I Thought the First Day of Our Japan Trip Would Be Normal... But
“Should we head to check-in now?”
“Yep! We’ve got to grab our boarding passes and drop off our luggage.”
“Okay. By the way, I’m a little nervous. This is my first time leaving the country.”
“Really? Haru, you’ve never been abroad before?”
“Nope. This is my first time at an airport, too.”
“Aha~. Then this big sis will have to take good care of you as your overseas-travel senior.”
“What do you mean, overseas-travel senior…? All right. I’ll be in your care, sunbae.”
“Hehe. This big sis is going to teach you everything from start to finish, so don’t worry and just follow me!”
Haru and Jisu walked ahead, hands tightly clasped, while Taehyun and Jihye followed behind them.
Unlike the lovey-dovey pair chatting away, Taehyun and Jihye barely spoke. They simply walked in silence.
It wasn’t that they had nothing to talk about. The atmosphere just didn’t feel right for starting a conversation.
After exchanging compliments about the clothes they’d each chosen, a strange tension had settled between them.
Every now and then Jihye would flash him a meaningful little smile, but she said nothing else. Taehyun could only return those smiles awkwardly.
I wish I could at least hold Jihye’s hand…
He wanted to walk with her hand in hand, affectionate and close like the other couple, but the mood made it impossible to reach out.
He kept extending his hand toward her, then pulling it back, over and over.
Maybe the sight had grown frustrating, because Jihye looked at him, let out a small sigh, and then—
“Hyun~. Here.”
“Huh?”
She held out her right hand—the one not pulling her suitcase—toward him.
For a second he didn’t understand what she meant and simply stared. Jihye gave her hand a gentle shake.
Only then did he realize she was asking him to hold it. He quickly took her hand.
“Hyun’s hand is so warm~.”
“Is it? That’s a relief…”
“Hehe~. This trip is going to be so much fun~.”
“Yeah… I think so too. It really does feel like it’ll be fun.”
“Haru and Jisu said they prepared all sorts of things for the two of us. Do you know what they are, Hyun?”
“Huh? Ah, no… I don’t.”
Taehyun shook his head quickly.
He had heard they would create natural opportunities for him and Jihye to be intimate, but it felt wrong to say that in front of her. Besides, he truly didn’t know the details, so it wasn’t exactly a lie.
“I see~. Yeah, you probably wouldn’t know.”
“Why? What exactly did Haru and Jisu prepare…?”
“Who knows~? I just have a feeling they got something ready.”
“Ah… right.”
“They each brought a huge suitcase. It looks like they packed a ton of stuff~.”
“Huh…?”
Now that she mentioned it, Haru and Jisu really had each dragged along a very large carrier. No matter how much a woman might need to pack, two people could usually share one suitcase. Just what had those two brought?
“Back then I told them, ‘Jisu and I will prepare something fun for you two.’”
“…It’s nothing weird, right?”
“Of course not! It’s just a simple game.”
“A game?”
“I’ll create natural situations for the two of you to have sex. So don’t complain—just follow my lead obediently. Got it?”
I’ve got a bad feeling about this…
If they had been an ordinary couple, he would have assumed it was a fun event and let it go. But knowing those two—the undisputed champions of vulgarity—had prepared something made anxiety creep in.
“It’ll be okay… right?”
“What does it matter~. Would Haru and Jisu really prepare anything strange for us?”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
“And even if it is something strange, I’m fine with anything as long as my Hyun is okay with it.”
“Huh…?”
“Just saying~. So let’s just enjoy the trip and follow their lead, Hyun.”
“All right, babe.”
Taehyun nodded.
If Jihye was fine with it, he didn’t need to worry. Haru and Jisu weren’t the type to prepare anything Jihye would dislike, so he wasn’t particularly concerned. Whether he could accept it, though, was another question.
I guess I’ll just have to roll with whatever comes…
With the mindset that he would accept anything, Taehyun gripped Jihye’s hand tightly.
“Haa…! Today’s schedule was pretty good, right?”
“I agree. It was incredibly satisfying. Jisu’s itineraries never miss.”
“Right~. Just trust me and follow along! Haru, what did you think?”
“One hundred out of one hundred.”
“Hehe, perfect score!”
After finishing the first day’s activities in Japan, the four of them walked back to their lodging with light, satisfied steps.
Since Haru and Jisu had planned the entire Japan trip, Taehyun had worried that strange things might be sprinkled throughout the schedule. But the day had been surprisingly wholesome and enjoyable—spending time at Tokyo Disneyland, then having sushi and sashimi at a famous restaurant in the evening.
They had even been considerate enough to give Taehyun and Jihye time alone; Haru and Jisu had disappeared, saying they wanted to go on their own date. Thanks to that, the two of them had enjoyed a full amusement-park date by themselves.
“Hyun~. How was today for you?”
“Me? It was amazing. Way more fun than the amusement park trip I took after graduation.”
“Same for me~. Especially that… what was it called again? The haunted house was the best~.”
“Really? I thought it was kind of creepy…”
“Did you~? I had so much fun. They decorated it really well.”
Talking about the haunted house brought the visuals back, sending goosebumps across his skin. It had been scarier than expected, yet Jihye had watched the whole thing with perfect calm, not even blinking. He remembered that clearly.
He had thought the proper dynamic was for a big, strong guy like him to protect his scared girlfriend. Today he learned that reality could be very different.
“Hehe, now that we’re at the lodging we can have some real fun~.”
“Huh? I thought we were just going to rest.”
“I thought so too, but Haru and Jisu said they prepared a game~.”
“Oh… really? Do you know what it is?”
“They suggested we split into couple teams and play a couples Jenga tournament~.”
“Ah…”
He had thought the day would stay peaceful all the way through… but of course those two wouldn’t let that happen.
Still, at least it wasn’t some bizarre game he’d never heard of. Couples Jenga was something he had actually wanted to try with Jihye someday. He was grateful they had created the opportunity; without them, it might never have happened.
“What do you think, Hyun? I think it’ll be fun~.”
“Yeah. I think it’ll be fun too. Since it’s a team battle, are they going to add a bet or something?”
“Probably. Those two love betting, so of course they’ll put stakes on it!”
“Yeah… I guess they will.”
Taehyun nodded.
A simple wager would make a team competition more exciting, so that part was fine. What worried him was what exactly they would bet. Normal couples would wager snack money or a silly penalty, but with those two, he suspected it would be something more.
Whatever. I’ll just go with the flow.
Jihye was clearly looking forward to it, so he couldn’t back out. He decided to close his eyes and ride the current. They were friends, after all; they wouldn’t set a truly weird penalty. Even if it was something suggestive, it would probably just create a sensual mood so he and Jihye could connect naturally.
With that thought, he followed Haru and Jisu alongside Jihye. But a sense of unease began to grow.
They had also booked the lodging, so all Taehyun knew was that they were staying at a hotel. He had assumed it would be something ordinary. Yet the building they approached was unmistakably extravagant.
The exterior was flashy, and the interior felt far removed from any normal hotel. It didn’t seem like an ordinary luxury hotel either. There was something off about it—like a place children shouldn’t enter.
No way…
An ominous thought rose in his mind, but he tried to push it away. No matter how much Haru and Jisu had schemed, they wouldn’t bring them here.
“We booked two rooms, so just use whichever you want!”
“Got it~. Hyun, want to check out our room?”
“Uh, yeah… let’s do that.”
“After you look around, come to our room! We have to play the game together.”
“Will do, Jisu~. Let’s go, Hyun~.”
Even as he walked to their assigned room with Jihye, the anxiety lingered. But when they opened the door, the interior looked surprisingly normal. It simply felt like a slightly upscale hotel room.
“Oh my~, it’s pretty.”
“Not bad…”
“There’s only one bed, as expected. That’s fine~.”
“Huh? Yeah… What should we do? Should I sleep on the floor…?”
Even though they were a couple, he still wasn’t mentally ready to share a bed. He was seriously considering the floor when Jihye suddenly burst into bright laughter beside him.
“Honey…?”
“My Hyun is so cute~. Thinking about sleeping on the floor all by himself~.”
“W-well… Then are you okay with us sleeping together, babe?”
“Of course~. Isn’t that why we came here in the first place?”
“Huh…?”
Just as he was about to ask what she meant, Jihye spoke first.