The Start of the Trip

“Ughhhh…”

“Unnie, I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

I’m a zombie.

The owner of dark circles so deep that makeup can’t cover them.

Fatigue is plastered all over my body.

But as a former black company employee, I must overcome this level with fighting spirit!

I head to the lobby, comforting the kids who keep apologizing that it’s okay.

“I didn’t know my sleeping habits were that bad.”

“I, I think I snored a lot because I was tired. I’ll be fine tonight. Really!”

“……”

Unable to reach a conclusion last night, we ended up squeezing together on the large bed.

Yerin on the right… Mia on the left position.

Sigh, they’re not little kids, what kind of situation is this really?

But thinking I wanted to make this trip as pleasant as possible, I tried to endure and sleep, but an unimaginable chaos party was waiting for me.

Yerin with her incredible sleeping habits, groping my body every now and then.

And Mia not only snoring but grinding her teeth occasionally too.

I think I woke up about 10 times throughout the early morning.

And they’re saying they’ll be fine tonight?

“Shut up! I’m sleeping alone tonight. You two sleep together!”

“… Okay.”

“Hng.”

I lead the two dejected kids out to the lobby, where yesterday’s vehicle was waiting for us.

We get in the car and head to Mancheonha Skywalk, a famous tourist spot in Danyang.

“Wow, this must be a really famous place.”

There’s not just parking lot 1 and 2, but up to 5 and 6 visible.

That means a lot of people must flock here.

As we park in parking lot 5, I see people lining up over there.

I told the driver we’d contact him before coming down and gave him free time.

Then we went to where people were gathering and joined the line.

“They say the observatory at the very top is nice and there are lots of different rides too.”

“Oh, really?”

After a while, a large tour bus came and started loading people.

We rode that to move from the parking lot to the main tourist area.

“I’ll go buy tickets in advance.”

Thanks to Mia’s quick action of running to the ticket booth as soon as we got off the tour bus, we were able to comfortably board the Alpine Coaster, our first target, as the first team.

An amusement ride that races through about 1km of forest path on a monorail at a maximum speed of 40km/h.

After receiving safety instructions, we put on safety equipment with the help of staff.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Uwaaaaah!”

It was just okay going uphill, but going downhill was no joke.

I’m not sure if it was because the safety devices felt flimsy, or if the large side-to-side motion amplified the fear that we might derail.

We all came down screaming refreshingly.

“Next is the Skywalk.”

We took the bus again and headed to an even higher ground.

Beautiful natural scenery and fresh forest air greeted us.

“Should we eat something light?”

“Sure.”

“Let’s eat while walking.”

As soon as we got off the bus, there was a small cafe nearby.

We ordered simple churros and donuts with drinks, and when our turn came, we took them and headed to the Skywalk located at the highest point.

We could first see an information sign saying that the Skywalk, where you can walk while looking down 80-90m below the water surface on a cliff over the South Han River, has a floor made of high-strength triple glass.

“Wow! It’s amazing.”

“Unnie…”

The view from high up is breathtaking.

The beautiful South Han River and Mt. Sobaek’s Yeonhwa Peak visible in the distance.

Below that, the cityscape was also visible.

Yerin sneakily links arms with me in that nice atmosphere.

Mia, who was taking pictures of the surroundings with her phone, notices this and links arms on the opposite side.

“It’s hard to move like this!”

“Tch!”

“Unnie, I’ll take pictures for you.”

This time they’re competing over something else.

The kids take out their phones and make a fuss about taking pictures for each other.

In the end, we agreed to take turns taking one shot each, and I had to do some modeling for a while.

But something feels off.

I instinctively turned my head to the left due to an unpleasant feeling, and two men were snickering while looking our way, with one of their phones pointed at me.

A young man quickly lowering his phone and pretending not to know.

I approached him with a frown.

“……”

“You took a picture, didn’t you?”

“W-what?”

“You took a picture of me.”

“What are you talking about? I was just taking a picture of the scenery behind. You’re making a strange assumption.”

A young man in his mid-20s, at first flustered but then raising his voice.

The man presumed to be his friend next to him flinched at my unexpected attitude and took a step back.

“Unnie? Did that person really take a hidden camera picture?”

“Really?”

Not just the kids, but attention from people around starts to focus on the sudden commotion.

“Ah, shit. What’s with this weird woman spouting nonsense?”

Thinking I’d get scared and back down if he did that, the young man glares with harsh swear words.

When he straightens up, he looks over 180cm tall and has quite a large build.

On the other hand, I’m taller than average but only about 168cm, more than 10cm difference.

An oppressive gaze looking down.

It’s just laughable.

I calmly replied in an unfazed voice.

“You took a picture secretly. You’re not apologizing and keep acting so brazen, thinking you can gloss over it, but that’s a huge misunderstanding. This is a serious issue. Should I call the police?”

“……”

The man’s expression hardens at my unyielding attitude.

A situation ready to explode at any moment.

“Hey hey, quickly apologize and say you’re sorry. Say you didn’t take it on purpose, but it was caught while trying to take a picture of that mountain peak over there.”

At least the man next to him was wise.

Or should I say cunning?

Anyway, when his friend provided an excuse, the big man jumps on it and apologizes while agreeing.

“Excuse me, do I look stupid? Do you think I can’t tell the difference between a mistake and intentional? There’s a limit to underestimating people. This won’t do, Mia, contact the police.”

“…!”

They’re at a loss for words and hesitate at my action of blatantly exposing their intentions.

It was already after they confessed I was in the picture while making excuses to avoid the situation.

Mia glances around slightly and starts dialing on her phone.

“Ah, shit, really!”

“Hey! Don’t!”

A situation where they’re psychologically cornered.

The man, unable to control his anger momentarily, reached out towards my shoulder right in front of him.

This is what I wanted.

I avoid the hand trying to grab me by diving inside, then strike the solar plexus area with my elbow.

Thud-!

“Ugh!”

Elbows are hard and sharp.

It’s a powerful weapon that can deliver impact even for a woman lacking strength.

I strongly kick the legs of the man who’s staggering with his breath stopped for a moment after being hit in a vital point.

The man’s two legs float in the air surprisingly easily despite his heavy weight.

But if he falls like that, he’ll receive strong damage to the back of his head, and I might be punished for excessive self-defense.

Reluctantly, I wrap my arm around the back of his neck and stop him with force before his head hits the ground.

“Ugh……”

The man lying on his back still has an expression of not understanding what happened to him.

I retrieve my arm that was supporting his neck, quickly stand up, and look down at the man saying:

“If we go further, you might get hurt somewhere, want to try till the end?”

“……”

“Woooow!”

“What’s this? Awesome, awesome!”

At that moment, applause and cheers pour out from everywhere.

Looking around, people had gathered nearby as spectators.

Realizing what happened seeing that, staff members come running blowing whistles from over there.

“Ah…!”

The man and his friend realize the situation has gotten big and have dumbfounded expressions.

There was no way to escape with so many people gathered and many witnesses.

In the end, the staff who arrived confiscated their phone and we could confirm 4 pictures of me.

There weren’t any photos that seemed problematic, but just the fact that they took pictures secretly without permission was a crime.

“I’ll handle this.”

Yerin says she recorded the whole situation from start to finish on video.

She says she informed the driver of the situation by phone and sent the video.

She also reported to the police.

Then she called a lawyer as a representative, so they’ll take care of the situation and we can continue enjoying our tour.

“……”

It’s truly an amazing drive that leaves me speechless.

Should I believe this is the ability of a second-year high school student?

Anyway, I shook off the unpleasant feeling and continued enjoying the scenery at the top while eating snacks.

After taking a few pictures of Yerin and Mia too, we came down from the observatory and moved to enjoy the last course here.

“Have you tried zip lining?”

“No, I did something similar in the military but it’s a bit different.”

“Pfft! Military?”

Yerin’s expression seemed to be asking ‘Are you really pushing that concept in reality too?’

Ahem, it is a bit embarrassing.

Anyway, the line was quite long.

After waiting about 40 minutes, it was finally our turn.

An extreme sports device that glides down a 1km long wire rope without power.

I was even more excited because we’d be moving at a height of about 100m from the surface of the South Han River.

“Alright, everyone get ready… Let’s go!”

Since two people depart at the same time, I turned Mia and Yerin who were trying to compete into a pair, and I stood in the left and right corners with a stranger in the front order.

And finally, departure!

I feel freedom released from gravity as my legs leave the ground.

Well, it’s just an illusion of the brain… Anyway, the feeling of cutting through the wind at a speed of 50km/h was quite thrilling.

Looking down, I see the calm flow of the South Han River.

Various types of scenery visible in the distance also please the eyes.

‘This is nice. This trip…’

The morning fatigue seems to have disappeared, and the irritation that rose from the hidden camera incident feels like it’s flown away somewhere.

“Kyaaaah!”

I feel like shouting once for no reason.

The sun was shining brightly under the blue sky.