The first group to go to Hakone consisted of 45 people. The large bus was filled with the Cheerful Youth crew. It took approximately 2 hours to reach Hakone from Tokyo. They left in the late afternoon so that they could arrive in the early evening.
It was a lively trip and the view was amazing. Le Sucre's 7-people-group settled at the rear seats but that did not stop them from having fun with others.
Shizu was glad that they were having a great time, so she just kept quiet as her autumn eyes were cruising her surrounding. She didn't want to attract too much attention cause she was afraid that her team members would be treated badly because of her during this trip. She still remembered how these people called her eyesore for 'seducing' Kira and labelled her as a scandalmonger during the last filming.
You could hear people singing and laughing. Lee Changhyuk was, of course, sitting next to Shizu. He nudged her arm softly and used his head to point the snack he just received.
Shizu raised a brow as she looked at the melon crisps.
"It's from Sawada - kun, wanna try some?" He was holding a jumbo bag of some green looking crisps.
Shizu squinted her eyes cause he looked like someone who popped out of a commercial tv.
Goddamnit Lee Changhyuk, how could he still look like a fresh fallen snow while doing such a mundane thing?
She also noticed that Lee Changhyuk was surrounded by food. She knew he didn't pack any snack yet he managed to get a lot of food! It all came from the crew who talked to him. He was Cheerful Youth's favorite boy. When they found he loved Japanese snacks, they generously gave some to him. Lee Changhyuk wasn't being shy and accepted everything.
Yeah, she heard that the evil magnae was the biggest eater in the group. Well probably that's how he grew so tall.
Shizu took a handful of crisps and bowed her head lightly to thank Lee Changhyuk. She put a tiny bite in her mouth and yuumm! The crisps was yummy! There was a slight crunch when you first bite it but then it went creamy in your mouth without being too sweet. The melon aftertaste lightly lingered in your tastebud, so refreshing! It was a perfect summer snack!
That indifferent face tendered as a soft smile reached his eyes. She had been really quiet so he was worried about her. Lee Changhyuk shifted in his seat and quietly watched as she delightfully put the crisps in her sweet mouth.
Whenever her palm was empty, he poured another handful of crisps and looked at her with his crystal clear eyes, as though telling her that she could have all the crisps in the world if she wanted to.
His phone vibrated and he received a text message so he gave the jumbo bag snack to her and took his phone out.
Before the sky was getting darker, Shizu was going through some documents to make sure that everything was ok. She then stumbled upon the room allocation.
[Le Sucre's Room List
Room 301 - Yuta Kazuki & Kenji Tora
Room 302 - Anna & Rosie
Room 303 - Andy & Lee Yuki
Room 306 - Shizu Katagiri]
She spent 2 minutes to stare at the list mindlessly. Yeah, she was the one who made the allocation but something didn't feel right. Shizu scratched her head and narrowed her eyes.
"Umm excuse me. I forgot about your disguise. You don't sleep with your beard and glasses on, right?" She whispered to his ear.
"Of course not." He casually leaned forward and put the phone back in his jeans pocket.
"Andy will find out..." She concluded.
Her face turned white as the realization hit her head. THAT'S IT. How could she forget about something so simple? She made one reckless mistake!!
Her mouth was left open and her soul seemed to leave her body as she dazed onto the sky. Lee Changhyuk shook his head.
"It'll be fine. I can just sleep with my beard on." He replied lightly.
"You cannot risk your holiday like that, what if it came off while you are asleep!? The cord, how will you hide it? Will you sleep with your beanie on? It's going to be too hot you won't be able to rest." She stubbornly scowled, her eyes almost shot lazer beams.
Andy was not an idiot. If he witnessed how Lee Yuki effortlessly drew people around him- Andy would be curious and started to notice the small and obvious things about the Star.
Lee Changhyuk kept his calm expression as he stared at her. Ah, even her nagging was cute, he was telling himself. He knew she was just worried about him.
"It's fine." His tone was soft and patient. He reached out and put the tip of his finger on her knitted brows, giving her a light massage until the frown on her face faded.
Shizu said nothing as she tried to think of a comeback but at the end, she just nodded obediently as if she agreed with him. Deep inside, she was still worried!
The sky turned completely dark and they finally reached the hotel. The 5* hotel was a wonderful blend of traditional Japanese with modern twist. The wooden ornament gave you the zen and peaceful feeling yet the latest technology was installed in every corner. You could perfectly see the grandeur of Mount Fuji and enjoy the hot bath in their natural hotspring.
The hotel was situated in a nice area where you could reach the touristic sites by walk. For that reason, the main entrance was somehow lively- it was not too crowded but it was definitely not empty. The bus stopped in front of the main entrance.
The crew was getting off the bus, one by one. Le Sucre group had a lot of luggages hence they were the last to get off. First it was Andy, after him was Anna and Rosie then... it was Lee Changhyuk.
They all turned their head towards him.
Shizu's complexion went pale. She knew what attracted these people. It was not his chiseled jawline that made you fantasize about his dominance, nor it was his unbottoned white shirt that revealed the top of his refined abs. His presence was overwhelming.
He ignored the stares from the surroundings and nonchalantly pulled a big luggage towards the lobby.
Before entering the lobby, he sensed that she was not following him.So Lee Changhyuk looked over his shoulder to meet her gaze. Her mouth was still wide opened from witnessing how he sent all these people into stillness without a hitch.
"Miruku chan." He looked worried and turned back. Was the bag too heavy for her?
Shizu shook her head in panic and got off the bus. The longer they stayed here, the more attention he'd get. She had to finish the check-in quickly and send him to his room. She ran to Lee Changhyuk and put a big smile on her face to mask her worriness.
"Let's go."
She went to the front desk and did all of the formality. Le Sucre team was patiently waiting for her. They found out that there was a festival nearby!
She came back after 10 minutes. She handed the keys and explained tomorrow's schedule to everyone. The room of her team mates were all within the same area except hers. Everytime other guests stopped and stared at Lee Changhyuk, her heart died a little. So she decided to take matters into her own hand.
"An.. Andy, switch with me!"