Things went as expected. However, it was more comfortable than I thought.
I thought it would be a rock ride in hell because the former national team member said it was a place he often went to.
"Isn't it nice here?"
"Yes."
I moved my feet and looked around.
This was a hiking trail on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do that we arrived at in less than an hour by car.
It didn't feel particularly well maintained, but the slope was not steep and it was worth walking.
'… Is he going easy on me?'
I remembered what this guy said the last time we were hiking on the uninhabited island.
-You… You're already in a state of stamina loss due to the aftereffects. In the past, hiking like this wouldn't have made you so breathless.
It was a speculation with errors in various parts, but I concluded to accept this situation without repulsion.
'It's work-life balance rather than pride.'
But there was a point I was curious about.
"But there really aren't many people."
The point was that there was no one in sight except for a few seniors.
Even on weekdays, there would be quite a few people climbing at this level.
"Oh, this side was under construction. See?"
Ryu Chungwoo pointed with his hand to the small river on the left.
Nets and construction materials were scattered along the road.
"So most of them seem to be going in the opposite direction. They say the roads are better paved there."
"Ah."
"Well, since it was a mountain in the neighborhood in the first place, there weren't that many people coming. There are no mineral springs or rocks."
"It seems like you know this place very well."
"This is where I lived when I was young."
Ryu Chungwoo smiled shyly.
"The archery field I used to go to is nearby, so I've been coming here ever since I moved."
"… …"
A guy who couldn't even shoot properly due to the aftereffects had to come near his regular archery range…
'He's not in a position to be pitied.'
I just nodded moderately.
"The facilities must have been nice."
"More than that, it's a memory."
Ryu Chungwoo was silent for a moment, then spoke again a beat later.
"I think it will be okay to come with the other guys next time. The boss is kind."
If I cut this out and rejected it, I would be the one who threw my sociality into the fire.
"Alright"
"Good."
Ryu Chungwoo smiled.
"Since the tour is over, we're able to go out and play separately, which is good. When you guys left a few days ago, I had a schedule."
Ah. That was it.
I remembered that some of the members went out on time for Seon Ahyeon's birthday.
At that time, Ryu Chungwoo and a few others had separate schedules so couldn't go.
"We didn't do much. There were a lot of people."
"Haha, I heard you even left a proof shot for something like that?"
I twitched my eyebrows as I recalled the Polaroid that Keun Sejin had left after the escape room.
-TeStar Friendship Forever✩ 5/7
Happy Birthday, Ahyeon!
I didn't know that it would be posted on the Internet… It would be a lie if I said I didn't know, but it was okay because the fans liked it.
"After that, we returned to the dorm right away. It was crowded."
"I see. I'm sure this job is rewarding, but I think that's the hard part. It makes going out difficult."
"Yes."
I jogged lightly along the road and shrugged.
"But even if we hadn't done this, I think hyung would have been the same. What about the national archery match?"
"What? Haha!"
Ryu Chungwoo stopped laughing after quite some time.
"That's right. That kind of thing doesn't suit me very well. I guess I can't help it."
Ryu Chungwoo's tone sounded cool, not lamentation or grumbling. Well, it was also proof of success.
'It's a worry that only a winner can do.'
Ryu Chungwoo and I continued to run on a hiking trail outside the area we found because of the side effects of the winner.
And it was only after a while that I realized something was wrong.
"Whoa."
This was because the slope got steeper as we went up. I took a few deep breaths and realized that my stamina bar, which I had grown quite a bit, was more than half worn.
'If it were me, I'd definitely be above the average adult male.'
Besides, looking around, it seemed that there were not many people who went up here.
… Moreover, we were the only ones running up.
And then I realized
'I was tricked.'
From a flat walk, the angle was cleverly steepened to keep climbing like a frog in boiling water…
The flat hiking trail was bait, not a consideration. I held back a groan.
Ryu Chungwoo was not an idiot, and he saw me working out like that, so of course he would know that my stamina had increased.
'He must've had a good time…'
It seemed like it would take quite a while even if we didn't see it to the top.
However, even if I complained, it would only hurt my social status and it seemed that I would not be able to descend, so I decided to just shut up and move my feet.
It wasn't like I wouldn't be able to.
'Let's exercise once.'
I silently looked up and moved.
How long has it been?
I felt a hand tap on my shoulder.
"Moondae, over there."
"Hoo, what… …"
It was still a long way to get there.
I raised my head and followed the guy's hand.
"… …"
In my field of vision, the midday city spread out.
There were winding mountains, rivers, and densely packed building complexes that descended below them.
It was a colorful spring city.
Swoosh.
The wind blew. The mountain air whipped my nose.
It was nice to see.
"Isn't it nice?"
Ryu Chungwoo spoke calmly.
"There is nothing else if you go further up. It looks the best right here… After quitting archery, I climbed every day while preparing for this job, and that's when I found this place."
"… …"
I stood on the railing, looking at the scenery.
'He didn't mean to go to the top.'
Really.
"How is it? It's a little motivating… Isn't it good? Rather than just exercising, I went here."
"Yes."
I gave a definite answer. A secured route, an expected hardship, and a sure reward.
It was not my taste, but hiking might be a good hobby.
"Well, that's a relief."
I leaned against the railing with him and slowly looked down the mountain.
And after enough time had passed, Ryu Chungwoo opened his mouth.
"Shall we go down?"
"Okay."
I felt very refreshed.
I was trying to stretch, but in the end, I came up with the words that came to mind when I saw the hiking trail.
"Hyung."
"Huh?"
"Everything is good, but I had to do anaerobic muscle exercise."
"Ah."
As soon as I saw the hiking trail, I just didn't say anything because I thought it would turn the atmosphere into shit.
Ryu Chungwoo replied with a shy face.
"Because it's uphill… You must have used your strength."
He was a professional at rationalizing. I understood now.
I did not have any particular complaints when we descended. And I agreed with Ryu Chungwoo's words of, 'Let's come for a run sometimes'.
'The intensity of the exercise is appropriate, and it would be nice to try it while being roommates.'
• * *
It was two weeks after changing our rooms. It wasn't just me, but the new owners of the rooms all adapted to their circumstances in their own way.
"Do you want some?"
"Oh, yes."
For example, Bae Sejin surprisingly less often confined himself to the living room. Now, he only avoided Cha Eugene during the day.
"It's a bit noisy at night, but with earplugs, it's no problem!"
Bae Sejin once said that. Unexpectedly, Cha Eugene respected his roommate's individualistic tendencies.
'Is it because he's an American?'
Of course, that also had its limits.
"Occasionally, if we watch a game or a video together, it's quiet when we sleep…"
I calmly told the truth.
"That won't last long."
"What?"
"If talking doesn't work, he'll shake your shoulder soon."
"… …"
"Congratulations on becoming nocturnal."
Bae Sejin looked at his room with a blank face.
And the one who was alone in the single room… He lived a good life going from room to room.
"Hey, you've become best friends with Chungwoo hyung, Moondae~ Are you going to exercise tomorrow as well?"
Did he choose this room today? I answered loudly to Keun Sejin, who was playing on his smartphone on Ryu Chungwoo's bed.
"What… Since we're roommates, we went together. If you want to go, then you should go too."
"Ah~ I'm not that ignorant! Have a good workout~"
"…"
Keun Sejin didn't bother to add another word, but I couldn't figure out what it meant.
'This is an opportunity to completely change the atmosphere.'
It was because there were people who still ruminated on how my attitude toward Ryu Chunwoo was shitty when we were filming our summer package.
It seemed like people were looking for provocation from the roommate assignment for no reason, but there was no need to leave such a spark in the fandom we had managed to unite.
'It should look comfortable just by looking at it.'
It was motivating anyway.
I waved to Keun Sejin and went to wash up.
And I went hiking the next day.
"Do you want to climb to the top today? Just for testing."
Ryu Chungwoo made a new proposal. He didn't say anything while climbing, so he must have thought about that.
'Well, it's okay to go up at least once.'
The period of leisurely outdoor exercise was slowly coming to an end.
Now was the time to really focus on preparing for a comeback.
After calculating my remaining stamina, I immediately nodded.
"Alright."
"Good."
It was 4 PM. At an odd time, we started walking towards the top.
The slope was steeper, so I didn't have to run, so it was worth it.
After about forty more minutes like that…
The summit was visible.
"Hoo."
There was no one else there. Ryu Chungwoo and I picked up a little more speed and moved at one tempo to the summit.
"Huh, long time no see."
Ryu Chungwoo stood holding onto the wooden fence next to the sign, and I stood next to it and looked down.
And I confirmed that what Ryu Chungwoo said on the first day of mountain climbing was right.
"Certainly, I think I can see better there."
The view from the top was not as nice as the one seen from the middle of the hill. Of course, there was an overwhelming feeling since we were high up.
"Yes."
Ryu Chungwoo looked at the scenery and nodded. Then he took his water from his backpack and drank it.
I also took out my own and drank, and there was a peaceful silence for a while.
Well, it was definitely more comfortable than before.
"… …"
"Moondae."
"Yes."
"Is it okay if I ask you something?"
"Yes, what is it?"
I answered without much hesitation.
Ryu Chungwoo kept his gaze fixed on the scenery and slowly opened his mouth.
"Actually… The person you talked about while watching the family video during Chuseok last year, I asked about him several more times."
"…!"
"That, Ryu Gunwoo-ssi."
I almost choked while drinking the water.
I quickly lowered the bottle and set up a hypothesis.
'Does he know his location?'
"Maybe, his whereabouts… ?"
"Um, no. Sorry, but that wasn't the case just… I just got to hear a little bit about his past."
"… …"
"Everyone in my family except myself got into an accident on a trip to my parents' house, and there was a car accident and a fire."
Ryu Chungwoo took a break and then continued talking calmly enough that it seemed artificial.
"And that… It was the car accident that left me with aftereffects."
Fuck.
I drank another glass of water because of the topic I didn't like very much.
'If the family members don't know where he is, then they should just say they don't know and end it there.'
Why were they doing this…
However, Ryu Chungwoo's words were not over.
"And Moondae, you know what?"
What.
"… Your parents, they weren't in a car accident. It was a plane crash."
"… …"
What?
"Actually, the article tried to go out last year, but the company blocked it. It could be a shock to you, so I only discussed it after a while, and it was just after you were discharged from the hospital."
I looked up.
"But you… You have trauma from car accidents and situations with fire. Not airplanes."
Ryu Chungwoo took his eyes off the scenery before I knew it and was looking at me.
"That's supposed to be the story of the Ryu Gunwoo that you've been looking for."
"… …"
"Moondae. Who are you looking for?"