Chapter 26
***
The next day.
I came out of my room dressed in a casual short-sleeved T-shirt.
“Haaah···.”
After getting off the elevator with a long yawn,
I spotted the trio waiting in front of the dining hall.
They seemed to be waiting because we'd agreed to eat breakfast together.
“Ah···!”
Of them, I made eye contact with Shin A-young. Both her eyebrows twitched upward.
“Lee Seungho, over here···!”
She raised her hand high, then
“O-over here···.”
awkwardly lowered it again.
···Why was she suddenly acting like that?
— “···Should I keep some distance?”
Shin A-young's mini-me rolled her eyes, watching someone else's reaction strangely carefully.
When I wondered who she was looking at,
it was none other than Lee Sol.
“···.”
Had something happened?
In the meantime, Lee Sol raised a hand slightly toward me.
“···Seungho, hi.”
“You all came out early.”
“···It just worked out that way.”
Lee Sol was dressed somewhat neatly.
Since everyone had come out in light clothes because it was morning, she alone seemed overdressed.
Had she woken up early to get ready?
Perhaps because of that, there was a slight trace of fatigue on her face, but
it wasn't obvious enough to stand out.
Rather, someone like that···
Beside her.
“Hwaaah···.”
It was Jinuri, letting out a long yawn.
She was standing almost half-asleep.
— “I'm sleepy··· Maybe I should've slept more instead of eating breakfast···.”
Her mini-me's head bobbed drowsily. She looked like she might collapse.
Had she stayed up again because of her excitement?
I should tell her to buy some coffee later.
“Let's go in.”
I entered the dining hall with them.
Breakfast had plenty of relatively light foods.
After briefly looking around at what to eat,
I put some cereal, milk, and bread on my plate and sat down.
“···.”
I looked around.
Shin A-young and Lee Sol were still choosing their food.
···Hmm.
Is this my only chance?
Before the two of them came over,
I lowered my head toward Jinuri, who had already taken a seat.
“···Hey, did something happen with those two yesterday?”
Jinuri stopped chewing her toast and looked back at me.
“Yesterday?”
— “Huh? Did something happen···?”
Her mini-me folded her arms and tapped a finger thoughtfully.
— “No matter how I think about it···.”
“No, nothing happened? Everyone was tired and fell asleep right away.”
Jinuri resumed chewing her bread and turned her gaze toward the Universal Studios guidebook.
She seemed busy thinking about tomorrow's itinerary rather than today's.
She was preoccupied with rechecking the route in advance.
···She really seemed not to know.
“But why are you asking all of a sudden?”
“Never mind.”
I brushed it off as nothing and changed the subject.
“···What?”
Jinuri gave me a look as if my question had come out of nowhere.
“···.”
Just then, Lee Sol sat down and set her plate on the table.
Just.
Ever since earlier, I had been hearing something from Lee Sol.
— “Now— — have to— — — ah. ”
I kept hearing noise.
···She hadn't been like this until yesterday.
Something must have happened in the meantime.
Maybe there had been some ‘thing’ between Lee Sol and Shin A-young.
“···.”
Lee Sol daintily spooned up her soup.
Her mini-me dabbed at the corner of her mouth with a napkin while subtly watching this way.
Watching that,
I couldn't help thinking that even if it wasn't enough to say she liked me, she definitely had some feelings for me—
I wondered what I should do about it.
“···.”
I scooped up a bite of cereal.
···What should I say?
Actually, I had no intention of doing anything in particular.
Lee Sol hadn't confessed or flirted with me.
Just because I could hear her thoughts, I couldn't say some ridiculous shit like, ‘You like me, don't you?’
“···.”
Besides, I had no intention of confessing first.
Lee Sol was fun to hang out with, and she was pretty even judging only by her looks, but
I still hadn't felt the kind of romantic excitement I associated with dating.
“···.”
Of course, that's only how things stood for now.
No one knew how a person's heart might change.
The same applied to Lee Sol.
Her thoughts could change before long, too.
Thoughts changed more easily than you'd expect.
“···.”
If she confessed to me···.
Well.
I could think about that when the time came.
For now.
“Is it okay to eat that much first thing in the morning?”
“···It's only this time. We're on a school trip.”
Just stick to the usual.
Let's remain in the dark about everything.
Let's do that for now.
***
The bus took us to an aquarium.
It was the second place we'd arrived at after visiting the ramen-making experience center.
“Ugh.”
Lee Sol stretched her slightly stiff body as she got off the bus.
“Everyone eat lunch okay? Look around inside at your leisure, then gather here by four.”
““Yeees—””
As always, the activity began with one commemorative class photo.
The kids scattered at the teacher's words.
‘Where should we go first?’
‘Let's go see the whale sharks before it gets crowded.’
The kids chattered excitedly.
Watching them, Lee Seungho casually asked the person beside him,
“Jinuri, where should we go first?”
“···Why are you asking me that?”
“Just asking.”
“···.”
Jinuri was silent for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth.
“···We've got plenty of time, so we can look around slowly, but it'd be better to see the whale sharks first. It'll get crowded.”
“Okay. Let's do that.”
The route was decided.
“···.”
Lee Sol moved her lips as she listened to the two of them.
···Actually, she'd been like this since the morning's itinerary.
Ever since she realized she had feelings for him, her chest had felt oddly ticklish.
She had no idea how to act now.
Or rather, she wanted to act as naturally as possible, but even that wasn't easy.
How had she acted normally again···
“···Want me to help?”
The voice at that moment caught Lee Sol's attention.
“Huh?”
Shin A-young had secretly approached and asked her that.
“···With what?”
“Don't you want to get closer to Seungho?”
“It's not that I want things to work out with him···.”
“Right, anyway, you want to get to know him.”
She answered while subtly avoiding her gaze.
“···That's right.”
Lee Sol swallowed dryly.
What could she possibly be thinking?
She wondered if it was okay to accept this kind of help from Shin A-young.
“···.”
Lee Sol stiffened in an awkward pose and quietly watched Shin A-young.
From what she could tell, there didn't seem to be any other motive.
It simply felt like Shin A-young genuinely wanted to help.
“···.”
Yeah, it should be okay for now.
Shin A-young still
didn't like Lee Seungho.
“···Then, just a little.”
Let's accept her help.
***
Shin A-young leisurely walked through the aquarium.
As she did, she watched the two people walking a few steps ahead.
“Hmm···.”
Watching that, she wondered what liking someone even meant.
This was Lee Sol, who'd said she wasn't interested in romance.
“···.”
Look at that.
She was subtly matching Lee Seungho's pace.
Could a person really change this much?
To the point of caring even about a distance she'd never paid attention to before.
“···.”
···Distance, huh.
“···How close is okay between friends? ···This close? Or this close?”
Thinking of Lee Seungho, she quietly tried matching her stride.
“···As long as we don't touch, isn't it okay?”
Still, they were friends.
“Good grief···.”
···Maybe I shouldn't have asked.
She did find herself thinking that.
If she hadn't asked that question yesterday, she wouldn't have known about Lee Sol's feelings,
and she wouldn't have had these worries in the first place.
“···.”
···Still, since she'd decided to help.
“···.”
Lee Sol kept sneaking glances at him.
Hesitantly, she raised and lowered the phone in one hand.
It looked like she wanted to take a picture together.
Let's help her a little.
“Hey—”
“Want me to take it? You want to take a picture, right?”
Shin A-young approached Lee Sol and quickly took the phone from her.
Then she naturally nudged her forward by the back.
“Hmm··· There are a lot of people here, so let's go over there and take one together.”
This was the right move.
Taking one with just the two of them would probably be awkward.
This would be more natural.
“This spot looks good.”
There were no people around, and it was just right.
“Okay, gather around. Nuri, move a little closer.”
“···Like this?”
“Yeah, that's perfect.”
She put the camera in selfie mode.
She held the phone straight out so everyone fit in the frame.
“Okay, I'll take it. One, two, three~!”
Click—
And a few more.
Shin A-young checked the photos she'd taken.
“Oh···.”
It was self-praise, but no matter how she looked at it, hadn't she taken them well?
This should satisfy Lee Sol, too.
Shin A-young turned the phone around and showed it to the expert.
“Lee Seungho, what do you think? Is it okay? Give me a truly objective evaluation.”
“Uh, for a beginner, it didn't come out bad.”
“How many points?”
“I'll give it a ten.”
“Huh? Out of ten?”
“Out of a hundred.”
What the heck, I'd gotten my hopes up for nothing.
If it was out of a hundred, shouldn't it at least be over fifty?
“Here, Sol.”
Shin A-young handed Lee Sol's phone back to her.
“···.”
Her expression as she looked down at the photo was somewhat stony.
“···Oh.”
Was this not what she wanted?
Didn't she want to take a picture with Lee Seungho?
“···.”
Lee Sol briefly met her gaze. Her lashes were subtly lowered.
···Apparently, that hadn't been what she wanted.
···Should I at least change the subject?
“···Shall we go to where the whale sharks are now?”
Shin A-young opened the guidebook and led the way.
She felt she should move quickly
.
.
.
The exhibition hall they arrived at was already swarming with people.
Lee Sol's expression turned a little overwhelmed.
“···There are so many people.”
“We can't see them in our country. I guess everyone really did come here.”
Then.
Swoosh—
A huge fish that looked like a whale shark glided past beyond the glass.
The shadow cast by the lights made its size feel real.
“Wow···.”
Lee Seungho slowly parted his lips at the sight.
“It's huge, way bigger than I expected. Seeing it up close, it's no joke.”
His tone was a little excited.
Lee Seungho was a guy, after all.
Anyway, he couldn't resist when he saw something big.
“Ahem··· I-it looks even better from over here.”
Lee Sol muttered quietly toward him.
“Huh?”
At that, Shin A-young subtly moved to Lee Sol's right.
Let's see.
“Oh, you're right.”
From here, with no other fish around, the swimming whale shark was easier to see.
It was definitely a better spot.
Shin A-young turned her head and called to him.
“Seungho. Come over here. They say you can see it better from here.”
Shin A-young tapped the right side.
“Where?”
Hearing that, Lee Seungho stopped at the spot she pointed to.
“Oh···.”
He let out a brief exclamation.
Was it really that exciting?
Shin A-young was briefly satisfied by the sight of him gazing curiously through the aquarium glass.
Tug-tug—
She felt someone tugging at her collar from beside her.
When she turned her head, Lee Sol was giving her a strange look.
Her cheeks looked slightly puffed.
Lee Sol pointed behind her with her thumb.
“Uh···.”
Was she telling her to follow?
Shin A-young quietly followed behind her, wondering if something was wrong.
Lee Seungho and Jinuri seemed busy taking pictures of the whale shark from a distance,
and this was a corner with no one else around.
“Phew···.”
Lee Sol let out a short sigh, then
with eyes that seemed to say she'd figured it out,
“···I'll just handle it myself.”
she said to her.
notes | Fixed the draft’s malformed period/prose sequence near the exhibition hall and restored the three standalone period lines. Used neutral “the person beside him” where the source leaves the subject unspecified.