothbrush in his mouth, wearing only a white t-shirt. He had clearly just finished showering.
“Whoa…”
Camilla instinctively took in the sight. The white t-shirt he wore was soaked. The damp fabric clung to his body, outlining every muscle beneath.
His pants were the usual uniform bottoms, but the combination of the wet white t-shirt and the shorts that reached only halfway down his thighs sent a rush of blood to Camilla’s head.
“Why are you here so suddenly?”
“W-what?”
Haneul, mouth still full of toothpaste, spoke with a slight lisp. The slurred pronunciation somehow made him look even cuter, though Camilla understood what he meant by “Why are you staring?”
“A-ah… You just appeared out of nowhere.”
“Anyway, come in.”
Following Haneul’s gesture, she entered the hotel room. He naturally continued brushing his teeth and headed toward the bathroom.
“Haneul-ah?”
“Sit down first.”
Camilla didn’t know where he meant, but it clearly wasn’t the bed. She naturally sat at the table beside the bed. She had visited Haneul’s dorm room, his room at home in Korea, and his grandfather’s house before, but this was the first time she had entered his room alone. The moment she sat down, she breathed in deeply and caught the faint scent of him.
‘…Is it just the toothpaste smell?’
Haneul never wore perfume, so the hotel room scent mixed with the faint minty aroma from his recent brushing. But Camilla decided it was simply Haneul’s scent and took another deep breath.
She didn’t want to be caught, so she continued breathing normally while scanning the room.
The bed, the TV, the desk with the laptop, and the sofa where guests could sit for a drink. It was nothing different from her own room, except for one thing.
Haneul’s suitcase was wide open. It looked like he had taken out his toiletries for brushing.
‘Just looking… should be fine, right?’
Camilla still had a shred of conscience, so she didn’t feel the urge to snoop. But staring at an open suitcase without peeking was too much self-restraint. She decided to take a closer look.
At that moment, the bathroom door closed with a soft click.
“Camilla?”
“Y-yeah, here.”
“You came because I called. This is my room.”
“Y-yeah, of course.”
Why had he finished showering so quickly? Seeing his face again felt wonderful, yet she also felt a pang of disappointment. Only a light sheen of moisture remained on his lips, so he had probably just rinsed his mouth.
“You finished quickly?”
“It’s rude to make a guest wait while I shower. And I wanted to do a light jog before washing up properly. I need to loosen up my body today too, even if it’s a rest day tomorrow.”
“…That makes sense. So, what’s the consultation? Did you finally decide to learn football from me?”
Haneul laughed as if he had heard a funny joke. In truth, Camilla had known that wasn’t the real reason he had called her.
Haneul’s interests were football and cars. But there was no reason to discuss cars so secretly, and if he were in a slump, he would have gone to Angela or Albaria instead of calling her.
So it was probably, as she had suspected, the awkward silence he had shared with Valentina.
Haneul stopped laughing and sat on the sofa. A brief silence settled between them. Sensing that Haneul was struggling to speak, Camilla opened her mouth in her usual playful way, hoping to help him relax.
“A guest has arrived, and there’s nothing to drink?”
“Ah, water. There is water. Want some?”
“At least give me coffee or some juice.”
“If you drink that, recovery will be poor when you get injured. Don’t you remember when you hurt your leg last time?”
“…Haneul, even the doctor doesn’t scold you like that.”
“Listen to me. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s all based on research.”
“Where did you learn that?”
“That’s… somewhere, right?”
Haneul, clearly making up the story, moved to the fridge to avoid answering. Camilla seized the moment to speak again.
“So, why did you call me?”
If it was hard to talk face-to-face, this situation would be fine. Camilla focused on whatever Haneul was about to say. Would her guess be correct?
Haneul, who had been hesitating, pulled out a water bottle and opened it.
“So… it’s about Tina…”
‘As I thought. It’s about Tina. Even from my perspective, something seemed off between the two of them.’
Camilla listened quietly to what Haneul had to say.
And just as she had thought they might have fought, a shocking revelation reached her ears.
“Tina confessed to me.”
“C-confessed?!”
Valentina had done it! Camilla felt as if her mind had gone blank.
Even in this confusing moment, one thought crossed her mind—
…If it wasn’t now, she might lose Haneul to Valentina.