Ch.225IF Side Story: Like Flowers in Full Bloom

“Should we go a bit far away?”

“Far away?”

“Well, we can always come back tomorrow anyway.”

For a brief moment, I thought Yeon-woo was suggesting we fly there.

Of course, most people around me tend to have this dreamy look in their eyes. It’s inevitable given our environment.

They weren’t completely detached from reality, but how should I put it—they pursued romantic ideals.

But Yeon-woo wasn’t suggesting we fly; she was simply proposing we take the train like normal people.

After my date with Ju-a last time, all the kids lined up for their turn. I thought everything was fine since we always lived together and had fun, but I realized people still want to spend time alone with someone they like.

Yeon-woo was no different.

With Ju-a, we spent a leisurely day together and came back home the next day. So naturally, Yeon-woo would want about the same amount of time.

“How far?”

“Hmm, Gyeongju?”

“Gyeongju? Any particular reason?”

“Not really? I just said whatever came to mind. But there are plenty of nice places there. The town was pretty when I went there for a school trip.”

I’ve been there for a school trip too, so I know it’s pretty.

“Sure, sounds good.”

I answered.

Why not? It’s not like we’re going abroad.

When I nodded, Yeon-woo’s face lit up brightly.

Though she’s a year older than me, she sometimes has this strangely childlike expression. When she was a Magical Girl, she was the most senior-like among us.

Perhaps it’s because she occasionally looks so young that her demeanor seems adorably out of place.

Yeon-woo took the lead, and I followed behind at a leisurely pace. It wasn’t holiday season and it was a weekday, so there weren’t too many people on the streets or at the station. Definitely fewer than on weekends.

Excited, Yeon-woo bought some snacks. Boiled eggs from the convenience store, a few bags of chips, and a 500ml drink for each of us.

She’s like a child going on a picnic.

While sitting on the platform bench waiting for the train, Yeon-woo looked as excited as a little kid.

“Are you already having fun?”

When I asked, Yeon-woo nodded.

“The journey begins from the moment you depart.”

That’s not wrong, I suppose.

Even I, waiting calmly beside her, felt my heart starting to race for no reason.

*

How long has it been since I rode a train? Come to think of it, I haven’t had much reason to take trains since being born into this world. Subways or buses, maybe.

School trips were almost always on chartered buses.

Thinking about it, even Yeon-woo, coming from a fairly well-off family, probably didn’t take trains much either.

The scenery flowed past the large windows.

At first, the view was filled with tall buildings, but they gradually became shorter, and eventually their frequency decreased altogether.

We could occasionally see yellowish harvested rice fields with white bundles of straw tied up like giant marshmallows.

“You know what? Those are actually real marshmallows.”

“You didn’t know?”

“Huh!?”

When I played along with Yeon-woo’s joke, she was startled. Well, it wasn’t that she believed me, but I responded so seriously that she was momentarily confused. You know how sometimes people briefly wonder “Could that be true?” when you say something ridiculous with a straight face.

When I smirked, Yeon-woo laughed in disbelief.

The journey took quite a while. It was a little over two hours, so we just leisurely chatted about various things.

Most of our conversation was about the scenery passing by the window.

About 30 minutes into the ride, we started eating some of the snacks Yeon-woo had brought.

While I was peeling an egg, Yeon-woo smiled slightly and—

Tap!

“Oh!?”

When I blocked her egg aimed at my head with my own egg, Yeon-woo exclaimed in surprise. Seeing the heads of nearby passengers turn toward us, we slightly bowed our heads and giggled.

About an hour into the journey, Yeon-woo leaned her body slightly against mine.

“…”

She had a playful smile on her lips, probably thinking I would get embarrassed by it.

Somehow not wanting to lose to Yeon-woo, I gently stroked her thigh with my hand.

Yeon-woo didn’t pull away from my touch. If anything, she slightly spread her legs.

“Ha, seriously, I can’t believe this.”

When I pulled my hand away in shock, Yeon-woo laughed as if she’d won.

Should I have just gone for it?

…

No, that would be too much on a train, regardless.

*

And so, after our playful banter, we arrived in Gyeongju.

Once we got off at the station, it really hit us that we had left without any preparation. We didn’t even have backpacks.

We immediately booked a hotel room and then headed out together.

Not in military-style unison, of course. I half-skipped along to match Yeon-woo’s bouncy steps.

Is it because she’s a college student? Well, I’m a college student too, so that’s not really different, but there was something peculiarly childlike that remained in Yeon-woo’s movements. I liked that about her.

Every time she skipped while holding onto my arm, a pleasant scent wafted from her. Her chestnut-colored hair swayed cheerfully, blending with the colors of the sky. Occasionally, she’d turn her eyes to look at me and smile, looking so innocent for her age that it made my heart flutter a bit.

“So, since we’re in Gyeongju, maybe we should visit the traditional village—”

“Let’s go to the amusement park, the amusement park!”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t even properly respond before being dragged along by Yeon-woo. Instead of heading to the bustling area near the hotel, I was pulled straight to the bus stop, which left me a bit dumbfounded.

But seeing her face light up, I figured it didn’t really matter.

Well, one amusement park is pretty much like another, right? We’ll walk around, have a date, eat something delicious, then go back to the hotel for more dating and a good rest.

An amusement park.

Sure, amusement parks are nice.

*

No, they’re not.

“What? What’s wrong?”

As we waited in line for the roller coaster, Yeon-woo leaned in and asked me.

“Are you scared?”

“…”

I frowned and glared at Yeon-woo.

So this was her plan.

Yeon-woo has a bit of a mischievous streak. She often plays pranks that put me in awkward situations. Lately, most of them have been somewhat risqué.

Today, well, since we were outside, it wasn’t a risqué prank, but she still wanted to see me in a difficult situation.

I suppose our one-on-one time is precious. For Yeon-woo, the best date is probably one where we can tease each other like this.

I looked up again.

The roller coaster had a vertical drop.

…Yes, not “almost vertical,” but actually vertical. It even hung forward slightly before dropping.

“We’re definitely sitting in the very front.”

Yeon-woo said with a smile. But her eyes were full of enthusiasm.

Feeling a bit annoyed, I grabbed her waist with one hand and pulled her close to me. Her large chest pressed against mine. Since her chest was slightly lower than mine, they squished together where they met.

“Hmm.”

Yeon-woo let out a heated breath, then put her lips close to my ear.

“Y-you might always win in bed… but sometimes there are things I’m better at.”

…

Ah, I see.

Was she a bit frustrated?

I sometimes thought I should let her win occasionally, but honestly, when I see her making the first move, I can’t help but counter. We both end up satisfied in the end, usually just cuddling. Yeon-woo’s body was basically firm, but had soft parts too.

…

Fine, fine.

I’ll be as scared as she wants.

If my girlfriend wants it, letting her win might not be so bad.

“Eek!?”

But even thinking that, I felt a bit annoyed, so I gently bit her neck.

Some people around us recognized who we were, but who cares?

Yeon-woo seemed a bit embarrassed, but well, I was going to lose soon anyway, so this much should be fine.

*

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

“Hehe.”

Even when I deliberately leaned my weight on her, Yeon-woo just laughed. No, she actually seemed to like it more, caressing my waist.

I might be a pervert, but Yeon-woo is definitely not far behind. If anything, she seems to have become even more sly lately.

“Did you have fun?”

When I asked, Yeon-woo nodded with a refreshed expression.

“It was amazing.”

“Amazing?”

Curious about her unique impression, I asked again, and Yeon-woo smiled slightly and said:

“Yes. We went up high and then raced down quickly. The changing scenery was amazing.”

“You had the leisure to notice such things on a ride? Impressive.”

“I am a Magical Girl, after all.”

“And I’m not?”

At this point, we could probably drop the “girl” part.

“Besides, I haven’t had time to come to places like this since I grew up.”

“…”

“I used to love it so much when I was little.”

That might be because of me.

If Yeon-woo had dated a normal boyfriend, she could have gone on many more dates alone than she does now.

With so many people around us, it eventually becomes a group trip.

I closed my eyes, lost in thought, then let out a deep sigh.

“One more round.”

“Hm?”

“Let’s go around one more time…!”

It’s off-season anyway, so there aren’t many people.

Yeon-woo smiled brightly at my words.

“Okay!”

I ran alongside Yeon-woo, matching her bouncy steps.

*

Yeon-woo loved flowers.

More precisely, she seemed to like plants in general.

Since Cheomseongdae Observatory is what comes to mind when thinking of Gyeongju, we went there around sunset—and we were surprised.

We came without any particular expectations, but found pink plants growing abundantly around.

“Pink muhly!”

Yeon-woo exclaimed and ran in.

“Jieun, look over there too!”

As I was staring blankly at Yeon-woo standing among the pink grass, thinking how picturesque she looked, she pointed to another area.

There were yellow flowers blooming profusely.

Yeon-woo changed direction and headed toward those flowers.

Looking around again, I noticed various types of flowers blooming abundantly all around us. Even though it was autumn.

Yeon-woo running among those flowers looked lively and beautiful.

As if enchanted by her face that bloomed with bright smiles whenever she looked at me, I slowly followed behind.

I imagine my face following her was also blooming with smiles.