Ch.124Equipment Shutdown (7)

“Phew… Luckily I made it back before personal time ended.”

“Welcome back, official Miss Immortal Goddess.”

“Oh, look who’s here, the sex parrot.”

“D-don’t tease me.”

Hamin successfully returned to her room without being caught by Teacher Yeo Mi-so or any of the other students.

The influence of the previous day’s Miss Immortal Contest still lingered, so both nicknames continued to coexist among her roommates.

“Is Ban Do-young okay?”

“Is she in a lot of pain?”

“Yeah, she seems fine for now. Judging by how she was still joking around.”

“I’m jealous.”

“Huh…?”

It would be a lie to say she didn’t want to enjoy secret meetings with Do-young.

However, reporting one’s whereabouts to group members during personal time was a basic rule of group activities.

Though her feelings for Do-young were genuine,

Hamin hadn’t become enough of a delinquent yet

to break that rule and secretly meet Do-young.

That’s why Hamin had already informed Hyun Myung-soo, the vice president of Class 1 and the leader of her room group,

that she would be visiting Do-young in the infirmary.

“I was worried because you were later than expected. I thought something might have happened. You said you’d just drop off some snacks, so why did it take so long…?”

“Ah…”

Hamin deliberately avoided answering.

Even for someone like her, she couldn’t confess the episode of hiding under Do-young’s blanket and fainting due to Teacher Mi-so’s sudden intrusion.

“Did something happen to Ban Do-young?”

“Is she actually sicker than she’s letting on? She’ll be able to join us properly tomorrow, right?”

“Y-yes. She will, definitely.”

“Phew… That’s a relief.”

The things Do-young had said while holding onto Hamin, as if she were about to leave for somewhere far away.

In the end, Do-young had brushed it off saying it was all an act, and Hamin had raised her voice in frustration at being fooled by Do-young again before they parted, but she couldn’t help feeling worried.

Though she had been pranked by Do-young countless times under the name of “daily quota,”

the words Do-young had said to Hamin just before they parted didn’t come across as a joke or empty words.

Despite her excessive pranks, Hamin didn’t think Do-young was the type to joke about a life that had nearly been lost.

That’s why Hamin had genuinely shouted in anger at Do-young’s behavior at that moment.

Which parts of what Do-young had said were true, and where did the jokes begin?

Even Hamin, who thought she had grown accustomed to Do-young, couldn’t tell.

‘No, she’ll be fine. She probably just had lower self-control because of her cold.’

Hamin deliberately turned away from the sense of unease she had felt then.

She thought she was just misunderstanding things because it was her first time seeing Do-young sick and bedridden.

-Tap tap

‘I need to fix that negative thinking. Do-young would be disappointed. She seemed to have overcome her cold quickly, so she’ll probably be up and about normally tomorrow.’

Lightly tapping her own cheeks, Hamin shook off the distracting thoughts that had been circling in her mind.

“Sorry I’m late. Do-young said she’s a patient, so I had to wait until she finished eating. I only got out after cleaning up all the trash that was scattered around.”

“Ugh, that doesn’t sound enviable.”

“Why not? You could have eaten Ban Do-young’s leftover ice cream.”

“Please hold your breath for three days and four nights.”

“Ahaha… This is small, but I brought these as an apology.”

Hamin smiled awkwardly and held out the convenience store bag she had been hiding behind her back.

“Ooh, what is it? What is it!”

“I bought enough for everyone.”

“As expected of the official Immortal Goddess! This is the goddess’s blessing!”

“The sex parrot has left its cage and brought back snacks!”

Apart from the nickname she had earned at the school trip event,

Hamin had fortunately maintained her image as a model student in her class until now.

The roommates who shared her room knew Hamin’s usually quiet personality and diligent lifestyle well,

so they didn’t have any particular suspicions about her words,

nor did they ask what else might have happened.

But one can’t deceive one’s own conscience.

The snacks Hamin handed over included an element of tribute, created from a mixture of guilt for being absent for a long time without the other group members knowing, and the secrecy of hiding the time spent with Do-young.

‘I’ve almost used up all the allowance Mom gave me for the school trip… but it should be fine.’

Of course, as a result, her already thinning wallet

began to show its bottom even before the third day of the school trip.

“Hurry, open the bag.”

“I wonder what’s inside?”

“Oh, lime-flavored gummy jellies, lime soda, lime potato chips… and…”

“Why is everything lime-flavored?”

However, it couldn’t be helped that even the gifts for her roommates

had all been fixed to Do-young’s preferences.

.

.

.

“Tomorrow we have an outdoor field trip scheduled from the morning. We’ll be departing earlier than today because of the distance, so make sure to wake up on time as planned. Understood?”

“Yes, we understand!”

“Teacher Mi-so, have a good night too!”

“Great! Let’s all meet tomorrow with energetic faces!”

Even after the teachers’ announcements ended and bedtime began,

Hamin stayed awake with her eyes open until just before falling asleep, not letting go of her mobile phone.

She was worried that Do-young might contact her in the middle of the night needing something.

After all, though she hadn’t told the other students yet,

that day was officially the first day of Hamin and Do-young’s relationship.

The anxiety about what she could do for Do-young, who was suffering from a cold, naturally weighed heavily on Hamin’s shoulders.

Even after everyone had turned off the lights and fallen asleep, she kept lifting her eyelids to check her phone several times.

‘T-this really is like what Do-young said, like a husband taking care of his pregnant wife with morning sickness…’

Hamin, who kept waking up intermittently throughout the night to check her phone.

Despite her bloodshot eyes that were neither fully open nor closed, when she recalled what Do-young had said,

she couldn’t help but laugh involuntarily.

“No… what am I thinking… I should control my excitement. How silly…”

But at moments when images that seemed too idealistic even to herself appeared in her mind,

she couldn’t help but punch her own head for her fantasies.

“No messages means… she’s sleeping well without needing anything special.”

That was the promise—if she needed anything, she would contact Hamin.

Moreover, after Hamin left Do-young’s room, it would have been Teacher Yeo Mi-so’s turn to return to where Do-young was.

Even if she needed something, she would likely have asked the teacher first rather than Hamin.

It’ll be fine.

By tomorrow morning, all these worries will seem pointless when she comes out with a bright face,

saying she needs her morning quota and playing her usual pranks.

“That’s how it’ll be… definitely.”

At 4:44 AM,

Hamin finally put down her feelings somewhere between disappointment and relief,

and closed her phone along with her eyelids.

.

.

.

“…She c-can’t come?”

“Do-young isn’t going on the field trip today?”

But the next day, the third day of the school trip.

As if confirming her unwanted premonition,

Do-young didn’t appear at the bus that was about to depart for the field trip.

“It seems Do-young won’t be able to handle today’s schedule. The teacher checked on her this morning, but she’s decided to rest at the lodging today.”

Teacher Yeo Mi-so sighed with concern.

“Did her condition get worse overnight?”

Hamin pushed through the crowd of students and asked the teacher.

“No, that’s not it. Even this morning, her voice didn’t sound that bad. But she said she still had cold symptoms and couldn’t go out, so she was all wrapped up in her blanket.”

“Hey, Do Hamin. You said she seemed fine when you saw her yesterday.”

“I don’t know… There weren’t any special messages from her overnight either.”

“Alright, since Do-young will be checked on regularly by the lodging staff and the teachers who stayed behind, the rest of Class 1-1 students should get on the bus now!”

Naturally, the group’s schedule wouldn’t be disrupted because of an individual’s circumstances.

The students boarded the bus just like they had done yesterday, sitting in the same seats they had occupied before.

Except for the slightly subdued atmosphere

and the empty seat next to Hamin,

the bus was no different from days 1 and 2.

And so, the bus carrying all the students except Do-young

headed toward the destination designated for day 3.

“Hamin, why do you look so down?”

“Huh…?”

“Is it because of Ban Do-young?”

“…Yeah.”

On the way to the field trip site,

Sahyang and Hyerang asked Hamin, who was anxiously looking out the window.

“It’s not… a fake illness, right?”

“She’s not the type to skip out on a fun trip, that Ban Do-young.”

“For now, we have to believe that Do-young’s cold hasn’t improved. Hamin, you should buy her a gift or something on the way back later.”

“…Yeah, I should. Definitely.”

Shortly after, when the Immortal High School students arrived at Asakusa Street, their day 3 destination,

the students dispersed to find what they wanted to see.

The schedule for day 3 was basically the same as day 2:

they were free to tour around, but shouldn’t leave the designated area,

and should report their current location to their homeroom teacher at regular intervals.

“Hamin, since things turned out this way, let’s hang out together today. Later we can buy a gift for Do-young together…”

“…Hey, where did Do Hamin go?”

Sahyang, who tried to invite the now-solo Hamin to join their party,

found that Hamin had disappeared without a trace shortly after getting off the bus.

“Don’t tell me… she already went to look for a gift for Do-young, abandoning her own sightseeing?”

“Those two are sickeningly sweet.”

.

.

.

“Let’s see… what can I buy with my money now…”

Just as they had guessed.

Hamin, not caring about sightseeing at all, was going around souvenir shops,

looking for a gift to bring back to Do-young.

“I’m sorry, Mom… This remaining money… I was saving it to buy you a gift… Please forgive me just this once.”

The unfilial daughter wiped away her tears,

deciding to spend all the money left in her wallet on a gift for Do-young.

“But… what should I give her?”

However, what came after her firm resolution was

the sight of a long line of souvenir shops stretching into the distance.

In the streets of Asakusa, which could be considered an entire tourist area,

all kinds of gifts were displayed.

“Maybe food would be better… She must be curious about the local food she missed. But if she eats it right away, it’ll be gone immediately… Maybe clothes would be better… Ah, but I don’t know her exact size.”

The only size of Do-young that Hamin knew was her cup size.

And even that was just the vague fact that she was “rapidly growing from G cup.”

“What kind of boyfriend am I… This is pathetic, really.”

Realizing that this was the only information she knew,

Hamin let out a deep sigh and hung her head in front of the store.

“変なお兄さんだね。”

(What a strange guy.)

“…Huh?”

At that moment, sensing someone suddenly approaching from the side,

Hamin turned her head to the right.

“いきなりお土産屋さんの前に立ってため息をついて。”

(Standing in front of a souvenir shop and sighing out of nowhere.)

Next to Hamin stood a girl with attractive orange eyes

and black hair, staring intently at her.

“Ah.”

Understanding the girl’s Japanese, Hamin immediately stepped back,

thinking she was blocking the girl from entering the store and trying to make way.

“S-sumimasen. Boku…”

“Oh, you’re Korean? I spoke Japanese for nothing.”

“Huh?”

“But I guess you understood what I said since you moved aside. I wasn’t bothered by you standing there, so don’t worry about it.”

“Ah… I see. Your Japanese is very fluent.”

“I suppose so. I go to school here.”

The language of her homeland that came out more fluently than Japanese from the girl’s mouth.

Hamin was momentarily surprised and unconsciously complimented the girl’s language skills.

“So? What gift are you agonizing over buying for someone, shorty?”

The girl asked Hamin with a smile that seemed slightly mocking.