episode_0023

The enjoyable trip seemed to have come to an end, leaving a lingering impression.

Sun, making a bombshell statement,

“Are we going to hang out in the room again?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Who comes on a math trip just to sleep and go back diligently?”

“You used to be a model student, but now…”

“And on top of that, something happened yesterday…! Ah”

“Hmm…”

“..?”

Recalling the awkward moments they had experienced,

And Yeonji, who was unaware of what had happened yesterday, innocently asked with a puzzled expression,

“..? Sehee, Taeyang, what happened between you two yesterday?”

“…No! No! Nothing happened. Now that I think about it again, since Yeonji is here this time, maybe it’s good for the three of us to hang out together?”

“Ohh, right! Since our group ‘New Faces’ has the quiet girl too, it would be perfect.”

“Can I join too?”

“Of course! No, let’s definitely hang out together, Yeonji!”

“Hey, quiet girl, do you think it’ll be a problem if you’re not there this time?”

Still haunted by the strange and awkward moments from yesterday, the two were desperate to call Yeonji as they didn’t know what might happen if left alone.

Gathering at the meeting point, the students returned to their accommodations.

On the last night, fueled with enthusiasm, the students were prepared to stay up all night, planning light escapades even for those usually quiet.

In Taeyang’s room amidst the heated atmosphere,

“Shall we head over soon?”

“Taeyang, we’re coming to hang out.”

“Since you won’t be back tonight, we figured you’d be sleeping in your room, so no need to worry about anyone coming. Hehe.”

“Haha, you guys are quick on the uptake, huh? Thanks.”

Though he didn’t mention names, Taeyang had already informed his friends that he would be hanging out in his room, knowing well that the target was Sehee, the school’s representative couple.

They were friends who could read between the lines.

“Have fun~”

*Knock knock*

Carefully tapping on the door, a voice said, “Yes, coming in.”

“But who is it…?”

“Stop joking around and open up quickly.”

“Haha, judging by the dirty vibe, it must be Sehee. Come on in.”

*Squeak*

In front of them stood the girls whose beauty shone even in the night.

“Oh… This is the boys’ room.”

“A strong male scent…”

*Sniff sniff*

Yeonji, lost in gloomy thoughts whenever she blinked, and

“Oh… You’ve cleaned up and set everything nicely?”

“Yeah, being all stiff and formal, how nice.”

Sehee, more straightforward than the guys.

Once everyone gathered, the real party began.

“Cheers~!”

Not eating anything at night to avoid gaining weight? That’s for regular days, not tonight.

For some reason, snacks and drinks tasted even better now.

“Mmm~ Delicious.”

Sipping on her drink, Sehee exclaimed like a senior executive after a shot of hard liquor during a company dinner.

With tasty snacks, stories poured out like a waterfall.

“This math trip was much more fun than the one we went on in elementary school, don’t you think?”

“Well, of course! How can you compare then and now?”

“If it’s this fun now, imagine how great it’ll be in high school.”

“By the way, have you decided which high school to attend?”

“Hmm… I’m a bit hesitant, but I don’t think I’ll go to a science high school. I’m thinking of just going to a regular liberal arts high school.”

“Haha, if you’re going, Sehee, I’ll follow you anywhere.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hey, quiet girl, where are you planning to go?”

“…I’m considering the vocational field.”

“Huh? Weren’t you supposed to come to the liberal arts track with us?”

“My grades aren’t as good as yours, so I’m not sure if I’ll do well there…”

Yeonji’s grades?

They weren’t rock bottom.

More like average.

But Yeonji wasn’t studying as she should; she was just fooling around.

She had the basic intelligence.

Just skimming through before exams would place her in the average range.

Soaring to the top ranks after enduring Taeyang and Sehee’s 2:1 Spartan education was a different story.

“It’s not a bad idea to work hard in the liberal arts track and aim for a good university, so think about it.”

“…In that case.”

“Oh?”

“Well, then, during exam periods… could we study together?”

“Haha, isn’t that obvious? Did you really think of studying alone at this point? Come on!”

“I’m fine with it too, Yeonji. Studying together while you explain can help me review, and most importantly, we’re friends, right? We can study while shopping and hanging out together.”

“Hehe… Thank you.”

As they chatted away,

Suddenly, Taeyang remembered something.

“Oh, right.”

“Did you say you’d send the photos from this trip via KKT?”

“Yeah, let’s not send them via KKT. Let’s create a group chat instead.”

“Good idea, let’s wait.”

*KKT notification sound*

*KKT notification sound*

Except for advertisements, parents, and formal messages, Yeonji’s KKT chat room was completely empty.

“Kim Taeyang and his wives…?”

“Hehehe.”

If the group chat title was a bit (?) strange, who cared! That alone made Yeonji happy.

“Haha, there are so many photos, it’s taking time to send.”

“Alright, forget it.”

With over hundreds of photos,

Although it seemed like they took a lot of pictures,

Only meaningful moments with beautiful backgrounds or expressions were captured ghost-like by Taeyang’s selfie stick skills, making them even more beautiful.

“You’re unexpectedly good at taking photos. You seem to know about angles and all.”

“Yeah, I’m good at everything, right? As Kim Taeyang, I can’t afford to be lacking in anything!”

“Oh, is that so…? Oh well, you seem a bit off just drinking soda. Is there no water here?”

“I want some water too.”

“I didn’t buy any from the convenience store. Should I check in the room for a moment?”

After a quick look around the room, a large bottle of water in the corner caught their eye.

Seeing it more than half full, it seemed sufficient for drinking.

*Gulp*

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

“Enjoy.”

*Gulp*

*Cough cough!*

“What are you doing?”

As soon as they took a sip, Sehee and Yeonji spat out the water forcefully.

Taeyang’s face in front of them looked soaked like a wet rat.

“What’s going on?”

About to ask what was happening,

Taeyang realized something was amiss.

Sniff sniff.

A familiar smell.

Strong and sharp alcohol scent.

Wasn’t it the soju that his father always craved after a hard day’s work?

“Why is there soju here?”

“Taeyang, we’re just having a drink at our lodging, right?”

“Don’t worry! I’ll handle the procurement, hehe.”

A faint memory of a friend’s words came to mind.

“These…! I told you not to bring them.”

Despite the clear order not to, it seems the boiling blood of youth couldn’t be contained.

To avoid getting caught during bag checks, they pretended it was water and brought it in a bottle.

“Are you guys okay?”

Thinking it was water, how surprised they must have been.

Look at them, heads bowed low.

Could anyone overhear them?

Just then, an oddly tense voice was heard.

“Hey… Kim Taeyang, how great do you think you are to play these games of push and pull…!”

“What?”

“Hu-ying… Sun, don’t leave me… You’re not just going to suck me dry and toss me away, are you?”

“Why are they like this?”

Se-hee, cursing with a twisted tongue,

Yeonji sticking close, insisting not to leave.

A situation that clearly isn’t normal, no matter how you look at it.

This…

No way.

“Wait, did you get drunk after just one sip?”

It’s not some comedy anime; how can someone drink one sip of soju and get drunk?

“Ugh, this is getting annoying…”

“What’s annoying, you jerk! Am I the annoying one here? You trash..!”

“Sorry for being trash… Sorry for being a woman like me should be thrown in the trash can..”

“…”

Let’s think.

What did I do when Dad got drunk?

“Oh? Our son is the kindest and most handsome in the world~”

“Sigh… I told you to drink moderately, yet you got drunk again?”

“Sorry… hehe”

“Come on, I’ll tuck you in with the remaining alcohol, so go to your room and sleep.”

“Sun, support me~ My legs are giving out, Dad.”

“Who’s the son and who’s the dad?”

You shouldn’t expect normal communication from a drunk person.

Just repeating what was said before and getting stuck in an endless loop of repetition.

At times like this, the best thing to do is to avoid touching as much as possible and put them to bed quickly.

Alright.

It’s easy for me to handle two women.

Should I get ready to go to Dreamland by lying down quickly?

However,

“Don’t go!!”

“What kind of strength is this..!”

“Come here!”

“Geez..!”

“Hey, Choi Se-hee..! You’re perfectly fine, why are you pretending otherwise!”

Due to an unknown force, they end up lying side by side under the covers as if trapped in a chokehold, not leaving any room to escape.

A pair of hearts covering broad backs.

Thump thump.

“Hehe.. Let’s sleep together, Sun..”

“What? You’re looking at other girls without even seeing me? Come here!”

“Ugh!”

With no way to escape, completely surrounded, the situation becomes suffocating, and everything starts to go dark.

“It’s dangerous..!”

“I need to get out quickly..”

“But why am I so sleepy..”

“Oh no.. Wake up!”

With gentle hearts around, there’s a warm and cozy feeling. As exhaustion accumulates, Taeyang’s eyelids gradually grow heavier.

“Lullaby… lullaby…”

“….”

Unable to resist Se-hee’s sweet lullaby, Taeyang falls into an irresistible swamp of slumber.

Ring-ring-

“Ugh..”

Waking up to the alarm set to avoid being late on the day of return, Se-hee finds Yeonji sound asleep beside her.

They must have passed out while talking yesterday..

But why?

It feels like all memories are gone, as if the film has been cut off..

Wait a minute.

What’s this

Why am I holding onto something?

“..Huh?”

“If you’re up, could you untangle me a bit?”

“Ugh?”

Turning to see Kim Taeyang, it’s too strange to call it a pillow, it’s too stiff.

“You… What the hell, why are you sleeping next to me!”

“You’ve been oddly quiet lately, you trash!”

“Do you remember anything at all?”

“..? I don’t remember anything, but did we fall asleep while talking?”

“It’s better if you don’t know.”

“Anyway, Se-hee, you shouldn’t go to gatherings like this.”

“What are you talking about?”

Se-hee was puzzled by Taeyang’s random and continuous remarks.