Chapter 31
I started to think as I dried my hair with a towel.
Yeah, of course you should spend the first day of your vacation with your family.
But I thought that they might want to see their family's faces, whom they hadn't seen in a long time, for at least one more day.
After only two days of vacation, everyone seems anxious to get out of the house.
'Even in
Suddenly, it became a pre-teen game.
If you think about it logically, it would be the right choice to go to Kang Si-yoon and Heo Yu-bin, with whom I am already close.
Because when we're together, I feel comfortable too.
But Yoo Min-ha had been on my mind since before.
In particular, there were times when he didn't mix well with other trainees and was always alone.
I flopped down on the sofa and closed my eyes.
'My intuition tells me. Yoo Min-ha is not a rude or ill-mannered trainee, like Baek Si-hwa said. There must have been a misunderstanding somewhere, or he must have been intentionally trying to put him down.'
If I have to convince you of my logical thinking any further....
Yes. There is no reason to turn down a trainee who has excellent fundamentals and a good face when he approaches you first.
You never know what kind of blessings he might bring back on a future mission.
With that thought in mind, I called Kang Si-yoon first.
-You called as soon as you saw the text?
"I called because I had something to tell you."
-Why do you act so desperately when you call? You scare people.
"Siyoon. Can I call one more person today? "
-Eh?
There was a hint of doubt in Kang Si-yoon's voice heard over the phone.
-You want to call someone else besides the three of us? Who?
"It's already been a while since we've seen each other."
-... I think I know who, but I would like you to please omit any words that could cause misunderstanding.
"I'm sorry. I guess it just came out of habit."
- It's Yoo Min-ha, right? Why him all of a sudden? We've never talked about anything other than tearing off his name tag.
As I explained the situation in detail, Kang Si-yoon made a sound as if he understood.
-You seem to have a knack for gathering people, bro.
"It happened unintentionally."
- Talented guy. Anyway, I don't care if Min-ha is there. The problem is that there's one more important person I need to notify.
"I was worried about that too."
Even if it's not said directly, there's a similarity.
Heo Yu-bin is a very timid person who only relaxes when he is around close friends.
On the other hand, Yoo Minha has extraordinary friendliness and tremendous energy.
I'm worried about whether it's okay to put these two in the same spot.
- But what can I do? Don't you want to get closer to him, Karis?
"At least I felt like he wasn't a bad guy. He was also a refreshing character."
-It's really important to expand your network by just one person. Min-ha was also Tier 1, right? His skills are definitely there.
I burst out laughing for a moment.
Kang Si-yoon just now had the same thoughts as me, even though I didn't say anything.
"Siyoon, stop spying on my brain."
-Hahaha! Oh, I got caught again. Are you always hacking my brain? Be careful.
"But I don't think I'm just thinking of it as a network. There's something that makes me curious."
-... Is it because of what Baek Si-hwa said back then?
"Yes."
What kind of past did he have that made him gossip so openly?
Why did he evaluate a noisy guy who seemed to only like comics as being shameless?
I was genuinely intrigued by the completely new situation that arose in this episode.
For now, I'll get back to the main topic.
"Then tell Yubin that Siyoon said it was okay."
-Karis, I wish you good luck.
"I hope you don't imitate other people's speech."
-I've always wanted to try this. Bro, this is secretly addictive. Should I do this more often in the future?
"... A guy who could be eaten in one bite by a manticore."
I immediately hung up the phone after mentioning the highest-level monster that appears in
I took a sip of water and called Heo Yu-bin.
It didn't even ring three times before Heo Yu-bin picked up the phone.
-Karis hyung-nim!
"Did you rest well, Yubin? "
-I had a great rest! It feels like I'm in heaven eating a home-cooked meal after such a long time. But why are you calling me all of a sudden?
"Oh, I just called to tell you there's a change to our appointment today."
As Kang Si-yoon agreed to Yoo Min-ha's sudden participation, a groan was heard over the phone.
-Huhhhhh... If hyungs have already decided, then I don't have the power to decide.
"No. If you don't like it, Yubin, I can break my promise."
-No! I just realized. If I back down like a coward again, I'll never be able to escape being a hikikomori in a corner of my room. So please bring Yoo Minha with you!
"Yubin, your personality seems to have changed a little overnight."
-It didn't change overnight; it really just happened!
Persuasion was easier than I expected.
I really wondered if it was okay to continue like this, but I relayed the news to Yoo Min-ha one last time.
"I was originally going to go out with my roommates, but if it's okay with you, the four of us can go together―"
-This is so so so so good, Karis nim! Are you talking about the people who mercilessly ripped off my name tag back then? I will definitely get my revenge today! Please tell them to come prepared!
"...I get it."
Yoo Minha, who was extremely excited, looked like he wanted to run out at any moment, but he barely managed to calm down by mentioning the original meeting time.
As a result, a group chat room was created.
[Yoo Min-ha: I want to meet you soon and play!! (hahaha laughing emoticon) Do you like basketball??]
[Kang Si-yoon: I played a lot of basketball and soccer in high school haha]
[Yoo Min-ha: Ohhhh then let's play basketball today to help with digestion after eating! I'll bring the ball (emoticon of a rabbit giving a thumbs up)]
[Yoo Min-ha: Is the location still Gangnam? ]
[Me: If you want to play basketball, I think the Han River area would be better because there is a park nearby.]
[Yoo Min-ha: Then I will find a good restaurant near Yeouido right away!! ]
[Heo Yu-bin: (Cartoon character emoticon saying thank you)]
It went something like this.
'It's no different from reality.'
I finished my look by wearing a black hat and a black mask.
Looking in the mirror, I realized that this was definitely a criminal's fashion, but safety first.
As I was riding the subway to Seoul, I naturally thought back to the past before I entered the game.
'When was the last time I went out to eat with friends my age like this? '
Of course, memories from the time of
Because I, the crown prince of the empire, couldn't leisurely walk around the city.
Then I had to look back on my memories in the real world, and that was even more miserable.
After failing to debut, I just locked myself in my room and spent all my time alone.
Because of that, I naturally lost contact with my friends, and all I had left was games.
'... Looking back now, I really lived a crappy life.'
The days I spent in
There were times when I felt like giving up.
But just being given the chance to rediscover the passion and dreams I had forgotten made me feel like all the hard work of the past 10 years was worth it.
As soon as I arrived at Yeouido Station, I checked the group chat first.
Somehow, I had a feeling that I was the first to arrive.
[Kang Si-yoon: ㅈㅅㅈㅅ [sorry sorry] I think I'll be 5 minutes late because the subway is backed up]
[Heo Yu-bin: Sorry, I am drying my hair so I will be 10 minutes late ㅠㅠ Sorry, sorry]
[Yoo Min-ha: (Photo) Holding a basketball!!]
This time, my hunch was not wrong.
To kill some time, I'll take a walk around Yeouido Station.
The first thing that caught my eye were the subway billboards.
'Come to think of it, there will soon be advertisements for trainees who have succeeded in fundraising here and there.'
Last time, when the first team battle was aired, advertisements for famous trainees were simultaneously aired.
It's clear that ads will be shown at similar times this time too.
'There will soon be an event where subway advertisements will circulate.'
Considering the number of people we're meeting today, they'll definitely all ask to go on a tour together.
I stroked my hair, picturing the chaos that would unfold in the future.
If you can't avoid crowded situations... you have no choice but to make the best of it.
After about 10 minutes, everyone started arriving one after another.
"Sorry I'm late."
"No, I didn't wait that long."
"I bought some Deli[cious] Manju, so eat it."
Kang Si-yoon, Heo Yu-bin, and Yoo Min-ha gathered at Yeouido Station in that order.
There was something strange about the four of them being in the same place.
"Hello everyone! It's been a while! "
"Nice to meet you. The situation was so intense back then that I couldn't even say hello properly."
"Ni, ni, nice to meet you."
Yoo Minha, who was not shy at all, shook hands cheerfully.
Kang Si-yoon also has a very refreshing personality, so there weren't any problems.
Heo Yu-bin stretched out his slender hand and flapped his arms up and down excitedly, like a paper doll.
I cleared my throat and quickly rescued Heo Yu-bin's arm.
"Let's go eat first. Min-ha, have you looked for a place?"
"I searched hard in the subway. Which food do you prefer: Western, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean? "
After hearing Yoo Min-ha's question, Kang Si-yoon immediately tapped Heo Yu-bin on the shoulder.
"Yubin, you choose."
"Ah, uh, uh, ah. Me, me, me choose?"
"You said yesterday that you wanted to eat this and that."
"But, but making a decision here is a huge burden...!"
I nodded once, and on the other side, Yoo Minha was smiling brightly as ever.
Heo Yu-bin, who had been looking at our faces alternately, closed his eyes tightly and spoke in a crawling voice.
"I, I want to eat Western food...."
"This looks good! I wanted to eat pasta."
"Pasta wasn't served at the dorm. I was craving some for the first time in a while."
"I've found three more restaurants! I'll post them in the group chat."
As everyone responded positively, the tension in Heo Yu-bin's body seemed to ease a bit.
But that sense of relief was short-lived.
"Come to think of it, we're the same age! You're 19 this year, right? "
"Ah, ah, yes."
"Then shall we talk? I really like making friends! Can I talk first? "
"Ah, ah, uhm."
"I'm so happy to have a friend I can trust and rely on!"
"I wi, I will try hard."
On the way to the restaurant, Yoo Min-ha's incredible ice-breaker hit Heo Yu-bin.
Heo Yu-bin had no choice but to surrender to the flow of the conversation, like a buoy being swept away by the waves.
In just five minutes, the two same-age friends were talking to each other.
Kang Si-yoon, who was watching all this happening from behind, poked me and laughed.
"I wonder if Yubin would be happy if he made a friend?"
"... Can't you see Yubin's eyes are spinning right now? "
"What is that? It's always been like that. If he talks to Min-ha and becomes closer, he'll really like it."
"I feel like Yubin's stamina will run out before they even have time to feel close."
The restaurant that Yoo Minha found was pretty good.
I quickly devoured the crab meat cream pasta and felt satisfied.
However, Heo Yu-bin, who was sitting across from me, seemed to have no idea whether the aglio olio was going into his mouth or his nose.
"... So, I have a lot of manga in my life, right? But the one I read the most fun of all is this one. You absolutely have to read this, okay? You've watched a lot of anime, so you probably know this one."
"Be, before. Cool. I remember seeing it."
"Really? You know a thing or two! I thought you were so good at communicating from the beginning. Then what are the most enjoyable works of your life? I'm curious."
"I, well. I wonder what it could be. Ha, haha...."
Kang Si-yoon, who had neatly emptied a plate of steak, looked at Yoo Min-ha with interest.
It was like a scientist observing a mysterious creature.
"How can he talk so fast and eat pasta? "
"Yeah, if he were an ordinary person, his mouth would be so full that he wouldn't be able to speak properly."
"Does it have gills? "
"That's impossible, Siyoon."
"Hey, in times like this, give me a little pat on the back."
I shook my head.
There is not a single normal person among my peers or younger siblings.
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