Chapter 120: Chapter 120
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In this world, we never went to places where building conditions were terrible, even for a retreat. Although this was a wealthy elite private school, couldn’t we go somewhere casual and humble for this retreat? These thoughts went through my mind while looking at the building in front of me.
‘Casual and humble my a.s.s…’ The white building stood like a castle against a background of gloomily waving ocean. The summer breeze felt quite chilly here, maybe because of the tall trees that were surrounding the place. As I pouted my lips while the grandeur of the building overwhelmed me, we were a.s.signed to teams in the auditorium and received the room keys.
My room was #203, a sunlight-washed, clean s.p.a.ce as if no one ever used it before. There were beds and a TV inside. Even the bathroom looked so delicate that I would believe it to be a suite in a hotel. Besides, the instructors could never be so excellent like this. Following the announcement, we gathered in front of the building and warmed up ourselves with some stretches. No disciplinary punishments took place at all.
When we finished all the afternoon schedules and had dinner, we continued to have a never-ending break time. ‘What’s going on? Is this really a retreat or what?’ I had those thoughts in mind while ma.s.saging my legs inside the room filled with crimson sunset.
As I sat on the floor like that, Kim Hye Hill and other girls, who went to the cafeteria, handed out some snacks to me. They pushed the bags scattered on the floor away before gathering around me to open the packs of snacks. Having a bite of Kim Hye Hill’s Melona, I asked in wonder.
“Is this what a retreat normally is? I feel like I just took a nice walk.”
“I thought the same. My retreat in middle school wasn’t like this. Didn’t you experience something like, ‘if you get it wrong, we’re gonna start over’ or anything that was a typical situation during a retreat?”
When Kim Hye Hill threw out that topic, each girl began to share their stories.
“True. You’re so good at mimicking it. There’s another one, ‘Are you out of your mind? Get it together, or you’ll all get punished!’ You feel me?”
“Totally. They also force us to do push-ups! The instructors here don’t make us do that, though.”
“Oh, maybe it’s because the sons of Hanwool Group and Balhae Group are in our grade.”
Kim Hye Hill’s sudden remark made me so surprised that I almost spat the strawberry cone out my mouth. As I barely swallowed it and looked at her, she blinked her eyes then continued her words.
“Eun Jiho and Yoo Chun Young in Cla.s.s 1-1.”
“Oh, I know them. They are super handsome. Yoo Chun Young is also a model!”
‘Oh, yeah, he was a model,’ as I realized the fact, I also grew apologetic of Yoo Chun Young for a bit, just a little bit. Another girl then went on to talk about the two boys.
“There’s a rumor that the instructors aren’t harsh because they know about their existence. If this keeps on, then they won’t be checking us at night too.”
“Wow, geez. That sounds fantastic!”
“Me too. If that happens, then let’s hang out at night!”
We all held our hands together and waved them out of excitement. A few girls soon came into the room and sat on the floor comfortably to watch the TV.
The room was quite messed up with leftover snacks while we left our belongings from the bags scattered around. The lights weren’t even open. Regardless of the overall situation, our postures couldn’t have been more comfortable. Leaning on the wall, I glanced at the clock. It was 8 in the evening.
Time flew. Once we finished watching a recently popular drama, it was already past nine.
“Are we having our break time from now until tomorrow morning?” I asked.
“Since they aren’t calling us, maybe it is so. Don’t they usually call us around eight if they have to?”
The one who responded was Kim Hye Hill. Everyone around us stood up with a bright face. If it was said to be break time from here on out, then we were all ready to stay up all night just to hang out. We had a hint of pleasure plastered all over our faces.
“Should we go to other rooms?”
“Why not?”
While Kim Hye Hill and I spoke back and forth, we heard someone knocking the door out of the blue. ‘Who is it…?’ I wondered with big round eyes. Another girl asked, furrowing her forehead.
“Oh… come on, it won’t be a sudden gathering?”
“That’s shouldn’t happen…”
As someone replied, I got out of my seat and walked toward the front door in short and quick steps. When I opened the door carefully, a familiar face came into my sight.
‘What the…’ I stared at him for a while then asked, blinking my eyes.
“Yoon Jung In, why are you here?”
“Hey, are you insane! How dare you come inside the girls’ room?!”
There were screaming noises in the back. ‘What’s all the fuss when we all have our clothes on?’ I thought nonchalantly; however, I became speechless when I turned back to see Yoon Jung In.
He was wearing a short, black s.h.i.+rt and a fuzzy pair of pajama pants; it was difficult to say that he dressed properly. Luckily, I was wearing a s.h.i.+rt and short pants. Through the slightly opened door, I came out of the hallway and closed the door tightly. Then I looked before me.
The moon was already high up in the night sky. Since the place had a hotel-like view, the moonlight poured down through the gla.s.s windows and brightened the hallway. Leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, Yoon Jung In was wearing a comfortable-looking short-sleeved s.h.i.+rt and pajama pants. His exposed arms looked cold in the air.
“Oh, I was asked to come here. Hey, Lee Mina!”
As soon as he said that, a girl who looked like she changed her clothes hurriedly, dashed out of the room while waving her uncombed, tangled hair. She received a black plastic bag from Yoon Jung In then smiled brightly. ‘What’s going on?’ I looked at them.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Alcohol! We’re gonna drink anyway, so I asked Yoon Jung In to get us a few bottles.”
“Oh, my G.o.d…”
I was at a loss of words as she responded with a face filled with conviction. While I pouted in shock, Lee Mina took out a few bills from her pocket then handed them to Yoon Jung In. She then asked me delightfully to return inside our room. I told her to go on ahead then stepped closer to Yoo Jung In.
“Wow!! Hey, where did you get those?” I asked, putting my face closer to him.
“The convenience store on the 1st floor.”
I asked again, “So they sold alcohol to you?”
“I gave the bottles to the cas.h.i.+er without hesitation. He didn’t check my ID and just let me out with them.”
“Holy cow, how bold are you!? What were you thinking? What if you got caught?”
“I was about to say that it was just a joke and run out of the store immediately. You know, I’m good at those things.”
We got to know each other for only three months, but I already knew him enough to accept what he had just said with a nod. Not only me, but others would also nod after hearing his words. Yoon Jung In had an exceptional talent for making people believe him. As I tried to ask a few more questions, the door beside us suddenly opened.
The one who came out this time was Kim Hye Hill. She hid her face deep inside the baseball cap. Sweeping back her blue-black hair under the cap, she fixed her serene gaze at him.
“Unbelievable, you truly made it! Yoon Jung In never fails.”
“Yoon Jung In never fails? It feels like I’m the leading figure in drinking culture.”
“Am I wrong?”
“No, I’m not. Hey, other rooms are all drinking too. Oh, Ham Donnie!”
“Huh?”
When I replied, Yoon Jung In suddenly showed a cheesy look on his face and winked at me.
“Later, if Yi Ruda gets drunk and says that he loves you on the phone, just let him do it. It’s all because you didn’t accept that he has a crush on you.”
Being unclear about what to answer back, I stood still blankly for a while. Kim Hye Hill, beside me, took out her cap and handed it to me, so I smashed Yoon Jung In a few times with it. He pretended to escape out of the fuss I was making but kept bursting out laughing.
‘Oh, that b.a.s.t.a.r.d…’ I scowled while looking at his back that was getting farther away from me before returning the baseball cap to Kim Hye Hill. She dusted off and reorganized her hair that was pressed under the cap.
“I think it’s true that other rooms are all drinking now,” she said.
“Oh, really?”
“Oh Soo Jung went next door just now and found out the kids were walking on all fours in a group.”
“…”
‘Walking on all fours in a group…’ I murmured the words she said. As I came back to the room, I closed the door and promised myself that I would never walk on all fours like them.
When I stepped inside, everyone was showing a heroic expression on their faces. Oh Soo Jung, who was usually talkative and rambunctious, held a gla.s.s out to me in silence.
I carefully took the gla.s.s so I wouldn’t let any drop slip. A few hands that were holding the same gla.s.s came out from the side all at once. The night of the retreat was deepening just like that.