Cosplay for the Talent Show

Yuna and Yeji didn't seem to be able to see the clock. Otherwise, there was no reason they'd be so focused on choosing my clothes that they lost track of time. Since it would be a problem if only we were late, I had to bring Yuna and Yeji back to their senses.

"Hey, thanks for choosing my clothes, but we're running out of time..."

"Gasp! It's already this late?!"

"I forgot because I was so captivated by Jia!"

"Let's get dressed quickly. We can't be late."

Only then did the two of them come to their senses and hurriedly start changing. Even if we went down to the first floor right away, we would probably be cutting it close, so I thought it might be better for me to go down first and explain why we were late. We could have done it through the chatroom, but in an urgent situation like this, I thought speaking to them in person would be more effective.

"Should I go down and report our head count?"

"Yes! I'll get dressed quickly and follow you!"

"I'd appreciate it. I'll be right there!"

I changed clothes first and ran toward the line for Class 3 of the second year, which would be gathered on the first floor. When I hurried to catch the elevator, I saw Jinwoo and two other students who looked just as rushed as I was. I guess they were late too...

"Oh? Hi, Jia!"

"Are you guys late too?"

"Yeah, we spent a lot of time getting dressed... Hi, Jinwoo!"

"Good morning."

Jinwoo's roommate greeted me as soon as I stepped inside, and I answered him before greeting Jinwoo. He must really like me, because his face lit up as soon as I returned his greeting, and he said good morning too. The elevator reached the first floor with a ding~, and as soon as the doors opened, I hurried to join the line and reported to the teacher.

"Yuna and Yeji looked like they were going to be a little late, so I came down first."

"Really? They must have been late because they didn't get dressed themselves while choosing Jia's clothes, right?"

"Uh... How did you know?"

"Yuna and Yeji begged so much to share a room with Jia."

I didn't know why they were so fixated on me, but I had no complaints since I was most comfortable with those two anyway. After waiting for about five minutes, the elevator reached the first floor again, the doors opened, and Yuna and Yeji came running out.

"Sorry we're late~!"

"Huff... huff... Fortunately, we're only one minute late. Huff..."

Yuna braced herself and slowly took deep breaths, while Yeji must have hurried even more because she was panting violently.

"Yeji, take deep breaths. Breathe in, then breathe out."

"Huff... huff... Okay..."

At my urging, Yeji slowly took deep breaths, and once she had calmed down a little, we all headed for the bus. As soon as we boarded, Yuna grabbed my hand and sat down with me, while Yeji complained that Yuna was getting revenge for yesterday and sat on the inside, trying to press as close to me as possible.

"Yuna, that's so unfair!"

"But I need to talk to you, so I sat by the window."

We had to move quickly, and just as Yuna said, she was sitting by the window, leaving me in the middle of the three of us, so Yeji seemed to accept it and let it go.

"Jia, do you want some of this?"

"Huh? Candy?"

"It'll take a while before we eat breakfast anyway, so let's have some together."

"Okay!"

Yeji handed out candy, and Yuna made an "Oops" face and looked disappointed. As we traveled while savoring the sweet-and-sour candy, Yuna asked how I liked the outfit she had chosen for me, and I had to be careful of her feelings and say that she had chosen it well and that I was grateful.

After we arrived at our destination and got off the bus following the teacher's brief instructions, Yuna and Yeji began moving along with me between them. It was a little difficult to move like this... but I couldn't help it. It was also a little chilly, so I decided to just keep going this way.

"Huh? What about Jinwoo?"

"Don't worry about him. Jinwoo is probably sightseeing too."

"You think so...? He was with his roommates when we gathered this morning..."

"Then you have even less reason to worry. Let's go on ahead."

We took pictures here and there, asking students passing by to take group photos of the three of us, as well as photos of us in pairs. After taking pictures nonstop, I was starting to get a little tired...

"Guys, haven't we taken enough pictures by now...?"

"What are you talking about? We still have a long way to go!"

"Exactly! The beautiful scenery suits Jia so well."

Yuna and Yeji held onto me and took more than a hundred pictures. I was so exhausted that I wanted to return to the hotel immediately. But since we'd come all this way, I thought it would be nice to talk with Jiyeon unnie or Minsu oppa when I got home, so I also took some pictures that focused on the scenery.

"Guys~ It's time to go eat lunch~"

The teachers began calling the students back to the bus one by one. I guess we were going to take the bus into town and eat lunch there too.

"Jia, didn't you hear?"

"Huh? Hear what?"

"Our lunch menu is chicken jjamppong."

"Really? Are the menus different for each class?"

I thought I'd heard students from another class say they were going to eat pork cutlets... Since there were so many students, had they decided to eat separately by class? This time, Yeji pulled me onto the bus, and I fell asleep, feeling a little tired.

"Jia! Wake up!"

"You have to eat lunch!"

"Huh... Was I asleep?"

"Yeah. You slept really deeply."

Not only had I been dragged around by Yuna and Yeji, but I had also gone around taking pictures with the girls in my class one by one, so I was extremely tired... Still, I hadn't expected to fall asleep before lunch.

"Yaaawn... Was I noisy?"

"No, you were really quiet."

"Even your breathing while you slept was cute."

"I'm glad I slept quietly..."

Maybe because I had been scolded—or perhaps criticized—so often for making noise by snoring, I had developed a habit of worrying that I might unknowingly sleep noisily. Even during class, when I could have gotten away with sleeping if I had been quiet, I often got caught because I snored.

"Huh? There's another class here too?"

"Let's see... Classes 3 and 5 are having chicken jjamppong."

Just then, Jinwoo ran toward Class 5, which had gotten off the bus beside ours, and let out a cheer. It seemed he had found the friends from another class he'd mentioned... He must have been incredibly happy, because he ran over without even stopping to catch his breath. Perhaps they had contacted the restaurant just as the buses were about to leave, because the food began arriving shortly after the students sat down.

"Wait, Jia. Let's take a picture first."

"A picture? Are you going to post it on social media?"

"Yeah."

Yeji began taking pictures too, not just Yuna. I should take one picture for the memories and then eat. It smelled a little spicy, but it looked delicious enough to make my mouth water. After finishing lunch, during the break before we left for another tourist attraction...

"Jia, you're going to cosplay with us, right?"

"What character is it...?"

"This one here..."

The character Yeji showed me had long hair, red eyes, an outfit that looked like a suit, and black stockings. It wasn't very revealing. I could probably do this much too...? Maybe she wanted me to play the character because she had a large bust.

"It's barely revealing, so I think I can do this. I'd just need the hairpin and colored contacts, right?"

"Great! If Jia cosplays, our class is guaranteed to win!"

"Exactly! If Jia plays the student council president, our Seminar cosplay will be complete!"

I had never played the game, but I had seen the character on online communities. Since it was mostly just an anime-style school uniform, it wasn't very revealing, and the teachers wouldn't object to the cosplay. If I delivered the lines well, maybe we really could win...? But what should I do about the halo-like ring over her head...?

Time passed, and before I knew it, we had eaten dinner and the talent show was about to begin. It was supposed to start in the plaza near the hotel, so while the other students participated in the talent show and watched the performance of the first team to go on, I could put on my cosplay outfit and come out.

"All you need to do now is put in the contacts, Jia."

"I've never worn contacts before, so I'm scared. Please be gentle..."

"Don't worry. I'll hold Jia firmly while Yuna gently puts in the contacts."

It was my first time wearing contacts, so I was a little scared, but Yeji held both my arms from behind to keep me from moving, while Yuna held my eye open and slowly inserted the contact. Tears kept streaming down my face.

"Ugh... These don't have a prescription, right?"

"No, they're nonprescription colored contacts. I'll take them out as soon as the talent show is over, so don't worry too much."

"Okay... I'll endure it until then."

Before I knew it, our performance time was drawing closer, and after arriving at the waiting area in the plaza near the hotel where the talent show was being held, we went over our lines one last time. But did I really have to say this line...? It was a little embarrassing...

"Don't worry, Jia. You only have one line, so all you have to do is stand there with a cool expression."

"It's pretty embarrassing, but I'll do my best..."

Before I knew it, our turn had arrived. I stood onstage nervously, delivered the final line of the performance, and managed to finish it successfully. Judging by the boys' cheers, it seemed the cosplay hadn't been bad.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted... I want to go straight back to the hotel."

"Hang in there a little longer, Jia. The schedule says we have to watch all the other teams' performances and move together afterward."

"I suppose so...? I should go sit in the audience."

As I made my way to the audience in my cosplay, I could feel the gazes of countless people. It must have been a fairly popular game, so it couldn't be helped that people's eyes were drawn to the cosplay. After enduring all those exhausting stares, the performances ended, and we returned to our hotel room and changed back into our regular clothes. Then I asked Yeji a question.

"By the way, the cosplay outfit was comfortable, and it looked pretty expensive..."

"Oh, that? Yuna helped pay for it."

"Really? Thanks, Yuna."

"It's nothing. We can use it at the school festival later, and without the wig and colored contacts, it should be wearable... in everyday life too."

As soon as she said that, Yuna admitted that she couldn't lie and said it could probably only be worn at the school festival, but it had still been a worthwhile purchase. Well, lots of people cosplayed, so even if we sold it secondhand... it should be fine, right?

*

A few more hours passed, and night fell. Since we had bought far too many snacks the day before, we invited three girls and two boys from our class and barely managed to finish them all. The boys definitely ate more.

"It's late, and we have to go home tomorrow, so everyone should go to bed early."

"But I want to play with Jia a little longer..."

"We have to take a plane tomorrow too, so it would be a disaster if we were late."

The students nodded at what I said and returned to their respective rooms. I was a little worried about the two boys who had to make their way back from the girls' floor... but I had to trust that they would get back without incident. After showering in the order we had decided on yesterday, I came out to find Yuna and Yeji playing rock-paper-scissors while shouting, "Rock-paper-scissors to decide who sleeps with Jia!"

"Yes~! I won again!!"

"Grr, damn it..."

After losing two days in a row, Yuna dropped to her knees and let out a quiet scream. Was sleeping in the same bed as me really that enjoyable...? I couldn't understand it. Sleeping alone seemed more comfortable and better...

"Well, I'll let Yuna have the spot beside Jia all day tomorrow."

"Really? Thanks, Yeji. We're truly friends after all."

...Guys, I haven't even said anything... It seemed awkward to ruin the mood, so should I just let it go...? When it was time to sleep, Yeji hugged me again and lay down with me on the double bed.

"Jia's so soft and cozy..."

"Yuna, Yeji's already asleep..."

"I'm jealous. That could have been my spot..."

Since Yeji had fallen asleep so quickly and it was already late, we decided to sleep quietly.

*

Although morning had come and I had slowly opened my eyes, I couldn't get any strength into my body. Was low blood pressure usually this debilitating in the morning...? It would be really hard to wake up early even later on...

"Jia, it's morning."

"Yeah, my eyes are open, but I can't really get any strength into my body..."

"Really? Then I'll wash up first, so wake Yeji and tell her to wash after me."

"Okay, I will."

Yuna went into the bathroom to wash, and I vigorously shook Yeji awake. We hadn't gone to bed all that late this time, but Yeji still wouldn't wake up. In the end, Yuna finished washing and helped me wake her, and Yeji slowly opened her eyes.

"Thanks for waking me. I sleep so much... yaaawn..."

"You wash first. I still can't really get any strength into my body..."

Yuna woke Yeji, who was trying to go back to sleep, and sent her into the bathroom. After slowly getting myself upright, I checked the announcement in the chatroom.

"They say we're eating breakfast at the hotel and then heading to the airport."

"Really? Jia, you should start packing first."

"Okay, I'll pack mine first."

After enjoying the hotel's final buffet, packing all our belongings, boarding the bus, buying souvenirs at the airport, and getting on the plane, we arrived at Incheon Airport. Students who lived nearby could make their own way home, while those who lived farther away would take a bus prepared by the school.

"Jia, do you want to take the bus? Or should we go separately?"

"Hmm... What are you going to do, Yeji?"

Just as Yuna and Yeji were discussing how to get home, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Jia, you're here?"

"Oh, oppa... How did you get all the way here?"

"I came in time for your flight's arrival. Do you want to go together?"

Yuna and Yeji were startled to see Minsu oppa and began bombarding me with questions, but fortunately, Yuna's family's driver arrived at just the right moment, picked up both Yuna and Yeji, and drove away, allowing me to escape their interrogation.

I would be bombarded with questions at school anyway, but that would be better than answering them when I was exhausted from the school trip.

"Thank you for coming to pick me up, oppa."

"It's nothing. Jiyeon will be waiting, so let's go straight home."

I nodded and got into the back seat of Minsu oppa's car. As soon as I sat down, exhaustion overwhelmed me, and I fell asleep.