The Day We Go to Saeteo

As the morning sun climbed into the sky, I dragged the freshman guys out of bed. They were still completely wrecked from their hangovers, groaning like zombies as they staggered to their feet one by one.

“Ugh, my head feels like it’s splitting open.”

“Water… I need water…”

Anyone with drinking experience would’ve known their limits, but most of these kids were trying alcohol for the first time. They’d downed the stuff I made like it was soda and completely lost their minds. Now every last one of them was begging for mercy. I had a pretty good idea the girls’ room next door looked just as bad.

“I told you idiots to drink in moderation.”

I handed each of the guys a bottle of water. They snatched them like they’d found an oasis in the desert and started chugging.

“Huh? Why does this water taste so good?”

“Maybe it’s because I’m dying of thirst? My headache feels better too.”

I’d slipped a spoonful of holy power into each bottle. The power itself had restorative properties. Since I’d infused pure water with it instead of alcohol, it seemed to deliver a mild healing effect. Their faces went from “death warmed over” to “miraculously revived.”

“The schedule starts at nine, so wash up and get ready before then. Anyone who wants breakfast can head down to the cafeteria on your own.”

“Yeees…”

They answered properly enough, but none of them actually moved. The hangovers had clearly killed any appetite. I was already worried whether they’d survive the day’s activities.

I was concerned about the girls’ condition too, especially Yujin’s, so I shot her a quick text.

The amount of points I’d gained from last night’s sex was 381. My total holy power had now reached 1018.

Now that my holy power had jumped from three digits to four, its healing effect seemed far more efficient than before.

Yujin suddenly came at me with that. Before I could even respond, another message flew in.

She was basically saying she wanted to do it again. She’d told me even a single night of memories would be enough, but neither of us had any intention of stopping at just once. She’d said what I was thinking before I could say it myself. I gladly accepted her suggestion.

The once-reserved Yujin had become boldly sexual. Of course I didn’t mind that she was only like this with me.

I ended the chat with a quick “See you later,” then checked on the freshmen. They’d grown pretty close after last night’s drinking party and were now huddled together, chattering away.

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Ah, sunbae… haha.”

When I listened in, it turned out they were talking about the girls. Even if they were timid, they were still at that age where hormones ran hot. With so many pretty girls lined ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up in front of them, it would’ve been weird if their eyes didn’t wander.

“So who does everyone like?”

“I like…”

They each named a girl. Since all the freshmen girls were above average in looks, even choosing was a happy dilemma. Of course, most of them were probably out of reach.

The interesting part was that while most of the girls’ names came up, the two most beautiful ones—Yoo Soyeon and Lee Yujin—were never mentioned. It seemed they’d decided not to even look at trees they couldn’t climb. Instead they were aiming for the more attainable ones.

When Park Jun-dong named Choi Seungah, the vice president, I nodded. I’d expected that. Seungah was definitely easy on the eyes.

But when another guy said Park Naeun’s name, I couldn’t hide my surprise.

“What? Park Naeun?”

“Uh… is that not okay?”

“It’s not that it’s not okay, but doesn’t she look way too young?”

“I think she’s cute?”

The others ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nodded in agreement. The guy who’d been her classmate before had said the same thing. For some reason, quite a few guys seemed to like Naeun. She was definitely cute, but it was more like a child actress than an idol. In other words, she gave off “adorable little sister” vibes rather than “romantic interest.” Unless she grew about five centimeters and filled out a bit, she still looked like nothing more than a yellow baby chick to me.

Speak of the chick and she appears. The door opened and in came Park Naeun, tottering like a half-corpse.

“Ugh… Oppa… I think I’m gonna die…”

“You guys think that’s cute?”

“Isn’t it?”

They had the rose-tinted glasses on thick.

“It’s fine to like whoever you want, but if you’re going to confess and get rejected, do it after the retreat is over. Things will get awkward for the rest of the trip if you do it now.”

“Yes, sir.”

They answered readily enough. Looked like they had the courage to like someone but not to actually confess.

Starting with Naeun, the girls trickled into the room one by one. Everyone except Yujin and Soyeon looked like death. They were so hungover it was hard to believe they were the same people from yesterday.

“Everyone, drink this.”

I took out the honey water I’d prepared earlier, poured it into paper cups, and handed them out. Naeun took the first cup. The life slowly returned to her half-dead face. Since I’d carefully boiled it with holy power mixed in, it was probably more effective than any ordinary hangover cure.

The other freshmen watched her expression and accepted their cups with hopeful eyes. I handed Yujin hers last.

“Thank you, sunbae.”

Unlike the others, her skin was glowing. While everyone else was distracted by the honey water, she gently stroked the back of my hand as I passed her the cup. When our eyes met, she blushed slightly and gave me a sweet smile. It was so charming I wanted to drag her into an empty room right then and there.

I smiled back, holding her gaze, when the completely oblivious Naeun spoke up.

“Can I have more of this?”

“Drink in moderation. We have to go hiking soon.”

“Hike? We’re going hiking?”

“More precisely, it’s a treasure hunt on the mountain.”

“Come on, we’re in college, not elementary school. Why are we doing a treasure hunt? Can’t we just end the retreat here and hang out by ourselves?”

The guy who looked like an elementary schooler himself had recovered enough to start complaining.

“I think you’ll change your mind when you see this.”

I posted the treasure list in the group chat for our team. Most of the items were things like meal tickets for the cafeteria or snacks—nothing particularly exciting. Except for the very first one.

“Whoa, Oppa! It’s ApplePods! ApplePods!”

Wireless earphones from a famous electronics brand. For some reason I’d been seeing that brand a lot lately. Naeun looked at me with eyes full of expectation, clearly convinced I’d get it for her.

Wherever people pass, they always leave traces. I’d never learned proper tracking techniques, but I knew the basics of following signs.

Seungah probably hid it herself.

Unlike the other treasures, this one had real value. To prevent cheating, she would’ve gone alone to hide it.

I carefully scanned the area around the mountain. Everyone else seemed to think the treasures ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were hidden near the summit and were busy climbing. Naeun had grabbed Soyeon’s hand and was enthusiastically leading the way up.

Found it.

A trace an ordinary person would never notice. A woman’s footprint was visible on a path rarely used by hikers. She’d tried her best to leave as few prints as possible, but that effort only made it more suspicious.

I followed the footprints for about ten minutes and came across a large tree.

“Bingo.”

A golden flag was planted beside the tree. When I dug underneath it, I found a small capsule containing a slip of paper that read “ApplePods Winner.”

My part was done. All I had to do now was hand this over to Naeun. I sent her a text saying I’d found it, but she was so focused on the treasure hunt that the message remained unread.

“She’ll check it later.”

I started back down the way I’d come when I felt the humid air. The distinctive smell that precedes rain tickled my nose.

“It’s going to rain.”

I couldn’t see any rain clouds yet, but it looked like a downpour was coming soon. I immediately called Choi Seungah.

“Looks like it’s about to pour. Shouldn’t we wrap this up?”

“Well…”

How was I supposed to explain this? If I said, “My five senses are telling me it’s going to rain,” she’d just call me a chuuni. In the end I hung up without giving a proper explanation.

Sure enough, not long after, rain clouds began creeping over the mountain. Raindrops started falling one by one, then the shower grew heavier. I immediately posted a message in the group chat telling everyone to come down from the mountain. Seungah must have seen the strengthening rain too, because she started contacting people as well.

The freshmen came down the mountain while getting soaked. The rain grew so intense it actually stung. The once-clear sky was now completely covered by dark clouds.

When I counted our team members, two were missing.

“Sunbae! Naeun and Soyeon aren’t here!”

Yujin’s voice was urgent. I was about to call Naeun when my phone started ringing. It was her. A desperate voice burst through the speaker.

Without waiting to hear the details, I immediately sprinted toward the mountain summit.