Chapter 88
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Floaties for Everyone
Swim lesson at the water park, and she's demonstrating on you
Argent S starts rolling down the road.
Just driving straight ahead feels like it’s blasting away the stuffiness lodged in my chest.
‘I kind of get why people want to go on drives.’
If I were cruising smoothly down the road in a car like this, I’d feel great too.
Honestly, I want to get out of Seoul.
There are monsters and all, but with the people in this car, couldn’t we drive the open road with no real threat?
“M-music. Music.”
Kim Yang, who had connected her phone to Bluetooth and was playing music beside me.
After all, you can’t leave music out of a trip.
“Oh?”
I thought she’d play the latest pop songs.
What Kim Yang actually put on was upbeat songs that were a little old, but perfect for traveling.
“Wow, Kim Yang. You’ve got good taste?”
As I laughed with my shoulders bouncing, Kim Yang nodded.
“A-at the company. J-just two old fogeys.”
“......”
“Old-fogey pick.”
“Don’t tease Ms. Renea.”
“T-two people.”
Look at her, even emphasizing it by holding up two fingers.
She’s still far too young to be called an old fogey.
“This is fun, boss!”
Ms. Renea cheerfully poked her head out from beside the seat and spoke.
It does feel nice seeing her humming along.
“Sorry, Ms. Renea.”
“Hm? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re old enough to be dancing on a tour bus, and I made you ride in this shabby car.”
“Huh?”
I smiled even more satisfyingly at Renea, who still hadn’t understood what I meant.
Good thing she didn’t understand.
In the rearview mirror, I could see Raichen and Kim Dajeong cuddling in the very back seat.
Usually, when Kim Dajeong smiled and showed her phone, Raichen would nod warmly and the two would chat about this and that.
‘They’re definitely getting along well.’
Come to think of it, they’re a couple I matched up.
Seeing something like that makes me pretty proud.
The car moved smoothly along.
Even though it’s a hot spring, it’s located on the outskirts of Seoul, so it wouldn’t take that long.
- 500 meters ahead, turn right.
I was about to move into the right lane per the navigation’s instructions, but I naturally went straight.
“Eh, huh?”
“It said right!”
- Recalculating route.
Kim Yang and Renea, who had been goofing off, heard the navigation’s voice and immediately glared this way.
Our trip to the hot spring was delayed by about 15 minutes.
“Hey, it’s fine. We’re only 15 minutes late.”
The two of them brushed it off.
A little while later.
- 500 meters ahead, turn right.
A right-turn lane appeared.
But the steering wheel was dead still.
It just kept going straight.
- Recalculating route.
“Hey, hey. Wha, what are you doing?”
“It’s the boss, Kim Yang.”
“Wha, what are you doing?”
“No, I forgot.”
“Did you go deaf, or something?”
“......”
Another 15 minutes added on.
“By now, we should already have arrived......”
I just ignore the old lady’s pouting. People tend to grumble a lot once they get old.
A little later.
- 500 meters ahead, turn right.
“R-right. Turn right.”
“Turn right, turn right, turn right, turn right, turn right, turn right—!”
Kim Yang kept patting my shoulder, while Renea had opened her mouth wide like a megaphone and was going ee-ee.
And then.
“Hup!”
I tightened my core and kept going straight.
- Recalculating route.
“Y-you damn boss! Y-you did that on purpose! Y-you did that on purpose!”
“What the hell! Why are you doing this?!”
“I forgot! I said I forgot!”
“Shut up! On purpose!”
I shouted in a panic at Kim Yang, who had started pounding the passenger seat with her fists.
“What are you doing to our Argent S!”
“The car! B-because of the car! I want to keep driving!”
“Let us out! I’ve actually been holding in a bathroom break since earlier!”
So that’s why you brought such a huge thermos to drink from it.
* * *
The hot spring building we arrived at had a perfectly ordinary entrance. Buying a ticket and going inside wasn’t really any different from a jjimjilbang.
“Right now, only the sauna is available. The hot spring and water park open at 11 a.m.”
No, it really was a jjimjilbang.
“......”
I checked the time on my phone; it was only 10.
Since we’d set out early today, everyone had gathered a bit ahead of time and we’d arrived earlier than expected.
“11 o’clock? Don’t places usually open at 10?”
“It’s 10 on weekends, but 11 on weekdays.”
I asked just in case, but got refuted immediately. In the end, we had no choice but to enjoy the sauna until 11.
“That’s why I said we should drive a little farther.”
As I went back to the group and complained while delivering the bad news, Kim Yang let out a sigh.
“B-boss. If we’d left it alone, we’d have gone out of Seoul.”
“Ahem, what about Ms. Renea?”
“Ba-bathroom.”
Right, that’s a relief.
I thought the thermos might get used in another way.
“Then see you in the jjimjilbang.”
“B-bye.”
Raichen and I went over to the men’s side first.
Even while receiving our keys and going inside, Raichen kept looking around with interest.
“Why? Is this your first time in a place like this?”
“Yes, since I’ve only lived in the Magic Tower, I guess—”
“It’s big and the facilities are nice—”
“Walking around such a large place feels a little awkward.”
“......Over there.”
I’d heard that in the Magic Tower they even flew around stepping on some kind of platforms.
I suddenly felt like a barbarian, so I awkwardly pointed to the locker with our number on it.
While changing clothes, I could feel a gaze.
Looking to the side, I saw Raichen staring at me.
“What are you looking at? You’re creepy.”
“Boss...... you have quite a few scars on your body.”
“Ah, right. You end up like this when you deal with nasty customers.”
“......”
Raichen didn’t ask any further, seemingly realizing I had no intention of explaining.
That sort of quick wit is nice.
“More importantly, do you work out? Even though you're a mage, you've got a good body.”
Even from our first meeting, Raichen had had a sturdy build and well-developed muscles.
It didn’t fit the image of a mage at all.
“My master always said physical strength is important. So I make sure to exercise regularly.”
“Sounds like a good person.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
At the praise for his master, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Raichen’s mouth.
He definitely looks much softer than before.
Raichen and I, now changed into sauna clothes.
Once we went into the sauna, it was quiet and sparsely occupied.
A spacious interior and clean decor.
The sauna’s signature bonsai and charcoal scent blended together, loosening the tension in my body.
Since it was still early, the snack stand hadn’t opened yet, which was a bit disappointing.
“The women still don’t seem to be out yet. Raichen, go hang out with Dajeong on your own. You have your phone, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Yeah, with a hot spring or a place like this... there’s no need to stick together. I won’t get in the way of your date.”
“......Thank you.”
Look at him bowing his head.
He must have really wanted to spend time with Kim Dajeong.
“Looks like it’s going well. Good to see.”
“Slowly, as if watering a flower. That’s how we’re spending time together.”
“Hah.”
Was this really the mage who came here saying he wanted to get married as quickly as possible?
'Dajeong really turned this guy around.'
Leaving Raichen behind, I went into the steam sauna.
“Oooh.”
The hot, stifling heat pressed down on my body.
The fatigue I’d built up lately melted away drowsily, and my body’s strength naturally drained out.
Looking around, I saw cushions and mats laid out for lying down, so I didn’t need to lie on the hard wooden floor.
I grabbed a cushion and lay down, and drowsy heaviness quickly washed over me.
“Ah...... this is nice.”
Now I get why Kim Yang calls me an old fogey. The words just come out: this is so refreshing.
Maybe because I’d come after driving, my eyelids were slowly growing heavy.
'Well, everyone else will probably have fun on their own.'
I’ll just sleep here.
* * *
Chomp chomp.
Chomp chomp.
......?
Chomp chomp chomp chomp.
What the heck is that sound?
I slowly opened my eyes at the strangely unpleasant sound coming from right next to me.
My body, weighed down by the heat, was hotter than expected, so I was a little startled, but I could see the person beside me.
Chomp chomp chomp chomp.
“......”
“......”
Renea was eating boiled eggs.
She was eating them eagerly, still in her sauna clothes.
“Did you wake up?”
Seeing her clutching the last one tightly in her hand, I could tell she had absolutely no intention of giving it up.
“Ahem, what are you doing?”
“Oh? Kim Yang said she was going to buy sikhye, so I’m waiting for her.”
“Ugh, my head. How long was I asleep?”
Sitting up and checking the time, I saw I’d only slept for about 30 minutes. When I first closed my eyes, it felt like I’d sleep for hours.
Apparently, you can’t sleep that long inside a sauna.
“So you ate all the eggs before the sikhye even got here?”
“......”
“And how did you know to wear the sheep hood? That’s only something young people do.”
“Huh? But you did it for me too, boss.”
“Huh?”
When I touched my head, sure enough, there was actually a sheep hood on it.
What is this.
“I’m still young.”
“I’m young at heart too.”
“If the world worked based on how you feel, I’d already have bought an apartment.”
As I pulled myself together and sat up, Kim Yang came in. She was wearing a sheep hood too, and when she saw the empty egg basket, she frowned.
“Y-you want to die? Y-you ate six eggs in five minutes?”
“Maaah!”
“Kim Yang, your dementia’s acting up. Since you put on a sheep hood, you turned into a sheep.”
Look at her, a 1,902-year-old woman making sheep sounds because she ate six eggs.
But apparently Kim Yang got hit with the cuteness bonus.
She sat down and placed the sikhye in front of us.
“J-just a little later. G-go buy it then.”
“Got it!”
Renea was cheerfully sipping the sikhye. But where did she throw away the thermos?
Well, anyway.
“Ms. Renea, that’s not how you imitate a sheep.”
“Mm? Maaah! Isn’t it close enough? I’m actually pretty good at imitating animal noises. When I lived in the forest, I was bored, so I did that all the time.”
“Ahem, I’ll try it, so watch.”
After clearing my throat, the two of them looked at me with interested expressions.
“Baa, baa-se!”
I shouted while pretending to headbutt the air.
“M-money! Hand it over! Y-you evil boss! Baa, baa-se!”
“Puhahaha! Gack! Cough!? The sikhye went down the wrong pipe! Gahk!?”
“......”
Beside Renea, who was laughing and flailing because the sikhye had gone down the wrong pipe—
“I-is it funny?”
“......A little?”
Kim Yang rushed at me and headbutted my shoulder.