episode_0263

“I am.”

A soft smile appeared on his lips.

The words that came out of there were ones that no one could deny and that were my true feelings without any doubt.

“I don’t think happiness is that far away.”

“… … .”

Choi Jin-ah stares at me intently at my words.

“It’s always been like that. I just didn’t appreciate it because it was by my side.”

Calmly lower your gaze.

As if I was vowing to never let go, I held her hand without wavering.

“That-.”

Jinah Choi, who was about to say something, closes her mouth again.

Could it be because of the surrounding noise and gaze?

She seemed uncomfortable saying anything.

“That’s what happiness is. Seeing the sunrise after a long time, taking a walk alone late at night, sleeping refreshedly after a long time, a movie being more interesting than expected, etc. ”

“… … .”

“Happiness is already a part of our daily lives. But it is not strange to miss it.”

Because most people do.

“Our two eyes, living fiercely, are always looking forward.”

“… … .”

“Look around you. You will find that there is more happiness around you than you thought.”

Choi Jin-ah still had no answer.

Are you nervous about being on stage?

Certainly, people’s sharp gazes were a bit harsh.

“Hoo.”

Choi Jin-ah exhaled deeply.

Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore and asked me.

“Why are you saying that now?”

He immediately tried to grab my hand and pull me away, but I held him back with force so that he could not escape.

“I think you don’t know much about these small happinesses in everyday life.”

“A little happiness?”

Although Choi Jin-ah was talking in a very angry tone, I answered firmly and clearly.

“Yes, these little happinesses are good.”

Didn’t I tell you this before?

“For example, a new ice cream product is more delicious than you thought, you feel proud after helping a grandmother with a heavy load, you found an old photo album… … .”

or not.

“Winning a Porsche as a prize.”

At my words, Choi Jin-ah’s expression filled with emptiness. My cheeks sagged as she smiled at the sight of her eyes that seemed to say, “What kind of person is this?”

“Prizes… …There will be awards.”

Bong Geun, who came up on stage with a shit-eating expression, was holding a Porsche key in his hand that was to be given to me.

“Hahahahahaha!”

The laughter just wouldn’t stop.

Anyway, I should have known that Bonggeun, this kid, has been spending money like water since long ago.

Who would have thought that the first prize for the treasure hunt would be a Porsche!

“Your thoughts, a word… … please.”

Bong Geun’s expression as he held out the microphone wasn’t very pleasing.

You found the answer using the rules and hints you followed, so you can’t say anything to me, right?

“Oh, yes. Actually, I didn’t originally plan on looking for it?”

The view from the people below the stage is not very good.

If you think about it, isn’t it like coming to work wearing fake sportswear, making a mess, and then driving a Porsche?

Additionally, we decided to pack the food separately and take it with us.

“But Bonggeun gave a hint-.”

“James!”

I scratched my head at the shout of Bonggeun next to me.

They give you alcohol, food, and even a Porsche, but you can call them by any name you want.

“I was able to find it thanks to James’ hint.”

There are three hints that Bong Geun gave in total.

– It is located in a very precious place in the world.

– They look like us, but they are actually different.

When I heard this, I just assumed it was like that.

I wasn’t really interested.

The third hint heard when Senior Joohee won the sparring match and settled the money they had bet.

– It could keep moving.

On the way to give some more money to Choi Jin-ah.

I saw her on the phone.

A gloomy expression?

Tears welling up in your eyes?

A waist that is gradually bending as if being crushed by something?

A sigh of pain?

All that aside.

‘Is that guy’s bracelet broken?’

Night cruise ship.

That was exactly what I thought the moment I saw her wrist talking on the phone under the shadow of the crowd.

The red bracelet on her wrist wasn’t luminous.

That moment.

– It is located in a very precious place in the world.

The wrist of a world-class violinist.

– They look like us, but they are actually different.

A bracelet that looks exactly like the luminous bracelets we have on our hands, but in fact does not glow.

– It could keep moving.

Choi Jin-ah moves because she is human.

The lightning-like realization that struck my head gave me a strong urge to shout Eureka.

I noticed the gazes of men still targeting Choi Jin-ah.

Because their gazes, naturally trying to approach Choi Jin-ah by taking advantage of the opportunity, seemed like they were trying to steal my prize at any moment.

I was able to get here by immediately jumping up and running.

“Thanks to the hint, I was able to figure out that Jinah Choi’s bracelet was a treasure.”

He lifts up Choi Jin-ah’s hand, which he has not let go of since a while ago.

There’s a bracelet attached to it.

This was the treasure.

He hands the microphone to Bong-geun with a satisfied smile.

Bonggeun with dead eyes.

But as a host, I am trying to maintain high tension.

“Yes, that’s right. The treasure was Choi Jin-ah’s bracelet.”

There were some complaints coming from people around me.

There was a lot of muttering about how to find that out. People grumbled that it only benefits those who are close to Jinah Choi.

“I planned this because I thought she would be the most noticeable person at this party.”

Bong Geun dismissed their complaints with a fake smile.

Certainly, Choi Jin-ah was bound to stand out wherever she went.

People couldn’t approach us because we were dragged around.

If it weren’t for that, there would have been many people who approached her, wanting to become friends with her as a world-class violinist.

She also attracted a lot of attention because of the rumor that she was looking for a man to marry right away.

“Because she was so beautiful, no one was able to find the treasure next to her!”

Did you even grease your tongue?

You’re so good at saying weird things without any worries.

As I was urging him to hand over the car keys right away, he sighed and handed me the car keys that he had put in a jewelry box.

A camera flash goes off.

“Woojini is the best!”

“Wow! Hey, Oppa! Let’s go for a drive today!”

“If the passenger seat of the Porsche doesn’t work, I’ll sit on your lap!”

Seo Ye-rin and two other women rejoicing under the stage.

“What the heck?! He’s my man?!”

Seo Ye-rin glared at them with a sharp gaze, as if she had heard them talking, and it seemed like she would rush at them at any moment.

Senior Joohee gave me a thumbs up from afar.

The reason he has a faint smile on his face, unlike his senior, is probably because he got a bike himself.

While I was taking pictures, I whispered to Bonggeun next to me.

“Thank you, Bonggeun. Thanks to you, I got a car and a bike. Be sure to call me again later.”

From now on, class reunions are open to the public.

“Can you put food in the Porsche trunk?”

“… … I won’t be hosting from now on.”

I think that would be a bit of a shame.

“Hey, don’t do that. Where else can you find someone who spends as much as you do?”

“You were trying to be a fool, right?”

“But I kind of feel that way. It’s like I came to someone else’s birthday party and ate all the cake by myself.”

“Do you have any conscience at all?”

“Let’s have a drink later. I’ll buy you something nice. Do you like soju or beer?”

“… … .”

Ignoring the looks on my face as if to say, “Why are there only two options?” I finish taking the commemorative photo.

* * *

“… … .”

Choi Jin-ah looks at Kim Woo-jin from afar with a blank expression.

He looks very excited as he sits in the driver’s seat of his Porsche and talks to someone on the phone.

“Hey! Hey! Seriously?! I’m driving a Porsche! This is awesome. It’s in front of my house! Let’s go for a drive!”

“Huh? You didn’t drink? Just a little? Then you’re saying it’s drunk driving? Write… … That’s right.”

“Let’s ride tomorrow, tomorrow. Huh? Do you have a license? Oh, right. I don’t have a license.”

‘What the heck is that conversation?’

It was clear that he was drunk.

Why are you talking nonsense like that?

Looking at that, I felt like a fool for having been so worried and distressed about something.

– People who try to deal with that guy often don’t get what they want.

‘That’s exactly what you said.’

I remember what Kim Jae-woon, Kim Woo-jin’s older brother, said.

I thought for sure something would change.

However, Woojin Kim only took what he wanted and was left alone in his place.

Two women approached her like that.

These were the two people who were almost always together at the party today.

“Let’s go to school together!”

“Let’s play together later! The kid is so innocent and fun!”

“Oh, yes.”

Choi Jin-ah also didn’t feel bad about the two of them, so they exchanged numbers without hesitation.

She had quite a few friends, but these were the first of their kind.

“But how do you play when you meet?”

Maybe that’s why I suddenly became curious and asked.

The two answered straight away.

“What should I do to play?”

“Karaoke? Hunting pocha? Club? If there’s a place you haven’t been to, just tell us! We’ll take you there!”

“… … .”

Looking at the two of them for a moment, I felt a slightly complicated desire.

The freedom he felt when Kim Woo-jin dragged him away earlier.

A different version of myself felt through my experiences in life.

I wanted to feel them again.

I wanted to be another Choi Jin-ah, not the violinist Choi Jin-ah.

Like two people in front of me who are the complete opposite of me.

“Are you two good people?”

Even though it was a sudden question, the two of them didn’t seem flustered and just poured out what was on their minds.

“No! You’re a bad girl!”

“존나 나쁜 년들이야! 그래서 남자도 나쁜 새끼들만 꼬이나 봐!”

“Hahahahaha! That’s right! You need to fix your behavior!”

“I came here because I met a weird kid and got into trouble for no reason! I guess this is our fate!”

My head was complicated in many ways and I couldn’t organize it well.

“Can I… … change like that?”

I mustered up my courage to speak up.

It’s the first step of mustering up the courage to change into something other than who I am now.

“Effective! Let’s do Kasekx! Kasekx!”

“Isn’t the Porsche sex the most expensive sex toy in the world?!”

When I heard the voice of Kim Woo-jin, who seemed to be living without thinking, I felt like an idiot again.

Woof!

At that moment, my father’s phone rang.

It’s scary how many times I’ve been absent.

“Hello.”

– Where are you?

The anger boiling from his voice seemed to melt my eardrums as it passed through my ear holes.

– Who was that guy earlier?

“Mr. Woojin.”

Just hearing your voice makes many emotions evaporate again.

Before I knew it, I had the confidence to report as usual.

– You’re not saying you’re going to meet that guy again, are you!? I checked him out! He’s a total hooligan!

– Absolutely not! Find someone else besides him!

She was always a good daughter.

A fool who wants to let others know that he has changed, but doesn’t even know how to do it.

To her, who could not say a word in front of her father, a very simple opportunity was given for the first and last time.

And she, who had had many different experiences, did not miss it.

Bad girls tend to date bad guys.

“I like that person.”

– what……?

“I’m going to date that bad guy!”

Stop.

The phone just hung up.

For the first time in her life, Jin-ah Choi hung up on someone unilaterally, and the fact that it was her father made her heart race.

“Hao! Ha, haooo!”

As I was catching my breath, hearing a strange sound, the two people in front of me looked at me with surprised eyes.

“I’m really going to date that guy?!”

“No! Does that guy have a girlfriend?”

In response to the two’s words, Choi Jin-ah turned off her cell phone altogether.

“I don’t like it!”

I don’t deny that it was my first love.

But isn’t it honestly absurd to think that the actions you showed today will make you remember your love from elementary school?

But it was interesting.

Because today there were so many things I was doing for the first time in my life.

It was my first time drinking soju, my first time seeing a fighting game up close, and I had never bet money on it.

‘They say happiness is surprisingly close.’

In that respect, it had some similarities to the bracelet he was wearing on his wrist.

I didn’t even think about looking for treasure.

I didn’t even bother to find out.

So he couldn’t find the treasure that was hanging on his wrist.

‘That’s funny.’

Obviously he was just trying to get me to eat some more… … .

“Jina! Take a picture of us!”

Kim Woo-jin asks to take a picture in his Porsche.

Jin-ah Choi, who saw him, walked briskly with a look of disbelief on her face.

I untie my hair, which had been tied up earlier.

The arriving land.

It felt like the lights seen from afar were strangely welcoming me.

There was no sudden change as expected.

But she was still the same Choi Jin-ah.

Still, I started trying to change a little bit, and that was enough for the time being.

“Let’s play some more.”

I didn’t want this day to end.

I hoped that this strangely dizzying and exhilaratingly cool day would continue.

“Yes? I don’t like it.”

Of course, Kim Woo-jin refused.

“I want to get closer to Yerin.”

“Me too!”

Choi Jin-ah turned to Seo Ye-rin, and Seo Ye-rin, who was naturally sociable, accepted it without rejecting it.

She was slowly learning how to deal with Kim Woo-jin in her own way.

“Wow! Let’s play! Play more!”

“Brother, it’s only 12 o’clock! You finished too early!”

The two women who followed also cheered and welcomed Choi Jin-ah’s proposal.

“Haa, what do you want to do?”

When Seo Ye-rin was happy to become friends with a famous person named Choi Jin-ah, Kim Woo-jin ended up asking her as if he was following her.

“Um, first of all.”

Choi Jin-ah answered with a bright smile.

“I want to drink soju!”