Ch.106106. Is There Something More Important Than Me?

The current time is 11:40 AM.

The lecture ended early as the professor had announced beforehand, but my next class doesn’t start until 2 PM, leaving me with time to kill. So Hwa Nabi and I, having come for an early lunch, were sitting across from each other at a table in a nearby Korean restaurant.

“Nabi, what would you like to eat?”

“Hmm… since it’s lunch, should we go with a light set meal?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

I pressed the bell to call the restaurant ajumma and placed our order.

It’ll probably take at least twenty minutes until our food arrives. Just the right amount of time for some casual conversation.

“Hey, Nabi? About that thing from earlier.”

The central topic was obviously the liberal arts lecture we just had. Even without a subject, Nabi immediately understood and nodded.

“Yes, you mean the trip, right?”

“Yeah, about that…”

“Mmm, yes. Siwoo, where should we go this time? We went to Jeju Island last month, so should we try another island? Or maybe somewhere warmer since it’s cold these days?”

Just as I was about to speak, Nabi jumped in and started rattling off plans as if she’d been waiting for this moment. I closed my mouth and looked at her.

My expression must have asked if something was wrong. She tilted her head slightly and asked me:

“What? Is there something on my face?”

“No, that’s not it… Are you really planning to go on a trip?”

I felt bad interrupting Nabi as she enthusiastically laid out her plans, but I couldn’t help it. When I cut in, her eyes widened.

“Yes. The professor asked us to write a report based on our experience, right? So naturally, we need to go.”

“It might be difficult to find time during the semester since it gets pretty hectic. Are you sure it’s okay? This week is just the first week so there aren’t many classes, but from next week, things will probably get really busy.”

She seems to think we’ll have plenty of free time because our schedule has no classes on Mondays and Fridays. She’ll soon learn that reality is quite different.

On weekdays, a few lectures will make the day fly by, and holidays will be spent tackling mountains of assignments and reports. I’ve been through this before, so I’m used to it and can manage, but Nabi doesn’t have that experience yet.

I expressed this concern, but Nabi seemed to think it was actually a good thing.

“Oh, that’s fine. Wouldn’t it be better to go early in the semester? Like you said, if this is the first week of lectures with few classes… isn’t it the perfect time to travel? We’ll have plenty of time. Plus, since we’re free from Friday this week, we could leave Thursday afternoon—that would be perfect.”

“Well, um. You’re not wrong, but I don’t think that will work.”

“…Why? Do you have other plans?”

When I cautiously expressed my refusal, her face darkened instantly. I quickly spoke up before she could misunderstand.

“No, no. It’s not other plans, but my department is going on an MT this weekend. The department head said all first-years must attend without exception…”

“…Oh, is that all? Then it’s fine. You can just say you’re not going, right?”

“…Did you not hear what I just said? All first-years must attend. Besides, hasn’t your department mentioned something similar?”

Since we’re in different departments, I don’t know the specifics, but schedules tend to be similar, so I figured Nabi’s department must have mentioned an MT too. My guess was correct, as she nodded.

“They did, but… it’s not like we absolutely have to go, right?”

“Unless you’re planning to completely give up on department life, it’s generally better to attend.”

Given the nature of university where you don’t know most people in your department, it’s not a bad idea to attend at least once to get familiar with seniors and peers. Also, when everyone else is going, it feels awkward to be the only one skipping.

Of course, it’s possible to manage department life without attending events, but that’s only true for a select few.

“It might not be an issue right now, but later you’ll have group projects. And if there are old exams available, you’ll want to get them from seniors… All things considered, it’s better to show your face at least once.”

It might sound a bit unpleasant to the person concerned, but exceptional looks are a powerful weapon. Someone with Nabi’s appearance would probably have a truckload of people willing to help just by showing up briefly.

Yes, the truth is, to have an easy department life, you just need to be handsome or pretty. That’s the uncomfortable truth of university…

Tap.

The sound of someone tapping the table cut off my useless thoughts.

“So what do we do? Does this mean we can’t go on the trip?”

“I’m not saying we can’t go, just that we should take some time to think about it carefully…”

“…Even though you don’t take it slow at night.”

“…Huh?”

I doubted my ears for a moment. Did I hear wrong? I thought I heard something about night.

“When I said I needed a break because I couldn’t tense my stomach muscles, you ignored me and just… kept going. …Relentlessly.”

“……”

—Hiccup.

Nabi’s sudden outburst of such extreme words without warning caused me to hiccup.

“Wait. Wait a minute. Um, Nabi? Didn’t we agree not to talk about these things in public…?”

“Even during it, I told you I was embarrassed and didn’t like saying dirty things. But you said you’d keep tormenting me if I didn’t say them. You forced me and bullied me…”

Strange glances from customers at nearby tables landed on us, and I was horrified by Nabi’s words. This restaurant is inexpensive, so students from our school frequently come here.

If anyone happened to overhear our conversation… it would be truly disastrous. I might never be able to show my face again.

As I worried about this, she delivered the final blow.

“Siwoo.”

“Y-yes, what is it?”

“…We’re going on the trip, right?”

“…Ah, okay. Let’s go, I’ll go with you. So please, stop talking about this…!”

*

Today’s lectures are over.

After visiting another department’s office for some business, I used my key card to open the front door.

-Beep.

“Nabi, I’m home.”

The smell of food hit me as soon as I opened the door. I instinctively sniffed and identified the scent.

“This is… fish and… garlic?”

Judging by the complex mix of aromas, there must be quite a few side dishes. She said she’d go ahead and prepare dinner, and it seems she’s prepared something quite ambitious.

-Oh, Siwoo? Dinner won’t be ready for a while. Want to shower first?

“Do you need any help?”

-I’m fine. I just need to grill these and it’ll be done.

“Okay, got it.”

If I’d known, I would have come home earlier. With a slight sense of regret, I went to the bathroom, took off my clothes, and started showering.

She said it would take some time to finish, and that she didn’t need help, so I took my time washing thoroughly.

“Phew…”

After finishing my shower and washing my hair while I was at it, I came out to the living room drying my hair with a towel. In the adjacent kitchen, Nabi was busy cooking in an apron.

“Hmm hmm, hmm~”

She was so focused that she didn’t notice me approaching, humming a tune while grilling something. I looked over her shoulder to see what it was…

“Eel.”

“Oh my, you startled me! Siwoo, when did you come out?”

“Just now. But why eel?”

“Oh, this? I went grocery shopping and they were selling eel at a discount. It reminded me of you, so I bought some. It’s ready now, so go sit down. I’ll serve it.”

I’m not sure why seeing eel made her think of me, but I sat at the table anyway.

I set out chopsticks and a spoon for Nabi’s place across from me, and took out mine as well. She approached after finishing cooking.

“Here, it’s ready. It’s going to be delicious!”

The dinner Nabi confidently prepared was a home-style meal. White rice accompanied by various side dishes that clearly showed she had put in a lot of effort.

But the selection of side dishes was unusual.

Grilled eel, raw oysters, pickled garlic… a table full of foods known to be good for men’s stamina.

I couldn’t help feeling that the cook had some ulterior motives.

…It must be my imagination. I cleared my throat a couple of times to dispel these thoughts and brought up our unfinished conversation.

“Um, Nabi? About that report-writing trip we discussed earlier today.”

“Yes. What about the trip?”

“I had a few questions about it, so I went directly to the professor to ask.”

“Oh, really? What did you ask?”

“First, whether it’s okay for classmates to travel together, and if we can choose any location we want. Also about the detailed format of the report…”

“…Wait, so what did the professor say? Is it okay to go together?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. It’s fine to go with two or more people. But we still need to submit our reports separately.”

“Well, writing the report itself should be easy. It’s good that we can go together.”

Nabi nodded happily, and after watching her for a moment, I added:

“Traveling is nice, but you know our purpose isn’t just to have fun, right? This is still…”

“Yes, I know. This trip is ultimately an extension of the class, right?”

The correct term would be ‘lecture’ rather than ‘class,’ but seeing her beaming face, I couldn’t bring myself to correct her. I smiled and took out my phone.

“…I did some research on the way home. I looked through various reviews and picked out a few travel destinations suitable for March. Since we can only go for 4-5 days at most, I excluded overseas options. Focusing on domestic locations…”

“Oh, wait. Siwoo, I also did some research on travel destinations this time.”

…Nabi did research herself? I blinked in disbelief but didn’t show it, naturally continuing the conversation.

“Hmm, really?”

“Yes, like you, I picked out several good travel destinations. There are quite a few places perfect for a 4-5 day trip.”

Saying this, Nabi took out her phone from her pocket and held it up to my face. On her phone screen was a specific website.

—Today’s Special: 4-5 Day Japanese Hot Spring Travel Package! (Almost Sold Out)

Special price, sale, today only, almost sold out… these phrases are likely all lies. I couldn’t help but look at it suspiciously, but judging by her expression, Nabi had already made up her mind.

“Siwoo, a hot spring trip in March would be so special. What do you think?”

“What? You like hot springs? You should have said so earlier.”

Well, they say sulfur baths are good for the skin, right? There’s a reason hot spring packages are popular among women.

That’s what I thought when I asked, but Nabi shook her head.

“Hmm, no? It’s not that I particularly like hot springs…”

“Yes, not that you like them, but…?”

“I just want to be alone with you, Siwoo, just the two of us.”

“…Oh, um.”

I didn’t expect her to say that. I was speechless and just stared at her, then she added one more thing.

“So, make sure to eat plenty of side dishes.”

Usually people tell you to eat more rice, don’t they?

With that pointless thought, I lowered my head slightly to look at tonight’s side dishes.

The lifeless, dilated pupils of the eel.

…For some reason, that sight felt extremely significant.

“……”

Thinking it must be my imagination, I raised my head to look at Nabi.

At that moment, her pink lips opened seductively.

“…You’ll need the energy for tonight.”