“Eat this.”
“What is it?”
“Motion sickness medicine.”
What dropped into his reflexively extended hand with a thud was a small pill and a bottle of water. So this is what he was searching for in his bag earlier. Woojae swallowed the pill with a peculiar feeling as he watched Gye Sajun hand him the medicine and urge him to take it.
“Aren’t you gonna take one?”
“I don’t get motion sickness.”
Leaving only those words, Gye Sajun quietly put on an eye mask. It seemed like he’d gotten quite a good night’s sleep yesterday, but apparently Gye Sajun hadn’t. Since he was such a precious body, sleeping cramped in a single bed might have been uncomfortable. Woojae glanced at the sleeping Gye Sajun and tried to sleep as well. However, thanks to sleeping soundly the night before, he couldn’t fall asleep easily.
With just his eyes closed, he felt someone’s head drop onto his, but he didn’t bother pushing it away. He didn’t want to be particularly cold to the guy who had even given up his bed for him.
That was really all it was. Really.
***
When Woojae opened his eyes, the inside of the bus had become quite noisy. Jang Yeonju was gripping the microphone and singing at the top of her lungs as if she’d never been dying earlier. She said she was dying, but she’s really something.
Amid the applause, cheering, and noisy chatter, Woojae blinked blankly. He was surprised that he’d fallen into such a deep sleep. Woojae left his eyes closing despite the noise, enjoying the strangely comfortable feeling. And then, a dreamlike voice was heard.
“Sleeping and sleeping again. Did you eat a poisoned apple? I think I saw the way to wake someone up in a book.”
“What the hell are you, huk……!”
The approaching lips snapped him wide awake. Woojae bolted upright, realizing he’d been sleeping leaning on Gye Sajun’s shoulder.
“What a shame.”
The bastard who smirked saying what a shame was irritating. When he doesn’t even know how I feel. It seemed like his only wish would be to grab and yank those cheeks with all his might. That sculpted handsome face kept getting on his nerves. Woojae desperately suppressed the violent imagery bubbling up inside him.
“How much longer?”
“We’re almost there.”
He asked something he wasn’t particularly curious about, wanting to change the subject, but Gye Sajun dutifully gave him an answer. The scenery outside the window was unfamiliar. Jang Yeonju, who had been singing excitedly, checked her phone and turned off the background music.
“We’ll arrive at the lunch location in 5 minutes, so everyone get ready to eat!”
He’d definitely heard they were going to the airport to board a plane, but it seemed they were eating first. Indeed, exactly 5 minutes later as Jang Yeonju said, the bus stopped. When they got off the bus, he saw a hanok, but Woojae could hardly believe this place was a restaurant. It was a scene far from the restaurants he knew. Meanwhile, Sojeong was taking out a hat to wear, his rosy cheeks glowing under the sunlight.
“I have a sun allergy…….”
“I see.”
He hadn’t asked, but it would be awkward not to answer, so Woojae responded quite seriously. The sidelong glances were clearly directed at him, but he didn’t want to react to every single one. Gye Sajun just stood blankly next to Woojae.
When they entered, an employee in hanbok guided them, and after passing through a long corridor, they came to a room full of low wooden tables. Naturally, four people sat at one table, and Jang Yeonju kept looking at the table where student council president Lee Heemin was sitting. It was clear she wanted to sit in that group.
Pushed toward the wall by Gye Sajun, Woojae had no choice but to be blocked by that massive frame. Since he didn’t mind having annoying gazes blocked, Woojae didn’t bother trying to change seats either.
The problem was that compared to the other tables engaged in conversation, this place was excessively quiet. After wiping his hands thoroughly with the wet towel placed in front of him, Woojae tilted a cup containing what appeared to be barley tea to wet his throat. The sound of water going down his throat echoed at the quiet table.
“Do you like Korean food, Woojae? Since the food will change once we go abroad, it’d be good to eat a lot here.”
Sojeong took off his wide-brimmed hat and set it beside him as he spoke warmly to Woojae. The excessive kindness was burdensome, but when silence fell like this, he was rather grateful for someone like him.
“I’m not picky. As long as my stomach’s full, it’s a jackpot.”
“But you like Jacob.”
Gye Sajun, who had been meticulously wiping his fingers one by one, suddenly interjected into the conversation.
“Jacob?”
“Go Woojae likes Jacob.”
“Ah, so Woojae’s Christian. Is that your baptismal name?”
This is like a conversation between idiots. Gye Sajun had a very triumphant attitude though it didn’t show, and Sojeong was asking Woojae as if quite surprised. Jang Yeonju, who had been staring at the next table, shook her head when her eyes met Woojae’s. That was quite funny.
Side dishes and food came to the table in order. There were so many items it was jaw-dropping, and there were dishes he’d never seen before in his life. Without anyone asking, Sojeong picked up a ladle and repeatedly scooped rice generously from the stone pot to place in front of others.
“Ah, I’m so fucking hungry. Everyone eat well and…… absolutely don’t get indigestion. It’s annoying. I’ll drop you from the plane.”
Jang Yeonju gave a pre-meal blessing as if making a toast. Appealing that it would be annoying for her if anyone got sick, she was honest beyond comparison. Woojae picked up his spoon and ate the mixed grain rice. When the warm, fluffy rice grains entered his mouth, he realized he’d been quite hungry.
With so many side dishes, eating was fun. He busily moved his chopsticks to taste each one. And he carefully examined and memorized the ingredients and seasoning flavors of side dishes Nari would like. She’s probably arrived home by now and eating the seaweed soup or something I froze. He resolved to send her a text after the meal.
“Please give me a little more of this.”
“Yes, just a moment please.”
Gye Sajun kept refilling the side dish plates he ate well from, which was annoying, but he couldn’t say anything about it. Moreover, since Gye Sajun always ate the side dishes he ate next, he thought they might be side dishes that suited that bastard’s taste too. If he’s ordering more because he finds it delicious, I can’t really say anything.
“Ugh, fuck. Sesame seeds are pouring out.”
“Sesame seeds? You don’t like sesame seeds, Yeonju?”
“……Yeah. Sojeong, you eat a lot.”
Jang Yeonju was frowning hard and giving looks, but apparently Sojeong also belonged to the Gye Sajun school. Woojae bit his lip hard as if wronged, but it would be strange to vocally deny it in this situation.
“Ah……”
It was the first time he learned this, but Sojeong was clumsy with chopsticks. It seemed to be because he was concentrating on using chopsticks properly. Just eat comfortably. Woojae watched Sojeong pitifully as he repeatedly struggled to pick up perilla leaves, then reached his chopsticks over.
“Here, grab it.”
“Thanks, Woojae-ya. I don’t know why I’m so bad with chopsticks. I practice every time but I’m still like this.”
“I don’t use the proper way either. As long as you pick things up well, that’s enough.”
“Thank you so much.”
Woojae held his chopsticks like holding a pencil. He knew it wasn’t the proper method, but since he could pick up beans and quail eggs well, he didn’t see the need to fix it, so he hadn’t. And while Woojae was helping Sojeong pick up and eat perilla leaves, he felt a piercing gaze from beside him.
When he turned his head to look at Gye Sajun, the source of the gaze, the guy was silently shoveling rice into his mouth, so he thought it must be his imagination. From that point on, he noticed the guy using his chopsticks on perilla leaves. He couldn’t help but notice because every time they peeled off well, he’d frown and put them down repeatedly.
“Hey, if you’re not gonna eat it, don’t put your spit on it. Disgusting. You don’t know how precious food is.”
He spoke as if scolding because it didn’t look good, but the guy frowned. Woojae withdrew his gaze from the guy’s incomprehensible behavior and ate his scorched rice water. The food was overall light and harmonious. The meal without stimulating flavors was somewhat bland, but thanks to not being salty, it was a taste that didn’t get old easily.
After drinking tea and some refreshments he didn’t know the name of for dessert, his stomach felt like it would burst.
“Ugh, I’m so full……. I ate too much.”
“It must have suited Woojae’s taste. I think I overate too. What about you, Yeonju and Sajun? Did you eat well?”
Watching Sojeong carefully looking after everyone seated, Woojae looked at the other two in turn.
“So-so. It was edible. But it’s too much like temple food. It’s bland.”
“Temple food doesn’t have meat though.”
When he pointed out the error to the grumbling Jang Yeonju, he could see her getting fired up. Woojae laughed quietly because it was funny.
The problem was Gye Sajun—the guy seemed to be in a bad mood somehow. This was because he didn’t give any particular answer to Sojeong’s question just now and only sipped his tea. However, he thought the guy wasn’t originally that warm anyway. Woojae decided to deliberately stop paying attention to the guy who kept doing things that caught his attention.
Because the one-week countdown was more on his mind.
After finishing the meal, they had to get back on the bus. Jang Yeonju, who had been hovering around Lee Heemin continuously, gave some instructions to another classmate and headed to the front bus. As soon as that classmate got on the bus, they announced that the airport was about 10 minutes from the dining location, and just as they said, they soon saw a large airport. Following the students pouring out, Woojae also moved his feet.
“Isn’t it this way?”
“That’s where general airplane passengers enter. We’re taking a private jet.”
When Woojae, at an airport for the first time in his life, asked while looking around, Jang Yeonju said while yawning. There’s a private jet? Unlike the flustered Woojae, the other students moved their feet as if it were natural. Unlike the crowded outside, the inner hall was extremely spacious and quiet.
