Sihyun got off the bus, guided by a travel agency staff member, and upon seeing the ship introduced as the pride of S Travel Agency, he took a sharp breath. The massive ship felt oddly familiar, resembling something from his dreams.
"..."
"What's up?"
As Sihyun stood frozen, Hamin, who was beside him, nudged him. Sihyun, who had been silent for a moment, shook his head.
"It's nothing."
Hamin shot a meaningful glance at Sihyun, who replied belatedly. Ignoring it, Sihyun followed the staff's instructions and boarded the ship. Haewoon, who had been oddly quiet since earlier, finally showed excitement upon boarding the ship.
"Cruise! Travel! Ship! So huge!"
"Please, stop!"
As Haewoon shouted nervously about boarding the ship, Hamin quickly covered his mouth to hush him. Despite being on such a trip for the first time, Sihyun didn't exhibit as much excitement as Haewoon. Sihyun glanced at Haewoon with a slightly worried expression.
"Wow, it's so cool!"
Finally succeeding in pulling Hamin's hand away, Haewoon kept marveling. His golden eyes sparkled as he looked around. It might have been exaggerated, but with such a reaction, it seemed worthwhile even for the teachers who had arranged this trip.
After calming Haewoon down, Sihyun glanced around the ship. Initially, it reminded him of the nightmare ship, sending shivers down his spine. But upon closer inspection, it was a splendid vessel that made him forget the nightmare. Such ships were hard to come by even in movies.
Following the teacher's guidance that Class A would be on the upper deck, Sihyun swallowed his surprise at every turn. The massive white ship seemed to evoke exaggerated expressions of admiration.
Sihyun wasn't the only one astonished; other kids from Class A, not just Hamin and Seowoo, also expressed wonder. Hamin and Seowoo were born into wealthy families. Realizing this fact anew, Sihyun ran his hand along the railing. It felt surprisingly smooth, maybe because it was a ship lavishly furnished.
"We will be using the buffet-style restaurant on board for meals and staying in the 'Royal Prince's pride,' the 'Sweet Prince.'"
"Hmm."
Sihyun, upon hearing the names of the ship and the rooms, stared at the guide with bewildered eyes.
He wondered if he misheard, but the guide's proud expression suggested otherwise.
The author must have gone crazy by this point.
Sihyun fell silent at the excessively grandiose names. The revelation that each room had a terrace also lessened the surprise from earlier. It seemed like they could spend a week enjoying all the facilities on board.
The school must have gone nuts. No, in this case, was it the association that had gone mad?
When they mentioned covering all expenses, it seemed alright, but now that they were on the ship, he couldn't fathom how much it would cost. Considering the treatment for Mirgun prospective candidates, Sihyun wondered how lavish Mirgun could get.
Earning a lot of money wasn't a lie.
Earning this much, Mirgun seemed like a feasible option.
For Sihyun, who sought peace and normalcy, it was the first time he envisioned luxury in his future.
After checking out all the facilities, they had free time until dinner. Moving to their assigned rooms, Sihyun checked the interior and was amazed. It was almost like moving dormitory furniture into a room.
Despite being just a room inside a ship, it was impressive.
Lying down on the spacious bed, Sihyun placed his suitcase to the side. It seemed like it could handle a couple of rolls without a problem.
"There are two beds, so we'll share!"
"Well, sure."
Entering with Sihyun, Haewoon claimed the other bed. Sihyun had anticipated the situation since he first checked the bed, nodding his head in agreement. Lost in thought, Hamin came in after Seowoo.
Seeing Hamin standing before him, Sihyun furrowed his brows.
"Hey, with me..."
"Nope, go away."
"Huh."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was rejected. Hamin, who didn't show a hint of hesitation, looked puzzled.
"Sleep with me."
"Go away."
"Fine, then sleep with Kang Haewoon!"
"Hey."
"What? Since you don't like it, go next to Kang Haewoon."
"I'd rather sleep with Ban Haru."
"That's it."
"Hey!"
Guys, even if it's me, it hurts to be pushed aside like this based on who you want to sleep with.
Watching Hamin and Sihyun stubbornly argue about who should sleep with Haewoon, and even after being silenced numerous times, Haewoon started tearing up. But it didn't matter to them whether Haewoon cried or not. Engaged in their debate, Haewoon looked at Haru, who was silently standing by.
"If you guys do that, I'll sleep with Haru!"
"Oh..."
Suddenly proposed by Haewoon, Haru hesitated. After a moment of contemplation, Haru's response was enough to devastate Haewoon.
"I, I want to sleep with Sihyun..."
"Oh..."
"Hey, see? We all have our preferences. You can cuddle with Kang Haewoon."
"Harsh."
"Then I'll sleep with Haru!"
"Hey, come on."
"Rather, I'll sleep with Ban Haru."
"That's settled."
"Hey!"
Even amidst the chaos, Sihyun and Haru continued conversing as if it were natural. Not even ten minutes had passed since they entered the room, yet Hamin and Haewoon had thrown everything off the bed, creating a mess. Sighing, Sihyun looked at them lying on the floor.
Despite the mess, it seemed like they fit together quite well.
Beep beep beep—.
The phone alarm rang in the room. Groggily waking up, Sihyun turned off the alarm and got up. He saw Haru lying next to him. Initially apart, they had rolled close to each other in their sleep.
Checking the time, Sihyun was surprised.
5:30.
Dinner was starting at 6:40. It might have been rude to wake Haru up, sleeping like a young child, but if they went late, it would be tough to deal with people. Sihyun had already discussed going early with Haewoon before the opening time, so he shook Haru awake.
"Hyung."
"......"
"Haru hyung."
Let's go eat. No matter how many times he shook and spoke, Haru remained unresponsive. Watching him seemingly lost in a dream, Sihyun wore a perplexed expression. So, Hamin, who was sharing the bed with Haewoon, grabbed the pillow Haewoon was using.
"Hey, move aside."
"Are you going to throw it?"
"You're getting frustrated because of me waking you up."
What's there to get frustrated about?
"Would shaking someone wake them up, or throwing a pillow at them? Kang Sihyun watched Hamin giggle as he saw Haru doze off and nonchalantly tossed a pillow in Haru's direction. Zip! Startled by the pillow flying at him, Sihyun widened his eyes. And in that moment, Haru woke up.
Thunk!
"...."
In an instant, Hamin's pillow was embedded in the opposite wall.
"You're up."
Chuckling, Hamin remarked. Sihyun's gaze shifted from the flying pillow back to Haru. As Hamin said, Haru was groggy, trying to get up from his slumber. It was clear he had no clue what had happened.
...I hope I didn't give away his identity as an assassination class.
Deciding to always gently shake Haru awake from now on, Sihyun muttered inwardly.
Taking care of Haru, they headed to the dining hall where Seowoo and Geonu were waiting for them. Seeing this, despite being on a field trip, it didn't feel particularly different; being surrounded by familiar faces made the unfamiliar place somewhat familiar.
"Dawn and Jihye are..."
"Eating separately."
"Separately?"
"Yeah, they want to break away from the boys and have a girls' date."
It sounded like something Jihye would say.
At Seowoo's words, Sihyun, considering it typical of them, waited outside the dining hall until it opened, then walked in as the first customer. The flashy interior didn't impress, but the dishes served were impressive. Finishing a satisfying meal after a long time, Sihyun swiftly left the bustling restaurant.
"Good thing we ate early."
"Yeah."
Seowoo responded to herself. As he casually engaged in conversation, Sihyun found Geonu matching his pace, walking comfortably, and smiling.
"Recreation starts at 11! Shall we practice dancing before that?"
Originally scheduled for 10, it seemed they delayed a bit. Sihyun gestured to Haewoon, who seemed to have gathered information from somewhere.
"Alright, we've practiced enough to be sick of it. A couple of times 30 minutes before should do."
"Um, okay?"
"Let's do that. It's a rare field trip; we shouldn't waste it practicing all the time."
Seowoo persuaded Sihyun. Haewoon, who had been contemplating, agreed. Strongly insisting that he would play with other friends and come back later, Haewoon left. As a result, only Geonu, Haru, Seowoo, and Sihyun remained on the terrace.
Where's Hamin?
"He's gaming in the room."
"Oh."
That guy's crazy.
Certainly, Hamin was undoubtedly obsessed with games. Even during the school trip, he showed an inclination to play games incessantly, a habit he had even at home. Finding it absurd, Sihyun chuckled and leaned against the railing. The railing, reaching his chest, provided a sense of stability that didn't falter even when he leaned back.
Of course, relative to Sihyun's height.
Suddenly tilting his head, Haru nervously stared at Sihyun. Feeling adequately stable, Sihyun noticed that Haru seemed to think he might fall off any moment. Extending his hand, Sihyun tousled Haru's head after a long time.
"It's okay."
Speaking to reassure, Haru calmed down. While I was tidying up his messy hair, I felt two pairs of eyes watching me alternately. Glancing back and forth between the two boys who were silently watching me, Haru and Geonu, Haru who was persistently staring at me seemed insistent.
Suddenly, I remembered something Yoo Seowoo had said.
Right.
"...Do you want me to do it to you guys too?"
Rather than engaging in another argument with Yoo Seowoo, it was better to give a slight touch, even if it was awkward. After hearing Sihyun's words, Seowoo burst into laughter.
The laughter echoed refreshingly over the sea. It felt like a scene from a youth drama.
If I hadn't been here, it would've been better.
Our protagonist is said to be on a date with her friends. Am I, a childhood friend, taking on that role for her? Sihyun blinked, feeling a sense of injustice. Strictly speaking, it wasn't me but my body double who was a friend. Suddenly, I felt unfairly treated.
"It's better to do it like you used to when you want to."
"...?"
Puzzled by Seowoo's sudden remark, Sihyun tilted his head. Wondering what she meant, it seemed like an answer to the comment I made earlier. Without immediately responding, I wasn't sure why she paused so long before speaking.
"What do you mean, like I used to?"
"At the end of the month evaluation."
"Oh."
Come to think of it, I vaguely remember doing it then. At that time, it wasn't so much because I wanted to, but it was more to console. I realized I was the one getting tired of mentioning friends or jealousy for no reason, so I quietly shut my mouth, and silence ensued.
The serene atmosphere after a long time felt pleasant. The sea breeze was tolerable. The ship sailing at a considerable speed made it dizzying to look down, but it was fine if I didn't.
Still, this shield is amazing.
Sailing rapidly made the wind rougher. Despite shielding against it, allowing some weakened wind to pass through to give it a cruise-like feel, it was fascinating at what level one had to reach to deploy such a shield.
And it's said to be a machine doing this.
A machine gifted by an S-Class healer.
Sihyun, marveling at the thin shield with newfound interest, glanced around as children started coming out.
9:30 PM.
Time flew by without doing anything. Someone had devoured my time. Checking the dimming sky, Sihyun shivered.
It's nighttime.
Suddenly, a scene from a dream flashed back.
Swiftly straightening up, Sihyun looked around. Everyone who had been lying down in their respective places was now looking at him, startled by his sudden movement.
Whee-ee-eezing.
It felt like the wind blowing was rougher than before.
Thinking it might get rougher, Sihyun narrowed his eyes. An ominous feeling wrapped around his body. And typically, these premonitions...
Kwaaang!
"Aaaah!"
It was right.
The ship came to a halt, making a crashing noise, and Sihyun bit his lip, feeling it hit something.
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