School Trip

There were so many people that it was impossible to avoid being stared at. We attracted plenty of attention on the way to our seats, but it was nice that, once we entered the small indoor seating area, we didn't have to worry about strangers staring at us, and we could watch the game without being exposed to the sunlight or wind. Since we had bought our seats late, they weren't the ones with the best view, but it was still fairly good.

"How is it, Jia? Do you think the seats are all right?"

"Yes, it's comfortable since we're separated from the other spectators and indoors."

The line must have been longer than expected, because Unnie still hadn't returned. Should I go help her? Just as I was thinking that, Unnie opened the door and came in as if she'd appeared out of nowhere.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. There were more people than I expected."

"I think there are more people because it's Sunday afternoon."

A daytime game was better than an evening game. Even if it ended late, there would still be plenty of time to go home, shower, and sleep. After watching the game, we headed home, and fortunately, perhaps because I was holding Minsu oppa's and Jiyeon unnie's hands, no one tried to cling to me.

...There shouldn't have been.

"Huh? You?"

The one calling out to me was Hyunwoo... I gritted my teeth inwardly and pretended not to know him, but at some point, Hyunwoo's younger brother Hyeonsu must have seen me, because he opened his mouth and said, "She's the girl who came to our school!"

"...Who are you?"

"My name is Yang Hyunwoo, and this is my younger brother, Yang Hyeonsu."

"Do you know each other, Jia?"

"No, I don't know him."

When I turned my back, oppa and unnie turned around too and got into the car. There might come a day when I had to explain everything, but that day wasn't now. If I still didn't want to reveal later that I had been Han Jihoon, I could introduce myself as a different person named Han Jia.

I couldn't let all the effort I'd put in up to now go to waste, so I would have to keep pretending not to know him... but if I kept running into him, I might be the first one to break. I was much weaker now, after all.

*

Huh? The midterms are already here? Thanks to Yuna's help, I hadn't completely given up on studying, but with the exams happening to overlap with that day, it might be difficult for me to concentrate on the tests. I would just have to take painkillers and endure it...

"Jia, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll just take some medicine and endure it..."

Cruelly, the exams came quickly. As soon as I arrived at school, I went to the nurse's office for medicine, took the exams, and whenever I felt I couldn't endure it anymore, I took another dose and returned to the test... That was how I got through each day of exams.

"Wasn't today's test too difficult?"

"I know. It was pretty hard..."

Of all subjects, the one I was worst at, math, had been especially difficult. I would just have to give up on my math score... Thinking that as I ate lunch, I heard complaints about the difficulty of the math test from every corner of the cafeteria.

"Wow, math was seriously fucking hard, wasn't it?"

"I know, right? The other subjects were manageable, but..."

"Maybe they were trying to bring down the average with math."

Most of the complaints were about the difficulty of math. Since none of the other subjects had been particularly difficult, they might really have been trying to bring down the average with math. It would be a little troublesome if everyone's average scores turned out too high...

"The exams are over!!!"

"We're free!!!"

"But the finals..."

"You insensitive bastard..."

The classmates shot glares at the person who mentioned the next exams. That... Yeah, that kid really was in the wrong.

"Jia, do you think you did all right on the exams?"

"I won't completely fail thanks to Yuna's help, but... Math was just too..."

"Math really was too difficult. They'll adjust the difficulty next time, right?"

Somehow, by taking medicine and enduring it, I managed to finish the exams. Fortunately, that day hadn't coincided with the first day of testing, but it had arrived toward the end of the exam period, so enduring the pain hadn't been easy. The class chat was making a huge racket. Had something happened? When I checked the chatroom...

"...A school trip? Yuna, are we going on a school trip?"

"You didn't hear? The teacher announced it..."

"I guess I didn't hear because I was sick. This is the first I've heard of it."

Yuna was worried that I might not be able to go because I was sick, while I had no intention of going on the school trip. What would someone as ambiguous as me even do on a school trip? Although I had grown accustomed to my body, I still felt embarrassed even in the changing room, so even if my body itself was fine, being around other people wasn't.

"According to the vote, we're going to Jeju Island, and the trip will last..."

Early May? That would be before that day was over, wouldn't it? Oh, of all the dates they could have chosen, it had to be immediately after the exams... Even if they overlapped a lot, it would only be for a day or two, but the school trip was three days and two nights... This was going to be difficult.

"Jia, do you want to share a room with me?"

"Was it one room for every three people...?"

"I heard we're going somewhere bigger, so both the boys and girls will be assigned three people per room."

"I don't know if I'll be able to go..."

When I imagined not being able to go, Yuna's expression immediately fell. Did she like me that much...? She got along well with the other classmates too, so it wasn't because she had few friends like Jinwoo...

"It overlaps with that day, so... I don't know if I can go."

"I still really want us to go together."

Could I go? I couldn't even be sure what condition my body would be in, so I couldn't say that I would be fine. If I said I was all right and then collapsed... Wouldn't that make things difficult for Yuna? No matter what anyone said, Yuna was the person who spent the most time with me.

*

When I told Unnie about the school trip, she said she really wanted me to go so I could make some memories too.

"But it overlaps with that day, so I'm not sure whether I'll be able to go..."

"It would be nice if you could go, but if you're in too much pain, you should rest. Your health comes first."

I spent the weekend with Unnie. She didn't have any plans either, and I wasn't in a condition to make plans because I was sick, so I had to turn down the kids' invitations to go out. I might have been able to go with them once, but I was really in pain...

Cruelly, time passed quickly, and before I knew it, Monday had arrived.

"Jia~"

"Oh, Jinwoo. Did you have a good weekend?"

"Yeah, more or less."

While I was talking with Jinwoo, Yuna came over before I knew it.

"Jia, me too, me too!"

"Did you have a good weekend too, Yuna?"

"Yes! I had a great weekend!"

After that, Yuna was extremely excited, saying that she was looking forward to going on the school trip with me. But I didn't think I could go...? Judging by how my stomach felt, it wasn't getting better even with medicine, and I was in no condition to go on a trip. When they asked whether we would participate, Yuna had been so insistent about going together that I wrote down that I would attend, but... I didn't think I could go.

"Huh? Jia, are you all right? You don't look well."

"Cough... I'm oka...y..."

My head spun, and my vision gradually blurred. Was I going to faint again? Ah, no... I couldn't... I had promised to share a room with Yuna... Yuna hooked my arm around her neck so I wouldn't collapse, but apparently that wasn't enough to keep me conscious. In the end, all the strength left my body, and I lost consciousness.

"Jia!!"

I could hear Yuna's anguished scream, but I couldn't even answer.

*

Jia had collapsed again. Could it be because the stress from the exams had piled on top of everything else? Her condition already tended to worsen when that day came around, so it wasn't impossible if exam stress had been added to the mix. Still, collapsing right after the exams was terribly bad timing.

I didn't really understand why the school trip had to start immediately after the exams, but I still felt troubled at the thought that Jia might be the only one unable to go.

"Jia, are you all right?"

"Ah... This is a hospital..."

Jia didn't look particularly happy, perhaps because she remembered that she had collapsed. Even if she hadn't wanted to go, she probably wouldn't have hated going on a school trip with her new classmates, but now she couldn't go before she even had the chance to decide...

"Yuna will be really disappointed if I can't go..."

"Your health still comes first, Jia."

"But if I feel better, even if it's late tomorrow..."

Jia stopped there and closed her mouth. It must have seemed difficult to follow them late for several reasons, and she probably thought she would only cause trouble. If her condition improved and she said that she wanted to go, the school and Minsu would help her, too. I just wished Jia would be a little more honest.

"We're leaving tomorrow morning, so if I feel better even in the afternoon, I want to go, but..."

"Then go."

"Pardon?"

"If you feel better tomorrow afternoon and you still want to go, then you can go. Minsu will even ride the plane with you."

Fortunately, Jia gradually improved, and by Monday evening, her condition had gotten better. However, we would have to monitor her until the next morning to make sure she was truly all right. After the sun rose the next day and Jia ate breakfast, she seemed fine, so she underwent an examination and was able to leave the hospital, but...

"Judging by Yuna's message, she seems pretty disappointed that I can't go with them..."

"How are you feeling now?"

"Yes, I'm much better thanks to you, Unnie.

"Then let's go to Jeju Island."

Jia looked bewildered for a moment, but when I called Minsu, her face brightened again as though she understood.

*

After receiving the message, I rushed over, calculated how long it would take to reach Incheon Airport, booked the earliest possible flight to Jeju Island, put Jia in the car, and set off immediately.

"Um, excuse me..."

"Yes, what is it?"

"I think I'm going to get carsick. Do you have any motion sickness medicine I can take...?"

"Of course I do. Here, take this."

While waiting at a traffic light, I handed Jia the motion sickness medicine and bottled water I had brought. I remembered her saying that she had become more prone to motion sickness, so I had bought them because I thought she would need them on the plane, but she seemed to be getting a little carsick even as we sped along the expressway.

"We have to get there as quickly as possible because of the flight, so please bear with it for a little while."

"Yes, I'll try to endure it."

Jia was sitting in the passenger seat, and after taking the motion sickness medicine, she quickly fell asleep once we entered the expressway. The exams must have been hard enough, and then that day had overlapped with them too, so she must have been suffering badly. Since Jiyeon was so worried about her, this couldn't be ordinary pain. If someone fainted this often just because of that day, that alone said enough.

"Fortunately, the traffic isn't too bad."

"Mmm..."

"Are you awake? We're almost there, so just wait a little longer."

After boarding the plane with Jia, I headed for Jeju Island while comforting her through her motion sickness. The flight would only take an hour, and she had taken medicine, so she would feel better soon.

*

It had been a long time since I'd last been on a plane... Since we were headed to Jeju, we would arrive in about an hour. My motion sickness was gradually improving, but after speeding here by car and immediately boarding a plane... I couldn't resist the sleepiness that came rushing over me and fell asleep.

"Jia, Jia."

"Mmm... Oppa...?"

"We've arrived. Let's get off."

"Okaaay..."

I was sleepy, but now that we'd arrived in Jeju, I should contact Yuna. I still hadn't saved the teacher's number...

"Yaaawn... Yes, Yuna. I just arrived in Jeju Island."

"Really? How are you feeling?"

"They said I could be discharged after my morning examination, so I took the plane here right away."

"That's a relief. You can come to OO Hotel."

"I'll be there right away."

Minsu oppa called someone, then had me get into the back seat of a car driven by another person and asked the driver to take me to the hotel. He said he had to return to Seoul.

"Thank you so much, Minsu oppa."

"It's nothing. Have fun, and I'll see you in Seoul."

"Yes!"

The car set off, and from what I heard them discussing earlier, the driver seemed to be someone on Minsu oppa's team. He had spoken to Minsu oppa very respectfully, so I assumed that was right. Perhaps the teacher had arranged it in advance, because when I gave the hotel my name, they let me into the room.

"Yuna and Yeji are sharing a room... Did they leave one spot open on purpose...?"

I was so tired... I should sleep for a while on the bed. Yuna probably wouldn't be back soon either...

*

"Hooray!"

"What happened? Is Jia coming?"

"Yes! She just arrived in Jeju Island!"

Yeji was happy too, as was Jinwoo, who had been standing awkwardly beside me listening to the conversation. I had almost never seen Jinwoo smile so brightly. After all, he was a boy, so it wasn't strange that he'd fallen for Jia at first sight. But I'd stand in his way.

"Teacher! They said Jia is here!"

"Really? I should let the hotel know."

If we let them know in advance, Jia would be able to enter the room and rest. After the sightseeing was over and Yeji and I returned to the hotel, we went straight to our room to look for Jia.

"Jia~"

"...Looks like Jia's asleep?"

"I know. She really is sleeping..."

Still, if she slept too much now, she wouldn't be able to sleep later, so we decided to wake her. When Yeji and I shook her awake from either side, Jia gradually opened her eyes, and the way she rubbed them as she woke up was incredibly cute.

"Mmm... Yuna, is that you...?"

"I'm here too."

"Yeji's here too..."

"The afternoon sightseeing is over, and we're going to dinner soon. You'll come with us, right?"

"Hehe, let's do that."

Jia must have been incredibly sleepy, because she yawned and began dozing off against the wall again. I should wake her up... but she was so cute that I wanted to keep watching her.