Chapter 18: Busan Tour

“Did you sleep well?”

“Oh, you’re already awake?”

She was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, despite her injured leg.

I immediately rushed over to help her.

“I can do it alone, it’s fine.”

“It’s easier for me if I help you too.”

“Okay.”

Compared to Sejeong unni, who didn’t cook at all, she was incredibly knowledgeable about cooking.

Her fridge was also neatly organized with all sorts of food ingredients.

“Wow… Do you have a Western cuisine certification or something?”

“No. It’s just a hobby.”

She made soup from scratch, adding butter and various ingredients.

Having only eaten 3-minute soup my whole life, it was the first time I tasted soup like this.

And, she made sandwiches, adding to the satiety of the breakfast.

The perfect harmony of the two made me feel happy.

“It’s absolutely delicious!”

“That’s a relief.”

After a satisfying breakfast, I did the dishes.

Her wrist shouldn’t get any more injured, and it was also the polite thing to do.

“It’s okay if I do them.”

“No~ I’ll do it.”

After finishing the dishes, I sat at the table and talked with her.

“Would you like to go to the aquarium today?”

“Okay.”

“…If there’s anywhere you want to go, please tell me anytime.”

“Okay.”

While she was showering, I briefly explored the cafe.

Posts were continuously being uploaded to my message board.

Every single one was a post waiting for me to return.

I should at least post a “proof of life.”

[Busan Trip~]

(Seaside Picture)

Resting properly!

See you all tomorrow!

–Nuna, I miss you.

–Isn’t this Haeundae?

–ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

After writing the post and checking the reactions for a bit, Yujin unni came out, ready.

She always prefers achromatic clothes.

A black skirt and a black top.

Even her socks were black.

She seems to really like the color black.

Since she draws well, I thought her clothing style would be diverse, but this was an unexpected side of her.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes~ I’ll hold your hand.”

Today too, as always, I drove her car.

The roads were rough like yesterday, but having driven for a day, I seemed to have adapted.

“Wow, it’s much bigger than I thought.”

“I know, right?”

Numerous colorful fish.

Yujin unni also stared at the aquarium, mesmerized.

Tap tap-

While I was happily watching the fish, someone tapped my shoulder.

Turning around to check, a man was standing there with his shoulders confidently squared.

“What is it?”

“Ah, I really like your style over there…”

“……”

A dialect mixed in his words, a bushy beard.

Seeing his messy beard, an immense sense of disgust washed over me.

When I was a man, I thought growing a beard would look cool, but it wasn’t like that at all.

But, what kind of manners is it to tap someone’s shoulder upon first meeting…

Meanwhile, Yujin unni was glaring at the man as if she wanted to kill him.

The first time I saw her expression filled with emotion.

It’s good that she expresses her emotions, but I didn’t want her to express them this way.

I hurriedly sent him away and explored deeper inside with Yujin unni.

“Why were you angry earlier?”

“…Me? I wasn’t.”

“No, it was clearly visible on your face..”

“I just, didn’t like something.”

As we went deeper inside, fish that weren’t visible from the entrance started to appear.

I pointed to one side with my left hand and said.

“Do you know that fish?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Its atmosphere is a bit similar to yours, unni.”

A black fish swimming leisurely inside the aquarium.

Something about its overflowing aura seemed to resemble Yujin unni.

“Really? I don’t really see it.”

She still didn’t smile.

I gently held her cheeks.

“What are you doing?”

“Here, try smiling like this.”

I lifted the corners of her mouth.

It might look ridiculous to others, but I really wanted to see her smile.

“Whadaryudoin?” (What are you doing?)

“Pfft… Hahahaha…”

Trying to make her laugh, I ended up laughing instead.

Her cute self, with her pronunciation even getting slurred, was incredibly adorable.

“You want to see me smile?”

“Yes. I really want to see it.”

“Like this?”

She used her own hands to lift the corners of her mouth, like a scene from Joker.

“…Okay. I lose.”

“Okay.”

“Is there a reason why you don’t smile?”

“Well. Want to guess?”

I stopped and pondered.

What could be the reason for her consistently different attitude compared to her broadcasts?

“…Am I boring?”

“No, that’s completely wrong.”

“Ah… What is it?”

“It’s okay if you don’t know now.”

With her meaningful words, we left the aquarium.

I thought seeing the colorful fish would surely make her smile…

It was my complete miscalculation for not considering her laughter barrier.

“Oh, right. There’s a place I need to go.”

“Oh?! Where is it?”

“My art studio.”

“Ah.”

I had expectations, listening to the place she wanted to go, but I was slightly disappointed that it wasn’t a tourist spot.

It wasn’t that I was disappointed in the art studio itself, but rather because I had hoped she would mention a tourist spot.

“Turn right here.”

“Over there?”

“Yeah. That building.”

Following her directions, we arrived at a building.

It seemed quite old, but it was well-maintained.

“Wow. Did you draw all of this, unni?”

Her spacious art studio, located on the 3rd floor.

Inside, various paintings were hung, from landscapes to abstract art.

“Yeah. Can you get that thing from the shelf over there for me?”

“This one?”

What she pointed to was a box containing paints.

The shelf was higher than her height, so she wouldn’t have been able to get on a stool with her injured leg.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks. I need to take this home.”

Looking at her paintings, a slight doubt arose in me.

Yujin unni calls herself an aspiring artist, but isn’t she just an artist at this level?

“Unni, did you graduate from art school?”

“No. I’m self-taught.”

“Huh? You drew this well just by self-studying?”

“Thanks for the compliment. It’s true that I’m self-taught. I’m a middle school graduate, you know.”

A surprising fact not even written on her Tree Wiki.

She revealed her educational background nonchalantly.

“Did you drop out of high school?”

“Yeah. I dropped out in my first year.”

“Eh… Did something happen?”

Putting down the paints she was organizing, she clutched her trembling hands and spoke.

Did I perhaps trigger her trauma?

“Well, the kids bullied me a lot. So I dropped out.”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? They’re the ones who did wrong.”

Her hands trembled slightly, but she still maintained her expressionless face.

Could it be that her usual emotionless demeanor is because of what happened back then?

“Let’s go now. Can you carry this for me?”

“Ah, yes, yes! Of course.”

After putting the paint box in the car trunk, I pondered our next destination.

“What do you want for dinner?”

“Hmm… What do you like, unni?”

“I want to eat sushi. Let’s go eat sushi.”

“I like sushi too~ Do you know a good place?”

She entered an address into the navigation system.

It was right next to her house, so we decided to park at home and walk.

Of course, while walking, I held her hand to prevent her from falling.

…By the way, this looks incredibly expensive.

The exterior of the restaurant was so luxurious that it looked like the most expensive place in this area.

“Welcome~”

“Two people.”

“Huh? It’s been a while.”

Was she such a regular that the owner recognized Yujin unni immediately?

The owner personally came out and guided us.

“Did you come here often?”

“I used to come here often in the past. It was good for eating alone.”

She put down the menu and skillfully ordered.

“Two omakase, please. Oh, and some good sake too.”

“Unni, did you like alcohol?”

“I only drink sake. I can’t drink other alcohol.”

Being preoccupied with her appearance, I had naturally assumed she didn’t drink.

Her face was too youthful to suggest she drank alcohol.

“How is it? Delicious?”

“Yes! It’s incredibly delicious!!”

My first time eating omakase.

It wasn’t just some mediocre place; it was a restaurant she recommended, so it tasted even better.

Indeed, it’s a place acknowledged by someone whose hobby is cooking.

“By the way, unni, aren’t you coming up to Seoul?”

“Well. I haven’t thought about it yet. My art studio is here too.”

“Aha… It would be nice if we lived close by. That’s too bad…”

“I’ll think about it.”

The owner came out with a luxurious sake bottle and poured it into a layered wooden cup.

“Kyaah… This sake is really good. It goes down so smoothly.”

“Are you a sake person too?”

“Well. I like Western liquor too, but sake doesn’t seem bad.”

“That’s a relief. Feel free to drink as much as you want. My treat.”

If we were just friends, I would have felt unnecessarily sorry.

Perhaps it’s because the wealth she unconsciously shows is no ordinary.

It seemed I could accept her kindness purely.

Only after finishing about two bottles of sake could I get up from my seat.

No, am I even standing up right now?

Sway-

…Maybe I should have drunk in moderation.

The food and sake went so well together that I drank quite a lot, and the world seemed to spin.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah… Yes, I’ll hold your hand.”

Yujin unni’s cheeks were also flushed, making me feel that she was not the same person.

Her usual demeanor was so rigid that I wondered if she was really the same person…

She was undeniably human too.

“Hehe… The moon is so pretty~”

“I know, right? But, you shouldn’t drink too much.”

“Ugh…? It’s okay~ Hehe…”

Was it because I drank too much? Laughter automatically followed whatever I said.

“Actually~ I used to watch Yuha’s broadcasts incredibly often~”

“I knew.”

“H-Huh…? How did you know that?”

“I just, thought so. It’s my intuition.”

Did I unconsciously give too many hints?

Her intuition seems to be much more accurate than I thought.

Arriving home, I collapsed onto the bed as if falling and slept.

Thanks to the pleasant tipsiness aiding my drowsiness, I slept like a log.

***

Beep beep beep-

In the dead of night, still slightly tipsy, Yujin went outside.

Dragging her injured leg, she went for a walk, leaning on her crutches.

“Ugh.”

She considered resting today due to her still aching wrist.

However, to calm her mind, she had no choice but to go.

The place she arrived at was Haeundae Beach.

Sitting on a bench, she simply gazed at the sea.

A small can of sports drink, and the brightly shining moon.

Yujin, seen from behind, looked like a scene from a fairy tale.

“The horizon… It’s clearly visible today too.”

The sound of waves crashing echoed in her ears.

Listening to the sound of the waves, she was immersed in the atmosphere.

[“Where did you usually go when you went out?”

“The park near my house.”]

Saying she went to the nearby park was a lie mixed with truth.

Her favorite place, the place she went to most often, was this bench she was sitting on.

Simply because this spot offered the best view of the horizon.

“I feel unnecessarily sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have told those lies.”

The few lies she had told.

Among them were trivial ones, but also stories she wanted to hide.

With the added effect of appropriate tipsiness, she gently shook her head and looked at the horizon.

The cold sea breeze brushed against her skin, but her flushed cheeks protected her.

“It’s pretty today too. The horizon.”

When Yujin looked at the horizon, she could maintain a calmer mind than at any other time.

Her usual emotionless state was, for Yujin, a more anxious state than any other.

She sometimes found solace listening to back number’s ‘Suiheisen’, but Eunseo’s cover became an even greater comfort.

“I want to stream.”

For her, the heightened emotional state during broadcasts was the most comfortable state.

“…I have to tell her before Eunseo leaves.”

She brushed off the sand and stood up, making a vow in her heart.

To tell Eunseo the truths she had hidden and deceived her with until now.