Chapter 200: Preparing for the Last Night of the Trip!

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And so, the night at the villa passed, and the next day arrived.

Starting today, we decided to step outside the villa.

Ra-hee unnie had told us that just a short drive away, there were plenty of fun places to explore.

“Mmm…! This ice cream is insane. It’s kinda chewy?”

“Right, right? The flavor is super rich.”

“I think they must use really good milk or something.”

After a quick lunch of sushi—something everyone loves—we strolled down the street, each holding a soft-serve ice cream.

I’ve had my fair share of soft-serve since I love sweets, but I can confidently say this was the best I’ve ever tasted. Yuna flapped her arms like a penguin, excitedly raving about it, and it didn’t even feel like an exaggeration.

“Huh? There’s a punch machine over there! Anyone wanna try?!”

Soon, we spotted a punch machine placed outside what looked like an arcade. Unsurprisingly, the moment they saw it, their competitive spirits flared. Chae-yoon unnie immediately raised her hand, scanning for opponents.

“Hoo, fine. I’ll show you the difference in skill, unnie.”

“Ugh, that line was so cringe.”

“Heh…! Don’t cry after you lose!”

Of course, where Chae-yoon unnie goes, Yuna follows, declaring she’d give it a shot too. But Chae-yoon unnie just snorted at Yuna’s confidence, as if to say, “You think you can take me?”

“Boss, why don’t you try too?”

“Yeah, show us the power of the Queen of Ilsan!”

“Huh? CEO Kang, weren’t you the Queen of Incheon?”

“Eh, that’s old news!”

With no other volunteers, and seemingly bored, Chae-yoon unnie and Yuna grabbed CEO Kang by the arms and dragged her to the punch machine. Once CEO Kang stepped up, the other members grew curious and started lining up behind her.

“Da-jeong, wanna try?”

“Sure, I’ll give it a shot.”

Jia unnie, last in line, noticed me standing there blankly and gently tugged my sleeve. So, I decided to try it once too.

Hehe, who knows? Maybe some hidden power will awaken in me, and I’ll beat everyone and take first place.

“If Da-jeong hits it, the machine might not even budge.”

“Yeah, that could happen. Pfft!”

“Hiiiing, I’m not that weak…!”

As I stood in line, my pride slightly wounded, CEO Kang and Chae-yoon unnie’s teasing reached my ears.

Ugh, come on! I’m not so weak I can’t even knock over a punch machine! Just wait—I’ll show you the power of the Axolotl Punch!

“Alright, here goes!”

“CEO Kang, fighting!”

The CEO went up first and wrapped her right wrist with her left hand, steadied her stance, and channeled her will. Everyone cheered in unison.

BAM!

Her fist slammed into the machine with a heavy thud, and the score began climbing with a beep-beep-beep.

The final result?

“Whoa, 870 points!”

“Isn’t the max 999?”

“As expected of the Queen of Ilsan…!”

A very high score of 870. The members erupted in applause, and the CEO walked past us with a smug “Hmph.”

She must’ve been proud of that score. Then again, CEO Kang has a secretly competitive side. It’s kinda cute, honestly.

BAM! BAM!

The punches continued in age order. Chae-yoon unnie scored 858, the highest after the CEO. The others hovered around the low 700s to early 800s.

“So close…! I could’ve beaten the boss!”

“Not even close. You got wrecked.”

“CEO! Why are you acting like a kid?!”

“Yeah? Then beat me.”

While most members accepted their scores, Chae-yoon unnie fumed over failing to surpass the CEO. The way CEO Kang teased her was hilarious.

Okay, my turn.

Yuna had scored just over 700, so maybe I could hit that too. Hehe, maybe I’ll even beat Ra-hee unnie.

“Pfft…! Look at Da-jeong’s face. She’s all tensed up.”

“Whoa, Da-jeong’s in serious mode.”

“Looks like she’s grinding her teeth.”

I steadied myself in front of the machine, gathering all my strength. Even as the others tried to distract me, I stayed laser-focused.

Holding my breath, I coiled my fist, lowered my hips slightly, and charged forward with all my might—

THUD.

“Huh?”

…Wait, what? That sound was different. When the others hit it, it went BAM! and toppled dramatically. But mine felt… sluggish.

[506 Points]

“…….”

My dread was confirmed. The score left me speechless.

506 points. Over 200 points lower than even Yuna. N-no way. Something must’ve gone wrong! Maybe I hit the edge, so the damage didn’t register…!

“Oh, Da-jeong’s stronger than I thought.”

“Right? I expected like 400.”

“Well, considering her size and weight, this makes sense.”

Blushing, I shuffled back, only to freeze at their praise.

…Huh?

…It’s not that bad? But I’m still over 200 points below Yuna…

“Unnie thinks you didn’t hit it right. If you’d landed it properly, you’d have scored around 700.”

“Right, Da-jeong, you’re stronger than we thought? We’re kinda surprised.”

“R-really? Hehe….”

As Jia unnie and Ra-hee unnie rushed to reassure my bewildered self, I immediately brightened up and puffed out my chest.

Well, even if I’m the weakest among the members, 500 points isn’t bad for someone like me! If I’d hit it properly, I could’ve matched Yuna’s score. Now that I think about it, the floor was slippery, and my stance was off…

Yeah, yeah.

“Excuse me… How strong is 500 points, exactly?”

“Average upper-grade elementary school boys score around 600.”

“I see… Thanks.”

Chae-yoon unnie’s conversation with the arcade staff drifted from behind, but the others’ voices drowned it out.

Nice, I’ll have to brag to the cherries later. They’ll be shocked—even the unnies expected me to hit 400!

I pulled out my phone and opened my notes app, adding another story to share with them.

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

After hours of wandering, sweat-drenched and exhausted, we returned to the villa before dinner. Nothing beats air-conditioned indoors on a scorching day.

“Ugh, I’m dying….”

“It’s so hot today. Right, unnie?”

“Yeah, last week was bearable, but this…”

“Summer’s really here.”

The heat had turned everyone into limp rags strewn across sofas. Even Yuna, usually a ball of energy, lay draped over the couch like a sun-dried squid, wheezing.

Wait, where’s Ra-hee unnie and the CEO? Normally, Ra-hee unnie would be where So-eun unnie is…

“Da-jeong, where you going?”

“Looking for the CEO and Ra-hee unnie.”

I began searching the villa’s rooms until voices led me to the end of the first-floor hallway.

“CEO Kang, Ra-hee unnie. What are you doing here?”

“Huh? More like, what brings you here? Missed me?”

“A… a little.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. As I nodded shyly, Ra-hee unnie promptly engulfed me in a hug—thankfully not the usual suffocating death-grip, just a light back-hug.

“We were just discussing dinner plans,” lightly replied the CEO.

“Dinner? Are we doing something special?”

We had barbecue yesterday… Nighttime beach swimming seems risky… Did they plan something?

“C’mon, Da-jeong. Gotta tell the others too.”

Still hugged from behind, I waddled like a baby penguin in its mother’s embrace back to the living room.

“What, are you a kangaroo now?” teased CEO Kang.

“I wish! Then I’d carry Da-jeong in my pouch all day,” Ra-hee unnie shot back.

“Good grief, you’re hopeless.”

In the living room, the members—previously lifeless laundry on a line—perked up as the CEO clapped.

“Listen up!”

“Listening!”

They straightened like meerkats.

“We’re heading out around 6. Rest till then—dinner’s outside.”

“Huh? We’re going out again?

“Where to?”

Even I was surprised. CEO Kang exchanged a glance with Ra-hee unnie and smirked.

“Remember that cruise you guys mentioned? Ra-hee’s taking us tonight. Dinner’s on board. If anyone’s seasick, ask So-eun for meds.”

Silence. Then—

“WAIT, WE’RE REALLY GOING ON A CRUISE?!”

“I—I thought that was a joke…”

“Like in movies? With a deck party?!”

“So fancy… Never thought I’d experience this…”

So-eun unnie muttered in disbelief. I stared at Ra-hee unnie.

“Unnie, seriously? We’re really doing this?”

“Yep. Planned it. Evening’s better—night views are prettier. Enjoy it, Da-jeong.”

“WOW…!”

Something out of a movie…! I threw myself at Ra-hee unnie, who laughed and ruffled my hair.

And so, our last night was decided: an elegant cruise under the stars.

Translator Note

Hi hi everyone, it’s your translator here LegoMyEggo and wow, 200 chapters huh… that’s like… more than 199… All jokes aside thank you everyone for reading about Da-jeong and her story!! I can’t thank you enough for tuning in regularly to read all of them!!