Chapter 194: Arrival at the Villa! Let’s Go—To the Sea!

&R;εad̈ &o;n Kаt̃​R̂e‍​a​dｉn̈​gСaf̈e

Contrary to our expectations that the train would be crowded due to peak season, the inside was surprisingly quiet. There were so few people that we could easily count the occupied seats with a glance.

And so, we found our assigned seats and settled in pairs:

• Me and the CEO.
• Jia unnie and Ra-hee unnie.
• Yuna and Chae-yoon unnie.
• And So-eun unnie, who ended up sitting alone.

I worried that So-eun unnie might feel bored sitting by herself, but she didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, she barely looked up from her laptop the entire trip.

CEO Kang even scolded her, “You’re on vacation—stop working already!” But So-eun unnie stubbornly insisted, “Just let me finish this one thing,” and kept at it.

“Unnie! Do you really have to be this competitive with me?!”

“Tsk, you should be quiet on the train.”

“Ugh, you’re so mean…!”

The bickering between Chae-yoon unnie and Yuna, who were playing a one-on-one battle game, occasionally reached our ears.

“Ah, so the villa is pretty high up?”

“Yeah, it is. The view’s great, but it’s a bit of a hassle getting to places like convenience stores since they’re downhill.”

“Ugh, a hill…?”

Meanwhile, Jia unnie and Ra-hee unnie seemed to be discussing the villa we were visiting.

“By the way, CEO, are we taking the train back too?”

“No, we’ll take a car on the way back. I just wanted to try this once—it’s not bad, you know?”

“Ah, I see…”

I also chatted with CEO Kang about various things—like what we’d do first when we arrived, our return transportation, and even searching for local must-try restaurants together.

Before I knew it, time flew by. The novelty of my first train ride wore off, and I started nodding off…

“Huh?! Da-jeong! Look over there! You can see the sea!”

“Huh?! That, really…?!”

Snapped awake by Yuna’s sudden voice, I turned my head—and there it was. A vast, endless sea stretching beyond the window.

We weren’t close enough to the station to feel like we were right by the water, but the sight of the horizon lined with sparkling ocean made my eyes gleam anyway.

“Wow, it’s so pretty…! CEO, look—the sea! And I think those are seagulls!”

“Pfft, you’re that excited?”

“Of course! This is my first time seeing the ocean in my life!”

CEO Kang watched me, amused, like I was a hyped-up child. But I was too giddy to care, nodding vigorously and raising my voice without restraint.

Sure, I’d been to the Han River before. But the sea? This was a first. Even after debut, though I’d traveled plenty with the members, we’d never made it to the coast.

Whoa… It’s totally different from the Han River.

How do I put it? It feels… infinite.

—The next station is…

“Alright, everyone, start getting ready to get off.”

“Yes~!”

As the announcement for our station played overhead, CEO Kang glanced around and directed the members. One by one, they stood, gathering their belongings from the overhead racks.

Screech—

“Gah, it’s so hot!”

“Save me!”

Stepping onto the platform, we were greeted by a wave of sweltering heat. Chae-yoon unnie and Yuna groaned dramatically, but instead of scowling, I broke into a smile.

Now it really feels like the trip has begun.

***************

“Hello. I’m Choi Kyung-ok, the caretaker of the villa.”

“Ah, hello…”

“Hello!”

“We’re in your care!”

After leaving the station, we found a woman waiting for us in front of a van.

I’d assumed the caretaker would be a man—someone who could handle heavy tasks—so I was slightly surprised to see a woman instead.

But the moment I saw her physique, I understood why.

(No offense intended, but…)

It felt like standing before a towering mountain.

Her frame alone was remarkably imposing—even taller than Ra-hee unnie, despite looking to be in her early-to-mid 50s.

“Manager Choi oversaw our family’s security for over 20 years before retiring. Now she manages the villa.”

“Wow…”

The brief introduction during the ride explained her build. So she was the leader of the security team? No wonder.

“I apologize for the inconvenience this time.”

“Not at all. I’m delighted to see the young miss again. Lately, everyone’s been using the overseas villas, so visits here are rare.”

Listening to the CEO and Manager Choi chat, I realized her stern appearance hid a gentle demeanor.

“By the way, young miss, you didn’t request meals… Will that be alright?”

“Yes, we’re fine. We thought we’d cook together for a change.”

“Ah, so someone here is skilled in cooking?”

“Of course. Right, Da-jeong?”

“Huh? M-me…?”

I hadn’t expected the spotlight. Stunned, I pointed at myself—just as my eyes met Manager Choi’s in the rearview mirror.

“Y-yes… I’m not great, but I can follow recipes.”

“Impressive. Our young miss has always been hopeless at cooking—”

“Must you announce that in front of my members? So embarrassing…”

Whoa, I’ve never seen unnie flustered like this. Come to think of it, Ra-hee unnie was flawless at everything except cooking. It was almost tragically bad—maybe a secret complex?

“Pfft, unnie, why act shy now?”

“Right? Everyone knows about your ‘poison cooking.’”

“Should I drop you off here? Or do you want to walk up?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ll bow my head in apology…!”

…Yeah, I guess it’s true.

Normally, I would’ve just brushed it off, but seeing Ra-hee unnie react so coldly…

I should really avoid joking about her cooking skills from now on.

Not that I ever did before, but still.

“I hope you all have a wonderful trip.”

Manager Choi’s words lingered as we chattered away. Finally, after passing a steep hillside, we arrived at Ra-hee unnie’s villa.

***************

I distinctly remembered what Ra-hee unnie had said before this trip.

Back during our first vacation meeting, she’d mentioned, “I have a villa, but it’s a bit small—hope you don’t mind.”

So then… why…?

“Jia unnie, are all villas supposed to be this big?”

“Why are you asking me…?”

“It’s huge…”

“Looks at least four stories tall?”

“Honestly, this feels less like a villa and more like someone plopped down an entire apartment building.”

What stood before us wasn’t just larger than Ra-hee unnie’s family home—it wasn’t even a mansion at this point.

No, this is a castle.

That’s the only word for it.

“Manager Choi, you can head back and rest. I’ll handle the tour.”

“Understood, young miss. Please call if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

Unfazed by our stunned silence, Ra-hee unnie calmly sent Manager Choi off, then strode ahead and pushed open the villa’s doors.

“Why is everyone just standing there?”

She ushered us inside, and we shuffled after her in a daze, gawking at our surroundings.

The villa, designed primarily in white tones, was impeccably clean and stunningly beautiful—both inside and out.

“Wow…!”

“Th—the ceilings are so high?!”

“Unnie! Look at this—there’s even an elevator inside!”

“CEO, did you know the villa would be like this?”

“No, I had no idea it’d be this big…”

The high ceilings and open layout made the space feel even more expansive, leaving us all breathless. How much would it cost to rent a place like this?

“So? Does everyone like it? Da-jeong, what about you?”

“It’s amazing, unnie…! I love it!”

“I can’t believe I’m staying somewhere like this in my lifetime…”

“No words. It’s perfect.”

Nodding like excited meerkats, we scattered to explore. The villa had so many rooms that each of us could have our own.

“How should we handle the rooms? Private ones for everyone?”

“But sleeping together sounds fun too…”

“How about separate rooms tonight since we’re tired, and all together on the last night?”

“Ooh, yes!”

We agreed to sleep separately tonight and regroup for a final slumber party before leaving.

Hehe, I’ll take this room.

The others get too much sunlight—perfect for sun-lovers like Yuna or Chae-yoon unnie. For a hikikomori like me, this cozy corner is ideal.

“What about food? Eat now or go out first?”

“Let’s head out right away!”

“Me too!”

“We’re at the beach—sightseeing first makes sense!”

After a unanimous vote, we decided to play first and eat later. (Probably because we’d snacked on four bags of chips during the train ride. Ahem, guilty as charged—even the CEO had stared at me in disbelief.)

“Then let’s all change into swimsuits and meet at the sand?”

“Yes~!”

“Sounds perfect!”

As So-eun unnie finalized the plan, we nodded vigorously and dispersed to our rooms.

Wait… I never got to see what swimsuits the others picked.

I wonder what they’ll look like?

…Maybe I’m a little curious.