Chapter 19: The Pirate Game and a Trip to the Supermarket

As I fled towards the Mintendo Wii, laughter erupted from behind me. Unsure how to operate it, I was fumbling with the console when, from a distance, two figures strode purposefully towards me.

“I’ll go easy on you, so come back.”

Jae-hyun said, a gentle smile gracing his lips.

‘I hadn’t explicitly asked for leniency,’ I thought.

I had simply carried out the penalty too honestly. Though I had been prepared to face the consequences later, there was no need to voice it to those who were offering to let it slide.

As I shamelessly looked around, Woo Sori also seemed to have no particular interest in the Mintendo Wii. Following the two of them back to our spot, my eyes met Chaeyeon-woo’s, who was sitting idly.

“You’re back?”

The two, unaware of the full story, remained silent.

The scattered Jenga blocks were nowhere to be seen, seemingly having been tidied up.

“How about we all play a game together? And whoever loses has to go grocery shopping later!”

As usual, Chaeyeon-woo, appearing innocently pure, took the lead in the situation. Though I was slightly tired of games with conditions attached.

Aside from Kang Hae-il, who looked rather indifferent, the other three nodded, signaling their agreement.

‘It seems I’ve been ‘triggered’ again,’ I mused.

Lee Dohwa watched them, letting out a small sigh.

“Let’s play something other than Jenga.”

‘Because if we play that, I’m sure to lose.’

As I voiced my opinion for the first time today, they huddled together, searching for another board game.

Watching their backs, an inexplicable unease began to settle within me.

“Let’s make it fair and rely on luck.”

What Chaeyeon-woo brought over was none other than the Pop-Up Pirate game.

Still, it wasn’t a game requiring skill like Jenga, which brought a quiet sense of relief. As the contents were quickly set up, Lee Dohwa picked a blue sword from among the many.

“How many people should lose? Two?”

“Two went yesterday, so let’s have three go today.”

“Sounds good!”

Woo Sori asked, tilting his head, and Jae-hyun replied.

‘So, half of us go, and half stay home,’ I realized.

“No way I’ll lose.”

Ma Won-ho shrugged. ‘Everyone must be thinking the same thing,’ I surmised.

As I desperately hoped to stay home and inserted my sword, thankfully, the pirate remained in his barrel. The first round passed in a flash, and then came the second.

Ma Won-ho plunged in a yellow sword, and simultaneously, the pirate shot up from the center.

“Is this for real?”

Ma Won-ho tilted his head in disbelief, an incredulous expression on his face. ‘He perfectly fulfilled the ‘flag’,’ I observed.

In stark contrast, gentle smiles bloomed on the faces of the others.

‘As long as it’s not me.’

Excluding Ma Won-ho, the remaining players started a new round. It began in the opposite direction from before, making me the next player after Kang Hae-il.

“…Please.”

I casually inserted the sword, as if merely passing by, and the pirate remained unresponsive.

Two rounds passed, and it was Lee Dohwa’s turn once more.

Leaning my upper body away, I extended my arm and plunged in the sword. Still, nothing happened, and a wave of relief washed over me as I looked at Chaeyeon-woo, whose turn was next.

“Hmph.”

He inserted it without hesitation, and as if on cue, the pirate sprang out.

Jae-hyun and Woo Sori cheered, high-fiving each other. Feeling a surge of excitement at having eliminated another player, Lee Dohwa swayed his upper body from side to side.

“Hm.”

“This is the final round now, right?”

“This really keeps you on the edge of your seat.”

Chaeyeon-woo went and sat next to Ma Won-ho, who had comfortably settled into ‘enjoy-the-show’ mode.

They exchanged whispers, then chuckled together before looking at the others.

“Come join us, anyone.”

Chaeyeon-woo, having instantly entered ‘enjoy-the-show’ mode, crossed his legs and wore an arrogant expression.

‘After all, it usually takes two or three rounds to lose,’ I thought.

Kang Hae-il succeeded first, and then Lee Dohwa immediately inserted the red sword he was holding.

“…Why did it pop out?”

And simultaneously, the pirate sprang forth.

I was dumbfounded, then reality set in, and a sense of injustice washed over me. This was a new personal record for the shortest game.

“Welcome.”

“Farewell~.”

Chaeyeon-woo, grinning even more broadly than before, gestured towards me.

Then, Woo Sori, with no lingering hesitation, pushed Lee Dohwa towards them.

I was dismayed by the prospect of grocery shopping, but I tried my best not to show it outwardly. After all, it would make things awkward for those going with me.

Finally, I looked at Ma Won-ho and Chaeyeon-woo, who had joined the ‘loser’s bench’ and were now laughing.

The one who had been overconfident.

The one who had suggested the game.

And the one who simply had bad luck.

“Have a good trip.”

“…We’ll be back.”

After playing another game and resting for a bit, 5 PM arrived. Only those who had lost prepared to leave, standing by the front door.

Receiving farewells from the three who weren’t going, I reluctantly forced my unwilling steps forward. As I followed them into the parking lot from the very back.

“I’ll drive.”

Thanks to the two of them taking the driver’s and passenger seats, I ended up in the back.

‘Since I’m already out, I might as well buy all the good fruits while I’m here.’

Once we actually set off, the further we got from the house, the more at ease I felt.

“Just like yesterday, we’re going out together again, aren’t we?”

“Indeed. What were we supposed to buy this time?”

“I have the list of things we wrote down earlier!”

Listening to their back-and-forth conversation, I gazed out the window.

‘It might get congested on the way back, as it’ll be close to rush hour,’ I mused.

Fortunately, even though Lee Dohwa, sitting in the back, said little, Chaeyeon-woo in the passenger seat kept talking incessantly, preventing the atmosphere from becoming dull.

He was so indefatigable, one might even believe he was a human bulldozer.

Lee Dohwa, for his part, listened attentively, interjecting with occasional affirmations.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Good work.”

Our arrival was much quicker than expected. Kang Hae-il had driven the car so smoothly yesterday, but it seemed these two had different driving styles.

It was natural, given I’d only been here twice, that they had used a navigation system to get here.

The one who had memorized the entire route on the way here was the truly exceptional one.

“It’s actually nice to come out like this after being cooped up at home.”

Getting out through the same side door, I heard Ma Won-ho’s murmur, but I didn’t agree. Instead, I quietly walked into the supermarket.

For the first time in a while, Lee Dohwa immediately grabbed an empty cart and pushed it.

“We don’t have much to buy today, so let’s just use one cart.”

I looked around the supermarket, which I was visiting for the first time. ‘There’s so much here,’ I thought.

Seeing Chaeyeon-woo’s phone with the shopping list, the two walked ahead towards the aisles, with Lee Dohwa slowly following behind them.

As items were placed in the cart, if Lee Dohwa spotted something of better quality, he would discreetly swap it out.

Pushing the cart, my attention wandered until I spotted the fruit section.

“Can we buy peaches and plums?”

“Go ahead.”

Being in season, their perfectly ripened appearance seemed to draw Lee Dohwa in like a magnet.

The two people who had been walking ahead turned to confirm Lee Dohwa’s presence and nodded. Pushing the cart to the fruit section, Lee Dohwa generously filled it, keeping in mind there were six people.

After that, items like ramen and snacks, anything that suited Lee Dohwa’s taste, were added to the cart. Having achieved his goal, Lee Dohwa followed behind the two with a satisfied expression.

‘After all, grocery shopping is really about buying what you want to eat,’ I thought.

Despite the earlier claim that there wasn’t much to buy, the cart was now surprisingly full.

As the cart’s speed gradually slowed with repeated pushes and stops, Ma Won-ho noticed this and approached Lee Dohwa.

“I’ll push it.”

“Thank you.”

Without declining the offer, I stepped aside and walked leisurely beside Ma Won-ho as he pushed the almost overflowing cart. It was while we were heading to the checkout that this happened.

“We didn’t buy milk, did we?”

“Milk?”

“Yeah, Sori Hyung said he’d eat cereal again tomorrow morning.”

It suddenly occurred to me that they had mentioned finishing the milk bought this morning.

The checkout was right ahead, so there was no need to turn the cart around and go all the way back to the milk section.

“I’ll go get it. You two go ahead and get in line at the checkout.”

Without waiting for an answer, I quickly turned and walked towards the milk aisle.

I hadn’t really done much, like a mere side dish, as the two of them had managed the shopping quite well. Perhaps because this was their second consecutive day of grocery shopping, they seemed very comfortable with each other.

And I had noticed it in the car earlier.

‘When we leave, I should probably take the back seat again.’

I decided it would be best to continue stepping aside like this.

It seemed Chaeyeon-woo was interested in Ma Won-ho.

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