NOVEL WEB Chapter 234
Kang Si-on looked like an ordinary high school student, but Ji Kang-hyeon’s tall stature was quite helpful. He wasn’t burly, but having a guy of that height in our group naturally discouraged anyone from approaching us for conversation.
I still occasionally noticed people approaching me on the street, but it had never happened when I was with Hwa-won. It seemed being alone made me more easily dismissed.
Ji Kang-hyeon, who had been the center of various rumors since childhood, was engaging Mira and Eun-a in conversation, bringing up topics that girls would likely enjoy. Unlike Mira, Eun-a wasn’t a typical girl, but she seemed interested in the entertainment stories Ji Kang-hyeon was sharing.
On the other hand, Kang Si-on was just sipping on a drink and wasn’t participating in the conversation at all. After all, he only knew Ji Kang-hyeon here. And Ji Kang-hyeon had pretty much abandoned him under the guise of “being in a romantic business.” It was understandable that there wouldn’t be much to say.
I was just sitting on the café terrace, feeling the breeze and enjoying the coastal scenery. I dislike cold seas, but since this was the East Sea, the water might be warm. But isn’t it the case that when the temperature is higher, there are more jellyfish? That thought worried me a bit. It would hurt if I got stung.
“Um, over there.”
“Huh? Why?”
After quite some time in that awkward silence, Kang Si-on finally broke the tension.
“I heard that Kang-hyeon called you ‘noona’ earlier.”
“Ah, yeah. If you want to call me that, you can.”
“Ah, okay. No, noona.”
“So, what’s up?”
“Um… it’s nothing much. I just wanted to try calling you that because I was bored.”
“Then do you want to continue talking about what we were discussing earlier?”
“Ah… thinking about it, I feel like I’ve been talking too much by myself…”
That was true, but so what?
“Don’t you have anything you want to talk about?”
“Hmm, not particularly. How’s life as a trainee idol? Is it tough?”
Honestly, I wasn’t really curious, but I asked out of pity, hoping he would say something. Ji Kang-hyeon had clearly surprised us earlier, but then he took over the conversation, leaving Kang Si-on stranded. It felt like I was taking on the responsibility for that.
“It’s tough. It’s been a really long time since I’ve come out to relax like this. They say this is the last free time before debut, and I’m worried about how much I’ll have to work after.”
“That sounds hard. What do trainees usually do?”
“We practice vocals, dance, and I’m also learning some acting.”
“Will you go out as an actor later, like him?”
“Umm, I’m not sure yet, but it’s something I might consider later. We’re learning acting just to do concept acting after our debut.”
“What kind of concept?”
“What do you think if I went as a shy nerdy high school kid?”
“I’d probably just compliment you, saying you acted well.”
Was I saying something funny? Kang Si-on chuckled. It felt like a joke, but the way he laughed made it seem genuine. However, his earlier nerdy talk was definitely not acting.
“For my debut concept, I won’t be going for anything nerdy; I’ll be a quiet, cool type of guy.”
“Like a ‘cool guy’?”
“…What’s that?”
“You don’t need to know.”
I felt the generational gap there, for sure.
“Then you’re debuting as a duo with that trainee who went out with his girlfriend? Just the two of you?”
“Not just us; there are two others who are older than us, so there’s a bit of distance. This trip was actually organized by Kang-hyeon, so the older guys are probably off having fun on their own.”
“I see.”
But what to do? Even though I asked, I had no real interest in it… I would rather talk about band animation or songwriting instead.
Did my expression show that I was bored? Kang Si-on seemed to notice and tried to change the subject.
“Ah, by the way, you still haven’t met Si-woo, right? He’s called Han Si-woo, and he already has a girlfriend. If he gets caught after debut, that’s the end of it.”
“He must be pretty brave. But didn’t he inform the company about that? Isn’t there any reaction from them?”
“He’s the son of our agency’s CEO.”
Ah, that was a bit amusing. So that’s why they let him have a secret relationship, because he was the CEO’s son? I was a little curious about what the actual CEO thought. Would he be okay with it? Being the son of the agency’s boss means he wouldn’t have to worry about living, even if he failed as an idol.
“What kind of girl is his girlfriend?”
“They’ve been friends since kindergarten, or so I’ve heard. I don’t know the details; they just introduced each other and quickly left together.”
“Childhood friends? That’s a bit enviable, that kind of relationship.”
I wished I could have been childhood friends with Hwa-won too.
I knew I shouldn’t be thinking this, but I instead pondered how much easier it would have been if I had been a girl from the start and close to Hwa-won.
I shook my head, trying to brush off the fleeting bad thought. Regardless, if that were the case, I would probably be a different person. At least, I wouldn’t be Seol-guk.
Suddenly, I realized Kang Si-on looked a bit surprised at my head shaking, but that was none of my concern. I stood up to clear my suddenly dizzy mind.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll take a walk.”
“Ah, can I come with you then? I’m all better now.”
“I want to walk alone.”
“Well… I guess I have no choice but to let you. If something happens, yell really loudly, okay?”
“Am I a child?”
He seemed to be serious, not joking, which annoyed me a bit. Eun-a meant well, but I didn’t show it, still feeling offended by being treated like a kid. It irked me even more that she was right.
“Then I and Kang-hyeon will stay here a bit longer.”
“I think I’ll head back first. It’s too crowded here; I feel uncomfortable. If anything happens, call Hwa-won oppa.”
Mira and Ji Kang-hyeon seemed like they planned to stay and flirt, while Eun-a, true to her hikikomori ways, chose to head back. I wasn’t particularly interested, but I felt like I should at least pay attention to what Kang Si-on had to say, so I glanced over at him.
“I’ll just go buy something to drink for everyone and then come back. Um… well,”
“You can call me Eun-a noona.”
“I’ll go back with Eun-a noona then.”
“Don’t eat me.”
I threw in a joke at the unexpected duo.
“Who are you talking that to?”
“Figure it out.”
Leaving a flustered Eun-a behind after a minor act of revenge, I left the café by myself. I wished Hwa-won were with me, but walking alone wasn’t too bad either. There were a lot of people, but more people made it feel safer. Anyone attempting something strange would be easily spotted.
Still, I decided not to head to too secluded a place just in case.
Ignoring the gazes around me, I descended to the beach. Hmm, but I’m wearing sneakers right now. I only brought slippers for backup, and getting them wet feels a bit off, right? I took off my sneakers and walked barefoot on the sandy beach. It would be dangerous if I happened to step on litter or shells, but regardless, I felt like walking on the beach barefoot.
I spread my arms to balance myself and moved slowly. The waves came and went, wetting my feet, and the pleasant coolness lifted my spirits. Should I consider walking along the beach with Hwa-won later? It would feel kind of silly to take off our shoes and do that together.
At that time, we’d probably be at the beach in front of the villa instead. It looked smaller than this, which was a bit disappointing.
Suddenly, I noticed a pair of sneakers in my hands. Thinking back, I realized I had bought a lot of clothes, but not many shoes. These sneakers… hmm, were the first ones Ham Yejin brought for me. Since then, the only shoes I had bought were a pair of small sandals and a few pairs of slippers.
Having worn the same sneakers for years when I was still a guy, it hadn’t crossed my mind to buy different shoes to dress up. They probably should’ve told me to buy pretty shoes, but why didn’t anyone say that?
Should I buy some shoes that match my clothes when I get back? I mean, they’re nice enough, so wearing sneakers with this getup doesn’t feel too unbalanced, but shoes that match would likely look better.
Hwa-won likes pretty things, so I had to step up my game. As long as there were parts I couldn’t satisfy her with, I had to step up my game, at least in this regard. And dressing up was starting to feel a little enjoyable.
How foolish.
Before I knew it, I had made my way to what could be considered the end of this beach, even if it wasn’t the end of the shore. I should probably head back soon. If I went further, there might be no people around, which could be dangerous. Plus, the rocky area ahead wasn’t suitable for walking barefoot, and wearing shoes with wet feet…
But then again, I didn’t have a towel, so I’d have to splash my feet with water to wash off the sand later before putting my shoes on, right? Wearing shoes with wet feet would be the same thing. I only had slippers as a spare, but it seemed like that would still work just fine.
I washed the wet sand stuck to my feet off in the seawater and put my shoes back on. This time, I waded a bit into the water while wearing them. I could feel the cold seawater entering my sneakers. It felt strange, and I couldn’t help but chuckle a little.
“Haha….”
However, I suddenly sensed some movement coming from behind the rocks. I hoped it wasn’t someone suspicious. There was no need to make unnecessary trouble, so just as I was about to leave, a pair of young kids emerged from behind the rocks. Their casual attire and slightly flushed faces, hastily fixed clothes indicated to me what they had likely been up to.
“Y-you idiot! There’s someone here! I said I didn’t think they would come this far!”
“It’s okay. It’s just a kid.”
I could hear everything; why were they arguing?
The flustered girl and the guy trying to calm her down seemed a little too advanced for a youthful couple, but they were clearly a couple. It appeared they tried to sneak around in a place like this and got startled by me. They probably hadn’t intended to venture this far.
But if they felt caught, they should’ve hidden; why did they come out? Were they not able to judge properly, being kids? While I was contemplating this, I sighed and turned my head, only for a sudden gust of wind to blow my hat off. No, what the heck.
Fortunately, it didn’t blow too far and landed beside me, but now my hair color, which was probably obscured by the straw hat, was fully revealed. And as I’d mentioned, I was surprisingly famous.
“Y-y-y-you’re Seol-guk!”
The girl seemed shocked, stuttering as she said my name. I mean, it was my name, but not one that should be recognized by such young kids. The looks on both their faces were unmistakably surprised, and I, however, had no clue.
I picked up my straw hat and firmly put it back on my head, giving a piece of advice to the young couple.
“Next time, you should do that in a more discreet and safe place.”
Leaving them speechless, I retraced my steps back the way I came. By the way, weren’t they supposed to be the childhood friends the others mentioned?
Could it be?
~
Turns out, it was indeed.